If you like my art, sketches, stories, transformations you can find more like this on my Patreon page or in DeviatArt Premium Early Access folder for subscribers here. Every bit of support is truly appreciated, but just having you here means the most to me - without you, none of this would have been possible. Thank you very much!
Check also my shop at DeviantArt for other works
The three of them walked along the sidewalk toward a small park. The place Dan mentioned turned out to be an old gazebo hidden in the shade of trees. It looked abandoned: the paint on its wooden columns was cracked and peeling in places, and the benches were covered in marker scribbles and stickers, obviously left by schoolkids.
When they stepped inside, Dan silently set his backpack on a bench and opened it.
— So, you brought us here to show off your book collection? — Emma said coldly, peering into the backpack, though she felt a faint sense of unease inside.
Dan ignored her mocking tone. Without a word, he pulled out several books and placed them on the bench in front of him. The books were worn, their covers identical to the strange book with the jester that Emma had found earlier—dark blue covers, stars, golden ornamentation.
Emma froze, her gaze locking onto the books. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her fingers involuntarily clenched into fists.
— This… — she leaned forward slightly, cautiously picking up one of the books. Her fingers brushed the rough surface of the cover, and a strange sense of déjà vu washed over her. — Are these… copies of that book? Dan, where did you get them?
Jessica looked confused. She picked up one of the books and gently ran her finger along the page edges.
— Whoa, it’s just like yours, Emm, — she muttered, her voice tinged with surprise but also a trace of worry. — You said you had the only one, didn’t you? And now… there’s a whole collection?
— Collection, maybe, — Dan replied, his voice tense. He gestured to the books. — I found them in different parts of the city. One was in an old library basement, another I bought from some old man at a flea market. The last one… — he paused, his gaze darkening. — The last one I found at that stadium we went to.
— I never said I had the only one, — Emma responded to Jessica, trying to brush off Dan’s words as if his discoveries hadn’t impressed her. Still, her eyes involuntarily scanned the other books. She picked up another, ran her fingers over the cover, and slowly opened it. Her face grew focused, as if she were studying something significant. — They’re just like mine.
Meanwhile, Jessica flipped open the book in her hands, turning to a random page, and immediately grimaced, thumbing through the pages quickly.
— What the hell is this? — she said, glancing at the pages. Her expression twisted in disgust. — These creepy drawings… Why are you lugging this around, Dan?
Emma glanced briefly at her, her tone becoming more distant:
— These aren’t just drawings, Jess. All of this… — She fell silent, diving back into the books. Her fingers nervously flipped the pages, her eyes scanning the strange symbols and illustrations.
Suddenly, she tensed, turning a page. Grabbing another book, she began flipping through it with the same urgency, as though searching for something specific. Then she grabbed a third, a fourth… Her breathing quickened.
— Damn it, — Emma whispered, her gaze darting between the books. She set one aside, pushing it slightly away.
Jessica and Dan noticed. Jessica frowned, looking at her friend:
— What? Did you find something? — they both asked almost simultaneously, their eyes fixed on Emma’s face.
Emma raised the book she had set aside, showing it to the others, her lips curving into a faint, almost smug smile.
— Each of these books has one blank page, — she said, squinting slightly. — But in this one… every page is filled. Not a single blank.
Jessica rolled her eyes and snatched the book from Emma.
— So what? Blank pages, filled pages… What’s the difference? They’re just old books with some weird drawings! — she said dismissively, flipping through the pages.
Emma frowned, ready to retort, but Dan cut her off.
— Jess, — his voice was tense, — I told you it would’ve been better if you hadn’t come with us.
Jessica froze, her fingers still on a page. Slowly, she raised her eyes to Dan, frowning.
— What are you talking about? And what do you mean, “better not come”? You invited us yourself.
— These books are connected to what happened to Emma and… me. And maybe to what’s going to happen next, — Dan said, looking at Jessica like he was preparing for her disbelief. His voice was strained but firm.
Emma raised an eyebrow, turning to him.
— I get it with me. But what do you mean “with you”? And what else could happen, Dan? Don’t tell me you also woke up one day in a girl’s body? — she said with such sarcasm that even Jessica couldn’t hold back a laugh.
But this time, Dan didn’t react to the sarcasm. He looked at her intently and calmly said:
— I saw him back then, in that building at the abandoned stadium, right before… I kissed you.
Dan’s voice faltered slightly, as though he realized how strange it all sounded.
Jessica’s head shot up, her eyes widening as a triumphant grin spread across her face.
— You kissed?! — she exclaimed, clasping her hands over her mouth as if she couldn’t believe her own words. — I knew it, I knew it!
— That didn’t happen! — Emma suddenly shouted, her voice trembling with a mix of indignation and embarrassment. — Dan, are you out of your mind? You kissed the air! I was standing to the side, watching you hug nothing!
— The air? — Jessica nearly collapsed onto the bench, laughing. — Emm, are you serious? Dan, you kissed air?
— It wasn’t… — Dan began to defend himself, but Emma cut him off.
— Yes, exactly! — She turned sharply to Jessica, spreading her arms wide as if mimicking someone embracing empty space. — Imagine: Dan stands there, arms outstretched like this, and then… he puckers up and goes, “Mwah!” It was both creepy and hilarious. Honestly, I thought he’d completely lost it.
Jessica clapped her hands, laughing so hard it seemed her laughter echoed across the park.
— Oh my god, Emm, this is gold! — she managed to say between giggles.
— Shut up, both of you. This is all that jester’s doing, — Dan muttered wearily, though his face had turned slightly red.
— Fine, fine, — Emma continued, letting the topic go but still smiling slightly. — Although, honestly, I think you’re just a junkie, Dan. You imagined the whole thing.
She tried to appear indifferent, but deep down, she knew Dan really had seen the jester. Still, she couldn’t resist jabbing at him, especially after his insinuations about “kissing.”
Dan didn’t respond, just shook his head and looked away.
Jessica, finally calming down, glanced back at the book and began flipping through its pages again.
— Emm, you said it’s weird there’s no jester? Which page should he be on?
Emma leaned closer, pointing to the book in Jessica’s hands.
— Page thirty-four. In the other books, it’s blank, but in mine, the jester was there. Everything else matches, but this page… — She frowned, her expression pensive. — It’s definitely connected to my transformation.
Dan suddenly spoke, quietly but firmly:
— I don’t think it was a transformation…