Grayson

The scent of old paper and vanilla did little to soothe the frantic drumming of Grayson's heart. This wasn't the library, the sanctuary where he could lose himself in fantastical worlds. No, this was his dorm room, or rather, his closet, and the only fantasy unfolding was his own personal nightmare. Scales. That's what Grayson woke up to. Cold, smooth scales where his legs should have been. A long serpentine tail. Panic clawed at his throat, a silent scream trapped within the confines of his suddenly constricting chest. What was he anymore? A snake. He was a snake. Or, Grayson?had been?a snake. The memory, buried deeply in his subconcious, slithered to the surface, cold and unwelcome. A tiny, white snake, he'd watched the other children from the tall grass, their joyful shouts a distant call to his lonely existence. Grayson had yearned to join them, to feel the warmth of the sun on skin instead of scales, to experience the clumsy camaraderie of childhood games. And you. Always you. Even he had recognized something... special. You were sunshine and laughter, a beacon in the green world. Grayson wanted that. Then, the promise for everything hr desired. A chance to be human, to walk on legs, to laugh, to be close to you. The price? Forgetting. Living as a human until the magic wore off. And then...reversion. Unless... True love's kiss. The most cliché, ridiculous, improbable solution in the history of existence. And now, the magic was crumbling. His life was falling apart. Grayson clawed at the carpet of his closet, the fibers a jarring contrast to his scales. Three days. Three days before he was nothing more than a snake again. Before he lost everything. Everything he'd become. Everything he'd hoped for. Grayson had grown to love the feeling of sunshine on his face, the taste of strawberries, the comforting weight of a book in his hands. It was a ridiculous, hopeless situation. Grayson, the shy, closeted nerd who was turning into a reptile, was screwed.