Shifters

Chapter 5

I was a fox.

It was disorienting being so much lower to the ground, but in a little bit I got the hang of being so much smaller than usual. Moving, though turned out to be a little more of a challenge. Everything felt so different, and I kept tripping over my own feet- no, paws. My heightened sense of smell added to my dizziness. I had just mastered walking when it was time for me to change back again. Lynn poured the mineral water into my mouth and dropped in the pill. I swallowed the mouthful and my vision was once again filled with bright flashes of light. When the colors slowed to a stop and I was human again, I looked to Lynn.

"It looks like you're the one we've been looking for," she said with a smile. She stepped toward me and grabbed a strand of my hair. "You have a souvenir. Don't worry, though, it only happens with your first shift." I glooked up to see a single strand of fiery orange hair. My souvenir. Lynn dropped the hair. "You're free to go now. Come here again tomorrow, okay?" I nodded and followed Lynn out into the waiting room of the lab. Pulling my guide rock out of my pocket, I commanded it to lead me back to my room. When I arrived back in my living quarters, I was hit by a wave of dizziness. I stumbled and fell and the world went dark. When I woke, I was lying on the cream-colored carpet. I touched my hand to my cheek to find that the carpet had made temporary dents in my skin. I sat up slowly. My guide rock was on the floor next to me. I guessed I had dropped it when I fainted.

"Time?" I asked it. Glowing numbers faded to life. I was late for lunch. I set my guide rock back on the floor and at my command it led me to the cafeteria.

When I arrived, Luke and Will were already sitting st our usual table. I grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich and joined them. Before I could take a bite, Luke began interrogating me.

"What did they turn you into?" he asked.

"A fox." I showed them the strand of red-orange fur.

"I was a dog," Luke announced proudly.

"I was a wolf," Will countered. Luke's smile faded a fraction. "A small one, though," he continued. Luke reassumed his air of importance. I ate my sandwich and listened to them arguing about what kind of animal would be coolest to turn into. Luke was sure that turning into a huge animal like an elephant would be awesome. Will was convinced that flying as a bird would be even better. I half listened to them and pondered what I might be turned into next. After a while, I gave up. There were too many possibilities.

The next day, after breakfast, Luke, Will, and I returned to Lab 7. When Dr. Edmont came in though, he told us there gad been a change in plans and we were going to Lab 9 instead. Like the day before, Lynn was there and we went into a separate door from the boys and Dr. Edmont.

"Change in plans," Lynn muttered. "More like imminent death to save money." She pushed open another door and we walked into a room that was the opposite of the one we had visited the day before. Cold gray metal walls surrounded what I would have called a swimming pool, except that this place had none of the excitement and fun I associated with pools. A grey dock extended out over the water. Attached to the side of the dock was a large metal tube. Once I had changed into my special suit, Lynn lead me over to the tube. I looked in to see a ladder extending down into the water. Looking at Lynn, I realized that she was tensed up and jittery. A shiver of dread went down my spine. This was probably going to be a dangerous transition.

"Climb in and I'll pass you the pills," Lynn instructed, a tremor barely audible in her voice. I obeyed and she handed me the pills and cup of mineral water. "Good luck," Lynn said. I took a deep breath and downed the pills. Fire filled my body. I tried to scream, but the sound caught in my throat as the world began to spin. Greys merged together and became one dizzying blur. I lost feeling in all of my body. The flourescent lights above me became brighter and brighter. All I could see was white, burning into my eyes. My eyes closed and the world went dark.