Gnotret (The Accidental Heroes Chronicles Book 1)

by S. E. Cyborski

  seeing small objects and my sense of smell was much stronger. I could tell where everyone was

  in the building and I could even hear the small shuffling of mice in the underbelly of the building.

  I turned to look at Billy, my jaws opening in a smile though it probably looked rather frightening

  to him.

  “Well, you can shapeshift,” Billy said breathlessly. “Are you still in control?”

  Can’t you tell from my thoughts? I thought at him. I may look like a tiger but I definitely

  don’t feel like one.

  “That’s good to know,” Billy replied though footsteps interrupted him before he could say

  more. I turned to see Amy standing in the doorway. She looked happier, finally over the anger

  Sandra had invoked in her. Though, as soon as she saw me, fear crossed her face and she

  froze in panic.

  “Wha... What.... that’s a tiger!” Amy blurted. “Billy, you need to get away from it! How did

  a tiger get in here?”

  I prowled over to Amy and grinned up at her. She was still frozen, staring down at me

  with pure terror on her face. I rubbed my face against her leg and couldn’t help an internal laugh

  when I saw one hand reach down towards me then stop.

  “It’s George,” Billy explained finally, fighting back laughter. “He’s a shapeshifter. His

  whole body, not just his hands.”

  I nodded, which is not something you see a tiger do all that often. Amy glared at me, her

  eyes narrowed. Finally, she reached down and pet my head. As she ran her fingers down my

  head and to my neck, I gave a rumbling growl which caused her to laugh.

  “So that’s his ability?” Amy asked, looking up at Billy. “He’s able to turn into animals?”

  “So far, at least,” Billy said. “This is the first full form he’s tried. He may be able to turn

  into anything. Or anyone.” “Why don’t you try turning into another person?” Amy asked, looking back down to me.

  She didn’t stop petting me and I had dropped down to the ground at her feet, the rumble still

  bursting from my throat. “There are so many things you could do if you could turn into another

  person.”

  Illegal things, I thought at Billy. He repeated it and Amy frowned at me.

  “But there are good things you could do,” she argued. “Just think, you could help gather

  information on people, help put court cases together. You should try it.”

  I shrugged and got up, moving away from Amy before I changed myself back. I didn’t

  know exactly how much space I’d need and I didn’t want to hurt her. I concentrated on my own

  shape and felt my bones and organs and skin pop and shift as I stood up. Once I was myself

  again, I stretched and sighed. It felt oddly confining, turning into a tiger.

  “Who do you want me to turn in to?” I asked, turning to Amy. “I could try to make up a

  person.”

  “Do that,” Amy nodded. “It might be weird seeing someone we know here.”

  I thought about another person, trying to put a set of features together. Finally, I focused

  on the image of a short guy with brown hair, brown eyes and dark skin. As I concentrated, I felt

  myself shrinking and changing, though not nearly as much as when I turned into the tiger. As I

  finished, I turned to Amy and grinned.

  “What do you think?” I asked. My voice was still the same because I hadn’t considered

  changing that. Then I wondered whether I could.

  “You should try,” Billy said, ignoring the look of confusion Amy sent him. “You just need

  to change the shape of your vocal cords to change your voice.”

  I didn’t really know a lot about anatomy, so I just decided to wing it. I thought about

  pictures I’d seen in textbooks about the vocal cords and tried to lengthen them a little bit. As I

  concentrated, I could feel a tickling shifting in my throat that made me want to cough. I resisted

  the urge and finished the adjustment, taking a deep breath before speaking. “So, do I still sound like me?” I asked. My voice was a little higher and sounded nothing

  like me. At least to my ears. Amy gasped and stepped back, her senses telling her that I was a

  completestranger. She studied me warily and I couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on her

  face.

  “You’d make an awesome spy,” Billy pronounced, a laugh in his voice. “No one would

  ever know who you really were. And if you needed to, you could change to an animal and get

  away.”

  “Maybe that’s what I’ll do when we’re done with the trial,” I said, marveling at the change

  in my voice. This whole shape-changing thing was fascinating and Billy was really helping the

  whole process. Just knowing that there was someone there who could talk to me and

  understand me no matter what shape I was in was awesome.

  “Change back?” Amy asked, her voice shrill with worry and unease. “I don’t think I like

  your ability very much.”

  I concentrated on my original form and shifted back quickly. It was getting easier and

  easier to change with every form I took. Once I grew several inches and had my own face back,

  I moved to Amy and enveloped her in a hug. It was odd to feel her shaking but she was. I

  rubbed a hand down her back soothingly and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “It’s still me,” I murmured to her.

  “I know, but it was really weird,” Amy replied softly. “It was like I’d lost you and a stranger

  was in your place.”

  “It’s always going to be me underneath,” I reassured her. “That’s never going to change.”

  Billy got up quietly and left the room, giving us some time to ourselves. Amy barely

  noticed him leaving but I sent him as grateful look as he slid past us into the hallway. I really

  believed having a telepath for a friend was going to come in handy.

  “Why don’t we watch a movie?” I suggested, moving us towards the couch. “You look a

  little more rattled than just from watching me change.” “That sounds like a good plan,” Amy replied, running a hand through her hair. I’d known

  her long enough to know that that was one of her few nervous ticks. Something really was

  wrong other than what she’d seen. I picked a movie, a sci-fi one, and put it in the video game

  console. As the movie started, I pulled Amy snug next to me and rested an arm over her

  shoulders.

  “So, want to share what’s bugging you?” I asked playfully.

  “It’s just the tests Dr. Carnesby had me do,” Amy muttered, glaring down at the floor.

  “He’s so excited about this it’s like he never even thought of the consequences for us. I mean,

  sure, I got something that’s easy to hide. But what if someone grew wings or turned purple or

  something?”

  “Then I believe he’d help find a solution for it,” I said after a few moment’s thought. “He’s

  contracted with the government right? I’m sure they’d find a place for someone if they needed it.

  Besides, weren’t you the one who was all gung-ho about this trial? What changed your mind?”

  “This,” Amy spat, holding up her hand. She narrowed her eyes and suddenly, a dancing

  spark of flame appeared in her palm. She studied it silently, turning her hand this way and that.

  The flame moved with her, always curving in towards her face. “How can I feel the same way

  about this trial when I’ve been turned into a freak?”

  I sighed and hugged Amy tightly. She was still the same person to me
, just with a new

  ability to add to the whole. I wondered if she was possibly afraid that I wouldn’t care about her

  anymore since she had changed. That was never going to happen and I set about trying to

  convince her of that.

  “You’re not a freak,” I replied. “You’re just a little different. But you’ve always been a little

  different. It’s made you who you are. I’ll love you no matter what you can do.”

  Amy looked up at me, tears in her eyes but a small smile on her face. Hopefully, I’d said

  the right thing to convince her that this wasn’t totally a bad thing. I mean, we definitely had

  something huge happen to us, enough to validate the bad feelings I’d had in the beginning. But now, coming out on the other side with these amazing powers, I had to admit that I was enjoying

  it.

  “You know I can do more than control fire,” Amy mused, closing her hand and making

  the flame disappear. “Watch the edges of the room.”

  She narrowed her eyes again, an unfocused look in her eyes. I could see her head

  moving slightly in a circular motion, as if she was following something around the edges of the

  room. I looked and saw something moving. As I stared, the movement became clearer. I could

  see little motes of dust whirling around the edges of the room, moving faster and faster. The

  sound of wind joined the sight and I finally understood was Amy was doing. She could control

  air as well! She let out a breath and the dust motes slowed down then drifted to the floor. The

  sound of wind faded away and she looked up at me again, her eyes tired.

  “Your ability is not just limited to one element,” I said matter-of-factly, smiling down at

  her. “Why are you still worried? Like you said, no one has to know other than us.”

  “What if I hurt someone though?” Amy asked, biting at her lower lip. “Air is everywhere,

  even in a person’s lungs. What if I get so angry or something that I literally choke someone?”

  “You won’t,” I replied, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Amy, I know you. You’re

  one of the kindest people I know. You wouldn’t hurt someone.”

  I felt her relax against me slightly, her eyes turning to the television. She wasn’t really

  watching the movie, neither was I to be honest, but it gave her something to stare at while she

  thought. Amy kept worrying at her bottom lip as she thought, her eyes narrowed again. I let her

  think in silence, knowing that she worked through issues better with some conversation and

  then furious thought afterwards. Finally, she let out a sigh and relaxed completely.

  “This is all kind of awesome,” she said, smiling up at me again. “I wonder if I can control

  anything other than fire and air. There are four elements and I haven’t tried anything with water

  or earth yet.” “You should,” I said hearteningly. “You never know what you might be able to do until

  you try. Though earth might be a little difficult since we can’t go outside yet.”

  “I think I saw a plant in Dr. Carnesby’s office,” Amy mused, sitting upright as she was

  buoyed by new energy. “And it should have some soil in it. That might be enough for me to find

  out if I can control earth.”

  She gave me a kiss, smiling against my lips, then bounded up to head down the hallway.

  I settled back on the couch, happy that her crisis had been averted. I was getting used to my

  own ability and it was rather fun. Helping Billy with his was fun as well. The poor guy was so shy

  it was a wonder he had joined this trial in the first place. At least from my point of view. I

  continued to watch the movie until Michael came and found me.

  “Your turn,” he said sourly, glaring at the television screen. “Dr. Carnesby wants you

  next.”

  “Everything ok, Michael?” I asked, standing up and stretching. He glared at me then

  shook his head. He sat down, taking my place on the couch to watch the movie.

  “Just go,” he muttered. “The high and mighty doctor doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Chapter 8

  I shook my head and headed down the hallway, wondering what Dr. Carnesby had said

  or done to make Michael so angry. Though, as I thought about it, another idea presented itself.

  What if it was Sandra messing with his emotions again? She’d shown earlier that she wasn’t

  averse to causing negative emotions in people. When I got to Dr. Carnesby’s office, I saw Amy

  sitting in the corner staring at the little pot that was now on the desk. It was an orchid and there

  was a small amount of soil in the pot. As Amy stared at it, a portion of the soil bobbed up in a

  wedge shape and waved at her.

  Suddenly, the wedge collapsed down and started winding around the outer edges of the

  pot, much like a snake. It elongated and pinched in sections, looking like a segmented snake.

  Dr. Carnesby was watching her carefully, pen poised in hand as he took notes. There was no

  sign of Sandra, so I wasn’t sure if it was really her causing Michael’s bad mood.

  “Hello George,” Dr. Carnesby said, noticing me. “Amy if you wouldn’t mind? You can

  take the plant with you.”

  Amy nodded, smiling at me, then grabbed the pot and walked out. Dr Carnesby closed

  the door behind her and turned to me. He gestured to the table and I sat down, looking curiously

  at him.

  “Billy told me about your experiments earlier,” he said, turning to a new page in his

  notebook. “Complete shapeshifting is very interesting and useful. Can you tell me how you did

  it?”

  “I just concentrated on a new form,” I said, shrugging. “As long as I held the picture in my

  mind, I changed. It felt really weird, too. Not painful, just like all my organs and bones were

  shifting.”

  “Interesting,” Dr. Carnesby mumbled, writing furiously. “It’s good that it doesn’t cause

  you any pain. And Billy was able to follow your thoughts, even when you were a tiger?” “Yeah, he was,” I agreed. “When I was the tiger, it wasn’t like I was in a tiger’s brain or

  something. I was still me, just in a different shape.”

  Dr. Carnesby nodded and finished writing in his notebook. Apparently, that was the end

  of the questions part of the tests. He took my blood pressure again along with my temperature

  and listened to my heart and lungs. Everything was in order because he nodded at me and

  pulled out the needle and tubes for blood. I held out my arm and he drew the blood, the needle

  causing absolutely no pain to me. I wondered if that was part of my shapeshifting ability or if that

  was something else that the drug had done to me.

  “I don’t feel the needle,” I said suddenly when Dr. Carnesby was done. “I don’t know why

  but I feel nothing when you stick me.”

  “Really?” Dr. Carnesby asked me, turning back to me. “Nothing at all? How long has this

  been going on?”

  “Since the third day of injections I think,” I replied, thinking hard. “I vaguely remember

  you waking me up to give me the injection and the needle didn’t hurt at all. I didn’t think about it

  because I was so tired, but it came back to me when you drew my blood.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, George, thank you,” Dr. Carnesby said, smiling in what was

  obviously a dismissal. I hopped off the table and headed out, running into Sandra on the way

  out. She was standing in the laboratory looking around, as if she was waiting for something.

&n
bsp; “George, hi!” she said brightly, grinning at me. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing fine, Sandra, thanks,” I replied warily, staring at her in suspicion. “What are

  you doing?”

  “Nothing, just examining the lab,” she replied, her voice high with false cheer. “I wanted

  to know howyou were doing. Amy told us about you turning into a tiger.”

  “I’m all right,” I said, shaking my head as I felt a strange tickling sensation. I brushed it

  off and continued, “I can shapeshift into pretty much anything, I guess. Haven’t tried much other

  than the tiger and turning into another guy.” I felt the tickling sensation again, focusing on the front of my forehead. I rubbed at the

  spot, frowning, as I tried to make it go away. Sandra kept looking at me intently, a look of deep

  concentration on her face. When all I did was stand there rubbing my forehead, she sighed and

  looked away. The feeling immediately stopped and I looked at her suspiciously.

  “What were you trying to do?” I asked, glaring at her.

  “I was wondering if I could make you feel something,” Sandra shrugged. “Billy is the only

  other person who seems immune to it. I tried to make him anxious earlier and it didn’t work.”

  “We aren’t guinea pigs, Sandra,” I spat angrily, forcing my arms to stay at my sides. Now

  was no time to let them transforminto something dangerous. “You can’t just go around trying to

  make us feel things. Especially horrible things. Stop trying to make everyone angry or anxious

  or afraid. If you want to practice, try spreading around a little happiness.”

  I stomped off, leaving Sandra standing behind me in the lab, gaping at me. I could tell

  she was shocked but I didn’t really care. I was sick of people trying to manipulate me. Though a

  few of them had the best of intentions, not everything turned out well. I hurried through the

  building, just wanting to get as far away from Sandra as I could. As I walked through the hallway

  to the lounge, I heard Amy and Michael arguing in one of the bedrooms. I didn’t want to get

  involved in my current mood so I kept going and saw Billy in the lounge. He was sitting at the

  table, an unfinished chess game in front of him.

  “Pawn to B 5,” Jane said as Billy moved her piece. He looked up as I stomped into the