A New Life in Taffy Tales Chapter 3: Day 1 Pt. 3

I heard Tiffany's feet hit the floor as she quickly walked over to the door and swung it open to find me standing there, "Oh, you're alive...nice bandages, dork." 

I raised an eyebrow as I stared down at Tiffany, "Really, I got hit by a car, and that's the first thing you say to me?"

Tiffany rolled her eyes and defiantly placed her hands on her hips, "From what I heard, it was barely a love tap." 

Tiffany was my step-sister and Mary's daughter from her first marriage. It was hard to believe that a saint like Mary had given birth to someone like Tiffany, who seemed to have a constant attitude and a chip on her shoulder. We had never grown close like actual siblings, part of which I was thankful for, as Tiffany was undeniably hot. 

She was wearing a plain tank top and flannel pajama pants. The waistband was rolled down halfway down her wide hips, exposing a large portion of her toned stomach. While Tiffany's chest wasn't the largest, her perky breasts were more than enough to entice me. And her bottom half was nothing to scoff at. Running years of track had toned Tiffany's legs and rounded her ass into the perfect bubble butt. Combined with her long red hair, bright blue eyes, and the freckle across her cheeks and nose, Tiffany was a

"Listen, I don't care what you think of me, but Mary was scared half to death," I hissed, making Tiffany frown and cross her arms, "The least you could have done was help her calm down." 

Tiffany rolled her eyes, "Whatever, now leave me alone." 

Tiffany went to close the door, but I caught it and held it open, which seemed to shock Tiffany as her eyes widened slightly, "Ugh, what do you want?" 

"Mary's sleeping, so don't make a lot of noise. I'm also making dinner so that we can eat together tonight as a family." 

"Not hungry," Tiffany practically growled back as she tried to close the door, but my grip was unwavering, "I don't care. You will come down for dinner." 

Tiffany smirked, "Or what, jackass?" 

I leaned in, getting right in Tiffany's face, "I'll spank you until you can't sit down without crying," 

"Hm, you wouldn't lay a finger on me," Tiffany replied smugly, not taking my threat seriously. 

"Try me," I replied in a deadly serious tone before I stood up and let go of her door, "I'll call up when dinner is ready." 

Tiffany huffed and slammed the door in my face, and part of me was tempted to storm into the room, bend Tiffany over my knee, and give her the discipline that had been sorely missing from her life. But I forced myself to walk away, soothing my wrath with the promise that I would make Tiffany respect me. 

Walking into the kitchen, I opened the fridge and looked for available ingredients. While I wasn't a professional chef, I was confident in my cooking skills. Deciding to keep things simple, I grabbed chicken cutlets, lemons, olive oil, capers, an onion, and a half-empty bottle of white wine. 

The moment I set my ingredients on the countertop, I felt my mind enter a state of absolute focus. Moving to the pantry, I got out flour, potatoes, dried herbs, and seasoning before arranging everything into organized groups. I then put on a spare apron, rolled up my sleeves, washed my hands, and only then did I start cooking. 

After that, everything became a blur as my mind was filled with individual timers keeping track of cooking times and various recipes. The one thing I remembered clearly was how much my knife skills improved; I had also been somewhat wary of cutting myself and preferred to take things slow. But by the time I had skinned and cubed my second potato, the knife became a blur in my hands, barely more than a flash of sharpened steel that was always one wrong move away from taking away my finger. But my confidence never waivered, and before I realized it, I was setting down a bowl of creamy mashed potatoes, a Caesar salad, and a platter of lemon chicken piccata on the kitchen table. 

"Kaden...did you make all of this?" 

I looked up at Mary as she shuffled into the kitchen, clearly just waking up from her nap, "I didn't know you could cook." 

I shrugged, "I didn't either. I just thought I should try, and I guess it worked out. Did you check on Tiffany? She was supposed to join us." 

Mary blinked her large blue eyes before slowly shaking her head, "N-no, but I can go get her if you-" 

"Don't worry, Mom, I'm right here," Tiffany spoke up as she walked into the chicken, her hips swaying, "Why does it actually smell good in here?" 

Mary frowned, "Don't tease Kaden like that, Tiffany; he worked very hard to make dinner for all of us."

Tiffany rolled her eyes, "Whatever, can we start eating all ready?" 

Dinner was a mostly quiet affair, which I took as a good thing, considering I saw Mary and Tiffany take seconds and even thirds. It also gave me time to list the various goals I had outlined in my mind. 

'The first and most pressing issue is setting up my online portfolio and investing in stocks. With my traits, I'm guaranteed to turn a profit. Then, I need to start planning out my training regimen and diet. Maybe I should join a boxing club or dojo as well. Finally, I need to get a girlfriend or at least a friend with benefits because living with these two is going to drive me insane if I stay a virgin for much longer.' Luckily, I already had a girl in mind who was the perfect target.

Dinner wrapped up with me cleaning the kitchen while Mary and Tiffany went upstairs to turn in for the night. I was a few minutes behind them, but sleep was the last thing on my mind. Booting up my old PC, I managed to log into my bank account before signing up for an online stock trading app and connecting to two. 

However, with my limited funds—barely $150—my investment options were rather slim. As I looked over the various market trends, however, a strong gut feeling guided my hand, and before I knew it, I had clicked on five random companies and invested in the micro gold market. My account was now at a net zero, but I trusted my instincts: 'Hopefully, I won't have to wait long to see a return.' 

Turning off the computer, I pushed away from my desk and checked the time, 'Alright, a quick workout shower, then straight to bed so I can wake up early tomorrow and run.' 

Wasting no time, I cleared a small space in the middle of my room before stripping down to my underwear and dropping to the floor. Having played sports through high school, I was no stranger to physical condition, but that was In my old life in my old body. The one I inhabited now hadn't been pushed physically for some time.

Despite that, my body never gave in or seemed to tire as I cycled through different variations of push-ups, planks, sit-ups, and squats. I could feel my muscle strain as I used my body weight as resistance, but the adversity only seemed to encourage me. Eventually, my time ran up before my body did, and I stood up drenched in sweat. 

Stepping out of my room, I quietly ran down the stairs and into the only bathroom with a shower in the house on the ground floor. I immediately hopped in and turned on the water, not waiting for it to warm up.

Crawling into bed after showering, I allowed myself a moment to take in my new reality and life, swearing to myself that I wouldn't let it go to waste. 

---

I woke up the following day only to look out my window and see that the sun was hours away from rising. Despite waking up so early, I felt more rested than I ever had, with boundless energy. 

A few minutes later, I was downstairs in the kitchen, quietly searching through the pantry before I found the forgotten bottle of honey near the back. With a spoon, I scooped out two big globs of the liquid amber to eat. 

My old strength coach had taught me that honey was a simple, unrefined carbohydrate source, which was perfect for eating just before exercise. 

After a glass of water, I walked towards the door to put on my shoes. But as I knelt, the doorknob jostled, and a second later, the door slowly opened.

I shot to my feet, my heart pounding, ready to fight, only for my eyes to process the familiar head of red hair and bright blue eyes. 

"Tiffany?" 

My step-sister froze on the spot in the doorway, keys still in her hand as she turned to stare at me, "Shit." 

I opened my mouth to ask her what she was doing when I took in a few more crucial details. The first was Tiffany's appearance. She was wearing makeup, using blush mascara and eyeshadow to enhance her natural beauty to irresistible levels. Tiffany's clothes also emphasized her looks but in a far more revealing way. 

Tiffany wore a black mini skirt that hid nothing, stopping just above the middle of her thighs, showing her pale, creamy skin. She also wore a black button-up tied so it was essentially a bra, exposing all of Tiffany's midriff. 

Then, there were more subtle details: the slight sway as she stood there and the smell of alcohol on her breath told me more than enough. 

"What the hell are you doing up so early," Tiffany asked with slurred speech. 

"I was going on a run. But the real question is, where the hell have you been?!" I demanded in a hushed whisper, "What the hell are you wearing, and why the hell do you smell like a brewery?" 

Tiffany snorted, "It's none of your business where I've been. Now move, I gotta take a piss." 

Tiffany tried to stumble past me, but I moved to block her path. "What the hell are you doing, Tiffany? It's two in the morning on a school day, and I know tryouts for the track team are right around the corner."  

My comment struck a nerve as Tiffany jabbed her finger into my chest, "I don't have to explain myself to you. I can handle myself." 

I stared at Tiffany for a long moment before grunting and stepping aside, "I don't know what the hell is going on with you, but I better not catch you doing this shit again." 

"Or what, you going to spank me?" Tiffany asked with a scoff before flipping me off and stumbling past me and upstairs. 

I watched Tiffany disappear before I turned away with a shake of my head, 'Something's going on with her.' 

I made a mental note to look into Tiffany as I put on my shoes before stepping outside and breaking into a jog.