Metamorphosis - Jason Scott

1

The tires squelched as they churned up mud. And yet, the Jeep didn't want to move. The engine roared in protest, lurching but not moving forward. A pale hand slapped the leather steering wheel angrily, "C'mon!" A feminine voice grumbled.

What a shit day, she hissed internally, eyebrows furrowed and teeth clenched. She pushed on the accelerator more, and finally the forest green car lurched forward.

"Yes!" She cried, giving a whoop and punching the air. The clenched teeth turned into a toothy grin, and her eyebrows softened.

She continued down the foggy, dirt road, trees enclosing overhead so she could hardly see the sky. The dark certainly didn't help. She supposed it was a good thing. It was absolutely disgusting out. Dreary and wet, but that was to be expected. Apparently there had been a two day long deluge just before she got to the tiny little town known as Angel Grove.

Well, she wasn't in the town. She was outside of it, on a tree-covered hill above. It was a few miles out, just enough that she could see the lights illuminating the innocent town.

Regardless, the girl didn't want to step foot in Angel Grove yet. Not until she knew she would be safe.

And maybe she was being paranoid, but you could never be too careful. Especially in her situation.

Which was why she was scanning the sides of the road, looking for a small path she could pull her car in to for the night.

It was already late. Almost 11. With a yawn, she scrubbed at her face with one hand before continuing her drive.

Suddenly, a deer bounded out in front of her, and she slammed on the breaks.

"Shit!" She whisper shouted, hands grasping the steering wheel. Her eyes were wide, and she took a moment to collect herself.

With a huff, she looked at where the deer had gone, before she focused on the other side of the road.

There.

It was small, easy to miss if you weren't careful. It was a tree covered road that branched off from the main dirt one. She quickly yanked the steering wheel towards it and drove further in.

The road—trail, really— was surrounded by a thick tree line, and leaves littered the path. Soon, the trees evened out until they eventually receded, and in front of her was a moss covered clearing. No longer a path.

There were a few trees, and these were big. Big enough that despite the small number, the sky was still covered.

Good, she thought. Hopefully she'd have some privacy.

It was secluded, but close to water. She drove further before parking next to a large coniferous tree.

This would work. She unbuckled her seatbelt and slid out of the drivers seat so she could find a tree to pee behind.

She stretched lazily, her grey henley riding up over her stomach for a moment, before sighing. The girl glanced back at her old Jeep, with its peeling green paint and wood paneling. She smiled crookedly at it and wandered off into the sense fog.

This was like camping, but not as fun.

After she had relieved herself, the young woman jogged towards her car, but got distracted by something. The headlights from her Jeep illuminated her surroundings, and they enabled her to see... something.

Upon further inspection, she noticed a bank about twenty feet away from her Jeep. It was more like a small cliff really, and at the bottom was what seemed to be a pond, or at least where the nearby creeks converged. She stored that information for later and decided that it would be a great place to bathe in the morning. But for now, she should sleep.

And thus, the girl climbed into the trunk of her car, shucked her boots off, and unrolled her sleeping bag. She pulled out a hoodie, slipped it on, and opened a small, dented lock box. She rubbed her eyes and peered in.

Hesitating for a moment, she deliberated her options. Her life, the past... and the future.

With a gentle sigh, she pulled out the first thing. A birth certificate. It was fake, but no one needed to know that. Tamsin Marie Oliver. That was her. She whispered her new name a few times, before mumbling, "But you can call me Tommy."

She set the birth certificate back into the box and put her new (again, fake) social security card on top of it. She then reached over to her nearby backpack and pulled out a wallet. She opened it, and gazed at her license. In the picture, she was smiling. Again, Tamsin Marie Oliver.

This was her identity now. It was hard to wrap her head around, but she'd keep reminding herself until it was second nature.

She didn't like it, but her situation called for all of this... sneaking around. If she wanted to stay alive, she had to accept that she was no longer—that person. She was Tommy Oliver.

And with that, the girl locked the box, tossed everything aside, and fell in to a dreamless sleep.