Exclusive Gifts for Subscribers: Free ARC of "Beyond A World Apart" and "Lean Love" Short Story
As a token of my appreciation, all subscribers—new and current—can claim a free ARC and enjoy my latest short story, "Lean Love," right here!
Hello, all, and welcome to my new BookFunnel subscribers!
So happy to have you here. As a gift for subscribing, I am giving away 10 ARC copies of my book, Beyond A World Apart, for free at this link: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/tzhipmse3h
You can also read more about it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217274098-beyond-a-world-apart
The promo for Lean Love has ended, so for those who didn’t want to enter their email *again* to read my short story, I’ve included it below. Thanks for your continued support.
Happy Reading!
Lean Love by Caitlin E. Myers
Summary:
In a world where weight is currency, Jax risks everything for a chance at survival—but the price of being thin may be more than they bargained for.
by: Caitlin E. Myers
Jax jabbed one of the syringes into their stomach. The cool liquid flooded under their skin, pulling it taught under a newly formed bubble. They pulled the needle out gently and waited for its effects to occur, massaging the area where they poked. The syringes and vials had just been discarded in the trash bin moments before, among the heap of a banana peel, piles of napkins soaked in grease, a can of SlimFast, and the crumbled adhesives of nicotine patches. They were curious about the new experimental weight loss drug, Leanexa. Jax’s mother, Amber, had thrown it out in frustration as she hoped to reach the weight maximum (120 pounds) for the charity formal that night, led by Doctor Julian Blackthorn. She had received Leanexa through Dr. Blackthorn’s new program called “Leanexa for All,” a 501c3 aiming to eradicate obesity and give the gift of weight loss to anyone who wanted it, regardless of their financial status or social ranking.
The television blared down the hall in Amber’s room. She was watching reruns of Dr. Blackthorn’s infomercial. Jax had seen this infomercial dozens of times. An obese woman with short ringlets talked about how trapped she felt in her fat body. “I feel like I’m in a flesh prison,” said the woman in a shaky voice. When the woman began to cry, Dr. Blackthorn snuck up behind her with that gleaming white smile and put his bony hand on her meaty arm, “I’m your get out of jail free card, lovely girl.” Jax mouthed these words and bobbled her head, mocking the infomercial. Jax rolled their eyes. Their mom had not worked hard enough to reach the weight maximum of 120 pounds. Now, Amber was sulking, her 6’2’’ frame curled up in a ball, surrounded by three packages of Oreo slims and crumpled tissues, the infomercial like a siren signaling for help from the man she wanted to change their life.
There was supposed to be a special announcement only released to the exclusive group of lightweight nonprofit beneficiaries. Last year’s charity formal was like the infamous Oprah episode where “You get a car!” except the car was ten thousand dollars cash. Although Jax thought their mother dramatized not being able to go, they did have to think about the overdue rent. Amber spent their rent money on new outfits for the charity formal, size 00, and threw away the tags despite Jax’s plea to keep them so they could be returned.
“Sweetie, you need to live with an abundance mindset. I cannot deal with your negative energy so close to the formal,” she smiled and patted Jax on the head like a dog. The rent was now past due by three days, and perhaps if Jax went to the formal themselves, they could keep their tiny family housed. Suddenly, Jax got lightheaded and started to sweat. They grabbed onto the counter and hunched over, breathing deeply between their legs until the dizziness stopped.
Then, Jax’s fat started melting like butter through their pores. Jax was already 125 pounds and knew that with Leanexa’s promise of “five pounds down in the first few minutes!” they would qualify to enter the charity formal. Jax got ready for the formal as discreetly as possible, wiping the fat off their face occasionally while getting ready and finally tiptoeing in their wing tips past Amber’s bedroom. Before leaving, Jax checked their bank account app. They had $31.15 in their checking account and $5 in their savings account. They transferred the $5 to their checking account, snuck out, and hopped in their ride share with a change of clothes.
The driver was adamant that the windows did not work, so Jax’s freshly dyed blue hair clung to the back of their neck, thick and covered with sweat and grease. When their ride finally arrived at the hotel, Jax nearly fell out of their seat from the slippery puddles of oil gathered while in the car. They had to run to the bathroom and shove tissue paper into their armpits to soak up the liquid fat, thankful they had time between putting on their prom rental suit before getting it soaked through with oily residue. Jax was bent over the sink, a flush spreading across their chest and face. The oil kept coming out, and Jax began to breathe abnormally short breaths. Lenexa was known for giving people deadly heart attacks, yet being thin was the highest-paid commodity. Panicked, Jax looked through their bag and found another syringe that came with the Leanexa packet to help the heart in case of a reaction. They jabbed it into their leg and started to breathe normally again after a few moments. They looked at themselves in the mirror, their reflection more pallid than they remembered before leaving the house. They needed to make rent. That was all. They had to keep going. Jax stumbled over to the paper towel dispenser, pushed the lever continuously, and ripped off handfuls of scratchy brown paper. They put as much soap as the paper towels could hold and cold water and washed themselves in the sink. Their breathing returned to normal as the cold water hit their skin. As they dried off, they felt clean enough to put on their suit but shoved toilet paper in their armpits.
Jax walked out of the bathroom with feigned confidence and asked a worker in the lobby where the Leanexa for All event was and was directed to follow the signs to the ballroom. The ballroom was carpeted with an ornate design Jax had only ever seen passing through a Las Vegas casino. It was a rich merlot purple with delicate gold frill designs. The walls were white and detailed with crown molding, something their mother always told them was a true sign of a quality-built place.
Jax saw a line and decided to wait in it, and they discovered that it was a line to weigh in at the communal scale to enter the ball. It was like the one Jax had seen the previous week at their post-prom carnival, “Guess Your Weight,” with dozens of bright, flashing, incandescent lights. The only difference was that this weigh-in had a loud buzzer cruelly sound if a person was over 120 pounds and a light bell that would clink if the person was 120 pounds or under. The person in front of Jax got the cruel buzzer after weighing 120.5 pounds and walked with her head down in a beautiful yellow satin gown and out the door. It was Jax’s turn. They stripped off their shoes and hopped on the scale, fingers crossed, breath held, and eyes tightly closed. After a few tense beats of the scale’s arrow whooshing comically up and down, they heard the delightful high-pitched tinkling of a bell after weighing in at 118 pounds. Jax hopped off the scale and breathed again, a lightweight feeling replacing their consternation. They put on their shoes, and the double doors clicked unlocked. They walked into a large ballroom with a stage and dance floor.
What they didn’t expect was to see Dr. Julian Blackthorn so soon. There he was, across the sea of gaunt faces and bony frames. Time stopped. His chiseled jaw and black suit made him even more beautiful in person, like a living doll. Jax was frozen in their place. Was he looking at them? They fidgeted in front of the double doors. To their surprise, Dr. Blackthorn strode toward them, and the crowd parted to make way.
“Hello! My name is Dr. Julian Blackthorn. Welcome to Leanexa for All. My, you are starting to get glossy,” he said.
Blackthorn held out his hand. Jax noticed his skin had a red undertone, as if he had been out in the sun all day without sunscreen, and his thick veins bulged out of his meaty hands. Jax took his hand, shook it, and inhaled an intoxicating scent coming off him, a deep woody cologne mixed with sweat.
“I’m so sorry,” Jax muttered, “forgive me. I am so excited to be here.”
“Have you just taken Leanexa?” he asked in a breathy voice.
“I have,” Jax replied, their lower lip quivering.
Jax’s throat plunged into their stomach. Was he going to kick them out? The thought made Jax perspire oil even harder. After a pregnant pause, Dr. Blackthorn rocked back and forth on his heels.
“The greasy fat seeping through your pores proves it’s working. It would be killer for a massage,” he said with a sparkle in his eyes.
Jax blew a breath and giggled, relieved they would not get kicked out after all.
Then, without saying anything, Dr. Blackthorn swiped his finger on Jax’s forehead, rubbed the liquid fat between his fingers, and smelled it.
He then again offered his hand, “Let’s use your oil to glide around the dance floor.”
Jax couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Blackthorn wiped his entire palm on Jax’s forehead and transferred the liquid fat to the bottom of his shiny black patent leather red bottoms. He picked Jax up and placed their feet on his shoes. Jax had never figure skated before, but they figured this was the next best example as they twirled and floated among the charity formal participants, the center of attention on the ballroom floor.
When they were finished, Blackthorn spun Jax out, and they bowed to the participants, who were now watching with disdain and jealousy on their sunken faces, slow clapping with gloved hands. Jax did not realize that Blackthorn had a microphone on, and suddenly, his voice boomed throughout the entire ballroom.
“I want to announce my next new face of Leanexa for All!”
Jax’s eyes grew wide. This was not part of the plan. They were sweating twice the amount of fat due to the activity, and all they could do was bow again. They managed to plaster a toothy grin across their cheeks. When they looked at the floor, shy from all the attention, they noticed it shone their reflection back like a mirror.
END