I opened the door of my apartment to find my room empty. She was gone. Aunt Gin was gone.
I searched everywhere, checked the kitchen, the bathroom, even looked under the bed like she might be hiding. How could she have left this late? It was midnight. The silence felt heavy and almost supernatural.
I sat down at the desk, waiting. Maybe she went out to get something and would come back. But as I waited, my mind kept returning to what I'd seen on the rooftop.
White glowing hair cascading down her back. Pale skin that seemed to emanate its own light. A flowing white dress that moved like liquid moonlight. Who could she be?
I pulled out the laptop from the locker under the desk and began searching for information about goddesses. But there was nothing that could explain what I'd witnessed, no mythology matched what I'd seen.
By 1 AM, Aunt Gin still hadn't returned. Something felt wrong. I used my PC to search her social media, and her last post was from 7 hours ago, showing her planning her wedding in Millbrook City, which was over 300 miles from here.
Who then had visited me?
The realization hit me like a cold wave. Could Goddesses have shape-shifting powers? Yesss! They could appear as anyone, take any form that would allow them to get close to their targets. The thought came in. The "Aunt Gin" who'd visited me, who'd almost seduced me, who'd looked at me with those knowing eyes… she was the goddess!?.
Has she been testing me all along.
"Status window," I called out.
The translucent screen materialized before me:
[CURRENT QUEST: DIVINE AWAKENING]
Objective: Form bonds with 7 Forgotten Goddesses
Progress: 1/7 Goddesses Located
Recent Update:
- First Goddess Encounter: CONFIRMED
- Identity: Unknown
- Status: Bond Formation - INTERRUPTED
Next Steps:
- Locate the goddess who fled
- Complete interrupted bonding ritual
- Warning: Goddesses in hiding may test worthiness
[GODDESS TRACKING ABILITY: UNLOCKED]
Range: 5 mile radius
Cooldown: 24 hours
She was definitely the one.
"Seven goddesses. That explained why I'd felt so drawn to her, maybe it wasn't just physical attraction. And "bond formation"... what exactly did that mean? The way she'd looked at me, the tension between us, that moment when we almost crossed the line, was that part of the bonding process?
The fact that it said "interrupted" made my stomach clench. I'd walked away just when something significant was supposed to happen. But maybe that was for the best. I need to know what I was doing.
A goddess tracking ability with a five-mile range... that meant she was probably still close. But the 24-hour cooldown meant I'd have to wait until tomorrow night to use it. Damn.
I need to find her, I thought. But how do you track a divine being who can look like anyone?"
I finally fell asleep at 3 AM and woke up late at 9 AM, feeling disoriented. I wondered if Suzy had tried to wake me like she usually did when I overslept.
Looking at myself in the mirror as I pulled on a black shirt and baggy jeans, I grimaced. "I really need new clothes."
In the drawer was seven dollars, barely enough for lunch. Suzy had paid for our train rides with her debit card yesterday, which reminded me… I had cards too.
Behind the loose floorboard under my desk, hidden beneath a fake bottom I'd installed 3 years ago, was my safe. Inside was my life savings—$1,200 that Kaelen had painstakingly saved from his part-time jobs. Thank God for his disciplined saving habits. Time to get something nice
I walked outside and looked across the street at Suzy's small apartment, where she lived with her sister. The door was closed, curtains drawn. She must have left for school without me.
"Kaelen!"
I turned to see my shift manager from the convenience store jogging toward me.
"How are you?" He patted my shoulder with that overly familiar way managers do.
"I'm good," I responded with a slight smile and bowed my head respectfully.
"Damn, you look different." He laughed. "You weren't at work last night."
Shit. I'd completely forgotten about the job.
"I'm sorry, sir. I wasn't feeling well."
"You should've called. We were swamped without you." He shook his head. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow night, yeah?"
As he walked away, I sighed. Kaelen's past life was so incredibly boring. I was seriously considering quitting, but how else would I get money while figuring out this goddess situation?
School was uneventful. I hung out with Sam, but I couldn't find Suzy anywhere. When I got home, I decided to check on her.
I knocked patiently, and finally the door creaked open to reveal Suzy looking like she'd been hit by a truck. Her dark hair was a messy tangle, and she squinted against the bright afternoon light.
"Kaelen?" Her voice was groggy.
"Can I come in?" I gestured toward the doorway.
"Yeah…" She rubbed her eyes and stepped aside.
"Are you sick?" I asked, following her inside.
"What? No, I'm just…" She struggled to find the right words, looking drained and pale.
"Having a lazy day?"
"That, plus really bad cramps. I couldn't even think about leaving the house."
"Cramps?"
She gave me a look like I was an idiot. "Period cramps, Kaelen. You know, that thing that happens to half the population every month? Makes you want to curl up in a ball and die?"
I nodded, though internally I was still adjusting to the differences between my old world and this one. This was my first time in Suzy's home, and I looked around curiously.
The living room was small but cozy, with mismatched furniture that somehow worked together. Light were strung around the windows, and books were stacked everywhere, on tables, the floor, even on top of the small Fridge. It felt warm and lived-in, very much like Suzy herself.
"You didn't have to come check on me, you know."
"I guess I was worried when I didn't see you at school. I missed you."
She looked at me with confusion, clearly thrown by my choice of words. The old Kaelen probably never said things like that.
I just shrugged with a slight smirk.
"You're definitely not the same Kaelen," she said, studying my face.
"Don't look," she said suddenly, grabbing the hem of her oversized sleep shirt.
But that was a request I couldn't honor. My eyes remained focused on her as she revealed her incredibly flat stomach. She was wearing nothing but a sports bra and loose joggers that hung low on her narrow hips. Her body was petite but perfectly proportioned—small waist, subtle curves, skin that looked soft and warm.
"Are you insane?" she screamed when she caught me staring, but I wasn't fazed by her outrage.
"You don't eat at all?" I asked, genuinely concerned. Her waist was impossibly tiny.
I walked toward her, closing the distance between us. I could feel her wanting to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Her breathing quickened as I wrapped my hands around her waist.
She let out a small gasp that was so unexpectedly sexy it sent heat straight through me.
"My hands wrap completely around your waist and there's still space," I said, feigning shock as my gaze moved from her waist to her face, which was now flushed bright red.
"K-Kaelen…" she tried to speak, but she was breathing too hard. Finally, she found the strength to push me away with her small hands. "Are you crazy?"
She covered her waist with her arms and turned away, her back to me. For a moment, my imagination ran wild with thoughts I definitely shouldn't be having about my best friend. Back-shots, wasn't a bad idea.
"I'm sorry," I said calmly. "But your waist really is incredibly small. Come on, let's get you something to eat."
At the restaurant, I watched her attack a burger and fries with impressive determination.
"Eat until you're full," I said, amused by her enthusiasm.
"Where did you get money?" she asked between bites.
"Eat first," I deflected.
Walking back to her house, she tried again. "Seriously, how do you suddenly have money?"
"Well, I have rich parents somewhere far away," I joked.
Her expression immediately darkened. "Why would you joke about something like that?"
"Huh?"
"You know how sensitive you get when anyone mentions your parents."
"Oh." I tried to remember why but it doesn't always come fast. "Why?"
"Because they died two years ago in a car accident, for fuck's sake. What's wrong with you?" She looked at me suspiciously. "Are you actually someone else?"
She said it as a joke, but her eyes were serious. I just laughed it off.
We reached her door and I was about to leave when she called out.
"Kaelen."
"Yeah?" I turned back.
"Uh…" she paused "Don't you want to see if there's a difference in my stomach after eating?" She said quickly like it took everything in her to say that
"Oh, sure!" I moved closer, reaching out to touch her waist, but she flinched and stepped back.
"Are you out of your mind? We're outside. Anyone could get the wrong idea."
"Oh." I laughed. "Sorry."
She opened the door and walked in without another word. I followed.
She stood in the living room and turned to face me. I approached slowly and gently lifted the hem of her grey sweatshirt, my hands finding her tiny waist again.
"It's still the same," I laughed, letting my hands move around her waist. But she had gone completely quiet.
I looked up at her face and saw something I'd never seen before—desire burning in her eyes. This wasn't the bossy, hardheaded, grumpy Suzy I knew. Right now she looked submissive, vulnerable, and I felt an overwhelming urge to devour her right there.
My hand drifted upward slightly, brushing just below her bra. She inhaled shakily, her whole body trembling with tension.
The electricity between us was so intense I had to pull back quickly.
"I should go now," I said.
She nodded, unable to speak.
As I turned to leave, I reminded myself that Suzy was still a virgin. She deserved her first time to be with someone she loved—probably Reiko, her crush, like she'd told me. She always avoided him at school and when I asked she said she had a crush on him.
I wouldn't be the one to complicate that for her. Not yet, anyway.