Chapter 3

I was not prepared to acknowledge the possible existence of what was before us. Even more confusing was that I now had legs, that and body better placed on some Legendary Hero. The quick glance at the goddess next to, still holding my hand, re-directed those questions, what I saw was not my 14-year old waif.

The scene before us now took my attention front and centre. The waif, Kathy, was exiting the school bus, now walking to their trailer. To the left was my trailer, door and window open and the day was bright and sunny.

I looked again and the new version of Kathy was right besides me, still clutching my hand.

As she walked up to her place and stated up the stairs, she waved to us. She said hello then went in. She had not recognized me with legs, nor had she reacted to seeing her doppelganger next to me, holding my hand.

I remembered what she looked like when she came over before ... before whatever happened. I also remembered what she said had caused that attack. The loud yells now coming out from her place galvanized me into action. I ran, yes ran, God I loved my new body, to the door, jumped up yanked the door open and saw a scene from Dante’s Inferno in real-life.

Some man, I assumed it to be the Mom’s boyfriend, was holding Kathy’s hair, trying to push her head down and face near his groin. His pants were at his knees and as he was about to slap her, I burst in. The new Kathy followed a few seconds later. There were no words needed. I went for the man, she went for the Mother and it was like we were some ‘action team’ facing the enemy.

I did not know that I was that fast nor that strong. Grabbing him by the neck, I raised him like he was a child, a very small child. He let go of Kathy’s hair, she fell to the floor and I saw trials of blood start to drip from his head where his skull had hit the roof of the trailer. He started screaming now so I knew he was not dead, yet. That was what I wanted for him though, to be dead for what he had done to Kathy, rather now what he was going to do to her.

The touch of a gentle hand to my chest momentarily gave me pause. The new Kathy., Princess Kathy, my Kathy, whoever she was now shaking her head and communicating for me to not kill him. Nothing was said about putting him down though.

Outside we all heard a crash; then the sound of a body, a big body hitting something. “Kathy, Kathy, are you okay? Kathy, what’s wrong, sweetheart?”

The girl on the floor was up and out in a flash. My Kathy and I went to the doorway. We both could not fit there so I bent down a bit to look out the window, still holding the now gurgling, ‘Big Man’ (not) girl beater. I was on the ground, rather my old me. The waif Kathy lunged forward, hit the ground and pulling my head to her, smothering me, the old me, with tears, hugs and kisses; saying, “Pete, Pete, are you OK?”