Meet the Eastings

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"I'm going to go ahead and apologize for my family now."

"Keri, for the last time, how about you chill and let me meet them? If I need an apology after that, you've made it quite clear who I can ask."

Clenching her eyes shut, Keri took a deep breath, held it in, and exhaled. "You're right, Shelton. You're right. I'll just stop and sit here in quiet, excruciating anticipation."

"Okay, sounds like a plan!" Shelton replied, with a wry smile. "It's 'cause I'm black, isn't it? If so, that's cool, just let me know whether we're looking at more of a Guess Who's Coming to Dinner scenario or a Get Out."

Keri almost chuckled, sighing instead. "Shelton, it's not you, it's them. Us, really…"

"I can deal with your racist family. You know I've seen that shit before."

"No, no. They're not racist. Furthest thing from it. It's just, they have some very unique quirks."

"Ker, every family has its own brand of crazy. You ain't special."

Keri muttered something to herself.

"What was that?"

Keri didn't reply, holding her breath as they arrived. A sprawling, modern, multi-level mansion greeted them at the end of a long driveway. Shelton parked and stepped out of the car, allowing himself a moment to admire the beautifully manicured lawn and foliage. Keri, meanwhile, remained in the passenger seat sulking. He opened the door for her.

"This house is amazing! So, were you afraid to tell me you're rich?"

"We were middle class most of my life." Keri joined Shelton as they followed a gravel path through the garden to the front door. "Dad picked up a sweet corporate job that had him traveling for weeks at a time. Didn't take him long to start cheating."

"Shit. That sucks, Ker. I'm sorry."

Keri shrugged as they reached the front door. "With all the new income, Mom made off pretty well in the divorce and continued to clean up from child support."

"Clearly!"

"And it's a good thing too, because—"

Keri was interrupted by the front door opening before she could ring the doorbell.

"Keri-bear!"

Shelton made a conscious effort not to drop his jaw in the presence of the towering woman whose form filled the doorway. She'd packed her matronly curves into a low-cut blouse whose buttons struggled to contain her pulchritude and dark blue high-waisted jeans that may as well have been painted on. While the creases around her eyes and a streak of gray hair indicated her age, she had the vitality of a woman who had re-discovered her zest for life. She crouched to clear the doorframe and wrapped her daughter in her arms, lifting Keri off the ground. "Sweetie! I'm so happy to see you!" 

Keri's reply was muffled by her mother's plush bosom. Setting her daughter back down, she hunched over, placing her hands on her knees. "And you must be Shelton!" she gushed. 

At six-foot-two, Shelton stood face-to-bust with the vivacious giantess. He did his best to stay composed. "I'm Shelton Adams. It's good to finally meet you Mrs. Eastings." He extended his hand, which she accepted between two hands long enough to reach halfway up his forearm.

"'Mrs. Eastings!' How formal! No, no. Please, call me Courtney."

"Do not call her 'Courtney,'" Keri hissed into Shelton's ear.

"It's good to meet you, ma'am. Thank you for having me."

"You're very welcome. Come on in!" Courtney Eastings gestured the couple into her home, both of them having to twist slightly to navigate between her large body and the doorway. The towering woman giggled as Shelton cocked his head to the side to avoid walking face-first into her breast.

"Shelton," Keri said through her teeth. "You'll have to excuse my mother. She has recently undergone some changes, and needs to re-visit appropriate behavior."

Courtney nudged her daughter. "Oh, Keri, lighten up. Shelton, you look like you could use a drink. Join me in the living room?"

Unable to pry his eyes away, Shelton obediently followed his boisterous host as she sauntered into the expansive family room. Realizing he'd been staring, he shot Keri an apologetic look. She shook her head resignedly and followed after. "Mom, it looks like you've grown since I last saw you."

"You noticed!" Courtney said, pouring wine for her guests from what looked like a beer bottle in her large hands. "Yes, I had another visit from your father. In spite of everything that's happened, he still tried to get on me about my spending, lecturing me like I'm a teenager."

Keri looked up at the shimmering chandelier in the foyer that had not been there on her last visit only months ago. "Truth be told, Mom…"

"Ooooh! That man really knows how to get under my skin!" Courtney tossed back her wine in one gulp. "But, I must say—"

"Must you?" Keri said.

"—he still knows how to make me feel good afterward." A naughty smile snuck onto her face, and she nudged Shelton with her elbow, nearly spilling his vodka tonic. "Secret to a happy marriage and a happy divorce."

Shelton cleared his throat. "Sure."

"Of course, as Keri pointed out, I have not always sported such a marvelous figure." Courtney gestured down to her body, giving her hips a shimmy as she did so. "I imagine you'd like to hear the story."

"Here we go," Keri said, rolling her eyes.

Courtney strode over to a large velvet couch and sprawled her tremendous body onto it. Keri and Shelton sat across from her, sharing a seat on an oversized sofa chair clearly scaled for one large person.

"So, five years ago I'm out on one of my evening jogs—this was back when I was trying to stay trim and fit. Anyways, I see something bright in the corner of my eye. I stop, look up in the sky, and BOOM!" Mrs. Eastings clapped her hands with a force that left Shelton's ears ringing. "I'm on my back in a hospital bed with my husband and children gathered around me. I felt fine and normal, but when I stood up I realized I'd grown from five-five to just over six-feet, putting me a couple of inches taller than my husband."

"Wow!" Shelton said. "A UFO made you grow?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe I got struck by lightning, or maybe I was just seeing things. Either way, I loved it, particularly when I realized I wasn't done growing. In the days and weeks after, I continued creeping taller in small bursts."

"Was there a pattern or was it just random?"

"Oh, there certainly was a pattern. Every time my husband tried to control me, or lecture me, or belittle me, I would feel a jolt and grow a few inches taller. From there I'd usually put him in his place...then through his paces."

Shelton swallowed a mouthful of wine, nearly choking. "So, I take it he eventually came around?"

"At first, he tried to keep the dynamic the same between us. Once I hit about six-foot-six, he realized he couldn't push me around anymore. But did I stop there?"

Keri mouthed the last bit along with her mother.

"Oh no, I certainly did not! I kept growing and growing until I could dominate that man every way I needed to." Courtney leaned towards Shelton and winked. "And I do mean every way."

"MOM!" Keri seethed. "Can you please not?"

"But there's no satisfying some men." She continued, running a hand along her ample hips. "Despite him having all of this waiting for him at home, while he was on the road he wanted a little young thing he could keep in line. We've since divorced, and I've used the money to make some accommodations for my new-and-improved self."

"I bet. So, how tall are you now?" Shelton asked. Keri cleared her throat.

"You know, I'm not sure." Courtney tapped her lips with a finger. "I want to say a couple of inches shy of eight foot. After the initial excitement leveled off, I stopped keeping track. Can you believe it?"

"I can," Keri grumbled under her breath.

"As far as I'm concerned, as long as I have clearance between my head and the ceiling, I'm okay. But that's the story. These days I have to try hard not to grow. As you've seen, it's quite a challenge!"

"Wait, you can just grow? Like, whenever you want?" Shelton said, aghast. He felt an elbow to his ribcage from Keri, who gave him a wide-eyed, accusatory look.

"I can!" Courtney's eyes glowed with excitement and she straightened up in her seat. "Want to see?"

"Mom," Keri said between her teeth. "Don't."

"Oh, Keri, I'll just grow a little. It's pretty neat, though if I don't pay attention, things can quickly get out of hand. Fortunately, I can shrink back down, though it takes more effort than it's worth, in my opinion."

Shelton felt like he was supposed to say something, but he was at a loss.

With a warm, gentle smile, Courtney closed her eyes, re-settled in her seat, and took a deep breath. Shelton could hear the sound of straining seams as her clothing struggled to keep pace with her body's expansion. Wrinkles on her blouse disappeared as the fabric grew taut over her swelling breasts. Her legs stretched longer, extending off the end of the couch. 

"Mmmmmmm, that's nice," Courtney whispered.

"Mom, that's enough."

"Oh, Mom's not done yet," Courtney said, her excitement evident. Two buttons popped off her blouse in quick succession, and her swelling breasts puffed upwards like rising dough. Courtney gripped the sofa and cooed with pleasure as a seam on her jeans surrendered, exposing the creamy skin of her thigh. 

"MOM!!!" Keri shouted.

Courtney sighed and opened her eyes, halting her growth. "I guess that will do, for now. Let's check out the damage!" She ran her fingers across the slopes of her freshly ripened curves, nodding with approval at her damaged wardrobe. "I'm getting too big for my britches, literally!"

"That's enough, Mom. I think he gets it."

Shelton chugged the remainder of his wine. "That's a wild story and quite the demonstration, Mrs. Eastings."

Courtney chuckled. "If you're not going to go with 'Courtney' at least use Miss Eastings."

"Ms. Eastings," Shelton repeated, standing up. "May I use your restroom?"

"Absolutely, dear. Down the hallway, first door on your left."

"Thanks!" Shelton said, turning away from Courtney, who had eyed the profile of his midsection. He tried to maintain his dignity as he shuffled down the hall and into the bathroom.

With raised eyebrows, Courtney turned to her daughter who refused to make eye contact. "It looks like we have similar t—"

"No! Just, no."


Shelton did have to pee, though recent developments complicated his ability to do so quickly or easily. After washing his hands, he splashed cold water on his face. Having re-captured his resolve, he took a beat, before pulling open the bathroom door.

Man, Keri wasn't kidding. Her mom's a hoot and a half. And I still haven't even met any of her si—

"Hey."

Shelton jumped nearly a foot into the air. Gathering himself, he sized up the tall, bright-eyed young woman leaning casually against the doorway. Wearing black leggings and a fitted pink fleece, she stood a half-head shorter than him, putting her at least at 5'10". In their close quarters, her bust spanned half the distance between them. Her pale skin tone starkly contrasted her rich, black hair that hung just past her shoulders. She gazed up at him smiling.

"So, you must be Keri's boyfriend," she said. "I'm—"

"You're Keri's younger sister Sloane," Shelton finished, to her surprise. "I've seen you in pictures."

Sloane gasped, putting her hands to her face in genuine embarrassment. "Oh God! What did she show you? Did I still have braces?"

"Yup, that and a lot less, uh..."

Sloane straightened, puffing her chest outward—her lack of foundation garments glaringly evident. "A lot less what?"

Shelton was not about to mention how much less there'd been of Sloane overall. The picture Keri had shown him was from only a few months earlier. While still tall and still relatively lean, her body had sprouted up and filled out dramatically in a short span of time. "You've grown up. Quite a bit."

"Well, as you can see," Sloane said, smiling and showing off her teeth. "I don't have my braces anymore. I got 'em off on my eighteenth birthday, last Friday." Sloane batted her eyelashes and Shelton managed to hold a neutral expression. If he hadn't already known her age, he would have pegged Sloane as well into her twenties.

She's certainly her mother's daughter. "Happy late-birthday! Did you do anything special?"

"I did!" she said, her eyes bright with a youthful enthusiasm that betrayed her mature appearance. "I had my friends over, and they gave me some awesome birthday gifts. The next day, I went out clothes shopping with Mom."

"That sounds like a pretty good birthd—"

"We went to Victoria's Secret, but I was only able to get a couple of things because," Sloan paused, her face reddening. "Most of their sizes were too, um, small for me."

"Ok, you don't need to tell me about that, Sloane, I—"

"I'm a 36DDD now! Three D's! Can you believe that?"

"Yup!" Shelton said, glancing down and immediately back up. At this point, he was eager to escape this encounter and retreat back to whatever awaited him in the living room. He was about to turn, but a change in Sloane's expression stopped him.

"You don't have to worry, Shelton," Sloane said, her voice gentle and melodic. "Keri's with Mom and they need to catch up. You can stay with me."

Shelton opened his mouth to decline, but the words caught in his throat. Her dark brown eyes drew him in, shining almost crimson. Her face took on a sharper, more mature look as if a supernatural makeup had highlighted her features. Meanwhile, her sweater appeared to shrink on her body, as her midriff slipped into view under the balcony of her expanding bust. The quiet creaking of straining cotton brought Shelton's attention downwards to the enrapturing sight of her legs stretching longer and her hips thickening within the confines of her leggings.

Shelton's vision grew cloudy, and the air began to feel thin as if he were short on oxygen. Looking back into Sloane's eyes, he found himself gazing slightly up to meet them. An eager, almost fearsome confidence had all but devoured her previously timid demeanor. Shelton felt he should turn and run, but everything about Sloane, from her sweet scent to her pacifying smile, clouded his senses.

"Shelton, you seem nice. So healthy. So full of...life."

"Yeah," Shelton said, his voice sounding miles away. "I got lots of that."

Sloane moved in closer, putting her hands on his shoulders. She now stood a full head taller than him and inched larger by the moment. Her form-fitting sweater now hugged her like a glove, baring her belly as well as the swell of her bust. Her arms and legs extended from their cuffs. She moved her face in closer, taking in his scent—whatever she smelled only excited her more. Her eyes now shone a bold, bloody red and her fully-developed body overflowed with sensuality. She smiled a toothy grin as she gazed down into his eyes, and Shelton swore her teeth looked slightly...sharper?

"Let's see what you have to offer," Sloane purred into his ear, her voice smooth as melted chocolate.

"Sloane. I—"

*WHACK

"Sloane! Stop it!"

A smack to the back of his head brought him back to his senses. The world gradually returned to focus, and a groggy Shelton turned to see his girlfriend glaring up at him, though she stood a bit taller than he remembered.

"Wha...Ker? Did I…what happened?"

"Nothing much. My little sister is misbehaving around our guests. She also stole about an inch or so of your height."

"Whoa, really?"

"And she will be a good host and kindly give it back by the end of your visit."

"Um, I dunno if I can," Sloane said sheepishly.

"Then we'll talk to Kassidy, and afterwards you and I will have a discussion about self-control."

Sloane snickered. "Yeah, like you're one to—"

"Shelton," Keri said, sternly and suddenly. "Despite her recent developments, Sloane is barely eighteen and needs to control herself. Sloane, apologize to Shelton please."

Despite their size discrepancy, Sloane slouched in the presence of her sister's chastising. Her smoldering smile cooled, and color returned to her cheeks. "Keri, I—"

"Now, Sloane."

"I'm sorry," she said with a trace of guilt. Her voice suddenly higher and, once again, indicative of her age.

"It's okay, Sloane," Shelton said. "It's good to finally meet you. Keri's told me plenty about you."

"Apparently, not enough," Keri said, narrowing her eyes at her sister.

"I didn't mean to! You know I have, um, urges."

Keri sighed. "Sloane, I know that being cursed by an artifact to serve as the human vessel for an ancient succubus is difficult, and you have to satiate your 'hunger' from time to time. But can you please refrain from draining the life force out of my boyfriend?"

"But look at me! I look awesome! I used to get bullied. Now I'm confident and strong, and—"

"Literally a thief in the worst way. Sloane, I thought you were done 'taking' and were going to focus on your grades."

"I get distracted!"

"Staying in succubus form can't be helping. Can you change back, please?"

"I…think I can." Her fangs retracted, her eyes dimmed to their standard brown, and her near-obscene curves melted away until Shelton once again recognized Keri's youngers sister. Previously 5'10", Keri now stood a hair under six foot, while Shelton stood barely a hair over. Sloane looked both guilty and excited at the same time. Keri, meanwhile, sized up her sister's frame and frowned.

"Sloane…"

Sloane looked down at her feet, now entirely obscured behind the projection of her bust. "Yeah?"

"Even taking this most recent incident into account, you've grown since I last saw you. Who else have you succubussed?"

"Kyle, from school."

"And?"

"The girls at my birthday party."

"Uh huh. And?"

"That's it!"

"And?"

"...the clerk at Victoria's Secret." Sloane tugged down on the bottom hem of her now belly-baring sweater. "She had plenty to give"

"Sloane, we talked about this. Nothing good is going to come from feeding the literal demon you have inside of you. Tyler has been researching stuff like this for years. I'm sure he can help."

"Oh, he could, but he's always busy."

A subtle squeaking from down the hall began to capture Shelton's attention. The squeaking escalated to a thudding, which crescendoed to a series of pulsing slams. The three stood in awkward silence as a female voice screamed out in repeated, ecstatic affirmation.

Sloane cleared her throat. "So, I'm going to go help Mom get dinner ready. I'll let you and Tyler catch up. Shelton, it was good to meet you!"

"Good meeting you too, Sloane," Shelton said. "I would appreciate it if you could not steal my, uh, life force from me."

"We should be good," Sloane said. She straightened up, testing the fit of her clothes on her bigger body. "You're sweet, and I've had my fill for today. Bye!"

It was a testament to Sloane that her alluring saunter briefly drew Shelton's attention away from the moaning and screaming in the adjacent room. He could have possibly ignored it if not for its sudden crescendo, followed by an impact on the wall next to them which left a web of cracks in the plaster. "Looks like someone finished,"he said, scratching his chin. He looked over to Keri, expecting to catch her disapproving glare. Instead, she was already banging on the bedroom door.

"Tyler! Tyler! I know you're finished. The whole damn neighborhood knows. Get out here."

Shelton frowned, following after. "Aw, Ker. Come on. That's messed up."

"Shelton, do not make me the villain here!" Keri knocked again. "Tyler! Tyler!"

The door creaked open to reveal Keri's younger brother. His auburn hair was a mess, he had a few fresh scrapes and bruises on his arms, and he was still buttoning his jeans. "Keri!" He shouted, extending an arm to embrace his sister.

Keri grimaced, taking a step back and raising her hands. "It's good to see you, Tyler, but I'm not hugging you right now. At least take a shower first."

"It's been a while since you've been home."

"It certainly has, and I see not much has changed."

"All the same changes, you could say." 

A deep, rumbling moan echoed off the walls behind Tyler. Even in the dark room, Keri could make out a giant blonde sitting on the bed, her legs extending halfway across the room. She was naked, save for a queen-size comforter draped over her midsection like a bath towel.

"So, would you like to introduce Shelton to—who was it? Vanessa? Aisha?"

"Um, no. This is, Ioana. You've met. Labor Day weekend, I think." Tyler gestured behind him. Seeing Keri and Shelton, Ioana waved enthusiastically.

"Keri! It's great to see you again!"

"Ioana!" Keri said, with mock surprise. "You're different than I remember. Did you change your hair?"

Ioana shook her head. "Nah, I'm just bigger. Almost twelve feet tall thanks to this stud." Tyler squirmed uncomfortably.

Shelton nodded with approval. "That's a hell of a late growth spurt. I'm sure there's a story th—OW!" Shelton felt Keri digging her nails into his forearm.

"There is! I always felt so skinny and inadequate, but then Tyler and I were on vacation in Thailand, where we met this interesting man. What was he, Tyler?"

"A shaman, I think."

"Yes!" Ioana said. "Anyways, I told him we were on vacation and were looking to maximize our experience. And he said he had just the thing. So, he gave us this tonic and then just, like, disappeared without a trace. Anyways, we head back to our hotel and have a few drinks—"

"First mistake," Tyler interjected.

"Then I'm like, 'It's just a tiny vial.' So I shoot the whole thing in one shot."

"Second mistake."

"And then we went at it like we were possessed by sex gods!"

"Technically, we might have been."

"Whatever. Anyways, it turns out, from now on I grow every time we do it. How cool is that! Only problem is we gotta do it, like, two or three times a day. Fortunately, Tyler got a boost from the formula as well, if you know what I—"

"Wow! What a fascinating story. Thank you for sharing." Keri turned back to face her brother, who was ready to burst into flames with embarrassment. "So, anyway, I'll let you get dressed. I assume you've made arrangements for clothing."

"I did. I'll let Tyler fill you in there. I'll see you in a bit, Keri." Ioana waved to Shelton. "Good to meet you...was it Shandon?"

"Shelton," he corrected. "But close!"

"Yes! Super cool to meet you, Shelton. You must be every bit as patient as Tyler is with me. I'm sure you have some stories of your own!"

Keri's eyes widened as Shelton leaned into the bedroom, out of Keri's view. "Oh, you have no id—"

"Shelton!" Keri snapped.

"See you later!" he said, waving as Keri tugged him out of the room by his collar.

"Tyler," Keri shouted at her half-naked brother, "what the hell happened to her?"

"You heard the story. Ioana overdosed on the tonic. Now we're caught up in this growth-sex curse thing." Tyler rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "So far though, it's not so bad."

"Yeah, I heard as much. Why does this always happen to you? It's like every year you're with a new oversized sex idiot. You're as bad as Dad."

"Come on, Keri. That's mean. She's in the honors anthropology program with me at Northshore State. Also, it hasn't been that many."

"Oh, really? Let's see, there were incidents at both Junior and Senior Prom."

"Both accidents, if you recall."

"That witch from the frat party in college."

"You can't blame that on me."

"That fast-food clerk."

Tyler chuckled. "That was totally me."

"That girl from the medical tests. What ended up happening with her?"

Tyler bit his lip, "Um—"

The door suddenly swung open to reveal Ioana from the waist down wearing a casual summer dress, her legs filling most of the doorway. It reminded Shelton of Alice in Wonderland when Alice knew for damned sure she was too big to fit through that door. With a grunt, she crouched down until her face was visible. "Clothed and ready!"

Keri forced a smile before glaring at her brother, who looked relieved to have changed the subject. Shelton stayed quiet, though he was fascinated at how appropriately fitting clothes made Ioana seem even more massive than she did with just a blanket.

"Where did you even get clothes your size?" Keri asked.

"They're my clothes, actually. Kassidy fixed them with one of her inventions. She's got this gun that you can just point at stuff, and it makes it grow. Isn't that cool?"

"That is cool!" Shelton said, in disbelief. "How does it even—"

"Stop. Shut up." Keri said, before turning to Tyler. "I'm sorry, did I just hear correctly? Kassidy, our sister, invented a ray gun that makes things grow?"

"Yeah, it's neat she just points and...oh no."

Keri nodded. "Exactly. 'Oh no' is right. We better get down to the basement before she inevitably—"

An electric whirring could be heard from below their feet. The lights flickered, followed by a dull crash. 

"Ow! Darn it!" A muffled female voice boomed from beneath the floorboards.

"What was that?" Shelton asked.

"Another 'unique family quirk' that apparently needs our attention." Keri tugged Shelton away from Tyler and Ioana, towards the basement door.

"It was nice to meet both of you!" Shelton shouted.

"You too," Tyler said, as a long arm wrapped around his torso. He turned, coming face-to-waist with his towering girlfriend. Wearing a coy grin, Ioana took hold of her collar and tugged down, the cotton fabric of her dress surrendering to her increased strength like it were made of toilet paper. She tossed the clothing from her body, leaving her naked once again. Tyler gulped. If her astounding size and beauty were not enough, her overwhelming scent had all but ensnared him.

"They might be a while," Ioana said, guiding Tyler back into the bedroom. "How about we go for round two?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Would it matter if you did?"

"Nope," Tyler said, kicking the door shut behind him.


Shelton struggled to keep his footing as Keri yanked him down the steep basement steps. With the light out and the air thick with dust, he could see no more than a couple feet in front of him. Keri pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight, shining it into the darkness. "Kassidy! Was that you?"

"Keri?" A loud, deep voice replied. "When did you get home?"

"Never mind that. Was that you shaking the whole damn house just now?"

"Probably," Kassidy replied. Shelton searched the darkness for the source of the voice. His eyes gradually adjusted to the low light, but the thick cloud of dust still hindered his view. Given all he'd already seen, he braced himself for the unbelievable. Once again, however, he hadn’t prepared himself enough.

The first thing Shelton made out was an arm easily as long as he stood tall. The hand at the end of it flailed around as if searching for something. Shelton then saw a calf that met him at chest level, which he followed upwards to a knee pressed into what appeared to be at least a hundred pounds of side boob. Above that, he finally made out the frustrated, embarrassed face of Keri's older sister.

Kassidy struggled to press herself downward to keep pressure off of the ceiling. While her being three times his height was remarkable enough, she had an impressively toned physique as well as voluminous breasts that filled all the available space between her knees and chest. As she struggled to orient herself, her remarkable muscles bulged and shifted beneath her skin. 

Keri barely managed to dodge one of Kassidy's flailing limbs but didn't seem bothered by the near miss. "Kass, what the hell are you doing?"

"Trying to get down on my knees without sending my head through the ground floor. Why does the basement ceiling have to be so low?"

"Because no one makes basements twenty feet deep. And what I meant was what did you do this time? Ty said something about a ray gun?"

"Oh! Yes, I think it's somewhere near my foot."

"I suppose you mixed up some settings."

"I was sure I fixed the label. Gosh dern it."

"Why? Why do you even—"

"Hold on, Ker. I have an idea. Stand back." Plunging her face forward and into her cleavage, Kassidy rocked her weight backward then forwards, the momentum sending her onto her knees. Still hunched over, but with slightly more clearance, Keri smiled at her success. Both sisters, however, groaned in unison upon noticing the craters left by Keri's knees in the concrete floor. Shelton hooted with laughter.

Keri frowned. "Shelton, what on Earth could be funny about this?"

"You two have the same irritated groan, except hers is an octave lower."

"Are you Shelton?" Kassidy asked, her vision finally uninhibited by her knees and breasts. "Keri told me all about you. It's nice to meet you finally!"

"You too!" Shelton said, still astonished at the woman's size.

Keri was more irked than impressed. "Kassidy, how did this even happen?"

"Well, I was initially trying to design an elixir to lower my body fat, but it worked too well and, since I didn't have much muscle to begin with, I ended up ripped, but way too skinny. So then I tried increasing my body fat, but it was a rush job and I ended up sending most of it to my boobs. Then I had a mishap with the ray gun..."

"Wait, you created potions and ray guns that can do this?" Shelton said, agog.

"I did!" Kassidy beamed with pride. "Science has been my hobby since I was little...a child, I mean."

"That's incredible!"

Keri glared up at her sister. "Yes, she's brilliant. I've always looked up to her in that way. But certainly not always in this way."

"I didn't mean to get this big! The human body has a lot of variables!"

"And by that you mean 'I underestimated my strength and got the dial stuck.'"

"No, that's not what happened, thank you very much. I was trying to enlarge Ioana's skirt while I was holding it."

Keri nudged Shelton with her elbow. "My sister the brilliant, absent-minded, klutz," she whispered.

"Hey, I heard that!" Kassidy exclaimed, before pressing a finger to her ear and tapping repeatedly. "Wow, I think that potion improved my hearing! Can someone write that in my notes?"

"Where's your notebook?" Shelton said.

"It was on the futon, so probably under my butt. You can probably reach it. Maybe if I twist this way…"

"I think not," Keri said. "Kassidy, you'll need to make a mental note. So, were those two the only potions you tried?"

"Yes, there's no reason I should grow anymore." Kassidy shifted her weight backward in an attempt to re-negotiate her limited space. She yelped as a light flashed behind her, followed by a small plume of smoke.

"Oops!" Kassidy said. "Looks like the gun was on the ground..."

"And you smashed it! What's that going to do?"

The next instant, Keri had her answer. Kassidy's body began to tremble with energy before exploding outward, nearly doubling her height and sending her head crashing through the ground floor above them. Keri and Shelton dove for cover.

"Aw, hell," Kassidy boomed.

"Damn it, Kassidy!" Sloane screamed, her older sister's head having burst through the floor of her bedroom.

"Sorry, Sloane! It was an accident."

"It's always an accident. Can't we build you a backyard lab or something? It's not like Mom doesn't have the money."

"Girls," Courtney shouted from the living room. "Is everything alright back there?" 

"Kass grew through the floor!" Sloane yelled back. "I told you this would happen again. Why can't I get a room upstairs?"

"Sloane, don't be a pest. Go down and help your sister get outside."

"How come Tyler can't do it?"

Even under the din of splintering wood and Kassidy's frustrated grumbling, Ioana's shouts of ecstasy were clearly audible through the walls.

"We can all hear your brother is occupied, Sloane. Now, please help your sister."

"Argh! This is so annoying!" Sloane said, shoving her sister's head aside to get to the door.

Back in the basement, Shelton stared up at the titanic Kassidy. She struggled to get comfortable without causing more damage but had difficulty doing so while also preserving her modesty.

"Does this happen a lot?" Shelton asked Keri.

Keri sighed again. "Often enough that we installed double doors from the basement leading outside." Hearing Sloane descending the basement steps, Keri walked up and slapped Kassidy on the thigh.

"Hey, Kass! You're going to have to squeeze back down if we're going to get you out of here. Can you do that?"

"I'll try," Kassidy said, crouching until her head cleared the hole in the floor. A breast the size of a beanbag chair dropped down, hitting Shelton and nearly knocking him over.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Kassidy yelled.

"No problem!" Shelton said, pushing it aside with both hands, before backing up to the wall to give her more clearance. Sloane stood at the bottom of the stairs snapping pictures with her phone.

"Sloane, can you please get the doors?" Keri yelled.

Not taking her eyes away from her phone, Sloane casually walked over to double doors and kicked them open, breaking several metal locks with little effort and revealing a ramp that led upwards into the backyard.

Shelton whistled. "Damn, girl. You're stronger than you look."

Sloane shrugged. "Succubus strength, from having recently, um, fed. Besides, as big as Kassidy is, she's going to demolish that passageway anyways. No point in being delicate."

Kassidy sank down through the hole in the ground floor and twisted onto her belly. Shuffling forward, she immediately found her shoulders were too wide to clear the entryway. Sloane sighed and kicked the wall on one side, dislodging a chunk of the frame and giving Kassidy clearance to pass through, albeit barely. Kassidy shimmied up the concrete ramp and into the backyard, where she sprawled out on the grass.

"Ah, this is way better," she said, stretching her arms out, being careful not to kick over the barbeque grill. The sound of the guest room bed collapsing echoed from inside the house. Kassidy propped herself up on her elbows. "Oh, is that Tyler and Ioana?"

"Probably," Sloane said, following Kassidy out into the backyard. "Unless it's Mom and the UPS guy again."

Courtney Eastings emerged from the glass sliding doors near the dining room. She'd added another foot to her height, putting her around nine feet tall. Ducking extra low to clear the exit, she managed to balance a tray with several bottles of wine. One of her breasts swung free from behind her apron. "Whoops!" Sloane, could you be a dear and tuck your mother back in?" Sloane ran up behind Courtney and shoved her breast back under her apron.

"Mom!" Keri shouted, aghast. "Did you grow again?"

"Only a little. With Sloane, Ioana, and now Kassidy all grown up, I figured I'd blend right in."

"But why are you topless?"

"Don't be such a prude, dear. You know we don't worry about that around here. Besides, it's such a nice day. Why not enjoy it? Sloane, don't feel like you need to stay covered, dear."

"Really?" Sloane asked, reaching for the front zipper of her sweater. "It is pretty warm out here."

"Absolutely not!" Keri screamed at her younger sister. "Mom, we have a guest!"

"I'm cool," Shelton said. "Hey, I'll take some more of the merlot. Ker, do you need anything?" Shelton tried to put his arm around her, but she swatted it away.

"Shelton, quiet!" Keri growled, drawing the attention of everyone. Her breathing became rapid, and her clenched fists trembled with rage. "I knew this would happen," she fumed. "I freaking knew it."

"Well, duh," Sloane said. "It happens, like, every week."

"Sloane, shhh," Courtney said, setting down the tray of wine. "Keri, sweetie. Let's settle down and—"

"I didn't want this to be a disaster," Keri continued, her rage simmering to a boil. "I even thought it didn't have to be. But noooooo, my freakshow of a family couldn't keep things sane for one God-damned afternoon. It's not even been a half-hour!"

"Hey, Keri how about we take a couple of deep breaths. Come on, do it with me."

"Fine," Keri said. She took a long breath and had started to exhale when another crash shook the house.

"OH GOD, TYLER, YES! USE YOUR WHOLE ARM!"

"ARGH!!!!" Keri yelled. "Tyler, I can hear you and your giant idiot from here!" The shouting built to a climax, followed by the utter pandemonium of a three-foot-long foot bursting through the wall, creating a second hole in the side of the house.

"Sorry, Courtney!" Ioana yelled, her rumbling voice echoing through the neighborhood.

"Whoa!" Shelton exclaimed, looking over to Courtney, who wore only a mildly perturbed look.

"Oh dear, time to call Phillip again."

"Who's Phillip?" an exasperated Keri demanded.

"Mom's got a 'special deal' with our insurance agent," Sloane replied. "How else do you think we pay for all your—"

"Sloane, quiet!!!" Keri snarled, her tone aggressive and unhinged.

Ms. Eastings held up both hands. "Keri, sweetie, calm down. We don't need you making a scene."

"STOP TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN!"

Keri’s breathing came shallow and her whole body shook with rage. Visible veins on her face and arms popped from her skin as her now too-tight shirt strained to contain her increasing mass. With every heartbeat, her body pumped larger, as dense, thick muscle erupted from her growing form. In seconds, her clothing went from skintight, to strained, to shredded. Her joints popped as she jerked upright. Standing around eight-feet tall and clad only in her undergarments and shredded black slacks, Keri emitted a primal scream.

"Wow, it's like senior prom all over again," Tyler said, emerging from the house wearing only pajama pants.

"OMG, you're right!" Sloane lifted her phone and snapped a picture. "This will make an awesome side-to-side comparison on Instagram."

"YOU WANT SOMETHING TO POST!?!?" Keri roared. She gripped a huge hand around the trunk of a nearby cherry tree. Tugging upwards, she ripped the tree out of the ground, roots and all. "HERE'S SOMETHING FOR INSTAGRAM!" She tossed the full tree into the neighbor's yard, demolishing a jungle gym.

Kassidy crawled across the lawn closer to Shelton. "So, yeah, Keri's adopted," she whispered to him.

"I assumed as much. She's Korean and y'all are white."

"From what I understand her birth father was in the North Korean military, and he had been involved in some radiation accident that mutated his adrenal system, resulting in a genetic condition he passed along to his daughter. That combined with—"

"I HATE THIS FUCKING GAZEBO!" Keri screamed, bringing her fists down on the wooden structure, instantly reducing it to firewood.

"—her anger management issues makes for a troubling mix, to say the least. I'm actually surprised this hasn't come up yet."

"Oh, it has."

All eyes turned to Shelton 

"You knew?" Courtney asked.

"And you're still with her?" Sloane asked, earning her an elbow from a snickering Tyler.

Shelton smiled. "I got this. Give me one sec." He casually approached his enraged girlfriend, pausing to gather his balance when a foot stomp sent tremors through the ground.

"I AM GOING TO SMASH WHAT'S LEFT OF THIS HOUSE!" she shouted at Shelton, before pointing to her family. "THEN I'M GOING TO SMASH THEM. THEN I'LL SMASH YOU!"

Shelton held up both hands. "Ker, I get it. You're angry."

"YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ANGRY!"

"Yes, baby, I've seen angry. Remember last week at the Whole Foods when the clerk told you they were out of almond milk?"

Keri clenched her massive fists each the size of a gallon jug. "THAT LITTLE TWERP. I SHOULD HAVE EATEN HIM ALIVE."

"Yes, and while I'm glad you didn't, it still didn't end well. Remember our 'rage is money' talk?"

Keri snorted, her frown etched in granite.

"You've got a lovely family here. They're fun, honest, intelligent, and interesting, just like you. They're also each 'their own brand of quirky,' just like you. I love you for it, and I'm sure as I get to know them, I'll love them for it too."

Keri didn't respond, but her furrowed brow softened and she took a deep breath. Her bulging muscles seemed to recede, albeit slightly.

"How about we go inside and get you a change of clothes. Then we'll get that cherry tree from the neighbors' yard and rip it into firewood to blow off some steam. After dinner, we can have a nice bonfire over s'mores." Reaching for Keri's hand, Shelton took hold of a pinky finger as thick as a Polish sausage. "Sound like a plan?" Keri nodded, and Shelton led her towards the back door. He stepped aside to allow Keri room to duck and twist her way inside before following after, his hand resting at the base of her broad back. Outside, Keri's mother and siblings watched with admiration.

"Wow, he's perfect for her," Sloane said.

Tyler nodded. "I like him too." He gestured towards his giant girlfriend's leg, still jutting out of the house. "So, wanna help me get Ioana out of the bedroom?"

"Sure!" Sloane said, licking her lips, her fangs visible at the corners of her mouth. The two siblings headed inside, leaving Courtney and Kassidy passing back and forth a three-liter bottle of wine on the lawn.

"Definitely a keeper," Kassidy said.

"Yes, indeed. I'm happy for her." Courtney finished the last of the wine, holding the empty bottle in her hand. Kassidy nudged her mother with a long finger.

"I was not expecting a black guy."

Courtney chuckled. "I know, right?"