Puzzles

Just not me

"Thalia! Get up!" Somebody is talking to me. I fumble in the dark for my clock.

5:03 it reads.

Why is someone waking me up at five in the morning? I decide to ignore them and close my eyes. Suddenly a sharp pain on my cheek makes me sit up too fast and hit my head against the ceiling.

"What the hell do you want!?" I whisper furiously, rubbing my head.

"It's Janet, you probably can't see me but I'm right in front of you."

"Turn the light on!" I hear my bed creaking as she climbs down it. Suddenly the room is filled with light. Janet is fully dressed and holding a backpack.

"We're leaving!" She says.

"Go leave then." I mumble and lie back down. She slaps me again.

"Janet! Stop that and go away!" I shout at her, my cheek is really sore now.

"You're coming too! You agreed yesterday to come!"

"What!? Where too?"

"Australia! To go on the quest!" I sit up too quickly again.

"Now?!"

"Yes! Thalia you haven't packed your stuff!"

"Maybe that's because it was all burnt to ash! I've only got the clothes I was wearing when I left and these pyjamas you gave me." She sighs.

"Fine, you can use my stuff. I'll go and get a rucksack for you. Get dressed and don't you dare go back to sleep!" She finally leaves. I roll my eyes and climb out the bunk. There is a knock at the door.

"I'm doing it!" I shout and open the door. In front of me stands Asher.

"Bad time?." He says smiling.

"Sorry I thought you were Janet." I say. He looks down at himself.

"Easy mistake to make. Well, I just wanted to wish you good luck."

"Thanks." I say. He takes a step closer to me.

"I really like you Thalia." I suddenly feel very uncomfortable.

"Ok..." He smiles. He comes closer.

"Do you like me too?"

"I only met you yesterday." He laughs.

"True." He leans his head towards mine and I do the most stupid thing I've ever done. I say:

"Ok, well have a nice day." And shut the door. I am so shocked at what I've done. I'm not usually like that, am I? My palms are really sweaty, I quickly wipe them on my jeans. After a while of consideration I start to smile. That was the rudest thing I have ever done, yet I'm laughing at it. No, I shouldn't laugh. He's probably feeling really sad now. Before I can properly decide Janet arrives.

"Well I'm glad to see you've got your lazy body out of bed. I've packed some of my stuff in this bag." She throws it to me. I scan through it.

"Ok, let's go down to the main entrance." She picks up her suitcase.

"Why? Why not just go?" I ask, stuffing my pyjamas inside the bag.

"Because there is equipment that the organisation is providing for us. Luke is down there already."

"Fine." I sigh and together we head out into the massive maze.

"I spot Luke standing by the desk at the entrance. He is talking to that irritating scientist who I met yesterday.

"Here they are," Luke says when he spots us. "Thalia, this is Dr. Prince."

"Yeah, we've met." I growl at the man.

"Well, we have some necessary precautions to go over." Dr. Prince says. "Firstly. At no point shall she go off on her own."

"Why not?" I ask, already mad by his use of the word she.

"Because on your own you would be an easy target. Secondly. We will install this tracker-"

He holds up a micro chip.

"-into your backpacks, so we can track your movements all the time. Lastly. You will need your injections." Jennifer, who I didn't see earlier, comes towards me holding a long needle. I back away.

"Why do we need in injections?" I step cautiously behind Luke, who is shaking with laughter. Dr. Prince frowns.

"So you are immune to any diseases you may come across."

"It'll be fine, you can hold my hand if you want?" Luke makes fun of me and I shove him into Janet.

"Watch it!" Janet shoves him back.

"Ladies! I'm not a punch bag you know!" He says, rubbing his shoulders.

"Really? You look like one." I mutter. He glares at me. Jennifer puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Keep still dear." And before I can stop her she plunges the needle into my shoulder. It feels fine, until I can feel the liquid ooze into my vein and run down my arm. That makes me shiver. Janet and Luke have theres then we face Dr. Prince again.

"Here is your gadget bag. In here is a load of supplies including: disappearance gas, oxygen flasks, DNA swap and others."

"What's DNA swap?" I ask. He smiles.

"Precisely what you are going to be taking before you leave here." He pulls out a flask full of clear liquid. Then puts a hair into it. The clear liquid turns, pink, orange, blue then green. It finally stops at green.

"Yuck." I say staring at it apprehensively.

"Indeed, but useful. Janet, please drink this." Janet takes the green yuck, and pours it down her throat. I stare at her disgustedly. Something isn't right. Her face is slowly taking form of someone else. She is also shrinking. Her hands are becoming too small and finally she stops about half the size of Luke. She looks completely different. She has short blonde hair and a chubby face, she looks like an eight year old.

"How do I look?" She asks in a babyish voice that definitely isn't her own.

"Like a fat eight year old." Luke says laughing.

"Luke," Dr. Prince hands him a glass of orange yuck. He swallows it and starts to transform until he looks a lot older, about late thirties? His hair has streaks of grey and his eyes are no longer sparkling blue. They are green, like Asher's. Oh god! I forgot about that. Luke starts flattening his hair.

"Hello grandad." Janet says giggling.

"Shut up!" Says a deep growls voice. I know that I'm next. I can't imagine what I'm gonna look like. Dreading this I take some blue yuck and down it as quickly as I can. Instantly my insides tingle. I feel like I'm being pushed into a tiny box and my head is spinning. Once it stops, I look down at myself. My clothes are the same size I don't feel much different. Then I look at my hair. It's blonde and long. My face it feels full of makeup and a couple of hidden wrinkles. I raise my (well not actually my) eyebrows at Janet and Luke. They are staring at me strangely.

"Do I look awful?" I ask. My voice sounds quite motherly like.

"N-no. Quite the opposite." Janet's baby voice says. Luke is still gawping at me. My face burns red.

"Anyway, this hides your identities. It should last for twenty four hours at the least, if you need anymore, take some hair from your head and put it in a small cup of DNA swap."

"A.k.a, yuck." I mutter. No one hears me.

"Janet you have the tents?" He says and Baby Janet nods. "Your cover story is a family going on a hiking trip in Australia. You two-" he points at me and Luke "-are Mr and Mrs Brown, Janet will be your daughter, Mary." Well that's a tad awkward. "We have your passports here and your flight leaves at eight thirty. Bon voyage!"