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Grace woke up with a scream, sitting up as her eyes darted around her dark bedroom.  It only took a moment for her to realize she must have experienced a nightmare.  She took slow breaths and placed a hand over her forehead.  It was just a bad dream.  A nightmare had also plagued her the night prior, after her first day at the new communal home.

As Grace moved her hand away, she heard a sticky, peeling sound.  A chill immediately shot through her spine as she recognized the familiar yet unwanted sensation.  Was it getting worse?  Her heart raced, adrenaline surging through her veins.  Any remaining sleepiness vanished in an instant.  What the hell am I turning into? She lamented, gritting her teeth.  Was it worth wasting mental bandwidth on stressing out?  Margaret appeared in her memories with words of wisdom, but she stopped the thought and shook her head.  I’m not sure that any of Margaret’s wisdom could really help me here, she grimaced.  She could continue to psyche herself up, but that wouldn’t actually stop her body from changing against her will.

The last couple of days had been somewhat of a blur.  She couldn’t stop thinking about Uma’s ominous prophecy and had Arina’s strange behavior to contend with.  All yesterday, Arina had been more distant than normal.  She would still find Grace to chat with, but she would also grow aloof and distant at times.  Arina would catch herself ‘spacing out’ and apologize.

Grace pulled herself out of bed and finally looked at the nearby digital clock, which told her it was 11:23 AM.  “Guess I slept in, not that it matters,” Grace muttered as she walked into the bathroom to clean herself.  She would be kicked out of her new home in thirty-seven minutes and forced to interact with the larger group so she couldn’t waste too much time.  A couple of questions plagued her mind as she turned the shower on and adjusted the temperature.  First, what would actually happen to her if she tried to stay in her quarters past noon?  Would she be forcefully removed?  Regardless, she didn’t plan to find out.  Secondly, she wondered if the last four contestants had arrived already.  After all, they were supposed to show up today.

She stripped the clothing from her body, wincing as the damp, grimy fabric peeled away from her body like tape.  All she had to do was focus on her goals sequentially.  One step at a time.  Her first daily goal was to clean herself.  Then to get dressed, to go downstairs, and so on.  Breaking her day into chunks and making a routine helped keep her mind from wandering into dark places.

She lathered her body with soap and let the water beat on her body.  Cleaning off all the filth felt so good that she couldn’t help but crack a slight smile.  “Ahhh…” She focused on the immediate gratification she felt from enjoying a nice shower.  Surely her day would go better if she started it right.

Grace absentmindedly grabbed a luffa in the shower to clean herself.  When she moved to clean her genitals gently, the light pressure was enough to force a sharp gasp.  Her legs trembled as she dropped the scrubbing device to the floor.  What-- what was that? She asked herself as a warm, tingly wave washed over her vulva and pelvis.  In response, her clitoris throbbed.  “I barely touched mysself-- why?”  She recalled the other day when Lisa experienced seemingly uncontrollable body issues.  Was this newfound sensitivity a similar situation?

It wouldn’t hurt to touch myself a little, though, Grace reasoned.  She was already in this state regardless of why she was suddenly sensitive and aroused.  Not touching herself wouldn’t somehow undo her transformation.  Her fingers dipped between her legs and stopped just above the top of her vulva.  What if doing this was a mistake?  She wouldn’t have been surprised if giving into these urges somehow made the transformation worse, or if she ended up losing some secret points or whatever because she gave in.  It could have just been paranoia mixed with pride, but she couldn’t give in.

She got out of the shower and dried herself, being extremely careful not to agitate her erogenous zones.  She had accomplished her first task, which was showering.  Next on the agenda was to dry off, get dressed, and see if Arina was still around.

Ten minutes later, a dry and clothed Grace quickly discovered that Arina had already left.  It wasn’t like Arina had any reason to wake her up and disturb her sleep.  Still, it didn’t sit well to have her missing.

After a quick meal of milk and mediocre pop-tarts, Grace took the elevator down to the first floor and stepped into the main lobby.  She immediately scanned the room to see if anyone was around.  Arina was nowhere in sight. Maybe she’s outside.  Off to her right, Phoebe and Ella sat in the section that had bookcases lined with board and tabletop games.  “Hey, guys!”  She said in a friendly tone, giving them a quick wave.  It didn’t hurt to be friendly.

Phoebe smiled.  “Hey, girl!  I’m going to be teaching Ella how to play some of these games.  Join us if you want.”  Ella also offered a weak ‘hey’ in response.

“I’ll probably join you in a bit.  Do you know if the last four have arrived yet?” Grace curiously asked.

“Ella and I have been down here for an hour.  We saw two of the new girls go into the theater room together.  They weren’t too talkative, but one of them looked like she was having a bad day, so it could have just been that.  Anyways, I’ll be here,” Phoebe shrugged before turning her focus back to Ella.

Grace stood in deep thought, trying to determine the best course of action.  She wanted to be on friendly terms with as many of the other contestants as possible.  The diplomatic route it is, she mused before heading toward the theater.  As she walked, she noticed her steps once again growing sluggish.  It had been worse before, but it still spooked and frustrated her.  “One step at a time, come on, “ she whispered as she forced herself to move.  As she neared the door, the invisible weights upon her legs dissipated and she regained full mobility.  These episodes were definitely a concern, but she would have to accept some small victories.  Right now she was trying to make two new friends; everything else was secondary.

After quietly entering the theater, she immediately noticed there was nothing on the screen.  She heard people quietly talking amidst the dim lighting and walked toward the seating in the front-left side of the theater.

“Hey!  I don’t think we’ve formally met,” Grace said with a smile as she stepped out to greet two girls sitting on a leather loveseat.

One of the girls was quite tall and had some muscle definition. She had sandy blond hair and a sidecut with the sides of her head shaved.  There was a smaller girl with messy dark brown hair pulled into an unkempt ponytail.  The smaller girl also had a small pair of horns atop her head and elongated ears.  There could be more changes, but Grace couldn’t see them yet.  Both had light skin, but the smaller girl was extremely pale.

The taller one glared at Grace with dark eyes and scowled, showing off the intimidating nature of her face.  “Edith and I came here for some privacy.”

Grace took a step back.  Whoever this girl was, she seemed to have little interest in making friends.  Still, though.  Leaving now wasn’t an option when the full situation hadn’t even been grasped yet.  “I apologize.  I will leave you alone in just a minute.  I was just hoping to make some new friends,” she insisted while doing her best to keep her voice warm and jovial.

“I don’t need friends other than Edith and Ruby.  I am NOT interested in making small talk with you,” the large woman said in a low voice.

“Gina-- please…  Don’t sound so upset,” Edith quietly murmured, gripping Gina’s arm as she rested her forehead against her shoulder.

Gina’s face immediately softened upon hearing those words, though her visage remained stern.  “I am sorry for the anger, but I mean what I said,” she insisted.  In the end, Gina did ultimately decide to make a slight attempt at courtesy as she turned to Grace and spoke.  “What’s your name, then?” She demanded.

Grace wasn’t particularly fond of Gina’s tone but knew better than to start shit over a matter that trivial.  “I’m Grace.  It’s great to meet y--”

“Grace!?”  Gina spat, cutting off Grace mid sentence.  Her face flushed red with anger while Edith trembled and stared at Grace with wide eyes.  “Do you really think I’d have any interest in being your friend?”  Gina pulled away from Edith, who was still in a state of panic.

Grace’s immediate thought was that this was all somehow Lucius’ fault.  How else would people she had never spoken with despise her so deeply?  She took another step back and felt a pang of concern.  Would Gina actually attack her?  Gina now stood in front of her and was easily seven or eight inches taller.  Not only that, but Gina was very obviously stronger than Grace.  Contestants weren’t supposed to harm one another but anything could happen.  “I don’t know what Lucius said to you during the first match but you can’t trust a single word that damn guy says.”

“I dont want to hear it.  I’m not going to sit here and give you a run down on everything I learned, and I’m certainly not going to trust you,” Gina promised.  “Of course Luciius is a fucking scumbag.  But, you’re the one who prodded the scumbag and tried to throw your peers under the bus.  It’s your fault Edith lost the first match.”

Grace’s heart sank into her chest.  Lisa had been yelling at her over something similar before and now these two girls were convinced she was their enemy as well.  She felt extremely frustrated-- furious, even.  All she did was make a desperate attempt at saving herself; how the hell was she supposed to know Lucius would torment the other contestants in the name of Grace?  Her first instinct was to snap at Gina and defend herself.  But how would that help?  What would she accomplish?

Grace took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  “I genuinely had no intention of getting anyone punished for my behavior…  I am extremely sorry that my shortsightedness had ramifications for everyone.”  She swallowed her pride and extended the olive branch of apology.

Gina scoffed and began to speak.  “Do you think I’m--”

“G-- Gina…”  Edith timidly mumbled, grabbing Gina’s sleeve.  “We-- we can at least hear her out,” she insisted.

“If we hear her out, we’ll just hear her silver tongue and schemes.  Don’t you trust Ruby?”  Gina grunted, casting a frustrated look toward Edith.

Silver tongue and schemes? Grace winced.

“I-- I know what Ruby said.  But…  But we can still hear her out and choose how we react,” Edith insisted, her elongated ears folding down.

Grace felt grateful for Edith’s apparent rationality and used this opportunity to continue speaking.  How could she get through to them?  She decided to use self-deprecation.  “You give me much credit if you think I had some kind of great scheme.  I’m really not smart enough,” she said with a weak laugh.  “I’m not sure what you heard, but I completely choked during the first game.  All I did was try to act tough and give a defiant speech about how I won’t give up even if I lose.”  She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.

Gina grunted and crossed her arms over her chest.  “That’s not how we heard it.  Let’s face it.  Most of us are criminals, right?  For all I know, you kill kittens and puppies for fun.  I have no reason to trust you over Lucius.”

“Gina…  Let’s just go somewhere else for privacy, okay?”  Edith pleaded, reaching up to grip Gina’s sleeve.

Grace couldn’t expect anyone to like her immediately; it wasn’t like people were obligated to like strangers they were told awful things about.  Still, though, she felt immensely agitated.  It stung to be compared to Lucius, even though it wasn’t remotely true.  “You can stay here; I’ll leave you two alone.  I will stay out of your way, but I would still love to be your friend if you change your mind.  I’m very sorry for all of this.”  She bowed her head before standing up straight and turning to leave.

Grace briefly walked around the main lobby, checking to see who was around.  All the while, she couldn’t get that interaction with Gina and Edith out of her head.  Exactly what did Lucius say and do during those three rounds of ‘Variety Hour’ she didn’t participate in?  She tried her best to take everything in stride but it was difficult to stay wholly optimistic when some of her housemates saw her as an antagonistic force right out the gate.

Maybe I should just play some games with Ella and Phoebe, she briefly mused, glancing back at the corner where they sat.  Or, even more enticing to her, she could ask Phoebe about what happened during her round of Mollusk Match.  From what Arina described, Lucius had been talking Grace up in a way that would rub other contestants the wrong way.  Arina seemed to interpret Lucius’ comments as purely complimentary but probably only thought that way because she already saw Grace in a positive light.  Was Lucius even worse during the other two Variety Hour games? Grace sighed and shook her head.  She could ask Phoebe questions later but it wouldn’t change anything regardless. As Grace approached the front of the main lobby while lost in her head, a door to her left suddenly swung open.

Lisa stepped out of the gym wearing workout shorts and a tee-shirt.  Her body was covered in sweat as she breathed deeply.

Grace winced and stood in place, trying to figure out what the best course of action would be.  She highly doubted Lisa would suddenly be friendly with her.

When Lisa finally noticed Grace, her expression immediately soured.  “Don’t you dare--,” she took a second to catch her breath.  “Don’t you dare try your nonsense to befriend me,” she said in a low voice. She then turned her nose up with a huff and made her way to the kitchen.

Grace remained silent and watched as Lisa walked off.  Responding wouldn’t help; there was nothing she could do to win Lisa over right now.  And, to be honest, she was quickly losing her drive to be friendly; at least for the day.  She couldn’t help but examine Lisa as she walked.  Her ass and tits were pushing past the realm of normal human plausibility. Every step she made caused an exaggerated sway of her hips while her breasts bounced and heaved.  Grace felt a slight twinge of pity. It must be hard getting around like that.

Grace turned forward and focused on her new goal of going outside to explore her surroundings.  After opening the door, she walked down the steps and was surprised to feel a cool breeze wafting by.  The lawn and hedges were immaculately cut and the scent of mother nature permeated the air.  “How did they even manage this?”  She asked herself, slowly desencing the steps and walking toward the side gate to her right.  It was impossible not to admire how incredible this facility was; if she didn’t know better, she would have thought she was on an actual farm.

She exited the gate and followed a dirt trail that led down to a fenced off pasture attached to empty stables.  Are these even going to get use? She wondered.  As she got closer, she started to hear voices coming from the stable; it sounded like someone wasn’t happy.

“At least the anger isn’t directed at me this time,” she briefly smirked while quietly approaching the source of the  commotion.  She stopped outside the stable wall and decided to eavesdrop before deciding on her next action.

“I told you that we’re nothing alike.  I have no interest in being friends with a fucking psychopath like you,” a female voice scoffed.  Grace quickly realized it belonged to Uma.  What on earth was going on?

“Awwww…  Come on.  Wasn’t it fun?”  An unfamiliar voice replied.

“It doesn’t matter if we both had fun.  Maybe we’re both adrenaline junkies or whatever, but that’s as far as our similarities go,” Uma defiantly responded.

Grace stayed silent and raised an eyebrow. Fun?  What was fun?

“You were also pretending to be distressed during orientation, weren’t you?”  The mysterious voice jovially continued.  “What was it about Ella’s transformation that made you excited?”

“I don’t have time to deal with all of your projecting.  Is this all you followed me here for, Kalea?”  Uma asked in a low, exasperated tone.

“Man.  I finally met someone like me and she’s just so in the closet about it.  I thought our new living situation would be a good excuse to get acquainted,” Kalea pouted.  “Just tell me; it will be our own little bond!  Did you enjoy Ella’s transformation because you enjoyed watching her suffer?  Or, because you’re turned on by the idea of being in Ella’s situation?”

Grace couldn’t believe her ears. There was no way she could befriend someone like Kalea, but she also had no reason to make an enemy of her.

“Okay,” Uma plainly responded.  “So.  Which one of us is walking away to go somewhere else?”

“Uggggh!”  Kalea groaned.  “You’re so stubborn, aren’t you?  We’ll see more of each other soon,” she said with a giggle before walking off toward the house.

As Kalea left, Grace caught a glimpse of her from behind.  She appeared to have tanned skin and short, deep red hair.  It was hard to make out any details beyond that.  Should I talk to Uma? 

“Yo, Grace!”  Uma chimed.  “I know you’re there.  How are you doing?”

Grace nearly jumped when Uma called for her.  She took a deep breath before stepping out to meet Uma in the stable.  “Sorry about that.  I was wandering over here and didn’t feel comfortable interjecting in your conversation.”  She glanced around the stable, seeing a few empty stalls and hay strewn about.

“It’s all good,” Uma shrugged.  “Kalea is desperate to find others who are as fucked up as she is.  A real projection queen, that one.”

Grace just nodded.  “Ah, I see.”  She wanted to ask questions about their conversation but wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate to do so.  On top of that, she had a million more questions regarding their bathroom conversation.

 Uma stretched and let out a content sigh.  “I’m not about to let Kalea live rent free in my head, though.  Today is a beautiful day, y’know?”  She grinned, putting her hands behind her head.

“Yeah-- I guess so.  But, I guess they can make the weather here nice every day if they want to,” Grace responded.  She stared at the horizon and squinted, trying to find a fault in the illusion.  “I’m honestly baffled that any of this is even possible.”

“Crazy, eh?”  Uma let out a low whistle and walked over to Grace before also staring into the distance.  “You have crazy timing, by the way,” she added.  “The door we came in through is over there.” She pointed toward where they entered Verdant Farm.

Grace raised an eyebrow and looked over at the door.  Was Uma expecting someone to show up?

“Things are moving faster than I expected. Within an hour, I’ll finally have the evidence I need for you to believe me,” Uma continued with a sly grin on her face.

Grace’s heart rate immediately shot up. The farmer will be here soon? She broke into a cold sweat and clenched her fists.  Her mind hthe ad been in so many different places over the last couple of days.  “W-- Wait, really?”

Uma nodded.  “I wouldn’t lie to you.”  She leaned against the stable wall and crossed her arms.  “Stay with me for a while and you’ll see.  Why don’t we get to know one another?”

Grace wasn’t going anywhere.  Maybe she would finally get some answers she had so desperately been seeking.

CHAPTER END

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