Page 16 of Clouded by Envy

Face full of astonishment, Wes took a step forward. “You did offer to help, but not as a full-sized person!”

“Sorry, it slipped my mind.” Bray smiled and shimmied to the edge of the counter, swinging her legs up and down.

“Do it again.” He inched closer.

“What?” Her head bobbed back and forth between her lap and his face.

“Become full-size,” he demanded, a hint of curiosity hidden in his words.

“Why?” she asked, surprised. Itwouldbe easier to stare him down if she were closer to his size.

“Because it wouldn’t feel as weird as talking to abat.” Bray didn’t understand how it wouldn’t feel as weird because she was still the same person, regardless if she was abator human, but she ignored the way he said the wordbat.

“Fine,” she said curtly and pressed her palms against the counter.

Wes closed his eyes and was in the process of turning around, which she found to be incredibly ridiculous. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to go and find you some clothes for when you change into a human.” He gave her a look like she should have expected this.

“I don’t need new clothing.” Bray focused on growing until she sat to full height on top of the counter, hands clenching the linoleum tighter. “See?”

He could now see that her clothes didn’t disappear or rip apart, but grew with her. His eyebrows still furrowed. “So, the clothing is magical, too?”

“What?No.They are just attached to me, so they grow with me.”

“That doesn’t add up.” He stared at the ceiling, moving his lips as if he was having a silent conversation with himself.

She changed the subject. “Why did you come back so early?”

He fixed his gaze back on her as if she were a real person—which she was. “I had the day off today.”

“What do you want to do now?” she asked, curiosity and excitement filling her voice.

Wes scanned her up and down. “We’re going to need to get you some new clothes.”

“I have plenty of clothing inside the tree hole.” She had a whole corner in her room stacked with dresses and shirts.

“I should have known you were going to give me an answer like that, but we’re still going to find you some shoes at least.”

7

Brenik

The first time Brenik had learned about Bray’s gift was nine years ago at the age of eleven, and finding out had pissed him off.

They were both outside laughing in Ruth’s garden, when a large raccoon scurried past them out of nowhere. Bray had screamed so loudly that she frightened her own body to grow into a larger size.

She hadn’t just grown, though. Everything about her was human—no pointed ears, no overly sharpened canines, and no wings.

Ruth had been absolutely thrilled when she found out, and Bray quickly learned how to change back and forth between bat and human. Brenik had hated it, hated her for it at first. And he kept thinking that maybe the same thing would happen to him, but it hadn’t.

After a while, he accepted what she could do and was grateful for it at times, but a glimmer of envy was always there.

A week after Ruth passed away, adjusting had not been easy. Brenik and Bray had both stayed in the hollow of the tree—they had only left to eat peaches—untilthatnight.

Bray flew off, and he had known exactly where. Ruth had talked to her about going to college one day, but Bray always shook her head no, even though the twinkle in her eye told him she wanted to go.Well, that situation didn’t pan out.

He had decided to follow Bray and caught up to her easily—she hadn’t known he was behind her. Right before she arrived in front of the frat house, she descended from the air and ducked behind a car to alter forms to appear human.

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