The sky was cloudy, a light rain trickling onto the paved sidewalks and grassy lawns of the suburbs. A truck pulled up between two houses, coming to a slow, deliberate halt. The house to the left was a gaudy, two story building, painted in bright yellow. A smaller home stood to the right, with faded blue walls and dark windows.
An older man in uniform stepped out of the truck, tucking a clipboard under his arm. He looked up at the blue building with a slight nod, opening the back of the vehicle and carefully grasping a small cardboard box with his free hand. The man stepped up to the front door, setting down the package and knocking twice. "Delivery Service!" he called out in a weathered voice.
There was no reply.
The delivery man waited for two minutes before giving a shrug. He checked his clipboard, verified the address, and made his way back to the truck. As an afterthought, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Please inform Client 2195 that her package has been delivered at the requested household." He drove away without another word.
Meanwhile, just across the sidewalk, a petulant voice cried out from the upper floor of the yellow house.
"No!!"
A young girl crossed her arms brazenly. She appeared to be around 11 years old, shoulder length brown hair running down her back, wearing a maroon summer dress and a casual pair of sandals. The girl glared up with brown eyes, her face scrunched in anger.
She was looking up at an older boy, 15 years old, in an old hoodie sweatshirt and jeans. The boy stared back at her, looking exacerbated but determined. He held a bright pink tablet in both hands.
"Eris, your dad said no screen-time until you've actually done your homework."
"How do you know I haven't finished it, Jeremy?" Eris spat out her babysitters name like a dirty word.
Jeremy sighed. "You haven't even opened your notebook." He gestured to the desk behind her.
The girl lunged forward, grasping for the tablet, but Jeremy was quicker. He pulled it from her reach, holding it in one hand, high above his head. Eris tried to leap up and grab it. Jeremy simply stepped away. The preteen squealed in frustration.
"No fair!!!" she yelled, stomping her foot.
"Maybe when you get bigger, you can make your own rules." Jeremy clutched the device and stepped out of the girl's room, heading for the stairs. A pillow struck him from behind as he turned his back. He kept walking.
"I hate you! Stupid boy!" Eris screamed at him, slamming the door.
Jeremy collapsed on the couch downstairs, rubbing his forehead with both hands. The summer had just started, and he had to deal with this spoiled brat until the end of June. He was already exhausted.
It was going to be a long month.
Suddenly, his phone rang, and the teenager jolted out of his thoughts. He set down the tablet next to him, reaching for his phone. It was Mr. Bernstein, Eris's father.
"Hello?" Jeremy answered the call.
"Jeremy!" A deep jolly voice resounded from the phone's speaker. "How's my little girl doing?"
The young man looked balefully at the stairs. "Wonderful."
"Good to hear! Listen, I'm gonna be stuck in the office for awhile and my neighbor Stephanie just gave me a call. She had a package come in today and she wants to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Would you mind stepping over and bringing it to our fridge? I'll give you a nice tip. Thanks kid!" The line cut off abruptly.
Jeremy blinked. He let another sigh. "Whatever..." he grumbled, getting up and stepping outside.
Less than a minute later, he returned, cardboard package in hand.
Quickly, he tore through the packing tape, pulling out a small, silvery cannister. He read the label to himself.
"North American Grizzly Bear, Double Dose, Quickshot Formula." There was a trademark symbol next to the text, and a series of warnings listed below in fine print.
Jeremy didn't notice that Eris was crouched silently at the top of the stairs, watching and listening intently. The girl's eyes went wide with recognition as she stared at the package. Her lips curled into a mischievous grin. She had planned to sneak down and grab her tablet. Now, she had a much better idea.
Jeremy carefully held the cannister as he entered the kitchen, placing it just inside the chrome refrigerator. He closed the door.
Taking a deep breath, the teenage boy settled back down on the couch, facing away from the stairs. He put his headphones in, pulling up a playlist as he went to check his messages.
Behind him, Eris slowly crept down the stairs and into the living room, her footsteps muffled by the soft carpet. She watched Jeremy carefully. When he didn't turn around, she made her way into the kitchen, out of his sight.
The girl opened the refrigerator, eyes wide as she examined the cannister.
Her hands trembled. Her breath quickened with anticipation. For a moment, she felt herself hesitate.
Pushing through her nervousness, Eris grabbed the container and opened the lid. The liquid looked like heavy cream.
"Here goes." Eris said, before taking the container in both hands and bringing it to her lips.
***
Jeremy was replying to a text in the living room when he saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked up with a start.
Eris was standing in front of him, tapping her foot impatiently. Her face was bright red, and she was staring at him with a wicked grin.
Jeremy took out his earbuds.
His eyes widened. Something was off.
Had her hair always been that long? Why were her eyebrows so bushy?
"What are you staring at Jeremy," Eris's voice dripped with sardonic glee. "Do I look that pretty?" She batted her eyelashes at him.
Jeremy slowly stood up. "What is it?" there was a rising wariness in the boy's tone.
Eris's lips curled back even further as she continued to leer at her babysitter. "What was that you said earlier? When I get bigger, I make the rules?" Her canines seemed to extend on their own, growing into sharp incisors.
Jeremy took a step back. No way...
He flinched as Eris suddenly let out a moan, and watched as the girl trembled violently, her body surging up three inches. The fabric of her dress began to strain, a strap on one of her sandals tearing lose.
She spoke through labored breaths. "Looks like...I'm getting too big...for my britches...Jeremy." Her youthful, feminine voice suddenly had a husky layer of depth to it.
Jeremy dashed into the kitchen. The metal capsule he had put away was on the counter, the lid laying off to the side. As he got closer, he saw that it was completely empty. Eris had drank all of it.
Slow footsteps came behind him, heavier than before.
Jeremy slowly turned around, heart pounding as Eris blocked the doorway. She groaned as her fingernails darkened, one of them splitting open into a sharp claw. She drew it along the sidewall, slicing through the finish effortlessly. "This is so cool..." she said to herself.
Eris looked up at Jeremy, almost eye level with him now. Her body continued to tremble, her nose darkening. Along with her new canines, it gave her a bestial look.
"You bossed me around, you took my stuff. Now it's my turn." Her voice came with a low growl.
Jeremy sprang forward, trying to leap past her. She roared, shoving him with both hands. He toppled backward, slamming into the wall on the far side of the room. He looked down. The sweatshirt had prevented the girl's claws from reaching his skin.
Jeremy gingerly held out an open palm. "Please don't hurt me..." he whispered.
Eris giggled, her powerful voice resounding through the house. "As long as you behave."
She glowered at him as she clenched her teeth, letting out another moan.
"You're in my house. I make the rules now. You're gonna do what I say. Got it?"
Eris smirked at him, another wave of changes rippling across her body. "This is gonna be so much fun."
Jeremy's mind was racing. He considered his next move carefully.