The footsteps were getting closer to the door. Cory glanced at Penny sympathetically. He knew she was aware of everything, but unable to do anything about it. There was nothing he could do for her right now, however.
The footsteps were getting louder. Cory fiddled with the zipper. The thing had been melted, making it impossible to remove. He was running out of options. He absolutely could not be found in this extremely compromising situation.
The footsteps stopped. A doorknob turned. Cory glanced at the window, not believing he was about to do this twice in one day.
***
Lisa, looking for help with the leaves, turned the doorknob to Penny's room. A blast of September air hit her in the face through the open window. She stared, stunned, at the Penny shaped doll in the corner of her sister's bedroom. Her mouth slowly opened, and closed again. Lisa approached the Penny doll.
***
Cory had made a clean getaway, and was running down a side street, dressed in nothing but a ballet tutu, skintight pair of white tights, and sparkly pink sneakers. His black hair waved in the breeze as he ran, the swish-swish of his legs brushing against each other his only company as he raced aimlessly into the increasing darkness.
His mother had been in front of the house, blocking his entry. He sought the cover of night down this side road, away from prominent street lights. Cory stopped to catch his breath, fiddling with the zipper. Still no luck. He was stuck this way, for now. He weighed all of his options as dusk turned to night, the wind blowing cold against his legs. He would head back home in a few hours, and figure things out from there, he concluded, sitting in an alley.
Just as Cory began to relax, the Chronivac began to malfunction again. Cory felt a pressure in his chest, and watched, horrified, as he grew a pair of B-cup breasts. He felt a suctioning pressure and watched his chest inflate, pressing tightly against his tutu.