Author's note: Comment and enjoy.
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The walk to the convenience store felt like a marathon. Every cell in Gwen's body was screaming for fuel, a primal hunger sparked by Leo's integration into her biology. "I feel like I could eat the sidewalk," she muttered, pulling her hoodie tighter.
That is the phenylethylamine deficit, Leo's voice echoed in her mind, sounding apologetic. My presence is optimizing your systems, but the energy has to come from somewhere. Sorry.
Gwen pushed open the door of the small corner store. The bell chimed, and the familiar smell of stale coffee and laundry detergent hit her. She didn't head for the chips or the soda. She went straight for the baking and candy aisle, stacking ten—no, fifteen—bars of 85% dark chocolate onto the counter.
The clerk, a man named Sal who had seen Gwen grow up, raised an eyebrow. "Late night study session, Gwen? Or are you planning to open a factory?"
Gwen forced a tired, slightly manic smile. "Bake sale. For the... Science Decathlon. You know how those nerds love their cocoa."
She paid quickly and practically tore into the first wrapper the moment she stepped back onto the sidewalk. The bitterness was intense, but as the chocolate melted, the gnawing void in her stomach began to recede. She felt a rush of warmth—not just from the food, but from a subtle adjustment Leo was making to her metabolism.
"So," Gwen said, her voice steadier now as she walked home. "You mentioned 'optimization'. How does that work exactly? In biological terms."
I don't just sit here and give bothing in exanche, it's a symbiotic relation, Gwen, Leo explained. I can reinforce your cellular regenration. I can accelerate mitosis to close wounds in seconds and other disease, plus the manner I do it bypasse Hayflick limit[1] and don't induce senescence[2] to your cells. And I can... nudge your DNA. Not to change who you are, but to make you the best version of it. Stronger. Faster. And for that I need you, I have the abilities but you have the knowledge.
Gwen looked at her hand, which was no longer shaking. "It's fascinating. And terrifying. In 2012, we saw things that could rewrite life itself. I need to know you aren't rewriting me."
I told you, I'm a passenger, Leo reminded her. I'm just keeping the car in top shape. Because if you do I die, it a parternship.
When she reached the apartment, the smell of roast chicken greeted her. Her father, George, was already at the table, his police radio humming softly on the counter. Her mother, Helen, was setting the plates.
"You're late, honey," George said, his sharp eyes tracking Gwen as she sat down. He paused, his detective's brain clicking. "What did that chiken did to you. And you're eating it like you haven't seen food in a week or that it owe you money."
Gwen froze with a drumstick halfway to her mouth. "Long walk. Brain food, Dad. Just a long day."
George leaned in, his tone shifting to his 'interrogation' voice. "Is there something you're not telling us? You seem different today."
Helen stepped in with a playful smirk, placing a hand on George's shoulder. "Oh, leave her alone, George. She's sixteen. Maybe there's a new boy at Midtown?"
Gwen nearly choked on her water. "Mom! No. It's not a boy."
Technically, she's isn't wrong, Leo whispered playfully.
"Hush," Gwen mouthed silently. She quickly finished her meal and retreated to her room, claiming she had hours of chemistry homework to finish.
Once the door was locked, the reality of her situation hit her anew. She needed a shower. She needed to change. She looked at the empty air, knowing Leo was there, woven into her very skin.
"Okay, Leo," she said, her voice dropping to an awkward whisper. "We need to set some ground rules for... privacy. I'm going to the bathroom. You... you need to not look."
There was a brief, confused pause in her mind. Gwen, I am literally inside your optic nerves and your skin, Leo pointed out with blunt Klyntar logic. There isn't exactly a 'curtain' I can pull.
Gwen's face turned a brilliant shade of red. "I don't care! It's weird! You're a conscious entity, and I am a teenage girl. Figure it out!"
Leo felt the spike in her embarrassment and realized he was overstepping the fragile boundary they had just built. I understand. I will try to... withdraw. I can focus entirely on something else, like a deep meditation. I'll stay in the dark until you tell me it's okay.
"Thank you," Gwen exhaled, leaning against the bathroom door.
She spent the next hour in a daze, brushing her teeth and standing under hot water, feeling the strange silence where Leo's presence had hummed until now. When she finally climbed into bed, she felt exhausted but strangely safe.
"Leo? You can come back now," she whispered into the dark.
I'm here, he replied softly.
"Tomorrow is Monday," Gwen sighed, closing her eyes. "Midtown High. Back to the real world."
We'll be ready, Leo promised.
I increased the secretion of melatonin to improve her sleep. Gwen fell into the deepest sleep of her life.
The rest of the night I worked to make sllight adjustment to her body, repair her body, make her digestion more efficient and differents modifications.
The next morning, Gwen didn't need her alarm. She snapped awake at 6:00 AM, feeling more refreshed than she ever had in her life. She reached for her nightstand, but stopped. The room was in perfect, high-definition focus.
"My vision..." she whispered. The slight blur she usually lived with was gone.
I adjusted the curvature of your corneas while you slept, Leo noted calmly. It was an easy fix.
Gwen stood up and stretched. Her joints didn't crack; her muscles felt like coiled steel. She spent the next thirty minutes getting ready with a strange, newfound efficiency. When she brushed her teeth, she noticed her skin looked clearer, her eyes brighter. She pulled on her favorite turquoise sweater and black jeans, noting that they fit slightly differently—as if her posture had been permanently corrected.
She packed her bag, sliding a few leftover dark chocolate bars into the side pocket just in case. She looked at her glasses sitting on the desk, then tucked them into her bag. "I'll have to pretend I'm wearing contacts," she murmured to her reflection. "People will notice if I suddenly have 20/20 vision."
"Gwen! Breakfast!" her mom called from the kitchen, Dad had already left.
Gwen grabbed her bag, feeling a surge of adrenaline. She wasn't just a student anymore. She was a walking biological miracle.
"Ready, Leo?" she thought, heading for the door.
Ready, Gwen, he replied, his presence a warm 'hum' in the back of her mind.
[1] The Hayflick limit, or Hayflick phenomenon, is the number of times a normal somatic, differentiated human cell population will divide before cell division stops. Usually 50 to 70 time.
[2] Senescence or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms.