"So how big are you on the whole 'No food in the science lab' rule?" I ask Ben the next day. I receive a curious frown but no reply.
"Cheerful as always, I see,"
"I'm not big on mornings. Or days." He drops his head onto the desk.
I hand him a cookie. "No special ingredient, but I made these last night."
The head comes off the desk and he grins, intentionally stretching his mouth wider to show his fangs, and laughing at my double-take. "Thanks," He says, biting into the cookie.
Science today is a breeze - it's just listening to more presentations. I've already done mine, it was about the science of glass, which might seem really boring but glass is actually really whacky - plus, I couldn't think of anything better to do and it was better than bones.
Walking out isn't so much of a breeze. I'm jostled by a member of the next class. I think nothing of it until Ben yells "Hey!" at my jostler, who suddenly looks... exactly like I do. There's enough difference for her to look slightly different from me, a close sister, perhaps, but she is unmistakably more like me than she was when she walked in.
She turns and opens her mouth, but notices Ben and decides to walk out of the class with us.
Once we reach a quiet area, she turns to Ben.
"You're a vampire, aren't you?"
"And you're a shapeshifter. Nice to meet you, I'm Ben."
"And I'm Scoria - And who are you? You're not an awakened paranormal, otherwise you would have noticed that I shifted, but there's something about you that leaves unawakened paranormal to guesswork. I guess we'll see."
"Well, I'm not sure about all that, but I'm Willow. I also go by 'girl who should be getting a medal for the amount of crazy shit that she's seen in the past two days'. So not to be blunt, but if you're a shapeshifter, are you actually able to shapeshift into me? Because that" - I gestured to her - "is only a clone of me if you squint."
Scoria rippled, and suddenly I was staring in the mirror. Well, not quite the mirror. It was a rather independent reflection.
"Wow." Is all I can think to say.
"What about that part?" Ben asks, pointing to a section of Willow-Scoria's coily hair, which was blonde. "Willow doesn't have a blonde streak."
"Ah, that's my birthmark. It changes with me whatever form I take."
Scoria shifts into a beautiful latina girl.
"Is that your real look?"
"Nah, it's this girl I'm trying to get to date me. She's real pretty, huh?" Scoria laughs and walks off.
Later, I see a boy waiting by the bus stop. He has a blonde streak in his brown hair.
