Morph.

Chapter 22

"Wake up!.". 

A massive thud on my cell jolts me into consciousness. Tobias is standing with a group of like-minded, twisted individuals in white lab coats, some holding notepads and some holding...things - and they don't look nice. 

"We're gonna' need you to be in human form for now, Steph. Come on.". 

Blame it on the exhaustion or the solitary living conditions but it took me awhile to realize I was still in jaguar form. Great, so last night wasn't a nightmare. 

"Last warning, Steph.". 

I let out a roar and glare at them, scaring a couple of 'em before stretching my muscles and focusing on my default shape. Limbs elongate and thin out as my torso contorts and warps, losing mass and melting into a more feminine silhoutte. As soon as the last of my fur shrivels away, I can't help covering myself and avoiding eye contact with Tobias, even if I know he's been staring the whole time. 

The door opens and one of them chucks a T-shirt and a pair of ill-fitting pants at me. 

"Move her out. Slowly and carefully. You, keep a watch. Make sure she doesn't even try changing.". 

Slowly but surely, the entire group escorts me out of my cell and down a corridor, Tobias at the back with another thug in tow. As we pass parts of the facility that I'm seeing for the first time, I hear screams echo from a distance, adding to the almost surreal, eerie surroundings. Soon enough, we approach a door which opens to...

What looks like an exact copy of the holding cell I was in except that Lisa is trapped inside this time. 

"LISA!!!". Kicking the nearest thug near me, I rush towards the cell only to be tackled from the back by three, no, five more people. Tears began flowing freely as I continue kicking and screaming as I'm handcuffed. A stray kick to my guts knocks the wind completely out of me. 

As I'm held down, Lisa crying and screaming from inside, Tobias and that strange old man appears, take their seats and wait for us to fall silent. The old geezer was the first to open his mouth. 

"Look, Stephanie, we don't want to get Lisa hurt as much as you do. Listen to what we have to say for the next few minutes and we promise nothing will happen.". 

He motions to Tobias as he retrieves a syringe from one of the scientists and passes it to him. 

"We figured that if we could find a subject to test on, we stand a higher chance with someone who shares the same genetic makeup as you do, thereby minimizing the risk of anything going on.". 

"Don't you DARE touch her, you motherfu-", as a gag was slipped over my mouth. 

Tobias unlocks the seal to Lisa's chamber as a group of men rush in to restrain her. I shut my eyes and choke on my tears and possibly even my vomit as I hear Lisa's futile screams of resistance echo throughout and then silence. The mechanical whirring of a seal being locked. More screams follow. I want to open my eyes but I can't. I should. 

I do to the sight of Lisa convulsing on the floor, akin to having a stroke. Tobias and the old man are busying themselves with observing as the scientists gather and take notes. No surprise Tobias is behind the camera. Lisa continues screaming on the floor, writhing and soon I know what exactly was inside the syringe as striped fur sweeps across her body. Her screams begin to alternate between humanoid shrieks to the unmistakable roar of a large cat. Slowly but surely, she begins to morph. 

I've never seen someone shift into an animal before, apart from catching my reflection in the mirror and that strange Alex Mack copout working for them. I've definitely never seen it happen to my own sister. It's the first time her body is undergoing a change and I'm not even much of an expert when it comes to other people shapeshifting and how it affects them. All I know is that she's in a lot of pain, and they're going to pay for it.