Maya stood frozen, small hands clenched into shaking fists at her sides. Her freckled face was still twisted in disbelief as she stared down at the body that no longer felt like hers. The pastel hoodie clung awkwardly to her now-flat chest, and her once-strong legs looked more like those of a middle schooler. Even her sneakers squeaked with every slight shift of weight.
Jennifer moved closer, cautious. “Maya… are you okay?”
“I—I—” Maya started, but her voice cracked, thinner, softer—and when she tried again, it came out with a faint, unmistakable lisp. “Thith ith… thupid! I—she can’t—thith ith bull—”
She stopped mid-word. Her eyes widened in confusion.
“I can’t—thay it!” she snapped. “I can’t curthe!”
Jennifer blinked. “Wait. She cursed your speech?”
“I can’t even thay how mad I am!” Maya stomped one glittery sneaker against the pavement. “She made me sound like—like some dweeby kid!”
Jennifer opened her mouth to respond, but then Maya’s whole body tensed. Her eyes widened in horror as she looked down at herself.
“No. No no no—no!”
A dark stain began to spread across the front of her glitter-trimmed shorts, creeping down her thighs and soaking into her socks. Her mouth dropped open as a wave of hot shame crashed over her.
“I—I couldn’t—I didn’t even feel it coming!”
Jennifer stepped forward instinctively. “Maya—hey, it’s okay—”
But Maya jerked away, her hands balled into fists again, and her face crumpled.
“No! It’th not okay! I’m—I’m not— I don’t—!”
Her voice broke into high-pitched frustration, words tumbling out too fast to control. Her hands flailed, and her foot stomped again—twice—hard.
“I’m not a baby!”
She screamed the last word, cheeks flushed red, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Her face twisted into a full tantrum—angry, helpless, overwhelmed. She stomped again and let out a strangled sound of rage, but nothing she did could make the reality change.
Jennifer watched, heart twisting, as her best friend—strong, bold, fearless Maya—cracked beneath the curse. Not just transformed in body, but stripped of control, dignity, and agency.
After a moment, Jennifer moved in slowly and pulled her into a hug. Maya didn’t fight it. She just trembled, her head against Jennifer’s chest, tears soaking into the stretch of her maternity top.
Jennifer held her, eyes hardening as she looked toward the alley where Kira had disappeared.
This had gone too far.
Now it was personal—for both of them.