Parker and The Super Secret Spy School

Chapter Ten: Gifts and Christmas

The holiday seasons were approaching and I had yet to leave Journey Schools' campus since our dynamite baseball game. Mr. Hunter was not pleased with me stealing a phone, as I was later forced to anonymously mail it back. But he did congratulate me on a job well done and gift me with a blue t-shirt.

Now as Christmas came ever closer, I was beginning to get antsy. I'd never stayed in one place for so long and cabin fever was definitely starting to set in.

Payton constantly nagged me to sit down and be quiet when she was trying to do her homework, but the pacing and talking seemed to be the only thing keeping me sane. I knew though, that after she thought I was asleep, that she too paced the floor in our room and talked aloud about how it felt like we were caged.

One morning, snow was lying peacefully on the ground and continued to fall lazily from the sky. I awoke to glance over at Payton's bed. Then screamed.

"What!" Yelled the girl currently occupying Payton's bed.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded as I threw off my blankets and stormed across the room.

"What are you talking about, Parker? It's me. Payton."

I studied the girl as she sat up in bed and continued to look at me like I was the crazy one. Her figure was more petite than Payton's. Her hair shorter and curlier. I'd never seen this girl before in my life.

"No," I said slowly, "you are definitely not Payton."

I left the girl and started looking around the room. I began to throw open closets to see if Payton was hiding somewhere. Or maybe a camera. Payton was known to throw elaborate pranks.

"Is this a prank?" I demanded. I thought Payton had finally decided to go rogue and prank her own beloved roommate.

The girl looked confused and finally got out of Payton's bed.

"Very funny Parker. We made a pact, no pranks on each other. Just like we agreed not to make fun of each other for not wearing make-up. You know how self-conscious I can be."

"I don't think the lack of make-up is the problem," I muttered.

The girl walked into our bathroom and I heard a loud shriek as she looked into the mirror.

"What happened to my face!! Omg. Where are my boobs!!"

She ran out of the bathroom holding her chest which was admittedly a good size smaller than Payton's.

That's when I remembered. Andrew had said the people who went to Journeys were gifted with special talents. I had assumed he meant brains and bronze type talents. Apparently, it was of the more supernatural type.

"Holy shit. You really are Payton," I said.

"What do we do?" She replied.

"Hold on. I'll get Andrew," I said and ran out in the hall.

I jogged through the hall hollering Andrew's name. People came out of their dorm rooms shooting me dirty looks, but I ignored them.

One door slammed open making me jump and I twirled to face the culprit.

"Parker. Do you enjoy waking everyone up? You do realize today is Saturday, right?" asked Cody.

I glared. "Shut up. Do you know where Andrew is?"

Cody shrugged. After training Cody and Andrew had been assigned roommates. I knew at first Cody didn't like the new arrangement. He missed his older brother Levi who had moved out to go to University. However, after a couple weeks they were partners in crime.

"Oh hey, Payton. What's up?" Andrew nudged Cody out of the way as he walked into the hall from his doorway. 

"Um. So I need your help. With a thing."

Andrews eyebrows raised, almost as if to say I'm going to need more information than that.

"It has to do with you know. Gifts."

Andrew continued to raise his eyebrows. He even turned his head to the side.

I threw up my hands. "Just follow me!"

I began to lead Andrew followed by Cody back down the hallway to my room. I tried to tell Cody that we really didn't need him. Cody started to rant about how Payton and I were trying to exclude him from holiday plans, so to save myself having to hear him go on for hours I begrudgingly agreed. 

When I opened the door to my room, Payton was sitting at the vanity poking at her face and watching her reflection in the mirror.

"Parker! Thank god you're back. I think my boobs have gotten even smaller. How do I change back?" She looked up and blushed when she saw I wasn't alone.

"Huh," Cody said as he stared at Payton's new form, " Hey Parker. When'd you get a new roomie?"

"This..." I said slowly, "Is Payton. She um... woke up like this. Gifts."

"Well, Merry Christmas. We better tell Mr. Hunter," Andrew said and promptly went to fetch his father.