"No way. You can count me out, " said Mary Lou. "I am already too human as it is, and I don't want to get any more in me. If you two losers want to help her, you can do it by yourselves. I mean, I really feel for the young cub, and I want to help her. But not at my expense."
"What? If you liked being a gator, why did you leave me trapped for so long? Why didn't you switch back?" said Evelyn angrily.
"I told you before. I wanted to escape, and I was willing to do anything to get out of there. If I changed back, they would have trapped me again. I won't say it hasn't been fun, " said Mary Lou, slyly grinning as she remembered her time with Adam, " but now that I am back in my own body I remember how much better it was. The power, the heightened senses, .... well, everything is better. If I find the right new home, I am willing to go back to full gator. But there is no way I want to regress back to a weak harmless little hairless cousin of a monkey."
Evelyn hissed angrily, ready to protest. She was going to force that monster to enter the contest. It was only fair. She would fight her if necessary. But Kim grabbed her firmly by the arm before she could attack. Evelyn glared at her, frustrated at her interference. Was she siding with Mary Lou? Was this some kind of coup? But Kim just tilted her head towards Amy, huddled in a corner. Evidently the child was used to seeing violence, and curling up was her defense mechanism. She looked at them with wide sad eyes, and was shaking a little. Evelyn sighed and relaxed. This was not the time and place for a fight. Kim released her grip on Evelyn's arm.
"Look, it's not a big deal. You and I can do it together. Everyone will get what they want - you, Amy, even Mary Lou. I mean, it's only temporary. What difference does it make?" said Kim.
Mary Lou leaned against a counter, smiling wickedly.
"No, that won't work. I still don't trust Mary Lou. I don't want her to have more power than us. I'll just do it myself," said Evelyn.
"Are you sure?" asked Kim.
"Yeah, yeah. I know reptiles are kind of your thing. You might as well get some enjoyment out of this mess. And I am looking forward to being human again," said Evelyn.
Kim beamed. "Thanks, Evelyn. I didn't want to say anything, but I really wanted to try being a gator for a little longer. It has always been a dream of mine, and I have barely got to try doing anything yet. But don't worry. I'll keep an eye on Mary Lou. "
Evelyn sighed. She wondered if this might be a mistake. Kim was nice, but she seemed a little naïve. And Mary Lou was very cunning and manipulative. But if she was going to help the kid, this was the best option. She saw the small child, huddling and rocking herself. She could see small bruises on her exposed arms and legs. And was that a cigarette burn under her shirt?
Yes, thought Evelyn. We need to do this. If Amy doesn't stand up for herself and scare the bastard into submission, then I'll probably end up killing him myself.
"Everybody ready?" asked Mary Lou. She had a bucket of soapy water and a sponge in her clawed hands. Evidently, Mary Lou knew where the shampoo was hidden, and had retrieved it while they were talking.
"Give me that," said Evelyn angrily, as she took the tools from Mary Lou. "Amy has to this herself. It seems like the traits are transferred into the person giving the bath. So Amy needs to bathe me. Amy, and only Amy."
Evelyn glared at Mary Lou. She shrugged her shoulders and sat down on the bar stool, waiting for the show. Evelyn walked over to Amy, and gave her the best smile she could muster.
"Amy, honey, if you are sure you want to do this, you are going to have to do it by yourself," said Evelyn. "I need you to wash me with this liquid, then you will be just like us."
Amy looked at the bucket suspiciously. "Is it Mutagen? Like in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?"
Evelyn was taken back. She wasn't quite sure what the substance really was.
"Something like that," said Evelyn. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Amy stood up and sighed with resignation, almost like an adult. "Yeah, " she said softly, as she took the bucket and sponge away from Evelyn. The girl almost dropped the heavy bucket and Mary Lou hissed. She didn't want to waste the precious shampoo. The girl was tiny, she couldn't have been taller than 4'5", and the bucket looked huge in her small arms. Evelyn didn't know how old the girl was, probably because malnutrition had stunted her growth.
"You don't have to do this, you know. We can talk to your Dad for you if you want, " said Kim.
"No, I want to," said Amy. "I want to be a superhero. And sometimes you have to sacrifice stuff to get superpowers. Just like Spiderman and Hulk. "
Evelyn chuckled. "Well, it won't hurt if that is what you are worried about. "
"Okay, " said Amy, a little braver now. "So how do we do this?"
"I think it's easiest if I lie on the ground and you just wash my back. You may feel a little tingling, but that's okay. That just means that its working. Just keep scrubbing for about half an hour, then it should be done," said Evelyn.
Evelyn laid down, flat on her stomach. She heard the bucket drop with a loud thud beside her head. The girl landed on her back. She felt so light. She had to be underfed, the poor thing.
"Sorry. Is this okay? I don't want to hurt you, but you are just so big I thought it would be easier this way," said Amy.
"It's fine, dear. It doesn't hurt. Just get started," said Evelyn patiently.
"Yeah, let's get this show on the road. We haven't got all night," said Mary Lou. Evelyn heard a loud crunch as Mary Lou's powerful jaws snapped shut on some piece of food. Evelyn turned and looked a Kim, who nodded her understanding. She gave Evelyn a thumbs up, and walked beside Mary Lou. She wasn't about to let her interfere, and maybe try to get in on the transformation.
Evelyn heard the sponge being dipped in the bucket and rinsed, then felt the cold water on her back. She silently cursed Mary Lou. Couldn't she have at least used warm water? But soon it didn't matter as she felt the familiar warm tingle.