Skin (10 page)

It’s almost new years and everyone is excited because of the tradition that’s held every year on New Year’s Eve. Everyone thirteen and older participates. The year two thousand sixty-five is almost here. One more long hour. I’m nineteen so I’ve done this six times already, and each time it doesn’t feel any less strange. I guess it’s a good weird though. I would describe it as a sort of freeing sensation. Your skin is smooth, blemish free, and warm. Sort of if you were to step out of a nice warm bubble bath. My ears twitch and my tail swishes to the beat of the song I’m listening to, Doubt by Twenty-one Pilot’s. I’m one of the lucky five who were tested on when I was little. So I’m a Therianthrope, if you will, which means half human and half animal.

Getting up I walk to the pantry and take out a Japanese fish shaped cookie called Taiyaki and start munching on that. The clock says eleven twenty.

“Uuhhhg… I’m tired of waiting for this…” I sigh. The song has changed to Golden Days by Panic! At the Disco. I push my glasses back up my nose. I wish I had a boyfriend. New years would be so much nicer. I mean, we could dress up and go out for dinner then be home before twelve so we will be back before the Change. The Change is the annual shedding of our skin. Kind of like a lizard or snake. It’s about like changing out of a jumpsuit. One swift movement then you just step out of it and put it in the special recycling receptacle located in all houses that will be picked up and emptied in the morning.

My skin starts to itch and I look at the clock, it says eleven forty-five. Fifteen more minutes.

“Oh thank god. Eeerrrrg!” I growl, “This is forever going to be the worst part.” I itch frantically at my arms and shoulders. Looking in the mirror I notice my skin starting to split at the top of my head by my hairline.

“Jeez, thank god.” I take a knife and start to further split the skin following the parting of my hair down to the start of my neck. Sitting the knife down I grab both sides and start to pull down peeling the skin off. I watched as my new skin was slowly revealed. I looked completely different. Usually the only thing that happens is people continue to look the same, they just shed the scars and blemishes of last year. My skin was fair and pale with freckles sprinkled across my nose and cheeks. The further I pulled down the more pale freckled skin showed itself. Finally, I stepped out of my old skin and did an awkward run to put it down the chute in the living room. I realize I’m the only one in my apartment but there’s just something about being nude in an open space. It makes me nervous. My new tail swished behind me, it was fluffy and a dark charcoal grey/silver. My new hair fell down my back and into my face. It always takes a little longer for hair to grow. I looked at myself in the mirror, only to have to find my glasses because I couldn’t see myself. My eyes went wide when they adjusted and I saw my new me. My hair was a bright red-orange and my eyes were two different colors. One was emerald green and the other was an ocean blue-grey color. I was surprised to see what I looked like. No one has ever done a complete three sixty from what they originally looked like. Well some have but they weren’t around long. People thought they had been cheated because the ones who had changed so drastically were “Pretties,” at least that’s what everyone called them. They were beautiful though, many of them had been turned into models, royalty, and actors of one sort or another because of the comparison to everyone else. Which seems odd considering that the change was made possible so that people didn’t feel ugly anymore, but the pretties did just that.

“Levi!!!” I heard someone scream outside of my apartment.

“What the heck?” I whispered and quickly put on a tank top and a pair of jeans shorts and slipped on a pair of vans. Jogging to the door I looked through the peep hole. It was my best friend, Alice. I opened the door.

“Levi!!! Look at my new skin isn’t it great!? I just HAD to show you. How are you, how did yours...?” She stopped when she saw me. “Who the heck are you? And what are you doing in Levy’s apartment?”

“Alice, it’s me.” I said raising an eyebrow.

“Oh. My. God! You look totally different. You’re a Pretty!!” She shouted

“Shhhhhhhhh!! Be quiet you don’t need to tell the whole neighborhood!” I hissed.

“But that’s not fair!! You’re prettier than me!”

“Really? You’re gonna be that person right now? Some friend you are.”

“Oh come on, we both know I’ve always been the prettier one.”

“…Okay bye” I gave her a good glare and a shrug and then closed the door on her.

“NO! Levy wait! Don’t go! Let me in!”

“No. You decided to be a b*tch. Have fun out there.”

“What? Levy let me in!”

“Nope. You were rude.”

“I’m gonna pull your tail out wolf girl!”

“Ummm… How can you do that when you’re out there?” She was silent. I could tell I had won the argument. Which, is usually what happens.

“…Fine you win…I’m sorry”

“Yeah that’s what I thought.” I opened the door and pulled her inside. “Your new skin looks good, how did the change go this year? You always seem to have problems for some odd reason.”

“It wasn’t too bad this time. It still burns a little but I mean that’s kind of to be expected.”

“It never hurts for me?”

“You aren’t normal though. It hurts for everybody else.”

“Yeah yeah yeah.” I wave her comment off.

“I wish I had a tail.”

“No you don’t.”

“Yes I do.”

“No,” I swat her with my tail, “you don’t. It’s fluffy and hard to brush and it get’s stuck in everything. You don’t know how many times I’ve accidently slammed my tail in a car door.”

“Okay this is true,” She cringes, “I was there when you did it one time. No living thing should make the sound you made even if it’s dying.”

“Oh shut up it hurt.”

“No duh, but even still.”

“If you had felt what I did I’m pretty sure you would have make something close, if not the exact same noise.”

“Yeah I don’t think I would.”

“Well next time we’re in my car I’ll slam your hand in the door and we’ll see what noise you make.”

“Ummmm… how about no. I like my bones intact.”

“Well then hush.” My ears twitched in slight annoyance and confidence. I walked over to my bookshelf and eyed all of the books to make sure they were in order and everything was organized by author and by the order that they occur in the series.

“What are you doing?” Alice asked.

“I’m making sure that the order of my books isn’t bugging me.”

“You are an OCD weirdo.”

“Thank you.”

“Thaaaat wasn’t a complement.”

“I decided to take it as one though soooo ha.” I grin and she rolls her eyes at me. “Hey, at least I’m organized.”

“Yeah, whatever. I’ll give you that. I think you have the cleanest apartment of any college student on the planet.”

“It’s not that clean, Alice”

“What? Are you kidding me? This is spotless. Like, insanely spotless”

“If you say so.” I walk to the couch and flop down. Alice follows suit and sits down on the couch next to me.

“We really need boyfriends,” Alice says and looks over at me while I’m taking my shoes off, “It would be a lot easier to go through the change.”

“I mean I’ve helped you a couple of times.” I say looking at her again and throwing my shoes into a corner.

“Yeah but that’s different. We aren’t dating. And I understand you’re pansexual but you don’t like me like that and that’d be awkward.”

“Truuueee.” I sighed and rubbed my temples.

“Mind if I say over?”

“Nope, not at all, in fact I just cleaned your favorite pajamas.” I looked over at her and she pumped her fists and went “YES!!” Her favorite pajamas were a pair of doctor who lounge pants and a tardis graphic tee. Personally I prefer my Supernatural lounge pants and graphic tee combo, but hey if she likes them then I don’t have to share my Supernatural ones. I walked to the laundry room and picked out our pajamas and when I came back she was staring at me.

“What?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“You look so different. It’s kinda creepy.”

“So what if I look different?” My ears twitched trying to figure out where this was going.

“That’s not what I’m saying, I mean you’ve looked like you used to for years and then suddenly, poof, orange hair, crazy pale skin and a buttload of freckles.”

“Yeah I know it’s so weird. I look kinda like the new Clary Fray off of Shadowhunters.”

“You used to look like a fem Sam Winchester.”

“Now you’re just being mean. You know he’s my favorite.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. Not gonna lie, I like Dean better.” She grinned at me and wiggled her eyebrows. I laughed.

“There’s something wrong with you, you know that?”

“Yes, I know but that’s why you love me.”

“Yeah whatever.” I threw the doctor who pajamas at her and it hit her right in the face and made a ‘pwump’ noise. I busted out laughing.

“Shut up that wasn’t nice!”

“Buuuuuuut it was funny.” I managed to get out before dissolving into a fit of giggles again.

“Yeah yeah, you’re hilarious.” She glares at me while I’m still cackling uncontrollably.

“Yes, I am, thank you for noticing.” I manage to get up and walk to my room to change into my pajamas. “Sam Winchester for the win!!!!” I yell as I jump out of my room sporting my “My prince charming hunts demons and wears a leather jacket.” Graphic tee and my demon trap symbol printed lounge pants.

“DORK!”

“NERD.”

“Jerk.”

“Wackadoodle.”

“What? What the heck is that?” Alice stared at me.

“I don’t know it just happened.” I laughed and she started to laugh too.

“You are so weird.”

“I try.”

“You very much succeed.”

“I don’t know about you but I’m tired.” I yawned and stretched.

“You’re so cat like sometimes it’s ridiculous.”

“I’m not THAT cat-like”

“Dude, you purr.”

“I do not!” I protest and Alice comes up and scratches behind me ear and to my embarrassment, I purr. “Shut up. I don’t wanna hear it.” I pout and she laughs.

I walk to my room and pull out the trundle out from under my bed then get sheets and a blanket for Alice. They’re the second set of my bed spread which has the mauder’s map from Harry Potter printed on it. I’m pretty proud of it.

“Well goodnight.”

“Night, Levy.”

I wake up to hear Alice’s half snoring and talking in her sleep. I’ve given up on trying to stop it. There’s literally no point in trying. She’s hopeless.

I shuffle to the kitchen to brew some coffee so I can attempt to wake up without wanting to smack someone. I noticed someone sitting on the sofa. I knew for a fact it wasn’t Alice because one, it was a male and two, I could still hear her going on about Pokemon ninjas. Whatever the heck that is.

“Uummmm… can I help you?” My ears twitched in a mix of confusion, fear, and slight annoyance that this guy barged into my house unannounced while I was sleeping. I just hope he’s not a pervert or something. He seemed startled by my voice.

“Oh, hello Miss Whitherspoon.”

“Who are you and why the heck are you in my house?”

“Oh, excuse me for being rude, my name is Daniel Farrell. I’ve come to take you to your rightful place.”

“Oh yeah?” I raised an eyebrow, “and where would that be?”

“The enchanted Forest, why do you think that you changed completely from what you used to look like? You’re the rightful heir to the thrown of Heirlum.”

“Yeah right, me? A princess? You’re pulling my tail. And it’s not funny. Get out of my house.” Daniel sighs and looks at me.

“Very well, I’ll just take you by force.” He grins and before I know it I’m being transported through a portal while flung over Daniel’s shoulder. Then everything went black.

My head is swimming and my vision is cutting in and out. I shift on whatever I’m lying on. I feel satin sheets.

“What is going on…?” I ask aloud.

“You’re in Heirlum, Princess.” A voice said. It was deep and smooth, a male’s voice.

“Heirlum? Who are you?” I squint at the direction the voice was coming from. A man in his early twenties stepped out of the shadows. His hair was raven black with blood red highlights and part of it was slicked back. He was in a sort of medieval attire. Something a prince would’ve warn. He bowed

“My name is Damian Dawn. I am your betrothed Princess Lavender.”

“What!? Wait how the hell do you know my real name? Not even Alice knows my real name.”

“I’ve been watching over you, Lavender. Since you were born.”

“Mmmmmkay… that’s creepy.”

“Consider me your guardian angel.”

I snorted. “Still creepy.” He looked kind of offended but I’d be lying if I said I cared. Some random person shows up in my apartment in the middle of the night and then whoshes me away somewhere where I’m the next heir to the thrown and another guy decided that it was okay to drop the “I’m your betrothed” bomb… yeah no sh*t I’m going to be salty.

I start to walk but when I try to step forward it feels like I have a fifty pound weight on my hips.

“Oh. My. God. What the hell…” I look down and see a waterfall of lilac and teal fabric. Somone had changed my clothes while I was out. It had a sweetheart plunging neckline and a double lace corset bodice. My rib case was furious and my hips felt like they were being pulled from my body.

“If you stand up straight it won’t hurt as much, Princess.” A familiar voice said. I looked up to glare at the person and saw Daniel.

“Oh you sonava… What the… eeeeeerrrg” I stood up straight and it lifted some of the weight off of my hips but my ribs were still a bit upset with me. “I loathe you.” I picked up my skirts and angrily stomped/walked (its hard to stomp in heels without breaking your ankle) out of the room.

“Its okay, Prince Damian. She’ll come around. I’m sure of it.” Daniel said, twisted grin spread across his face.

Questions: I learned how hard it is to write in bulk. Most of the time when I'm writing it 2-3 pages but this one having to be 10 was maddening on several occasions.

2.) I loved how I could write whatever I wished and let my imagine run free.

3.)I think the outcome of this assignment was pretty good. End was a bit rushed but I was hard to figure out what to do next without it running on and on.

4.)I don't really wanna change anything about it, I might add more to it later on though.

5.)Agonizing... sorry that was a bit dramatic, but seriously though. It kind of sucked at points. Writers block is a horrible thing.