#alliweller

My phone rings and I fumble as I try to take the tiny thing out of my purse.

"Chloe?" asked a familiar voice on the other end of the line. Atlas, one of my closest friends. "You ditched Intro Bio again. You can't afford to keep doing this."

"Yeah..." I muttered. "Uh... can you meet me on the roof of the life sciences building?" It was the tallest building on campus.

"Yeah. Why?" Atlas asked. "What happened?"

"I'm freaking the hell out and I'm fairly certain my parents are going to disown me," I said frantically as I spun around and bashed my wings on another air conditioner. I'm now thoroughly convinced they are multiplying, spawning.

"I'll be right up. Just don't do anything stupid," he said. Before hanging up.

Five minutes later the dark haired Atlas appeared on the roof and yelled, "Chloe? Are you alright?"

"No," I called from behind a big metal something or other. "Cause I'm pretty sure I woke up tonight as fucking Satan."

My dark complexion had turned pale. I'm pretty sure I grew like three inches since I went to sleep last night, and my eyes somehow changed color from green to a deep dark abyssal brown. Also I grew a red leathery tail and wings about thirty six feet wide if I stretched them.

"Ok, don't overexagg-" Atlas started, but stopped himself when he say me. "That's a good look for you Chloe."

"Really? That's all you have to say about it? I turned into a fucking demon and my parents are King and Queen of the Lynch Mob Prom," I yelled. I couldn't help it, my voice was just the latest thing to slip out of my control. I could feel my tail (who that is a weird sentence) whipping around in an attempt to relieve my anxiety.

Atlas gave me a knowing smile from beneath his long dark hair. "I know the feeling."

"That's right..." I muttered when I remembered that Atlas came out to his parents about his desire to transition from the girl he felt trapped as to the man he wanted to be. From what I had gathered, it didn't go well. For whatever reason it made my plight seem so much smaller.

"So can you fly?" Atlas asked me as he took a seat by me.

"Uh, I don't really want to test it."

The silence grew.

"What do you think you're parents are going to say?"

"I think most of it is going to center around the phrase 'get out'," I frowned. "I never agreed with their position, but fuck... they're my parents."

"I know. But if all else fails you can always stay with me. I'm sure between the two of us we can figure out a way to make rent," Atlas smiled. "Or we can start a kick ass crime fighting duo, go all vigilante."

"Oh man, nothing would piss off my parents more." I smiled at my friend. "So you don't think I'm evil or anything?"

"Do you have cloven hooves?"

I frowned but pulled of my shoes to check. I didn't know if anything else changed since I woke up with wings and a tail.

"Nope all good there. And what's your favorite animal?"

"A slow loris."

"No evil being would ever pick a slow loris as their favorite animal," Atlas said. "So you're fine to me, wings or no."

"Thanks," I said quietly. "Would you mind coming with me to see my parents? I don't think I could do it alone."

"You know that I would," Atlas answered instantly. "But...  uh... given their political leanings and my own special talents, I think a skype call would probably be the best bet. I'll still be there with you. But I think not being physically present might go better."

"That bad, huh?"

Atlas just shrugged.