*Welcome back, fellow imaginers! Today, I’ll be kicking off the first in a series of short stories in regards to side characters within the world of Metamorphs! They will range between 300-500 words, and these side stories are designed to enhance the readers/fans knowledge of the world and its vast array of characters. While they are stand-alone, they will also serve to fill in some aspects of the novels that you may not learn otherwise. I hope you enjoy this new format, and until next time, keep imagining!
Episode 1: A Fiery Temper
Cynthia Perrotta’s fist collided with the pretty blonde’s face, sending the cheerleader crashing into the nearby trash receptacle. Even with the girl’s three friends beside her, Cynthia threw caution to the wind and continued her assault. Running forward, she summoned all her soccer skills to deliver a powerful kick into the stomach of Maggie Parker, letting out a roar of anger. The girl doubled over in pain while her friends shook off their surprise and stepped to her aid, grabbing Cynthia and pulling her away from their leader.
“Get off of me! What?! You can’t fight me yourself, so you need your lap dogs to do it for you?!” Cynthia screamed in fury.
Maggie slowly got her her feet, holding her stomach gingerly while her friends pinned Cynthia against the bathroom wall. Touching her already swollen face carefully, Maggie’s finger pulled back to reveal the blood dripping down her nose.
“I swear to God, you stupid Mexican, if you bruised my face, I’m having your family deported!” the nasty girl screamed. Cynthia tried her best to squirm out of the grip of her three captors but couldn’t break their hold.
“For the last time, I’m Venezuelan, you cabrona!”
“No, you’re dead, that’s what you are!” the girl fired off, a look of intense hatred in her eyes. A mixture of fear and anger spread from Cynthia’s gut as Maggie reached into her purse and pulled out the pepper spray. “Your people are really into spicy stuff, right? Well, I’ve got some pepper you should try out…”
Cynthia fought back as hard as she could, terror rising as Maggie stepped forward menacingly, but the three girls were too strong. Cynthia felt the blast of the spray across her face and immediate pain flooded her senses. Dropping to the floor in anguish, Cynthia’s eyes felt like they were ablaze, her skin on fire. Scared and beyond angry, she felt like she was burning alive.
Oddly enough, the fire seemed to be burning from the inside out. Still screaming in pain, Cynthia noticed that the laughter coming from around her had started to die, the girls now murmuring in concern.
“What the hell is that? Is she glowing?”
“What’s that smell?”
“Where’s that smoke coming from?”
Cynthia felt the flame inside of her expand, flooding her insides, consuming her very being. It was like every cell in her body was burning, ready to burst at the seams. Letting out a scream of pain and fury, Cynthia threw up her head, igniting the world around her in a raging maelstrom of fire. The bathroom around her exploded in its wake, and the last thing she remembered was the screams of her tormentors cutting off abruptly as she immediately lost consciousness.
Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash