When the sparks and sparkles cleared, I found myself standing in my living room, which was exactly where I expected to be. This was where I’d been waiting right before the contest began, so this was where they’d transported me back to once it was over.

“That was AWESOME,” Teri exclaimed from beside me.

Teri and Matt had come here, to wait for the contest with Cassandra and me. It was a lot more convenient to gather here than it was at their house. After all, at their house, there was always the chance that their parents could walk in on us. Since none of us wanted to explain the armor, or why we were appearing or disappearing in bursts of sparks, this seemed like the smartest move.

“Those rock monsters were crazy,” Teri continued excitedly. “And a tiger… We actually fought a tiger…”

“I fought a tiger,” Matt pointed out smugly. “You were standing around and picking your nose at the time.”

I was not,” Teri protested.

“Congrats on the win,” I told Cassandra, trying not to feel jealous. I could have won, but I’d made a conscious decision to save her instead, and I refused to regret that.

“Thanks,” Cassandra told me, giving me an odd look. “And thanks for helping me…”

“You helped me first,” I pointed out. If it hadn’t been for Cassandra, then Spear Chick might have killed me. I didn’t know if Maelyne had any more rezzes available for me, or if Heather had already used them all up, but I really didn’t want to find out the hard way.

“So, what prize did you get for winning?” I asked, glancing to my own popup.

YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED A COMPETITION:

REWARD: YOU RECEIVE 1 ATTRIBUTE POINT AND 50 RESOURCE ATTRIBUTE POINTS.

Cassandra looked at her own screen and grinned. “Three attribute points that I can spend anywhere I want, and a hundred and fifty resource points I can slot…”

“Nice,” I said, nodding in approval.

“I also unlocked a new ability,” Cassandra continued a little smugly, though she didn’t explain what that ability was. “I think, one point in agility, one in dexterity, and the last one…charisma.”

While I watched, Cassandra seemed to change just a little. It was subtle, but she did become just a little more attractive, and she had more of a…presence. If I hadn’t been paying attention, or hadn’t been looking for it, I might have missed this entirely.

I nodded at that, then went to slot my own points. Strength and reflexes were my two weakest attributes, with both of them being at an eight. I definitely could have used more strength, though after a couple of these last fights, I realized that I needed better reflexes. The faster I could react to danger, the better chance I had of throwing up a shield in time. Strength would make me feel a lot better, but reflexes would improve my chance at surviving…and protecting my friends.

“There,” I said after slotting my new points into my reflexes and mana pool.

Matt scowled, staring at his own screen. “I didn’t get anything this time.”

I gave him a curious look, remembering how after our last contest, he and Teri had both been given armor, while I’d been given points to slot for them. I pulled up my companion sheets and saw no additions to their equipment, and no spare points to slot.

“Teri didn’t get anything after our first contest together either,” I pointed out thoughtfully.

“Companions don’t get rewards like champions do,” Cassandra explained. “As far as the game is concerned, you two are just extensions of Jeri.” She gestured to me. “You’re both here as part of her abilities, so whenever you two get upgrades, it’s because she’s ranked up her companion abilities. At least, that’s how I understand it.”

“It makes sense,” I said, feeling sorry for Matt and Teri. They helped me with all those fights, but didn’t get anything for it this time.

“That sucks,” Teri grumbled. Matt didn’t look happy either.

“If you think about it,” I said, trying to make them feel better. “You both got your rewards up front…with all those stat boosts.”

Teri immediately brightened at that. “Yeah, these are great…”

She made a show out of flexing her muscles, even though her armor made it difficult to see them. Still, I knew that beneath the armor, Teri was pretty jacked now. In fact, she looked like she could be a fitness competitor or an amateur bodybuilder.

Over the last couple weeks, Teri had definitely changed, and not only physically. Because of her new size and strength, she was much more confident than before. She was less likely to run away or avoid confrontations with other people, and a lot more likely to solve her problems with physical force. As they say, when the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail.

Matt’s own physique wasn’t nearly as improved as Teri’s, but he’d definitely received some benefits of his own. Compared to him, most people were slow and clumsy, and that was starting to change his own perspective too. What would it be like, knowing that you had that kind of edge over everyone around you?

Then another question occurred to me. Was I changing too? Of course I was. That was obvious, and one of my biggest worries since waking up in this body. However, I realized that I was probably changing in some ways that I hadn’t even realized yet, and that worried me.

I used to be big and strong, but now I was small and weak in comparison. I used to be a guy, but now I was a girl, and still trying to wrap my head around everything that came with that. I used to be a jock, and while I still went to the gym regularly, my highest stats were in charisma and intelligence, and that was undoubtedly having an effect on my own perspective.

“Are you okay?” Cassandra asked me.

I gave a self-conscious smile. “Just thinking about things,” I said, deciding to leave it at that.

Cassandra had already changed out of her armor while I’d been lost in thought, so I followed her example and changed out of my own. Matt and Teri changed a couple seconds later.

“We’d better get going home,” Matt told me with an apologetic shrug. “I have to work in a couple hours, and want to get showered and cleaned before then.”

“You need a shower,” Teri told him with a smirk. Matt flipped her off. Then she turned to me and said, “See you later, Jeri,” before giving me a hug, which only emphasized how much bigger and stronger than me she now was.

Once Matt and Teri were gone, Cassandra stared at me with a smirk. “You remember at the start of the race, we made a little bet…”

My eyes went wide as I remembered the bet. “Crap…”

Cassandra gave an evil laugh, then ran upstairs. A couple minutes later, she came back, holding up a cheerleader’s uniform and a makeup case. “This time, YOU get to be the cheerleader…”

I stared at the cheerleader uniform and makeup with a sinking feeling in my gut. I was just thankful that Lauren had to work, because she probably would have encouraged Cassandra to take this even further somehow.

Letting out a sigh of resignation, I said, “Fine. Let’s get this over with…”

Cassandra grinned evilly at that, but instead of taking advantage of the opportunity, she paused to give me a thoughtful look. “I think Matt had the right idea. Shower first, paying off your bet second.”

“After all that, I think I’d rather just soak in a hot tub for awhile,” I thought aloud.

“A bath it is,” Cassandra said before gently pushing me towards the stairs.

I took Cassandra’s advice and went up to take a bath, telling myself that I was only doing it because she told me too. That was a nice little rationalization that let me avoid feeling bad about this new guilty pleasure. This was yet another reminder that I was changing, and that I was no longer the person I used to be. But as I slipped down into the hot water to soak, I didn’t really care.

“This does feel good,” I said with a sigh of contentment.

After that contest, with all the running and fighting, this was just the thing I needed. Of course, my regeneration rate was increasing with every victory over another champion, and that didn’t hurt with the rest and relaxation either.

I had no idea how long I remained where I was, soaking in the hot water, before I decided that I had better get out and face the music. It was with a great deal of effort that I climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel to dry myself off with. And it was at that very moment that Cassandra came into the bathroom, almost as though she’d somehow timed it.

For several seconds, Cassandra and I stood there, silently staring at each other. The sense of awkwardness and deja-vu was incredible, especially since I knew for a fact that I’d locked the door this time.

Like the last time this had happened, Cassandra had an oversized towel wrapped around her mid-section. Her hair was wet and she’d obviously just come out of the shower since the house had a shower stall in the other bathroom, but only the one tub.

“Sorry for interrupting,” Cassandra said, giving me a look of interest. “I needed to grab my hair dryer.’

“No problem,” I responded, trying to act like this was no big deal.

This was just like being in the showers and locker room with a bunch of other guys after a game. At least, that was what I tried telling myself, without much success.

“It’ll just be a moment,” Cassandra promised with a smirk.

As she bent down to pull her hair dryer from the drawer, I was extremely aware of her close and nearly naked presence. At that moment, I clearly remembered the kiss we’d shared, and my body began to respond. I gulped at that, hoping she didn’t notice.

“Don’t bother getting all the way dressed,” Cassandra told me as she turned to leave. “I’ve already got your clothes all picked out…” Then she paused to look me over again, while I tried covering myself without looking as nervous as I felt. “Have you shaved since your…accident?”

“Shaved?” I asked in surprise, rubbing my chin and cheek, which still felt smooth and hairless.

Cassandra began snickering. “I guess we’ll have to get that taken care of…” She went into another drawer, explaining, “Heather kept her razors and stuff in here…”

Seconds later, Cassandra proceeded to give me a lesson on shaving…from the female perspective. I was less than thrilled with the idea of shaving my legs and pits, until my tutor asked me if I planned on going ‘hippie’ instead. Needless to say, just like when it came to my hair, my vanity stirred again, and I got to experience what it was like to shave like a girl.

After this, Cassandra and I both got dressed, her in her usual clothes, though she kept her makeup light, and me in the cheerleader uniform she’d provided. This wasn’t the same uniform that she’d worn previously, and it was actually a pretty good fit. That made me wonder where she’d gotten it from since I didn’t remember seeing it in Heather’s closet.

The real surprise came when Cassandra gave me the shoes, a pair of high heels. Back when I’d been on the football team, none of the cheerleaders wore heels like this when they were cheering. They could have broken an ankle or worse if they had. However, I didn’t bother arguing with Cassandra, just like I didn’t bother to point out that our bet had only been for makeup, not for a full costume. Still, I’d lost the bet and wasn’t going to be a bad sport about it, even if she was pushing things a bit far.

The high heels were a bit awkward to walk in at first, but I quickly got the hang of them. I was pretty sure that he only reason I managed so well instead of breaking my ankle, was the fact that I had an agility of twelve, which gave me a decent amount of grace and balance.

“Nice,” Cassandra said when she looked me over. Then she held up the makeup kit and smirked. “Have a seat…”

I let out a sigh and took my seat. I’d survived this the last time, so I could survive it this time. And though I wasn’t about to admit it to Cassandra, I was curious about what I’d look like when she was done.

Cassandra did something with my hair, then she put on the makeup. I just sat there, trying to be patient, though it wasn’t easy. And once she was finished with the makeup, she still wouldn’t let me get up or see what I looked like. Instead, she pulled out a bottle of bright pink nail polish and gave me another evil grin.

“Not exactly a great match for your skin-tone and hair color,” Cassandra explained, “but I couldn’t resist.”

Once Cassandra was finished, she finally let me see the results. I had blush, eyeshadow, pink lipstick, and of course, the polished nails. She was right that the colors didn’t quite match my skin or hair color, but it was still quite a strange sight.

“Its…interesting,” I said politely. The makeup was actually lighter than when Cassandra had done me up as a goth, but definitely more in the ‘bimbo’ style. “I never thought I’d end up as a cheerleader.”

“It suits you,” Cassandra said with a smirk, before looking me over with an expression of satisfaction. “Very hot.”

“Um…thanks,” I responded.

Cassandra moved closer, then leaned forward until she was almost in my face. We stared at each other for several long seconds without either of us saying anything.

“So,” she finally asked in a husky voice. “Do I have to get you drunk again or something?”

That was all the invitation I needed to kiss her. I’d been wanting to do that again ever since the last time, so I took immediate advantage of the opportunity.

“I’ve always wanted to make out with a cheerleader,” Cassandra told me once we broke apart.

“Well, I’m glad I could help fulfil your fantasy,” I replied with a smile. “But you know, I might have one or two of my own…”

With those words, Cassandra and I grabbed each other and began kissing again, even more passionately than before. And this time, Lauren wasn’t there to interrupt us.

--------------------

I was comfortable. I was sitting back in a recliner that was an absolutely perfect fit for my body, as though it had been custom made just for me. Off to the side, just the right distance away to keep me warm, but not too warm, was a fireplace with a blazing fire. And then, there was the cup of delicious smelling tea.

“Thank you,” I told Maelyne as I took a sip from my cup. It was good. Really good. This stuff was really starting to grow on me.

“You are welcome,” Maelyne responded with a faint smile.

I took another sip and then looked around the room. It was the same place that Maelyne and I had met the last time, so I wasn’t sure if it was based off a real place, or if she’d made it up just because it was nice and cozy.

“You have just finished a competition,” Maelyne said, “so we have another opportunity to speak. But as always, our time is limited, even here in a dream.”

With a nod of acknowledgement, I admitted, “I could have won, but didn’t.” I felt bad for disappointing Maelyne like that, especially since I knew how important this was. However, I refused to feel guilty for saving Cassandra’s life.

“Yes,” Maelyne responded, taking a sip of her tea and then looking at me again. “Instead of finishing the race, you chose to stop and help another champion.”

“I’m sorry,” I told Maelyne. She’d been counting on me and I’d let her down. If only Crossbow hadn’t shown up when he did.

“Don’t be,” my patron said with a smile. “It does me no harm at all to have one of my allies win. In fact, in this situation, it may even benefit me…”

That made me blink in surprise. “I…don’t understand.”

Maelyne’s smile widened a little. “You chose to protect your friend instead of winning. You chose loyalty over victory. And while your victory would have helped me, I am proud of your choice. It was an action worthy of my champion.”

“Um…thank you,” I said, not sure what else I could say to that. I’d expected to get chewed out, not complimented.

“By acting as you did,” Melyne continued, “you have earned me some consideration… points in the game. And by protecting Armestia’s champion as you did, when you might have benefitted more by letting her fall, you have reinforced our alliance. You have earned Armestia’s goodwill and my favor.”

Since I still didn’t know what to say to this, I nodded politely and took a sip of tea. This really was good stuff. “I’m glad it worked out then. I was a little worried that you’d be mad.”

“I cannot be angry at you for protecting one you care about,” Maelyne told me with an amused smile. “I understand the value of loyalty and the importance of protecting those you care about more than most of my kind.”

“I imagine you do,” I responded wryly. Then, since we were on the topic of protecting the people I cared about, I cautiously said, “Matt and Teri were wondering how they could get stronger…” I quickly added, “The armor was great, and it’s really helping, but they were hoping to get some weapons or more attribute points too…”

Maelyne nodded faintly, not looking at all offended like I feared she might. “Your companions do not earn credit in quite the same fashion or rate that you do. However, you should know that by the time you complete the next competition, they should have earned enough to receive both attribute points and weaponry.”

“Thank you,” I said again, knowing that Matt and Teri would be happy to hear this.

Maelyne’s expression darkened. “Be careful, my champion. Our opposition is moving in unexpected ways. Two of my kind…allies who are not even involved in the current games…have disappeared. And as you already well know, they are likely to come after you again as well. The sooner your companions are fully armed and prepared, the better you will all be.”

“Then you should be careful too,” I said. I had no idea of what Maelyne was really facing in her world, but I knew that she was worried about it.

“Thank you for your concern, my champion,” Maelyne told me with a faint smile, as though amused that I would be worried about her. “Until we speak again.”

I woke up in bed and groaned, wondering why all my visits with Maelyne had to end this way. Couldn’t she just drop me back into my normal dreams? Why did I have to wake up each time? Then I noticed that I had a popup.

YOU HAVE EARNED THE BLESSING OF MAELYNE, GODDESS OF PROTECTION AND LOYALTY.

MAELYNE’S BLESSING: 20% PROTECTION FROM ALL DAMAGE. WHILE PROTECTING OTHERS, SHIELD STRENGTH AND SHIELD DURATION ARE INCREASED BY 50%

I bolted upright in bed, now fully awake. I stared at this popup in stunned amazement, hardly able to believe what it said. According to this popup, I’d just become quite a bit more powerful, at least when it came to protecting my friends.

In spite of the popup, ‘Maelyne’s blessing’ wasn’t entirely new. It had already been on my ‘character sheet’, in the ‘gifts’ section. However, until now, it had all been greyed out, saying that I hadn’t met the conditions to use it. But now that I’d unlocked the gift, I knew exactly what the requirements had been. I’d had to earn Maelyne’s favor, which I’d done, ironically enough, by helping the competition.