Chapter 6. The Meaning of Life
"What's wrong, Trace?" I asked, trying to comfort her.
"Nothing" She sniffled. "Everything." Oh, man, not this sort of thing again. Shouldn't a goddess be above this sort of thing?
"It's OK. Just talk to me. Let me help." I held her gently, just smelling her hair and feeling her against me. We really hadn't just been close like this since this started.
"It's just... what am I supposed to DO with this power? I can feel it in me, burning to be used, and it wants to be used on its own terms. I can feel that it wants to do things that are kinky, exotic. It really liked changing Gwen back there, changing practically everything about her and Lucy, adding in tons of sex where none had been before. I felt it change the school and the families so they remembered them this way. I felt the old Gwen vanish from all records and memory, and it felt so good to do it, but it was so wrong. I didn't ask her or Lucy, or Sue or any of the others.
"I'm changing. I can feel it. I am not sure I am human any more. I've changed you too, probably more than you realize. Tell me about your high school graduation party."
I was curious as to her point. "You've heard the story a dozen times before. All of the football team went out to one of the guy's place north of town and built a big bonfire. We hired in a DJ and a barkeeper, and invited all of our friends to the blow-out. Most of the cheerleaders came, and a lot of the girls in school, even a lot of the juniors. I was going out with Darla at the time. God I loved her tits.
"Well, with the booze, the music, the fire, and just the buzz we all felt, it was not long before most of us were making out on the benches or on mats in the woods. Then the strippers Billy hired showed up, and suddenly there was hooting and hollering. A wet T-shirt contest popped up, and that turned into a blowjob contest. Then someone had the idea that every time a couple came, they should sign each other, and whoever had the most names at the end of the day would win.
"Being the quarterback and all, I did real well on that, but Darla beat me by a mile since she got a bunch of girls she got off to sign her as well. It was pretty wild, but like I had said before, it was nothing compared to some of the parties we had over that summer. Why did you want to hear this all again?"
Tracy shook her head sadly. "Jack, your folks took you and me out to supper for graduation. You never played football a day in your life, and Darla was just a poster you used to have in your room until you took it down when I saw it. Do you remember?" Faint images, like a nearly forgotten dream, drifted through my mind. Memories of a skinnier guy, a virgin until well after high school, fought with those of always having been a big, charismatic stud, and I knew she was right.
I was angry for a moment- she did not have any right to change me, and I suddenly understood her plight. This is exactly how she felt, but she was being corrupted by the acid. "Can... can you somehow leave both sets of memories for me?" I asked. She said she would try, but the acid liked to sweep the old away completely, unless it left it there for its own amusement.
That skinny guy... was it a movie I saw once? I grasped at the fading memories, but then forgot what I was trying to remember. No matter, I shifted my attention back to Tracy.
"Surely there is a way to use these powers in a positive way." I reassured her.
"I... I don't see a way yet. And don't call me Shirley." She smiled as she sniffed, and the old gag warmed my heart. We'd work on this together. I had faith that her innate goodness would prevail.
That night, I kicked the trio of housekeepers out of the bedroom and told them to go play with Shanara and Betta. They grumbled a bit about not getting to play with a cock that night, but I am sure Tracy gave them some sort of reward. Tracy and I made tender love the old-fashioned way, sweet and slow and all night long (well, OK, for a while after midnight, we were pounding so hard we destroyed her bed and she had to remake it, but most of the night was tender). We fell asleep in each other's arms.
The next morning, Tracy was sitting on the bed, waiting for me to wake up. "I want to try something, and I need your help." I assured her that I would do what I could.
She traced an intricate design over my heart with her fingers. It glowed brightly in reds and golds as she drew it and chanted. "I'm going to let the acid take over for a while. I am going to give my powers full release and see what happens. The spell I put on you will protect your spirit, your core, your... whatever you want to call it... from any permanent changes. If I do change your spirit, it will revert back every few days. If I am doing horrible things, you will have to stop me."
She explained her plan to try living with the acid for a while, but wanted a way to come back if things went as badly as she was afraid they would. She also thought that after a period of adjustment, there was a chance that things might work out OK and she just had to see.
She gave me a small bag. "The jewel in here has been enchanted so if I see it, I will fall into a trance so you can do what you need. Next, I am going to copy my humanity, my morality into it. If you need to restore my soul to me, just show it to me. Once I am done with the transfer, you'll have about an hour before the changes kick in. I am not sure how I will behave after that, so you better hide it somewhere safe. OK?"
She was spooking me, but I agreed. She focused on the jewel for a moment, making it glow as well. When she was done, she went blank so I slipped out and buried the jewel in a dried out paint can in the workshop.
