=====
Mendi-chanMarcus clasps tightly to the stone, and immediately sees nothing but darkness around him. His own body is perfectly visible somehow, as he drifts in an ocean of blackness. He can barely register the notion that his body is being moved, someone carrying him somewhere. The stone is gone, and in its place is a small ball of light, dancing in his cupped hands. It's brighter than anything he's ever seen, and yet it doesn't hurt his eyes at all.
The ball of light dances, shining brightly against him and casting shadows against the deepest darkness. It's soothing and warm against his skin, like a beautiful summer's day. The light moves and washes over him, curving around him... curving him. His arms and legs look and feel more slender, his frame compresses dramatically to something much less intimidating. That warm light keeps washing at his skin, leaving it smooth and clear of blemishes. The ball seems so much larger now, but he knows full well it is because his hands are more slender, and he is so much smaller. And yet, all of it still feels so comforting and right. The ball dances more energetically, and now he sees pictures moving in the light.
The pictures move faster and faster, the light dancing and playing across his eyes and inside his mind. They begin to play memories of all sorts across his mind, until the dance changes and a different set of memories cuts in. In these memories, he is not Marcus Edelston, but rather Teresa Finucci. With the flutter of each new memory, she becomes that much more familiar with herself, both mind and body. She recalls being slow to make friends in school, but being very close with the friends she did make. Her hair dribbles down past her shoulders as her face softens into a heart shape. She remembers long hours studying, engrossed in her learning in school... only every now and then breaking away to try on clothes with her friends. Her clothing shines, forming into her old high school uniform she cherishes. She also remembers moving to a new town, going to a community college to try being more social, and signing up for the boarding house as an extension of that. She feels her body take on soft curves, swelling in both her hips and bust.
These new memories are vivid and insistent, but everything about her former self is still there. The old memories seem more dim... her old name especially. The large, muscular form in those memories seems awkward compared to her smaller, more delicate self. Of course, she knows well how to handle and take care of herself. She would be a sorry excuse for a young college woman if she didn't. The ball of light bursts...
And
Teresa stands in front of the boarding house with a rolling suitcase in tow.
"Well, you'll have plenty of time to live in a van down by the river, when you're living...in a van down by the river!" --Matt Foley, motivational speaker