Holy cow! I feel like I'm possessed. Like I said last time, we will be exploring Penny's point of veiw in this one. We will spend a little time learning about Carrie's changes. We will also follow Lilly as she discovers the truth about herself. But what will she do about it? Well, read on, dear readers, and let's find out.
Penny stared at Gumball. "Instinct? Cats always land on their feet?" She repeated his words slowly. Then it dawned on her. Kittens couldn't always land on their feet, but as they got older the instinct kicked in. That must have been what he meant . When Gumball was falling, his dormant feline instincts had finally taken over. And, being Gumball, he wouldn't have let a lady fall just to save himself, she privately gushed.
She glanced over at Carrie and felt a little twinge of jealousy at the way she had spoken so easily with him. Seeing Carrie's perplexed look, she relished a moment of triumph. Knowing she'd been the first to understand made her feel a rush of superiority. It was tainted, though, by the guilt she felt at her own pettiness. She shared her revelation with Carrie, who promptly slapped herself in the forehead.
"So it was my fault." she groaned. "None of it would have happened if I'd just kept that hug to myself."
Penny cringed as jealousy tugged at her heart again. "So, uh, why did you hug him anyway?" Penny shifted anxiously, hoping Carrie didn't realized her motives.
Smiling, Carrie produced his report card. Penny was a little surprised at the grades, but didn't understand why they would warrant a celebration. "He and Mrs. Watterson made a deal. If he got 3 A's and didn't fail anything, she'd get him a car. Now, even if she does, he won't be able to drive for a while." Carries smile faded and she looked miserable again.
Again Penny felt guilty for her suspicions. She also sympathized with Carrie's feelings. She had felt the same way when her own pet spider, Mr. Cuddles, had nearly killed Gumball. She made the situation worse by bringing the tarantula to the hospital. The spider had immediately attacked again. Still, she supposed they were even now. After he'd shoved that blueberry cupcake in her face, then accidentally given her thumb tacks instead of the allergy medication in her locker, she called it even. He didn't know she was allergic to blueberries.
Actually she and Gumball were something she needed to figure out. When she had come out of her shell, Gumball had confessed to her and even helped her regain control of her shape shifting with an earthshattering kiss. Since then, their relationship simply hadn't progressed. Sure, she had a tendency to be indirect in matters of the heart, but Gumball hadn't made any advances either. How in the world was she supposed establish a meaningful relationship if they didn't really interact? Penny's mind flashed back to the comfortable way Carrie and Gumball were talking. Maybe she can help me, Penny mused. She looked at Carries miserable face and was reminded of the situation at hand. Maybe later, she thought, right now, she needs help.
Penny patted Carrie sympathetically on the shoulder. She didn't know what else to do. She couldn't exactly argue with the teen ghost. Maybe it would work out and she could make it up to him, somehow. That's it!, she thought. Her mind worked quickly, and she soon had a plan that would benefit everyone. As she laid out her plan to Carrie, the girls both began to smile. In fact, when Gumball awoke, he was greeted by two of the most beautifully smiling faces he'd ever seen.
It had been a week since Pryar McMillan passed away and Lilly still hadn't gone into the attic. She wanted to but so far she had just stood in front of the door, hand on the handle, frozen. She wasn't sure she wanted to go up there. What if her family had given her away? Would they want her back? Slowly, though, her curiosity got the better of her. But every time she found a reason not to open the door.
At first she had a lot to do with settling her mother's affairs and arranging the funeral. Now, with her mother's surprising estate transferred to her and the funeral finished a few hours earlier, she wandered through the house aimlessly. She kept coming back to the door. As she stood in front of it, yet again, a determined look hardened her eyes. She reached out and turned... wait what?
The door was locked! Suddenly angry at being denied, she grasped the handle and ripped the door off its hinges. After a moment, she blinked as if waking up. Now how did I manage that? She wondered. She shrugged and set the door to the side.
She slowly ascended the stairs, every doubt and hope for what she might find whirling through her mind. She pushed down her anxiety and poked her head above the staircase. For an attic it was surprisingly empty. There was a stroller, a small box and a desk. Ignoring the stroller, she went to the most imposing object.
The desk was littered with newspaper clippings. They were a bunch of articles about robberies from before she was born. As she shuffled through the clippings, an article with a picture of a small, pink baby made her drop the stack of papers with a gasp. With shaking paws she picked up the clipping and read.
...tragedy in Elmore today. The infamous Pry Bar Bandit struck this city in more ways than one. Witnesses report that during a heist at the Elmore City Bank, an unsuspecting mother was robbed of one of her children. Lexy Watterson, daughter of Nicole and Richard Watterson, became the perfect cover for the disguised bank robber to walk undetected past the police. A city-wide manhunt is being conducted to locate the missing child.
Nicole Watterson stated, "I had put her in the stroller and turned to speak to the teller. When I turned back, the stroller was gone. I didn't even know the bank was robbed until later!"
Lilly walked over and looked at the stroller and little box next to it. She swallowed hard and picked up the box. She was afraid of what she would see but now she had to know. She took a deep breath and opened the lid. Her hand flew over her mouth. Inside the box lay a baby outfit and a camcorder. On the outfit, embroidered on the chest was the name. Lexy.
The camcorder held few surprises at this point. Her "mother" had taken her and meant to give her back, but had grown attached. Lilly - no. Her name was Lexy. She needed to get used to that. Lexy was disgusted. Her kidnapper, she forced herself to call the woman what she was, had done something helpful. On the recording gave the address and phone number of her real family before she apologized. Lexy didn't want to hear it.
She rushed downstairs, grabbed the phone and dialed the number. It rang two times before a woman's voice answered. "You've reached the Watterson's residence. We aren't home right-" Lexy slammed the phone down. She suddenly realized she had no idea what she would say. "Hi, how are you doing? By the way I'm your long-lost daughter. Surprise!" The bitterness in her voice was so strong she could literally taste it.
She was suddenly furious. "How dare she do this to me?", she raged. The woman took away her family and her whole life. In her anger, she grabbed the nearest thing and smashed it on the floor. As she looked at the crumpled mess that used to be a phone, she felt a little better. Seizing on that she rampaged through the house. Eventually, drained of anger, she sank to her knees amid the destruction and sobbed. She cried for the life she could have had and the mother she didn't know. She cried for the loss of the mother she had known. She cried until she fell asleep among the rubble that was once her life.
When she woke, she felt cleansed, and resolved. She grabbed her keys and the baby outfit, walked out the door, and drove straight to the address on the camcorder. She walked straight up to the door and rang the doorbell. After a moment, the door swung open and a tired looking blue cat stood looking at her.
"Yes, miss? Can I help you?" Nicole asked.
The young pink cat opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Tears filled her eyes and she held up a faded outfit. Nicole's eyes shot open. Her lips quivered as her eyes darted back forth between the outfit and the pink cat on her doorstep. When she finally spoke, it was barely a whisper, "Lexy? Lexy, is It really you?"
The sob escaped the girl and she nodded tears streaming down her face. Nicole rushed forward and enveloped her lost child in a hug filled with 15 years of love. Tears of joy ran unchecked down her own face. "My baby! Oh, my baby! I missed you so much!" She stroked her daughter's head.
"Oh Mom!" Lexy cried, "Mom!"
Woosh, POW!
Carrie teleported into her room. Alright! she silently cheered, Totally nailed it that time. Out of habit, she flipped her hair in triumph. Her smug smile changed to one of fondness when she caught a brief, unobstructed view of the pictures on her dresser. Gumball, Darwin, and herself smiled back at her from many of them. After concentrating for a moment, her tail resolved into two long legs. She checked to make sure her black lace skirt was in place and flopped gracelessly on her bed, exhausted after her ordeal with Gumball and the results of his injuries. With him stuck in the nurse's office, she'd had to deal with that swarm of males again. She wasn't sure she would ever get the hang of dealing with boys.
At least she was finally starting to get the hang of this ghost puberty stuff. Carrie had started the school year looking exactly the same as she had since childhood. She remembered last year when she had felt so left behind as the other girls developed and she didn't. That all changed a few months ago, finally. But when her own body... form... whatever, did change, the changes were rapid and numerous. She sighed, remembering what she had gone though before she had learned about ghost puberty.
First she had woken up one morning to find out that her body was ballooning. By the end of the week, she resembled nothing more than a beach ball floating through the school halls. After all the teasing she'd gotten that week she swore to leave school and never return. She didn't think it could get worse. She was wrong.
After balloon week, she awoke to a completely new body. This one was decidedly more mature, and, she soon realized, very embarrassing. As she checked herself out, she discovered a few interesting things. First, she had legs and... some other lower body parts absent until now. She also had hips and curves just like she'd seen her friends get. Her hair had grown to reach the middle of her back and she had gained a few feet. As she stood in front of the mirror, she finally noted a couple more additions - ones she felt obligated to put her arm over. She would have danced if she knew how to make her legs move correctly at the time. This was the answer to her prayers. Then came the bad news.
All her ghost powers seemed to have disappeared. She couldn't phase, teleport, or turn invisible. On top of that, her middle felt strange and hollow and hurt. But worst of all, she didn't have a stitch of clothing! She never needed them before, but now she couldn't bear to leave her room without something to cover herself. So she stayed in her room for 3 days and missed a day of school before her grandmother finally figured out something was wrong. That's when Carrie got the book... and a wardrobe.
She grimaced at all the memory of all the technical stuff in the book her disembodied hand of a grandmother had given her. Still, she was glad to have it or she might really have lost her mind. After she was finally able to cover herself, she sat down and began reading where her grandmother was tapping the page.
... ectoplasmic origin entities (also known as spiritborn, because these entities are born as ghosts) differ from normal ectoplasmic entities because they are unable to enter the underworld. As a result, the amount of ectoplasm available to them is limited. When a spiritborn's ectoplasmic reserve reaches a critical level, they undergo a process known as Metabolically Enhanced Necrosis and Sexual Effect Shift, or MENSES for short. This is also commonly referred to as "ghost puberty" as the connotation is disliked by male spiritborn.
In preparation for this process the young spiritborn's ectoplasmic form engorges with their remaining ectoplasmic reserves to fuel the metamorphosis. After approximately 5-7 days the ectoplasmic form undergoes the shift. The spiritborn's form become noticeably larger and sexually mature. In fact, it isn't until this process that genitalia are developed. These highly visible effects disguise other significant changes.
Female spiritborn begin to experience menstraul cycles and males begin producing sperm, thus rendering them capable of engendering offspring. Offspring of spiritborn are determined by the female parent (Living female parents will produce fully living children, though cases of psychic abilities are common in these offspring. While spiritborn children will only be born to female spiritborn). Additionally the spiritborn will now require sustenance. Their new forms have developed to specifically to allow them to derive the ectoplasm they require from one or more sources. Depending on how they feed, spiritborn now fall into one or more of the following categories:
Spector - Technically, all spiritborn fall into this catagory. Simply by being near other lifeforms they are able to get enough ectoplasm from the atmosphere to sustain their forms. This means that they cannot actually starve, but a spector has no powers whatsoever. (A note was written here) Ha! Shows what you know. Fasting improves control and increases power.
Necrophage - Most spiritborn fit into this category as well due to the fact that they feel hunger and can now digest matter. This generally refers to those who choose a fairly normal existance, deriving the ectoplasm they require from food much like living beings. A single meal provides meager amounts of ectoplasm however, and limits their ethereal abilities. Often they only have the most basic, including flight, teleport, phase, and minor form control such as tail/leg manipulation and clothing projection.
Incubi/Succubi - these spiritborn use their highly sexual nature procure energy from others. They are able to derive ectoplasm from the sexual emissions of their partners. These substances are high in ectoplasm, but the spiritborn generally need multiple partners to enable them to use many of the abilities they rely on. Chief among these are major form control, allowing them assume effectively any shape, and glamour, a come hither aura used similar to animal pheromones, to attract potential partners.
Reaper - these dangerous spiritborn feed directly from living beings. This feeding method is accomplished via possession where upon the spiritborn feed directly on the host's living soul. As souls are pure ectoplasm, this yields the most known ectoplasm to the spiritborn and few ethereal abilities are beyond the scope of these malevolent entities. This power comes with a price as the soul fragments they consume merge with their own conciousness, causing torment, pain, and eventual madness.
Carries still hadn't gotten her head around it. Basically, she could eat now. Or rather she needed to eat now. When she figured that out, she had gone on a bender that made her food rampages in Gumball seem like snacks. She'd had to miss a week of school while she recovered from a hard lesson about moderation. She'd also found that she needed to wear clothes most of the time. Though mature spiritborn usually projected their own ectoplasmic clothing, she sometimes lost focus on maintaining them. She only had to find herself, embarrassingly, at the center of attention once before she developed a habit of wearing a (usually) black t-shirt and skirt. She would have proffered jeans, but a ghostly tail and pants didn't mix. She kept her skull clip and wore It every day.
Carrie smiled again, a happy, simple smile. Aside from the occasional embarrassing moment, Carrie had a pretty happy life...err... existence now. She hadn't thought she could end up like this. She had expected a miserable afterlife with very little to look forward to. All she ever wanted was to be like her friends. This new body had given her that, and had let her stay her. She wondered if that was what puberty was like for everyone else. She felt different, but the same.
That was the best part, too. Finally, she was able to feel. Her body could feel when she needed to eat, pain, and even pleasure. She could taste things now. It was totally different from when she possessed people to eat. She could actually enjoy things now. And she could still fly and teleport if she ate regularly. As far as she could tell, she had won the genetic lottery.
Now there was just one thing left she wanted - Gumball. She had a crush on him for years now. And as she looked at the pictures of the handsome blue cat lining her dresser, she felt that familiar rush of emotion for him. Maybe the plan will finally make him notice my feelings, she thought. Or maybe you're just a masochist, she chided herself silently, you know he has a thing for Penny, you know Penny is your friend, and you know that she likes him, too. What do you think will happen? That he will suddenly love you? And what about Penny? Would you betray her? Carrie heaved a heavy sigh. At least I can be his friend. At least... at least, I can be near him like this, she thought, a little glumly, and pushing herself up, walked downstairs to get some food.
Ok, got that out of the way. Hope you don't mind me nerding out on the ghost stuff. But what are Penny and Carrie planning? And how will Gumball handle the return of his twin? Find out next chapter.