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Wren chewed her lip, staring at her computer screen in agitation. She tried to make the words of the article hold her interest, but she couldn't take her mind off the gnawing deep within her. Her leg bounced furiously, and she slowly clenched and unclenched her fists, determined to overpower the pain through force of will.

“Fuck off!” She screamed, swatting at a fly that zipped by her ear. She smacked herself in the side of the head, sending a shock of pain through her, shouting another curse as she did so. She got up, and walked back to the kitchen for the fifteenth time in the past hour. There was just nothing. Nothing in the fridge, nothing in the cupboards. Nothing.

It's not like I haven't eaten! She tried reasoning with herself. I've had breakfast and lunch! Why am I so goddamn hungry? She plopped herself back down at her computer, and started reading the article from the top yet again, but none of the words sunk in. She couldn't get her mind off the intense hunger.

“I'm home!” A voice rang through the house. It sailed through Wren's ears like a needle, causing her to clutch her head. The hunger intensified and paradoxically made her feel like throwing up, but she kept her resolve.

“This isn't your house.” Wren muttered when she heard her sister's footsteps come into the room behind her.

“I know, Dove, but we're family! It's not like you're going to kick me out, are you?” Susan used her affectionate nickname for her sister. Wren did not find it affectionate.

“Of course not.” She spoke through clenched teeth. Her sister really didn't mean to be the nuisance she was, and Wren knew that – but it didn't mean the girl didn't grate on her nerves more often than not.

“Great! I'll be in the living room. Is it cool if I have Stef over?” Stef. Her boyfriend.

“Go ahead, just-” She was about to make some snide remark when a thought occurred to her. “Do you have any food on you?”

Susan looked through her purse, and smiled. “I do! I have a Twix!”

In a flash, Wren was in front of her sister, causing the younger sibling to step back in surprise. “Give it to me.”

Susan's sister did not look well. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were red and puffy like she'd just been crying. Her hand was outstretched and insistent, and Susan didn't dare disobey. She placed the candy in Wren's hand, who greedily tore open the packaging and devoured the contents. “Thanks,” She said absently, returning to her computer chair and clutching her stomach.

“N-no problem...” Susan said. “Hey... are... are you okay?”

“Yeah I'm fine. Tell Stef to bring some food over. I'll pay him back. Just... just anything. A meal.”

Susan nodded again, walking out of the room as she got her cell phone out. Wren stared at the empty doorway. The candy bars had done nothing. She was just as hungry as before, and she was starting to be concerned that her body might begin digesting itself.

Wren turned back to the computer and started reading again. She forced herself to read word-by-word, concentrating on internalizing every individual definition. It numbed the pain somewhat, but she could never really get it to go away. Whimpering, she stood up and started pacing around the room. Just then the buzzing zipped past her again, this time right before her eyes. She swatted at the fly, but it was too quick for her. She watched as it sailed haphazardly through the air, coming to rest on a nearby wall.

“Dumb fucker...” She muttered, tip-toeing towards it. She held her hand out, and when she was close enough she smacked it into the wall. The small black dot sailed out the side, completely uninjured.

“Motherfucker!” Wren shrieked, smacking the wall a few more times. She didn't know why missing upset her so, but she couldn't help but feel as though that fly was somehow exacerbating her hunger. It quickly became crucial in her mind that the fly be exterminated. Her gaze swept wildly back and forth, scanning for any sign of motion. Just then, she whipped around, looking behind her. The fly darted past. How had she known it was going to be there? She clapped twice at it, but it eluded her blows once more.

Wren tried to concentrate. She'd been able to sense it without seeing it before. Maybe she could do it again. She stared blankly at the wall, eyes open but not focused on anything. She started to feel it off to her side, but only when it drew close. It unknowingly skirted the edge of her sense, frustrating her. It suddenly made a sharp turn, drawing towards her arm. Without thinking, Wren swatted out, bringing her right hand into it from the side. She drew her palm up to her face, but she knew she'd hit it before she even saw it.

There it lay, its form still twitching slightly. Wren smacked the heel of her left hand into the palm of her right, delivering the death blow to the fly. She watched its unmoving form, nodding in satisfaction, then tipped her hand and gave it a shake. The fly remained stuck to her flesh.

“Ugh, fuck!” She said, about to sweep it off with her nails, when she noticed – it wasn't completely unmoving. She stared harder to get a better idea of what was happening. Wren watched with growing fascination as the fly was absorbed into her flesh. In a matter of seconds, it was completely gone. She ran a fingertip over where it had been, but her skin was smooth as ever. She frowned, unsure of what to make of this.

Wren decided to look it up online. She searched “fly absorbed into hand,” but the best she came up with were a few magic tricks. Nothing real, no reports like what had actually happened to her. She frowned, annoyed. Slowly, her hunger started to reenter her consciousness. Killing the fly had been a nice distraction, but it hadn't made her hunger go away. She winced, wrapping an arm around herself again and bending forward.

“Hey there Wren!” She whirled in her chair, startled. There stood a tall man with an amicable smile, holding a small paper bag. She gazed longingly at it.

“Oh, thank you!” She whispered, getting up and grabbing it out of his hands. She opened the bag, but was immediately disappointed as she stared at the contents.

“A cheeseburger? One cheeseburger?” She said with disdain, looking up into the taller man's eyes. “Stef, what the hell? I said a meal!”

“I know, but I don't have much money!”

“I said I'd pay you back!”

He rolled his eyes, shrugging. “Look, you got what you got. You're welcome.” He turned to leave, but Wren quickly shot her hand out, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. With a strength she didn't realize she had, she whirled him around, shoving him against the wall behind her, all the way into her room. He hit the wall hard, grunting in pain.

“What the fuck...” He muttered, but before he could orient himself Wren was on him. She punched him in the stomach, bringing him to his knees, then wrapped her hands around his throat, staring hatefully down at him.

“I'm so... fucking... hungry...” She said, snarling. “You have no idea!” Her pitch was rising as she clenched her hands around his throat. He stared up at her in horror, pulling on her wrists with all his might, but her grip was iron. He gagged and gurgled weakly through her crushing hands, trying to plead for mercy.

All of a sudden, Wren felt an energy shoot through her spine. Green lines traced down her arms like cracks in her skin, and as they covered her hands she began to feel something new. Through her fingers, she could feel Stef's entire body. She felt she understood how it worked better than anything she'd ever understood before. But more than that, she finally understood what she needed to do.

It was a simple process, once she actually thought about it. She let him drop to the floor, clutching his neck and wheezing. Standing over him, Wren twitched her fingers and he immediately disappeared, shrinking inside his clothes. She could feel his tiny body the same way she felt the fly. She teased the clothes around with her foot, exposing the tiny, cowering man.

“It's okay, honey.” She said calmly. Her entire body tingled with anticipation. “It turns out you did bring food, after all.” Her foot was already bare, a minor convenience. It wouldn't work if she was wearing something. She brought her sole down on top of him, feeling the warmth of his blood pump through him, but there was more than that. There was his essence, deep deep inside him. That was what she needed.

There was no time for fanfare. Her hunger was too great. She crushed the tiny man with a disgustingly wet sound, her eyes closed. Immediately she could feel him being absorbed into her. It was a much stronger effect than the fly. Her legs went weak and she fell to her hands and knees. And then she laughed. Her hunger was gone.

“Wr... Wren...” Susan stammered from the doorway. She had arrived just in time to watch her sister crush her tiny boyfriend. Now Wren was laying on the floor giggling. “What did you do? And what's wrong with your skin?” The green cracks had remained, glowing in moving pulses as Stef's energy flowed through her.

Wren looked up at Susan, a huge smile on her face. “Oh my God, Suz, I feel so much better. I'm so glad he came over.” She snickered, placing a hand on her stomach as she laid on her back. Susan could see the bottom of Wren's foot. She could see a small splotch of blood that quickly disappeared, as if evaporating off of her skin.

“What did you do, Wren?” Susan repeated, taking a step forward. Wren noticed she could feel her presence, and she was much farther than the fly or Stef had been. She vaguely wondered about that, but it wasn't important. What was important was Susan's essence. She could hear it, that sweet siren's song calling to her. Wren got to her feet, taking a few steps towards her sister, who backed up against a wall.

“Wren? Wren, honey, a-are you all right?” She was scared. She didn't know why, but deep inside her she felt terrified of her own sister.

“Suz, please understand that until now I truly have been an altruistic host. I never asked nor expected anything of you, and you were free to take advantage of that. Not to mention more than willing.” She ran her hand down Susan's arm, feeling her body. The gesture was hardly necessary at this point. She understood how people worked now, she didn't need to get close anymore. Still, it felt right to do it for her sister. “Unfortunately I have to ask something of you now.”

“W-what is it, Wren?”

“I need to eat, Suz. It doesn't hurt anymore, but I'm still so hungry.” She held one hand around Susan's throat, pressing it gently against the wall, then wrapped her sister in her energy. Susan disappeared beneath Wren's palm, her clothes falling to the floor. Wren curled her fingers against the wall and brought her palm beneath her face, staring down at her sister.

“Hello, little Suzy.” She said, smiling. “I'm going to consume you now. Thanks so much, I really appreciate this.”

“What have you done!?” Susan screamed. It was the last thing she would say. Wren tipped her hand to the side, and Susan plummeted to the ground, shrieking the whole way. She hit her pile of clothes, landing uninjured for the most part. Wren used her toes to pluck her up and drop the tiny woman on the floor. Laying on her front, Susan never saw the giant toe descend and crush her legs.

“Oh my God...” Wren said, staring down at her sister's form. She could still feel the essence of life, unaffected by the shrinking process, and as Susan suffered, the essence swelled within her. It grew louder and more tantalizing with each shudder of pain that washed through Susan. Wren swallowed.

“You're going to suffer, Susan. This is going to hurt, but I want you to know that it's all for a good cause. Your suffering will help me, Susan. That's what you want, right?” She didn't wait for an answer. There was nothing Susan had to say that would interest Wren now. She brought her toe down on her sister's right arm, mashing it to a pulp. She could feel the tiny woman's body trying to pass out, but one half-twist of her left hand later and Susan completely lost the ability to be unconscious. Wren's smirk grew as she reflected on her own power.

Susan tried to plead for mercy, but her throat was too sore from screaming, and her lungs could never get enough air. She mewled pathetically at her sister's feet, clawing at the ground with her one good arm. Wren settled her toe on top of it, applied mild pressure, and then twisted it off. Susan stared numbly at the severed limb as it sank upwards into Wren's skin.

“Oh God yes... Ohhh, yes...” Wren moaned with delight, feeling her sister's essence become one with her own. She couldn't take it any longer. She needed the final burst. Wren raised her foot up, and brought the heel crashing down onto the tiny woman. Her body exploded in a jet of blood, and Wren let out a long, loud moan, her fists clenched tight at her sides as she rode the afterglow of the kill.

A minute later Wren started to come down. Her breathing returned to normal, and she let her muscles relax, wiggling her fingers to get the kinks out. She looked down at the ground. The jet of blood had been completely absorbed. There was no evidence that anybody had died in her room. Wren smiled to herself, laying down on her bed and staring up at the ceiling.

 

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