Danny Rushes Home

Danny’s legs burned as she sprinted down the darkened street, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The unfamiliar weight of her new body threw her off balance, her hips swayed, her chest bounced with each frantic step. Men whistled as she ran past. She nearly tripped over her own heels, cursing as she kicked them off and kept running barefoot. The cold pavement stung her soles, but she didn’t slow down.

Danny’s bare feet slapped against the pavement as she rounded the corner of her street, her lungs burning. The street lights flickered overhead as she fumbled for her keys, her hands shaking so badly she dropped them twice. Finally, she wrenched the door open and stumbled inside, slamming it shut behind her.

Her father watched in amazement as an 18 year old woman stood in his hallway, instead of his 18 year old son. Danny’s father blinked, his newspaper slipping from his fingers as he took in the unfamiliar blonde woman standing before him. Her breath came in sharp, panicked gasps, her borrowed clothes disheveled from the chase.

“D,Danny?” His voice cracked, disbelief warring with paternal instinct as he stepped forward. Danny’s father reached out, his calloused hands hovering uncertainly before gripping her shoulders. His eyes, wide with shock,scanned her face, searching for any trace of his son beneath the unfamiliar curves and soft features.

“Danny?” he repeated, voice rough. “What the hell happened?”

She opened her mouth, but the words tangled in her throat. Her pulse hammered against his palms where they pressed into her skin. The scent of cheap beer and Jack’s blood still clung to her, mixing with the sharp, floral perfume of this stolen body.

Danny’s breath hitched as the realization slammed into her. Sam.

Her father’s grip tightened as she jerked forward, panic flaring in her chest. “Wewe have to go,” she gasped, her voice higher, unfamiliar even to her own ears. “Sam’s out there with some guy,Aaron, he took her, and she doesn’t even know him!"

Her father’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening. “Slow down,” he ordered, but Danny was already wrenching free, stumbling toward the door.

“No, now!” Her bare foot caught on the rug, sending her crashing into the wall. Pain shot up her arm, but she barely registered it. Danny’s knees buckled as the adrenaline drained from her body, leaving her trembling. The hallway tilted, the walls pressing in as her vision blurred. She barely registered her father’s arms catching her before she hit the floor.

“Jesus Christ!” His voice was muffled, distant, as he lowered her onto the rug. Her breath came in shallow, uneven gasps, fingers clawing at the carpet as if she could dig her way back to sanity. "I shouldn't have given him the damn thing."