I wasn't sure how I felt about being separated into a group based on my power. I mean, I didn't even know much about how it worked myself yet and I was still kind of happy finding that out on my own. I was even less happy with having to show them what I looked like, normally; it kind of blew the whole cover on getting to pretend to be 'Christie'. I turned back into her afterwards but it created a whole lot of turmoil in my head while I re-thought the whole taking Theatre thing and whether I should have just been straight with Nyx in that class.
Briony - and Melody - went first on explaining their powers and then Jay said he could turn invisible, which had to be pretty awesome, and Bela turned into a furry kitty cat. So that was about the most adorable thing I'd seen all day and I felt some of the tension ebbing away as I gave a far too girly squeal and reached out to pet her.
"Uh- oh. Sorry. I mean, your power's cool and-" I blushed and retracted my hand but she didn't seem to mind much and it wasn't long before the lesson broke up.
I was heading back to my dorm and looking like my regular self again when one of the teachers stopped me.
"Christopher Keiko?"
I nodded tensely and wondered if I was about to get in trouble for using the girl's toilets or something. The power adviser had to have told the other teachers already that I was going around the school looking like a girl.
"Good, I wanted to let you know that your request for a roomate has been approved. His name's Oren Blackburn and he'll arrive on campus on Friday."
It took a moment for that to settle in but then I felt a smile burst out on my face and I almost hugged her. Just think how weird that would have been.
"Thank you!" I said instead, "That's great - thanks!" And I pretty much skipped all the way to my dorm. As a boy. It was one of my less cool moments.
______________________ Friday______________________
By the end of the first week I was in over my head with trying to keep Chris and Christie separate. I'd lost track of who knew I was both and who didn't and I had no idea how much my cover might have been blown. All I knew was I hadn't told Nyx yet and the longer I didn't tell her, the more I felt like I was lying to her. She was fast becoming the closest thing I had to a best friend both as Chris and as Christie and when she invited both of us - both of me - to come to the pool party, I didn't know how either of us could refuse.
So we said yes. It was a bad move, I know, but I packed my swimming trunks with my towel and then headed down as Christie and things went from bad to worse. I was standing with Lilah and Nyx when two boys approached us - one I recognised as a kid called Dimi and the other I wasn't sure about.
"Hey there ladies, who's ready to get wet?" Dimi asked which was met with a lot of eye rolling from the girls and snickers from the boys. I was obviously in the eye rolling category.
"Come on, it'll be fun," the other boy insisted.
I shook my head and slowly I realised that I'd never tried swimming in someone else's body before. Different weight, different sized limbs, different... anatomy. I didn't know if I actually could swim.
"No way, I'm not going in that water even if you make me," I declared, which was obviously the wrong thing to say because Dimi got a glint in his eye and elbowed the other boy.
"Oh really? That sounds like a challenge to me, don't you think?"
"No, wait- I don't even know if I can swim!" I insisted but before I knew it, they were dragging me toward the water and I was vaguely aware of Lilah protesting before I was plunged into the pool.
At first it seemed okay. I kicked my legs and kind of waved my arms around but everything felt wrong. I wasn't kicking hard enough, my arms were shorter, my breathing was getting ragged and I couldn't keep my head above the surface. I gasped and the water flooded into my lungs and I kicked harder in my panic and tried to pull my head above the surface but my limbs felt heavy and my chest burned and- and it was cold and dark but somehow kind of peaceful. I could feel my head growing fuzzy even as my lungs screamed in my chest and-
And then I was coughing and there was someone there and water was pouring out of my mouth and I could hardly believe I was still a girl, let alone alive.
"You saved me," I murmured as I vaguely wondered if I would have been Christie forever if I had died as her. "Who are you?"
"I'm Oren Blackburn," he replied, his arm on my back, holding me up. "What's your name?"
I spluttered, half laughter but mostly water. "Chris," I murmured.
"Christie! Christie, are you okay?" Nyx skidded to a halt and bent down beside me, her face full of concern as she touched my arm.
"What were you doing?" Lilah was demanding from Dimitri who at least looked half horrified and half ashamed. "Are you a complete idiot? She said she couldn't swim!"
"I thought she just didn't want to go in the water," he mumbled. "Sorry."
I shook my head, trying to clear it and then I felt it, like a lurching in my muscles. No, not here. I couldn't let it happen here.
"Urgh-" I groaned, clutching at my stomach. "I- I, I've gotta get to the changing rooms, I mean the toilets. I- I've got to-" I felt the lurching again and stumbled to my feet, the room spinning a bit as someone steadied me with their hand.
"You should sit back down," Oren said but I lurched away from him and barreled my way into one of the changing rooms, locking the door and pulling myself up on to the seat just as my skin started turning brown and I heard the snap of elastic as the swimming costume broke. Great. Trapped in a stall, half drowned and naked. Best pool party ever.
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