Chapter 1

“Come on, you guys! We’re trying to leave by seven!”

Rachelle slammed her open palm on the doors of her roommates’ rooms, pausing to listen for any sign of stirring. A week ago, she’d proposed the idea of a Fall break mini-road trip, and both Chloe and Amanda were on board with it. This was before they knew they were leaving by 6am to beat the morning rush hour. Now 6:45, Rachelle had arose, showered, and loaded the van, while her roommates had yet show any signs of life.

“Come on!” Rachelle yelled, pounding her small fist on Chloe’s door, then moving on to Amanda’s again. “We talked about this yesterday. Get your asses up!” Amanda pulled open the door still wearing her long, faded My Little Pony nightshirt. Even with bed-head and sans makeup, she still unquestionably had the look of a former Miss Teen Missouri, her tall, lean body propped up against the door frame.

‘It’s early.” Amanda pouted.

“You shouldn’t have stayed up so late talking to your boyfriend.”

“Ex-boyfriend. We broke up last night.” Amanda said, simply. Rachelle searched for signs of distress from Amanda, but it was difficult to separate the tired from the weary.

“Geez, sorry. You okay?”

“Yeah, I just...”

“Good. Get in the van,” Rachelle said, abruptly turning away.

“Let me get ready,” Amanda whined.

“I know what 'get ready' means. You get five minutes to shower, and two minutes for makeup. No more.”

“Come on. Eight minutes and four minutes.”

“Seven and three.”

“Deal,” Amanda said, yawning. “See you in fifteen,” she said, rubbing her eyes and plodding like a zombie into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

“Ten!” Rachelle shouted back. Rachelle moved on to Chloe’s bedroom, where she knocked for nearly a minute before considering Chloe may either be unconscious, or not inside at all. Praying she wouldn’t walk in on either a corpse or any manner of bodily fluid, Rachelle opened the door to find the bed not only cluttered and covered in a stack of clothes, but empty.

Rachelle heard a groan and a cough from the living room. She turned around to see a groggy Chloe sitting on the couch.

“Is it 6am already?”

“It’s 6:45! Why the hell did you sleep on the couch? How late were you at the bar?” Chloe’s eyes had closed, and she appeared on her way to falling back asleep.

“Chloe, come ON!” Rachelle stomped her foot, though the gesture didn’t have the effect she hoped. At a petite five foot in height, it came off as little more than a hissy fit, particularly when Chloe and Amanda dwarfed her by six and eight inches respectively. Rachelle headed over to the couch and grabbed Chloe by the arm.

“Hey! Don’t go back to sleep. You can sleep in back of the van if you want.”

Chloe opened one eye at Rachelle’s offer. She still had on her stockings, leather skirt, and raggedy t-shirt from the previous night out, and she generally reeked of bar. “I can sleep in the back of the van,” she offered. “Wouldn’t be the first time.” Chloe arched her back, and Rachelle considered a comment about the way the horizontal slits in Chloe’s t-shirt showed the near-entirety of her substantial assets, when Chloe dropped one of her legs to the ground, putting certain details of her attire–and anatomy–into plain view.

“Jesus, Chloe. Where the hell’s your bra? And panties?”

Unfazed, Chloe yawned again and reached down the front of her skirt. “Good question,” she replied quizzically. “Guess I lost ‘em last night.”

“How could you lose your underwear?”

“The band didn’t throw them back,” Chloe replied with a shrug. Without attempting to hide her glory, Chloe lumbered to her feet and headed towards the front door.

“Hey! No going commando in my van!” Rachelle yelled.

“Don’t worry, I packed some shit yesterday.” Chloe picked up a paper grocery bag near the door, rifling through it and pulling out a pair of red thong panties. “I’ve got some here. Don’t get yours in a twist. Oh, and tell Princess she can ride shotgun.” The front door shut, and Rachelle headed back towards the bathroom, not missing the fact that the roommate who needed a shower more was already in the van.

Amanda and Chloe consistently provided Rachelle with both entertainment and frustration, though their similarities ended there. Amanda was a midwestern blonde beauty queen, where Chloe was an irreverent free spirit from Vermont with all the grace and class of an episode of Maury Povich. Amanda kept in shape by jogging and following a strict diet and fitness regimen, while Chloe hopped on the elliptical every few days to offset her diet of cigarettes, microwave dinners, and Cuervo. Amanda coordinated her wardrobe with style, while Chloe took a more found-object to her attire.

Rachelle knocked on the bathroom door. “Mandy, you ready to go?”

“I’m almost ready,” Amanda shouted over the whirring hair dryer.

“We’re spending the whole day in the car, how much ‘ready’ do you need?” Amanda mumbled a reply. Recognizing the delay was inevitable, Rachelle tossed some more travel snacks into a re-usable grocery bag, and headed out to the van. Sure enough, Chloe was already sawing logs in one of the middle seats, not venturing any further into the car than was necessary for her to lay down. Thankfully, Amanda followed shortly after–her hair salon perfect–though with probably two more packed bags than should have been necessary for a three-day trip. Amanda made a half-hearted attempt to make space for her luggage, before making puppy-dog eyes at Rachelle. Rachelle begrudgingly hopped out to load her roommate’s bags, as Amanda settled into the passenger seat and took Chloe’s cue to also fall asleep.

With both Amanda and Chloe unconscious, Rachelle was able to get in two solid hours of driving. After the chaotic morning departure, Rachelle certainly did not mind the quiet. Around 9:30, Amanda stirred to life and asked if they could stop for Starbucks. Chloe yawned loudly and admitted she also was in the mood to fuel up for the trip, since it was early and she was hungover. Rachelle had no objections. She’d chugged a pint of instant coffee earlier and had to pee pretty badly.

Once inside, the girls ordered their drinks, and each found ways to occupy themselves as they waited amidst the early morning rush. After all three had ordered, Amanda checked out the CDs by the register, Chloe collapsed into a booth and tinkered with her phone, and Rachelle flipped through the free app cards at the counter. She’d thumbed through a dozen Scrabble download cards, when one she didn’t recognize caught her eye at the far back. She pulled it out and examined it.

Humanji. Road trip game of self-discovery. Fun for some, not for all.

Other than the succinct description, nothing else about the card seemed out of the ordinary. She knew the Starbucks free-app cards tended to disappear faster than the free music downloads. Not having a smartphone herself, she passed the card to Chloe. “Hey, install this. It’s free.”

“Mmkay,” Chloe muttered without looking up. Despite having walked from the van into Starbucks, ordered, and paid for coffee, Rachelle was not entirely sure Chloe was actually awake. Rachelle headed to the bathroom, and upon returning a couple minutes later she found Chloe sipping her triple espresso, looking relatively coherent.

“Where are we going again?”

“Coastside Beach, why?”

“I’m supposed to type our destination. How long are we going to be gone?”

“We get back Sunday. Is it really asking that?” Rachelle heard her name called by the barista and headed over to pick up her drink, a grande mocha. A little voice inside her told her she should probably dieting. She was a twig when she started college last year, and she’d probably added ten or fifteen pounds in the meantime. Then again, it was October. She had no one to impress on Fall break. If she wanted to diet, she had a half year until Spring break.

Chloe handed Rachelle the phone. “Here, put your name in.”

“Can’t you put my name in?”

“Won’t let me.”

Rachelle began typing her name. She’d gotten no further than the “Ra” when the phone auto-filled her name. This was unexpected, but not surprising, as she assumed the auto-complete had her name from the various texts Chloe may have sent in the past. She tapped the Submit button, and she yelped as a cool tingle flashed up her arm and through her body.

“What’s up with you?” Chloe asked.

“I think I got a static shock from your phone.”

“Huh, weird. Me too, actually.”

Amanda walked over with her nonfat sugar-free latte. “I’m ready.”

Rachelle handed Amanda the phone. “Here, type in your name.”

Amanda took the phone and examined it. “What is it?”

“It’s a car game. We’ve got about two hundred miles to drive, so we may as well entertain ourselves.”

“What kind of game?”

Chloe shoved the phone into Amanda’s hands. “Type your name in.”

Amanda did as she was told, and Rachelle noticed the way the phone auto-completed Amanda’s name as well. Amanda paused a moment, punched submit, then yelped as she dropped the phone.

Chloe crouched to retrieve her phone. “Amanda! Jeez! Don’t drop my shit!”

“Sorry! I got shocked, or something!”

“You too?” Rachelle asked. “Weird. You think it’s your phone, Chloe?”

“It shouldn’t be. That’s never happened to me.”

Rachelle looked concerned. “What does your phone say?”

Chloe brushed off her phone and took a look. “It says it’s your turn.”

Chloe handed the phone to Rachelle. Cartoonish, blocky letters read “Round 1” at the top of the screen, with no other visible commands. After a couple seconds, the message “Shake to reveal your fortune!” flashed repeatedly at the bottom of the screen. Rachelle looked at the screen, and for a moment she felt a vague unease, as if something wasn’t quite right about the situation. She shook this feeling out of her head and gave the phone a shake. The phone emitted a drumroll sound, followed by a corny 8-bit fanfare. Rachelle read the screen out loud:

Your current view: quite ineffective!

Hour by hour, you’ll gain perspective

“So, it’s a fortune cookie app. How cute.

“I guess,” Rachelle said “But what’s ‘you’ll gain perspective’ supposed to mean?”

“Perhaps it’s offering a cure for your closed-mindedness. You know, how you’re closed-minded, pushy, opinionated, and generally lack empathy.”

“But Chloe, that’s not Rachelle at all.”

“Exactly. This app is essentially a digital fortune cookie, with no connection to reality whatsoever. Can we get going? I’m almost done with my drink, and if we don’t leave soon, I’ll order again.”

Rachelle followed as Chloe headed toward the door but was distracted by a weird feeling in her body. She didn’t understand what it was and patted at her torso and hips. The familiar tingling that had lit up her arm when she’d first touched the phone returned for a moment, shooting through her body like electricity. Again, she wasn’t sure she felt anything, and it was gone in a flash. She did take a moment to re-adjust her sweatshirt

On her way to the car, Rachelle saw Chloe shaking her phone and giggled at the suggestive gesture. Chloe was a bit embarrassed; less by the gesture than the fact she was actually indulging the silly game she’d so recently derided. “What? We’ve got a long trip ahead and I need to entertain myself somehow.” Chloe read the screen aloud:

It’s time for a change, how ‘bout your hair?

You’re not so shallow you should care.

“Wow, it’s giving me fashion advice. How original.”

“What’s it say?” Amanda asked, looking over Chloe’s shoulder.

“It says I should change my hair.”

Amanda assessed Chloe’s hair and frowned. “You could start by, you know, washing it.”

“Or combing it,” Rachelle offered.

“Hey, now. I like my hair how it is, thank you.”

“Come on, Chloe.” Amanda pressed. “Don’t you ever get tired of the exact same short haircut?

“You know what? Bite me, you two.” Chloe opened the side door to the van.

“Whoa, where are you going?” Rachelle asked, trying to catch her by the sleeve. “You aren’t mad, are you? We were only kidding!”

“No, I left my drink at the table, I’m going to go grab it.” Chloe started to close the door, but stopped herself. “If you’re going to bitch about my hair or hygiene though, this would be the time to do it.” Chole shut the door and strode back to the shop, all the while scratching at her scalp, which tingled a bit.

As the door shut, a short silence hung in the air until both Rachelle and Amanda could no longer suppress their laughing. “Maybe now that magic technology is giving her the advice, she’ll take it seriously.” Rachelle continued giggling.

“I know, right? I keep telling her she’s pretty, she just needs to put some effort into her appearance.” Amanda looked over again, as if she were concerned Chloe could hear her. “Where does she even buy her clothes? Goodwill?”

“I’ve known Chloe a while. She’s got her own fashion and her own style, and I’ve found it best not to make any suggestions. Maybe you and her will get to know each other better this trip.”

“Yeah, I don’t think she really li...”

The van door opened suddenly, and both girls looked up, perplexed at the unfamiliar girl who was climbing in. It only took a second, however, for their looks of confusion to turn to shock.

“...God, the barista gave me the weirdest look.” Chloe said, climbing in with her drink in one hand. She looked up at her two companions who stared back at her, mouths agape. “Just like that, actually. What’s your guys’ problem?”

“Um, what’s going on?” Amanda asked, staring at Chloe with two parts confusion and three parts terror.

“What do you mean? I forgot my drink. I walked inside, got it, now I’m back in the van waiting for us to get going.”

“No, Chloe.” Rachelle replied. “Your hair. Are you wearing a wig or something?”

Chloe looked puzzled for a moment, then smirked. “Okay. I get it. I should have taken a shower.”

“Chloe, you’re blonde!”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Hey, now. I forget my drink once and suddenly I’m a ditz?”

Rachelle reached forward and grabbed a handful of the blonde hair, tugging it. Chloe yelped in reply and Rachelle’s mouth dropped open even wider. “Wow, it’s real!”

“It’s my hair, of course it’s...” Chloe stopped as a lock of blonde hair dropped in front of her eyes. “...blonde?”

Chloe ran her fingers through her hair a few more times, eventually the reality of what happened sunk in and she shrieked like a banshee.

Chapter 2

After a five-minute screaming fit, a ten minute anxiety attack, and another five minutes of sobbing, Chloe eventually found her bearings. She still could not tear herself away from the rear view mirror, unable to believe her eyes at her modified appearance. They remained in the Starbucks parking lot, as Chloe had yet to achieve a mental state conducive to travel. Rachelle, did her best to talk her down, while Amanda continued to stare in silent wonder.

“What the fuck?” Chloe repeated. “I mean, seriously. What. The. Fuck?”

“Chloe, really. It’s not so bad.” Rachelle said. “You look nice actually.” It was true, her hair hadn’t merely changed color. It was longer and fuller, flowing down to her shoulders and curling slightly at the ends. On her best days, Rachelle couldn’t imagine making her hair look half as good. “You know what they say: blondes have more fun!” Rachelle nudged Amanda, hoping she would join in the pep talk, but Amanda remained silent, still trying to get a grip on the situation herself.

Chloe gasped in horror. “God, I’m a blonde now. You don’t suppose it made me stupid too? I don’t want to be stupid!”

“Hey! I’m not stupid!” Amanda yelled, though Chloe didn’t hear her. She’d put her face in her hands and mumbled what sounded like state capitals and multiplication tables to herself.

Rachelle re-read the message on the game. “The message only refers to your hair. It would probably say so if it were making you stupid.”

“Rachelle, it’s a fucking mobile app! How the hell did it change my hair color?” Chloe had another idea and gestured to the phone. “Read the directions on that thing. I want to know what’s happening to me.”

Rachelle took another look at the screen, and tapped a small question mark icon at the top-left corner, and a brief, scrolling help document popped up, explaining the game:

Humanji is the ultimate game of exploration and self-discovery. Once begun, all players must take a turn or allow Humanji to automatically progress the game after at least 12 hours. The adventure ends with the completion of the your road trip as indicated: no sooner, no later.

“From what it says,” Rachelle began. “it sounds like until we finish this trip, you’re stuck with that hair.”

Chloe sighed in resignation. “Ugh. I can’t believe I’m freaking blonde, all thanks to a stupid fucking mobile app.”

Amanda felt much less comfortable with the situation. “Um, guys? Don't you think this is kind of scary. I mean, a phone app made Chloe blonde. It shouldn’t even be possible. You guys seem to be taking this awfully easy.”

“It’s definitely weird,” Rachelle said. “But, as supernatural as it is, rules are rules. It changed her hair, like it said it would, and it’ll change it back when we’re done, like it says it would. It’s pretty simple.”

“Besides,” Chloe said. “Weirder things have happened. Did you hear about the one crazy-tall barista from Northsh...”

“Whatever,” Rachelle snapped suddenly. “Let’s get going. If we’ve got to play the game, then we better get started.”

“I guess, but there’s one other thing bugging me,” Chloe said. “What about Rachelle? She took a turn and she’s still the same.” Both girls looked to Rachelle, who was seated in the doorway of the van. “Rachelle?”

Rachelle shuddered. She seemed confused for a moment before snapping back into the present. “What?”

“I was telling Chloe you hadn’t been affected by the app, right?”

“I don’t think so,” Rachelle replied, though her body language betrayed her. “I don’t know actually. After I read the message, I felt a weird tingling, and just a second ago it happened again. Rachelle tugged at the cuff of her shirt. “It’s kind of weird.”

Chloe pointed at Rachelle. “I felt it too! Right when I got out of the car! It happened as I was heading inside! Jeez, my hair was probably changing color right as the barista was looking straight at me.”

“But it changed your hair, Chloe.” Amanda said. “What did it do to Rachelle?”

“I don’t know. My clothes feel different, though.” She tugged at the waist of her jeans, running her fingers between it and her skin.

Chloe studied Rachelle carefully. “I dunno. You look pretty much the same to me.” Chloe’s eyes widened. “Wait! It said ‘hour-by-hour.” How long did we hang out in Starbucks?”

“Not very long, it definitely hasn’t been an hour.”

Rachelle looked at her watch, “Yeah, but it’s 10:01 right now. It may be right on the hour.”

“Does the tingling hurt?” Amanda asked.

Rachelle smiled slightly. “No. It was kind of pleasant, actually, in a weird way. Why?”

Amanda looked nervously at her phone. “Cuz it’s my turn, and I’m a little afraid.”

“Well, either go now or go later.” Chloe tossed her new blonde tresses over her shoulder. “In the meantime, I don’t want to be stuck looking like a bleach-blonde Barbie any longer than I need to. Rach, start driving!”

The girls began their trip, heading due north on the highway. Amanda switched to one of the middle seats, where she occupied herself styling Chloe’s hair into a fancy braid. Chloe didn’t protest, since hair management of this magnitude was unfamiliar territory for her. Rachelle enjoyed watching the two of them in the rearview mirror, with their similar heights and now hair color, they almost looked like cousins or sisters.

“Honestly,” Chloe said. “I kept my hair short so I wouldn’t have to put much thought into it.” Chloe let her hand run over the top of her hair again, patting it almost delicately. “I seriously wouldn’t even know where to start with this.”

“You kind of look like Taylor Momsen,” Amanda replied. Chloe sneered at the suggestion, and Amanda quickly retracted. “Sorry, what I mean is that it’s an interesting contrast for you. Your old hair definitely suited you, but this...it’s like you’re going in a whole new direction.”

Chloe smiled. “Yeah. It’s cool, I guess. I need more time to adjust.”

“I could imagine. It’s gotta’ be weird, changing like that.”

“It was, but now that it’s happened and I’ve had some time to digest it, it’s not so bad.”

After a few test-runs and restarts, Amanda finished up her braid and attached a hair tie at the bottom. Though it had taken longer than she would have preferred, Amanda was happy the results: a thick braid down reaching to the middle of Chloe’s back with a small thin braid dropping from the right side near her right temple. Chloe took some time to examine her new look in her hand mirror, smiling approvingly, if still tentatively. Setting the mirror down, she turned to Amanda. “Yeah?”

"You look cute," Amanda said. “So guys, I think I’m ready to take my turn.”

“Really?” Chloe and Rachelle replied in unison.

“Ye...ah.” Amanda said, assuring herself as well. “I think I’m ready to do this.”

“You don’t even know what could happen to you. You saw what happened to me, and we still don’t know what’s happened to Rachelle.”

“Yeah. And please wait until I pull over to take your turn.”

“Why?”

“If your hair changes color too I’ll actually want to see it.” Rachelle said, pulling the van off of the freeway and into a gas station parking lot. “Hurry up though, we’re way behind schedule for today.” Rachelle shut off the van’s engine, and just as she did so she felt a cold chill run through her. She looked at the clock, which read 11:00am.

Behind her, Rachelle could hear Chloe and Amanda. “What made you suddenly want to join the game?”

“I’ve got no choice for one thing,” Amanda said, tapping the Humaji icon on the phone.

“Yeah, but I fully expected you to wait until tonight to take your turn.” Chloe glanced over at the front seat where Rachelle sat, and give it a light kick. “Hey, Rach. You watching this?”

“Yeah...” Rachelle said, unbuckling her seatbelt and putting up the armrest so she could see her two companions. “I was just...taking down the mileage.”

“Well, Princess here is about to take her turn. I want to see this with my own eyes, in case the game turns her Chinese or something.”

"I admit, I'm curious.” Amanda shook the phone. The drumroll sounded and she read the screen aloud.

For all the pleasures you self-deprive.

You’ll get them all at once, times five.

Amanda looked up at her two companions. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It sounds like the app is calling you out for being a prude. That’s accurate, but hardly news.”

“But, what’s the ‘times five’ supposed to mean?”

“Maybe you’re about to get quintuple-penetrated,” Chloe said.

Rachelle punched her in the arm. “Chloe, at least try to be a little empathetic. "

“Don’t kill the messenger. It’s possible!”

"She was nice enough to do your hair.”

“And I’m grateful, believe me, that still doesn’t make her any less of a Princess. You figure out what’s happening to you, by the way?”

Rachelle nodded. "I have a hunch. This sounds crazy, but I think I’m—”

“OH!!! Oh my...nnnnngggghhh!” Both girls looked at Amanda, who wore a look of surprise and mild embarrassment.”

“What the fuck?” Chloe asked.

“Are you okay, Mandy?”

“Yeah, I think so. I-I feel weird.” Her face glowed with the hint of perspiration, and one of her hands absent mindedly wandered up to her chest, massaging her right breast, and a soft moan escaped from her lips. “Oh. Ooohhhh!”

“Amanda, what the hell are you doing?” Rachelle asked. Amanda didn’t reply, but continued grasping her breast involuntarily.

“Oh my God, Amanda,” Chloe spoke up. “Are you horny?”

“Oh God, I...I think I’m really horny.”

Chloe erupted with mirth as Amanda–the prude who could barely say “sex” without blushing–vigorously had her way with herself in plain view of the two of them. Amanda’s left hand wandered into her jeans, and she moaned loudly.

“Mandy,” Rachelle said cautiously. “Do you want privacy, or something?” Amanda tried to say something, but it got caught up in her moaning and she only blurted incoherently as she massaged herself with increasing vigor. Her moans turned to louder whines, expressing frustration with her progress.

Chloe gaped. at the wet spot Amanda’s jeans between her legs. “Holy shit, shouldn’t she be done by now? By my count, she’s already come, like, five times.”

“I...I...oh God,” Amanda choked in between gasps, “I...I...I need...” Amanda’s face scrunched as she hit another plateau of arousal. “I need...a dick.”

“Whoa. If you want a vibrator or a dildo, you’re out of luck, hun.” Chloe said, as Amanda shivered with another orgasm. “Hey, Rach. You got a mag-lite or something in this van?”

“Actually,” Rachelle chimed in. “As much as I don’t want to admit this, I’ve got something she can use. Hand me my travel bag.” Chloe reached into the back and retrieved the bag, which she passed forward. Rachelle snapped it open and reached to the very bottom, pulling out a long thin box. Chloe didn’t need any clues to figure out it was as she gaped in shock. “Ho-lee-fuck Rach. Did you bring a freaking dildo? Who the hell are you two? Have I been kidnapped, and dropped into a porno?”

“Hey! I bought this for personal private use. It’s not like I’ve had much luck dating recently.”

“Whatever,” Chloe said. “Give her your damned dildo.”

"First, it's a vibrator," Rachelle said, unpacking the device. "Second, you sure this is sanitary? It’s, you know, mine!”

Chloe reached into her purse and pulled out a condom. “Here, put a wrap on it and give it to her.”

“Oh God, please! Give it to me!” Amanda said, clearly without regard to the volume of her voice. While Rachelle certainly felt bad for her Amanda, she couldn’t help but grin at the her uncharacteristic outburst. Rachelle wrapped the condom over her vibrator, turned it on, and passed it back to Amanda, who snatched it from her and slid it into herself with gusto.

Immediately, Amanda’s whines had escalated into a series of piercing shrieks, with little separation between them. Chloe and Rachelle covered their ears, but couldn’t hide their awe as they bore firsthand witness to the kind of climax straight out of poorly writen erotic fiction. Her shrieks finally settled into a long, piercing scream that she sustained until she convulsed violently, and collapsed forward onto the floor of the van. Chloe and Rachelle remained quiet for a moment. Rachelle approached her.

“Jesus, is she alive?” Chloe said, popping her fingers out of her ears.

Rachelle flipped Amanda onto her back. Amanda was sweaty and red-faced, but she was breathing steadily. “Yeah, she’s alive.”

“M’great,” Amanda managed to mutter in agreement, before falling asleep.

“Jeez,” Chloe said. “She came herself stupid.”

Chapter 3

“Yup, you’re definitely bigger,” Chloe said, watching as Rachelle cursed under her breath, struggling with her now skin-tight jeans, whose cuffs stopped below her calves. After Amanda’s post-coital collapse, Chloe and Rachelle had continued their journey with Chloe in the driver’s seat. Rachelle could no longer ignore the discomfort of her ever more constricting jeans–there was no doubt in her mind that she’d been growing incrementally taller by the hour. It was about 5:30 when Chloe pulled into an AM/PM since Rachelle needed to escape her pants and a recently awoken Amanda wanted to change hers.

“Ugh, I give up,” Rachelle resigned. After using Amanda’s measuring tape to gauge her height at slightly over five foot three, she’d spent the next fifteen minutes sorting through her luggage in the restroom trying to find a pair of pants that fit comfortably. While she’d thankfully only gained an inch or so around her waist, the new proportions of her longer legs made fitting into her old pants difficult. With Chloe watching, she felt oddly self conscious in her enlarged body. While she’d barely grown three inches, the tightness of her clothes and the fact that she now stood only a couple inches shorter than Chloe made her feel massive. “Don’t suppose you have any pants I can borrow?” Rachelle asked, finally giving up the battle with her own wardrobe.

“Sure,” said Chloe, sizing up Rachelle’s new height and shape. “Crazy, you’re still shorter than me, but your legs look almost as long as mine.” Chloe’s observation wasn’t far off. Rachelle’s own pants, which had properly fit her only hours ago, now looked like capris. “I’ve actually got a clean enough pair you’ll look pretty good in. Hold on.”

“Clean enough?” Rachelle shouted back, but Chloe had already left the bathroom and headed for the car. Amanda emerged from the large handicapped stall with one of her roller-suitcases and a tied plastic bag containing the underwear and pants she’d been wearing earlier. Rachelle noted that Amanda seemed markedly less statuesque than in the past, which was to be expected since she’d closed almost half the distance between their heights.

Having slept several hours and still riding the high of her earlier orgasmic detonation, Amanda couldn’t hide her chipper mood. “Wow, you are getting taller. Wild!”

“Yeah, I guess ‘wild’ is one word for it.”

Amanda gave Rachelle a once-over. “No, you look different. You aren’t just taller. You’ve filled out a little bit. It looks good on you.” Rachelle had to agree, as she didn’t have the gawky look of a teenager in the midst of a growth spurt. She was still thin, but she wasn’t the pixie-ish twig she’d been at 5’0”. She preferred this, of course to alternatives like stretching upwards without putting on weight or enlarging like she’d been hit with a growth ray. If anything, it was like her body had re-started her growth spurt that had ceased in her early teens.

“How does it feel?” Amanda asked, “to be suddenly taller, I mean.”

Rachelle thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been five feet tall since the eighth grade. While I know I’m shorter than most people, I never thought of myself as short or tall. Even being a little bit taller...it’s kinda freaky.” She patted at her body with her hands, a gesture which she’d found herself doing more and more, as her body felt less and less familiar. “Freaky, but kind of neat, I guess. It’d be better if I had clothes that fit.”

“How fast are you growing?”

“By your measuring tape, I’m a little over five-three. Since I had my first growth spurt at ten this morning, and it’s been about nine hours, I’m growing at about a centimeter per hour. So...” Rachelle ran a few numbers in her head, “God, at this rate, by lunch time tomorrow I’ll be six feet tall.”

Amanda seemed to be mulling over their situation as well, but didn’t share Rachelle’s dismay. “You said it yourself. The game has rules, and that’s all it is. A game. So, let’s play!”

Rachelle was surprised to find herself smiling at the suggestion. It was just a game–her chance to try something new, even though it ran counter to her type-A, control-freak nature. “Thanks, but I honestly can’t believe you of all people is okay with all this.”

Amanda laughed. “Yeah, it’s definitely weird, and a little scary, but I’d be lying if I said that orgasm wasn’t the greatest feeling of my life. After that, I’d say I’m game to keep going.”

“It’s not like we have a choice. And by the way, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get off so easy next turn. No pun intended.”

“Bring it. I’ve got plenty of changes of clothes in case things get messy.”

“Then this is probably a good time for me to ask if I can borrow some of your clothes. Chloe’s getting me some pants right now, but if this keeps up I’ll need to borrow some of your stuff too, namely pants.”

“Sure!” Amanda tapped her roller bag with her toe. “As I said, I’ve got plenty.”

“Yeah. Just don’t give me those,” Rachelle said, gesturing to the pants in the plastic bag. Amanda scowled, and Chloe returned with a pair of black jeans with horizontal fraying along the thighs. Rachelle didn’t care for the style but accepted them without complaint. The jeans fit her. Chloe’s observation at the similar length of their legs had been spot on. Despite being slightly baggy in the waist and hips, the length was perfect.

"So you got blonde salon-style hair, Amanda got a 50-megaton orgasm, and I’m growing like a weed. I gotta admit, I’m a little afraid to take another turn. That said, I think I’d rather take my turn here than in the van.”

“Probably smart,” Chloe said, tossing her phone to Rachelle. “We had to keep the windows down for an hour after Amanda vadged up the place.”

“Aw, come on, Chloe!” Amanda countered. “It’s not like I had a choice.”

“Whatever. You loved it.”

Amanda was about to reply when the now-familiar sound of the drumroll sounded from the phone app. Like Amanda had earlier, Rachelle opted to launch into her turn before she lost her resolve. She’d barely accepted the fact that she was getting taller every hour and wasn’t ready for another supernatural change. At the same time, whatever was coming, there was no advantage in putting it off. After the drumroll sounded, she took a look at the message.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Rachelle exclaimed aloud, reading the screen. Amanda and Chloe to scrambled over to see the message themselves, crowding behind Rachelle to read the small, blocky letters.

You’re still quite thin, but have no fear.

This round of growth brings up the rear.

“This better not mean what I think it means,” Rachelle said, only to immediately feel a now-familiar tingling sensation, only this time centralized in her hips and butt. “Oh, jeez. This is going to suck.”

Chloe’ eyes went wide, stepping away and pulling Amanda with her. “We’d best give her room. We don’t know how big that thing’s gonna get.”

Rachelle looked at Chloe with dread. She didn’t want to consider or even acknowledge the possibility of her being incapacitated with a giant ass. As her lower body began its transformation, she found it harder and harder to look away. Her pants tightened around her hips, and she wondered if her body’s magical expansion would actually be powerful enough to destroy Chloe’s jeans. Not wanting to find out, she unbuttoned the top button, and the fly of her pants immediately unzipped as her rapidly widening thighs tugged from either side. She tried to pull them off, but they’d already grown too tight for her to pull down any further, and she’d effectively trapped herself.

With everyone staring with their mouths agape, there was no sound save for the subtle straining fabric and Rachelle’s whimpering as she tried to get a grip on the jeans that were now beyond skintight. While Chloe liked her jeans, she couldn’t help be be curious to see the sight of someone bursting out of clothing due to instantaneous weight gain. Amanda also couldn’t help but be captivated by the sight, feeling both grateful that it wasn’t her this time, but also anxious at the inevitability of her next turn.

“Come on, still?” Rachelle complained aloud, though it did nothing to deter her expansion. Another wave of growth violently split the back of her pants down the middle with a loud rip, exposing her bare bottom which continued to billow outward. Another surge left her butt completely exposed as it blossomed from its confines. Her hips made quick work of the the pant legs as well, leaving only strips of fabric still covering her crotch in the front. She even felt the subtle increase in weight on her legs both from increasing body mass.

As quickly as it appeared, the sensations in her legs and ass abated, leaving her staring at her new development in the mirror. She’d never seen anything like it. Her hips flared outwards with a ferocious curve that stopped just short of obscene. As she turned and looked over her shoulder, she saw her new mighty ass had swallowed her frayed underwear, which still held on around her waist. She reached behind her and gasped when her hands met her soft, skin much sooner than she anticipated.

“Ugh, not cool. I look like I belong in a rap video.” Rachelle was surprised at the way her butt now protrtuded behind her. The cool breeze on her skin also reminded her that the pants she’d just destroyed left her partially nude, and she turned her rear away from her companions, even though the curve of her bare hips was still quite visible. Rachelle’s pale cheeks reddened. “Sorry about your pants, Chloe.”

Chloe, as if hypnotized, approached slowly, before poking her finger at one Rachelle’s swollen hips. “Whatever. I mean, I’ve got no curves down below, so there was no chance in hell my pants were not going to fit that.” She then reached around and pressed her hand into it, her cold hands causing Rachelle to audibly yelp. “Wow, it’s soft!”

“Stop it!” Rachelle slapped Chloe’s hand away and gripped what little of her rear as she could with her comparatively small hands. “Okay, I’ve got a big ass now. I get it. So, do either of you have a skirt or anything I can cover it with?”

“I have some pretty stretchy workout pants that you might be able to fit into,” Amanda said, still in shock. “But they’ll be tight. I’m a little curvier than Chloe, but nowhere close to...that.”

“Can we stop calling my butt a ‘that’ please?”

Chloe remained focused on Rachelle’s midsection. "Sorry,” but that thing’s got to have its own zip code or something.”

“Mandy, get me your workout pants so we can go, please. We need get in at least a few more hours today before we stop. There’s a motel in Kellsburg, and that’ll leave us only a couple more hours ‘til we reach the ocean coast tomorrow.”

“I’m going to say this now,” Amanda said. “You’re going to need to buy your own bikini bottom.”

“Give me your damn pants.”

Amanda retrieved the workout pants from her bag and handed them over. Rachelle snatched them away. After removing the tattered remains of Chloe’s pants, Rachelle set to slipping on the pants that she avoided inspecting for fear of getting discouraged. She managed to slip them past her knees, became the task became increasingly difficult. With some assistance from her companions pulling and tugging, the pants managed to get Rachelle to an acceptable level of decency, though they were unable to get the waistband high enough to completely cover her glorious new asset. Chloe stepped back to assess their results.

“Looks like you’ve finally got some cleavage to show, though probably not from the front.”

“Shut up and lets’ go,” Rachelle said heading toward the restroom exit before she stopped again and shuddered as another chill ran through her body. Her pants slipped down a bit, and she felt her already small t-shirt shrink a bit on her body. She sighed loudly. “What time is it?”

Amanda looked at her phone. “Six on the dot. You got taller, didn’t you?”

Rachelle only sighed in response, before tossing the phone to Chloe. “Whatever, it’s your turn next.” Chloe watched as Rachelle, still unfamiliar in her skin, sort of waddled out the exit. Amanda followed after with her roller bag, briefly holding the door before looking back at Chloe who was still standing near one of the bathroom sinks.

“You coming?”

“Yeah, I need to wash my hands. I’ll be right there.”

Once the door shut, Chloe wasted no time giving the phone a shake herself. Despite the initial shock of her blonde hair, she was now enjoying the game. Given the changes her roommates had gone through, she was ready to take her chances with the chaotic little app. She gave the phone a shake, hoping for the best. As she read the screen, however, her eyes went wide as saucers.

“Oh, no fucking way,” she said out loud. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Chapter 4

It was normally around three hours into his evening shift at the Kellsburg Motel 6 when Chris let his imagination run wild. After evening check-ins, a comprehensive sweeping of the lobby, a water cooler refill, and contacting the inevitable few folks who’d left their vehicle lights on, it was about 9pm and things would have settled down enough for him to get some quality time in on his online coursework.

This never happened, of course, as he preferred the pastime of ignoring his job, spacing out, browsing porn, and eventually imagining kinky porn scenarios that involved his job. His favorite was a broke-down van full of college cheerleaders that got stranded and needed a place to shack up for a couple evenings. Perhaps they’d ask him to help carry their bags, and he’d maybe make an acquaintance or two. He also dreamt up a lonely late-twenty-something on a breakup road trip who kicked back a few too many glasses of wine and headed to the lobby to seek some late-night companionship.

In the midst of putting together a fantasy scenario involving a close-quarters encounter with a lady electrician in the utility closet, the sound of the automatic lobby doors brought him back to reality. He minimized his racy desktop windows, and looked up to see two blonde girls approaching the counter. The taller one wore stylish blue jeans, and a t-shirt that hugged her slim, toned torso. The shorter one wore a half-zipped hoodie over a slitted shirt which did a pleasingly poor job at hiding her substantial cleavage. She had remarkably beautiful hair (even though such things did not normally interest him), and carried a few extra pounds, though she admittedly carried them well.

“Hi,” the tall one chirped. “We’d like a room for three. One night. Two beds if possible. We’ve one more in the car.”

“I can make it four, if you’re looking to get adventurous,” Chris did not actually say, but thought about as loud as he possibly could. He waited a moment to ensure his brain had full control of his mouth. “Sure. I can get you a cot if you ladies need a third bed.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ve had a long day and we need a place to crash.” She had the wide glitzy smile of a pageant queen; genuine, but impossible to read. Her companion said nothing, but Chris couldn’t help but be drawn to the way she bunched her arms under her breasts. Her clothes hugged her body tightly, as if she’d recently put on weight but hadn’t adjusted her wardrobe to compensate. He wasn’t complaining, but keeping focused on his job now took a fair amount of effort.

I wonder if the tall one is a model or something? The other one has nice hair. She sure carries that weight well. Maybe they’re lesbians. I bet the tall one is kinky as hell. I wonder if they’re sharing a bed. Where’s the third one? I could be the third one…

“So, our room?”

Chris opened his mouth to say something, before only nodding and turning to his monitor to complete the reservation. Come on, man. You’ve been wishing for something like this for months. Don’t say something stupid and fuck it up. He also knew that if he kept his mouth shut, the girls would be off to their room and he’d have done nothing with the opportunity he’d fantasized about for so long. “Hold on a sec,” he stalled. “I, uh, need to get this thing going again. Do you have an ID?”

“Sure.” The tall blonde slipped her license out of her pocket and handed it over. He set it down next to his keyboard, where he scanned over the vitals. 5’9” and 120 lbs. Nice! He noted her name and decided to take a chance.

“Amanda Rowland,” he read as matter-of-factly as he could, shooting for more courtesy than creeper. “Thank you for choosing us this evening, Ms. Rowland.”

“You’re welcome, Chris A.” Chris glanced down at his name tag, then smiled back at Amanda who looked amused. This was progress, though Amanda’s companion did not share her cheery demeanor, forcing a slight smile, before shooting both of them an impatient look. Amanda continued chatting.

“We’ve been on the road all day. We drove all the way from…OW!” Amanda’s companion gripped Amanda at the elbow and glared. “What?” Amanda asked, but the other girl only shook her head and gestured toward the computer. Chris looked up from the monitor, but neither looked back at him as they spoke softly and rapidly, to each other.

“Will you shut up and get us our room before I make this worse.”

“But you really do look good with the extra ...”

“Quiet! Just get this done.”

Chris didn’t want to compromise his progress with Amanda by pissing off her friend, so he tried the diplomatic route. “Ladies? I’ll need a credit card.”

Amanda felt around her jeans, but their tightness already made it apparent she had nothing else in her pockets. “Crap! My purse is in the van.”

“That’s cool. I can wait if you need to go get it,” Chris offered, looking forward to watching her walk away.

“Chloe do you have your purse?”

Chloe didn’t reply, but dropped her face firmly into her palm. The girl clearly had plenty to say, but was working hard to say as little as possible.

“Sorry about this.” Amanda said. “I’ll be right back. I need….oh shit. Oh no. Ohhhhhh!!!”

Chris instinctually stood up at Amanda’s unusual outburst, though he had no idea what was wrong. “Um, are you okay?” Amanda’s face went flush, her breathing shallow. Chris turned to Chloe. “Is she okay?”

“She’ll be fine. She’s a little sick, that’s all.” Chloe immediately gasped as the fly of her pants popped open, exposing her soft midriff. She tugged her shirt down to compensate, but to no avail. It was weird, Chris thought, like she was a little heavier than she’d been only moments ago. He did admire how she carried it though, particularly the way her cleavage pressed against the slits in the shirt. That didn’t keep his focus long, however, as Amanda started moaning in a manner not unlike a video he’d watched only a few minutes prior.

“Ooooohhhh, God. Chloe it’s happening again,”

“Amanda, Shhhh! We’re in public.”

“Do you, uh, need anything?” Chris asked. Amanda set her eyes on him, wild-eyed.

“Yes ohgodohgod! Chris please fuck me! Fuck me with your cock!”

Chloe slapped her hand over Amanda’s mouth. “Jesus, Amanda. Come on! Feminism!” Amanda moaned in a muffled reply, reaching her hands forward and gripping them down on the counter. Chris jumped back, struggling to comprehend the scene in front of him. One sexy girl had gained about ten pounds before his very eyes while her sexy friend—one apparently ready to ride his dick—dry humped the counter between them. He started to speak again, but Chloe shot him daggers with her eyes that kept him silent and hissed,“Just. Get. The. Room.”

As if this weren’t enough, the lobby doors opened to reveal a cute brunette, who shuffled in with an odd sort of gait. It didn’t take him long to notice that she packed enough junk in her trunk to fill a foot locker.

“Chloe!” The girl shouted over Amanda’s moaning. “Take her to the bathroom or something!”

“Gladly, now finish checking us in.”

“Fine, if you need my vib—um, if you need anything it’s in my bag.” Chloe grabbed the bag, dragging it and Amanda out of the lobby to the hallway bathroom. As the two girls entered the bathroom, the volume dropped substantially. “So, where did we leave off?”

Chris couldn’t help but continue to hang on the sounds of Amanda’s moaning, clearly audible from halfway down the hall.

“Yes! Um, yes! You need a room. Uh, what kind?”

“What?”

“Are you all sleeping together in one bed?” Chris felt the words tumble out of his mouth, and he fumbled for an apology. The brunette said something to put him at ease, but Chris couldn’t hear her over Amanda, whose moaning had escalated to shrieking.

The new girl presented her hand to Chris, smiling. “Hi Chris, I’m Rachelle.”

Chris accepted her handshake, his expression inscrutable. “Hi.”

“Look, I know I’m asking a lot, but if you could do your best to ignore them and,” she motioned over her shoulder to her rear. “...that, and please get us checked in.” Chris nodded again and set to his keyboard, doing his best to ignore both the mind-boggling curves on the girl in front of him and the girl erupting in the bathroom like a nuclear bomb. In the midst of his jitters, he accidentally cleared the information he’d been trying so hard to input.

“Oh shit I’m sorry. This is all so—”

“No, it’s fine. I’m not angry. Or even annoyed. I have a pretty good idea what this all looks like, so take your time and do what you need to.”

“Um, I accidentally cleared the record, so I’ll need the ID again. I think it’s on the ground.”

Rachelle looked down, spotting Chloe’s ID on the ground behind her. Knowing she tempted fate, she turned and squatted down—a maneuver that immediately split her borrowed pants wide open. The damage done, and Chris having already gotten the full show she retrieved the ID and dropped it on the desk, along with her own credit card. They both muttered apologies, which would have been more awkward if not for the sustained, piercing scream that jumped up an octave before tapering off.

“So yeah, here you go.”

After a couple minutes, they’d secured the room and the two blondes emerged from the restroom. Near-unconscious, Amanda had a towel around her waist and head hung low. Unable to walk on her own wobbly legs, she leaned on Chloe, who seemed to take the whole thing in stride.

“Is she okay?” Rachelle asked.

“She’s alive. I’d recommend a new pair of pants.”

“That seems to be a trend in our party.”

Rachelle turned to Chris. “Sorry about the noise, and thanks for not kicking us out. We’ll try to be quiet in the room.” A goofy grin appeared on Chris’ face, and Rachelle could only imagine what he thought that meant. She gathered the room cards, credit card, and ID, and offered Chris a polite smile and a wave, before walking away with as much dignity as someone with their entire oversized bare ass on display could muster.

The truth you often let alone

Now every lie adds half a stone

Rachelle read the screen and tossed the phone back to Chloe. “That sucks. I have to say.”

“Tell me about it. I feel like a whale.”

“I was talking about the poetry. The extra weight actually looks good on you..”

“Ugh, shut up. This is the fucking worst,” Chloe fumed.

“How much is a stone anyways?”

“About fourteen pounds,” Chloe grumbled. “So yeah, I put on seven pounds every time I tell a lie. Do you know how hard I already have to work not to look like a damned blimp like the rest of my family? Why do you think I’m on the treadmill all the damn time?” She was on the verge of tears but stopped short of crying. Given the terms of her last turn, she found she had to be a lot more cautious of her own flippancy. “I don’t want to be fat. I really, really don’t.”

“Whatever. At least you don’t have an uncontrollable case of nympho-Tourette's.” Amanda said, emerging from the bathroom in an oversized t-shirt, not wanting to risk ruining another pair of pants this evening. “Seriously, Rach, do I even want to know what I said or did?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Sort of, but not very well. How the heck did we get into the bathroom, anyways?”

Chloe shook her head in disbelief. “Okay, I’ve never been so horny that I couldn’t remember stuff. I should probably tell you that the powers that be, whatever they are, are setting rather unrealistic expectations for the future.” She waited for a moment to see if her body construed any of what she’d said as a lie, before sighing with relief.

“That’s okay. By my count, I get three more, if that’s what ‘times five’ means. By the way, Rachelle, how tall are you now?”

Rachelle penciled a mark on the wall and stretched out the measuring tape. “God, I'm already about 5'5", not to mention about 49 inches around.”

“You’re kidding!” Amanda exclaimed. With them having been seated in the van, and her recent preoccupation in the lobby, she’d failed to take stock of Rachelle's dramatic growth. Amanda stepped up to her taller companion, whose head now reached her own nose. “You're growing so fast!"

"Yeah, believe me I know. I keep having to remind myself I'm not on stilts."

"No, but you'll be tall and curvy, plus that cute face of yours. Between Chloe’s hair and boobs, and your height and ass, I’m going to be invisible standing next to you two!”

“You don’t know that,” Chloe said. “Not until you take your next turn. By my clock you’ve got...around 90 minutes to do that.” Amanda glanced at the clock, which read 10:30 on the dot. As tired as she was, she figured if she didn’t take her turn now, it could happen in her sleep, and she’d rather deal with whatever was coming now, than being shocked in the morning. She gave the phone a shake and read the screen aloud.

Faced with strong will, your own deflates.

Now strength of body compensates.

“Oh God, I feel weird.” Amanda gasped as the muscles on her body plumped and swelled with a sudden influx of mass. Her chest and shoulders puffed outward, raising the hem of the t-shirt and exposing her now-massive quads. She also found herself stretching slowly upwards and a dumbfounded Rachelle seemed to shrink in the shadow of Amanda’s already statuesque form, which now grew even more imposing. The sleeves on Amanda’s baggy t-shirt abruptly tightened as her volleyball-sized shoulders and biceps ripped them to shreds. “Oh!” Amanda said, startled by both the sound and the deeper, richer tone of her own voice.

In a matter of seconds, the metamorphosis ended as abruptly as it started, leaving what Rachelle and Chloe could only describe as a “super-size” version of their once-willowy roommate. “You know what?” Rachelle spoke up suddenly. “I’m going to bed. I’ll deal with this in the morning” Rachelle dropped onto the bed, turning onto her front to give her back proper lumbar support and grumbling about her “stupid big ass.”

Chloe, whose gaping mouth made sort of a squeaking sound, followed suit. She grabbed a pillow and blanket and plopped herself ungracefully onto the floor. “You can have the bed, Warrior Princess. Don’t need you crushing me in my sleep.” With that, she rolled herself up and set to snoozing.

This left Amanda standing alone in the middle of the room, her new muscles bulging and twitching. Catching her reflection in the mirror above the desk, she allowed herself a few exploratory flexes, watching as rippling cords of muscle tensed and contracted under her taut skin. She then stretched her arms across her chest, tensing her shoulders and deltoids, which caused her shirt to rip down the middle of her back, leaving herself wearing only tattered remains. With a sigh and a pout, she relaxed her arms to her sides.

“What the heck am I going to wear now?”