Project Phoenix

Chapter 7: I Can Change

When I wake up, my body feels different. I see Jayden sitting across from me but he is not the same. He is a human. 

I look at my hand. It's a human hand. "Jayden, what happened to us?" I trembled as I asked.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. These so called 'good people' turn us into animals for less than a week than turn us back into humans."

We sat in silence until a guard came to our door. "I need you both to come with me." He commanded.

We got up and followed him. We went into a large white room with a very high ceiling. One of the walls had a long glass window with a few scientists sitting behind it. He threw us both in and slammed the door. One of the scientists said, "Jayden, stand in the middle of the room." I went and stood by the wall while Jayden went to the middle of the room. "Now I want you to imagine that you are going to turn into a tiger." Jayden closed his eyes. I could tell he was thinking hard about it but nothing was happening.

"Nothing's happening." Jayden whined. 

"Imagine that your hands are turning in to huge paws. Your head turns into a tiger head. You grow a tail. You walk on all four." Jayden started thinking. After about twenty seconds I saw him begin to change. His hands started turning into large paws. His head got huge and he grew ears. I saw a tail begin to grow and his body got wider and orange with black stripes. He fell to all four. 

Jayden just turned into a tiger. 

I sent him a small smile and he sent one back. "Phoenix it's your turn." The scientist demanded. 

I slowly made my way to the center of the room. I thought about my beautiful red orange wings opening up and my feet turning into talons. I imagined a beak and a long feathery tail. When I opened my eyes I discovered something amazing. I just turned into a phoenix. 

Right when I thought we were done the scientist ordered, "Now you must learn to turn back into a human. Jayden first."

"Imagine your body turning back into a human." he made it sound easy but I saw Jayden struggling. I slowly saw his body start to lose it's orange color. His tail became shorter until there was no tail. His enormous head got smaller. And his hands were small again. Now I can see his brown hair and green eyes.

I can't believe what is happening to us right now! Is this a dream or reality?

"Phoenix, you're up." I imagined my wings closing up folding away to nothing. My talons returning to feet. My long feathery tail disappearing and my beak turning back into a nose. When I opened my eyes I was human again. 

One scientist took us back to our room. On the way there, we saw Claire and her room mate Lincoln, in human form, walking to the same place where we just were. We got back to our room and I burst out, "Can you believe what just happened?! I thought I was dreaming but then I realized it was real!"

I looked over at Jayden and he was standing still, staring straight forward. "Jayden, are you okay?" He closed his eyes. I saw his body start to transform into something else. Not a tiger but a bird. A large blue bird. A phoenix.

"Jayden, how did you do that?"

"I - I don't know. I thought about turning into a phoenix and I did." I immediately turned into a phoenix and gave Jayden a hug.  

"Jayden, you know that you're a blue phoenix." 

"Awesome! I never even knew there were blue phoenixes."

"I wonder if I can turn into a tiger?" 

"Might as well try."

I turned back into a human. Then, thought about turning into a tiger. When I opened my eyes, nothing changed. "How come you change into a phoenix but I can't turn into a tiger?" 

"I don't know." Jayden replied.

I turned myself back into a phoenix. 

"I think it's time for bed." Jayden said. I walked over to him and tightly hugged him. 

"Good night." I whispered. "And be strong."