“Lovely,” Sharon snorted. “Not a friend of yours, I take it.”
“Not even close.”
“Then I hope you don’t mind if I say I hope she’s turning into a hairy ogre. Or maybe a three-headed dog or something.”
Kim let out a sudden giggle at the statement. “Feel free.”
All too soon, though, she sobered up. Despite Haley’s harsh words about Lisa, there was no reason to trust that she would keep this to herself. Besides, what conflict could be so bad as to drive a wedge between those two? From what Kim knew of them, Lisa’s posse was inseparable, and Haley had been her friend far longer than many of them. Nobody had ever seen them argue, or at least, nobody had dared talk about it if they did. So what happened?
For the first time, Kim kind of regretted not being around for the last week. Perhaps, she had better keep a close eye on Haley. If nothing else, she could see if the girl made any suspicious phone calls during her stay.
----------------------------------
Group therapy turned out to be an eye-opening experience. The more Kim listened to what her fellow patients had to deal with, the more she realized how much she had lucked out. So many other monster types brought with them uncomfortable body changes, strange dietary needs, unfamiliar abilities, and many times, even new reproductive systems. Of the four male patients in her particular group, three were becoming female.
Meanwhile, Sharon shared how her heightened sense of smell was causing her frequent problems. That morning, she had panicked at the strong scent of smoke, thinking the building must be on fire, only to find out her toast had just gotten a little too brown. Also, her white fur was a bit blinding if she saw her reflection in direct sunlight. She quickly laughed these things off, however, saying she had dealt with worse things at her job as a waitress.
When it got to Kim’s turn to share, she had very little to contribute. It seemed clear to the others that she had no trouble adapting physically. Still, the therapist did warn her not to take that for granted. Once she left the changing center, the wider world tended to hold a few surprises for even the most well-adjusted monster. Thinking back on Jess’s statement about the “vultures,” Kim took this to heart.
At last, the session concluded, and everyone headed off to different locations. Kim sighed as she stood up and looked around. The meeting had been held outdoors in the garden where lines of low hedges provided numerous enclosed areas set aside for this purpose. Standing up gave her a glimpse into some of the other clearings where meetings were still going on.
On the far end, she spotted Haley in her own group. She probably arrived some time after Kim’s group had already started. The girl was sobbing into her hands with other sympathetic patients trying to comfort her. What could be so bad? Sharon’s hairy ogre comment came to mind, but that would be too much of a coincidence. Perhaps, something just as bad?
“Kim,” Sharon called. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”
Shrugging off her questions, Kim followed her companion away from the garden, turning her thoughts to how she would spend her last remaining day before her change’s completion.