6 Months earlier…
The Occasion – Summer Moon Olympics VIII
The Place – Oytoko Providence Game Center.
The Event – Ladies Bowling: U.S.A. vs France
The Oytoko Providence was known for its state of the art technology, the bowling alley itself was made of solidified holographic imagery that purposefully replicated the tacky bowling alley’s on Earth circa 1983; down to the orange swivel chairs, pea green walls, hardwood lanes and hanging tube TV scoring monitors with shoddy 8-bit graphics of smiling bowling pins and furious bowling balls.
Candice beamed at the monitors, the X’s that followed her name were more than encouraging; she had nothing but strikes for every frame she played, from the start of the Olympics to this very moment. Staring into the crowd, she found her twin brother Kevin by his giant coke bottle glasses, seated next to their father Silas, their eyes met, the three howled in acknowledgement of the moment, the sound melding into the cacophony of thunderous joy that came from the U.S.A. side of the audience.
A bowling prodigy from the age of four, after gaining her inheritance on her 18th birthday (as one of the many illegitimate werewolf grandchildren of Buzz Aldren), Candice decided to abandon bowling altogether, becoming a “crazed party girl” with numerous run-ins with the law. She burned through her money in 5 years; eventually becoming a Showgirl at the local Casino to pay off her debts, until that burned down in a mysterious electrical fire.
Having to move back in with her father was a low point, but Silas encouraged Candice to take up bowling again. Forming a team with the three other out of work showgirls they quickly rose through the ranks of the amateur circuit. Unbeknownst to the team, Silas used his connections as a former Olympian (“four gold medal’s in golf, thank you very much”) to have the girls entered into Olympic tryouts and here they were.
It was her turn and final frame, the game was tied all she had to do was perform the final strike and she’d bring the gold back to Aldrania. She drew her hot pink bowling ball from the selector chute, got in position and before swinging closed her eyes and whispered what she had done for every game since she came back to the sport. She ran, swung, then felt a blinding white pain in her arm as the ball lifted in the air and came crashing down in the gutter. Her shoulder had popped out of its socket, the pain was unbearable; Candice collapsed and was dragged away into an ambulance. France went up next and scored the game winning point.
One week earlier…
She held out her right arm attempting to hold it still from shaking as Doctor Humphris (a Baker) examined her shoulder through the blocky helmet that housed two protruding X-Ray lenses. Candice took a mental note that for the first time since suffering her torn ligament that something felt worse than the constant phantom slicing in her shoulder.
CANDICE
Can we please speed this up Doc? This freezing slab and the butcher paper are driving me bonkers.
Doctor Humphris gestured for Candice to drop her arm then lifted her helmet with a sigh and puzzled look on her muzzel.
DOCTOR HUMPHRIS
I don’t understand, your accelerated healing should have taken care of the damage, but there is still so much scar tissue. Fascinating!
CANDICE
You mean frustrating! I want to get back on the lanes but that’s not happening if I can’t even grip a bowling ball, let alone lift and throw one.
DOCTOR HUMPHRIS
How do you feel about transformation therapy?
Candice was worried about this being an option, it involved her going to Earth, humanizing for five days before transforming on the night of the full moon. The back and forth was said to strengthen lycan cells. She didn’t mind space travel; it was her fear of going “full wolf” that made her hesitant. When they were children, Kevin would frighten Candice with horror stories he read of those who transformed on Earth. No matter the species, it was said to be so painful you lost your mind.
CANDICE
Absolutely not!
DOCTOR HUMPHRIS
Candice, the scars are spreading and for some reason severing nerves left and right. You will loose all functionality of your right arm if you don’t go through with this procedure. I know it’s daunting, but right now this is your only option.
Her head hung low defeated, the annoyance of the stiff table and scratchy paper faded and the stabbing returned. She tried to clench a fist then immediately regretted the attempt as an intense pain shot up through her arm.
144 hours earlier…
Out the window Candice could see they were approaching the Earth’s atmosphere. Strapped into her seat in the center of the space shuttle, Candice noticed around her all of the wolves changing back into their human form. It was impressive to watch a seven-foot tall Baker slowly shrunk into a five-foot tall elderly man with a receding hairline. Candice stared at the back of her hands, all the hair was gone, and her nails were no longer sharp. She opened the flap on the back of the chair in front of her to view herself in the mirror.
PASSENGER
You look beautiful!
Candice turned to the Flo, the woman who had been a chubby ginger Pierce at the start of the journey, had now morphed into a woman in her sixties with a curly mop of red hair.
CANDICE
Thanks Flo, you’re not so bad yourself.
FLO
How’s the arm?
Candice held her shoulder, opening and closing her palm, the pain was still there.
CANDICE
Still not great.
FLO
Don’t worry; this is my third trip to Kind Heart, once you transform back and forth you’ll be good as new.
CANDICE
Third trip!?
FLO
Oh yes, the first trip repaired my sciatica, now its just vacation spot. Fort Lauderdale is beautiful this time of year.
CANDICE
So going full wolf isn’t so bad?
FLO
Oh its terrifying.
72 hours earlier…
The past three days went by at a snails pace, Fort Lauderdale had been rained out forcing Candice to stay inside the Kind Heart complex. She took advantage of the complimentary spa treatments but the humidity in the air amplified the pain in her arm.
When the night of the full moon came, all of the fear she had about transforming had disappeared, she was so happy because this would all be over with and she could go home. The rooms at Kind Heart were luxurious with marble floors and beige furniture. Every room had a fully padded transformation chamber with a tripled locked steel door. A metal chair with clamps on both armrests and at both legs stood in the center of the chamber. A soon as she sat in the chair the clamps immediately fastened around her hands and feet.
The steel door slammed, a soothing female voice came over the speakers.
VOICE
Hello, this is Doctor Leeky of the Kind Heart institute of healing. If this is your first time with us you may be a little startled, but don’t be, this entire experience was designed for your utmost comfort.
CANDICE
Come on, even the clamps?
DR. LEEKY
Right now, a blend of oxygen, helium and lavender is entering the chamber from the vents.
Candice looked around, she couldn’t smell anything.
DR. LEEKY
Lean back as we administer the sedative.
Candice leaned back, a mechanical arm with a syringe attached descended from the ceiling stopping short of Candice’ neck.
CANDICE
Umm hey, I didn’t-
DR.LEEKY
That’s it now relax-
A crack of thunder was followed by a flash of lightening then the lights in Candice’ quarters flashed on and off. The clamps popped apart and the steel door opened by itself, Candice grew terrified.
CANDICE
Is anyone there, everything is open and I’m not sedated!
There was no answer except the wind, thunder and lightening. She looked at her watch, sundown was in less than a minute.
CANDICE
HELLO!!!
She jumped out of the chair, headed for the steel door, thinking that maybe she could keep it closed from the inside but as her feet hit the floor the transformation began. Her knees bent forward. The burning from her right shoulder intensified encasing her entire body, she could feel her organs shifting and expanding, she clutched her chest and stomache as shards of hair quickly sprouted all over her body, when her tail emerged ripping through her lower back she howled and was no longer in control of her mind. She went colorblind, everything was bright red; bursting from her room she ran through the complex, leaping over the guarded electrical fence out into the world. Running through the marshland the last thing she remembered was seeing a figured before leaping on it and blacking out.
8 hours earlier…
Kind Heart apologized profusely, even going so far reimbursing her for the treatment as well as paying for the trip but the damage had been done, she had turned a person, upending their life and forcing them into a life on the Moon. It was against procedure to have someone turned next to their attacker on their trip to the Moon but Candice wanted to meet him face to face. She thought she should and could apologize to this man but when she met him something bizarre clicked inside of her, his name was Jesse Todd, he was her age and so scared yet had an endearing earnestness about him.
The Space Shuttle landed and de-boarded, Candice still couldn’t bring herself to fully reveal herself to Jesse, she was about to when an intimidating Baker Immigration Officer approached her.
IMMIGRATION OFFICER
You Jesse Todd?
JESSE
Over here.
IMMIGRATION OFFICER
Come with me, you got claimed by a host family.
JESSE
That quick?
CANDICE
A lot of people volunteer as a host family, they get benefits.
JESSE
Will I ever see you again?
CANDICE
Not if I see you first.
JESSE
Bye Candice
CANDICE
Goodbye Jesse. He left with the Officer; she assumed he was walking out of her life forever
The Drewniverse 44 