[Obsidian]

The story continues...

Random Growth 5

"Big smile!" Chirped Maddie's mother, Alyssa, imitating herself the action she wanted her young daughter and her friends to perform. All of the children did as they were instructed...except for Taylor, whom simply stood there, looking quite sour.

Smiling sheepishly at Alyssa, Valerie walked over to her daughter after the photo had been taken.

"I wanna go home." The stubborn girl demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. Valerie sighed and took her daughter aside.

"Honey, we will go home in a little while." Valerie explained, tugging at her shirt sleeve absently for what felt like the one-hundreth time. "Try and have some fun, okay?"

Taylor tooted her lower lip.

"Okay...how about if you behave, we'll get that ice cream we missed out on yesterday?"

The little girl's face immediately brightened.

"Do you think we'll see another big lady?!" She exclaimed, eyes wide. Valerie's smile faltered.

"Uh...w-well...no, probably not, sweetie." Valerie stumbled, looking around at the other party guest that had overheard her daughter. When Taylor's lower lip began to protrude once more, Valerie shook her head and placed her hands on the tiny girl's shoulders. "Oh, um, y-you never know, right? Maybe. Now go on and play with Maddie."

Skipping off happily, Taylor rejoined the other children while her mother stood back up and gave a quick smile to the parents still eyeing her. Taking a silent breath, she dropped herself into a worn lawn chair beside Alyssa and accepted the cool glass of lemonade offered by the other woman.

"Thanks." She replied gratefully, still feeling her cheeks burning...in fact, she'd felt a little warm all day. Chugging the refreshing liquid, Valerie sincerely hoped she wasn't coming down with something.

"So...a lot of big ladies in the news these days, wouldn't you say?" Alyssa smirked.

"I guess." Valerie replied, licking her lips and trying to avoid the conversation. "This is really good. Country Time?"

"Yep." Alyssa confirmed, before taking a sip herself and setting down her glass. "I wonder what's causing these...I dunno, random growths?" Alyssa persisted.

"I don't know." Valerie replied as cooly as she could muster. "Something in the water?" She joked, hoping again to downplay the topic.

"Maybe. I certainly hope not." Alyssa continued, clearly not taking the hint. "So, what was it like to see? I mean, I saw the news footage of the first one, but they're being tight-lipped about the woman last night."

"It was just a woman, you know." Valerie shook her head and shrugged. "Her feet were dangling out of the building, there was a lot of debris, and, well, that's pretty much it."

Shifting uncomfortably, Valerie subtly pulled at her jeans, trying to readjust her panties without being too obvious about it; ever since she and Taylor had gotten to the party, everything about Valerie's outfit had just felt progressively more off.

"Did she say anything?" Alyssa leaned in, curiousity etched on her features. Valerie turned to look at her, head tilted.

"No...just a lot of, uh, moaning, I guess..." Valerie replied slowly, clearly growing impatient. "Look, it's not something I want to revisit...Taylor and I were lucky enough to avoid serious injury."

"Oh, yeah, I get it. Sorry." Alyssa nodded quickly and with what appeared to be sincerity, sitting back in her chair and playing with her blonde curls. A few moments of silence passed between the two women.

"So was she moaning in pain, or-?" Alyssa ventured again. Exasperated, Valerie rose from her chair.

"I need to use the bathroom, excuse me." She interrupted, setting down her glass and walking inside Alyssa's house. Finding the restroom unoccupied, Valerie shut the door behind her gently and locked it. Placing her hands on the sink, she leaned against the cool ceramic and bowed her head. Taking a few deep breaths, the young woman glanced up into the mirror and noticed gistening sweat beginning to bead on her forehead. Looking down at her exposed arms, she could see that they too were beginning to perspire.
Feeling flush, Valerie swallowed audibly and tried to ignore the rather disconcerting warmth that was starting to build in a more private area of her body.

"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Valerie breathed, allowing her hand to drift from the sink and lightly graze her crotch. Even covered by the denim of her jeans, the touch felt electric, and Valerie felt her knees grow weak. Stumbling over to the toliet, she hastily lowered the lid and unbuttoned her jeans. Lowering the zipper, she collapsed on the seat and shakily slipped her hand into the sweltering depths of her jeans.

Her thighs were slick with sweat, and Valerie could feel it seeping through her clothes and soaking her undergarments. She palmed her mound and inhaled sharply. Running her middle finger down the center of her pussy, Valerie bit her lower lip as soon as she felt her sticky lubricant filter through her panties and dampen her finger.

"Ouch!" Valerie cried out, something pinching her back. Withdrawing her hand, she reached back, thinking perhaps her stitches had popped. Her fingers graced her bra strap, and she froze. Probing, she could clearly feel the indentations the straps were making in her flesh. Jumping to her feet, Valerie nearly cried out in panic as she looked down an could actually see her shirt creeping up past her belly button.

"Jesus-fucking-Christ!" Valerie shouted, before clamping a hand over her mouth. Looking down again, she winced as her jeans began growing tighter, constricting her. The tips of her toes began to sting, and she could see indentations beginning to stretch and deform the front of her shoes. "Shit! Why me?!" She whispered, fingers curled helplessly. A knock at the door made Valerie freeze, even if it did nothing to halt her expanding body.

"S'cuse me, I have to use the potty." Intoned a muffled, yet high-pitched voice from the other side. Cringing as her clothes continued to shrink around her lengthening and swelling form, Valerie looked for a window. Finding only a small one that she would have had zero chance of fitting through even before her current predicament, Valerie's fear began to rise as she felt her jeans starting to split at the seams and more urgent knocking at the door.

"One minute!" Valerie answered, trying to conceal the quaver in her voice as she thought frantically. Suddenly, the growth began to slow...and then cease. Staring down at herself in amazement and utter confusion, Valerie snapped her gaze up again as a lighter knock came at the door.

"Hey Valerie, are you still in there?" Called Alyssa's overly cheery voice.

"Y-yeah...not, uh, not really feeling very good. Sorry."

"Oh." Alyssa replied. "Something you ate, maybe?"

Looking down at herself again, Valerie could only gawk. Her tee was now just covering her breasts, which themselves now stood at almost D-cups. Her jeans barely reached to her calves, and the front of her shoes had frayed open, allowing a few of her sock-clad toes to poke forth. Reaching down to try zip her jeans back up, she found the effort a wasted one. Sighing, realizing that there was no way out of this room without being seen, Valerie made the only choice she had.

"Umm, yeah, probably. Actually, Alyssa, would you mind giving me a hand?" Valerie ventured, loathing her lack of options. "I-I, um, kinda got really sick and I...I could just really use a hand..."

"Uh...yeah...yeah, sure. No problem."

"I'm going to unlock the door...come in as quick as you can...okay?" Valerie urged nervously.

"Got it."

Taking a few deep breaths, Valerie gathered her courage, stood to the side of the door, gripped the handle with some difficulty...and opened it swiftly. Clearly expecting a vile odor, Alyssa stepped in fast and let out her breath as soon as she noticed the relative cleanliness of her bathroom. Turning, she caught sight of Valerie and squealed in terror.

Clamping a heavy hand over her friend's mouth, Valerie quickly shut the door again and locked it.

"What happened?! Why'd you scream!?" Several kids could be heard on shouting on the other side. "Is it super nasty!?"

"Keep your voice down." Valerie eyed Alyssa intensely. Confident there would be no further screams, Valerie removed her hand. Turning her head towards the door, Valerie blunted any further questions. "Yeah, it's pretty bad. But we'll take care of it."

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Echoed her daughter's voice. Valerie's shoulder's sagged.

"Y-yes, I'm fine, honey." She lied, trying not to break down. "Listen, how about you show Maddie and the others kids what you've been learning in ballet class. Alyssa and I will be out soon."

Listening to the kids talking amongst themselves, Valerie turned her attention back to Alyssa...the other woman eyeing her with a mixture of fear and unabashed curiosity.

"Y-you...your one of them..." Alyssa gasped, reaching out tentatively to touch Valerie's arm experimentally. Valerie smacked her hand away.

"I need help, Alyssa." She began. "I have to see a doctor or something, but I can't be seen like this. I can't...I-I can't let Taylor see me like this." Valerie's lower lip began to tremble. Searching her friend's eyes, Alyssa nodded.

"Leave it to me." She said, resolute. "I'll arrange a sleepover with John. Taylor can stay with us until we figure out what's happening to you."

Valerie nodded, defeated and unsure of what to say.

"I'll get the kids outside. Slip into my bedroom and lock the door. We'll go to the ER as soon as John's gets home."

"T-thank you." Valerie sobbed, catching sight of herseld in the mirror again.

"Hey, hey...we'll get through this, okay?" Alyssa soothed, hugging the now six-foot-nine Valerie. "We'll get through it..."