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Grace stared down at the floor, gripping her arm as she took deep, deliberate breaths.   Now wasn’t the time to spiral downward into an anxiety attack; if she didn’t face her fears head on, all self-respect would be lost.

Phoebe stood in front of, a foot away from Ella’s bedroom door.  She tilted her head back, casting a crimson eye toward Grace.  “Are you sure you want to do this?”  She bluntly asked, readying her fist to knock as she did so.

Grace turned her gaze forward, meeting Phoebe’s.  If I’m going to stand up for Arina, and to the VVIPs, I can’t pussy out in situations like this, she told herself.  She refused to become somemone Margaret would be disappointed in.  If she put on an air of toughness, only to falter in front of her peers, she would not only be proving Phoebe’s original assessment of her correct, but she would ultimately be letting herself down.

“Yeah!”  Grace forced a smile onto her face as she nodded.  “I won’t lie and pretend I’m not freaked out or anything.  But I can’t just sit around twiddling my thumbs and making others comfort me until the next game starts,” she insisted, clenching her firsts hard enough for the whites of her knuckles to show.

Phoebe’s visage softened, momentarily curling into a slight smile before returning to a neutral expression.  “Alright.  I’m going to make sure she’s actually willing to see you first.  If not, I’ll still give you some bonus points for putting in the effort.  Here, hold this for a moment,” she teased before handing the food tray to Grace. She then turned toward the door.  “Hey, Ella!  It’s Phoebe.  I’m going to come in, okay?”

Grace watched, noticing there were no longer any moaning sounds emanating through the bedroom walls. Maybe that was a good sign.

“O-- Ohkeh…”  The slurred voice of Ella responded from the other side.

Phoebe looked back at Grace.  “Turn around while I enter,” she insisted.

Grace nodded and complied, letting out a low sigh as she turned around and crossed her arms over her chest. Immediately after, the door opened and then closed with a click.  I guess that’s fair enough. She clutched her forearm, her fingers digging in a little too tightly as she bit her lower lip and anxiously waited.  Each second felt like an eternity as adrenaline pumped through her veins, threatening to overwhelm her.  She knew she shoudln’t have feared seeing Ella like this, but found it difficult to remain rational.  She stared down at the steamy bowl of soup on the tray, taking slow breaths.

What have I been doing since I got here? Grace asked herself, tightly closing her eyes as she took a slow breath.  She was confident she didn’t deserve to be here; during orientation, she discovered that the girls here were supposedly criminals.  If she was innocent, the other girls here were likely in similar situations, right?  After watching Ella transform on stage, she had immediately ousted any idea of trying to proclaim her innocence and beg for release.  It was obvious that they wouldn’t care, and even if they did, she had already seen too much to simply be released.

She winced, thinking back to Phoebe’s words once more.  Since getting here, she basically just clung to Arina for support and lashed out at everyone else.  She told off Rose for verbally attacking Arina, snapped at Phoebe when called out, and got frustrated at Eun when she refused to cooperate during the first match.  Beyond that, Grace basically gave the finger to all the VVIPs during the first match.  On one hand, she didn’t feel completely in the wrong; Rose had been an ass and she had to do something other than twiddle her thumbs and lose during Variety Hour.  Despite that, her confidence was shaken.

“That’s why I have to help Ella,” Grace murmured, attempting to psyche herself up.  Her sense of self seemed muddled and she needed it clear.

The door finally creeked open as Phoebe poked her head out.  “You can come in.  Do you need a second?  Ella needs to eat, so we can’t wait too long.”

Grace momentarily stared at Phoebe like a deer in the headlights, her mind racing.  After collecting herself, she shook her head.  “No, I’m ready,” she promised as she slowly stepped forward, holding the tray.  A layer of cold sweat broke out as she shakily raised a hand and pushed the door open, stepping in.  Phoebe had turned, walking back to Ella who laid on her bed.

Grace saw Ella’s legs from her obscured point of view as they stuck out from her pink pajama shorts, each covered in a layer of dense brown fur.  When she looked down past Ella’s calves, her eyes widened in horror.  Grace stifled an inaudible gasp while her heart sank into her stomach.  Oh my god, was all she could think.  Instead of feet, a pair of hooves stuck out from her inhumanly shaped ankles.  The bone structure beneath Ella’s knees generally looked more beastial as well.

Phoebe cast a blank look back toward Grace as she sat on the edge of Ella’s bed side.  “She can still walk like this, but she’s getting used to it,” she said in a softer tone, turning to look back at Ella with a gentle smile.  “Don’t worry.  Soon, more of us will have advanced transformations and you won’t feel like the odd one out,” she sympathetically offered.

Grace was in too deep to back out and decided to walk forward, making it to the bed as she took in the sight Ella’s entire form.  Her hands were still human, albeit covered in brown fur like her legs.  Beneath Ella’s pale pink shirt, two massive breasts perkily strained against the cotton, an outline of her nipples clearly showing.  Staying focused, Grace carefully sat the food tray down on the end-table next to the bed.

 Grace wasn’t completely sure how large they were, but she would have guessed they were at least an F cup.  When she finally took a hard look at Ella’s face, her heart nearly stopped.  Ella’s head was even more horse-like than before, her mouth sticking out a good three or four inches while her nose lay partially flattened upon the top of her pseudo-muzle.  Her fur-coated ears coming out near the top of her head and dark eyes that stayed turned toward the wall with a look of defeat.

Now wasn’t the time for Grace to hesitate.  “H-- Hey, Ella.  I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you sooner,” she stated gently, somehow managing to keep her voice from wavering.

Ella turned to meet her gaze, staring for a brief moment.  “Itshh ohkeh… I undershtahnd,”  She responded.

Phoebe remained silent, keeping her arms crossed as she silently observed the other two girls.

Grace forced a weak smile onto her face.  “It’s kind of you to be so understanding, but it’s not okay at all,” she responded with pain in her voice, closing her eyes tightly before opening them again.  “I was too scared to come talk to you.  I-- I guess I’m scared of facing the truth.  It wasn’t okay for me to get lost in my own world without thinking about how you might be feeling.  I hope you can forgive me.”

“Of course… Ah was never mahd at you,” Ella slowly responded as she took the time to carefully form each word.  “Ahm a frehk now… Ah would nahver blame shhum-- s-- someone-- for shinkin thaht way.”  Her words were filled with pain as she spoke, a single tear rolling down from her face.

What the hell is wrong with me!? Grace lamented her inadequacies, her heart breaking as Ella spoke.  This poor woman was suffering through so much while Grace was stuck in her own little world.  “You’re not a freak, Ella,” Grace promised, reaching out as she gently clasped Ella’s hand and gave it a small squeeze.  “I woke up today covered in slime.  It was all over my sheets and blankets-- just…  It was a big mess in general, I guess,” she said with a weak laugh.  “It was pretty damn gross, too.  You’re definitely not a freak.  But, if you were, that would mean I’m right there with you.”

Phoebe’s neutral expression softened into a slight smile as her crossed arms relaxed a little.

“Th-- thahnk you, Grache,” Ella weakly responded with a desperate expression upon her face.  When Ella breathed, it rang with a deep, raspy, somewhat inhuman quality, her nostrils periodically flaring.

“I should be thanking you for not hating me, to be honest,” Grace quickly replied.  Her eyes looked over Phoebe’s form once again as her own body started to feel odd.  A peculiar, fuzzy warmth bubbled up within her lower abdomen and spread through her pelvis and up through her chest.  She recalled catching Ella in the middle of a session of self-pleasure.  It was an image eternally burned into her mind;  one that, for some reason, excited her on a primal level she didn’t fully comprehend.  What the hell is wrong with me?  Get yourself together. Grace kept herself focused on the Ella laying before her in the present.

“Ahh-- I-- I wahnt…  To beh friendsh with Arina too…”  Ella meekly replied, gazing toward Grace with pain-filled eyes.

“I will talk to her,” immediately responded Grace.  She placed a hand on Ella’s cheek and brightly grinned in order to mask any negative emotions.  “I’ll make sure we can all become friends who support one another.”  While sounding enthusiastic, Grace silently hoped that everything would be that easy.

Ella nodded as her face contorted into what Grace assumed was a smile.  “Thahnk you,” she uttered before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.  “I-- I’m gohna eat.  I prehfer eahtin alone…”

Grace could tell Ella seemed exhausted.  It wasn’t a surprise to think someone could have sleep difficulties after going through something of that horrific nature.  “Yeah, of course.  I’ll see you later,” she gently stated, rushing Ella’s har back slightly before standing.

Phoebe stood immediately after, grabbing the tray and empty dishes..  “Let us know if you need anything later, sweetheart,” she added before turning to leave.

As Grace opened the door to leave, she cast one last glance at Ella, a deep pain going through her heart.  I’ll do everything I can to help you. With that, the two left and closed the door behind them.

Shortly after, Grace and Phoebe went back to the living room together.  Grace took a deep breath, sitting on the left side of the couch while resting her head back to stare at the ceiling.  “I can’t believe I got myself so worked up over nothing.”

Phoebe sat next to Grace and placed a hand on her shoulder.  “I’m impressed.  Your apology seemed pretty sincere.”  She then pulled her hand away and stared forward.  “I’ll be honest.  I really thought you were like one of those tiny dogs that’s all bark and no bite.  But, you were pretty quick to self-reflect and attempt to change.”

“I’ll be honest,” Grace responded, looking at Phoebe with a hardened look.  “I’m still not sure how to feel about you.  I think you’re kind for looking out for Ella; I can see such genuine warmth within you when you advocate for her and comfort her.”

Phoebe remained silent, shifting her head slightly to lock yees with Grace.

“Also, I admit you had a point about the way I was behaving.  That’s why I owned up to it.  But, you should also confront your shortcomings as well,” she insnisted.

“Oh?  Please elaborate,” insisted Phoebe without any hint of defensiveness or anger.

“I know you were busy with Ella, but it’s not like you made any effort to approach Arina or myself either.  Also, I feel like you created an image of me in your head and clung to it without actually knowing me or my motivations.  If you thought I was being cruel by avoiding Ella, you could have approached me earlier and said something like ‘Hey!  Ella is really sad and could use some more support.  We should all come together and help one another!’, or something like that,” Grace insisted.  “Or, if you thought I was mean for avoiding her, you could have just asked me why I was avoiding her.  Ella is going through a lot, but you didn’t exactly make an attempt to understand Arina or myself, did you?”

The two sat in silence for a minute, the soft whirr of air conditioning humming through the living room.  Finally, Phoebe let out a deep sigh and spoke.  “Yeah, you’re completely right.”  She pulled one of her knees up and held it.  “I’m not very good at expressing myself.  And I have a tendency to assume the worst in people.  I suppose we can both work on ourselves.”

Grace softened, relieved to hear Phoebe’s response.  “I’ll work harder to support everyone, not just Arina.  And you can work harder to communicate.  Sound like a good plan to you?”

Phoebe weakly laughed.  “Yeah, it does.”  After another few secons of silence, she cleared her throat and changed the subject.  “So.  What are you in here for, anyway?”  She asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

Grace blinked, tilting her head slightly.  “What do you mean, exactly?”

“I mean, what crime did you commit?  You have to be a felon to end up in a situation like this demented fucking game, after all.”

A felon? Grace thought, feeling slightly confused.  Yeah, they were all supposed to be criminals, but Grace never committed a crime.  She hadn’t asked Arina what she did to end up here, but she assumed such a sweet girl would be innocent as well.  “I thought the criminal thing was a load of crap the SOU government used as an excuse to abduct all of us.  I mean-- I used to trust them, but now I realize how screwed up they really are.”

Phoebe raised an eyebrow, opening her mouth to say something before stopping herself.  She then cleared her throat and continued.  “You really don’t know what you did to end up here, huh? Well, I can definitely tell you that I one-hundred percent deserve to be here.  I did something terrible,” she stated in a nonchalant manner, scratching her arm as a little more skin shed away to reveal glistening emerald scales.

Grace knew she shouldn’t have been surprised to find out some of them were legitimate criminals, but it still caught her off guard for some reason.  “What did you do to end up here?”  She asked before she could stop herself.  “S-- Sorry!  I am sure that’s private.  You don’t have to answer that.”

“Oh, I don’t mind discussing it,” Phoebe laughed.  “To be completely honest, I love fire,” she said in an eerily calm voice.  “I love lighting things on fire…  I love watching things burn.”  She put her leg down and rested her head back to stare at the ceiling.  “Never people, though.  I loved setting objects and insects on fire.  Or starting a bonfire and finding whatever I could to throw in.”

A pit formed in Grace’s stomach as she clenched her knee. I don’t know if I like where she’s going with this.  

“I won’t go into all the details, but…”  Phoebe’s words trailed off, her eyes glazing over as she spoke.  “It was an accident.  I didn’t mean to burn that house to the ground…  A mother and wife, a husband and father.  Two children, two cats and a dog.  All of them burned alive and turned to ash along with their house.”

Grace froze, her eyes widening in horror as her heart raced.  What the hell did she just hear?  Was Phoebe telling some kind of sick joke?  No-- she was one-hundred percent serious.  She highly doubted Phoebe would lie about something like that.  How could she do something so awful? 

“I do mean it when I say I didn’t mean for it to happen.  It’s hard to sleep at night when I think about what I did.”  Phoebe blankly stared at Grace as she spoke, but regret clearly showed in her eyes.  “Do you hate me now?”

Grace hesitated as she tried to make heads or tails of her own thoughts.  Phoebe’s crime was awful; all of those innocent lives lost.  But, she also didn’t get the feeling that Phoebe was a genuinely terrible person.  Beyond that, they were all stuck in this horrific contest together and nothing would change that.  Acting morally righteous wouldn’t help.  “I don’t hate you.  I am sure it was a complicated situation and I don’t get the feeling you’re actually a monster.  I’m not going to judge you,” she carefully replied, her lips curling into a slight smile.

Phoebe let out a tiny laugh, shaking her head.  “I see; I’m glad to hear it.”  Immediately after, her face contorted into a serious expression.  “I was in prison for three months before coming here.  You know…  Arina isn’t innocent either.  We lived in the same city.”

Grace felt like her world was crashing down around her as she listened to those words. No-- not Arina, right?  She couldn’t have done something as awful as what Phoebe did. She didn’t want to believe it.  “What…  What do you mean?”  Grace whispered, clutching her arm.

“Oh.  You can ask her if you want; it’s up to her if she wants to talk about it.  She made the local news, so there’s likely more to the story than what we were all told.  All I can say is that I definitely deserve to be here,” Phoebe said in a nonchalant manner, shrugging her shoulders.

This was a lot of information to take in.  Grace closed her eyes, trying to think about this rationally.  I know Arina isn’t a bad person, no matter what she may have done.  We’re all in this together. She swallowed and opened her eyes, again facing Phoebe.  “Thank you for letting me know.”  Grace stood up, deciding she needed a break after becoming so emotionally drained.  “I’m going to my room for a bit.  Thank you for talking with me, it helped,” Grace promised, flashing Phoebe a slight smile before taking her leave.









CHAPTER END

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