Aftermath (Patreon)

The door slammed and there wasn’t a word spoken between the mother and her daughter. Neither of them had anything to say to each other. It was supposed to be the big day. The best day of their lives and now. It has only ended with anger. The daughter went up to the bathroom and slammed that door too, getting a small grumble from her mother.  Ava didn’t care any more. She was done being her mother’s prize.

She looked at herself in the mirror , and felt sick down to her stained stomach. She had been wearing a light blue velour tracksuit, her 18th birthday gift from a few months back. Once it had hung over her body so loosely once before, now it was stuck to her skin and stained a darker shade. She grabbed the small steel zipper , perhaps the only part of the jacket as it once was. Even then, it was slick.  With one swift motion of her arm, the jacket opened yet it barely moved.

It was stuck to her skin still. Ava had to grab both sides of the tracksuit and peeled it from her body.  A splatter of blue juice falls onto the ceramic tiles . Some landed on her shoes too but it didn’t matter. They where already saturated. She tossed it into a empty hamper

Seeing her undershirt for the first time. Ava felt even more nausea. Even if everything else was stained , she held the slight hope that any part of her attire wasn’t blue. The top had been black… Now it was navy blue.

Ava couldn’t help it. The nausea had gotten so bad  that she knelt over the toilet and threw up. It hurt to do , and it made her feel even worse when she looked and it was nothing but blueberry juice. However it wasn’t just a sickness building within her. But anger. She slammed her fist against the ground . But her rage was undercut by her pudgy belly sloshing at such a fast and sharp movement.

Her impotence made her silently cry as she got back up and resumed her undressing.

Her undershirt came off and it landed in the hamper with a wet slop. She wiped the tears away and sighed. Her belly was a deep rich and was no longer hidden under clothes. There was still a little purple around her naval, and while she had been incredibly slim before she now held pudge. She lifted up and left around a half gallon of blueberry juice bubble inside of her.  Her mind flashed back to  when it all happened.

The tall dragon had been mentioning that the gum wasn’t quite right. That vile vagueness. Ava had assumed  it meant that it tasted weird and she had been such a perfectionist that no one was allowed to taste it.  The first course of tomato soup had been so delicious, better than anything she ever had. The second course even better. Both had been so creamy   , nicer than anything her mother would let her eat. And it was just gum , her favourite.

The thought of her teeth going into the wet ruby sweet made her stomach to churn even more. A life long passion twisted into another part of this that haunted her. She could remember the sweetness as the savoury steak turned into blueberry pie and ice cream. Just as strongly she could remember the slow look of horror of everyone as IT began.

With that , she took of her tracksuit pants with her trainers. She threw both Into the hamper before throwing herself into the empty bath. She could feel a wetness wherever her back touched the tub. Looking  down she could see a small puddle around her, More tears ran down her cheeks . she quickly turned the shower on to hide both. As the water hit her body , it reminded her of the hours prior.  The heavy footsteps of the dragons workers on her taught skin.

Finally , the pent up feelings where let loose. Not just a tear but a full stream of tiers came from ava as her mind flashed every moment of it back in her face. Her stomach feeling stuffed. Then full….then tight. Her clothes becoming flush with her body like a second skin as so much juice had filled her that she had became impossibly round.  The horrific moment when her head began to sink and all she could see was her own blue horizon. She was so tight…she thought she was going to explode… Going to die.

And then they just laughed at her. Singing songs as they rolled her around like it was some sick joke. Anger was growing within her . That was when she remembered the only thing her mother said the entire time. “she can’t be a blueberry! How is she supposed to compete.” Her fists balled up and with a flare of rage she punched the wall. Pain shot though her and she whimpered. What angered her most was that she left a blue mark on the wall.

She sat in the shower for an hour. Her mind stewing in rage . She didn’t scrub at her body , she knew no matter what she couldn’t clean away the pain that marked every inch of her once near perfect ivory skin. The dragon told her as much. Permanent. As was the juice in her guts. No matter what she did, she would have a permanent reminder of what happened. And with that she realized something. Her hands clenched once more and she stood . Ava turned of the shower and got out. She dried herself off , yet even still there was a wetness to her. Not to mention the towel stained blue.

She didn’t care any more .

Ava went into her room and put on the darkest blue clothes she had. She could feel them get soaked but her eyes held resolution.   She was having her mind spoken. Too many times had she bitten her tongue for the sake of her mother.  She stomped her feet down to her . Nancy was in her accent chair , built for one and the only place she ever sat.  “Couldn’t scrub the blue off then?”  She asked before taking a sip of wine .

“No…” Ava mumbled , biting her lip having to resist the urge to knock the glass out of her hand. “ The guide told us.  It’s permeant.” She hissed.

“That’s a dreadful thing darling but don’t you worry. I’ll find a concealer that you won’t ruin. That and a little hair bleach and no one will know the difference. “ She stated without a hint of concern. Ava moved towards her , until her foot touched the white rug at the centre  of the room. “don’t put your body any where near my carpet. You’ve stained enough of my expensive goods.”

This flared the anger within Ava and she stepped forward. A blue mark spread out from her bare foot. “ Fuck you.”

“What did you just say to  me you little freak?”

“I said FUCK YOU MOM! You couldn’t care less what happened to me…what I had to go through…. You only care about the fact you lost your precious little trophy winner.”

“How DARE you… I house you! I feed you! I give you everything you could ever want.” Nancy yelled at her but ava did not back down.

“YOU NEVER LOVED ME! Don’t for one second tell me you did . I saw how that woman reacted when her boy fell  into the chocolate. He wasn’t even harmed … Just covered in the stuff. She looked like she would rip that guide apart with her bare hands.  And where were you when I was turning blue… When I was filling with gallon upon gallon of juice… When those little creatures started pushing me around and laughing at me? YOU WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOUR STUPID FUCKING TROPHIES!”

Ava screamed out as she moved to the wall of trophies and with one swift movement she knocked every single one to the floor. Some of the fancier glass ones smashed . Nancy stood, the glass still in her hand. “ You disgusting little brat… I should have left you in that factory with the rest of the freak show.  Just think what your father would think if he could see you now. Fat … Blue and gross. “

It was a dagger of words sharpened perfectly to ava. Her father had been a salesman…a good one too. She barely knew him, the only thing she was certain of was he adored her, and that he had passed unexpectedly. “You….you are evil. Father loved me… He cared for me. Maybe if he was here now , I wouldn’t have chewed that gum. Maybe he would have stopped me instead of ‘encouraging’ me into something so stupid! And… He would see what a horrendous bitch you are. “

Nancy gasped and her grip tightened on the glass. “Don’t you dare say such a thing about my husband! He was a incredible man….”

“You did it first you witch!” Ava yelled before slapping the glass out of her hand.

“I wish you was never born, you vile little failure.” Nancy hissed. Yet Ava didn’t flinch. “ I wish I popped. I wish that I never got juiced. At least then I wouldn’t have had to realize that you never cared for me. I’m moving out, you can keep my trophies. You can keep everything you ever gave me. I don’t want it if it’s from you.” Ava told her , not shouting yet her voice firm, before turning.

Nancy’s hand came to her shoulder . “Ava…please…don’t go. I need you.”

“Unfortunately, Nancy… I don’t need you.” She returned before walking forwards out of her mother’s hard grip.

“you are my daughter and you will do as I say!  Get back here and apologize for what you said.’ There was a slight nervous quiver in Nancy’s tone but Ava knew it was nothing but crocodile tears.

“You are NOT my mother.  I'm going back to the factory. Maybe I can find something I can Do. But anything is better than being your champion.” Ava told her , before leaving ..this time , she shut the door quietly. For the second time that day , she felt a massive weight off of her shoulders.

She never did mind the blue look anyway…