Project X

The Way it Began: Blue

    And you know what? Kai was right.

    This shit was exhilarating.

~~~

    Those weren't animals. They were my siblings. And they weren't fully transformed either, just really furry and running on all fours. Irwin barked and slammed into Kai, she hissed and sped up and up and up, and she gained and gained until

BAM

    She side-swept the truck, and we veered off the road, flipping into a ditch. The truck tumbled and tumbled for a good thirty-something feet before finally rolling to a stop. I felt dizzy and discombobulated. There's no way I didn't have a concussion. I touched my head and felt that there was a huge crack in my skull. By all rights, I should've been dead. Why wasn't I dead? How wasn't I dead? But I felt it mending, even as I discovered it; and, by the time Kai and Irwin got to the wreck, it was healed and I was left with only a trace of light headed-ness. 'Oh, right.' I thought vaguely, 'I guess I'm sturdy.' I tried not to flash back to the knife-throat incident.

    I glanced at the driver's seat. Phil was gone.

    Irwin reached into the cab and pulled me out. I almost wanted to laugh, despite what had just happened. I'd never seen him so furry. I mean, this kid couldn't even grow a mustache, and now he was sprouting hair from every orifice, it seemed. He almost seemed mad that Phil was gone. I'm sure he was dying to kick his ass. A relatable feeling.

    But, then it hit me.

    "Oh, my God, Irwin you're like us." He grinned, his teeth were all sharp,

    "Guess I just couldn't stand being left out." The fur started falling from his body in patches, he scratched at the balding areas, "Dammit, be lucky you don't have fur. This stuff sucks."

    Kaili limped up to us, hand on her side, "What's up, losers." She asked breathlessly. She looked like she was in pain,

    "Hey, are you alright?" I asked,

    "Yeah, I'll be fine." She replied, "I side-swiped the truck pretty hard, but I'm fine. It's just a little sore is all. It should heal up soon, right?" She leaned against the wreckage, "Where's Phil?"

    "Gone. Kai, my skull was cracked open and healed in less than fifteen seconds; if we're the same, shouldn't you have healed before you even realized you were injured?" Irwin thought for a moment,

    "Hold this." He shoved the duffels into my arms and dug his tablet out of his. "I've got an app for this."

    "An app? Dude, you know those things aren't legit, right? What does it even do?"

    "Yeah, I know apps aren't legit, Jason." He told me testily, "I made this app, I'm not an idiot. Mostly. It's basically a portable x-ray machine. Not, like, exactly that, obviously. But... Basically. It's good enough for what I need. Shut up." He messed with the configurations and held it up to Kai's side. "Lift up your shirt." He told her. She lifted the fabric to reveal a huge bruise on her side, Irwin scanned it. I watched, trying not to look too fascinated by it. I was, after all, still the cool one amongst them. At least, that's what I tell myself.

    "Okay, nothing looks broken." He informed her, "Just badly bruised, maybe some hairline fractures, but you should be fine."

    "But, why isn't she healing?"

    "Hold on. I also have an app for that. Well. Not that, obviously. But it'll serve my purposes. Shut up." He said distractedly, scrolling through what looked like thousands of apps.