"I thought up a way that I might be able to help you with the problems youve been having," Cassie said, darting a glance at Slade.
Shara nodded, her mouth too full of dry granola to make any kind of sense if shed tried to talk. She also had enough manners to know that not everyone wanted to see what shed just been chewing. Once shed finished with the food, with the roof of her mouth feeling like shed just given it a "light" scrubbing with steel wool, which was one of the things she disliked about eating granola, she smiled.
"Thanks," she said. "So, what did you think of?" she asked, as Slade finished his food and leaned back against the wall.
"I thought I might well, that you might let me acquire you, so I can morph you and maybe find out whats going on," Cassie said, sounding uncertain but slightly determined.
"I think that could work," she said, handing Cassie the empty container.
"All right, then," Cassie said, standing up and tucking the pair of empty containers into the bag slung over her arm. "Ill just put these back in the house, and then Ill be right back."
"Ill see you then," Shara said. "Thanks again for helping me with this, by the way."
"Youre welcome," Cassie answered, before she turned and started climbing down the ladder. "See you in a minute."
Leaving Slade to sleep off whatever kind of food or Radam, but she really didnt like to think about that related issue he was dealing with, she leaned back against the wall that he had curled up at the base of and closed her own eyes. She wasnt nearly as tired as her brother, but there were still times that all she wanted to do was have a little time to close her eyes and rest for a bit. That seemed to be pretty much any time she had more than a couple minutes to herself, now that she thought about it.
Shara wasnt sure that she liked the implications of that.
Just as she was starting to worry that she might be affected more by the Radams physical reconditioning than shed thought at first, Cassie came back into the barn. Freed of those dark musings by the prospect of figuring out just what had happened to her clothes last night, Shara stood up and headed for the ladder. Climbing down to meet Cassie on the main floor of the barn, she saw that the other girl was carrying a bag over her arm again.
"These were all the clothes in the Give Away box that I could find that would fit you," she said, smiling. "Theyre mine, so theyll still be a little baggy."
"Better yours than your dads," she laughed, remembering what Slade had told her.
"Thats true," Cassie said with a chuckle.
"So, youre probably going to want to acquire me first, right?" Shara asked, holding out her hand.
"Thats the idea," Cassie said, reaching out to gently take hold of her right hand.
Shara felt a strong wave of lethargy steal over her, but it was gone nearly as quickly as it had come. It was still mildly disorienting for all that, though. When she came back to her full awareness, Shara found Cassie staring at her.
"Shara, are you all right?" Cassie asked, looking a bit more concerned than Shara thought was warranted.
After all, theyd seen plenty of other animals going into a trance while they were being acquired. This wasnt really any different. "Im fine, but I think we should really get started before someone starts missing you back in the house."
"Dont worry," Cassie said. "I told my parents I was going to check in on the animals before school. Ive done that before, so they shouldnt think much of it," she continued, looking vaguely guilty.
"Do you think well have enough time? I mean, I may not go there anymore myself, but I do remember that school starts at eight-thirty sharp."
"I dont think itll take us that long to find out whats been going on with you," Cassie chewed her lip, obviously thinking. "But, even if it does, this should at least give me an idea about whats its like for you when you transform."
"All right then," she said.
Cassie closed her eyes, obviously concentrating on the new morph that she had acquired, and her skin started to lighten. Soon, she looked like a quasi-albino version of herself. Then her hair finally started to lighten, lengthening all the while until it hung just a few inches below her shoulders. When all of the physical changes had seemingly been completed, Cassie opened her eyes.
Then she blinked. "Wow. Is this really how well you see?" she asked, looking around at the barn in clear amazement. "I guess thats kind of a stupid question," she laughed. "I mean, I wouldnt be seeing things like this if you didnt."
"I guess I just didnt think about things like that," she admitted; not mentioning the fact that she couldnt really remember how she had been able to able to see when she had still been human.
"Oh," she said, blinking and looking around at the barn and its various occupants again. "I guess that makes some sense. I mean, with what happened to you and your brother, you really wouldnt be that that concerned with how well you could see."
Yeah, lets go with that, she thought but didnt say; she didnt want Cassie to worry about her any more than she clearly already did. "So, do you think you have time for at least one transformation?"
Cassie checked her watch, now looser on her more slender wrist. She winced. "Sorry, but I guess we are going to have to wait until after school," she said, even as she began to demorph.
"Thats all right. I didnt really think wed have enough time to get this done now," she said, smiling as Cassie regained her normal form. "I am grateful for the way youre trying to help me with this, though," she said over her shoulder, as she turned and headed up the ladder.
"Ill see you back here after school, Shara," Cassie said.
"I look forward to it," she said earnestly.
As Cassie left the barn, Shara crawled back behind the hay-bales that formed her and Slades little shelter from the world. And, sure enough, when she looked toward her brother she found him fast asleep in the blankets that Cassie had brought for them. For the most part, that didnt sound like too bad an idea.
Shed worry about how much their bodies had changed from Human-standard later; when or if they started experiencing problems more severe than a few attempted mental invasions. Until then, Shara decided that she wouldnt worry about it. Closing her eyes, she curled up under the covers next to her brother, and swiftly fell asleep.