The sunlight filtered through the half-open blinds, casting soft lines across the floor as I stretched out on the couch. The room smelled like coffee and leftover pizza—an odd but comforting blend. Bke was already up, pacing around the kitchen as she rummaged through the fridge. She wasn’t the type to lounge in the mornings, not like me. She had this quiet energy about her, like she was always on the move, even when she didn’t have anywhere to go.

  "You pnning to join the world anytime soon?" she called from the kitchen, her voice barely audible over the soft hum of the fridge.

  I yawned, pulling the bnket tighter around me. "Yeah, yeah. Just give me five minutes." It was early, but I was used to the routine. We both worked te most nights, so our mornings were usually slow—nothing fancy.

  Bke’s ugh echoed from the kitchen. "You say that every time."

  "Hey, at least I mean it this time," I teased, poking my head over the couch cushion to give her a zy grin.

  Bke was always quick with the retorts. "Right. And I’m going to start running marathons tomorrow."

  I rolled my eyes at the sarcasm in her voice. Bke was fit, always keeping active, always moving. Whereas I was more the chill, low-maintenance type. I loved to sleep in, spend hours watching movies, and the idea of running was as foreign to me as learning a new nguage.

  I pulled myself up from the couch and padded into the kitchen, grabbing a mug from the cabinet. "So, what’s on the agenda today? Or are we just going to waste the day away as usual?"

  Bke didn’t answer right away. Instead, she fixed a cup of coffee for herself, her back to me as she worked. "We could do something productive, if you wanted," she said, a little too casually.

  "Define productive," I replied, raising an eyebrow as I poured myself some coffee.

  She turned, leaning against the counter with that slight smirk of hers. "I mean, we could actually go grocery shopping. You know, like adults."

  I ughed, leaning back against the counter. "I’m pretty sure our version of ‘grocery shopping’ is grabbing whatever’s closest to the register and calling it a day."

  "Yeah, well, we’re out of cereal. So, technically, we do need to shop."

  I sighed dramatically. "Fine, I’ll get dressed. But you owe me coffee afterward."

  She snorted. "Deal. But only if you’re not wearing your pajamas to the store."

  I gave her a pointed look. "I’m not sure how I feel about the idea of ‘getting dressed’ at all."

  Bke rolled her eyes but didn’t argue further. I went into my dark room and started to pull myself together, tossing on the first thing I could find. A hoodie with a cow on the front and sweatpants. Simple, comfortable. That was my style. It also hid my gross body so that was a plus. I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my keys.

  “Cool. I’m good to go.” I said as I left my room.

  Bke deadpanned me. “You truly are a paragon of fashion.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Men's clothing looks like shit. Might as well go with whatever's comfortable.”

  I added. “Plus I barely see you in anything but shorts and a pin crop top.”

  Bke raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. "Uhuh. Well, someone has to set the bar low for fashion around here. It might as well be me." She gestured to my hoodie and sweatpants combo, still maintaining that dry, sarcastic tone.

  I gave her a pyfully exaggerated look of disbelief. "Right, because you're just killing it with the whole 'no effort' vibe."

  She shrugged. "Hey, shorts and a crop top? Cssic."

  "Sure, if the goal is 'five minutes of effort, tops,'" I shot back, tossing my keys into the air and catching them.

  Bke just shook her head, clearly amused. "You’re hopeless."

  I grinned, but there was a flicker of affection in my eyes. I didn’t mind the banter. It was our thing. She was the outgoing, always-on-the-go one, and I was, well, the opposite.

  “Then wear women's clothing if it's so much more interesting.” She smirked.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’d look terrible in them with my build.”

  Bke stared at me a bit loo long before shrugging. “Well let's go.”

  As we headed out the door, Bke flicked her phone screen and shoved it into her back pocket, barely paying attention as we locked up. "Ready to tackle the wild world of grocery stores?" she asked, winking at me.

  "Absolutely," I replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I can’t wait for the thrill of the self-checkout line."

  I hated going to the supermarket. Well, I hated going out in general. The idea of leaving my house, surrounded by strangers, was enough to make my skin crawl. I didn’t want to be seen—not just because of the social anxiety, but because, well… I was ugly. Or at least, that’s how I saw it. I was hairy in all the wrong pces, and my face was too sharp, too angur. Nothing about me was soft or feminine, nothing that made me feel at ease when I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror, which, I’ll admit, I avoided as much as possible.

  Why couldn’t I have been born cute?

  I always saw myself as the "before" picture, the awkward, unpolished version of what people wanted to be. People like Bke, who was effortlessly pretty and outgoing, with her sun-kissed skin and that effortlessly cool vibe. She could walk into any room and immediately make an impression, while I was always in the back, hanging back, too nervous to speak up.

  But at least I had Bke. She’d been by my side since kindergarten, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her. Our parents were neighbors, so we spent practically every day together growing up. We were two completely different people—like oil and water, I guess—but we just clicked. She was the sporty, outgoing one, always at the center of attention, while I was the nerdy shut-in, buried in books or buried in the fantasy worlds of movies and games.

  She was popur. Hell, she was universally liked at uni. Everyone knew her, everyone loved her. And if someone didn’t, I had a feeling they didn’t stick around for long. If Bke didn’t like you, it was like you were officially on the social bcklist, and I guess I liked to imagine that made me special. That she chose me, even if I was the complete opposite of everything she was.

  Sometimes I didn’t get it—why she spent so much time with me. I was boring compared to her, a shut-in who could only talk about movies, books, or video games. Not exactly the kind of stuff that got you invited to parties or made you the life of the crowd.

  But at least she listened. She’d always humor me when I started going off about Warhammer or some other geeky obsession of mine, nodding along, sometimes even chiming in with her own comments—totally out of her element, but always supportive. That’s Bke for you: always willing to put up with my rants and ramblings, even though I knew she’d probably rather be out running or socializing.

  And fuck I had the biggest crush on her.

  For years I pined after her but I was always too timid to ask her out. Then she came out as lesbian and that was pretty much all my hopes.. Well, crushed.

  I still valued our friendship greatly though. So I kept it to myself.

  The supermarket was always the same routine. We went in, grabbed whatever we needed, and decided on dinner on the fly. It wasn’t an exciting trip, but it was easy. We got in, got out, and got back home. The whole process always felt more bearable with Bke by my side, as if her presence somehow made everything more tolerable.

  “Wanna grab something to eat before we head back? My treat since you paid for the food st night,” Bke asked, casually tossing me a gnce as we drove back from the store.

  I didn’t even think about it. “Sushi.”

  Bke’s eyes flicked to me for a split second before she rolled her eyes, a light ugh bubbling up from her. “Uh-huh. I should’ve asked, ‘Do you want me to get you sushi, or do we go home?’ instead.”

  I didn’t take my eyes off the road as I smirked. “You knew the answer. You knew what would happen.”

  “Well, good thing I like it, because you eat enough to feed a family of twelve,” she teased, a grin creeping into her voice. “But I’m not paying that much.”

  I leaned back, already anticipating the meal ahead. “Fine, fine… I’ll just buy more if I’m not satisfied after.”

  We pulled into the parking lot and headed into the sushi pce. We didn’t need to talk much to figure out what I was getting—it was the same every time. I was practically on autopilot as we lined up, the familiar sights and sounds of the shop making me feel at ease.

  I grabbed my box and started filling it with the usual—salmon rolls. But I didn’t fill it all the way. That space was the most important part. I moved down the line, my eyes lighting up when I saw the grilled prawn nigiri. I practically loaded up on it. The tender, smoky prawn with the hint of char was unbeatable. In my eyes, no other food on Earth could rival it.

  We grabbed a seat at one of the tables, chopsticks in hand, ready to dive in. I was halfway through a roll when I saw Bke swipe her phone. She probably had a notification from one of her hundreds of friends. I wasn’t surprised—her phone was always blowing up.

  I giggled as I picked up another piece of nigiri, savoring it before I spoke.

  “You are so cute when you get excited for that.”

  I froze for a second, then immediately felt my cheeks heat up. I scoffed, trying to hide my embarrassment. “I’m not cute, and this,” I held up a piece of nigiri, “this is the greatest food ever devised.”

  “You are a total slut for it,” Bke teased, her voice light but carrying a hint of amusement.

  I blushed furiously, feeling heat rush to my cheeks. I ughed it off, trying to shrug away the embarrassment. “Totally,” I said, trying to act nonchant as I popped another piece of nigiri into my mouth.

  Bke, still grinning, went back to her phone, her fingers tapping away quickly. But after a few seconds, her smile faded, and her brow furrowed. I could tell something was bothering her.

  “B, you all good?” I asked, concern creeping into my voice as I took another mouthful of sushi.

  She didn’t respond immediately, too focused on whatever she was reading on her phone. After a few seconds, she sighed and looked up at me. “Yeah, gimme a sec. I just gotta verify something.”

  I shrugged and pulled out my own phone, scrolling through a few memes to pass the time while I continued eating.

  It wasn’t until I was finished with my meal that I noticed Bke was still barely halfway through hers. She was staring intently at her phone now, her expression deepening into something more serious.

  I leaned forward, frowning. “Serious, B, are you okay?”

  Bke waved me off, but I could tell something was wrong. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, but her voice cked the usual confidence. “Just got linked an article that was batshit insane, but from a reputable paper. I wanted to look into it further to make sure it was real.”

  I was curious now. “What’s going on?”

  Bke hesitated for a moment before she spoke, her voice lower than usual. “Magic, apparently.”

  “Yeah, but seriously?” I asked, trying to piece together what she meant.

  “That was serious,” she repeated, nodding as she swiped through her phone. “Some college guy over in France apparently got surrounded by some glowing mist, and the next day he was turned into a part man, part tiger person.”

  I blinked at her, feeling my jaw go sck. “You are bullshitting me,” I said, not believing a word of it.

  Bke gave me an exasperated look and shook her head. “Yeah, nah, that’s why I looked into it. There’s a video, and unless CGI is suddenly twenty years in the future and several news stations from different countries are all bullshitting each other, it’s real.” She flicked through her phone again, tapping quickly. “It’s happened to a few more people too. One person is apparently now part unicorn, another is part dog. It’s random and all over the pce.”

  I stared at her, trying to wrap my mind around what she was saying. “Wait, so… magic? Like real, actual magic? Like, people getting turned into… animals?” My voice was a mix of disbelief and genuine curiosity.

  “Part animals. And maybe it’s just some... weird military experiment that got out? Might not be magic,” Bke said, her voice tinged with doubt, though her eyes were still glued to her phone.

  I gave her a skeptical look. “Got any links?” I asked, still processing the absurdity of it all.

  Bke didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I’ll send a few your way.” She quickly thumbed through her phone and shot me a message.

  I opened up the links as soon as I got them, scrolling through article after article, most of them in different nguages, but all with simir headlines: "Mystical Transformations." "Scientists baffled by human-animal hybrids." Some articles even had ominous subtitles like “The Dawn of a New Era?” or “Is This the End of Humanity?” the one with the tiger guy had an accompanying video where he was showing him moving his tail and how he had inhuman hands with retractable cws.

  One of the links led me to a video from a Brazilian woman who had been transformed into a creature I could barely recognize. Her legs were gone, repced by a long, serpentine tail that flicked and coiled beneath her as she moved. She was slithering, almost gracefully, but her face—her expression—was one of pure shock and fear.

  “This woman ft-out just became a mia. Look.” I flipped my phone around and pyed the video for Bke to see. She watched it for a few moments, eyes narrowed, before gncing back up at me.

  “I can’t understand a word they’re saying,” I muttered as the video pyed in its entirety, but Bke just nodded.

  “Yeah. Fucking wild,” she said, her voice full of disbelief but ced with a strange excitement.

  I sat there in stunned silence for a few moments, the realization sinking in that this wasn’t some random hoax or prank. These transformations were real. The evidence was right in front of me.

  “Well, as world-shattering as this is,” I said, forcing myself to focus on something practical, “we got cold stuff that needs to go in the fridge. Let's freak out about this after we get home.”

  Bke let out a short ugh, shaking her head. “That’s our schedule for today, I guess. Avery, clear my appointments. Apparently, magic is real.”

  I gave her a mock salute, grinning. “Yes, ma’am!” I said, pying along.

  We wrapped up our meal, quickly packed up the leftovers, and made our way back to the car. The ride home was a blur of thoughts and questions, my mind bouncing between disbelief and excitement. What if this was all true? What if magic really existed? What if I could become part of this strange new world?

  Once we got home, we put away the groceries in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. But once everything was neatly stored, we let out a collective exhale.

  Bke grabbed a seat on the couch, phone still in hand, and threw me a look. “Alright, we’re home. Time to freak out.”

  I didn’t need any more encouragement. I flopped onto the couch beside her, eyes wide with the same excitement and apprehension that had been building all day. “This is insane. I can’t even—how is this possible? Is it actually magic? Like, real, actual magic?”

  Bke shrugged, setting her phone down with a thoughtful expression. “Honestly, I have no clue. But that video looked way too real. And the fact that this is happening to more people... it's like the start of some kind of shift, right? Something bigger is going on here.”

  I nodded slowly. “Yeah, but what? I mean, if this is real, what’s next? Are people just gonna keep changing? Is this some government experiment gone wrong or—”

  Bke held up her hand, cutting me off. “Yeah, that’s what I’m trying to figure out. There are no clear answers right now, and the articles are all over the pce. Some think it’s some crazy scientific accident, some think it’s magic, but nothing really fits.”

  “Well, how the hell are we supposed to process this?” I muttered, rubbing my eyes. “I can’t wrap my head around it. One minute, everything’s normal, and the next... people are turning into mythical creatures?”

  “It’s kinda cool though? What do you think I would be if it happened to me?” Bke asked, her voice light and almost pyful, as if she was trying to make sense of the chaos.

  I scratched at my fuzzy chin, thinking for a moment, considering the possibilities. "Probably something like a crocodile, or a komodo dragon," I said, shrugging as if the thought had just popped into my head.

  Bke blinked, her eyes wide in mock surprise. "Lol, why?" she asked, clearly amused by the suggestion.

  I leaned back, half-grinning. "Well, you've got that tough, confident vibe, right? Crocodiles are like... the tough guys of the animal world, just lurking around and looking like they could kill you with a gnce. And komodo dragons? They act like they own the pce, chilling, and then bam, strike when no one’s expecting it.”

  Bke stared at me for a beat, then burst out ughing. "Wow, that’s cold, but kinda fair," she admitted between giggles. "I mean, I do like to think I have a bit of a bite to me."

  I nodded, trying to keep a straight face. "Exactly. Plus, you'd have the option of chilling in the sun all day, just like those creatures do. Sounds like your vibe."

  Bke’s grin widened, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she leaned back in her seat. "I like the sound of that," she said, her voice taking on a slightly quieter, almost conspiratorial tone—as if she were picturing herself as some kind of predatory powerhouse in a world where she could become anything she wanted. "But I know what you would turn into."

  I raised an eyebrow, a little intrigued. "Oh?" I asked, half-ughing, already bracing myself for whatever wild idea she had in mind.

  Bke didn't hesitate, her smirk growing as she leaned forward slightly, her gaze locking with mine. "Cow," she said, matter-of-factly. "Can't be anything else."

  I blinked, feeling a little taken aback. "A cow?" I repeated, unsure whether to be offended or amused. "What do you mean, a cow?"

  She leaned back, looking far too pleased with herself. "Oh, come on. You’ve got cow plushies on your bed, for starters. And your hoodie literally has a cow on it. Not to mention, whenever we go out to the countryside, you point out every single herd of cows like it’s some national treasure. You’re obsessed."

  I felt my face heat up, a bit of embarrassment creeping in. “I—uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I coughed, looking away, but I couldn’t hide the blush spreading across my cheeks. "They're just... cute, okay? I like cows. What's wrong with that?"

  Bke's grin widened, and she rolled her eyes. "Please. It's so obvious. You’re practically a cow fangirl. You’d turn into one, no question."

  I squirmed in my seat a little, feeling the heat in my cheeks intensify. "Well, you know what? If I turned into a cow, I’d at least be a really chill one. Just hanging out, chewing grass, having a peaceful life without a care in the world. Maybe my owners could be a couple of lesbians owning a farm and they just have me and another cow as pets, living the life."

  Bke burst out ughing, and I shot her a half-hearted gre. "I bet you’d be the kind of cow that just lounges around in a field all day. Just... peacefully existing while people stare at you and point. They’d probably take pictures of you, too."

  I crossed my arms, trying to feign annoyance. "Okay, maybe. But I’d be the coolest cow. I’d make people envy my chill vibes."

  Bke chuckled, clearly enjoying herself. "Sure, sure. You’d be the epitome of rexation, just like how you are now—never in a rush, always taking your sweet time with everything. A perfect cow."

  That did something to me that I wasn’t expecting. My heart fluttered, and for a moment, everything around me seemed to blur out of focus. I wasn’t sure what it was about the way she said it—the pyful teasing in her voice, or maybe the way her eyes locked with mine, making it feel like she was saying something more than just a joke. Whatever it was, it left a warm sensation in my chest that I wasn’t used to.

  I quickly looked away, my cheeks burning hot. I could feel the heat creeping up from my neck, flushing my face. My gaze darted to anything but her—anywhere else, anywhere safe. The words I'd been meaning to say stuck in my throat, and I could hear my heart pounding louder, as if it were trying to escape from my chest.

  I tried to brush it off, pretending like I hadn’t just felt that weird flutter of emotion. I cleared my throat and mumbled something, anything, to distract myself. “S-Stop messing with me,” I said, my voice a little shaky, trying to cover up how I felt. “You know I can’t handle your teasing.”

  But the truth was, I couldn’t handle it. Not in the way she probably thought. The way she looked at me, like she was actually seeing me, not just the quiet, awkward mess I usually was, made everything feel a little too intense. A little too real.

  “I’d stop, but you make it too easy, and you’re adorable when you blush.”

  I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could get a word out, a strange sensation washed over me. Suddenly, the air felt thick, like something was shifting in the atmosphere, and before either of us could fully react, we were both engulfed in a swirling, glowing blue mist.

  SupernovaSymphony