New Story "Take It All In" by Clovis

[clovis]

Hello all. In honor of size-con going on I decided to release the first chapter of a new story. I've never done a chapter by chapter release, and am excited about trying it out. I am not writing this as I go, the whole story is already plotted out and many chapters are already finished. I am hoping to release chapters bi-weekly, but we'll see how it goes. I don't want to say too much about it, only that it is a body expansion story. It has elements of weight gain, but eventually you'll see why I've put it in this forum. Weight gain is actually something I've never been much into, but this idea came into my head and it brought about a lot of new ideas. If you're into eating and weight gain, hopefully this will have new twists. If you're not, hopefully you'll find what inspired me and give this a chance. I'll also say this is going to be a long work, so please be patient. Process begins in chapter 3.

In case you've never come across my works before (it has been a while) you may want to check out:
"A Cup Above the Rest" http://overflowingbra.com/storyratings.htm?rateID=167
"Playing With a Full Deck" http://overflowingbra.com/storyratings.htm?rateID=413
"Castaways" at http://bodyinflation.org/node/64
"Till She Gets Her Way" http://bestoryclub.com/series/till-s...y-full-series/
"The Great Emulation" http://bestoryclub.com/series/the-gr...n-full-series/
"Exceeds Expectations" http://giantessclub.com/series/excee...s-full-series/

Special thanks to Blake Isaac Gordon for early feedback.


Take It All In
by: Clovis


Chapter 1

“Why does she always want to meet in the quad?” Lydia wondered while trying to find her little sister amongst the collegiate throng all rushing hither, tither, and yon. There was a storm coming and the wind was whipping. Her frustration peaking, Lydia then caught sight of a banner waving in a familial reddish shade, held atop the shortest of poles.

“Dawn, there you are,” Lydia said looking up at her younger sibling. While not as skinny as a flag pole, Dawn did have the slightest of frames. “Please be careful up there, it’s starting to rain.”

Dawn smiled down, her fantastically long auburn hair flapping wildly about. “You’re the one always complaining about how hard I am to spot in a crowd.”

“I have said that- and I’ve also seen a swift wind knock you down, so if you wouldn’t mind…” Lydia took Dawn’s hand and helped her descend from the polished granite block that bore the word “HEALTH” in two foot letters.

“You don’t have to mother me,” Dawn huffed as her two friends joined them.

“No, but I might sister you to death,” Lydia said as she opened the building’s door and waved them all on in.

Once inside Lydia gave her sister a hug. Dawn loved the hug, but she was not a fan of what inevitably followed.

“I can still reach,” Lydia teased as Dawn felt the annoyingly familiar double-tap behind her back that signaled her big sister was not only able to reach fully round her in the hug, but had enough arm left over that each hand could tap her own elbows. “Still waiting on that last growth spurt I see.”

“Ugh!” Dawn pushed Lydia away. “I’m nearly done my last year of college- can we end that particular running joke please?”

“Of course we can,” Lydia grinned playfully, as she raised a fist with the knuckle of her middle finger cocked and ready. “You know I’ve never actually given a noogie, but I’m willing to try new things if you are.”

“Would you please!” Dawn was exasperated. “I have friend’s here.”

“Yes, yes, I know- I just miss you is all.” In lieu of a noogie, Lydia gave her shorter sister a kiss atop the head. Turning her attention to Dawn’s two- and possibly only- friends Lydia greeted them with the warmest of smiles. “Hello Amber. Hello Holly.”

Amber was Dawn’s free-spirited roommate and she immediately went right in for a hug of her own. She found Lydia fascinating and always wanted to pal around during her visits. Holly on the other hand, was much more reserved- a wallflower by way of a sunflower: tall, yellow haired, country sweet, and bumpkin naive. She simply wilted in Lydia’s somewhat gothic presence.

“Holly… hey Holly,” Lydia repeated as she waved her hand in front of the girl who, while smiling back, was biting those smiling lips.

“Let her be sis,” Dawn intervened.

“She thinks you’re a witch,” Amber joked- but joke or not, Holly’s expression went from politely uncomfortable to downright terrified.

“Oh, sweetie,” Lydia’s heart melted as the poor girl trembled before her. “Don’t mistake a fashion statement with any actual occult belief or practices.” Lydia desperately wanted to give Holly a hug to calm her, but instead, she took a step back- placing her much less threatening sister in between them. “But you know,” Lydia added, “if I could do any spells, I’d get that cat to give your tongue back.” This at least earned her a smile.

Dawn turned back around to face her sister, her own lip bit in anticipation.

Lydia knew what she was waiting for- the last part of their ritualistic greeting- the part Dawn liked best. “Haven’t you outgrown that?” she asked.

“As you and the rest of the world loves to remind me, I haven’t outgrown anything. Humor me.”

“Well, I am curious myself,” Lydia said as she moved to stand toe to toe with her sister. Sliding her hands around to the back of Dawn’s head, she positioned her fingers just beneath the hair-line. In a grand sweeping gesture Lydia then held Dawn’s beautiful long hair out as far as she could to either side.

“Did I do it?” Dawn asked eagerly.

“You finally did! Look-“ Lydia said showing that Dawn’s locks exceeded her span by several inches before letting the glorious auburn tresses rain gracefully back down as they gathered and bobbed.

“I’ve always said a single strand of Dawn’s hair could clog a shower drain,” Amber added while marveling at her roommate’s bountiful coiffure.

Dawn performed a cute little twist to show off the fact that her epic mane now fell to her thighs and fully covered the flat curve-less bottom for which others had given her such grief.

“Just… you know, be extra careful around machinery and flames,” Lydia cautioned.

“Yes sis,” Dawn moaned as her sister sucked the fun out of her accomplishment.

“So,” Lydia clapped her hands together signaling it was time to get down to business, “while it’s lovely to see my darling sister and her darling friends- why exactly have I been summoned?”

…

Lydia caught only the bullet points as Dawn launched into a thoroughly comprehensive rant detailing the horrible crime being committed against her. Lydia hadn’t experienced such an animated vocal onslaught since the first time her sister realized that boys might not be so gross after all. What Lydia was able to discern was this: there was a professor, she was a monster, and she tried to give Dawn what no other teacher ever dared- a failing grade.

“Ok, ok, ok…” Lydia tried to bring Dawn’s breathless tirade in for a landing. “What’s the class? Is this even a requirement?”

“Nutrition… and no, but…”

“Then just drop the class- aren’t you way over in credits already? You’ll get your degree regardless.” But Lydia knew that wouldn’t fly with Dawn. It wasn’t simply about getting by with her. Dawn was determined to show the world that only saw her as cute and insignificant that she was a force to be reckoned with. Dawn didn’t have much to fight with, but she was a fighter none-the-less- and this was injustice. Unable to overpower or intimidate, Dawn wore her opponents down with mental aptitude and an unflinching persistence which Lydia admired. She had such a bleeding heart that their Senator’s and Congressmen not only knew the name Dawn Morrigan, but winced whenever they heard it or received one of her exhaustive letters pleading for one cause after another. From the woman on the news who’d left a puppy in a hot car to supreme dictators on the other side of the globe, Dawn would spread awareness and fight for the meek, the downtrodden, and anyone else denied their fair share. To Lydia, her seemingly frail sibling was actually an amazon- only one who had been compressed like a diamond into a small, highly volatile- yet adorable- package. That Dawn called in her big sister for help with this seemingly minor problem was a worrying sign.

“…and I don’t even know why she’s failing me! She’s had it out for me since day one. As soon as she heard my name she’s had nothing but utter contempt for me.”

“You’re name?” This detail peaked Lydia’s interest. “Who is this professor?”

“Bitchasaurus,” Dawn spat as Amber nodded in confirmation.

“That isn’t nice,” Lydia’s voice was stern.

“Fine… it’s Miss Vesuvi- Etna Vesuvi.”

Before the name even registered in her brain, Lydia’s subconscious sent a wave of bile burning up her throat. Lydia felt her legs give way and her hand went to her sister’s shoulder for support- support Dawn was neither prepared or built to give, and both girls collapsed to their knees.

“What the hell!?” Dawn started, but then saw the look on her sister’s usually unflappable face.

Lydia gasped as she tried to compose herself. “Et- Etna Vesuvi?” The name tasted toxic on her lips.

“You know her?” Dawn said surprised by this development.

“I knew her,” Lydia regretfully acknowledged, thankful for that past tense. “Do you remember how sometimes when I came home from high school and you’d come skipping up to me wanting to play or chat and I’d slam the door in your face and cry, ‘Not now, I just had the worst day of my life!’”

“Yeah, I remember,” Dawn said rolling her eyes, “I remember that as being pretty much every day.”

“That was her,” Lydia’s eyes went distant. “My… my fucking nemesis. The reason I went and became a…” she caught herself.

“A librarian?” Dawn finished.

“… yes.”

“Well,” Dawn sighed, “now she’s my nemesis.”

In a long sustained silence, Lydia stared at Dawn with a look of utter dismay. Lydia wouldn’t have wished Etna on even her worst enemy. Unfortunately, Etna was her worst enemy and the person who got the unintended wish was her own sweet sister.

“I thought your nemesis was high shelves?” Amber blurted, awkwardly breaking the tension.

Holly covered her own mouth and blushed a deep scarlet as Amber immediately tried to walk the comment back, “a joke- just a stupid joke.” Lydia took note of how the larger roommate seemed genuinely intimidated by the smaller. “I’m sorry Dawn,” Amber continued, “but we do know why you always insist one of us go shopping with you.”

“What’s the plural of nemesis?” Dawn fumed.

“Oh, leave them alone- you know they love you,” Lydia said making peace. She tried to hide the fact that she was shaking. Lydia wanted to run- run from this place and never look back. The air thickened, an acrid smell filled her nose, and even the hallway seemed to dim just in her knowledge that Etna was somewhere nearby. The storm outside only made things more ominous. But she had to be strong. Dawn had asked for help- help from her big sister. Hadn’t she grown so much since she’d crawled out from under Etna’s oppressive shadow? Or was she still the same scared, awkward child she was in High School? “So…” Lydia started with great apprehension in her voice, “where’s her office?”

“We’re not going to her office,” Dawn said leading the group onward, “she’s never there.”

“I don’t think she can fit in her office,” Amber joked.

“Guys don’t be mean,” Lydia chided them, though she found the comment puzzling. “Even with Etna- you know how I feel about bullying.”

“Well, there’s mean and there’s the literal truth,” Dawn said. “You want to see her- well I guarantee she’ll be in here and you’ll see who’s the bully.” Emboldened, Dawn marched in double time- her balled fists swinging as she walked, her auburn mane keeping time behind her as it swished and snapped while she led her odd little group to their goal- the dining hall. Dawn’s frenetic momentum came to a halt however when she grabbed the handles of the hall’s double doors with the clear intent of swinging them open wide and dramatically. This didn’t happen, for as Dawn threw her weight back, the doors merely shook. Her second attempt got them partially open, but the rebound pulled her right back and Dawn’s face met them with a painful slap. The comedy of errors continued and Lydia put her face in her hand. Nothing set her sister off more than when anything dared defy her complete lack of strength. “DAMN… STUPID… STUCK!”

“Ugh! Here, let me,” Lydia grabbed a door and opened it, then gave her little sister a push inside. “While we’re here I’m buying you lunch- you desperately need to put on…” but Lydia didn’t finish. In amongst the commotion and noise of a hundred or more students, she saw Etna. Dawn was right, she could not be missed.

…

In the back of the crowded dining hall there was an area clearly avoided- a wide berth given to one who needed it. Seated in the distance, her back to them, was the biggest person Lydia had ever seen. Big, heavy, fat, obese- none of these words described what she saw. Lydia rubbed and blinked her eyes as they were in clear disagreement with her brain. Her sense of scale was in dispute- somehow an object in the foreground had made its way to the back. The whole spectrum of human sizes were on display there in the student body- from Dawn’s wispy figure to the biggest-boned, heaviest set student- yet they all still made sense coexisting. But the figure in the back was built to some other scale entirely. The ratios were off. The math didn’t work- someone had clearly forgotten to move a decimal point to the right.

That can’t be her, Lydia thought. Nothing about what loomed in the distance resembled the Etna she had known. Back in high school Etna was the ideal. Etna was the teenage dream. She shamed all the girls and teased all the guys. Over six feet tall and an early bloomer, Etna was well past any awkwardness or shyness associated with the teen years. She’d piloted her spectacular body with skill and confidence. Unfortunately all that confidence and beauty only led to arrogance and cruelty.

While slowly weaving their way though the packed dining hall, Lydia couldn’t take her eyes off the huge rocking mass as it ate and ate. The hair color isn’t even the same, Lydia tried to reassure herself, but she knew Etna dyed it blonde back in High School. That can’t be her- and Lydia had every right to think so, but a deeper part of her knew that it absolutely was. As beautiful, statuesque, and voluptuous as Etna had been, she’d always projected a vast heavy aura that was ugly and vindictive- it seemed she’d simply grown to fill it.

“That’s her,” Lydia stated.

“Yeah,” said Dawn, “though she probably wasn’t that big when you knew her.”

“No… “ Lydia said in awe as sight they were approaching kept appearing larger and larger until it all but dominated their view. “When I knew her she was… stunning.”

“She wasn’t that big the last time I saw her,” Amber said with a hint of fear in her voice.

“And she’s your nutrition teacher?” Lydia suddenly realized.

“Yeah, but I didn’t say she taught good nutrition,” Dawn said.

“We all assume she’s more about hands on experience than book learning,” Amber nervously joked. “She must have gotten her masters in caloric intake.”

As her sister arrived at the great bulging wall that was Etna’s backside, Lydia instinctually grabbed Dawn’s arm as if she were about to step into heavy traffic, and halted her.

Too big for a booth, Lydia noticed that Etna’s outrageously wide ass required a pair of chairs- one for each gargantuan cheek. Slowly the group rounded the hulking behemoth. Etna took no notice of them as she devoured her epic lunch with gusto. Seeming more famished than a castaway at sea, Etna was working quickly through a fully packed tray with another in waiting. Stacks of the already conquered plates, bowls and glasses lay empty off to the side.

Etna was so inhumanly large Lydia wondered if she had in fact cursed her back in High School. But that was impossible. Besides, Etna didn’t behave like a woman cursed. No, Lydia could see it in her eyes. Etna didn’t need more, she wanted more. Judging by the way she ate, if she was unhappy with her size, it was that she wasn’t big enough.

While the others hung back, Dawn moved in and took a stance before the mountainous woman that was six- seven- eight or more times her size. She tried to maintain a consistent glare at her imposing professor, but Dawn had never dared stand this close to her before. As Dawn’s eyes darted about trying to take in all that was Etna, her glare often flickered into wonder with traces of envy.

Etna paused ever so briefly between bites to glance over at Dawn, then promptly went back to her lunch. It wasn’t until Lydia took her place at Dawn’s side that the feasting halted. Etna smiled. She took one of the many napkins before her and delicately wiped her mouth. This had the odd effect of leaving a single clean patch on the splattered mess across her face and many neck rolls. She looked up at Lydia, then down at Dawn. “Not much of a resemblance…” Etna’s chairs creaked at the strain of her shifting bulk as she leaned forward for a better look at the diminutive girl trying to stare her down,. “…not now anyway. But when this dull little twerp came bounding into my classroom, I recognized her immediately. The spitting image of little Lydia Morrigan on her first day of high school. This one’s a bit more mature in the face, but…” she said looking Dawn up and down with disgust, “no where else.”

“If only I could say the same for you,” Lydia said, her voice cracking. “I barely recognized you- I…” Lydia paused as her brain conjured up a dozen cruel remarks, but her conscience overrode them all and she eked out, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything but a cheerleader outfit.”

“I didn't wear it to prom did I? Well… you would have know if you were there,” Etna said with a malicious grin. “And is that really it?” she guffawed. “Just my attire?” Her chairs again groaned in protest as Etna leaned back to show Lydia her full expanse. “No other changes you’ve noticed?”

It was as if the Etna Lydia knew had walked into a funhouse hall of mirrors and her warped reflection was the one that walked out. Her once chiseled face had puffed out with chubby cheeks, flabby jowls, and multiple chins that cascaded down upon a series of ever larger rolls around her neck. A light, thinly strapped top barely covered Etna’s upper body and displayed a massive amount of sweaty cleavage. Her boobs, once so proud and high, were like a giant pair of over-laden sacks resting long, fat, and heavy atop he immense girth. A mockery of the once firm and pinched midriff she’d always bared before, the greater bulge of Etna’s immense stomach and the deep crater of her belly button was left exposed. Her blubbery arms were like pairs of over-packed sausage links- their casings ruptured with mottled cellulite spilling out into drapes of flab. Her arms rested on her impossibly wide hips as if they were plump armrests. Etna’s once curvaceous ass whose pendulum swing marked the very time by which her school had been run, had ballooned into something that would have been obscenely large even had she been a centaur. Her immense foundation was encased in a straining skirt composed of yards and yards of taut fabric. Beneath it all, where once the longest and leanest legs had been, now emerged what looked like a series of boulders packed into nylons. As shocked as Lydia was to see her former rival’s proportions blown out to ludicrous dimensions, she was equally shocked that it had not humbled Etna one bit. Many a girl wishes to see the hot queen bitch of their youth turned fat slob in adulthood, but Etna took no shame in it- in fact, having achieved a size that should have made her a sideshow attraction had Etna practically bursting with pride.

“How…” Lydia started, but had no other words.

“How what?” Etna’s eyes begged Lydia to escalate.

“How… how are you even affording to eat like this? Whatever they’re paying you, you must be giving it all back. Did you marry rich like you always said you would?”

“No, I did one better- I inherited a fortune. Just finishing out the year until I can enjoy my retirement.” Smiling down at Dawn she added, “I wanted to stay long enough to see things though with my beloved little students.”

“You mean, make sure she fails,” Lydia seethed.

“Oh,” Etna sighed, “this one was a failure long before she met me. Speaking of which,” Etna turned her gaze back to Lydia with a delicious memory in her eyes, “remember when you tried out for cheerleading? God! That was the saddest thing I’d ever seen. I actually wanted to let you on the squad so you could properly humiliate yourself in front of a crowded stadium, but the rest of the committee never saw the humor in it.”

“I didn’t know you tried out for cheer,” Dawn said genuinely surprised. “I can’t even picture you in one of those outfits.”

“Please don’t,” Lydia cringed at the memory. “Sophomore year my body kicked in and I thought that’s what you were supposed to do when you got boobs and an ass. Instead, it only made me more awkward and drew the attention of the likes of Etna here.”

“Right, right, I remember,” Etna’s eyes were alight with the glories of her past. “You were a late bloomer. Never worth much effort before, but once competition arises, it must be squashed.”

“As I remember,” Lydia frowned, “that was when I took a hard turn from all things cheerful.”

“Yes!” Etna said gleefully, “only you couldn’t afford new clothes so you dyed all yours black- or as black as you could. You were my first big win- the first girl I broke. After that, you crawled into the dark recesses of the school to be with the other freaks. Just in time too- you did fill out nicely. Still, a body can only do so much against…” Etna waved her hand dismissively at Lydia’s wardrobe and makeup, “… all this weirdness. Congratulate yourself Lydia, it was you who emboldened me to take further action against my lesser peers.”

“This isn’t High School Etna,” Lydia grabbed Dawn by the shoulders, “and my sister doesn’t deserve… “ Lydia paused as her conscience granted her permission to say the worse thing in her head, “she doesn’t deserve YOU!”

“Where’s this boldness coming from I wonder? Seems we’ve been apart too long,” Etna said with a sigh. “Now, if I can teach you all one thing, let it be this- everything is high school. And that is why I am exactly what your sister deserves. I mean, what a family of misfits- one late bloomer and one non-bloomer,” Etna laughed as she pointed at Dawn, “Which makes you what exactly- a stem?

Dawn lowered her head, letting her hair do its job and hide her within the thick shroud.

“That’s more like it.” Etna looked to Dawn’s big sister Lydia with utter disdain. “Little brat’s usually hiding behind that great mop of hair she’s always so nervously preening.” Lydia looked down and saw Etna was right- even now, with Lydia by her side, Dawn’s hands had subconsciously begun worrying away at the old security blanket that was her ample tresses. Oddly enough, Amber who stood looming behind Dawn was also nervously fidgeting away with some of Dawn’s long strands in her trembling fingers. Poor Holly just paced about with her head down- wanting to be there for her friend- but only from a safe distance. Lydia elbowed her sister in the shoulder and both Dawn and Amber snapped to and crossed their arms over their chests trying to adopt more threatening poses.

“And who else do we have?” Etna said turning her attention to Dawn’s friends. “You- the lanky one- you look familiar.”

“Am… Amber” Amber said, suddenly self-conscious. “I was in your class this morning.”

“Ah yes- the vegan.” That last word seemed to be the only thing in the world that tasted bad in Etna’s mouth. “The one with the un-ironic penchant for peasant dresses,” she said shaking her head in disapproval before catching sight of the last of their group.

“But you- you I would recognize. My darling, where have you been hiding and why haven’t you taken one of my classes?” Etna asked Holly who immediately stopped her pacing about. “You remind me of myself back in the day… almost.” Etna waved her close and while Holly’s well covered legs obeyed, her face clearly did not wish them to. Etna then twirled a chubby index finger in the air and Holly likewise complied by turning herself around so Etna could try and see what she had to offer. “What a beauty,” she admired. “What a…” Etna reached a huge palm out and gave Holly’s unsuspecting and surprisingly curvaceous rump a SLAP! “perfect specimen.” Holly continued her rotation, tears and humility in her eyes. “Pity about the demeanor and outfit though. Straighten up!” Etna commanded. To her embarrassment, Holly did as instructed and as she rose out of her characteristic slouch, a spectacular bosom rose up though the baggy sweater she wore. Lydia looked away, but the other two couldn’t help but stare. “If you were to bitch up, dress for your figure, and lose your loser friends here you could rule this place,” Etna concluded sounding for once like an actual instructor, albeit a maniacal one. “What’s your name beautiful?”

“Holly, ma’am,” she chocked out though nerves and tears.

“Ma’am!” Etna cheered, “finally some respect today.”

Pleased with how things were going, Etna leaned her bulk back into the table and picked up a stack of grilled cheese sandwiches, downing the whole of it in four big bites. Her first tray finally cleared, she pushed it away and pulled her well-stocked second tray forward. As she ate hungrily and noisily, Etna failed to notice Dawn taking her big sister’s hand in her own.

As Etna reached for a colossal burger, Dawn took her free hand, grabbed the over-burdened tray, and pulled it from Etna’s ravenous grasp.

Etna slammed her fat fists down upon the table. The thundering concussion echoed across the dining hall and everyone within went instantly silent. Amber grabbed Holly about the waist and stepped back. Despite herself, even Lydia backed away, but only as far as her sister’s arm would allow. Dawn hadn’t budged an inch. For a moment, there was only the sound of whipping rain as it pelted against the windows outside. Etna’s big round face went red, then redder. Dawn could see her defiant act had filled Etna more than a dozen trays of food ever could. Rage bubbling up within, Etna seemed to swell as she leaned toward her puny opponent. Dawn faced the mountain of woman head on as she herself leaned forward- placing her delicate features less than an inch from the steaming visage before her. Etna’s eyes went aflame, “HOW DARE YOU! YOU LITTLE…”

“Stop calling me LITTLE!” Dawn barked back angrily as she also pounded her fist upon the table to much lesser effect. But her voice was rising and there was power in that. “EVERYONE is little next to you! EVERYTHING IN THIS ROOM is little next to you: trash barrels, tables, even the booths aren’t as BIG as YOU!”

“Oh you are OUT!” Etna huffed and huffed. “Insubordinate little brat- you are out of my class!”

“Little brat?” Lydia stepped forward to stand up for her sister. Despite having used the term a thousand times herself, it gave no right for anyone outside of family- let alone a supposed professor- to do so. She gave her sister’s hand a squeeze. “Dawn took your class because she wants to help feed the world’s hungry.”

“Then she would do better taking a song writing class instead,” Etna chuckled. “As far as I’m concerned she’s done nothing all term but fill a seat,” Etna glanced down at Dawn’s narrow hips, “and she hasn’t even done that well.”

“My sister’s record here is exemplary,” Lydia said with pride. “Top marks, dean’s list, numerous awards- I find it hard to believe that in four years of success yours is the only class she hasn’t excelled in, let alone passed.”

“Grades aren’t everything- a glowing transcript is the surest sign of a true loser. This…” Etna tried to come up with new adjectives as she pointed at Dawn, “…diminutive nuisance of yours, fails to impress in any way that actually matters.”

“The only thing my sister has ever backed away from has been physical threats. Now that I see you’ve become an even bigger bully, I assume Dawn’s never even been given the chance to impress.” Lydia paused a moment to catch her breath and let things de-escalate a bit. “Etna please, whatever issues we had between us- don’t take it out on her. She’s been through so much and has risen above it all. You only have to look to see it.” Lydia felt Dawn give her hand a squeeze in return. “And I know that you…” Lydia strained to make the words sound believable, “… you are better than this.”

“Ugh…” Etna dismissed Lydia’s plea. She glanced over at her tray, and felt a rumble in her not yet satiated belly. Etna was no longer having any fun, and she decided it best to just end things quickly. “If there was anything- anything at all your insignificant sibling here excelled at then maybe- MAYBE I’d reconsider- but honestly I’m hard pressed to come up with a single thing.”

“Is that a challenge?” Lydia asked.

“A challenge- yes!” Dawn leapt up excited. “You think I’m a stupid little brat who can’t do anything- I think you’re a vindictive over-fed bully who needs to be taught a lesson- so let’s have a competition- you and me, one on one- and we’ll let fate decide who’s right.”

“Are you talking about a test?” Etna asked.

“No, I’ve already aced all your tests.” Dawn replied truthfully. “I’m talking about a real world feat.”

Etna scoffed, “Well, I’m hardly going to run a marathon just to defend failing you if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“You pick,” Dawn replied, her energy now palpable. “Whatever challenge you want- pick your poison. If there’s something on this earth you’re actually good at other than eating and ruining young girl’s lives, then name it and I’ll wipe the floor with you at it.”

“Uh, uh- no restrictions,” Etna said wagging a fat finger at Dawn as her face lit up wth what she’d just heard. “You said ANY challenge, and you’ve just given me the very best one.“

“You want to compete to see who can ruin more girl’s lives?” Holly said confused.

All four girl’s turned to Holly with assorted expressions of bafflement, but it was Etna who clarified. “No you dimwit! I’m talking about an eating contest!”

“Fine,” Dawn agreed without hesitation.

“Fine?” Etna repeated, genuinely flabbergasted by Dawn’s instant and affirmative response. Looking to the girl’s companions she saw them as equally flummoxed. “I’m… I’m just joking. I thought the idea was so absurd that you’d finally just go away. Are you seriously thinking you can eat more than me?”

“Yeah,” Dawn confirmed, not less sure of herself.

“I’m not talking about some brief timed event or some silly game where we see who can stick more marshmallows in their mouth.” Etna strained to make things clear, as clearly they were not. “I’m talking about eating and eating and eating- and I MEAN eat. We’ll make sure the food’s divided equally with no hiding it under the table or feeding it to the dog. There won’t be any bulimic bathroom breaks either or you forfeit. It ALL goes in- got it? A feast without end until one of us gives up or we’ve run out of food.” Etna smiled smugly and added, “And full disclosure, the inheritance has made me very, very rich- so there’s never going to be no more food.”

“Right.” Dawn nodded.

Etna was exasperated by this girl’s apparent utter lack of sense. “There’s a capacity issue you just don’t seem to be comprehending here little miss. I mean… what is the measurement of that tiny waist of yours?”

Dawn took a step back as the question broke her resolve and her face turned pink. Wrapping her arms around her shame she mumbled, “um… twenty… one inches,” Dawn said, then quickly added, “twenty one and a half actually.”

“Good lord,” Etna replied with revulsion. “Well since a true lady never tells, let’s just say that you’ll have to multiply that by a factor of four to get near this.” She said proudly grabbing her gut and giving it a hearty shake, then added, “four and a half times actually.”

“So what?” Dawn tried to sound unimpressed.

“So what?” Etna repeated as she turned to Lydia as if for help, but Lydia simply shrugged. “What holds more, a thimble or a keg?”

“A keg,” Dawn replied, then to her shock Etna reached over and pinched Dawn’s nearest arm.

“Ow!” Dawn cried in real pain. Her skin was not very pliable and Etna had left a mark. “What was that for?”

“I wanted to see if perhaps you were made of rubber because I can conceive of no other way you would think that you- thimble, could hold more than me- keg.”

“Well,” Dawn said regaining her resolve, “It makes perfect sense if the thimble really, really, really hates the keg.”

Etna sighed. This was ludicrous. The confidence of this little fool was eating away at her very core. “So… if by some MIRACLE you succeed in eating more than me- then yes, I will pass you. But WHEN I defeat you, not only will I fail you in my class, I’ll find some way to have not only yourself, but your friends here EXPELLED as well. All records of your classes, grades, activities and any awards you may have swindled your way into getting will be deleted, shredded, and burned from existence.” Etna watched Dawn intently and still saw no hint of change in her demeanor, though her companions were another story she was happy to see- Holly, Amber and Lydia all looked close to passing out. “So, there it is- winner takes all- agreed?” Etna asked extending her huge chunky hand.

“WAIT!” Lydia and Amber cried out.

“Agreed,” Dawn said as she swiftly offered a dainty hand of her own and they shook on it. As waves of blubber undulated up and down Etna’a mammoth arm Dawn confirmed, “I am going to out-eat you…” she said with the utmost confidence, but then she couldn’t help but add, “and that’s the least I’m going to do.”

Lydia winced at that comment. She knew her sister. She knew that look and that tone, and what it meant was coming. Once Dawn put her mind to something, she not only took it to heart, but she also took it to the most illogical extreme.

“What do you mean ‘the least you’re going to do?’” Etna asked with a puzzled look.

“I mean that when I’m done with you…you’re… you’re going…“ Dawn stammered as her mind raced with escalating ambition. “When I’m done you’re not going to be feeling so very big.”

“Oh, there’s no way I’m not ever going to feel big,” Etna laughed as she patted her expansive belly with pride. But as she looked back at Dawn she saw the twisted meaning in her eyes. “You can’t be serious? You… you little PIPSQUEAK… you think YOU can get BIGGER than ME?” Etna’s eyes went wide with genuine shock.

Her face locked in determination, Dawn leaned her pretty little face back up to Etna’s massive bloated one. “When I’m done you’re going to feel like the insignificant little bitch you really are.”

For a moment the two remained staring eye to eye, nose to nose, but Etna broke the silence with an eruption of laughter. With a sweep of an arm she brushed Dawn off of her like a mere crumb. Etna clutched her massive quaking belly as her laughter escalated. “Oh Lydia…” she choked out with tears running down her chubby cheeks. “Lydia, I new you were daft, but your sister here absolutely takes the cake… well, not literally- skinny little thing- but yes, yes- challenge accepted! Dawn not only has to eat more than me, she has to somehow out grow me as well. And all in a single night!” Etna seemed winded as she tried to control her laughing and wipe the tears from her bleary eyes. “This is absurd and you’re positively insane, but I can always use an excuse to have another feast, and I simply can’t turn down the opportunity to put another Morrigan girl to shame.

Too excited to eat, Etna pulled her immense bulk up from the table. Everyone instinctually backed away as they would if a whale had suddenly breeched before them. Everyone but Dawn. Etna glanced down with amusement at the girl who remained defiant before her and laughed again. Etna stood a full foot taller than the little nothing of a girl and was nearly as wide. Shaking her head in disbelief at the bizarre turn of events she stepped away, then thinking better of it, turned back and grabbed her overburdened lunch tray. “My place. I’ll send directions. Just give me a few days to prepare. Let’s say Friday evening?”

“We’ll be there,” replied Dawn with a confident smile.

“Oh, I hope so,” Etna said as she grabbed a triple cheeseburger. “I could use another good laugh,” she added before shoving the entire stack of grease and fat into her mouth.

The silence of the hall broke into excited murmuring as Etna plowed her way through the crowd and on through the dining hall’s double doors- doors that Lydia noticed were pretty much a necessity for Etna.

“Um…” Holly leaned over to Amber, “what was that about us getting expelled?”