Shape Shifter

By Obsidian Leo

1

1:32 am

That's what my phone said when I arrived there, completely out of breath, chest on fire. I leaned against the cold stone wall, wheezing, thinking about what had just happened. Not too long ago, I was sleeping in my bed a few miles away, when my mom came bursting into my room, wild haired, eyes wide, startling me awake. By the time I had fully comprehended that I was late, she'd already half-dragged me to the dining room, putting a small bowl of cereal in front of me. But, it only took me 5 minutes to get ready, and the same amount of time to get driven to the abandoned subway station.

After that, I could've won an Olympic medal for how fast I sprinted, half tripping over the rails. The meeting had started at 1 in the morning, so by the time I got there it was already over. Now, I took a few more deep breaths, and calmed down enough so I wouldn't look like a complete lunatic. Finally, I stood up straight, turned toward the doorless frame and walked into the room. Looking around, however, I realized it wasn't a room at all. It appeared to be a long corridor; warm yellow light shining down from bulbs in the ceiling. They were spread out, with at least 30 feet in between each one, creating an alternating pattern of light and darkness.

The floor, walls, and ceiling, which was arched at the top, were all made of gray bricks of stone, damp and cool under my feet. From where I was standing, there were at least two dozen people, all whom I didn't recognize. They were lounging around, talking in small groups, sitting on the floor, or scrolling through their phones. Which, then, reminded me I should probably check mine. I took it out and turned it on, only to find one message that I wasn't concerned with. Returning it to my pocket, I began weaving my way through the people, looking for someone in particular. I noticed other corridors branched off from the one I was walking in, leading to places I couldn't quite make out.

I was halfway down the hallway, when I heard a slightly exasperated voice call out.

"Jason!"

I froze at the sound of my name, then turned around to face the speaker. Thankfully, nobody else seemed to notice. The person, who was silhouetted at first, stepped into the light of the bulb above us, and then I could make out his features. He wore a white T-Shirt and Nikes, blue jeans, and a black Yankees cap. His face was morphed into a frown.

"I thought you weren't going to show up. Why are you late?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes. "I've been here the entire time, Ryan. Just using the bathroom."

"First off, the only bathrooms here are in the bedrooms, and you don't know where yours is. Second, I literally saw you walk in."

"Wha… how-?"

"I recognized your T-Shirt," Ryan interrupts. "I'd know that from anywhere."

I sheepishly glanced down at my gray shirt with a creeper face on it, the mottled greens, whites, and black eyes unmistakable. Besides that I had on blue shorts and gray Vans.

"But, seriously," Ryan's still talking, so I look up. "Minecraft. You're still into that?"

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "Yeah," I say incredulously. "I mean, who isn't? Who doesn't like running around killing-"

"Anyway," he says hastily. "It is what it is. You missed the meeting, but not anything too important. But, I want you to answer this question honestly. Do you know why you're here?"

I look at him as if he asked me to jump off a cliff. Well, of course I knew why I was here. It said what I'd be doing in the text I received. But it seemed like something was off, so I took my best shot and said what I thought was right.

"Well, yeah. To join a top-secret team the U.S. military created to help defend the country."

"Right," Ryan murmured to himself, but I still heard him. "And you weren't followed?"

I pause. "No."

"And nobody saw you?"

"Besides my mom?"

"Wait, what? You gotta be kidding me!"

I scoff. "I don't live across the street, you know."

"Fine," he replied with a sigh.

An awkward moment of silence passed, and then Ryan spoke again. "So why haven't you switched to the Night Mode schedule yet?"

Living with a Night Mode schedule meant, to sum it up, your whole day gets flipped. You'd go to sleep during the daylight hours, roughly 7 am- 8 pm, and be active during the night, 8 pm- 5 am. It was something that could take weeks to get used to, but it was essential for the job I signed up to do, since training was at night.

"Because I didn't have enough time." Because your mom didn't want me to, I scolded myself.

"Well, make sure you register it by tomorrow night," he replied offhandedly. "But don't do it yet. We finally got the gym free tomorrow, so practice is at 9 in the morning."

I nod slightly, feeling rather tired.

He studied me carefully. "You don't look all that good, man. Come on, I'll take you to your room. The buzzer's about to go off anyway."

"What? Oh, no, I'm not that sleepy."

"You just love lying, don't you?" Ryan said, cracking a smile for the first time.

No sooner had he said that, a loud buzz was heard, echoing through the corridors. He gestures to me to follow him, as the others begin leaving the area. We turn down a hall, and I glance over at the people walking in the opposite direction on our left. But, one of them catches my eye easier than the rest, He was in all black, from his sneakers to his sweatshirt, and the hood was pulled up over his head. It cast a shadow over his eyes, obscuring them, leaving only a mouth that was stuck in a frown. As we passed each other, I sensed something in his presence, that made me think we were alike somehow.

But the moment passed almost as quickly as it had come.

I looked back at him, inquisitively, but he turned a corner at the end of the hall. I shook my head, and jogged to catch up with Ryan.