Ashley knew there was something wrong with her. Like she could feel it deep down in her bones. But she couldn't identify what it was.
Much like the aftermath of her granny dying, the days blended together with nothing to distinguish one from the other; the big difference being that rather than being lost in sadness, she was lost in lust. Her nights lived in dreams that she couldn't remember but that left her body aching and her hormones on high. Mornings were full of bacon and waffles and naked, groping masturbation on the floor of every room in the house. Then lunch of burgers or pizza or mac and cheese before putting on her increasingly skimpy bikini and laying out in the backyard. She always had an audience in Dale, and it grew easier to picture someone else up there watching her. WHo she pictured never had a face, but she suspected it was the owner of the voice she kept hearing in the dreams she struggled to recall.
And all she had to show for these days was a killer tan and a body that was morphing into unnatural proportions. None of her bras fit anymore, and all her shorts—the only non-dress bottoms that still fit over her rear—showed the edges of her buttcheeks. Until now, it hadn't been a problem. But as she dug around in her fridge, and then her cupboards and pantry, she found herself in a quandary: she was out of food. That meant she had no choice but to venture out of the house.
So she dug around in her closet, desperate for something decent to wear. In the end, she ended up with a mishmash of items. The pale blue sundress she pulled over her head only fit because it was stretchy rather than buttoned, and the bust was just this side of decent. And between the pull at the chest and the flare of her butt, a pair of pastel floral leggings were needed. She hated how they fit now—it seemed they barely pulled up far enough in the crotch—but they looked okay when she checked herself in the mirror. And they ended just below her knees, so her tan looked darker in the white strappy sandals she added.
Her stomach growled as she finished getting ready. She giggled at her reflection as she wrestled her curls up into a somewhat manageable ponytail. It brushed the bottom of her neck, which earned an annoyed "huh" from her. Guess it was time for a haircut soon, too. At least all the sun she was getting meant she didn't need any highlights this year. It rapidly was moving from a dark buttery color to a pale platinum look.
Before she could leave, she still needed to grab something to take the edge off her hunger. "C'mon, there's gotta be something here!" she growled. She yanked out the last of the orange juice and slurped what was left straight from the carton. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the counter when the dream she had the night before crept into the forefront of her mind.
"Ashley, food won't curb your hunger for much longer. Or, at least, not food alone."
"I don't know what you mean," her voice gasped back.
A dark laugh, and a ripple of excruciating pleasure slid up her body. "Yes, you do. I am remaking your body as well as your mind. And, of course, building a narrative that will keep anyone from questioning it when I come to collect you." Something akin to a hand caressed her face, but rather than skin she felt something soft and oily move against her cheek. "You're pretty enough, and sweet in your own way. But good little girls have never been my preference."
Ashley snapped back to the present and gave a shaky laugh. Clearly she'd been watching too many soap operas. That could be the only explanation for such a bizarre, dark dream. Still, dark or not, it was pretty hot to think about. Hot enough that she found she was groping her unfettered breasts through the dress. "No," she told herself as she forced her hands away. "Food, then store. Then you can touch as much as you want."
In the end, she settled for some cereal. Ugh, raisin bran was so boring and not even close to sweet enough for her tastes these days, but it was better than literally nothing else. She scarfed down three bowls before taking enough of an edge of that she thought she could make it through the store without ripping into the packages before getting them home.
On the drive over to the Piggly Wiggly, she felt spacey and a little lost. She was isolating herself, she knew, and that was a bad thing. Nothing felt real these days except her complete loss of control. She needed a new purpose, but she didn't know what she wanted. Well, other than food and her fantasies. Maybe after shopping, she could start researching what it would take to get back into Dalton CC. Dalton would provide her mind with some exercise and hopefully some new guys to flirt with.
At this time of day on a Tuesday, the Pig (as her family always called it) was fairly empty. The a/c prickled her skin as she grabbed a buggy, and she just knew that meant her dress would do little to hide her braless nipples. Still, she knew all the people who worked there, though no one made any comment or stared unnecessarily. She loaded up on some fried chicken, a couple of pounds of ground beef, a huge package of bacon, at least 4 kinds of cheese (plus some nacho cheese), pasta, a couple of cartons of ice cream and about 4 dozen donuts. Normally this would feed her for a month, but she knew she would be lucky if this lasted her a week.
Just as she rounded the last aisle, where she picked up several bags of tortilla chips and doritos as well as some cokes and beer, she nearly crashed headlong into another cart. "Yikes! Sorry!" she winced and apologized. It took her a moment to realize it was Jimmy. He looked abashed at seeing her here, and she felt her own face redden as she remembered their last meeting. But it wasn't just embarrassment that she felt; it was guilt. She belittled him and called him a pervert when he had merely been reacting to her body. And that's just what men did, right? She should never have done that to him, especially so publicly.
So she pulled out her brightest smile and flashed it at him. "Jimmy, hi! I'm really glad to see you."
"I...what?" He sounded as confused as he looked.
"I am SO, so sorry for the way I acted at the library the other day. Totally uncalled for." She put a hand on his arm. "Can you ever forgive me?"