If you'd looked into the small, run-down house in a bad neighborhood that day, you would've seen a small, skinny boy with messy blonde hair that reached almost to his shoulders, soft blue eyes, and a very worried expression on his face. And that's exactly what I wanted people to see. Actually, I would've preferred to remain completely unnoticed, but since I couldn't guarantee that nobody would see me entering or leaving Tobias's house, it was safest to look like somebody who belonged there.

Tobias's backpack was filled tight with a few changes of clothes, a couple of paperback books, and a few small odds and ends. He'd told me what to pack to make it look as convincing as possible - the fact was that absolutely everything he owned could fit in one backpack. It only took fifteen minutes. The last thing I needed to do was place an envelope conspicuously on the kitchen table. Tobias had dictated the letter for me. Assuming his deadbeat uncle cared enough to read it, it would give him the impression that Tobias was hitchhiking his way cross-country to go stay with his aunt in North Carolina.

There was one other thing to take care of. I made my way over to the TV cabinet, and started searching through the stack of videotapes.

(Hey, Lee, are you almost done in there?) Tobias called to me in thought-speech, (Because he's on his way back. You've got two minutes.) I really didn't want to be there when Tobias's uncle came home. But I also didn't want to leave anything behind. I kept searching through the videotapes. Finally, there it was. I grabbed the tape, and scrambled back to Tobias's bedroom.

(Get out now! He's at the front door!)

I could hear the door opening. But I was already halfway out the window and into the back yard. As quietly as possible, I eased the window shut, then ran for the fence. It took me all of ten seconds to climb up and over into the safety of the alley behind the house.

Tobias glided from a nearby rooftop to a lamppost over my head.

(You were cutting it pretty close, don't you think?)

"You hid that "Dark Crystal" videotape pretty good. Don't worry, I got everything else done first."

(Oh my god, are you serious? You were wasting your time looking for that? Do you have any idea how close you came to getting caught?)

"Well, it's my tape," I protested, "and I wanted it back before your uncle decided to hock it for beer money."

I kept walking down the alley. Eventually, Tobias responded.

(I would've given it back by now, if I hadn't...)

"I know."

It was a short walk to the highway overpass. Not exactly the most discrete place to demorph, but this time I was wasn't even changing species. All anyone would see before and after was just some random kid. I set the backpack aside, sat down on the floor, and focused. My hair grew a few inches longer and turned black as coal. I lost about an inch in height, the proportions of my hands and feet and arms shifted slightly. My chest grew larger, hips widened, and I felt something shrivel away and vanish altogether. I was back in my real body. And right on cue, there was a horrible wave of nausea. I leaned over to the side, felt my stomach contract and convulse, and -

"Hrrgh!"

What was left of my lunch went all over the ground. Did I mention that demorphing usually makes me feel kind of sick? I have a theory about why that is...