Acela Void: Party/Hard Ep. 01

We were already running by the time the window over the bar in the kitchen exploded over our heads. The frat house was getting trashed around us, and it wasn't due to the drunken brawl everyone expected.

The monsters were everywhere. They looked like small, black imps from classical paintings, except their eyes sparkled with a white glow while their mouths were small little ovals with fangs. No one knew where they came from, or what they wanted. Honestly, those were the last questions anyone wanted to ask in the chaos of the moment.

"OH MY GODDESS KATELYN, WHERE THE FUCK DID THEY COME FROM?

Except Vee.

I sighed, my best friend's nasal tone piercing right through the rest of the screams in the building. It didn't matter what type of moment it was in her life. Vee could always be quickly found in the crowd.

We had been friends since high school, meeting as freshmen after I moved into Carrington, just outside of Solara City. We were quickly inseparable, gaining the nickname "The Trouble Twins" by more than a few teachers in the school. Vee, the outspoken primadonna of the drama club, and me, the one who was too smart and curious for her own damn good. It was usually my inventions starting the havoc. It was Vee's screams that would get us caught.

But, the two of us made a pact to attend college together in Solara City. We had intended to do just that, until life wanted to be sure it threw the best possible wrench into our plans:

Interdimensional monster portals. 'Natch.

Honestly, it was still a new experience for everyone on Earth. It was only 5 months into my Junior year at Solara City University when the portals began to open all over the city. Monsters, or at least beings that could charitably be described as monsters, began to uncontrollably attack areas about the city, disappearing only after the portal was closed back up.

Closing the portal, of course, was the real hassle. At first, the city was reliant on a few individuals in the super heroic community that seemed to blossom after the first few appeared. Groups of heroes, wearing masks and protected by capes, began to show up in the insanity of these attacks, willing to defend and protect the innocent. Now it seems like the world is fascinated by the activities that have been happening in the city, as whatever was going on here hasn't happened anywhere else.

News stations from all over the world were clogging the streets in an attempt to see one of these attacks, or even catch a glimpse of one of Solara City's savior vigilantes in action.

Of course, it was just my life that all of them, the vigilantes and the reporters, were all downtown. And these monsters? They were not.

I jumped behind the disgusting black sectional couch that sat in the center of what use to be the Delta Sigma Phi game room, and Vee joined me a split-second later. I'm sure this thing was home to a fair few number of diseases, but it made a good enough hiding place for now. The monsters were clearly attracted to motion and noise, and there was plenty of it in the other room. The game room had mostly been barren.

"Do you have a plan, do you have a plan? Please, please tell me you have a plan Kaatteeelllyyynnnnnn...." Vee begged me as she pulled on my arm.

"I'd have a better plan if you'd give me a moment and stop squealing in my ear!" I shot back in a whisper. Vee blew her blonde hair out of her face and pouted a bit, letting out a long breath. "Fineeee, fine fine fine, I just wanna get out of here," she begins to complain before I put my finger over her mouth.

The sound of flapping wings had been approaching the game room again. Vee got the memo.

She and I both went super quiet, pushing our bodies up against the couch as far as we could get. The sound continued for a few moments more, but it didn't get any closer. Then, when it began to leave, I thought Vee was going to become a puddle in the floor.

"Thank fuck," she said loudly.

"VEE!" I admonished in return. Too late. The thing heard us. A terrifying, high-pitched squeal shot our way. We had to think fast.

My eyes blinked and I took in everything in the room. Pool cue. Stools. Patio door. Yes. I could work with this.

"Vee, grab that pool cue and keep it away!" I shouted at her, pointing at the cue on pool table across from us. I knew she would be on it. She's use to running interference with me now. What was this but yet another game of don't catch up to the twins?

For all of her whining, Vee could move and focus when you told her to. She was already up and her hands were wrapping around the cue. She was still scared stiff, of course, but her body was acting on instinct. Mine was acting on planning.

I made a run for one of the stools still standing at the bar. Vee got between me and the monster, waving the cue wildly. She was doing enough work to keep distance between me and it, and I easily grabbed the stool and hurled it towards the patio's sliding door.

The heavy metal chair landed into the window with a dull thud followed by the sharp crack of the glass. The shards came raining down onto the concrete outside, shattering further across the space towards the pool.

I slapped Vee on the back and she got my message as clear as day. She turned and followed me, running through the newly made window and straight into the pool area outside.

The news was suddenly not good. The house was built into the side of the nearby mountain, and they had carved out a space for the pool. The great part of it was that it gave the whole space a very earthy, "hidden-pool-by-the-cave" feel. The not-so-great part of it was that it was essentially a death trap for a situation like ours.

Vee, on the other hand, wanted to try to tell reality to go fuck itself by running around the pool to the very back of the patio, which was basically carved in like a cave. I'm sure if she panicked enough that reality would just bend enough to let her pass.

I'm sure that would happen at any moment. Not.

Still though, I chased after her. I was hoping that I'd get some sort of idea over there on a good way to push over one of the walls, into the forest surrounding us. We got to the very back, but it was barren. There wasn't any pool furniture out -- it was too cold. There wasn't anything behind the outdoor pool bar either.

Vee turned back around, pointing the pool cue behind us at the flying bat-thing that was now coming through the same hole we made in the patio door.

"Don't worry Katelyn, I'll protect you! I think!" Vee said, standing between me and it one more time. Oh bless her heart, she was trying at least. But I think we were fast running out of options.

Well. We had one option. An option I didn't want to use... but it didn't look like I had a choice.

"Hey Vee, I need you to do me a really, really, really big favor," I said to my friend as we slowly moved back towards the wall, the flying creature now beginning to hover slowly over the pool towards us. It knew it had us trapped. It was taking its time.

"Okay, um, sure, what?" she replied.

"Everything that's about to happen... just... just please don't tell anyone this is how I saved your ass," I said to her.

She turned around and looked me dead in the eyes. "What the fuck do you mean you're saving me? I'm the one up here with the fuckin' weapon," she struck back with a deadpan tone.

I didn't care. I was already mid-process, and I had to maintain my concentration. I was sure I must have already been pretty deep into the call by the time she turned around. Her face said it all. She was looking deeply into my eyes. I could feel the runic patterns opening up on my face, the symbols dancing across my flesh like the feeling of buzzy, vibrating wires of electricity. My eyes must have been glowing purple already, because I could slightly see the violet reflection in her own irises.

I looked down and opened my hands. I had folded them in front of my stomach knowingly, almost forming a pool for the energy that I knew would rush in. Sure enough, the sparkling, glimmering trails of violet dust began to emerge near my palms. The glitter began to pour in, forming this inky, violet pool that glowed neon purple at the edges where it met my skin.

From within the pool, the top of a flower began to emerge. Droplets of neon violet, sticky energy dripped from the black petals. They sent small ripples of violet across the mirrored surface of the small black pool, just as a single thorn emerged.

"What the fuck is that, Katelyn?" Vee asked, her voice shaking.

"Salvation, engage," I repeated automatically, as I had done so scores of times before. My hand grabbed the stem. The energy splashed around around my hand, hovering mid-air. My thumb pressed down onto the thorn. Hard.

The pain only ever lasted a split-second before the pleasure overtook it like a tidal wave. It was like the second my skin broke on that point, all of the energy in that pool, all of the energy in that flower, just exploded into me. It shot down my arm like lightning, and suddenly it was like a faucet that just didn't stop.

Wind kicked up around us. I'm sure my eyes were overtaken by the violet, crystalline light by now. More trails of sparkling, glittering rivers of energy began to flow around me like a storm. The arcane tattoos emblazoned themselves on my forehead and around my eyes, down my cheeks, the power crackling within them. More streams of energy, this time bands, wrapped around my body as it transformed. My clothing had long been taken by the astral energy that wrapped around me. Instead, these bands began to form into new clothes -- wraps that befit an empress of the night more than me.

The energy kept pumping into me, filling me as full as I could get. I knew what happened at this point. I'd feel like I couldn't take any more, until suddenly, I'd know I could.

It always was this knowledge that seemed to bubble up from deep within my soul. Something that called to me from ages past. The sense that suddenly, everything in the world was right, and that I was who I was suppose to be. And to be that person, I could not remain in this form.

There it was. It rung throughout me, and I shuddered and gasped. I bent backwards, my glowing violet hand wrapping around my stomach. My belly filled in. I could feel my skin stretch as the energy just kept filling me, pushing me outwards. I knew that this was how I should look, and it always shocked me how much I wanted it in this moment. Like, I would always think about it later, after I had been done transforming, and something in me just goes almost feral. Like it craves this moment, more than I have ever wanted almost anything else. Then, when it's done, that feeling is just... gone. And it's just me again.

I'm thinking too much. I should just enjoy the moment. It is always over so quick, and I never take it in as much as I should. Maybe if it wasn't so bright and loud, I'd do it more often. Just try it out, you know? But I don't want to take that chance. I don't want to get spotted. People couldn't know who I was. They shouldn't know who I could become.

Ah fuck, my tits. There they go. My boobs shooting forward always surprised me. It was like someone just suddenly shoves this great big wad of warm cotton inside of you. It always detonates my breasts outwards like an airbag. If I had been in my old shirt, it would have been torn to shreds, but I didn't have to rely on such vagaries. I was magical.

One of the bands of violet light wrapped itself around my ballooning bosom and clenched them, forming into a dark leather top. Straps snapped themselves across my chest, holding me in as I completed my growth into a woman that would make my mother blush. Cleavage ran for what seemed like feet down my front, turning me into what felt like an anime idol.

But that wasn't the only part of me growing. My hips were expanding, my butt was blowing up, and most prominently expanding was my stomach. My back continued to arc and I couldn't help myself. I had to rub my gut. A moan escaped my lips as I could feel myself become more and more fulfilled, feeling my own body grow between my own fingers. I was so warm. So soft. I pushed my fingers into my belly and gave myself a squish just as another spark of energy jumped across both sides of my hips. Arcane symbols long forgotten by man etched themselves into me. Each line of the tattoo sparkled with the same far superior violet-blue energy that made up the rest of me.

Last was my hair. Streaks of light, like comets, flew backwards out of my skull. It felt like bottle rockets shooting from my scalp. Streamers of energy formed into black, swirling, cosmic hair. My silver tiara moved into position and kept it all back, the bright, glowing red crystal star that hung from the metal on my forehead slightly stung my skin, almost playfully teasing. My hair floated behind me, conveniently out of my face while also giving me a "badass lioness" look. From my back, the rest of my dress attached, forming into a silky black fabric that connected to the leather armor portions.

I still wasn't sure why only parts of me, like my skirt and bra, were armored, while other portions were just silk or lace. Like, why were my stockings lace, only attaching to my leather maternity tool belt with garters?

Leather maternity tool belt... that was a sentence I just said in my head. This transformation really does get to me.

I felt the last portion snap into place... the bow around the back of my dress. While the dress billowed in the back, leaving my legs exposed in the front, a black ribbon tied the whole thing together through my corset. The ends of the ribbon also exploded into strips as they grew, forming into translucent, sparkling, purple tentacles. Or maybe wings. I don't know. I never stopped to give it much thought. I just knew their use.

"VEE, move!" I screamed at her. I needed her to get out of the way. I needed to throw myself at that thing before it got any closer. I was ready. I was full. Fully formed, I mean. I... why am I correcting myself? I needed to go!

"Um... but.. you... ah..." Vee looked down at me, a red blush forming on her face. She quivered a bit, still in shock from watching the whole thing. I HAD hoped she would remained facing away from me, but, well, here we were. Couldn't change it now.

Fuck, she still didn't move! The thing was gaining speed, it was going for a lunge! I had to act!

With a sickening splat, the crunching behind Vee's head finally snapped her out of the trance. She turned around away from me and came face to face with the beast, a slight cry escaping her lips. It had reached only about a foot away from her before my void blades sliced into it. I had willed my ribbons to wrap around both sides of her, meeting behind her perfectly at head level for the beast. I had reacted in just enough time to impale it. Blood trickled down the sparkling, translucent void spikes as the ribbons slightly rustled in the air like snakes.

Vee turned back around, shaking a bit. She clearly had so many questions to ask. So many things to say. Tears began to trickle from her eyes.

"Katelynnnnnnn..." she began to cry, placing her hands on my table of a stomach. I jumped a bit, never having anyone touch me like this before. Well... not like this normally, and especially not like THIS.

"Ye... yeah?" I asked in return, now finally beginning to feel the cold poison of embarrassment trickle into my veins.

She wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight, leaning over both my stomach and my breasts to reach my face as best as she could. I was almost taken off balance, rocking back on my armored high heeled boots. I wrapped my arms around her unsurely for a moment, not sure what to do in this exact situation. I hadn't exactly prepared.

"You're sooooo biiiggggggggggg and it's so harrrrdddd to huuuuugggg youuuuuuuuuuuuu," she weeped. "I justttt need a huu-hu-hu-huuuuggggg..."

I let my held breath go, relaxing. My stance shifted, letting my bloody ribbons finally drop the creature and clean themselves, transforming them back to soft, velvet cloth. I wrapped my arms and my "wings" around her, pulling the velvet close to her in a gentle hug while one wrapped up and pet her head.

"It's okay. We're okay now. I'm right here," I said in an attempt to relax her. Her breathing began to slow, but I could feel the rapid beat of her heart against my skin. She stayed in place for a moment, her head rising and falling on my chest with my breaths, the motion eventually fully relaxing her.

"Wait a minute..." she said as we held one another. I jerked upright, pulling my ribbons away from her, looking back down at her. I'm sure my black lips were twisting into nervousness at this point. I couldn't help it.

"You... you look familiar for some reason," she began to say, pulling back and raising her finger.

"Hey Vee, why don't we ask other questions, like, 'Hey Katelyn, why are you so fat?' You know I'd actually like that question more at this point. How about that one?" I nervously began to stammer.

"No... no... wait... I KNOW you. Fuck, Kate, I've SEEN you."

"No, no you do not know me. Nope. I honestly keep to myself. I don't really do any heroic work..." I continued to say, words spilling out from me. I put my hands behind my back, and I think my wing ribbons were even nervously crossing themselves.

"No, you DON'T do heroic work. You're that villainess!"

My heart dropped. I didn't want to hear it. Not after I had just felt so good and so helpful.

"You're Acela Void! You're the Cruel Queen of the Stars! The Violet Vixen! The Scary Sapphic Sorceress of Solara City..."

"Okay, first off, that last one is such bullshit," I snapped. That got written about me ONE time by the Solara Circle tabloid, and that seems to be the one everyone seems to fuckin' remember. No, not the better ones, like the Cruel Queen of the Stars. I could at least live with that one. Sapphic Sorceress?

"No. No you 100% are her. Holy shit, my friend? My FRIEND is the Butcher of Blaze Jet? You KILLED him. Everyone saw it on the news!"

I pulled away. "Vee. Please. Listen to me. I wouldn't do that. You KNOW me."

Vee's face said it all. She was disgusted. Hurt. I had been afraid of what I looked like scaring her. Now I was just afraid of existing at all in front of her. I really wanted that moment behind me. But I guess it doesn't work like that.

"Please," I pleaded, hand extended to her.

She hesitated. She was grinding her teeth, looking at me, thinking about me. I knew she was just attempting to do the math in that moment. Trust for Katelyn + 10, Hatred for Acela Void, Sapphic Sorceress, -200.

The man's voice calling out from inside the house broke up our little standoff. "Hey, we better check to make sure no one's hurt out by the pool," he called out.

Vee turned around away from me. I panicked. I didn't want to give her the chance to blow my cover. Before she could even open her mouth, I wrapped my ribbons around her and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, I'll explain," I rapidly spat at her as the void crackled around us. I snapped my fingers and finished the teleport spell in my head, shooting us out of that place before anyone was the wiser.

I had a long night ahead of me.