Mayhem's Beginning (Everybody Changes)

Chapter 19: Convincing the Singer

“I've got a proposition for you, Kate.” It took me an eternity to build up such courage and approach her. She was opening her locker as she pulled out her Nike sports bag. Her head turned my way as she raised her brow in sincere curiosity.

“Oh yeah? What'cha need?” My palms were beginning to feel a bit clammy. I opened my mouth, but my tongue felt like the Sahara. “Well?” Kate said after a few moments of hesitation on my behalf.

“Well uh... theres this thing... I kind of was wondering if you weren't too busy...” Crap! I was making this sound like a date.

“Are you asking me out, Andrew Mayhem?” She smirked at me.

“No, no, no!” I sighed. “I am doing nothing of the sort. It's just there's this thing I was wondering if you could do with me...and uh...”

“There's lots of things guys probably want to do with me.” We both looked at each other as we couldn't help but crack into small laughs. I think she was the only person I knew who was aware of people lusting over them, but yet was not so hot headed about it. And believe it or not, her being so lighthearted while I was nervous released some of the tension.

“Look, what I'm trying to say is that I am going to be playing a show with Juilliard Jazz in a few weeks.” Kate closed her locker, set her bag on the ground, and leaned her back against the aluminum.

“That's great! Are you asking me to come? You could have just texted or called me because you're looking a bit pale at the moment. Are you sick?” I clasped my hand over the irritation under my shirt sleeve. She had no idea how sick I actually was.

With some more research I learned that my immune system would be handicapped for a few weeks until the chemicals in me were done fusing with my DNA. In other words, I had the bodily defenses of a thousand year old man. If I were to catch a cold it would most likely evolve into something greater, and I could not afford to catch anything more serious than that, such as the flu.

I was not being held in a sterile science lab like most new experiments, so I was doing everything in my power to stay as clean as possible. I took several showers a day, cleaned my irritation hourly, and used hand sanitizer every time I touched something. I even wore latex gloves underneath my hand warming gloves when I could get away with it.

“Well actually, I am asking you for more than that.”

“What do you mean? Like accompanying you?”

“No, like performing with us.”

Her eyes grew wide as her lips pursed into a straight line. “But Andrew, I am no where near Juilliard standards. I mean, have you heard me? I'm so off tune it's not even funny!”

“Kate, you're phenomenal.” She looked down at my shoes. “Come on. We really need a singer for this piece. It just doesn't sound right without the choral part.” She tilted her head up slowly, a sly half-grin coming to her lips.

“I don't know. I mean I'm just so busy with sports, and choir, and homework, and fixing my car. I guess I'll have to think about it.”

“Kate...” I couldn't believe how serious my tone had just grew. “...please. I've wanted this for a really long time.” She bit her lip slightly. We stood there in silence for what seemed like a millennium.

“Okay, I'll do it.” My first reaction was to lunge at Kate and throw my arms around her. Lucky for me, I held myself back for I thought that'd be slightly awkward.

“Thank you.” Was all I could say. “Thank you so much! I owe you one. Big time.” As if she read my mind, she spread her arms open.

“And don't lil' ol' me get a hug or somethin'?” She teased in her best Southern accent. I wrapped my arms around her waist as she wrapped hers around my neck. The only other woman who had ever embraced me was Dahlia, and even with her it wasn't as ideal as this. Kate's perfume dragon danced it's way up my nostrils, sending me into a trance of hypnosis. I could not focus on anything other than her soft skin, her chest pressed against mine, and the flesh on her cheek coming in contact with the side of my face. I gulped.

When she pulled away my legs felt like Jello, making me put my arm out and lean against a locker for support. Kate looked at me strangely, running her eyes over my face as if something did not belong. Oh no! Did I have a booger hanging from my nose or something? If I did, way to ruin the moment. I scratched my nose, it still being as dry as it should. Why was she looking at me funny?

“Um, what are you looking at?” I finally said after a few awkward moments of silence.

“Nothing... it's just.... I could of swore your eyes were brown. Are you wearing contacts?”

“Huh?” I scratched my head. “My eyes are brown. They have been since I was born.”

“Um... unless green is the new brown, your eyes are not brown. At all.” She opened her locker and on the inside of the door was a mirror. “Take a look.”

I feasted my eyes upon my reflection, stunned by my sudden change of eye color. There they were, two balls of white with emerald halos encircled in center. My pupils were the only thing left unchanged, still being as dark as the midnight's sky. I ran my right pointer finger along my temple, slowly sliding down the rest of my face. What's happening to me?

“I'm sorry, Kate. I'll see you later.” I put my hood up and rushed off.

“Wait! Where do I go to rehearse with you guys?” She called out.

“I'll call you later.” I responded just loud enough so she could hear.

I quickly rushed to my locker, grabbed the encyclopedia about the MCP, and headed off to the boy's bathroom. Entering one of the stalls, I sat on the toilet seat and opened up to the section about Desultors. “Physical changes, physical changes, physical changes, physical changes.” I whispered over and over as I used my pointer finger to scroll down the mountains of text. At last I found it.

“Physical Changes of a Desultor:

Desultors do not change all that much. The only two to ever exist kept their original bodies before the experiment, but they did not keep their original eyes. In later stages of the chemical DNA bond, their eyes will change color. Edgar Sweet's eyes changed into a piercing red color, and Amanda Wesley's changed into a bright yellow. The eye color is the color of the smoke that is left behind after they have teleported. Just one thing that the scientists added so that they could easily distinguish who was a Desultor and who was not a Desultor.”

At that moment I was one hundred percent sure that I would no longer be the same. I had all the signs of being a mutant, something that I was not too sure how I felt about. So far it had done nothing bad for me, for the only inconvenience is having to wear long sleeves all the time. It saved my life, and helped me solve my Rubik's Cube. But one question was enveloping my brain.

Was I human?