Instead of her normal route to campus, Amy found herself taking a detour to the mall, hurrying there as quickly as she could.
A few times on the way, she had to spend a few moments itching at herself, the rough fabric of her clothing bothering her more and more.
By the time she arrived at the mall, the itching had abated somewhat, and her clothing were starting to feel much more comfortable. Amy peered at her reflection in the glass window of a nearby store. Her face turned into a scowl as she noticed the black coloration that had now completely taken over her lips. She also realized why her clothing wasn't itching as much any more.
Her jeans had risen higher, now sitting near below her knees and exposing her white socks to the world. The blue color was fading, as though it had been left in the sun for weeks. They seemed looser, almost puffy, and as Amy ran a finger along them she felt the denim softening to something much silkier. Her shirt wasn't spared either. It had grown longer, the hem widening as it slid down just to the bottom of her rear. The black accents had infected the rest of the garment, spreading out to encompass all of the shirt. Around the collar, the black ring of fabric at the top had separated itself from the rest of the shirt, remaining place as the neckline receded slightly.
As she raised a hand to finger at it, she felt the material shift from cotton to shiny black satin. It pulled itself snugly tighter against her throat as a small ribbon tied at the front, its tails hanging down over the front of her shirt.
Amy began walking as quickly as she could towards where she remembered the store was, hoping to find help, a way to reverse this, or at least some damn answers. She stumbled slightly as she rounded a corner, nearly rolling her ankle. Looking down, she saw that her shoes had gained a one inch platform, and that the laces had vanished. Amy continued walking, with a more careful stride this time.
Thankfully for Amy, the store was right where she left it, and the girl raced inside and looking for help. Her clothing wasn't stopping its changes and it was all she could do to not either stop to examine them...or to remove them entirely. The snoring man was still at his post. Unlike the day before, Amy had no time for pleasantries or politeness. "Hey! Something I bought here is doing weird things! Hey! Wake up! I need help!" desperation in her voice, driven by fear and the sheer itchy from the clothing.
"Mmmm, the Gothic Socks?" the bald man yawning, squinting at Amy's altered form. "Looks like they're doing exactly what they're supposed to."
"I can't take them off without feeling like my feet are freezing, and my regular clothes itch like crazy before starting to become...whatever they're becoming! Not just my clothes either, look at my hair...ahh!"
She had raised a hand to point at her short black bangs but stopped when she saw it. Her skin had paled to the same level her feet had been at home, and her nails had darkened to black. She shook her hands, almost in the vain attempt that the coloration might just fling itself off.
"Can't you stop it?!" she said, looking at him again.
"You have to let them finish their work before you can take them off," said the old man with the air of someone explaining to a child why two and two made four.
"I can't undo the changes until they've had their fun," he continued, "but if you'd like I have something that can speed it up for you."
He gestured to a stand of small spray bottles on a small rack atop the counter. "Accelerating Solution, one spritz and the socks should speed up immensely. Then, once you're done, you can take them off and wait for the changes to revert, or you can purchase something else to alter your form."
Amy hurriedly grabbed the bottle even as her lengthening shirt slid down another three inches to reach her thighs.
"Thanks!" she said, "I'll be back to pay for this in just a moment. Uhh..." She cast her gaze around, looking for a private spot to spritz herself.
Idly extending an arm, the old man points off to a small door along the back wall, "Changing rooms are that way. You can finish up your 'gothification' in there."
Without another word, Amy started dashing toward the changing rooms, taking awkward strides as her platforms rose another inch.
"Just one spritz!" the old man called after her, "Don't want to give those things too much energy!"
Amy opened the door to the changing area, she rushed in, picking a room and shutting the door behind her.
She could feel her clothing shifting almost imperceptibly. She hefted the little bottle of Accelerating Solution in her hands. Steeling herself, she prepared to press down on the nozzle.