Personamorphs

Chapter One

Chapter One

The Tale of Angeline

 

Angeline, just a baby, wouldn’t stop crying when she was a newborn. Her mother always stayed up all night just trying to get her to calm down. The strange part was, whenever Angeline cried, her skin faded into green and her legs became those of a strange reptile. Scales seemed to grow out of her skin and her toes joined into two claws. The backs her her legs also grew horns similar to those on her feet, which became long and skinny. Gills appeared on her cheeks.

Her mother had gotten used to it, though. By the time Angeline was old enough to go to school, she decided that a public school was not the best way to go and that homeschooling was a much better option.

Angeline’s father, however, was disgusted. As soon as the baby was born, he simply could not see her for a girl more than a reptile and insisted that she be sent to an orphanage. Her mother loved her though, and when she would not let the baby go, Angeline’s father was devastated, and soon left the family.

This left her mother to take care of the house, the baby, and making a living, which even individually were not easy tasks. The solution the to problem concerning money was soon clear- Ms. Swanson would work from home, creating ads, logos, and other digital art for companies, while Angeline as a young toddler would occupy herself with crayons and paper.

By the age of ten, Angeline was a very avid artist, using her skills to create pieces unlike any other childrens’ in the area. Her art was soon discovered by local artists and she was recommended to an advanced art school at fourteen years of age. Her mother finally agreed, telling Angeline that she should always be very careful not to tell her secret.

That brings us to an average day in their cramped apartment.

Angeline, 15, had wedged herself in between the bookshelf and her bed, the only place in her small bedroom that wasn’t covered in clothes, books, or art supplies, not to mention a load of unfinished homework.  

Her pencil hovered over the scrap of paper on the lap desk that precariously balanced next to a book, one sitting on each leg. The book showed a photograph of a soda can, while the paper illustrated an exact replica of the photo, colored with pencils.

After just a few more detailed marks, Angeline was finished. She gazed at the soda can, and after a moment of hesitation, grabbed the ever-present roll of scotch tape off of her desk and taped the drawing onto the wall next to other pieces of art depicting flower vases, coffee tables, water glasses, and whatever else she could find in the house to take a picture of. The photograph was soon hanging next to it.

“Viola,” she muttered to herself. “I’m going to run out of things to draw.”

In the next room over, Angeline’s mother could be heard clicking away at the computer, making an advertisement for a fast food place nearby. Angeline tip-toed into her mother’s bedroom and peered over her shoulder.

The bright computer screen showed a picture of a young man eating a cheeseburger and looking utterly satisfied with himself, as if he had just won the lottery and was now enjoying a five-star restaurant. The man looked as real as if someone had picked him up and chucked him into the computer. And the cheeseburger seemed nothing like the thin patties they served at Barnie’s. But it made Angeline want fast food. Really bad.

“Mom, can we eat at Barnie’s?” She asked, her mouth watering at the prospect.

“Wow, I didn’t know my ads were that good!” Her mother laughed in reply. “Here.” She handed Angeline a ten-dollar bill. “Make sure to get me some fries.” She sighed to herself in amusement as Angeline dashed out the door, got on her bike, and drove away.

 

“Two medium fries and a chicken pattie coming up!” said the cashier. While Angeline waited for her food, she looked at the people around her, and sighed. They were all normal humans, having a normal life.

Then Angeline’s eyes rested on a boy not much younger than herself and who must have been his little sister. They were staring intently at her, food untouched. Suddenly, just for a moment, Angeline could’ve sworn that she saw horns on the boy! After blinking, she realized that it was a trick of the light, and turned her attention back to the fast food awaiting her.

As Angeline was taking her change and the steamy paper bag from the cashier, something caught her eye. Behind her, a young girl was balancing a tray precariously with one hand, and on it was an order of french fries and a tall paper cup of water. Angeline tried to dash over before the girl dropped it, but it was too late. The salty french fries flew in her direction with the water. The two mixed together in a whirlwind of ketchup and mustard and landed all over Angeline!

Oh, dang it, Angeline thought, just as she realized that there was salt water covering the entire front of her shirt. She leapt out of Barnie’s and quickly jumped into a disgusting alleyway. Just in time, too, because her legs were already beginning to elongate into scaly green monstrosities and the gills were even starting to develop on her face.

And just like that, Angeline was fully transformed. She gazed at her hand, where three claws instead of five fingers were, and down at her feet, which were long and had two claws rather that toes.

“Ugh….” She hated this. It was easy to bear, as salt water was a rare thing in Wisconsin, but still, when it did happen, this was so weird. It felt really unnatural. Though Angeline was still human, her legs and forearms had truly changed, as well as the bluish tinge where her gills were. She sat down on an overturned garbage can and began to wait for it to pass.

 

Three hours later, Ms. Swanson was suspecting what exactly had happened, and sure enough, Angeline, stomach rumbling, bursted into the door and walked straight up to her mother.

“Well, I just got our fries, and they were smelling really good, too, when a little girl tripped and sent her water and fries all over my new shirt! And you know what happens next! I had just enough time to jump into the filthy alley before transforming into that terrible creature.”

Ms. Swanson expected this angry outburst. Whenever Angeline transformed, her attitude completely changed, and needed an outlet to let the anger out. Ms. Swanson had already braced herself for these side effects, but is you weren’t ready, Angeline could make you terrified of her. It was completely opposite when she was her selfless, artistic daughter. Good thing she was able to escape before this happened, but if she was ever in public…