SYNERGY

Memories 6.

Kip shut the room to his door with relief.

He needed to shut out the world, so he could center himself. It was hard keeping up appearances all morning especially with Astrid making his emotions unstable. The simple gesture of her pretending to fall into his arms talking about breakfast made his blood boil and he almost released his hold on his shape shifted form. It had been a long time since he experienced close contact with someone besides Paige the girl he had dated merely out of curiosity. Astrid's skin felt soft, and her hair smelled like lily's. He pushed the thought of her from his mind and walked over to his dresser. One by one he re-aligned every item into place, everything had a place. When he was done, he collapsed on the bed.

I need to be more cautious, I must get it together. "HA!" He screamed, interrupting his thoughts and swept a stack of books that was on the bed onto the floor.

Getting up Kip went over to his armchair in front of the mirror and glanced at the portraits of his Father and Mother. With a sluggish motion he sat down and stared. Gripping a hold of the image of his father, he began to change. Growing taller and broader with a thick mustache and deep-set green eyes. He smiled at the reflection. "Hello father."

Then he did as he always did and changed into his mother. His body softened, his hair grew long and black and his eyes changed back to dark brown, not unlike his own eyes. He always saw himself in his father, but he had an uncanny resemblance to his mother. He stared at the reflection for a long time thinking of her and how she used to stroke his hair. Putting his face in his hands he shrugged off the change.

He thought about Astrid and her energy manipulation. If he changed into her, would she know? He shook his head, making the thoughts stop. Sitting upright he took the two photographs Mr. Walston had given him out of his pocket. One of the photos was of a man in his early twenties plain looking brown hair and brown eyes. The other was a Hispanic man with salt and pepper hair and black eyes. On the back of this photo there was a note scrawled in Mr. Walston's neat handwriting.

Kill him.

The thought of the mission made him high with adrenaline, after all he was the best. He smiled while shape-shifting into the young-looking man in the photograph, grabbed his assault rifle.

                                ***********
                                  ASTRID

My classes were as boring as I thought they would be.

"Ms. Hallow!" Professor Kaepernick shouted while smacking my desk with a wooden ruler.

I jolted upright. "I'm awake!"

Professor Kaepernick was a stern looking military woman with a thick accent. She wore a gray power suit, and her hair was tied back so tight she looked like she had a face lift.

"Ms. Hallow, I don't think you comprehend how lucky you are to be here. Most new students go through a torture process to break them before they come into my class. Have you ever heard of the expression the starving artist?!" She lifted my chin up with a sharp pointed red nail looking at me.

"You have a pretty face, it would be a shame if someone changed that." She took her nail and slowly traced my face, when she stopped under my right eye she scratched drawing blood.

I stared at her defiantly. I wasn't going to let her know she had any effect on me. A blue skin boy sitting next to me started getting antsy at the sight of my blood dripping down my face.

"It's too bad Mr. Walston told me not to harm you. Being a transporter and all I guess you get special privileges." she scoffed.

The students around me started giving me dirty looks especially a dirty blonde haired girl in the front.

"Too bad, I guess he needs you in one piece."

The girl in front smirked at me her face pinched; others began to whisper.

"Shut up!" She screamed. I did not permit you to talk." The class went silent, and she continued with her lecture for another hour. It took everything in me to not fall asleep again.

After history I had armory with Mr. Grieves. He was a short funny man with a bald head and big mustache. His class was in the basement and was surprisingly fun. We didn't touch any weapons, but I could tell he was trying to make his lecture as engaging as possible, which I appreciated. Then it was lunch time. I walked into the cafeteria looking around trying not to be disappointed that Kip wasn't there. With a sigh I headed over to the food and began loading my tray. Grapes, cheese, something questionable, when a flash of blue blurred beside me grabbing my arm as I reached for an apple. He appeared out of nowhere the blue skinned boy who was next to me in History. He lifted my hand to his face and inhaled my scent.

His voice was slimy. "You smell so delicious," he grinned with pointed teeth.

"I'm not on the menu!" I pulled my arm away in disgust.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I just want to taste you," he began sticking his forked tongue out tasting the air around where my hand had been.

Great now I'm going to have to tell this creep off.

"First of all, that's not how you talk to a lady and second..." I felt it before I saw it, a cry for help.

I turned around and saw Violet sitting by herself rocking back and forth while a guy who resembled a mix between a pig and. troll with spiky hair was picking up her drawings and ripping them in half.

"What are you going to do about it you little seer bitch!" He was in her face now; I could see the spit flying from his mouth onto her.

"Got to go." I shoved my food tray into blue things arms and sprinted over to them.

"Hey fucker! Do you feel like a big strong man picking on her?"

"What you say?" He huffed narrowing his eyes at me.

"I said why don't you piss off and leave my her alone!" He went to punch me.

One thing for sure is that training with Kip this morning paid off I dodged to the right missing his blow. This made him even angrier. People were beginning to circle around us. Violet looked at me in horror. I don't know if it was the fact that everyone pissed me off today or that he was picking on an innocent person, but I began to feel enraged.

Suddenly everything slowed down. I heard Violet say my name in slow motion. He went to punch me right in the gut. The moment his fist touched my stomach I pushed all my energy forward creating a rippling vortex. I saw a light inside my mind and reached for it. It consumed me and I transported behind him. He fell forward punching into thin air. I took a lunch tray off the table and slammed it on top of his head as hard as I could and knocked him out cold.
Everyone went silent.

I looked at Violet, her mouth gapping open. A too loud alarm sounded, and the cafeteria doors flew open. Some Gas mask people flooded in, and everyone scattered. I knew I was in trouble, but as two of them began to drag troll boy away, instant relief flooded through me. Maybe he was the one in trouble.

I sighed with relief, I thought I was okay  until I turned around and two more were standing in front of me. "Shit."

I tried to transport again, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't manage. It was if my power was spent. I backed into another gas mask man, and he stuck something sharp into my neck, everything around me began to blur.