Seasons of Change - Springtime of Youth 5b

                Brows furrowed with violet glows emitting from brown eyes and Margaret knew she needed to find someplace private to change. Luckily the sound of commotion in the distance made people pause to gaze in that direction allowing her to slip through the crowd easily.

    There wasn’t any restroom nearby so instead she headed into a store with a changing room. The clerk at the counter was listening to headphones and casually looking through a magazine to even notice her. Stepping into a booth, Margaret did a quick look and was relieved to see no security camera installed. If she was not so concern about Jeremy’s situation, Margaret would probably note the humor in changing into Melissa in a changing room.

    A gaze into the changing room mirror gave Margaret a rare look at herself in the midst of changing. Already she could see the brown had changed into violet in her eyes. The next change that showed itself was quite intimately familiar to her. She watched and felt the front of the shirt start to shift and move. Beneath it the breasts firmed up and push forward against the top. A brief gasp escaped her lips at the feeling the tender flesh of the bosoms pushing firmly against the clothing. Their shapes now visibly pronounced against the shirt reflected to Margaret in the mirror.

    The firming of the breasts sent a jolt of energy throughout the entire body. But that was not enough for Margaret. Her mind raced with the urgency to come to Jeremy’s aid. The changes now was not enough, he needed more than this. She needed more. Margaret needed this aging and frail body gone. To help Jeremy only Melissa could do it. Eyes focused on the reflection showing the heaving elderly woman and compelled the changes to change her once again.

    It was slight at first, but with each labored breath Margaret started to grow bigger. Hard to notice just looking at the reflection, but when she felt the clothing start to get tighter. Margaret knew the change was working and welcomed it this time. Eagerly she felt excited to feel the frequent aches fade away and the weariness that once gripped her all the time vanishing. Youthful vitality was surging into her and she relished it completely.

    The look on her face once haggard and tired was changing. Crow’s feet and bags underneath the eyes were fading away. Her entire face took on a more youthful countenance with the signs of ages being erased. Even the pale complexion of the skin flushed with color changing into a fair skin tone. The skin too took on a soft and supple texture while beneath the muscles too started swell. She felt the shape the body starting to shirt with the figure taking on more pronounced curvature. This only taxed the stretched clothes even more and slight tears were occurring all over.

    Margaret was fine with it. No stranger to the clothing tearing apart with each change it no longer was any concern to her. Instead she welcomed it as a sign of the emerging form of Melissa. The worries that once plagued her were overtaken by the growing confidence inside. This was an obvious sign of Melissa and that just made more eager. Already she felt thoughts of Jeremy growing more romantic. Heart beating faster at the thought of him no longer embarrassed her. Instead she wanted to embrace these emotions completely.

    Wiping some sweat from the brow she noticed a different color starting to emerge amidst the hair. Once dark and graying locks being replaced by brilliant reddish gold strands. Color was not the only change to the hair which grew longer and wavier. Soon the once modest hair filled out and with a big of tugging by Margaret came loose from the ponytail. Falling down past the shoulder the hair now shined with a brilliant and vibrant luster leaving her with a magnificent reddish gold mane. 

    The changing figure reflected in the mirror no longer resembled Margaret when she had entered the booth. She now stood easily a foot taller with clothing looking incredible ill-suited for this figure. Sleeves pulled back to reveal arms that were swelling bigger with muscles. Legs too were tearing open the pants to show shapely form and bulging musculature below. Every second more of her impressive physique was emerging out from the clothing that was tearing open. The top of the pants tore apart courtesy of the swelling rear and widening hips. Only the sport short worn underneath protected her modesty.

    Below outside the view of the reflection the feet were feeling incredibly cramped inside the confines of the shoes. No suited for the enlarging feet the exterior of the shoes started to warp and snap apart. Feet struggled free finally pushing out of the front. Feeling the toes wiggle free finally was a welcome relief with the rest of feet emerging out of the ruins of the footwear.

                Barefooted, she still felt confined by the shirt that had not completely torn free. Frustrated at the change not being done yet, she started to flex the body. Urging the muscles to hurry and finish the job. Fabric strained at the sudden exertion with the muscles swelling out. Sleeves burst apart to show the solid strength that lined the arm. Heaving the chest forward the expanding bosoms tore open the shirt revealing the striking contours of the torso. The swells of the breasts jutted out firmly while below the abdomen lined with solid rows of muscles.  Thankfully the sport top worn beneath still covered the chest enough to prevent anything besides the shape pressed tightly against the fabric to show.

                Invigorated by the change, Melissa let out a pleasing moan before she snapped back to attention. The unease of the curse had not faded so Jeremy was still in turmoil. Her heart raced again with concerns for his wellbeing. Gathering all the scraps of clothing before stashing them in the bag, Melissa barged out of the booth and back into the mall. The clerk still unaware at what happened mere feet away still lazily flipped another page of the magazine while listening to the music.

                Melissa hustled through the crowded mall trying hard to avoid knocking anyone over. This proved difficult given her size. She headed in his direction letting the curse guide her. But she could not waste any more time, Jeremy needed her and she had to get to him. She only hopes that Jeremy could hold on till she arrived.

                Jeremy was in serious trouble. Surrounded by the bullies from before, they clustered around him in the mall’s parking garage. His back was to the wall and he clutched the shopping bag tightly. Sometimes he wondered if the universe was having a good laugh at his expense.

    After he had separated from Margaret, Jeremy wandered around the mall trying to see if he could find something for Melissa. In the end nothing reasonable stood out. Frustrated Jeremy decided to visit a store from earlier when he was shopping with Margaret. The store content had caught his eyes, but he was uncomfortable taking Margaret inside it.

                The Animation Art Depot a store tailored to the collectible needs of those who adore products from a myriad of animation and cartoons. It had so many things one could look for like posters, tapestries, figurines, and prop replicas. The centerpiece of the assorted series was for Testaments of a Magical Girl an internationally popular animation that was a favorite of Jeremy. Just looking at the display was heavenly for him just basking in its presence.

                It was too embarrassing for Jeremy to let Margaret see this side of him. Despite how understanding she has been this was something he rather not exposes her. Even if they had managed to get a gift earlier, Jeremy was planning to find a way to excuse himself to visit here.

    But while he was happily collecting some things to purchase at the counter, an item caught his eye. It amazed him that there was even one available. Looking at it he knew exactly that this is what he needed to get for Melissa it was perfect. After finishing his purchase, Jeremy exited out the store and headed back to Margaret at the bench. He hoped to not have kept her waiting for too long. But that was when trouble found him.

    Barely several steps forward he saw them and they were waiting for him. The students from earlier were now blocking his way toward Margaret. Around them the crowd simply walked around. Jeremy tightened his grip on his shopping bag while he glared at them. Just looking at their faces it was obvious they were here to start some trouble.

    “Jeremy-boy, funny to run into you again so soon,” One of them stepped forward and addressed him.

    “What are you doing here?” Jeremy asked them firmly.

    “This is a public place and a popular hangout for students. You shouldn’t be surprise at who you might run into out here. That is if you were ever aware at what your fellow students do.” He shrugged while the other students snickered.

    “I don’t want any trouble.” Jeremy remarked.

    But when he moved to go around them, several students again stepped to the side to block his way. Jeremy looked at them before noticing the others were moving around to encircle him. Meanwhile the crowd just seemed to part around not noticing or involving in this situation.

    “If you don’t want any trouble just politely comes with us. We just want to pick up where we left off last time.” He offered though his words dripped with dishonesty.

    This was bad, Jeremy realized but there was nobody around to help him. He definitely could not let Margaret get wrapped up anymore in this trouble. Giving them one last look Jeremy turned around and bolted away before they could finish surrounding him. One of them tried to grab him, but failed. Jeremy could hear the sound of them cursing as they gave chase.

    Jeremy ran from them through the mall away from where Margaret was waiting. He only hoped that she did not hear the commotion and move to investigate. While he did try to avoid running into anyone his pursuers were less considerate. It was only because of his initial head start that kept them from catching him so far, but that gap was quickly closing. Sure enough there was no mall security around for help not that he was expecting any assistance. Looking around he can see them trying to spread out to cut down off any escape left with little choice he bolted into the parking garage structure. Hopefully he could hide himself amid all the parked vehicles and slip away at some later time.

                That hope was soon dashed after barely entering into the parking structure. One of them managed to catch up and knocked him down. By the time Jeremy tried to get up the rest had already gathered and he was violently shoved against the wall. Still clutching the shopping bag Jeremy did not want them to damage the contents inside. Looking at their faces, he did not expect any mercy from them.

                Jeremy was in serious trouble. They started to close in and Jeremy could see no escape. If this was an animation like Testaments of a Magical Girl someone would suddenly appear to save him. But in reality, Jeremy knew there was nobody who could magical do such a feat. Not even Melissa for all she has done could pull something like that off.

                Closing his eyes, Jeremy clenched his teeth in preparation for the beating that surely was coming. Melissa and Margaret flashed before his eyes and he wished that he could be a better person for the both of them.

                A loud clap echoed through the parking garage.

                Everyone froze at the sound. Even Jeremy surprised by the interruption that he peek his eyes open. The bullies turned this attention away from Jeremy to look behind at the sound of footsteps slowly approaching them. Remarkably they even parted a bit to give Jeremy a view at the figure that interrupted them.

                It was a young lady easily in her early twenties. She dressed sparingly with a tube top and shorts plus a light hooded jacket. The tube top clung tightly over her rather generous bosoms, but more impressive was the tone musculature physique visible. Blonde hair ran down to just past her shoulder with a stern visage on the face with piercing blue eyes. The way she walked filled with confidence with every step. It completely captured everyone’s attention until she finally came to a stop before them.

                She looked at the surrounding bullies and then at Jeremy. When their eyes met he felt his heart almost stop at the unyielding look in those eyes. It lasted for only a few seconds, but he felt like a pressure lifted when she looked back toward the bullies.

                “Alright,” she announced with another clap of her hands, “Fun is over. Everyone move along.”

                Everyone just blinked in surprise at her pronouncement. But before Jeremy could question it, one of the bullies got annoyed and stepped forward to confront her. Surprisingly the two of them were almost eye to eye with one another. But she did not even flinch or show any sign of fear to him.

                “Listen lady, this does not concern you. So just scram.” He ordered her angrily.

                Looking at him with complete contempt, she stated, “An ally of justice cannot turn a blind eye to such blatant misconduct. You be grateful that I am letting you get off lightly with only a warning.”

                A look of utter shock at what she just said, the bully could only growl in frustration. The other bullies started to grumble a bit at her attitude. Some of them were busy leering at her exposed figure. Completely ignoring Jeremy, they moved to surround her but she did not look intimidated.

    Jeremy was concern for her safety. He did not want get anyone else involved with his trouble. But before he could try to intervene something remarkable happened.

    “Just remember that if you start something. I will be the one to end it!” She promised.

    The air suddenly felt very heavy around them. She did not make move, but the oppressive aura that was being emitted from her body was obvious. Blue eyes shined with the confidence to back her statement while her muscles looked ready for action. Even if the bullies were like a pack of wild dogs, her presence was more akin to a T-Rex completely dwarfing them.

    After a few seconds of it, one of the bullies finally lost his legs and fell to the ground. This broke the morale of the rest who quickly retreated back into the mall. Some of them shot a nasty glare at her and Jeremy before departing. After they were all gone, she relaxed and walked up to Jeremy holding out a hand.

    “This is not a rest spot, standup.” She ordered.

    Reluctantly Jeremy accepted her hand, but surprised at how easy she pulled him. Those muscles were not merely just for show. He noted that while Melissa had a far bulkier muscle build, this lady looked pretty striking too.

    “Thank you for the help,” Jeremy said before he stopped because of her glare.

    Looking at him up and down again, she remarked, “Don’t repeat this. Next time you might not be so fortunate to have me nearby.”

    “You’re right,” He bowed his head down.

    Clutching his bag tighter, Jeremy felt the sting from her words. But there was truth in them. He has been saved so many times before by others. Margaret, Melissa, and now this stranger he wondered again how pitiful this must seem to others.

    “Of course,” She remarked before poking him in the forehead, “Getting gloomy by hearing the truth like that is just pathetic.”

    “I am rather pathetic…” Jeremy muttered with his shoulders starting to slump.

    Looking rather annoyed at him, she grabbed him by the cheeks and straightened him out. This surprise Jeremy, but he was powerless to resist her grip. After he straightened up, she lifted up his chin before stepping back to look him over.

    “Seriously grow a back bone. Nobody cares for a pushover. How are you going to make anyone happy if you don’t man up?” She spoke at him harshly.

    This surprised him. Jeremy realized that despite her harsh words this was actually to try to encourage him. She was handling it in a very rough and blunt manner. This eased his worries and he was able to let go of some of the earlier misery. As the two of them looked at each other Jeremy could not help but be impressed by her conviction and consideration. It was something that he definitely wished to embody too.

    Noticing a slight smile creeping on his face, she asked, “What is with that smile?”

    “Just thanks for helping me in many ways.” Jeremy admitted to sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.

    “Of course,” She agreed with her arms folded, “If you are that thankful than improve yourself so that next time this doesn’t happen.”

    “I’ll try,” Jeremy guessed.

    “Don’t try, do it. If you don’t have determination to go forward then you are already failed before even starting.” She lectured to him soundly.

    Amazed at her, he asked, “What is your name?”

    “Katelyn that is enough to call me by,” Katelyn answered before asking, “So if we’re exchanging names, how about yours?”

    Before Jeremy could answer, another voice interrupted them.

    “Jeremy!” Melissa yelled dashing out from the mall into the parking garage.

    The two both blinked in surprise at the image of the Melissa barreling toward them before coming to an abrupt stop mere inches away. She was breathing quite heavily having run all the way to him in fear of what might be happening to Jeremy. It took her a moment to catch her breath before standing up fully forcing both Jeremy and Katelyn to look up.

    “Are you okay?” Melissa swept Jeremy into a bear hug and off his feet.

    Katelyn stepped away from the two to give them some room.

    “I’m okay,” Jeremy managed while caught in her grip.

    It was not the most unpleasant of feelings especially two of them pressing against him. But he felt a bit awkward showing this scene in front of someone like Katelyn. Relieved Melissa released him, before she realized what she had just done.

    “Sorry, but I was just so worried about you.” Melissa explained to him with an anxious look.

    “Everything is fine,” Jeremy assured her before he added, “Katelyn here help me. So there is no need for you to worry anymore.”

    Finally noticing Katelyn, Melissa said, “Thank you for helping Jeremy. I am eternally grateful.”

    “Just doing my civic duty,” Katelyn hand waved.

    Jeremy added “By the way Katelyn, I like to introduce Melissa Winston. She is my girlfriend.”

    “Melissa Winston,” Katelyn repeated before she remembered the last part, “This is your girlfriend?”

    “Yes, I am his girlfriend.” Melissa affirmed with a smile to hide her annoyance at the topic being contested.

    The two of them then shared a rather awkward look at one another. Neither of them said anything more instead just gazing inquisitively at one another. It made Jeremy afraid that the two of them were going to start a fight before Katelyn turned around.

    “Not my place to question the matter of love. But it just seems strange for someone as pitiful like you be in a relationship with her. This isn’t some fairy tale.” Katelyn remarked before she walked away.

    “Jeremy is not pitiful!” Melissa countered back angrily.

    However Katelyn could care less ignoring the remark before heading back into the mall. Melissa glared angrily at the direction, before the sound of Jeremy’s collapsing to the ground caught her attention. After all that had happened his strength had finally ran out.

    “Is there anything wrong?” Melissa asked him worriedly.

    “It is fine, just a bit exhausted from everything today.” Jeremy admitted with a tired sigh.

    Even if Jeremy said that, Melissa still felt worried. The circumstances of what happened to him before were still unclear to her. It looked like something serious had happened that he was not telling her about at all. He was probably doing it out of concern to keep her from worrying. But hiding the truth like this was only making her more concern about him. Despite his protest, she quickly looked him over to make sure there nothing obvious that she could see wrong with him.

    A bit flustered at her attention, Jeremy questioned, “By the way, what are you even doing here Melissa?”

    This caused her to freeze. Though she still worried for him, the question about why Melissa was here needed an answer. If she was not careful this might arouse undue suspicion from Jeremy about how fortunate it was for her to show up suddenly. Luckily she had come up with a quick scenario in her head that would hopefully satisfy Jeremy’s question.

    “I came here because Margaret got called away for some urgent school business. So she called me over to bring you back. She even left me the keys to car to drive you home.” Melissa quickly explained.

    Listening to the explanation, Jeremy asked, “Did Ms. Winston tell you the reason for us being here?”

    Shaking her head, Melissa replied, “Only that you needed to do some shopping. Imagine my surprise when I come into the mall to see you being chased by some ruffians. They were lucky that I did not catch any of them.”

    “I am happy you did not have to get involved in that.” Jeremy told her.

    “Nonsense, if anyone dared to hurt you in front of me. I don’t think I can contain myself.” Melissa said with her entire body starting to shake in rage.

    “Melissa,” Jeremy muttered quietly.

    He had never seen her angry like this before. It made him feel a bit intimidated. Looking at Melissa it reminded him she was a strong and large woman. She could easily lift him off his feet with those muscles. It made him afraid at what she might do to someone that crosses her. He did not like seeing her like this. This was not the Melissa that he loved, but he was unsure what he could say to allay her anger.

    Suddenly remember the shopping bag still clutched in hand, Jeremy wanted to save it for later. But given the circumstances this was a good opportunity for it too. Quickly digging through the contents, he founded what he wanted glad it was still okay after what happened earlier. Holding it in hand, he careful placed a hand on Melissa’s impressive arm to get her attention.

    “Melissa, there is something I wanted to give you.” Jeremy spoke up.

    She snapped out of her rage at Jeremy’s words. The anger slowly left her face while saw him wrap something around her wrist. After he finished, Jeremy took a step back and allowed her to look at it. Holding it up Melissa looked amazed that he had wrapped a bracelet chain around the wrist. It was a simple looking bracelet, but there were several different charm ornaments linked to the bracelet.

     “It is a gift that I bought for you.” Jeremy explained.

    Looking at it, Melissa said, “You bought this for me?”

    “Yeah, after I saw it at the store. I just knew it was just perfect for you. It is from my favorite animation, Testaments of a Magical Girl. The charm ornaments on the bracelets represents the different symbols associated with the main characters. I thought it is a fitting keepsake for you since to me you are just magical.” Jeremy admitted feeling a bit embarrassed about it.

    “Jeremy is it beautiful,” Melissa smiled before wrapping him up into another hug.

    This hug was nowhere near as tight as the last time. It was more gentle and loving allowing Jeremy to simply bask in the warmth of it. He was happy she appreciated his gift. Just seeing her smiling face was enough ease all the pains and worries of today out of him. He only wished that Margaret could be here too so he could thank her too.

    ‘How are you going to make anyone happy if you don’t man up?’

    Katelyn’s question echoed in his head again. Jeremy frowned as he looked at Melissa who did not notice it. Thinking back to earlier today too, a seed of doubt started to dig deeper into his heart. He was very fortunate to have Melissa as a girlfriend. But he wondered whether he was really good enough to make her happy with the way that he was. The gift today was just a small gesture by him to replay all she done so far, but he needed to do more. It was just that Jeremy was not sure how.

    He wondered if he could ever be as determined like Katelyn. It was strange that he was thinking about another lady while embraced by his girlfriend. But Jeremy could not shake this thought from this head. It concerned him greatly about the future.

    Meanwhile in the alleyway outside of the mall, the last bully standing managed only a slight grunt before collapsing to the ground. He joined the other bullies littered all over the place. Some of them rested against the walls, while others were simply face first on the ground. All of them had several bruises and lumps covering the body.

    Dusting off her hands, Katelyn snorted, “Serves you all right.”

    “This crazy broad,” One of the bullies managed to stammer while he looked at her, “you cannot be that crazy vigilante-“

    Her boot interrupted him going straight to the face. He barely could groan before flying backward on another unconscious bully. Looking around it felt satisfying that everyone else was completely knocked out.

    “Scum like you makes me sick.” Katelyn muttered before walking out.

    While she headed away, Katelyn could not help but think about the reason behind thrashing those bullies. It was not that she was adverse to dispensing justice yet this time it was a bit of a stress relief. That woman, Melissa Winston, bothered Katelyn. She could not put the suspicion to words just intuition. So to alleviate the frustration at the encounter she tracked down the bullies that caused it and beat them down. What she learned from them cemented her suspicions about the matter.

    The bullies were students from North Danvers High School and chased after a fellow student, Jeremy, because he was boyfriend to Melissa. They wanted to pressure him to allowing them some fun with her. Disgusting bunch in Katelyn’s opinion and she wasn’t sadden at hurting them. But the fact they told her that Melissa Winston was the niece of Margaret Winston was troubling.

    The whole situation was fishy, but Katelyn did not have the time to investigate it any further. That whole relationship just seemed strange to her from the start. Making sure to memorize the face of both Jeremy and Melissa, Katelyn promised to investigate the matter thoroughly when she gets the chance. Walking off she heard the distant cry of a passerby discovering the beaten bullies in the alley. Worse comes about it, Katelyn figure this summer might proved quite busy for her.