A Teen Thing
Part 8
When I got home I surfed the web. I checked an entertainment page, there was a headline: "Are you a zebra? a wildebeast? a antelope? A gazelle? A leopard? A cheetah? Disney is doing a live-action remake of 'The Lion King'! You too can be a star!"
::Bleah,:: I thought. *That* was almost worse than the thing they did for the remake of 'The Rescuers Down Under!' They were doing remakes of a lot of movies nowadays. What, they can't think of something *original*? Oh, there were a *few* good original movies out there, not nearly enough, though. TV was no better. The new version of the "Odd Couple" starred a leopard and an antelope, and was filled with bad puns.
I talked with Zenk on the Vidnet-phone. He told me he was going to the doctor because his Change had really started to accelerate. "I'm growing a tail myself, now." He said, his image was in the corner of the screen, a 21" Plasma Grid V6.0 superflat. He said it was only a stub so far, so could not show it to me yet (though he doubted he'd be getting much sleep tonight). "I've gained fifty pounds since this morning! I can already bench press one fifty! YES!" I could do two hundred, but he'd probably be there by morning.
With some reluctance I asked him about the beef thing. "Why should it matter to me what you eat?" He said. "I won't force you to limit your food like that. You'd do the same for me if I were like you."
Probably true. "So you don't care if I eat beef?"
"I did not say that. I'm saying I *understand* that you have to. I've got to admit that I'm just a bit uncomfortable with it… but in PPR they teach us understanding. You know, you have the class yourself." That was true, though most are not really strict carnivores, some like myself don't have too much alternative.
"Thanks," I told him. Especially since dad was fixing hamburgers tonight. Yum!
I woke up in that strange position again. Weird waking up with the end of your tail on top of your head. I felt much more comfortable with myself, though. I was quickly learning the ropes with this new body. I got up, took a short shower, took another half hour to brush my teeth, but I had to stop myself before I reached for the comb. I slapped myself on the forehead. "Duh! No hair!"
I can't say I mind that much, though. I'd never liked having hair anyway, too much of a bother styling and combing it in the morning. Though when Zenk and I went to the mall I was going to look into the various kinds of scale polish…
There was a knock on the door while I was watching a bit of bird morph aerial PowerBall. Exciting sport, that. Sort of like soccer in three dimensions. I opened the door to a hairier, larger, and bleary eyed Zenk. "Man, I hardly got a wink of sleep last night. I felt like I was laying on a rock or something."
He stepped inside. "Is it done?" I asked.
In response, a ropy white-haired tail, rather long I thought, twitched a couple times behind him. He smirked. "I think I know how you felt two nights ago! Um… do you mind if I have a snack? I'm *really* hungry." I *had* noticed he was at least three inches taller. I nodded, and he came in for a bit of a salad. Mostly leftovers from my pre-Change days. I did not need many veggies now, and since my parents are both meat eaters and my sister is an insect eater (heh, her gizzard just finished up, so she's on solid food again), the lettuce was starting to go bad. Zenk ate all of the stuff we could not eat anymore very gratefully. When he was finished I *swear* he was a bit bigger…
Then he itched at his forearms… which while his back was to me (*my* turn to stare at *his* tail, I think) had been completely covered my that same whitish hair. "Damn, I hate Surges," Zenk said. He rolled up his sleeve and flexed his suddenly MUCH larger biceps. "But *this* I can live with." He started to laugh. His hands had Changed as well. He now had three thick fingers per hand, with thick nails on all. His back also seemed to have a slight hunch to it, but not all that much. He was also at least an inch taller than me, where before he'd been about two inches shorter, and I'd gotten taller in my Change.
"Um, do you think we ought to get you to a doctor?" I asked.
"Nah, I can handle it. We'd better go, though, or we'll miss the bus."
It was clear and warm for a change. So as a test of my new personality, I went out without a stitch on, save for my watch and a belt pouch with my wallet in it. I was sort of nervous. I had to slip out of the house before my parents saw me; they don't seem to understand that I don't think I need clothes, but probably a sixth of those Changed never wear clothes again for one reason for another. We walked to the bus stop, my claws going *click, click* with every step (I absolutely *love* that click). The only downside happened that I apparently did not get on quickly enough for the driver, and she lightly closed the door on my tail. Not hard, but it gave me a surprise I'll never forget. It was a sudden reminder that I'd not always had the thing.
I was a bit quiet, thinking about the "new me" when Zenk spoke up. "I heard about your little chase with Ricky yesterday. Did you really string his guts out along a fence?"
"Where'd you hear that?"
"I got the munchies on the way home from the doctor for a chocolate Herbabar so decided to stop by that 7- 11. The cashier seemed a bit… spaced out. Heh. You have your own story?"
The ride was rather a long one, we were still five minutes away from the mall when I finished. "…when I got home I was soaked to the bone and shivering up and down my entire length, and I nearly ruined my new clothes, too. But that's really what happened."
He just looked at me for a moment. "You really *have* changed!"
"That's what everybody tells me, and I'm not denying it. Hell, I don't even know how I've Changed yet! All I know is that I refuse to be bullied *any more.*" To make my *point* I loudly clacked my m-claws against the hard floor of the bus.
The bus was half full. People did not seem to notice what I was, or perhaps did not really care. Perhaps a few years ago they might of backed away in fear, or wanted my autograph, but to most people dinomorphs were but one more in the pot of diversity that humanity had become. I remembered something my health teacher had said last year: "For all our outward physical differences, we are still *biologically* a single species. I may look like a tree frog, but if I met and fell in love with, say, a flying squirrel morph we could *still* have a child. I'm a Middie, and still have a human uterus and most everything necessary for having a child in the human manner. I just need to buy baby formula for obvious reasons."
It was very strange being out in public wearing no clothes. I was surprised that I only felt a *little* bit self conscious, but it's not like I was going out naked when I had been human. I felt more like I was wearing a sort of costume.
I'd been wanting to go to the mall without my parents almost since the moment I'd finished Changing. Going out with friends somewhere for the first time after your completed Change is sort of a coming-of-age thing for teens. I opened the door, taking care not to let it close on my tail, then through the second set that keeps the heat in the winter, and took a deep breath.
Freedom is what I felt, strangely enough. No one here, and I'm a frequent visitor to this mall, will know who I am. They will not know what to expect of me. Which opened up a few possibilities. But the smells nearly made me gag!
Why didn't I notice this when I came to the mall with Mom? Maybe I was too preoccupied with other things. The combination of food places like Hot Dog on a Stick, Carl's Jr., McDonald's, Thai Hut, just to name a few made me lose my appetite almost immediately. My nose can't really wrinkle in the mammalian manner, but my nostrils can vary in size like an iris. Right now they were the smallest I could make them, and I was curling my lips in disgust.
Zenk's flat, leathery nose wrinkled too, "It *does* stink doesn't it? Whatsay we go into the arcade until we regain our appetites, eh?" He said in a *deeper voice*. Then he cleared his throat. "Woah, where'd that come from?" in his old voice.
"Sounds good to me." You'd think after nearly a decade since the Change they'd do something about odor overload… but perhaps it's just that Zenk and I are so soon in getting our new nasal equipment. Everything was new to us, so that might explain it a bit.
One the way to the arcade an interesting store caught my eye. It was called: "Python (Monty)" and seemed themed on (what else?) Monty Python's Flying Circus. It was also, to my dismay, the only real reptomorph specialty store in the entire mall, and the only one that sold the scale polish I was looking for. Damn it. My mother and I had gotten my other clothes at Macy's.
I decided to stop in anyway, Zenk followed me in. The place was well stocked. There were clothes made of special fabrics that would keep a steady temperature in any climate. A good thing considering ten percent of the population is reptilian, most of those cold blooded. Unfortunately there are not enough dinomorphs to merit such a store.
I'd briefly considered going into "Wild Birds", one of the avimorph stores. But they did not have clothes. Only stuff like feather dyes and flight computers. Looking at those computers, I almost wished I was a bird. They're cool little things that go on the wrist that have everything from GPS locator system, to altimeter, airspeed, transponder, and radio communication equipment. They're sort of required for long flights (some idiot duck morph only a week after the Change got sucked into an airplane's engine, so…). They've got 'em for as low as $200 now (they were more than $3000 just after the Change). If my sister gets wings in addition to her arms (about a 50/50 chance, the doc says) she'll need one. I envied her there.
The shop had several screens that were playing Monty Python sketches. The one currently on was about a cheese shop without any cheese in it… I stopped to watch. Funny stuff! The Monty Python bunch even got together after the Change and made more sketches. The best of the bunch of shows that had returned because the Change had given them new material, they'd gotten even *better*!
I was paying attention to one of these new sketches when I heard a familiar voice--not Zenk's--speak up behind me. "Hello Tom, nice little chase you had with Ricky yesterday, huh?" It was the female voice I'd heard as I was walking away from Ricky. "He stayed that way for about an hour after you left, you know. That was a pretty cruel thing you did." I turned around.
Who else? Ann Clayborne. She's some kind of monitor lizard, and *was* the geekiest looking, most made fun of (besides me), kid on campus before her Change. Now, the lizard-girl is one of the best looking. Even though she lacks breasts and hasn't a hair, the rest of her just screams "female". She also has a flicking forked tongue that I could not help but watch… I looked (not Glared) at her for a moment, my nostrils pulsing with her scent. "Didn't I hear *you* making fun of him while I was walking away?" I said sarcastically.
She had a fairly short snout, with eyes like mine, and her overall color was green with a medium gray belly. Very pretty for her type. "Well, um, yeah. But that does not excuse what you did. At least not in my mom's eyes. Frankly, it was the funniest thing I've ever seen! Ricky can dish it out but he can't take it!" She's a Middie herself, with the long tail and clawed hands, but still basically human shaped. She was wearing some kind of band over her… um… with no other clothing. And was also carrying one of those suits that has heating elements in it. Just one of those things that makes life easier for those who are cold blooded. Just like the moist-suit my dad wears.
Frankly, she was beginning to annoy me. "Ann, do you have anything you should be *doing?*"
"I work here," she said simply. "Now, what can I do for you?"
I shook my head in shock for a moment. "Well, I, uh…"
"Careful when you stick your foot in your mouth like that. You'll either bite it off or slice off your snout."
"Funny," I replied flatly. "Actually, I'll be right back after I go the arcade with Zenk here. Mind if I leave you this little order?" I gave her the sheet I'd with all the stuff I'd wanted and left her standing with her narrow snout gaping.
Her scent had been vaguely, condescending? That *seems* right. Then again… "She likes you, you know," Zenk said.
"What?"
"Didn't you see her look at you all over very carefully? I bet you look pretty sexy to her now. Heck, I like her looks myself. But I'm too afraid to say so. Her claws look about as sharp as yours, and frankly she looks almost as evil as you do. No offense."
"None taken, hay-breath." We laughed. The arcade was, as usual, fun. I was noticing that my reflexes seemed much better than before. I beat Zenk as often as I lost to him. We played "Super Street Fighter Alpha V: Champion Edition: The New Challengers." Talk about lack of originality! The only reason I played it is that one of the characters is a deinonychus, a species close to my own. He had a "ripper" move that made my m-claws twitch oddly…
We both had fun. People were watching the two of us like I was about to rip Zenk's guts out every time he beat me. But I was really so used to that I'd long since ceased being angry about it. I'd simply lacked the self confidence to even *try* to beat him. The only thing I was in danger of was an overlarge ego from my success. By the time we ran out of tokens I felt so cocky that Ann said nothing when I picked up my stuff. She even *flirted* with me that made me feel even *more* cocky.
Ahead of us while we were walking out of the mall was a pig-morph and a chicken-morph, apparently boyfriend and girlfriend.
The two ahead of us came to a corner. A moment earlier the pig and chicken had rounded that same corner, which was behind one of the larger mall buildings. Then there was an odd flash and a terrified squeal and squak. "Whatinell was that?" said Zenk quietly.
"I don't know. But let's take a peek."
"Well now," We heard. "What have we here? A piggy wiggy and a chicken. Got any eggs, chicken? I feel like an omelet." We could both tell by his tone of voice that he did not mean it. In fact, it more resembled something Ricky might say when he was bullying me. I couldn't stand for that. We peeked around the corner.
"That guy's *big!*" Zenk whispered. I did not argue *that* any! The guy was at least as big as Mr. Wilkes, probably bigger because polar bears *are* the largest mammalian carnivores. But I just *could not* stand here and watch the guy humiliate those two people (I wonder how he got them to Shift?).
He was big enough that all the instincts I had were telling me to leave well enough alone. -otherhunter too bigHUGEbig!- It was saying. -notchallenge! BIGhugeBIG!- Damn inner voice. Many people have it, it's some sort of manifestation of one's animal instincts. Often hard to resist. This was my first experience with It, though. I almost ran! But the polar bear continued to his number on the pig and chicken. "Damn it! I just can't stand here and *watch*!" I said.
I'd come to the conclusion that the guy was probably an Inducer. Someone able to force a Norm-shift if the person has the ability or not. If the person does *not* then they would not be able to change back until another Inducer did it for them. Surprisingly, Zenk said, "Well, I'm not abandoning you. I'll help. Heck, all these muscles have to be good for *something*." He seemed to be as cocky as I was after that game.
At my nod, we came from behind the corner. The polar bear was not paying any attention, so almost jumped out of his skin when I tapped on his shoulder. "Excuse me," I said calmly, without a hint of anger. "But my friend and I just happened to notice what you were doing. We don't like it. Stop." I said this like I was talking to a wall. And frankly, it was all I could do to keep from running. For me, the amount of fear I had seemed to be a function of how many packmates I had around me (I would later learn), and at the moment that number was of course zero.
The polar bear cocked his big head. "What have we here? A dinosaur and a cow! HAH! Stop it you two. You're making me laugh." He said, unruffled.
Zenk's face went flat. "Bull." He said as emotionlessly as me.
"What?" the polar bear said.
"I'm a *BULL* idiot! Texas Longhorn! And proud of it man!" *That* was a switch. "Bovinity" seemed to have done wonders for his self esteem.
"Okay," the bear said. Then he focused on Zenk. Who flashed into norm-shape. Zenk seemed very confused, almost dizzy. Before I could stop him the bear landed a punch on the side of Zenk's head. He fell over with a loud *thump*, unconscious.
Fear was starting to be replaced by anger. I clicked my m-claws ominously on the concrete and said darkly, "You wanna try that little trick on *me*?" I was getting angrier and angrier.
"Nah. Besides, what could a little squirt like *you* do to a big guy like *me*? I'd never let you get close enough to use those claws anyway, now that I know you're there. But I still want an omelet. And maybe some *bacon.*" Again, he did not mean it. But at the very *mention* of the word "bacon" the pig squealed his heart out. I've never seen a worse bully in my life!
I was about to step through the door in my mind to my norm-shape. But I paused. I weighed no more in that shape than I did right now. But when I looked down the "hallway" something clicked in my mind. There was a moment of pure epiphany! I snapped my fingers. "D'oh! Of course!" I said aloud, and loudly, too.
"What?" said the bear, confused.
I grinned evilly (what else could I do when I look like this?). I walked my mental self down the "hallway" and came up to a likely door. Above each were what looked like writing. I focused on the letters and they became clearer, but not too much. I focused harder. *This* door had *exactly* what I wanted. "If you don't change my friend, and those two people back NOW you'll see."
"See what? All I see is a little tinysaurus with pins for claws! I could take you out in a second, and I think you're a little too cautious with those things anyway. You'd never hurt me! So I'm just going to walk away and you're not going to tell anyone about this. Are you?"
"Think again." I opened and walked through the "door."
The world seemed to shrink, and so did he. His jaw dropped open, he backed into the wall. When I finished, size was no longer a factor (for *me* at least). "Change. Them. Back. NOW!!" I yelled. Of course, that's what I *meant* to say… but it came out a little different. I let out a roar that seemed to shake the building!
Zenk came to and flashed back to his normal self. He backed up for a moment in fright, but then he sniffed the air a moment. "Tom? That you?"
I nodded my huge head, and growled a little more at the polar bear. "Cool, you're a Polymorph, huh? Man, you get all the luck! Want me to get mall security?" I nodded again. Zenk Shifted and galloped off.
The bear was just frozen there. I doubted that he could move an inch. If he even tried I'd growl again. You know, 'Jurassic Park' was close, but not *that* close. I'd finally figured out what the letters on the door had said. I flexed my tiny, two-fingered hands on the ends of short arms. The T-rex was not one of my favorite dinosaurs. But I was really not in the mood to look for another one.
I heard some people coming up the walkway a few minutes later. One had the clop of horse's hooves, another a kind of "slap-slap" of a moist suit. I heard a confused voice. "So you say your friend is a T-rex? And this guy you've cornered was bullying a pig and a chicken?"
"Yup," said Zenk.
"Well, you're lucky I'm an Empath, because otherwise…" they rounded the corner. I could smell the man. I'd never smelled anything like it! For a moment I felt like I wanted to lunge around and *eat* the guy! "Oh. My. God. That you… um… what's his name… Tom?"
I tried to say "yeah" but there was that growl again. "Heya, Tom," Zenk said. "Can you change back now? I think you're making these guys nervous." I was making *me* nervous, too. So I backed out into the hallway.
I felt myself shrinking once more. The world got bigger. I was noticing that, other than size, there was not too much difference between the raptor and the T-rex. Sure, I had fewer fingers, and I did not have the m-claw. But otherwise there were no great differences.
Then I thought of the doors again. And I wondered… just how many other dinosaurs could I do? Maybe I should find out…
*************** Part 9
"I can't believe you left the house *naked!*" Mom growled as I sat at the breakfast table. Monday. I *hate* Mondays!
I paused in my breakfast eating (fake chicken meat, bleah) long enough to say "Mom, can we just drop it? Please? That was Saturday and this is… Monday." I said 'Monday' like I was saying 'broccoli.' I'd always hated that vegetable, but my mom had made me eat it. Bleah… thank god I never have to worry about *that* again.
"Well, okay Tom. But I just want to make sure that you don't go out like that again. At least while you're living under *my* roof. When you're out on your own you can go out and about naked."
"Mom, and I hate to point this out, but you're not wearing anything yourself right now," hypocrite, "and besides, that cold front that moved in has pretty much made clothes necessary. I might not mind being naked anymore, but freezing my tail off is not my idea of *fun.*" Zenk knocked on the door a moment later, and I left for school.
Zenk had completed his Change on Saturday on the way home from the mall incident. He now looked like the classic minotaur. Smelled like one, too. The thing was, he was not yet used to those hoofed feet. So we were about halfway to school when he announced, "Man, my hooves are *killing* me." In his new deep baritone voice. (he certainly had "James Earl Jones" potential, for sure. If anything I was going to stay a tenor)
It was cold, but after my actions of Saturday I felt like doing something nice. Balance, you understand. "Wanna ride?" I asked him. I'd spent most of yesterday finding out what else I could do. Which turned out to be quite a lot.
"Ride? You mean? Like, thanks! I could use one right now. So, what're ya gonna do? Iguanadon? Stegosaurus? Apatosaurus? What?"
Among the things I'd found out was that I could only do dinosaurs. No mammals, though there were pterosaurs and ichthyosaurs in my repertoire. I'd gotten up early yesterday to experiment. Among the first ones that I'd experimented with was Apatosaurus (a.k.a. Brontosaurs). All I'll say is: THAT THING IS HUGE!! I woke up my parents by looking through their second floor bedroom window. I'm not sure I like being that big. So I stuck with the smaller ones like Ceratosaurus and Iguanadon (my other favorites). Then I tried what I was going to do for Zenk…
I took off my clothes first, not minding the cold as much as I thought I would. Then I dropped to all fours, and went through the appropriate mental door. My claws retracted to mere blunt nails, my legs and arms became large and elephantine. My body inflated like a balloon so I was now comfortable on my fingers and toes. The world shrank. But the major changes were on my head. Three tingles made themselves known, two above my eyes, and one near the tip of my snout. The back of my skull felt like it was being drawn back as it extended into a bony frill. My teeth blunted to those of a herbivore. I blinked a couple times to clear my shifting vision, and it was over.
"Wow!" Zenk said, "A Triceratops! Cool! Sorta like a saurian bull! Um, how do I get up on your back?" In response, I dipped a shoulder and he climbed right up. Then he patted me once on the back of my frill. "I'm settled, let's go."
We must of been quite a sight as we ambled onto campus. After the incident at the mall on Saturday I knew my raptorish face had been shown on all the local news stations, so they would know what I could do. Or what I *thought* I could do. At the time I thought I was a true polymorph, able to do anything. That was not the case, though. Darn it.
Then I saw my counselor standing outside the Admin building, the ducky woman had a very confused tinge to her scent. I stopped right in front of her. "Good morning Mrs. Woods!" Zenk said. "Nice morning for a ride, isn't it?"
"Maybe so, Mister Zenkin. I assume that's Tom you're astride? Someone is here to see him in my office. And I'd prefer him a bit smaller than he is at the moment."
In response, Zenk got off, I changed back, then put on my clothes and he gave me my school stuff. "What is it now? If you don't mind me asking." I said. "Are you going to redo my schedule again?" I hoped not. She really screwed it up last week. But then, last week had been… interesting.
"Partially. But only because of that new Power that you showed up as having. The lady in my office wants to speak with you about it. So if you would please?"
I walked behind her as she waddled towards her office. As we got closer and closer, a strange and vaguely enticing scent reached my naris. It was so familiar… but I just couldn't place it. Then Mrs. Woods opened the door and I saw her.
One female velociraptor morph. Wow. Wowowowowowowowowow. Wow.
"Tom, this is Coonie Bennett-Smith, a rep of the Meso Club and the Middle Life Organization. Mrs. Smith, Thomas Boxhall. Freshly Changed as of last week."
"Um… I… uh…" There I go putting my foot in my mouth again. But this time I could not help but look at her. And look and look and look.
We shook hands (what delicate claws!). Her first words were, "I'm so sorry David himself couldn't be here. He loves meeting teens like yourself. But National Geographic keeps him moving all over the world. He's somewhere in Tibet right now I think. He sends his regards, though." Ohh! That *voice!* Words do not do is justice, though I seem to recall her name in the credits in some of those IMAX documentaries. Coming between those scaly lips only made it sound *better.* She looked me over.
"Well, you're a bit further along than my husband is in morph shape, but you're quite a specimen, I'll admit. I'm here because I saw that mall incident on The News Channel. You seem to be a polymorph, so Eos (the MClub president) thought I should show up right away. I'm here to teach you a few things, and induct you into the Club. I'll tell you more later, but for now I want to see you alone. If you don't mind, Mrs. Woods?"
"Oh… no. Not at all. Go right ahead." She seemed *very* nervous with the two of us there. Good.
Mrs. Smith turned and walked out. She was wearing what amounted to a simple green blouse, a pair of khaki shorts, and a hat. Her tail had an odd wide black and gray striping pattern, and her eyes had large black patches surrounding them. My only thought was that she looked not a little bit like a raccoon with coloring like that. I knew Mrs. Woods husband was a raccoon morph, and I'd seen him once or twice (they're actually fairly common as morphs go). I just stood there and watched that tail… that tail… that… "Tom? You coming?" She said, her snout just in the door from the hall.
"Uh… yeah. I'm coming." Sheesh! I shook my head and blinked a few times. What was *with* me today? Must be Monday… Gawd I hate Mondays! I walked after her quickly, and knocked my tail against the doorjamb. "Awrch!" I still occasionally did that.
"Walk beside me," she said as we reached the cold outside. I sped up a bit. We seemed to be walking towards the gym area, where there were private rooms for Power training. Unfortunately, no two Powers are exactly alike. Only someone with a similar Power can train someone else with one like it. Which made me curious… "First off," she said. "I'm a married woman and I'm twice your age. If you stop and think a moment you'll realize that your reaction is quite instinctual. So I'd quash those thoughts right now."
"But… but… I c-c-can't. You're so… sooo." No words could describe it, really. It was another first for me, meeting another dinomorph who was the *same species.* And female at that… We reached one of the larger rooms and went inside. She locked the door.
The Power Training Rooms are pretty much bare with cheap furniture. The walls are treated with some sort of paint that's been affected by someone with a "Nullification" Power. So if some kid my age with some sort of explosive Power loses control he doesn't blow up the school and everyone in it. This was the largest room in the place, with a thirty foot ceiling and about a hundred feet on a side.
"Hmm," she said. "Then perhaps I'll do this until I show you how to filter your thoughts for unwanted instincts. Tom, I should tell you. Do not tell *anyone* what I'm about to show you. Yes, they know I can do this *kind* of thing. But they don't know what my Center Morph is."
"'Center Morph?'" I said, perplexed.
She thought a moment. "I guess I'll make this the first lesson, then. For Polymorphs, the 'Center Morph' is simply that which you originally Changed into before you discovered your Power. It's your 'center of being' if you will. If you were knocked unconscious, depending on how much control you have, it's the form your body would revert to. It also influences how you act and what you look like in almost any other form. Take myself, for instance." She closed her eyes, and without any fanfare, promptly changed into a raccoon morph.
Then I realized my attraction to her *was* instinctual. Because it disappeared moments after she did that. Then I realized what I'd been thinking and blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Smith. I should have guessed.. but, well, you know." I ducked my head in embarrassment.
"Yes, I *do* know. And you're forgiven. I've encountered it before. But do you think any less of me this way?"
"No… but if I may ask. Why do you want to hide that you're not really a dinomorph? And why are you a member of the Club if it's not your Center Morph?"
"Well, to answer your first question, you're the only dinomorph in fifty miles. That makes you rather vulnerable in a way. Your counselor seems the type to force things she *thinks* is right based on what she *thinks* she knows. If she knew I wasn't a real velociraptor-morph she might not take me seriously. But my husband is one, and I can *be* one. So, in answer to your second question, I'm an honorary member with full benefits. Speaking of benefits, when I'm done teaching you today I'm going to give you a full run down of them. You'll be quite pleased." With that, her fur retracted, her pointed snout went scaly, her teeth into sharp blades, and her eyes slitted.
When she'd shifted raccoon (duh! I should have known from her name!) her scent had altered along with the rest of her. As she assumed the velociraptor morph once more, it changed again. And I recognized that my attraction for her *was* instinctual. Damn, how embarrassing! I blushed again.
"Tom, don't worry about that. I've got to admit that you're a pretty handsome 'saur yourself. But on to business…"
I've never been so exhausted in my *life!* By the end of two hours I was panting from both the mental and physical effort of Shifting. I was everything from an Apatosaur (again, and I almost put my head through the roof) to a Nanotyrannus, to an obscure species named "Zephyrosaurus."
"Can… can we stop now?" I said tiredly. "Please?" The disorientation was making me feel queasy. So much for lunch.
"Sure thing," she said. Actually, she was about as tired as I was. She had a facility with Shifting that I could only *dream* about! She said she could become anything once she touched it and 'acquired' it's shape. She demonstrated once when I did another obscure species ("Jaxartosaurus", a kind of hadrosaur). And almost fainted when she did it the first time.
So I *did* have one thing over her. I could be whatever I could see a picture of (I'd seen a lot of dinosaur species, and she'd brought a vid-disk with about 1000 species on it, so…). The "doors" in my mind got labels whenever I saw a new species. She also taught me the beginnings on how to organize the Hallway, which cleaned things up mightily. "You need to have easy access to the forms you use the most," she'd said.
It took a lot of work, but I managed to get my favorites into the immediate area around my raptor- norm Door. So, close by I now had: Iguanadon, Triceratops, Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, and another obscure meat eater (but bigger than T-rex) named Gigantosaurus.
I had two more drawbacks that she did not have. I could not automatically do morphs like Mrs. Smith (Coonie, she prefers to be called). It took a *lot* of work to do a Triceratops-morph! But when I did it I had the feeling that Zenk and I were going to have a bit of fun later… The second was more a frustration than anything else. No matter what I did, I kept my color pattern. She could change hers, but I absolutely *couldn't!* ::Can't have everything.:: I thought.
Then she announced the Meso Club benefits. My 2-4-6 classes had been slightly altered. I'd retained Mr. Wilkes for my TA thing, but Carnivore Behavior had been dropped and after this class I had the same teacher (Boldway) for Instinct Integration. But today I was to forego that class because of all this *great* stuff I was about to get.
"'The _Dinotopia_ Catalog,'" she said, taking it out of a large bag with a bit of flourish. "No where else can you find more stuff *specifically* for dinomorphs. I doubt the reptilian-style clothes you're wearing are really comfortable for you." That was true. A little tight in the crotch. Different pelvic shape, you understand. "So I want you to thumb through this (watch those claws) and tell me what you want. The first benefit is a clothing allowance. We don't skimp on our members." She handed it to me.
I'd actually found the Dinotopia web site, but it did not have *nearly* as much stuff as this tome had in it! I had about a thousand dollars to use. I used it all. Then she surprised me again. "You are also lucky in that we will fund half your college education, no matter the field you decide to go into. Fully if you decide to go into paleontology. But keep your grades on the rise. I've seen your transcript. I know you can do better."
I was left speechless, really. And I knew Mom and Dad would be, too. Then the lunch bell rang. "See you Wednesday?" I said.
"Actually, Tom, I'd like to see you after school if I may. I need to meet your parents. And, I'd like to get to know you better. Besides, I need to look for an apartment while I'm here. You've still got a half a year left of school, and I'm your teacher for this class."
"Um… Okay." I said. What was I going to say? 'No?' Especially since it was taking all my concentration to keep from drooling all over her. If this wasn't infatuation I didn't know what was… and what made I worse was that I *knew* it was wrong, but wasn't in any condition to stop it. Oh well.
Lunch was fairly uneventful. I decided to save my little surprise for Zenk until after school, on the way home perhaps. I regained my appetite about halfway through, so was *finally* able to munch my lunch. Faux pork, "raw" (yum! The one kind of fake meat that tasted *okay*). I *really* wished real meat did not cost so much. But until they figure out a more humane way to factory raise meat animals the shortage will continue.
Then I remembered what my next "class" was. TA with Mr. Wilkes. Not that I was unhappy about it any more, but sitting there correcting tests in front of all those Freshmen was not my idea of fun. Unlike me (when I had his class last year), a lot of those in his classes had started their Change, and even one or two had completed it. No matter that I had Changed in a day, I still had been overdue enough that I dreaded going in there. Before my Change I'd even been made fun of by teens two years my junior.
I was one of the first in. Mr. Wilkes was sitting in his big chair. "Hello, Tom. How are you today?"
"Just ducky." I replied. "My counselor redid my schedule again. I still have you, but I'm a little miffed on being shuffled around like a deck of dinosaur trading cards. Otherwise, if you think I take up too much space in your classroom, tell me and I'll change into something smaller. Like a Compsognathus." I tailgrinned.
"I've had a few polymorphs in my classes over the years, Tom. So you're not the first of those. You *are* the first dinosaur polymorph, though. But class is about to start and I want to introduce you. As if they don't know about you already!" He rumbled a bit in a chuckle.
The second bell rang. The class was staring at me, of course. I'd put my stuff down next to the smaller TA's desk just beside his at the front of the room and sat down in the special chair he'd brought for me. He gestured for me to stand up. "Class, I'd like you to meet the new TA, Tom Boxhall whom I'm sure you all know about. You *won't* be able to bribe him like the last one. I *guarantee.* And if I catch any cheating on *this* test I'll won't even have to take it to the office to get it shredded this time. Right Tom?"
I knew what he was getting at. Most thought since Mr. Wilkes was such a nice guy that he wouldn't care if you cheated. But he has strong feelings for cheaters (as Ricky found out more than once). He had a tendency to make you *watch* your cheated-on test get shredded in the machine. I'd never had the displeasure, but to make Mr. Wilkes point I idly sliced a piece of scrap paper in half in front of the class. I nodded. "Right, Mr. Wilkes. Whatever you say. Otherwise, everyone. I had him last year for World Civ. He's a nice guy as I'm sure many of you have found out. But, don't bug me while I'm correcting tests. I won't like it."
"And if you do well you'll find Tom as nice as me," Mr. Wilkes added. I nodded and tailgrinned. Over the next two hours I found out that being a TA for Mr. Wilkes meant a little more than just correcting tests. His lectures were not just talk, but a full "multimedia" thing. I knew from last year that he tended to take kids right out of the room for little bits of play acting. "Hands on is the best way to learn history," he'd always said. "What better way to have a personal connection with the event?" It had had an effect on me, I was sure I was going to be a history major in college.
He was on to a new unit, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. My favorite unit from the year before, really. So the class passed quickly. Even moreso because one of the students had their First Sign right then and there. With a great noise of ripping fabric, a long reptilian-type tail grew out of the kid's backside. His yelling was kinda hard to miss… "Tom, take him to the nurse. Don't worry about getting back before class ends. Go, go, go!" Mr. Wilkes said. So we went.
The thing was, he had real trouble walking. "What's you name?" I asked.
"Daniel Buckley," he said, scratching at the tail. "My friends call me 'Dans.' Think I'm turning into a dinomorph like you?"
"Well, Dans. The nurse just might know. I'll even stick around until we find out. But are you okay?"
"I'm having some trouble walking… I don't think my legs are quite right yet."
"Then just stand right there. I'm going to do something that might help." I changed into a Plateosaurus. A prosauropod (long neck and tail) and built low enough to the ground that he had no trouble just hanging onto my neck. I left before I found out what he was going to be, but I'd unwittingly made a friend. As I walked back to the classroom I wondered just if he *was* going to be another like me. It was a possibility, but not likely.
I got back to class just as the bell rang. Mr. Wilkes asked me how Dans was, and I replied in kind. I'd seen his parents walking up (a flighted robin and a canine of some sort) as I left the nurse's office. I had a suspicions that I'd be seeing him where my friends and I eat lunch at some point. And strangely, I found myself looking forward to it. It was nice having someone look up to me for a change.
My normal thing was for me to wait in the classroom until Zenk showed up and we could walk home. But Coonie arrived first. "Mind if I walk home with you, Tom?" she asked.
"Who's this?" rumbled Mr. Wilkes from his desk.
Her scent was boring into my nostrils. I felt my jaw go limp for a moment, and I started to pant. Not out of being too hot… but heat of a different kind. "Mr. Wilkes, this is… this is…" In the immortal words of Curly Howard, 'I tried to think but nuthin happened!' I shook my head again to clear it. "Coonie. Um… Smith. Dinomorph. Um…"
She saved me. "And you are?" she said as they shook hands.
"Carl Wilkes. World Civ teacher. Nice to meet you," He said.
"Carl Wilkes? You're kidding me! No… it can't be you. Don't you remember me?"
"Not really… but I'm sure you can understand why."
"Yes, of course! Where *was* my head? Connie Bennett. I had you for AP European History when I was a senior. You were the yearbook advisor and I was the editor."
"Connie? No!" he shook his massive head and laughed. "I was wondering about you just the other day… wondering what you'd become and what you were doing. Are you still doing all that painting? You have real talent, you know…" And they started to talk. Talk a lot. About twenty five minutes later, they noticed me. It was kinda hard not to.
I remembered that I had those 'nictitating membranes' or whatever. So to show just how bored I was I slouched a bit in the chair, my tail limp behind me, arms hanging and legs splayed out in front. To top it off, I let my head rest on my chest and brought up those membranes, with my tongue hanging out of my toothy mouth. It looked like I was dead… Perfect.
"Tom, if you want to wait outside I'll be out in a moment." Coonie said, somewhat amused. "Mr. Wilkes and I have a lot to catch up on. But I guess I'll be here for a while so we don't have to catch up completely. Just wait for me and I'll walk home with you."
I gathered up my stuff and went. It was probably fifty five degrees out, so I zipped up my jacket. I found Zenk waiting out there for me. "You waited?" I said. I must of been in there a half hour after the bell listening to those two just jabber away.
"What're friends for?" he said. "But I think I can walk all the way this time. I've been on these things all day and I think I'm getting used to them. Should we go?"
"One moment… I'm waiting for someone," the door opened. I managed to keep my tongue in my snout this time. "Zenk, Coonie. My Polymorph teacher. And Coonie, Allen Zenkin. Newly Changed bull morph and my best friend." I said.
"Polymorph, eh? What else can you do?" Zenk said with a sly look on his bovine face.
In response Coonie Shifted into a cow morph herself. "Does this answer your question?" She said. Lucky thing all she seems to wear is Shifter clothing… Then she Shifted back to raptor.
"Wow… if you don't mind me saying so, ma'am, that's udderly-incredible." He grinned.
"Zenk! You know how I feel about puns!" I said with a growl.
"Sorry. I guess I shouldn't say that my parents own a China shop, then. Should I?"
"Your dad is in the Forest Management Service and your mom's a Policebird." And his dad was a hawk and his mom a raven, both winged ("Flighted," they have both arms and wings in morph). "So please, the puns stop here and now. Please?" Not like I expected him to actually *stop* doing puns, but sometimes Zenk gets in these whimsical moods and can't help himself. "But let's get a mooo-ve on." I can give as good as I get.
"Yes, please," Coonie said, shouldering a large bag. "Let's go before you two get any worse. Besides, it looks like rain."
"It's Oregon, Coonie. It *always* looks like rain," I replied.
"I know, but I live in Malibu. So call me a spoiled Southern Californian." With no further words, we started off to my house.