Chapter 12 - changing seasons: part 2

29.
Only hours later did Faye finally work up the energy to make her way downstairs. With the wind still tearing at the windows and a heavy rain smattering against the cobbles outside neither Niall nor Maggie heard as the still light footed girl made her approach.

"Morning sleepyhead," said Maggie, finally noticing as, still in her nightgown, Faye curled herself up on the sofa.

"Morning," said Faye, a drowsy smile on her face.

"You sure must've been tired," grinned Maggie, running a chubby hand through the girl's hair. "You've all but slept your whole day away."

"Yeah," said Faye, stretching as she let out a yawn. "I don't know... this weather just has me so sleepy."

"Well," said Maggie, a warm, sympathetic smile on her fat face; "I understand how you feel dear, but you still probably shouldn't stay in bed all day."

Snuggling herself up among the many soft cushions resting alongside her on the sofa Faye didn't bother to answer.

As he looked at the fiery-haired girl Niall couldn't help but notice how much the last few months had changed her. There was no denying that she'd put on weight. The once loose, flowing nightgown she'd borrowed from Annie was now noticeably snug, outlining only too well her increasingly full figure. Through its tightly stretched fabric Niall could see clearly the contours of Faye's fleshy hips and buttocks, of her pudgy paunch and her swelling chest. As it clung tight to her form the gown hinted even at the girl's widening arms and thickening thighs.

Faye's face seemed to have swelled along with her figure, taking on a cherubic look. Her cheeks had gotten rounder and softer, her jaw noticeably less defined.

Remembering well how slight and ethereal the girl had appeared that night on Auberlynne Hill Niall found it fascinating to see her now so round and plump, covered so swiftly in a layer of soft, spongy fat.

A slight smile on his face he watched as, humming a cheerful tune, Mrs. Kendrick placed without comment a plate of cookies in easy reach of the girl. He watched as, seemingly without thought, Faye grabbed one and then another, slowly making her way through most of the plate.

30
As the world outside had grown cold, the days getting darker, it'd become a rare thing to see Faye join Annie behind the counter of the Caulbury bakery. One day however, in late October when only the most stubborn of leaves still clung to their trees, the fiery-haired girl found herself again beside her chestnut-haired friend, the two of them both staring absently at the gray world outside their shop window.

With Niall away on some errand and few customers walking through the door it'd been a slow day. By the time the tinkle of a familiar bell announced the arrival of Mrs. Kincaid both girls were all but bored out of their minds.

Having ordered a simple loaf of bread and some small pastries for desert the elegant older woman found herself scrutinizing the two girls behind the counter. Faye, dressed in a loose skirt and a roomy sweater, was busy making her way through a bag of crunchy cookies. A dazed, drowsy look on her face her love of sugary confections were starting to have an obvious effect on her figure.

Moving her gaze onto little Annie Mrs. Kincaid couldn't help but feel that the girl had changed somehow. Could it be just an illusion created by the contrast between her and the now noticeably more substantial Faye, or could it be...

"Have you lost some weight dear?" asked Mrs. Kincaid, carefully appraising the young woman's curvaceous figure.

"Yeah, a little," Annie grinned, striking a pose. "Can you really tell?"

Mrs. Kincaid nodded. Though still not exactly thin Annie was looking just a bit smaller than she had a couple of months ago.

"Yes," she said; "you're definitely looking a trifle less thick."

"Thanks," the girl beamed.

"I'm glad to see you're taking such good care of your figure," smiled Mrs. Kincaid. "I could think of certain other girls who could stand to follow your example."

Popping another cookie in between her lips Faye seemed to have noticed neither the woman's barbed comment nor the meaningful glance she'd cast in the direction of her protruding little potbelly.

Having paid for her baked goods Mrs. Kincaid was turning to leave when, suddenly, she stopped in her tracks.

"Right," she said, pulling an envelope out of her handbag as she turned again towards Annie; "Lettie wanted me to give you this."

31.
"I don't know," said Faye, leaning back on the sofa as she studied Lettie's elegant invitation. "I'm not sure I feel like it. And anyway, I wouldn't know what to wear."

"Oh come on," said Annie; "it's a costume party. You can wear whatever silly thing you like. Halloween only comes around once a year you know. Believe me; you don't want to miss this."

Pursing her lips Faye hesitated.

"There'll be candy," said Annie; "lots of it, and dancing too of course."

"Oh alright then," sighed Faye; "I'll come. But I still have no idea what to wear."

"Well," grinned Annie; "let's have a look around. I'm sure there must be something here you can use."

Searching the house Annie soon found herself digging through Faye's modest wardrobe. There, hidden away at the back, she found a dress unlike any she'd ever seen.

"What's this?" she asked, her eyes wide as she ran her fingers along the smooth, watery fabric of the strange, flowing, green garment.

"Oh that," shrugged Faye; "it's what I was wearing when I first came here. Haven't really used it much since. Not sure why," she said, a thoughtful look on her face.

"I bet it'd make for a great costume," said Annie. "Go on," she encouraged, reaching the dress over towards Faye; "let's see what it looks like."

Looking at the green gown, sparkling somehow like the surface of a stream, Faye hesitated.

"I don't know," she said.

"Come on," said Annie, pushing the garment into her hands.

The dress seemed perfectly tailored to Faye. Its color matching her hair and complexion, its cut matching the figure she'd had only months ago. These days getting it on proved to the pudgy girl something of a challenge, requiring a fair bit of pulling and tugging. Once she'd finally managed to squeeze her fleshy figure into the now quite constricting garment Faye, a little short of breath, struck an awkward pose.

"What do you think" she asked, a nervous smile on her face.

Though it had barely enough room to contain the girl the dress did not, as such, look bad on her. It was snug for sure, its silky fabric clung tight to her plump form, leaving little to the imagination. Her soft flesh oozing out wherever it could the dress left little room to doubt that Faye had gotten fatter. A fact at which Annie couldn't help but feel a certain glee.

It wasn't very nice, she knew, but she couldn't help but feel a little pleased at what the once so pretty and perfect girl's poor eating habits had done to her. It was true, Annie admitted, that the constant stream of snacks she'd loaded off on the girl had probably contributed to the way her figure was swelling. But she could hardly be blamed for that. After all, she'd never forced the girl to eat anything. If Faye had wanted to keep her figure in check she could simply have turned down all the many snacks Annie had brought her.

As it was Faye was coming to serve as a perfect example of the dangers of overindulgence, of giving in to temptation. If ever Annie felt like letting herself have a little snack one look at the fiery-haired girl's pudgy paunch was enough to change her mind. Even better, the girl was usually only too happy to help get rid of any tempting treats.

Annie loved to watch Faye eat. With the sheer amount of pleasure the girl seemed to take from her food it was no wonder she'd gotten chubby.

As for the dress, whether it flattered Faye's figure or not it was still very beautiful, and it did still look very beautiful on her.

"Very cute," said Annie. "I think it'd make a great costume."

"I don't know," said Faye, pulling awkwardly at the cramped garment; "it feels a little... tight, somehow."

"Maybe it shrunk in the wash," teased Annie. "Really though," she said as Faye frowned; "don't worry, it looks great."

"Really?" asked Faye, her eyes wide as she gave the tight fabric another nervous tug.

"Really," confirmed Annie; "trust me, this'll make a great costume."