When I sat down next to him that was when I noticed it. It was a subtle change, but a change never the less. His eyes were a brilliant violet rimmed hazel. The colors of his irises were beautiful and nearly inhuman. I winced knowing now was the time to begin the dreaded conversation.
“Noah, I need to show you something. Don’t freak out though.”
“Cora, you are scaring me a little. What is it?” he asked, cautious.
I guided him to the mirror and show him the swirling color of his irises. Shock and awe crossed his features before he turned to me with distrust.
“What the hell is going on? Why are my eyes such a weird color?”
“It is the creepy man. He does it somehow. That is why he kept you so hydrated. He must have done it that way.”
“Wait, you are saying that man did this to me? Have you two gone completely mad?”
“I wish,” Nessa said.
That was when another change happens. His brown hair turned a deep blonde and grew out just a bit. When he turned back in the mirror he nearly jumped in surprise. “Shit, this is bizarre. How did you know this would happen?” he asked suspicion thick in his voice.
I squeezed Nessa’s hand for courage before answering. “We know, because he did it to us too. Only we have different symptoms than you.”
This time Nessa spoke up. “Think about something over and over. I know it is a weird request but trust me.”
After a few minutes of silence, Nessa responded.
“Okay, crazy girls is better than Cora’s fluffy bunnies,” Nessa said meeting his eyes. “Please, try again.”
“Yes it is possible. I don’t know how but it just is. I can read anybody’s mind. The creepy man stabbed me at the science center back home and this is what happened to me.”
“That is disturbing. This can’t be happening to me,” Noah said.
“Turn around and look for yourself,” I suggested.
He gasped when he saw himself. His facial features had changed as well and he looked like a completely different person. “Wow, now I believe you. It is kind of cool I have to admit.”
Then he stopped and looked at me. “What about you Cora?”
I looked at Nessa and she nodded for me to show him. “Just watch and be quiet please.”
I let out a deep breath and sat cross legged in the middle of the floor. Closing my eyes, I pictured that same dandelion and floated away on the air. I felt my particles dissolve and I swirled in mist around the room. I didn’t take my time though and quickly formed back in front of his awestruck eyes. I wasted no time throwing my clothes back on and stood before him. My modesty was dimming less and less the more I practiced.
“I dissolve. It started after that creepy man bought me a few drinks at a bar last weekend,” I admitted.
“Holy shit, that was amazing. I wouldn’t even believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
“Yeah, it’s shocking at first. I think you might be a shape shifter of some kind. That is my best guess,” I told him.
“We didn’t have a clue about you until you told us about your ride with the creepy man and said you were sick. We both had killer headaches before our change,” Nessa added.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Noah asked.
“Would you have believed us if we did or would you have ditched us first chance you got?” I asked in return.
“Ok, fair point. What does this mean? Why is this happening to us?”
“We don’t know. We are just trying to stick together and learn to control these unusual powers,” I admitted.
“Then it looks like you might be stuck with me. I can’t go to my brother’s like this. I don’t want him involved. What now?” he replied.
“We need to work on controlling your new powers. You can’t be out in public and suddenly look like someone else. It would freak everyone out. Second off, we sleep in shifts. Cora seems to dream dissolve. We may be hitting the beach tomorrow.”
“That sounds fair. How do I control it though? It just happened.”
“What were you thinking about when it happened?” I prodded.
“I don’t remember. Does that matter?”
“It might. Let’s try to have you close your eyes and picture yourself and all the small details that make you, you.”
“I agree with Cora that sounds like a good idea. Give it a try.”
Noah shut his eyes and tried to concentrate. After several minutes he opened them and looked in the mirror. Nothing had changed though; his blond hair and swirling irises stared back at him.
He gave a frustrated sound before turning to us in disappointment. “What now? That didn’t work.”
“Try siting down, legs crossed. Then take a deep breath, kind of like meditation. Try to imagine it again,” Nessa offered.
With a sigh, he caved and sat on the floor cross legged with his arms resting on his knees. It took several minutes, but gradually I began to see the change. His hair shortened and turned back to brown. His features slowly changed back to the way they were before and when he opened his eyes, they were a muddy brown once again.
“See, I told you it would work,” I said.
Disbelieving, Noah popped up and looked at his features in the mirror. He brushed his hands over every inch, trying to figure it out. “Cool. It is good to be me again.”
“Now is the tough part. You have to learn how to change into people, mimic them,” Nessa told him.
“I kind of like being me,” Noah said.
“Yeah, you are preferable but what if we need to hide or run again? We may need you to use your powers at some point. This is important and very serious Noah,” I replied.
“Okay fine, I will practice. I guess I sort of agree with that logic. Who should I try to be?”
“Do you think you can mimic the creepy guy?” Nessa asked.
“Hmm, maybe close to him. I can give it a try.”
“Just do like you did to return to yourself and try the opposite. Let’s see if that works,” Nessa replied.
Again, it took several minutes but his hair turned black and messy and his skin turned a darker tone. When his eyes popped open I was able to see the deep and dark brown of his irises. I nodded to Noah in respect and he jumped up once again to look into the mirror.
“Ok, kind of cool,” he said in a deep ruddy voice.
“It’s a little trippy,” I admitted.
Nessa was all business though. “Okay, change back and we will talk some more. We need a plan. I am all about plans.”
Noah nodded and sat to complete the transformation back to his usual self. This time he had no trouble and soon he was back with us.
“All this change is making me hungry. I think it is time to eat something,” Noah said.
“I agree. Maybe we can just order a pizza tonight.”
Nessa nodded in agreement as well and went to call information for the number to the nearest pizza place. Thirty minutes later, we were all sitting on the bed passing the Coke around and eating slices of peperoni pizza. It was comfortable somehow and we even managed a laugh or two despite the dire situation.
Once we were finished though, Nessa grew dark and troubled. I could tell she was wrestling with all this and was having trouble swallowing the truth.
“Why did they pick us?” Nessa asked.
“I don’t know, sweetie. Maybe there is some master plan that we have yet to uncover. No matter what, we found Noah and we are all three in this together,” I assured her.
“Yeah, ok,” she said wiping tears from her eyes.
“I think tomorrow is a much called for beach day,” Noah suggested.
I shot him a smile and he nodded. Nessa perked up and I could tell that was what she wanted to hear.
“That sounds great. I will take the first shift though. You and Cora can sleep first and I will sleep second shift,” Nessa ordered.
“Yes mom,” I told her with a smile.
I tossed and turned, worried about dissolving again in my sleep. I didn
’t want to freak Noah out any more than we already had. Plus, I didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to us. I shuddered inside just thinking about the creepy man out there somewhere, lurking. The clock read eleven at my last glance before I drifted off into a calm sleep.
Chapter 7:
I woke to the sound of chatting. I struggled to open my eyes and sluggishly pulled off the cheap polyester cover. When I did, I found Nessa and Noah sitting side by side. They were engrossed in heavy conversation and barely noticed when I approached them.
“Good Morning, I thought you would wake me,” I told Nessa.
“Oh I was going to, but Noah was kind enough to do second watch so you could get your beauty sleep. I just woke up not that long ago myself.”
“That was nice of you Noah. I guess I was more worn out than I expected. Thanks,” I gestured.
“Noah and I were just speculating on conspiracy theories. We were trying to figure out why. This is a totally bizarre situation. Do you think maybe we are some genetically modified science experiment?” Nessa asked me.
“At this point, I think anything is possible,” I told her.
The pain of losing Tom still haunted my dreams. There was so much blood and I was covered in it. Doubt lingered everyday though I tried not to let on. Nessa has been so great to me and I didn’t want to rock the boat. Still, I wanted to know why he had to die. Loving someone that much and having them so violently ripped away was devastating.
I turned my thoughts back to the current conversation and piped up. “Do we get to go to the beach today? I am dying for some fun in the sun.”
“Hell yeah, we are. I can’t wait for you to get dressed so we can head out,” Nessa gestured at the swim suit she wore just below her cover up.
“Rock on,” I said enthusiastically as I headed for the bathroom to quickly change.
I tossed on the black bikini that Nessa picked out for me and wrapped the sarong around my waist that she added. I looked even paler in contrast with my auburn hair and grimaced. Then I slid on my foam flip flops and grabbed my sunglasses. “I am all ready to go here,” I announced.
We wasted no time locking up and jumping into the mustang, excitement in the air. Adrenaline coursed through my core and I smiled as we drove out to the beach. The windows were down and I could feel the warm salty air against my skin. I felt as if I could float away on the warm breeze and I sighed in contentment.
Before I was able to stop myself, my particles began to loosen and I felt the current of warm air pulling at me. I drifted off on the breeze and floated, weightless. I was basking in the warmth and letting the air pull me in swirling patterns off the ocean.
My first bit of awareness was piqued by a voice, distant at first. I pulled away from it, content for now. The voice was insistent though. It was calling for me over and over. Soon I was aware that it was my name on the wind, Cora, Cora. I shattered out of the comfort of the open air like tiny pieces of glass and reformed with a snap, swirling into my solid form.
When I looked around, I realized I was on the side of the highway naked. Mortified, I ran to the familiar purple car that pulled up next to me and thrust myself into the front seat. I hastily tossed on my bathing suit in some sort of haphazard manor. I didn’t even stop to take a breath until I was dressed.
Noah was sitting in the back and I could tell he was trying not to laugh at my expense. I hauled around and punched him in the arm. I got an “Ouch” as a retort and I loosened up just a little. By this time, Nessa had made it back into the driver’s seat and was scowling at me.
“Damn it Cora, we could have been exposed!” You can’t take joyrides like that. What if someone saw you?” Nessa lectured.
“And you, Noah; stop it with the dirty thoughts. She just lost her fiancé so don’t even think about it. Do we understand each other?”
My cheeks reddened and I felt my ears heat, as Noah gave Nessa a respectful “Yes, I understand.”
Fuming, Nessa turned the car back on with a rumble and pulled back onto the highway towards the public beach. The remainder of the ride was tense and no one said a thing until Nessa put the car in park and we grabbed our towels.
“Race you to the beach,” I said playfully before laughing and running towards the shoreline.
It was Noah who caught up to me first. Nessa trailed behind and looked peeved. I dropped my towel and ran towards the water, wet sand clinging to my toes as the tide splashed over me.
I looked back to see Nessa lying out her towel and plugging in her IPod. Noah was sitting at the edge, playing in the wet sand. I just shook my head and dove under the water and rejoice in the cool salty water washing over me. The ocean was so much bigger than any one of us. It gave me goose bumps to even think about its vast expanse.
After a while, I looked back to check on Noah and Nessa. Nessa was clearly enjoying herself, getting a bronze tan. Noah was apparently building a sandcastle just like a little kid would do. It was hard to think that a mere twenty four hours ago we just met him. He had grown so comfortable as if he had always been with us.
I broke away from my thoughts and headed toward the beach to comb for seashells. I found brightly colored broken shells of pinks, oranges and tans. I thought of it like a treasure hunt, looking for that perfect shell. It took nearly thirty minutes before I managed to find a whole seashell of tan and white. Pleased with my find, I returned to where Nessa is lying out.
I lay my towel next to her, water dripping and sat. She pulled out an ear bud and grinned at me, propped up by one elbow. “This is the most fun I have had in forever. I am going to have a nice tan as well. Are you finally coming to get a tan? Your porcelain skin could use a little color.”
“This is great. I am going to lie out and dry off. Just make sure I don’t dissolve,” I told her in a whisper as to keep from any eves droppers.
Nessa pulled her sunglasses up and winked. Then she puts her ear bud back in and pulled her sunglasses back down before lying down again. I joined her and listened to the sounds of the ocean in peace. I faded in and out of consciousness as I soaked up the blazing sun. It wasn’t until a shadow blocks out the sun that I stirred and sat up. It was Noah and he looked like he just saw a ghost.
I instantly snapped to attention. “What just happened?” I asked him.
“Mm I am not quite sure. It was the strangest thing. I was making that sandcastle and I got the coldest shiver. It was like ice piercing though my veins. I could have sworn that I saw a flash of some man. Then I felt as if my body was being taken over for just a minute. It freaked the hell out of me,” he admitted.
“Maybe it is time to call it a day,” I said as I elbowed Nessa.
“It will be sunset soon anyways…” Noah said clearly shaken.
Nessa pulled out her ear buds and sat up. “What is going on?”
“We will tell you on the way back to the hotel. I think it is time to go back. It is getting late,” I told her.
She looked as if she was going to protest, but restrained and nodded. “Alright, we can go through a drive thru and pick up dinner on the way back,” she suggested.
“That is a great idea,” Noah said.
I studied his dark hair and piercing muddy eyes. He looked good in nothing but swim trunks. The muscles to his torso were defined and I had a second of impure thoughts. Then my attention snapped back to Tom and I turned away, ashamed. Nessa cut me a look and we head back to the car in silence.
Once we were back on the road, I explained what Noah had seen to Nessa. She too looked freaked. I wish I had seen it. We all agreed from here on out that we need to keep our guard up. Someone was obviously targeting us.
We grabbed some burgers and fries before reaching the hotel. After shutting the door behind us, we tore into the food, leaving no crumbs behind. Full and exhausted after the day in the hot Florida sun, I let out a yawn.
“Are you tired already? If so, we can take first shift if you want. Why don’t you take a shower and get into something more comf
ortable,” Nessa suggested.
I was sluggish and drained so I reluctantly agreed and headed for the shower. I washed the sand and grit away from our day of fun just like washing the evidence of its existence away. The hot water scorched at my skin and I closed my eyes, letting it envelop me.
I decided to forgo the flats due to a massive amount of blisters I was now sporting and opted for the soft foam of the flip flops Nessa bought me. When I returned to the room, dressed in a pair of shorts and a tee, I stopped dead in my tracks. The look on Nessa and Noah’s face was grim and they look clearly shaken to the core. Something had obviously happened in the time that I was in the shower.
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