The Little Guards

Chapter 3
Part three

The Little Guards:
Part 3 Probably out of instinct, Brandy hugged the stone close to her body as its light intensified. Her face twisted with horror as she realized what she was doing, and then she twisted her body so the light didn’t shine on anyone else. She grabbed the blanket on top of the couch and covered the stone before tossing it over the piece of furniture. With the crisis over, Brandy looked at her body, trying to see the changes as they happened. She wasn’t the only one; everyone was on edge as the woman began to visibly change. The skin around Brandy’s cheek tightened as she lost some fat around her face. Her red hair lost its gray and became bright red. The light wrinkles under her eyes faded as Brandy felt her face. Everyone waited with bated breath as they continued to watch Brandy. The woman looked at her hands, trying to find signs of change. The only noticeable change to Brandy was her skin lightening somewhat. Everyone couldn’t help but stare at Brandy’s chest as her breasts perked up slightly, causing the woman to touch them lightly. She then leaned forward slightly and ran her hand down her rear, feeling how much firmer it felt. Her clothes hung somewhat as she began to loose her “mom” body, and Brand couldn’t help but push her sleeves up, looking at how sharp her arms were now. Chris couldn’t help but stare at his wife, his eyes widening as he saw how sharp Brandy’s arms looked. He figured Brandy was close to her early thirties and had honestly forgotten how much of a looker his wife was. “Wow!” Chris said in awe, “I forget how smoken you were when you were in your prime.” Brandy glared at her husband as she crossed her arms over her chest, and Chris realized he said that out loud. He couldn’t help but smile sheepishly and blush under his wife’s glare. “And I wasn’t smoken when I was in my forties?” Brandy asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Chris began sweating bullets as he tugged his collar. “No, no!” he said frantically, waving his free. “It’s just, um, no, that sounds worse. What I meant by, umm, umm, oh.” Brandy continued to glare at her husband while their kids giggled at the sight. Suddenly, Brandy grinned, reached over, and lightly pecked her husband on the cheek. “It’s a good thing you’re such a loveable dork,” Brandy said lovely, “...Dad.” Chris looked at Brandy as he felt his cheek. At that moment, he couldn’t see Brandy as his wife anymore but more like his adult niece. With the little drama piece over, everyone turned their attention back to the regressing woman. The changes were becoming noticeable now that Brandy was slipping past her thirties and into her late twenties. Everyone noticed how baggy Brandy’s outfit had gotten because it was made for someone in their late forties. Brandy’s cheeks had also started to thin out. She pulled back the sleeve of her sweater and saw her arm seem a little less sharp. She lightly cupped her breasts, and they didn’t feel much different. “Testing, testing,” Brandy said, trying out her voice and frowned. “Does my voice sound different to you yet?” Brandy looked at her husband…no, she couldn’t see the man before as the one she married. Yet, she couldn’t see her as her father, not yet. Chris just shrugged his shoulders with an awkward smile, which caused Brandy to groan. When she heard giggling, Brandy looked at her kids and gave the former twins a goofy grin. “Oh, you think this is fun, don’t you, squirts?” Brandy asked, sounding more like an older sibling than a parent, and the band couldn’t help but nod. “Well, if I'm still big enough, I’m giving you squirts some payback.” Gloria and Glen gasped but kept smiling, almost like they were challenging their soon-to-be big sister. Brandy just smiled at this, shaking her head. Thanks to the kids, Brandy felt a little better and looked herself over. She noticed how loose her outfit was and figured she was in her early twenties. The changes in her body were noticeable now, mainly in her hair; thin yellow highlights had emerged from her roots. Her body is starting to lose weight, causing her outfit to fit even less, and the sleeves of her shirt cover her hands. The group watched as Brandy began to get smaller as she left her twenties. Her cheeks thinned out more, and her chin pushed in as a thin, barely noticeable layer of baby fat grew around her face. Curiously, Brandy pulled out her shirt and watched as her breasts shrunk. She felt her hips and couldn’t help but frown as they deflated. With a sigh, Brandy kicked off her sandals and wiggled her toes, noticing how much smaller her feet had become. She pulled out her hands and sleeves and saw how dainty they became. “Wow.” Brandy looked at her…father and saw his awestruck expression. She looked around and saw how everyone had taken her regression. The kids looked at her with a mix of awe and, strangely, sympathy. Kevin looked calm, but the former adult could see the emotions swirling in his eyes. The Jones were the most affected by what they watched. Ivo looked a little pale while his wife’s eyes were wide, and she looked ready to fire question after question. Before anyone could say anything, the phone rang. The noise brought everyone out of their stupor, and Chris sighed. He gently pushed Amanda off of him and got up. He looked at her former wife before answering the phone. “...So?” Joan asked curiously, eyeing the 12-year-old, “What does it feel like?” Brandy’s face scrunched as she tried to figure out the best way to discuss her regression. She looked down at her body and couldn’t help but giggle at her “mom” outfit. “It’s a total head trip,” Brandy said, looking at the adult. “I know I should be a total granny, but it’s like a bad TV show you can’t help remembering when you’re bored out of your skull. It's just so surreal.” Ivo and his wife exchange looks, confusion written on their faces. Brandy saw this and scowled, taking their confusion the wrong way. Before the former adult could say anything, Chris came back into the room, looking troubled. Everyone noticed this, and Brandy stood up, her pants falling to her ankles. She walked up to her former husband and took his hand. “...Anything okay, papa?” she asked daughterly. Chris looked at his new daughter, sighed, and patted Brandy on the shoulder. “That was a parent of one of the bands in the finals for the battle,” he explained. “She told me her kid’s band had to withdraw from the finals due to the entire band coming down with a nasty case of the flu.” Brandy frowned as she looked at her siblings. “Dude, that’s not good,” she replied, looking back at her father. “That’s going be one really short battle.” Gloria heard the “grown-ups” talking and pouted. She put her hands on her hips and stormed over to her father and big sister. “WaWGuawd-X!” the littlest rocker stated childishly, slapping her daddy on the leg. Chris looked down at his youngest, sighed, and kneeled down so he was at eye level with her. “Sorry, little rock star,” Chris said with a soft but sad smile, “But you need to be 15 to enter. So I think you’re just a wee bit too young.” Gloria didn’t like that answer, and her pout got worse. She crossed her arms over her chest, stomped, and glared defiantly at her father. The sight was cute, and Chris had to resist the urge to smile. “Hey, Chris,” Kevin called to his friend, grabbing everyone’s attention. “How many finalists are left?” Chris looked at her friend for a second and sighed. He then picked up Gloria and returned to the couch, Brandy following him. “Just two,” he replied after taking a seat and putting his daughter next to Amanda. “Why do you want to know?” Kevin smiled mysteriously and looked at each member of the band before he locked eyes with his friend. “Let’s just say I’m thinking about a cute aftershow,” he said. (SC) “...And the winner of the battle of the bands,” the announcer said energetically, “Is Neo Death Wing!!” Applause started as the winning band came onto the stage, bowing with a hint of arrogance. The Jones and White-Dove families were among the crowd with their kids by their sides. “...Those bands weren’t bad,” Ivo commented awkwardly, “But I wouldn’t call them good either.” Kevin looked at his friend and shrugged. “Well,” he replied lightheartedly, “We got a little spoiled with hearing the WarGuard rehearse when we picked up our kids. Right, Princess?” Kevin looked at his former wife, and Lissie nodded her head eagerly. Not wanting her daddy’s attention on her big sister, Jenny tried to shove her sister out of the way. Kevin saw this and gently took his youngest by the hand. “Now, now, Kitten,” Kevin said gently but sternly, “No need to push your sister. Or do you want to go home early and miss the aftershow?” Jenny instantly stopped and looked at her daddy with wide eyes. She quickly shook her head and took a few steps away from her big sister. Lissie, Mindy, and Heather laughed at their friend and sister’s misfortune, and Jenny blew a raspberry at them. Kevin laughed under his breath and then turned his attention to the stage when he heard Chris talking. “From everyone at Rokk’s Music Studios and local businesses, we thank you for coming out! Your donations help support local businesses and talent!” the music store owner said, getting cheers from the crowd. He waited for the noise to die down before he continued. “And for everyone involved in this event,” Chris said, “We’re sorry this year wasn’t as exciting as before, but some of our finalists had to withdraw due to complications!” Voices began to rise as the crowd exchanged confused words. The Jones and White-Dove listened in on some of the chatter from their spots but kept out of it. Chris tipped his mic to get the attention back on him. “With that said, we decided to do something a little different this year. A little aftershow to hopefully make for our short show. So please, give your support to a new band we hope will grow on you. Give it up for… the Little GUARD-IANS!!!” Chris took a moment to change the mic’s stand, then left the stage as a group of children with children-sized instruments came onto it. The crowd couldn’t help but gush at the sight as the Little Guardians got ready. The Jones and White-Dove families smiled as they viewed the band's appearance. The band members were dressed similarly: one-piece, sleeveless outfits, pink for the girls and blue for the boys. They wore red jackets that glittered in the light, and the letters LG were on the back. Finally, all the members were black hightops with lights that flashed when they moved. Gloria and Amanda’s hair was put into high ponytails with music notes, hairclips, gold for Gloria and silver for Amanda. The boys wore bandanas, gold for Glenn and silver for Martin. Gloria looked out at the crowd, smiling in the confident way only a child could. She walked the mic and spoke loud and clear. “GOOD EVENING!!” Gloria screamed with youthful energy, thrusting her tiny fist into the air. “AWE YOU WREADY TO WOCK?” The crowd screamed and gushed at the cuteness, and Gloria took that as her cue. She looked at her bandmates, nodded, and they began playing the song they planned to play before their regression. From her spot backstage, Brandy nodded her head to her siblings’ song, smiling in a sisterly fashion. It didn’t take long for the former adult to get lost in the music, and she began dancing. Unknown to the former adult was Chris; he had been watching the entire time and couldn’t help filming his former wife, studying his ex-wife’s rocker outfit. Brandy wore a sleeveless black shirt with a flaming skull under a sleeveless, studded leather jacket and a choker with a skull on it. She wore a denim skirt that was mis-lengthened; the right side was about an inch longer than the left. She also wore thin fishnet stockings and black, knee-high boots. Brandy had put her hair up in a messy ponytail, several strains of hair hanging loose. Brandy finally noticed her new dad filming her, winked at him, and blew him a kiss. Chris couldn’t help but smile, then turned his attention back to his kids on stage, feeling proud of how the band was keeping the crowd entertained with their overall cuteness.