[pseudoclever]

Chapter 4

“Are you okay?” Zayne asked, trying to keep his voice even while simultaneously speaking loud enough to be heard over the machine. Bella's lips moved, but he couldn't understand what she was saying. He moved closer, kicking some of the glass out of the way, and kneeled down next to her. “Bella, are you okay? Did you get any of it on you?”

He could just barely make out her voice. “I...I tried to carry...too heavy....”

When he had first been hired at Palladian, Zayne had been required to watch a boring safety video as part of his orientation. He had spent much of the presentation in a half-doze, and so he was surprised to find that he remembered what it had said now in this moment of crisis. If she had been exposed to the chemical, she would have to wash it off as soon as possible.

He needed an answer from her, and he needed it now. Snapping his fingers in her face to get her attention, he asked again, louder this time. “Bella! Did you get any of the solution on you?” She gaped at him. Then her face fell. She nodded.

“It's okay,” he said, attempting to radiate an aura of calm. “We need to get you to the shower. Are you okay to walk?” He held out his hand to her. She looked at it for a moment, uncomprehending. Bella was clearly in shock, either from the fall, or perhaps from fear of what exposure to the drug could do to her.

“Please Bella. We need to hurry. Come on!” She blinked twice, and looked up into his eyes. A tiny, thin smile crossed her lips. She reached out, and at last took his hand. He helped her to her feet, and led her across the room.

“Okay, I'll go clean up the spill. Strip down and get in the shower,” he told her.

“Are you serious?!” she exclaimed. “I'm not getting naked in here! There's no shower curtain, and....”

Zayne cut her off. “We don't have time for this. You need to get ALL of that stuff off of you, and if you stay dressed some of it will cling to the fabric of your clothes.” He looked at her sympathetically. “It sucks, I know. But you've had safety training too, and you know I'm right. This is more important than modesty. And I promise I won't look.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but evidently thought better of it, and began to unbutton her top instead. Zayne obligingly turned his back, going to look for a broom and dust pan. A few moments later he heard the splatter of water hitting the floor, followed shortly thereafter by a yelp of surprise. “Oh my GOD it's COLD!” she cried.

“I'll bet,” he shouted back. He swept up the broken glass, careful to keep his eyes fixed on his work. Zayne mopped up the residual solution as best he could, and threw it into the Haz-Mat bin. It occurred to him that Bella would need to cover and dry herself after she left the shower, and that there were no towels in the room. Next to the room's fire extinguisher there was a large nylon envelope hanging on the wall, and inside he found two emergency fire blankets. They were woolen and scratchy, but they would have to do.

He carried them over to the centrifuge's exhaust port, from which a steady stream of hot air was coming. Zayne lay one blanket down and carried the other over to Bella. “Here,” he said, shielding his eyes. The water stopped, and a moment later he felt her pull the blanket from his grasp. Teeth chattering, she followed him to the spot he had prepared. They sat down together, Bella clutching the blanket tight around her and vigorously rubbing herself dry.

“Listen, I wanted to tell you....” He began. She looked at him, shaking her head, and he realized that she couldn't hear him over the machinery. Zayne leaned in closer, rising to his knees and putting his mouth inches from her ear. “Bella, look. What I said earlier. I didn't mean to imply that there was anything wrong with you. I just...you sounded like you were saying you hated being short. And I took it the wrong way. You're right, there's nothing wrong with you, at all. You're attractive, and so smart, and....” He realized he was rambling. “It's...I'm sorry, okay?”

For a long time Bella didn't say anything. She continued to stare straight ahead, arms folded, and Zayne began to wonder if he had just made another critical mistake. What was she thinking about? Should he apologize for his apology? Finally she turned to stare at him, and when she did there was a strange sort of smoldering to her eyes.

“How do I look?”

The words were so unexpected that it took Zayne several seconds before he was able to discern their meaning. “Umm....”

“You remember the pamphlet, don't you? PT-2715 is supposed to work 'hundreds of times faster' than anything currently available. I don't know how it's supposed to be administered, if it even CAN be absorbed through the skin. But if it does work that way, I bet I'd already be showing signs.” She stood quickly, the blanket flapping up provocatively as she moved, and Zayne got a momentary glance at her naked bottom. He averted his eyes, ALMOST as soon as he was aware of what was happening.

Bella turned around, looking down at him expectantly. “Well?”

Zayne climbed to his feet. Crossing his arms, he studied the petite girl in front of him, pacing around her slowly. It occurred to him that this was the first time that he'd been able to take a good long look at Bella's figure without having to worry about her catching him staring. God, was she ever beautiful. Her long hair tumbled down over her shoulders, little wet strands of it clinging alluringly to the sides of her face. She still had the blanket wrapped around her, but not nearly so protectively tight as she'd worn it earlier. As a result, a fair portion of her body was exposed – specifically, parts that coworkers did not generally let each other see. He tried hard not to look, but then a thought occurred to him. If PT-2715 promoted sexual development, wasn't that exactly the sort of place he was SUPPOSED to be checking? Maybe...for just a second.

Zayne had previously surmised that Bella wasn't especially well-endowed. Clearly, he had misjudged – she might at least be a small B-cup. Several inches of her cleavage were visible, framed by the slightest hint of a tan line around the edges of her bosom, perfectly juxtaposing the pale, creamy flesh it outlined. As he examined her, she shifted the blanket, revealing another few millimeters of her breasts to him. Providence? An accident? Or was she playing with him?

He looked away, embarrassed, and his gaze come to rest on her legs. Here again his first impression had been wrong – they appeared long, toned and shapely. He guessed that she must have spent a good amount of time on a StairMaster to get that build. While he inspected them she bounced on her tip toes once, twice, and as she did he could see her muscles bunching and flexing.

Now it was becoming obvious – she WAS playing with him. Zayne glanced up to see if he could scry any meaning from her expression. He found her looking right back at him, a faint smile that was almost a smirk on her lips. “Well?” This time she didn't speak the word but instead mouthed it slowly, seeming to emphasize every letter.

Zayne gulped. The answer to her question had been plain to see from the moment he'd stood up – it was useless to pretend any longer. He leaned down close to her ear again, noting that he didn't have to lean quite so far this time. “I'm sorry I have to tell you this,” he said. “But yes, it does look like you've been affected by the drug. You're...” he coughed. “...more...developed. And even with your shoes off you seem to be three or four inches taller than you were before.”

Bella's frowned. “That's...oh well. I thought that was the case but...thanks for the confirmation.”

Now THAT was an interesting response. Zayne had been expecting her to be devastated, especially given the way she had responded earlier to even the implication that she could try the drug. But her reaction was closer to that of someone who has just been told by a waitress that they will have to settle for Pepsi instead of Coke.

From across the room the buzzer sounded, and the centrifuge began to spin to a stop. They stood together for a long moment in the unexpected silence, just looking at each other. At last Bella sat down and, with a little tug on his hand, indicated that he should do the same. He did so, impossibly conscious of the fraction of an inch of space between the two of them, and of the jackhammer pounding of his heart. Surely she could hear it, and would tell him to quiet down any second now.

“I over-reacted,” she said suddenly. “When I blew up at you earlier, I mean. You didn't say anything that a reasonable human being wouldn't have. I just...chose to take it the wrong way. You aren't the one that should be apologizing. It's me.”

Zayne started to speak. Bella looked at him sadly, and held up one finger. “Please, don't talk. Just listen. I've...never told this to anyone before, and it's hard.

“All my life, I've been much shorter than everyone my age. It wouldn't have bothered me. Except for that tiny, vocal minority of kids. The ones that, for whatever reason, are only happy when they're hurting other people. The things they said...and did.” She shook her head, as if trying to banish the dark thoughts.

“So, I made up my mind. If I was going to be smaller, weaker than everyone else, then I would make up for it by being smarter than them all. I would be the BEST. If you think I'm intelligent, it's only because I've worked so hard. Anyone could do it, if they were willing to spend fourteen hours a day, seven days a week studying. Memorizing codon tables. Reaction sequences. And maybe it was all so I could fill my brain up so full that I wouldn't have room to think about anything else.

“It worked, too. For a long time. If you had asked me yesterday, I would've told you that it didn't bother me. Being little. Or flat. It was just...me.” She looked at him, her eyes hard like agates. “But...I hated it. I hated it! Why did I have to use a booster seat until I was twelve years old? Or listen to complete strangers ask if I was lost, if I needed help finding my mommy? Why couldn't I be normal?” Bella gasped once, her body shuddering. She clenched her fists, as though trying to hold back the tide of emotion that was swelling inside her.

Zayne didn't think. He reached out to her instinctively, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tight. For a fraction of a second she pulled away, and then she was hugging him back, burying her face in his chest. He clutched her against him, gently stroking her hair. She was warm, and she smelled good, like strawberries. “I didn't want to admit it,” she continued, her voice muffled. “That I wished things were different. But then, THIS happened. I could FEEL myself growing, and I couldn't deny how...how good it felt. To be bigger, and stronger and...sexier. And I loved it when you were looking at me like that. I wanted to show off for you...show you that I was better than before.”

“It doesn't matter,” he told her softly. “From the first time I looked into your eyes, I knew that there was something special about you. You aren't any better than you were before. Because,” he breathed, lifting her chin with his finger. “...to me, you were already perfect.”

He had time to see her anguished face dissolve into an expression of joy, to see her eyes sparkle brilliantly. Then she was pressing herself forward, and before he could react Bella was kissing him.