Chapter 3

--Marco! I seriously hope you know where you're going! These lizard eyes are useless. I have no idea where we are.--

--Don't worry, I know the school like the back of my hand. My human hand, that is. I'm not one-hundred percent familiar with my mouse paws.--

We were scampering along the corridors of the school, dodging the stampedes of feet as students rushed to get out of school. My eyesight was terrible. All the colors seemed to be messed up. I could make out black and white clearly enough, but things I knew to be one colour, I saw as another. This was rather disturbing when I thought I saw Mr. Atkins, my English teacher wearing a hot-pink shirt and purple tie.

--Ok, Jake, we're just coming up to the main entrance. Be ready to go when someone opens the doors,-- Marco advised.

--I think you'll have to be the judge of that,-- I said reluctantly. --Just don't go shooting off without me.--

Having eyes just two centimetres from the ground was not particularly useful. We darted in and out of the student's legs, trying to get to the door without being squashed. Luckily, the door was permanently latched open with the chaotic river of kids trying to escape. We managed to slip through the doors and out into the open air without too much trouble.

-- I guess we've got to go right,-- Marco called. --I think the tennis courts are by the main block.--

--You think? I thought you said you knew these grounds like the back of your hand!-- Honestly. Why did I agree to this?

--I do!-- he protested. --We're just looking at the place from a slightly different point of view.--

--Slightly? We're a lizard and a mouse! How much different can you get?-- I huffed. I was hoping to have a nice morph-free afternoon, getting on with some homework and maybe chatting to Cassie on the phone.

Marco shot off towards the playing fields, nimbly moving between the hundreds of feet passing left and right of us. I powered my little lizard legs and went after him, trying to keep him in my line of sight.

--You're just in a mood because I managed to beat you twice this afternoon.-- Marco laughed. --Maybe you should get some practice on that game if you want to beat me next time.--

--That's if we survive this thing,-- I said stonily. --Why didn't we morph seagulls? They would have been so much better.--

--Guess I didn't think of that,-- Marco replied. --I suppose gulls would have looked a bit suspicious flying through the school corridors anyway. Might have got the teachers in a panic though!-- he added as an afterthought.

We crossed the playing field and made our way across the grass down to the tennis courts, where I could make out a number of people practising.

--Let's get a bit closer,-- said Marco. --I want to be sure who she's with.--

--I think we're close enough,-- I said. --Some of them might be Controllers.--

--Well, we're not going to look out of place here,-- Marco said, ignoring me and scampering up to the fence. I sighed and joined him. We peered through the wire fences, trying to make out which girl was Nina.

--Aww man!-- Marco cried suddenly. --She's hanging out with Darren! And the two of them look more than just friends.--

--Are you sure it's her?-- I asked. --Where is she?--

--Standing a by the right-hand fence. Neither of them are playing.--

I looked in the direction Marco had said, and sure enough, Nina was standing with a tall, blond guy. She was dressed in traditional tennis wear, with a white skirt and tight white top, bouncing a ball on her racket. She was laughing and joking with Darren, who wasn't dressed for sport, but was carrying her coat and bag.

--Sorry, dude,-- I said. --Guess you'll just have to find some other girl to prey on.--

--He's blatantly only with her for her legs!-- Marco whined. --He's too dumb to appreciate her personality. Look at the way he keeps looking at her.--

--Marco - have you ever said more than two words to her? You're the one who's only interested in her for her looks. You've just turned into a mouse to watch her.--

--I didn't morph to sit here watching her all day! I only came to see if she was with Darren!--

--Well, if you're not going to stick around all day, I suggest we hurry up and get out of here. I've got a ton of homework to do for Monday, and a paper I was supposed to hand in last week.--

--Yeah, fine,-- Marco said, dragging himself away from watching Nina. --Can't that guy go find some dizzy airhead on his level?--

--They'll be more girls out there,-- I said, heading back to the school. --I'm sure some will be interested in you. As long as you keep your mouth shut, and a paper bag over your head, you'll be fine.--

--You are so going to resent that,-- he laughed, following me across the grass.

Suddenly…

--What's that?-- yelped Marco, suddenly, running like a squirrel on caffeine.

--What's what?-- I asked. My hearing was good, but nothing compared to a mouse's.

--That roaring noise!--

I spun around, as fast as my little legs could go. And came face to face with a raging, gnashing, metal monster. A lawn mower!

--Argghh!-- I yelled.

--Arrghh!-- cried Marco, even louder. I hoped he hadn't screamed in thought-speak. We'd have alerted every Controller in the state to our presence.

--Run!-- I ordered.

We ran. Ran like antelopes trying to get away from a cheetah. Ran like we were being chased by Visser Three in one of his awful new morphs

--How come you didn't hear it earlier?-- I demanded, my little lizard lungs about to burst. --Maybe you thought telling me like a seond earlier gave us too much warning?--

--I didn't notice it!-- Marco yelled, as we finally reached a path. We came to a stop, breathing heavily from exhaustion. The mower wouldn't be able to go over the concrete.

--How could you not notice the thing? I thought mice were supposed to have good hearing?--

--Look - we're ok now, and that's all that matters,-- Marco said, attempting to avoid having to make an apology.

--Yeah well, there's no way I'm babysitting one of your girl-hunts again,-- I said. --What a stupid thing to do! Come on. Let's demorph. I don't want to be in this morph a moment longer than I have to.--

We made our way back up to the changing rooms and demorphed. Luckily, there was no one else around. Most people prefer to use the newer changing rooms on the other side of the block. I concentrated on my human self, watching the changes to begin. Demorphing is usually easier than morphing. You're much more familiar with your own, human self, so it's easier to picture your body in your mind, than it is to picture a dog or a cat. It's not less strange through. The look of your arm as it turns from scaly green to soft and pink, or the sickening sounding crunch of your bones as they change direction, is enough to send anyone running and screaming if they didn't know what they were looking at. Luckily for us, we'd had plenty of practice.

"You done yet?" Marco called a few minutes later from the cubicle next to me.

"Nearly," I said, watching my tail disappear into my spine. I heard him unlatch the door and it down on one of the benches. I finished off the last of the changes and pulled on my jeans and tee-shirt, which luckily were still where I'd left them. It would have been pretty embarrassing to arrive home in my underpants. I stepped ut of the cubicle and glared at Marco.

"No. More. Morphing. For. Personal. Reasons," I said, looking at him sternly in the eye. Marco rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag.

"You're still just jealous from the video game," he muttered, heading out into the corridor. "Can't see how I managed to beat you."