Chapter 25

Ami's POV

I knew Tom thought I was Amber, but really. He was staring at me like the world revolved around me. Her. Whatever. It was just plain creepy.

I struggled to get out of his arms, but his grip was like iron. He was just too strong.

His expression turned to confusion. "Amber? What's wrong?"

I spat in his face. "Let go of me! Now!"

He shook his head. "Sorry, but I can't. Dad wants me to bring you to him. I don't know why. He wouldn't tell me."

We passed Aaron's cage. He was staring between the bars at us. His eyes, when they met mine, were full of sadness.

I punched Tom in the face.

He dropped me, and I made a break for it. I wished I had time to stop and unlock Aaron's cage, but I didn't. I kept running. Someone was right behind me.

They pulled up next to me, and I turned on them, holding up my fists. It was Aaron.

"Whoa! Hey, I'm on your side!" he cried, backing up. I blushed.

"I know. Sorry," I said. Then I turned around. Tom was on the ground, unconscious.

"Wait. How did you get out?" I asked.

"My cage just… unlocked. No idea how. But the door just sprung open," Aaron answered, shrugging.

I tried to figure out how that had happened, but then I noticed two of the wolf-men – Erasers, Amber had called them – running up the hallway toward us. "Run!" I shrieked.

Aaron didn't argue. He put on a burst of speed.

We raced down the hallway. "In here!" Aaron cried, veering to the right into a lab room. I followed, and he slammed the door behind me.

I looked at him. He smiled. "Hi. I'm Aaron."

I wanted to tell him that I already knew who he was, but I realized I still looked like Amber. "I'm Amber," I said.

He nodded. "Do you know how to get out of here?"

I shook my head. "No. And I can't, anyway. They're- they're experimenting on my sister. I couldn't leave her behind."

Aaron sighed. "You do realize that she could never come back, right?"

I hadn't thought of that. Just the thought of life without Amber was awful. "She better. If she doesn't, then they'll have me to answer to," I snarled.

Aaron smirked. "I like your attitude. You remind me of someone I used to know."

I felt a spark of hope. "Was her name, by any chance, Ami?"

Aaron thought for a moment. "I think so."

"Aaron. It's me," I whispered.

He looked at me. "Ami? But you don't… you don't look like Ami."

I sighed. "That's because Amber and I somehow switched bodies. Remember Amber? My twin sister?"

Aaron shook his head. "I only remember you."

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. We both spun to the door, to find it splintered and broken. An Eraser stared hungrily at us through the gap.

"Come on, little birdies. I won't hurt you – that much," he said in a gravelly voice, stepping into the room. I screamed, but choked off when he grabbed me around the neck. Behind me, Aaron yelled and jumped at the Eraser. A pair of wings – the same wings I had seen in my dream – sprang from his back as he jumped. One wing hit the Eraser in the head – which must have hurt pretty bad, judging by his howl of pain – while Aaron punched him. I bit the arm that held me, but he only tightened his grip.

"Let her go!" Aaron yelled between punches.

I suddenly had an idea. I willed the Eraser to let go of my neck. He did. I willed the splintered door to break apart and stab him. He ran away, screaming like a little girl while I fell over laughing.

I recovered to find Aaron staring at me. "How did you do that?"

"Telekinesis, I guess," I answered.

He looked me over skeptically. "First I wake up with wings and barely any memory of my life, then I find you here, then I find out you're telekinetic. What next?"

I let my wings out, forgetting I was in Amber's body. "I have wings. Well, these aren't mine. But I do. And I can become invisible. I think. It's only happened once. Then there's the switching bodies thing…"

Aaron stared at me.

"We should go find my friends," I said, turning.

Aaron followed me through the wrecked door and out into the cage-lined hallway. Most of them were empty, but I thought I saw movement in one of the cages at our feet.

I looked down to see a girl and a boy, no more than six or seven. The girl had dirty blonde hair. The boy had sandy hair, and his eyes were closed. I crouched down.

"Hey," I said. The girl shrunk back, whimpering.

"It's okay," I said soothingly. "We won't hurt you."

Aaron crouched down next to me. "Hey, don't worry. We're on your side. We're experiments, too."

"Prove it," she said. I sighed and stood up, letting my wings out and unlocking her cage with my mind. Aaron followed my lead. He looked like he was concentrating on something. The atmosphere suddenly became more relaxed.

The girl nodded. "What can you do?" I asked.

Instead of answering, she began to change. Stripes appeared on her face and fur began to grow all over her body. Her ears migrated to the top of her head while her eyes turned to slits. The hands gripping the bars shrunk into paws. In moments, I was staring at a little brown tabby cat.

"Wow," I said to Aaron. He nodded as the girl morphed back into her human form and climbed out of her cage.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" I asked, taking her hand.

"I don't have one," she answered. "I was born here. They didn't name me. That's Jake," she added, motioning to the boy, who was still sleeping. "He's a wolf-man. But don't worry. He's a nice wolf-man."

I sighed. "Let's call you Kat," I said. "Do you want to come with us? We're gonna try to escape."

She smiled and nodded. Then her smile faded. "Can Jake come, too?"

"Of course!" I answered, unlocking the cage and scooping him up. He woke with a start and immediately morphed into an Eraser.

"Hey, whoa! We're busting you out of here! Don't worry," I said. He took in my wings, then Aaron's. Noticing Kat holding Aaron's hand, he relaxed a bit.

I put him down and he grabbed my hand. "Don't let them take me back!" he cried.

"I won't. I promise," I answered.

Turning to Aaron, I asked, "How did you do that back there? Calm her down like that?"

"I figured out that I can control emotions with my mind," he answered, shrugging.

"Okay..." I said. We entered the room Ash, Dan, and Amber were being held in.

"Ami!" Ash cried. "You look like yourself again."

Looking down, I realized she was right. Before I could say anything, though, she said, "Who are they?"

"I found a few friends along the way," I said, shrugging. "You know Aaron - Daniel, shut up-"

"I didn't say anything!"

"Whatever. That's Ashley, and the annoying one who's gonna get it later-"

"Hey!"

"- Is Daniel. This is Kat - she can morph into a cat - and this is Jake. He's an Eraser, yes, but he's on our side," I said. Kat and Jake morphed.

"Where's Amber?" I asked. Just as I said it, I realized her cage wasn't empty. In the very back was a motionless lump that was Amber.

Bubbles' A\N: Thank you, everyone who is reading this. I hope you're enjoying it, and I'd love to hear what you think of it. So review please. Anyways, I don't know when I'll be able to post my chapter but the earliest time will be late Tuesday. I have tons of homework to do because of finals coming up. :( But remember reviews are appreciated. :)