Curious Minds

Chapter 19

Dak

<You are an interesting horse,> Caleb said as we let the twins put saddles on our backs.

<What do you mean?> I hadn't had a specific look in mind just speed, strength, and male.

Caleb managed to send an image through thought-speak. It was of a slim horse with a mane the color of flames and the body had the pattern of a paint horse, but the colors were strange. The base color was red and the paint splotches were black, not a normal combination.

<Why don't you two morph?> I asked the twins.

"Someone has to be able to explain why there are two strange horses on the property," Drake said as he pulled himself into the saddle on Caleb's back. Josh's weight settled in the saddle on mine. The bridles didn't have bits since Caleb and I were more than capable of following directions, leaving Drake and Josh to let go of the reins and just be carried along.

A while later Josh said, "We looked into Paige some more... You're right Dak."

"She's nothing like the Paige here," Drake added. I got the impression that they were both very disappointed.

<What's this tell us?> I asked everyone.

"They I know," the twins intoned.

<We're fucked> Caleb said.

****Caleb***

For nearly two weeks, Dak made it his mission to avoid Paige as much as possible, which would've been easier if she hadn't constantly found one reason or another to come to the cabin. It wasn't like we were there much, anyway. Any time I ran into her on my way out, she was always asking about Dak. It was almost stalkerish behavior.

Within the first few days, we had established what was where and who stayed in what areas most.... Or I mean Dak did. Now all of us were able to stay away from main areas when we were morphing.

"Wonder what she'd do if she got you alone?" I teased, hiding the spike of rage at the thought. I was kind of curious even though I wanted to punch the fake blonde in the teeth anytime she looked at Dak.

The orange tabby cat on the fence next to me nearly fell from the rail it was balanced on. <I don't want to know,> Dak's thought-speak voice filled my mind. He was staying in morph more than not lately and I was beginning to worry he would go over the two hour time limit.

Looking back out to the field, I watched the two sparrows as they flitted around, playing. It was the most active I had seen both of them since before breaking into the facility.

<No,> Dak said, cutting into my thoughts.

The corners of my lips tilted up. Even though he could read anybody, I could swear that he heard my actual thoughts.

<Do not dare,> he warned. The cat sat beside me and glared.

"A cat's glare is somewhere between adorable and terrifying," I told him.

The cat's eyes narrowed.

"What's the problem with pretending to be you?" I asked him. When he looked away, I smiled bigger and added, "You don't have to be worried about me."

<I'm not worried,> Dak snapped. His voice sounded worried.

Before I could continue picking at Dak, the stable hand we met that first trip to the stables walked up. He looked to be in his mid-twenties with a farmer's tan, brown hair and eyes.

"Hey, Mr. Livingston has returned," he looked nervous at the news he had to deliver. "He said he wanted to meet the friends his sons brought with them. I-I couldn't find the red-head... Dakota?..anywhere."

I refrained from glancing at the cat, who was now sliding off the fence into the pasture. "What about the twins? Doesn't he want to see them?"

"Uhhm...their... relationship is not, uh, the best," he mumbled.

<No shit,> Dak said as he slunk to the trees where his clothes were hidden. There was something that pissed him off about dead-beat parents.

"I'll find Dak. Where should we be there?" I asked trying to block out Dak cussing vehemently about ants and his clothes and only paritally succeeding.

"The main house. He wants the two of you to join him, Susan, and Paige for dinner," the stable hand didn't look too happy about his task since he had become aware since our arrival that we were protective of the twins.

One of this guys coworkers had been downright rude and dismissive with Josh while Dak was standing nearby. Long story short? There is a reason you are not supposed to piss of a natual ginger. I spent ten minutes prying my best friend off the guy. Even now, I had to watch him. Dak's though-speak had faded out.

"Okay. I'll go find my friend real quick. I haven't seen him in a while. What was your name again?"

"Kyle," he said as his face paled, realizing what I meant. "Do you need help?"

"Nah. I can find him," I said. "I just gotta geab something first."

Kyle nodded and headed back ot the four wheeler he had driven up on.I figured he was just aiming to get away after delivering his message.

When he was a good distance away, I jumped the fence and headed to the group of trees nearby.

I half expected Dak to have disappeared, but he was there, curled into a ball with his arms wrapped around his middle. Although his skin was naturally pale, his face had the same color as paper.

"Whoa! You good?" I crouched down next to him.

"As good as someone like me can get," he groaned. The pain in his voice made me want to help, but I had no real idea as to how. It had been like this since the first time I broke into his house.

"Is this a thing helped with chocolate?" If it was, I'd steal a truckload of it for him.

"No. It's the genetic thing," he wheezed.

The 'genetic thing' was a problem that had happened when he was conceived. No one knew how, but his DNA and chromosomes told doctors that he was male. His body even produced natural male hormones. Somehow, though, his reproductive parts were female and caused extreme pain when they tried to work, which had happened more in the last few months than normal. With the mix-up, Dak was very likely sterile in every way, but doctors were unable to provide a specific answer.

Even though I understood it was medical, I didn't get it. A thought suddenly occurred to me. "What happens if you focus on your DNA when you morph?"

"Same stuff," he growled. "That's how the morphing tech works."

"Have you specifically focused on that?" I demanded. "What if it's like the hair color?"

Several moments passed where we stared at each other. I could see his mind churning and the hope a tiny spark in his eyes.

"Morph me and then back, slowly," I suggested.

Dak morphed so that I was looking at myself. When the pain faded from his face and body, I seriously hoped my guess would be right. When he suffered, I wanted to do something stupid... like break into a secure facility and steal technology.

"Okay. Now that there are two of me, what do you think of my idea?" The twins were bound to realize we had disappeared soon. They knew about the medical condition, but not what it was exactly.

"I think you are delusional," he said, stretching out on the grass, unclenching muscles from his previous position.

"Remember that scientist?" I asked. When Dak just looked at me, I added, "He said there were changes made to the morphing stuff."

"We touched the original cube," Dak snapped. I knew it was from his fear of morphing back.

"The hunk of metal that zapped us?" After a moment, he got it and the understanding cleared the apprehension on his face.

Sitting up, he looked at his hands uncertainly. "What if something goes wrong?"

Sitting beside him, I said, "I'm here. And honestly? I'm surprised your body hasn't been auto-corrected."

That earned me a look of irritation from my temporary twin.