Freedom
They took away my freedom.
Before the wall cracked, I could be anyone. I wore one face and the next moment, I'd change it. I wasn't bound to one look. I mislead the same people time and time again. Each time, they'd find out, they'd laugh, they'd shrug it off.
That was me; free to be anyone. For fun. Often for survival, too.
Wearing an unfamiliar or familiar face never hurt anyone. I never harmed anyone. Even after the wall cracked and we came to Earth, I never hurt anyone. I just had fun.
But it did change a set future. My presence alone disturbed the futures of many people. That's why the Legends came – that's why they wanted to send me to Hell, even though I'd theoretically done nothing wrong.
The right face dissuaded them. They restricted me to the same face and made me join their rag-tag team of misfits.
They took away my freedom.
But little by little, I regained it.
I did my own make-up. I had help, but I mostly did it on my own. I picked my own clothes and styled my own hair. That was the amount of control I still had over my appearance. I could not change it, but I could make it my own. The style disguised my feeling naked, not being able to shift it at will.
Three weeks into this journey, I considered that face my face. I've never had a personal face before, even if I took it from a close friend of the Legends. Three weeks into this journey, I finally felt comfortable in my skin.
After the craziness that was John changing the timeline for his personal preference, I regained the ability to shift. It had been so long, I'd almost forgotten how to shift. With practice, I was slowly becoming 'me' again.
However, over the course of these months, I had redefined 'me'. I now had a default face and a personal look. I did not feel the need to shift into a new person every so often anymore. The Charlie from the past, the Charlie from the other world, she was the shifter who shifted into a new face every hour. The Charlie you see before your is more than just a shifter.
I am more than a shifter.
I am a Legend. They may have taken my freedom, but it changed me for the better.
I know this was extremely short, but the idea struck me and I just had to write it. I'll be back with the regular programming on Sunday (Tales of Earth-X) and Tuesday (Thrylomachy) as well as more crazy ideas coming up. Hope you liked it!