A Sheep Amongst Wolves

Valen woke up disoriented on an unfamiliar bed, hands shaking him gently. Anna was sitting beside him and Veronica was standing near. Both were dressed in what looked like tight stretchy pants and t-shirts.

“What, where am I?“ he mumbled absently, sitting up on the bed and blinking, trying to figure out where he was. The room seemed masculine and vaguely familiar.

“How do you feel?” Anna asked, eyes sparkling, lips quavering as if she was trying to not laugh.

“I don’t know,” he said, “kind of shitty, like I got hit by a bus or something,” he replied.

Both girls exchanged looks and laughed.

“What happened? I mean, the last thing I remember was the bleachers and you were kissing me,” he said to Anna, placing a hand to the side of his head.

Anna leaned in, close enough to whisper in his ear, “We sort of had sex with you,” she said, capturing his earlobe between her teeth and giving it a little tug.

“What?” he said pulling back to look at her.

“Both of us,” Veronica said, grinning.

“Nah,” he chuckled, pausing, smile fading, “Really?

“At the same time,” Anna said, nodding.

“Right,” he chuckled, shaking his head and starting to shiver. “Why is so cold in here?” he asked, wrapping his arms around his nude torso.

Anna looked at Veronica, brows raised.

Shaking her head, the blonde girl raised her hand, “That was my fault, I sort of exploded them all out,” she said.

“Is this your house?” he asked looking at Anna.

She nodded, “This is Caleb’s room,” she said.

“Where is mega-douche anyway?” Valen asked.

Anna put her hands on the boy’s chest, pushing him back down to lying, “Something has happened. He’s gone,” she said.

“Gone?”

“You remember my scars?” she asked.

He nodded.

She shared the story of her father’s motivation for carving her skin, told him of how they tried to summon the spirit of an ancient goddess into her body.

He chuckled, and shook his head, “Okay,” he replied, looking over at Veronica.

Anna explained the composition of the group and what they did to her father.

“That’s good, right? I mean he mutilated you,” he said.

Anna smiled and shook her head, “He saved me,” she said.

“I don’t understand,” he replied, confused.

“The attempt by the group or gathering was partially successive, for a time the goddess and I co-existed in my body. We battled, and somehow, because of what my father did I was able to repel the goddess but it has changed me in ways I don’t fully understand yet,” she clarified.

Valen looked to Veronica, “You guys are fucking with me right now?” he asked, grinning.

The blonde shook her head slowly.

Valen turned his eyes back to Anna, expression still speculative, “Come on,” he said.

“It’s true,” she said.

“Okay then, hey wait, am I naked under this blanket?” he asked, face showing alarm as he lifted the blanket up and looked down the length of his nude body..

“You are naked,” Veronica said.

Pulling the blanket back down, he tuned to look at the blonde.

“And you’re losing focus,” Anna said, moving her hand up to his chin and turning his head back to face her.

“Why am I naked?” he asked, eyes round.

“That’s what I’m getting to, when the goddess left my body, she left some powers behind, some abilities,” she explained.

“And you made me naked?” he inquired, shaking his head.

“Actually, I kind of made you little,” she said, holding her thumb and forefinger apart to show him the size, “and you sort of shrank out of your clothes.”

He laughed, “Come on, you kind of had me going there,” he snickered, looking from Anna to Veronica and back.

“It is so hard to explain, but I see things, feel things I’ve never experienced before and it’s hard to keep focused,” Anna said, looking up at the other girl, “I shared it with Veronica so now we are the same.”

The blonde nodded.

“Anna, what’s really going on?” he asked. “I mean, why are you telling me all this, because I really don’t see what any of this has got to do with me having no clothes and Caleb being gone.”

Anna frowned, “Perhaps it will just easier to show you,” she said, tugging the blanket down a little and exposing his pale chest. Placing her palm on the center of his chest, she pushed power into him, forcing him to shrink. Pulling the blanket away, she watched as he got smaller and smaller, his features showing complete shock.

Veronica giggled and clapped her hands together.

Valen watched mutely, mouth hanging open, eyes like saucers.

“Believe me now?” Anna asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mouth still agape, Valen nodded slowly.

“So I sort of did this to Caleb, well, it was and wasn’t me kind of at the same time, then I swallowed him,” she said, pointing a finger at her open mouth.

Valen shook his head.

“Vincent too,” she added, nodding, then sensing a subtle shift in Valen as he stood. The flicker of love she had detected earlier was still there, sweet and pure, but now there was something else, something bitter and sour, fear. He was afraid of her.

Frowning, she put out her hands in a placatory gesture, “It’s okay,” she said softly, tone soothing, “you don’t need to be scared of me, us,”

“Aww,” Veronica said concernedly, looking down at the boy shivering on the bed as she settling herself near him, “There’s nothing to be frightened off,” she reassured, smiling.

He nodded mutely and grinned feebly, his body language betraying the abject terror he felt. What had she done to him? It was impossible. Somehow Anna had made him as small as a mouse. She was Anna, but she was so different and so was Veronica. She just confessed to killing two people, two people he knew. Sure, both Caleb and Vincent were world class assholes, but what crime had they committed that was so grievous it warranted a death penalty? He was at a loss. These were his two closest friends in the whole world, it was like he hardly knew them anymore.

Reaching her right hand toward to him, Anna smiled.

Valen cowered and shook his head.

Frowning, Anna looked at Veronica then back to the boy, “Why are you behaving this way?” she asked.

He looked up, eyes darting from one girl to the other. “You had sex with me? Like this?” he asked.

Anna and Veronica looked at each other, grinning, “Yes,” Anna confirmed.

He shook his head, taking an involuntary step backward.

“We love you,” Veronica said.

“You are being foolish,” Anna chided, growing mildly irritated by his diffidence and trepidation

“Please, make me big again,” he requested meekly.

Pursing her lips, Anna nodded and got up off the bed before looking at the comely blonde girl, “Come,” she said, crossing her arms across her chest, “I think some time like this will help him understand he is in no danger.”

Veronica nodded, touching her fingers to her lips and blowing Valen a kiss before getting to her feet.

“Anna?” he said, but the girls turned and left the room.