I would highly suggest reading the first story before this one, but either way I hope you enjoy it!
A young couple had just left "Full Tilt! Pinball and Ice Cream Shoppe" after spending the better part of a Saturday there and had now begun their short walk back home. Night was beginning to fall upon this once warm, beautiful summer day, giving way to a clear, but still relatively comfortable starry night.
It was Alex and Amber's go to place throughout the year. It was something they had done since they were younger. Having lived next to each other nearly their whole lives, they became fast friends from before they entered Elementary school and had been attached at the hip ever since. They didn't much care for anything overly physical like swimming or hiking partially because the duo both had a fairly serious case of asthma. But they also didn't like camping or partying like many other teenagers did during the warm months of summer. They simply preferred being indoors but even more so loved the arcade... So much so that they could, and had spent whole days there playing video games on numerous occasions. They knew the staff on a first name basis and vice versa. They had made a pact to spend as much time together before they both had to leave for college on opposite sides of the U.S. whether it be at the arcade or at one of their homes either playing games, reading comics or watching tv with alot of cuddling included.
"I just don't understand it baby... I play just as much as you do, yet you're leagues above me..." Alex said defeatedly.
His girlfriend's pale greyish-blue eyes flashed behind her thick framed glasses as she winked and stuck her tongue out ever so slightly to the side like in some of the animes that they had seen over the years. She brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her eyes with her pudgy fingers that were tipped with unpolished, jagged finger nails from a bad chewing habit. "What can I say... I'm just a natural at it."
Alex had to admit, while Amber wasn't beautiful or even cute by most people's standards, he couldn't help but be drawn to the redheads casual, uncaring appearance. She was considerably heavy weighing in around two hundred and forty pounds that was packed into her five foot tall frame. What was most important to him however, was her care free and loving personality. She didn't much care about what people thought of her and it reflected in how she presented herself.
Her attire very much matched her average looks in they were typically less than fashionable as she dressed more for comfort than anything. Today was no exception. She was wearing a black, baggy, long sleeved Zelda hoodie that covered anything even remotely enticing and hugged her pudgy belly that stuck out a handful of inches past her saggy C cup breasts. For her bottom half she wore a flowing calf length vicose skirt with an elastic waistband that did little to disguise her enlarged derriere or thick thighs. To finish off her look, she wore old weathered converses on her feet with white calf socks.
Her lackadaisical attitude towards her appearance often made her a target of ridicule for the more popular girls at their high school yet she always shrugged it off. She knew she wasn't as beautiful in the standard sense, but she had Alex and her whole future set out before her. She was sure most of the queen bee's of the school would most likely peak in high school and then eventually work in a dead end job for people like herself.
"Hey, would you mind slowing down a bit? My thighs are beginning to chafe..." Amber whined as she continued to waddle down the street by her boyfriend's side.
Amber had shoulder length, frizzy, bright red hair and ghostly pale skin with a countless amount of freckles and a smattering of acne. She had everything that a textbook nerd would in a bulbous nose, bushy eyebrows, thin lips, a full double chin and an absence of makeup on her rounded face which did her no favors. She would never be anybody's secret crush or win a beauty pageant, but she didn't care. She had Alex and that was all that mattered.
But Alex loved her nomatter what she looked like, nomatter how big she got. He loved her, mind and soul most of all. She had a very playful way about herself, was sharp as a tack and was truly his best friend for the last thirteen or fourteen years. The duo had become more serious as they entered freshmen year of high school and had been an item ever since.
"Well... at least I came close to your score on DigDug! Maybe I can top your score on that tomorrow! At least I'd have something to gloat about!"
The red haired girl smirked as she looked up at her chubby boyfriend that stood a good seven inches taller than herself yet still weighed twenty pounds less than herself. It was like they had been made for each other. He was cute in all of his imperfections. His thin framed glasses, his round face with a smattering of acne, his unkempt hair, his chubby untoned extremities, even his case of asthma just like she had... She gently smacked him with the cardboard pizza box that housed a few leftover slices of pepperoni pie that would most likely not make it through the night. "Not a chance! You played it for a solid hour and the best you could do was twenty thousand shy of my score! Just admit that I'm a superior gamer!"
Alex simply chuckled. "Well we will see whose feeling superior after tomorrow, won't we?"
"We shall. But loser buys lunch so you better have some money with you." Amber grinned.
As they entered Amber's house, they were greeted by Amber's mom and younger sister who were seated in the living room watching episodes of some teenage vampire drama.
As a commercial interrupted their show, Amber's mom rose from the sofa with a small grunt.
Alex could see where Amber had inherited her short, pear shaped stature from. Her mom was the epitome of someome who would be considered as "bottom heavy" or a "short stack".
Her younger sister Rebecca was sixteen but an almost polar opposite to the pudgy Amber, but was likewise "vertically challenged", standing only an inch taller than her older sister. However she was quite slim when compared to Amber weighing only half as much and any of her excess heft had gone to both the chest and ass region giving her a well developed hourglass figure and she dressed in high quality revealing outfits to showcase it.
"Hey you two! Did you have fun at the arcade?" Her mom warmly asked.
"Yup! Alex is still inferior to me in every way, shape and form."
"Yeah... except height." Alex grinned.
"Heeeey no fair!" Amber said playfully nudging her boyfriend in his padded ribs with her pudgy elbow.
"Yeah... and weight..." Rebecca mumbled quietly enough for no one to hear.
Her mom's smile faded to a somber one. "You guys are so cute together... I just can't imagine what you'll do without eachother next year..."
Alex quickly answered. "Oh we'll figure it out. I mean, we'll be able to video chat and then or course see eachother when we come home for holidays and what not."
"Yeah, I'm not worried. Alex knows how lucky he is." Amber said smirking.
"Lucky to be dating a whale?" Rebecca said under her breath.
Amber's mom nodded seeming satisfied with their responses, a small well of tears began forming in her eyelids. "Dad would be so proud of you... his little Bambi... I miss him so much..."
Amber looked at the elegant bracelet wrapped around her thick wrist that her dad had given her for her sixteenth birthday. Only a few months before the unexpected heart attack that had cut his life exceptionally short at the young age of forty.
Her eyes began filling with tears as well. "I miss him too mom... every day..."
Amber and her mother joined in a hug, their fleshy breasts and bellies squishing together completely closing the gap between them.
Rebecca rolled her eyes noticing her mother's arms couldn't reach all the way around her rotund daughter.
Beneath Amber's calm exterior, she was legitimately freaked out about being away from her boyfriend for so long. She had heard the stories about long distance relationships. He may have been a tad on the short side and about as dorky as a boy could be; what with his messy hair, glasses and pudgy build all wrapped in unstylish clothing, but Amber knew that as soon as a girl discovered just how sweet and caring he could be, that she would try and steal him away.
They had begun dating a few months after her father had died. After his passing, Amber wanted him by her side practically twenty-four seven. He would typically sleep on the floor in a sleeping bag. Naturally, they became closer over time. The turning point came when Amber had had a nightmare in her sleep and invited him into her bed so he could keep her safe. They had fallen asleep cuddled in each other's arms and since then Alex had been as loving and supportive as anybody could be.
Alex's calm disposition was likewise a facade, hiding the fear and uncertainty that he was currently experiencing over the impending departure from his love. "Maybe I could still change schools?? No... that's preposterous..." He would just have to tough it out...
He looked at his girlfriend wishing that they never had to part. The four plus years that they had spent together as a couple had been nothing short of amazing and they had practically never been apart for longer than a week. That week was from a family vacation that Alex had been forced to go on, yet they face-timed nearly non stop to the point that Alex's parents had threatened to take his phone away. So they resorted to texting instead. It felt like the longest week either one of them had ever had to endure.
It wasn't going to be easy being away at college...
She was headed to Boston University as an aspiring author. She had always had an affinity for reading and creative writing having written many fictional and fan-fic stories that Alex simply loved to read. She had even taken to posting her stories online and received rave reviews. It was nothing new to her, seeing as the majority of her writing based teachers loved her work, often using her's as an example of what they wanted the rest of the student body to follow. She had a special gift with words making each sentence flow like poetry. So she decided to further hone her skills so she could hopefully have a career doing what she loved.
Alex's specialty was with numbers and art so he wanted to pursue a career in architecture. Alex and Amber had spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours playing creative mode in Minecraft and Alex was always the one to excel in fabricating complicated, elegant castles. Any time away from Amber he spent building intricate models and drawing whatever came to his mind. He was headed to California or more specifically UCLA.
Amber shook the painful reminder from her head. "Well, we're going to head up to my room and play some games."
"Okay sweetie. You two have fun!"
"We always do." Amber said, her eyes focusing in on Alex.
As Amber guided Alex up the stairs towards her room, he couldn't help but look on at her thick derriere that was shifting back and forth beneath the skirts thin fabric. He could also distinctly hear her meaty thighs rubbing together as she waddled up the stairs and felt his member stiffen.
As they entered her room, Alex was reminded as to just how perfect of a girl Amber was for someone like him. It was an honest to god paradise.
The room itself was a bit of a pigsty, opened bags of chips, empty food containers and soda cans rested on her nightstand with numerous miscellaneous articles of clothing scattered about the room leading to her overflowing laundry basket. Along one wall Amber had a sizeable bookshelf packed full with comic books or "graphic novels" and many leather-bound books. Another equally sizeable bookself rested along side it that held an assortment of action figures and movie memorabilia, Star Wars themed models like the X-Wing, Tie Fighter, a full size replica lightsaber and Wonder Woman's Lasso Of Truth were just a few honorable mentions.
Alex felt like the luckiest guy on Earth. Amber was practically an encyclopedia on anything Star Wars, DC or Marvel related. She was even well versed on more obscure subjects
On her walls it was much the same type of decor in framed posters and pictures. One in particular was the "prized jewel" of her collection sitting in the very center of a wall. A full sized and framed "The Empire Strikes Back" original print movie poster signed by a vast majority of the cast and George Lucas himself. A gift given to her by her mom for having graduated with a perfect GPA with honors.
Above her bed sat a large hand painted sign with the nickname her dad had always called her. "Bambi". Below that were many photos of her, her family and her father. But there was a fair smattering of photos of both Alex and herself during their many happy years together as well. She had ones from before they became an actual couple as well dating all the way back to when they were little kids.
Anyone looking at the pictures from four plus years ago would see a completely different Amber as she hadn't always been so large, most would've even considered her "slim" back then. But after her father had died, anyone could clearly see a certifiable shift in Amber swiftly inflating from someone who was nearly identical in size to her younger sister to her now considerably heftier self as the photos progressed towards where they were now with her being nearly double her starting weight. It hit Amber hardest as she was a definite daddy's girl where her sister was most definitely attached to her mother. Amber found comfort in food which only seemed to increase with every passing year to try and fill the void her dad had left.
Amber looked at the photos each and every day. Her dad was her best friend and when he passed, Alex tried to fill his shoes and had been fairly successful in his attempts.
They had photos from their many adventures together. The time they had visited Disney Land in California, from the couple standing in front of a movie theater before every new Marvel, DC, or Lucas Films premiere, from Halloween when they dressed up as Princess Leia and Han Solo, Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, Catwoman and Batman, the list went on.
Throughout the rest of her room sat her unmade queen sized bed that was packed with stuffed animals. A stuffed Baby Groot, Rocket, Pikachu and a Totoro just to name a few. Opposite of that sat her sixty inch flat screen mounted on the wall with a tv stand resting below it holding multiple gaming consoles and her over powered computer which also served as her gaming computer.
As Alex laid down upon the bed, Amber quickly went to her dresser, shimmied out of her skirt and hoodie leaving her in just her plain white bra and panties. Cellulite, rolls and stretch marks were out for her boyfriend's hungry eyes to feast on.
Alex took her bloated form in all of it's nearly naked glory. He honestly loved the way she looked and the way she felt when they cuddled. He always knew he preferred a bit more of a "feminine" form, but he didn't realize how true it really was until he began watching Amber's body bloom right before him. He may have even absentmindedly helped her along with her gain. Taking her out to restaurants, having weekly pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in bed as they cuddled and watched tv, bringing her candy and chocolate, it all helped her growing waistline along. She only seemed to become more beautiful with every added pound in his eyes.
Amber could practically feel his eyes burning into the back of her head and turned around to catch him taking her in. It certainly wasn't the first time she had caught him staring. She loved the attention, yet reflexively flinched, attempting to cover both tiers of her spongy belly that covered her crotch on it's own.
"What are you looking at?" Amber said nervously smirking.
"Oh just one of the most beautiful girls I've ever laid eyes on."
Amber gently smiled at his sweet compliment as she dug around her dresser and found some baggy Wonder Woman pyjama pants and an XL simple black tank top. Well... the pyjama pants were baggy fifteen pounds ago and now they were getting quite snug and the tank top typically left the lower roll of her belly out in the open.
"Ooof these are getting tight. I need to buy some new clothes." Amber casually remarked.
Alex took in the sight of his girlfriend struggling to put on her bedtime wear before him. It drove him wild. "Oh they look great sweetheart." He said trying to be supportive but knew she was right.
"Oh stop buttering me up mister." She said laying down on her side next to him on the bed propping her head up with her plump little hand.
She looked at the tent in his pants and blushed just a bit.
"Hmmm someone is a bit excited." Amber purred while bringing a hand to his crotch.
"Something on your mind?" Alex asked smirking.
"Hmmm... maybe." She said as she began to unzip his fly.
This was nothing new to the couple. When they had first started dating, they were both virgins. They had first made love a few months into their relationship, and while most people had embarassing and awkward first times, theirs was anything but. Sure they had funny moments where they'd both laugh but it was something they'd never forget. Ever since then their sex life had been insatiable and had only become more so as time went on.
Amber had slid Alex's jeans and boxers down past his thighs to release his member and she had likewise slid her pyjamas and underwear off after a bit of a struggle, her slit already wet with anticipation. She straddled him just hovering above his painfully hard erection and began sliding down...
Suddenly a loud bang echoed through the room as smoke began materializing out of thin air and a small green skinned creature stepped forth into their plane of existence.
His visage was utterly unsettling. He had a large, hooked nose covered in warts set between two beady glowing eyes with a mouthful of sharpened yellow fangs resting below it in a sickening grin. He dressed as a small upscale man would wearing a blue wide brimmed satin top hat with a matching suit.
Alex and Amber quickly grabbed onto each other in a startled embrace.
The couple sat there in stunned silence until the four foot tall man spoke up.
"Ummm... ermmm... can you do me a favor and cover yourselves?" He asked looking away for a moment.
Amber and Alex realized that they were currently indisposed and quickly slid their clothes back on returning to a seated position on the bed. Amber's rotund belly flooded out beneath the bottom hem of her shirt and had pooled in her lap.
"Wh-who are you??" Alex questioned, his lips trembling as he fastened the button on his jeans and laid back down on the bed.
The creepy creature chuckled. "Why, I am the "Adjuster Of Attraction" of course but you can call me Mr. Quill. I'll explain what I'm doing here if you promise me that both you Alex, and you Amber will stay calm." He said motioning to the two of them.
They both nodded quickly not even questioning how he knew their names. It was one of a thousand questions currently running through their minds.
Mr. Quill cleared his throat as he seated himself upon a step stool that had materialized out of thin air. "I've been sent here to even out the ratio of beautiful people and unattractive people. Fortunately for you my dear Amber... You have been chosen for some improvements." He said pointing at her.
"What kind of improvements?" Amber shakily replied.
"Well basically anything you want. You want to be taller? Thinner? Be more fashionable or have larger breasts? Consider it done! However, once a change has been made, it can't be undone unless another alteration causes it to change..."
Amber's eyes shifted nervously between her boyfriend and the stranger before them. "Ummm well okay... that's a good thing I guess... right??"
Mr. Quill nodded. "Well... depnding on your choices it can go either way... But it will most likely be bad for your boyfriend here I'm afraid..."
"Well why is that?!?" Alex asked defensively.
"Well because any changes I make to your girlfriend will effect reality. If she becomes someone who wouldn't date someone of your... *ahem* social standing, then I'm afraid there's nothing you'll be able to do about it."
Amber was quickly beginning to cry. "Well pick someone else then! I don't want to lose my boyfriend nomatter what I could gain!" She said gripping her boyfriend even tighter.
Mr. Quill frowned. "I'm afraid that once your name has been picked, it cannot be undone..."
A torrent of tears began to pour from Amber's eyes. "No... no... no... this can't be happening!!"
"Shhh... shhhh... it'll be okay hun I promise."
The goblin produced a large semi transparent bar graph out of thin air that showed the overall "female attractive percentile" of the world and a large green line was drawn across the top with a large green number "80% AVERAGE" above the line with a bar completely shaded in red rested at "79.9%" Below that, it showed all of Amber's stats and information.
Amber Parker
Age: 18
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 242 pounds
Breast size: 44C
Eye color: Grey/blue
Hair color: Faded red
Intelligence Quotient: Extremely High (135)
Medical conditions: Depression, anxiety, asthma
Interests: video games, television, food, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, DC, Anime, comics, books, creative writing, history, science, arts & crafts, cuddling, sex...
"So as you can see the average to keep is eighty percent and we're at seventy nine point nine percent."
Amber's somber disposition improved slightly as she did the math in her mind. "Well... one tenth of a percent isn't much to make up is it??!?"
"Well... I'm afraid that point one percent is quite alot when putting into account all of the other women on Earth..."
"So... why are you having to do this?? I mean it's not like it'll be the end of the world if the "female attractive percentile" isn't exactly on point right??" Alex asked.
"Well... I can tell you that it DOES in fact have an effect on existence as we know it! If there are too many attractive people or too many unattractive people on Earth, it can be thrown into complete chaos!"
"This can't be real..."
"Remember hearing about "The Black Death" plague in 1346 or "The Influenza pandemic" in 1918?? All causes from situations such as this..."
Amber's eyes froze in fear at the realization that he may actually be telling the truth. She had given a book report on the world's most deadly pandemics which of course she got an A on.
But not Alex. He still had a look of doubt about him. "I still don't fully believe you..."
Mr. Quill scratched his pointed chin with irritation. "Well okay... Amber, tell me something about your appearance that you've always wanted to change. Now nothing big to begin with. Let's start out small..."
Amber hesitatingly answered. "Well... I've always hated how bushy my eyebrows are..."
"Okay, consider it done!"
Mr. Quill snapped his fingers and right before their very eyes, small wafts of fine hair began falling from Amber's eyebrows as they thinned and reshaped themselves into perfectly formed arches.
"You will never need to do any sort of work to them. They will remain as they are now until the end of your days." Mr. Quill added as he handed her a small, ornate mirror.
"Wow... that is incredible!" Amber said as she looked at her newly reshaped eyebrows in the mirrors reflection.
"Still don't believe me? Take a look at the photos of you up on your wall. I'll wait..."
The duo looked up at the photos on the wall and couldn't believe it. It was such a small difference yet carried such a substantial weight behind it.
The graph beeped and flashed green yet the 79.9 percentage remained unaltered.
Alex couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. As he finished processing what this so called "Mr. Quill" was telling them was the truth he immediately changed his tone.
"Okay... tell us what we need to do!" Alex said excitedly.
"Well... now hold on son... I'm afraid that there is one more very important detail that I've left out til now... possibly the most important one of all..." The goblin added.
"What is it?" Alex said raising his eyebrows.
"Amber will slowly forget about her original life more and more as each new change is made to her reality, and I will tell you now, even the smallest change can have unforeseen effects on her life. Think of it like "The Butterfly Effect".
"Ah, Edward Lorenz and the chaos theory..." Amber mentioned worryingly.
"You're quite brilliant my darling. A butterfly can beat its wings in one corner of the globe and with that single action cause a hurricane halfway across the world..."
He turned to Alex with a downtrodden gaze. "She will most likely become a completely different person by the end of this Alex... I will let you retain your memory for now Alex so you can help guide her to hopefully make the right decisions and keep the two of you together, but by the end of all this, I'm afraid I will have to alter your memory to suit the new reality as well..."
Both Amber's and Alex's eyes began to tear up as they looked at each other. Alex quickly wrapped his girlfriend in a tight embrace and kissed her deeply.
As Alex still had her wrapped in his arms, she angled her mouth up towards his ear and began whispering. "No matter what happens, even if I forget about our lives together just know I love you with all of my heart. You will always be my one and only..."
"And you will always be mine Bambi..."
Regardless of the situation, Amber couldn't help but gently smile through her tears at his use of the nickname her late dad had given her.
Mr. Quill hated tearing lovers apart, it never got any easier. Only on rare occasions did couples stay together. "Okay so... you just tell me what you want to change and I will do it. I would once again suggest starting out small..."
"What do you think baby?" Amber asked her boyfriend.
He looked her deep in the eyes through her thick lensed glasses and apprehensively answered. "Hmmm... maybe your eyesight? You've always hated wearing glasses..."
Amber looked at Mr. Quill and nodded. "Give me perfect eyesight."
"As you wish..." and snapped his fingers.
Her glasses instantly vanished from her slightly chuberic face as she blinked a few times, her eyes seemingly sharper as her eyesight improved. Even the small indentations caused by the nose pads of her eyewear had vanished.
Alex could hear a faint twinkling sound as any photos resting above the bed containing Amber in her trademark eyewear changed, reflecting that indeed her past had been altered as if she had never needed visual assistance. She excitedly touched her face smiling.
The graph beeped once again as it flashed green yet the 79.9 percentage and all of her other stats still remained unchanged.
"How many changes are we going to have to make?" Amber asked curiously.
"I'm not quite sure Amber... we will just have to keep going until it does..."
Alex's concern grew as he realized just how far they may have to go...
Mr. Quill smiled warmly. "Okay. The first round of changes have been fulfilled. How are you feeling?"
Amber's eyes glistened with nervous excitement. "I absolutely love it! Being without the cumbersome eyewear is a godsend!"
Alex was feeling less enthused however...
"Fantastic! Well... no reason to waste anymore time. What change would you like to make next?"
"What do you think Alex?" She asked.
Alex thought long and hard about it... but he didn't really want to change anything more out of fear that it could lead to the destruction of his relationship.
"Come on, times ticking my dear boy..."
Amber ran her hands through her hair frowning as she felt split ends and slightly greasy strands. "Well how about my hair? I have always wondered what it'd feel like to have long, healthy red hair like Scarlett Johansson when she played Natasha Romanoff but I want it to be waist length!"
Visions of Natasha Romanoff or Black Widow with her insanely vivid red hair began to race through his mind. He couldn't argue that he indeed found her incredibly sexy and what difference would nicer hair make? He felt it was one of the safest choices to make.
"Well I do love long hair... I'd say go for it hun..."
"As you wish, so shall it be..." and snapped his fingers.
Amber's dull, frizzy, red locks exploded in vibrant shades of red, the frizzy strands smoothing out til it was just gentle, flowing waves, lengthening, tickling her shoulders as it did so until it pooled around her on the bed. It would now reach her expansive backside when standing.
"Oh my god... this is incredible!!" Amber said happily running her hands through her new lustrous locks.
Another small change occurred as a simple hairbrush and multiple hair ties, headbands, and hair clips appeared upon her nightstand. Random long strands of hair spread throughout the room.
The graph beeped again as it flashed green yet the 79.9 percentage remained unaltered, however a small detail changed on her stats which had been highlighted.
Amber Parker
Age: 18
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 242 pounds
Breast size: 42C
Eye color: Grey/blue
(((Hair color: Vibrant red)))
Intelligence Quotient: Extremely High (135)
Medical conditions: Depression, anxiety, asthma
Interests: video games, television, food, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, DC, comics, books, creative writing, history, science, arts & crafts, cuddling...
Amber's perfectly formed brows furrowed as she realized that the bar still hadn't moved.
She looked at her face in the hand-held mirror once again and Alex could tell that she had decided what she wanted to do next as her eyes lit up.
"Hmmm... well I have never been a big fan of my plain grey eyes... Could you maybe make them a vibrant blue, make them a bit larger and give me long eyelashes?"
"As you wish..." The goblin responded as he snapped his fingers again.
The dull grey pushed from her irises as vibrant almost iridescent blue took it's place. Her eyes enlarged just enough to make her look like an anime beauty come to life. Her short and sparse eyelashes multiplied, thickened and lengthened only seeming to make her sapphire blue eyes stand out that much more.
The photos on her wall once again changed to reflect her most recent changes. Her eyes almost seemingly glowing, becoming a main focal point of the photos.
Alex looked deep into her deep eyes still seeing that the Amber he loved was indeed still in there.
The 79.9 percent remained on the semi translucent screen.
"What will be your next change my dear Amber?"
Amber thought hard about it. She wanted to make improvements but didn't want to lose her boyfriend in the process. She felt her chest tighten, a sure sign of an incoming asthma attack. She felt around for her inhaler gripping it in her palm.
She knew what her next choice would be...