Reborn

by Orrin Jason Bradford

  He stepped onto the pile and circled around. Yes, the boy was his friend. Maybe more than a friend. He circled around one last time before lying down. As he closed his eyes, he remembered the boy’s name; TJ. Yeah, that was right. TJ, but hadn’t that been what the man had called him over and over? How could he and the boy have the same name…unless…?

  The dog drifted off to sleep dreaming about TJ and he playing together, wrestling on the ground like two pups from the same litter. As they continued to roll around, the two forms became one.

  Aunt Maggie

  Dropping my two girls off at my sister, Maggie’s home is the most difficult part of my second profession, James thought, as he pulled the white service van to the curb in front of her house.

  “All right, girls, remember to not give Aunt Maggie a hard time. Do what she says and no complaining. I don’t want to receive a report from her like the last time.

  “Aunt Maggie is such a tattletale,” Melissa Jean, the older one, whispered to her sister.

  “I heard that,” James turned in his seat to give her a stern look.

  “Well, she is.”

  “I like Aunt Maggie,” Jennifer Ann said.

  “That’s because she lets you stay up as late as I do which really isn’t fair either. I’m older.”

  “So? That’s doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Now girls, no fighting. Give me a hug. I’m going to miss you,” James said as he opened the van door and stepped around to retrieve the girls’ luggage.

  As the three of them took the familiar walk up the sidewalk to his sister's house, James thanked the heavens one more time for his sister's generous nature. She had never prodded about what James' second business involved, though he suspected she knew it wasn't completely above board, she'd been a godsend.

  It had been one of Jenny’s last good ideas she’d shared with him on her deathbed at the hospice.

  “You know Margaret loves our kids as though they were her own, and since she’ll never be able to have her own children, letting her help out would be a double blessing,” Jenny had said in that soft voice of hers. It had been one of Jenny’s favorite pastimes, looking for and finding double blessings. She’d certainly found a gem with this one.

  As James and the girls approached, the large red door swung open, and Aunt Maggie stood beaming at them.

  “And there are my two favorite little people in all the world…oh, and my dearly, demented brother as well. Off for how long this time?”

  “Not sure,” James replied as he handed one of the suitcases to his sister. “But shouldn’t be as long as the last business meeting. No more than a week, I wouldn’t think.”

  Maggie nodded. James noticed her smile flicker into a momentary frown as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Well, take good care of yourself. It’s a dangerous world out there.”

  It had become her parting phrase whenever he had to leave his two most precious girls with her. He suspected it was her way of letting him know that she never bought the stories that his business trips were to conferences about heating and air conditioning. It was the closest they ever came to discussing what these trips were really about, and he loved his sister all the more for not prying nor judging him.

  Found

  1

  As Allan slowly awoke, he remembered what day it was and what he’d been struggling with for the past three days. He groaned and thought seriously of pulling the covers over his head and going back to sleep, but he knew he’d not be able to return to dreamland. He had work to do and time was running out. Pat would be back in town later in the afternoon.

  He walked into the bathroom to relieve himself, then threw some cold water on his face to help him wake up before walking into the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee. As the coffee was brewing, he pulled a fresh box of Cheerios out of the cabinet and filled a bowl with the cereal. As he walked to the other end of the house towards TJ’s room, he could feel a blanket of resignation weighing him down. Maybe it was best this way, he thought, even though he didn’t believe it. As a large dog, TJ could go pretty much anywhere he wanted and be accepted just as he was. Certainly, that wasn’t the case as a rapidly growing human. He’d always be an outcast and someone who Allan would have to hide away.

  He stopped outside TJ’s bedroom door and stared down at the bowl of cereal. Get a hold of yourself. You can't lose faith. You've got to keep trying. Maybe by some miracle, something would happen to delay Pat so he'd have more time. Yeah, that's it. Maybe he could come up with some excuse to keep Pat away for at least another day or two, but how much longer could he expect Dr. Wade to cover his cases and Donna to keep putting off his regular clients?

  Okay, one step at a time. Give the pup his morning treat and let him out. One step at a time. Allan squared his shoulders once again, preparing himself as best he could to relate to the large dog as his lost son, but when he entered the room, there was no sign of the dog. Had he crawled under the bed? A quick search turned up negative. Then he noticed the door to the closet was open. He must have forgotten to close it the night before.

  He walked over and opened it to find TJ curled up asleep on the pile of dirty clothes. He smiled, then chuckled, then broke out into a full laugh as he looked down at the naked body of his son.

  2

  Even though it was the summer months when most schools were out, TJ continued his homeschooling, taking advantage of the extra time that Kendra and Mimi had available. It didn’t bother him that all the other kids in the area were on summer break. He loved to learn, and he particularly enjoyed having Mimi as his teacher. When they weren’t studying, the three of them also enjoyed playing Mercenaries. TJ had even developed a long distance relationship with one of the game’s programmers, offering suggestions for future editions of the game. TJ not only pointed out bugs in the program but offered several fixes that amazed the game’s originator.

  But now summer was drawing to a close, and next week Kendra and Mimi would be returning to school. That’s okay, TJ thought. I’ll still be able to see Mimi most afternoons, as well as on weekends. He even played with the idea of showing her his shapeshifting abilities that had continued to improve with practice. He could now morph not only into a dog and wolf but also into a great grey owl, though he was still mastering the ability to fly in that form.

  So, TJ was stunned when Mimi delivered the news.

  “I’m really sorry to have to tell you this with such short notice, but my dad laid down the law about my almost failing last year, and he’s even gotten Uncle Bo to go along with his decision.

  “What decision is that?” Kendra asked. The three of them were sitting in Allan’s office.

  “He told me that I can’t continue to come over here and help with TJ’s homeschooling,” Mimi replied with a quiver in her voice.

  “What?” TJ asked. He’d only been half listening with the rest of his attention on booting up the computer. “What did you just say?”

  “I’m afraid that this is the last week I’ll be able to come over and help you with your studies,” Mimi repeated.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Kendra said as she stood up and walked over to give her friend a consolatory hug. “You’ve been so much help this summer, but I’m sure TJ and I will manage. Your studies have to come first. After all, we can’t have a future Pulitzer Prize winner flunking out of school.”

  “Yes we can," TJ said as he jumped out of his chair and took a step towards the two girls. "I mean, of course, your school work is important, but you can't stop coming over. I can help you with your studies. Tit for tat or something like that."

  “That’s sweet, TJ, and I appreciate it, but you don’t know my father. He seldom pays any attention to his daughter, but when he gets something in his mind like this, there’s no changing it.”

  Mimi walked over to TJ, her arms outstretched to give him a hug as well, but before she reached him, he angrily turned away. How many times in the past had he imagined the two of them locke
d in a loving embrace, even kissing passionately? But not now, not after this news. He stormed out of the room.

  “Where are you going?” Kendra called after him.

  “None of your business!” he shouted over his shoulder as he grabbed his jacket. He flung the door open and ran across the porch, taking the steps in one giant leap. Hitting the ground at full velocity, he ran away, picking up speed with every step, ignoring the calls from Kendra and Mimi.

  In the past months TJ had grown from a young adolescent into a handsome teenage boy that could have easily passed for any of Kendra or Mimi's schoolmates, so now as he ran through the woods, he felt the sinewy muscles of his body as he called for more speed. Had it only been his imagination? Had he misread the signs in the past few weeks that had led him to believe that Mimi had feelings for him as he had for her? Or maybe she had just been leading him on. Having a lot of fun with their weird kid that grew too fast. Hell, she was probably just playing them along so she could gather more information to include in her damn book.

  As he ran through the woods, cutting back and forth to avoid the trees in his path, his anger grew, and he could feel his body demanding to turn, but into what? Did it matter, as long as it wasn't his human form? As he ran, he tossed off his clothes, finally stopping just long enough to remove his jeans, kicking off his shoes at the same time. Maybe he would turn himself into the dog form, then wait for Mimi to leave on her bike and attack her. Or how about shapeshifting into a great gray owl so he could fly above her, and sink his sharp talons into her neck? The thoughts just added fuel to his anger and he felt the transformation begin but not into a dog nor into an owl, but into another form he didn't recognize, though it felt so right.

  He could remember seeing a similar form only once before, and even then it was mixed with the human form known as Homlin. But how was it possible that he, TJ, could be taking on a form that he'd only seen once and never practiced? Could it be that Pat was correct? Was he truly an alien and the TJ form merely a disguise? Imagine showing up on the path that Mimi took when she rode her bicycle home in this form. Would she even recognize him as the young kid she'd spent her summer teaching and leaning on? The hell with her. It was time to start looking out for number one, and he was hungry. One of the things he knew about this form was that it was the perfect killing machine. And if this was who he indeed was underneath all the façade of being human, he may as well use it to satisfy his needs.

  He had only just had that thought when he caught the familiar whiff of a deer in the air and almost as quickly knew which direction and how far away it was. Yes, this form would come in mighty handy. He changed the direction he was running and headed towards the deer.

  Tracking

  1

  As Pat drove down the bumpy winding road to Allan's home, she thought for about the twentieth time that they really should have someone come out to fill in the potholes and grade it, but even as she had the thought, she knew it was unlikely that Allan would agree to it. After all, that would be one other person who might discover TJ's secret, and the last thing she needed to do right now was to create any more waves in their tenuous relationship. At the same time she had to admit that since TJ's birthday, things had been going more smoothly. Of course, some of that could be credited to the fact that she was still spending a lot of her time in Charlotte, but when she did return, they had managed to find a way to get along. She had done the best she could over the past several weeks to treat TJ as the others were treating him, and so far it was working.

  As she took the last bend in the road, she could see the log home coming into view through the trees. It feels good to be home, she thought. Home? Was this her home? Or was the apartment in Charlotte her home and this just a place she visited frequently? She was still contemplating the questions when she saw a flash of motion as TJ streaked across the porch, took a flying leap off the steps and across the yard, followed closely by Kendra and Mimi. Were they playing a game of tag, Pat wondered? Seeing the look of anger on TJ’s face and the distress on the faces of the two girls she doubted they were playing.

  Pat pulled her car into her customary parking space, quickly turned it off, and jumped out to see if she could help, but by the time she got out of the car, TJ had already disappeared into the woods.

  “What’s going on here?” Pat called to the two girls as she trotted towards them. “Is everything alright? Where is TJ going?”

  Kendra turned around to look at her with an exasperated look on her face. As the two of them walked towards each other Kendra waved her arms up and down in frustration. “Mimi’s father ordered her to stop helping TJ with his homeschooling so she could focus on her studies instead. TJ didn’t take the news very well.”

  Oh shit, Pat thought. Now I’ve gone and done it. She had forgotten about calling Mimi's father several weeks ago when things weren't going well between TJ and her. She'd also noticed the crush TJ was developing on Mimi, and she didn't like it; didn't like it at all. So, she had decided to do something about it. Obviously, the phone call had worked.

  Realizing she was the cause of this current upset, it was up to her to try and fix it. “You girls go back inside,” Pat said. “I’ll go find TJ and bring him home. Try not to worry. He’ll settle down in a little while.”

  Kendra and Mimi did as they were told, and Pat started off in the direction she’d last seen TJ running. Time to brush up on my old tracking skills, Pat thought as she followed the footprints through the woods. Luckily it had rained just the day before, leaving the ground soft, plus TJ certainly wasn’t trying to hide his tracks. She could even hear him rustling through the thick undergrowth of the forest from time to time.

  That’s okay, TJ, Pat thought. You go ahead and run off your anger. You may have speed on your side, but I have time on mine. She occasionally paused to listen and study the terrain. She thought about calling out to him but then thought better of it, fearful that it might alarm him that someone was following him. Best to just let him calm down a little first.

  As she trotted up a steep hill, she glanced at her watch. She figured she'd been following him for close to thirty minutes and she hoped he was beginning to tire out because she sure was. Maybe she would be lucky and catch a glimpse of him when she reached the crest of the hill, but she was ill prepared for what she saw.

  As she stood at the top of the hill catching her breath, she took a moment to enjoy the breathtaking view. It truly is a beautiful part of the country we live in, she thought and then her breath caught in her throat at what she saw below her. How could it be? It’s impossible. I killed him. I know I did, She thought. But there below her was the alien form of Homlin, devouring the hind quarter of a deer he had obviously just killed.

  Pat quickly dropped to the ground and knelt behind a fallen tree. She suddenly regretted having given her knife away. As she studied the beast, she noticed subtle differences. For one, the beast appeared smaller than she had remembered. Of course, that could be because she was a good distance away from this one, and it wasn't towering over her trying to kill her. She also noticed the color was different. Homlin's alien form had been a charcoal black, but the one below her was a mottled green and brown. Was that likely due to its ability to change colors to match its surroundings, much like a chameleon?

  The alien suddenly glanced up from his meal and raised his head up in the air as though sniffing the breeze. Pat ducked behind the tree and held her breath. Could it detect her scent from this distance? From which direction was the wind blowing? She breathed more easily when she realized the breeze was coming up the hill and not down, but she stayed hidden behind the tree for several seconds before slowly raising her head to take another look.

  The beast had evidently had enough to eat, for when she looked again, it had moved away from its prey and was sitting on its haunches cleaning itself. That's when the biggest shock of all occurred. As it sat there licking the blood off of its hands and arms, the beast started transforming, slowly losing its beast-like qua
lities and taking on the form of a young human... but not just any human; one that Pat instantly recognized as TJ. And at that moment all the progress she felt they had made over the past few months evaporated into thin air. Clearly, TJ had discovered his true self, and it was Pat's job to protect her loved ones from it no matter what it took.

  2

  As a naked TJ lay on the ground apparently recovering from his recent transformation, Pat used the shelter of the fallen tree to hide her exit, crawling over the crest of the hill. When she was on the other side, she stood up and jogged back in the direction she came, using the time to formulate a new plan. Somehow, she had to get TJ away from Allan, Kendra, and Mimi. She had grown fond of the two girls, which is what had prompted her to talk to Mimi’s father. While she had been regretting that decision a short time ago, she now knew it had not been a mistake. From the way TJ had reacted to the news from Mimi, it was apparent to Pat that what may have begun as an innocent childhood crush had grown into much more, at least from TJ’s perspective.

  And then there was the matter of Allan and his inability to see the truth when it came to TJ. Would he come to his senses once she had told him what she'd seen this afternoon? Or would he just believe it was a story she fabricated to further discredit TJ? Unfortunately, she had been so shocked by what she had seen she had not had the presence of mind to take a picture, and without hard evidence, it was unlikely that she'd be able to convince Allan that TJ was no better than Homlin. No, the time for talking was over. It was time to take action, but what action?