Shape-Shifter

Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

After we had finished brushing down the horses, I brought Alex to my room after all. I sat down on my bed, and he on my floor. He was looking around, just like one does when one's in a new environment. “Hey, Alex?”

“Hmm.”

“I've been wondering, the whole day now, why...” I couldn't figure out how to express what I wanted to say.

He stopped looking at my room and turned his full attention to me. “Why what?”

“Well, I'm not quite sure how to say this correctly...”

“Just be straight-forward then. I won't mind,” he advised me.

“Will you answer honestly?”

He nodded.

“Well, I was wondering why it is you came today. To mine, I mean. Why did you even bother telling me twice that the lesson was over? Nobody ever does.” It came out quicker than intended.

He looked me in the eye, and I had to resist the urge to change my eye-colour to a something more subtle. I could change my eye-colour at will. It was like part-shifting, only easier. Finally he opened his mouth, “'Cause I wanted to.” That was it!

“Why did you want to?” I pressed on.

“Oh, Sam. I'm not really sure myself.”

“How can't you be Alex?” I pressed on. I really needed that question answered.

He looked at me again, and said, “You tell me Sam. Let that be the reason.”

I was taken off guard. I had expected another lame excuse, or something solid, something I could latch onto, but definitely not this. “I... um... I really need to know, Alex. You're the first person to be my friend. I have loads of friends, but none of the, are humans. And I need to know why you are,” emphasise on each 'need'.

He looked down this time, then mumbled something about being the same.

“Sorry, I didn't catch that,” I told him.

He looked up again, then said, “Can you drop it, for a while?”

So whatever the reason, it embarrassed him. In that case, I would drop it, so I nodded. I got off my bed and sat next to him on my floor, but made sure I was sitting on the rug next to him. For some odd reason he had decided not to sit on the rug.

“Alex, why don't you sit on the rug. I'm sure it's more comfortable than the hard and cold floorboards.”

I looked at the rug, as if noticing it for the first time.

My door opened and Jeffrey poked his nose in. “Lunch is on the table, if you're interested,” he said glancing at Alex.

I stood up, and so did Alex. “Yeah, I'm eating. Not sure about him,” I said pointing at Alex, “but He can if he wants, right?”

Jeffrey nodded.

I turned to Alex, “Do you?”

“Okay,” he said. He sounded slightly shy.

“Go ahead, Jeff, and tell them we have another mouth to feed,” I told Jeffrey. That was code for everybody is not allowed to shift because a stranger will be at the table. Although my parents really rarely shifted. They didn't have a lot of options left anyway, so that's not really a problem. But us kiddy-winkles love an occasional shift during meals. We think it's funny.

He ran off with my message. I told Alex that me should maybe wash our hands before eating. I had to give Jeffrey enough time to tell everyone.

I brought us to the bathroom and we washed out hands. Then I led I to the kitchen where we had a table that we usually ate on. Everyone was already seated and I saw that another chair had been brought to the kitchen, probably from my dad's study as that is the nearest room with a chair.