Laz had jumped around, flipped and roll to the point that Bill just stopped trying. The worst part was Laz had kept his eyes closed the entire time, as though he was taking a nap and sleep walking. Bill eventually just walked around while muttering something about using the gun next time. His words sent a shutter down Laz's spine, but he wasn't going to stop him. He could tell the training was working, although it probably wasn't what Bill had intended.

It was already night by the time his training ended and Laz just crawled up to the hayloft and laid down. He was tired and didn't even have it in him to find food. Opening up the door, Laz took a deep breath of the cool night air. Although the random hose downs had cooled him off, he was still hot from the day. Laying down on the blanket he had brought with him, he couldn't help but think about the changes happening.

It was the number one thing on his mind, even if he never let it bother him. He didn't know what was happening and if the news was any indicator, he might change more any day. It was scary to even imagine.

He was lucky in that he felt like he could talk to Bill if he wanted to. Although the old man was a bit of a pain, he was helping him in a way he couldn't help himself. He didn't know anything about fighting or training, so he needed the old man to do his best to make him ready. Of course, if you were to ask him for what, he had no idea.

And no one was really going to explain it either.

Thinking up to this point, he felt like he needed to check the news as it seems like changes were constantly happening. Reaching for his phone which he had actually brought this time, he noticed a strange alert.

'What's this? A text message? From who?'

Laz unlocked his phone and saw it was a message from Kennedy. Thinking about it, he realized that she was probably the only contact who would text him.

:Hey:

It was sent around 6 hours ago. He didn't know if she was still awake or if she was mad that he never responded back.

'Was it better to wait and act like I didn't get it? Or respond back as though I've been busy?' Laz correctly decided to go with plan B.

:Hey:

'Smooth Laz, real smooth.'

It didn't take her long to respond back.

:You're suppose to text me back asap in case it something work related.:

:Is this work related?:

:Well, no.:

:Then there is no problem.:

:Do you have a problem with me or something?:

:No.:

:Fine:

Laz was somewhat confused about what had just happened. He was just being honest and direct, so why did it seem like he did something wrong. Although he felt like he made he mad, she actually text him back soon after.

:Can I ask you something?:

:Sure, what's up?:

:Are you scared about all this?:

:About what?:

:About what's happening to us?:

Laz sighed to himself but didn't respond right away. He had addressed this many times in his own head so he just needed a moment to organize his thoughts.

:There was something I read once which seems to fit this, "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness:

Kennedy didn't respond back right away so Laz just kind of settled himself a bit more and got comfortable. He had taken off his water and sweat soaked s.h.i.+rt and left it hanging on a railing to dry along with his pants. He couldn't but look out and admire how bright the stars were tonight.

:That's kind of profound. Where did you read that?:

:Oh, uh... Just a book online.:

:So does that mean you're not scared?:

:No, I'm f.u.c.king terrified. Every day I wonder if I'm going to wake up with like a horn on my head... Or even another head or something. Well, maybe it would be a third head.:

:YOU ALREADY HAVE TWO???:

:Heh.:

:You a.s.shole...:

:Thanks.:

:But what if you did wake up with a horn or something?:

:Well, I guess i would have to wear a hat then huh?:

:You're not being serious.:

:No. It's my coping method. I would probably be so scared I would curl up into a ball in the corner of the room if I ever just sat there and thought about it without doing something.:

Kennedy shuddered as she read this. This was just what she was doing right now. She had gotten into bed almost 6 hours ago and had just been laying there. She knew she was different and she had seen the reports. She didn't want to become a monster.

:So then what do you do? Just make jokes all day?:

:No. I can't change this. I don't understand it either. But things don't always work out the way you want. So I figured I might as well just wait and see. What's the worst that could happen?:

:You could end up as a test subject for the rest of your life?:

:Cool. Maybe we can get side by side cages? And I'm sure they would feed us and stuff. Maybe we wouldn't have to go to school anymore either?:

:LOL. Cage neighbors huh?:

:Yeah. Besides, we arn't going to be the only ones so who knows if they would even bother with a couple of kids from nowhere?:

:Yeah, you're right. It's not something to worry about right now huh?:

:That's right. Now you are using your head.:

:Thanks kid, I feel better now.:

:You're welcome old woman. Happy to help.:

:WHO THE f.u.c.k IS AN OLD WOMAN???:

:Uh, not you, that's for sure.: Laz sent a smiley face along with this last text. He thought of the few interactions he had with this girl and realized that she wasn't like he first imagined.

Beep

Laz got another text that was an image. Opening it up, Laz's mouth couldn't help but curl into a smile. It was a picture of Kennedy sticking out her tongue at him. It was just a head shot so Laz could only see that it looked like she was in a bed room with a large blanket hanging on the wall behind her. She seemed to be wearing a rather large s.h.i.+rt as well, but it was just her upper shoulder area that he could see. As a teenage male, he couldn't help but wonder if she was wearing a bra...

:That's going to be your new contact picture.:

:What? No. Come on...:

:HA, too late now. Once you send the picture, it's free use. So there.:

:UGH, fine... Um.. can you send me one?:

Laz thought about it for a moment and took a picture of himself. He had turned around so that the loft door was in view and you could see the wooden frame along with the starry sky in the background. He felt it was kind of impressive, but the problem was he didn't notice that the upper portion of his body was also in the shot which included to top of his 'brand.' Without a s.h.i.+rt on, he had a completely different look to him. His hair was messed up and looked wild. His body had been toned due to his transformation and his muscles were clear to see despite being not overly large. When you add in the tattoo, he looked more like a wild tough guy and not so much like a young and immature kid.

Kennedy got the picture and was shocked. This was the same, quiet spoken kid she had met the other day? The one who was ignoring her like she had a brain problem and was shorter than her? The same one whose head got buried in her chest? For the first time that she could remember, she was flus.h.i.+ng a bright red. She almost thought the picture was of someone else but seeing the bright, blue eyes and the stupid 'V' sign he was making, she knew it was the same kid she had just met.

Kennedy typed a few things in but kept deleting them. Frowning at her own uncertainty, she finally responded back.

:Are you naked?:

'WHAT? NO, d.a.m.n IT.' Kennedy thought to herself. This wasn't what she had wanted to say. She had learned from experience that questions like this would usually get a girl a d.i.c.k picture and that's not what she wanted to see.

:WAIT!! I mean are you in a barn somewhere? And why do you have a tattoo at your age?:

:l.m.f.a.o, That's great. That kind of question would get you something you don't want to see from a guy.:

Kennedy's only response back was three angry face emojis. Laz kind of figured she already knew that.

:Yeah, I sleep in a barn with only the stars as my blanket. As for the tattoo, you were not suppose to see that, so just forget about it.: Laz responded, half joking and half serious. He didn't really care if she knew about it, but he couldn't explain it so he wasn't going to bother talking about it.

Kennedy couldn't help but be intrigued by this. The one thing a girl loved was a mysterious guy and she was no different. The more she learned about this young man, the more she realized he was completely different from other guys their age. She was becoming interested in Laz, more so than she thought she would.

:Guys with tattoos are kind of hot.:

Laz was taken back for a moment. He felt like this was completely out of character for her to say, but he decided to go along with it.

:Oh? So you think I'm hot?:

:I said guys, GUYS! You're what? 12? 13? You barely qualify as a kid so your pretty far away from being a guy.:

'Ok, now that's the Kennedy I know,' Laz thought.

:Well, at least that means I have room to grow. Maybe you can help me with something I've been wondering?:

:Oh? Sure. Let this mature lady help you with your problem.:

:Does it hurt to run with those things? I mean, have you ever had one swing up and hit you in the face? I couldn't help but imagine how funny it would be for a 'mature woman' to knock herself out with her own ma.s.sive feedbags while running...:

:YOU LITTLE s.h.i.+T!:

:And with that, GOOD NIGHT!:

Laz quickly switched off his phone and set it down while covering himself up. He realized that he was coming to like this big breasted beauty more and more. He never would have imagined that he could tease a girl like this one day.

Unbeknownst to Laz, at a place back in town many miles away, a young golden haired girl was sitting in bed fuming while laughing to herself.

'Knocked out while running? That b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Now I've got that image stuck in my head.' She sent him one final text before putting down her phone and shutting off the light. The room slipped into darkness as she curled up like a kitten in a blanket to sleep, more relaxed than she had been in a long time.