The Changeling Princess (8 page)

CHAPTER 14

I was playing with the kitties in my bedroom when my phone rang.

“
Hello, Janis,” said Wade. “I’m calling to tell you that I’ve finished the police receiver.

“
That’s great. When can we try it out?”

“
It’s eight o’clock, how about right now?”

“
Sounds good. Are we going to listen to the receiver at your place?”

“
We’ll get better reception if we’re in an open area. How about Peyton Park, it’s only three blocks away.”

“
Good idea. I’ll pick you up in ten minutes.”

*
* *

I parked the car near the park
’s pavilion and rolled down the car window. Wade was holding the strange looking contraption in his lap and fiddling with the dials. I heard a lot of static, but some of the police calls were clear enough to make out.

The police use codes in their calls and they weren
’t easy to understand. Wade had a code booklet, so we weren’t completely in the dark. We’d been listening for a half an hour when Wade straightened up and announced, “That’s a robbery in progress.”

I heard the name Barrett
’s Liquor over the receiver. “That’s where my dad buys his liquor,” I said. “It’s only about two miles from here. Hang on, Wade, it’s time for Batman and Robin to make their appearance.”

Wade looked bewildered as we morphed into Mist and flew out the car window. I knew he was still fighting his fear of heights as I made us both invisible and flew higher into the sky. I was surprised at how fast I could fly. I reached the liquor story in sixty seconds flat.

The liquor store was surrounded by police cars as we floated down to the ground. We floated toward the front of the liquor store and drifted under the door. I spotted the robber behind the counter, holding a gun to store clerk’s head. There were several people laying face down on the floor with their hands over the back of their heads.

We floated toward the back of the store and materialized behind a row of shelves. We communicated through thought so we wouldn
’t be heard.

I think I can handle this situation with mind control,
said Wade.
I’ll put a thought in the guy’s head, telling him he should surrender to the police.

Go for it.

Wade went into intense concentration. Suddenly, the robber looked like he was in a trance. He moved his gun away from the back of the clerk’s head and placed it on the counter. Then he made an announcement. “I’m giving myself up,” he shouted. The store clerk was still in shock when the police came rushing through the door.

Good job, Wade. It
’s time to get out of here.

We morphed back into Mists and drifted under the front door. I sensed that Wade was holding his breath again as we rose higher into the evening sky. When we materialized back in the car, Wade sighed with relief.

“The height is still getting you, isn’t it, Wade?’

“
It shows, huh?”

“
I sensed your fear and you heart sounded like a bass drum.”

“
I think that was a putdown.”

“
You know, I wasn’t trying to be mean. So what do think of our adventure as Charlotte’s newest crime fighters?”

“
Crime fighters? I’m not sure I like where this conversation is heading.”

“
Look, Wade, as long as we have these powers, we might as well make ourselves useful. We could listen to the police calls a couple of nights a week and give a helping hand if it’s convenient. I’m not saying we should fly around the city every night looking for trouble.”

“
I guess that’s reasonable.”

“
Don’t let this go to your head, but I thought you were terrific tonight. You handled that robber without anyone getting hurt and you made it look easy.”

Wade looked pleased.
“I guess we make a pretty good team.”

“
No, Wade, we make a fantastic team. Incidentally, I’ve been meaning to ask you about a park dance here next Saturday night. The Spunks, the hottest rock band in Charlotte have been hired for the dance.”

“
That’s interesting…are you going?”

“
I don’t know, no one’s asked me.”

“
I can’t believe it! A good-looking girl like you and you haven’t been asked.”

“
Wade Wilson, you’re the biggest tease I’ve ever met.”

Wade turned serious.
“Would you like to go to the dance with me next week?”

“
No.”

Wade flinched.
“Now I’m really confused.”

“
I’ll go with you, but not as Janis French. I’m in a fun mood and I want to be someone else. So take your pick—blonde, redhead, or brunette? 1t’s your choice.”

“
I feel like I just won the grand prize on the $64,000 Question show. You’re kidding me, right?”

“
Nope, I’m dead serious. So, what’ll it be?”

“
I’ll take the redhead. I’ll save the others for later.”

“
But I’m already a redhead. Don’t you want something different?”

“
No, I like redheads.”

“
Okay, I’ll sharpen up my dance steps.”

“
Now I’m really looking forward to Saturday night.”

CHAPTER 15

I was watching television on Friday afternoon when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to see Sherri wearing the biggest smile I’d ever seen. “Get ready to rumble, Jan. I’ve got wheels.”

I looked toward the street and saw a gorgeous convertible parked in the front of the house.
“Is that yours?” I asked.

“
Yes, it’s a 1958 Ford Fairlane. It’s got the big engine and a three-speed stick shift.”

“
Impressive. Are we going for a ride?”

“
Of course, why do think I’m here?”

We were both laughing as we walked to Sherri
’s car. If my instincts were right, I was in for unusual experience. Sherri might have been a lot of things, but she was never boring.

I expected Sherri to speed away from the curb, but she surprised me by creeping forward like a turtle.
“I don’t want your parents to think I’m a hotrod,” Sherri said with a gleam in her eyes.

As soon as we were out of the neighborhood, Sherri down shifted to second gear and floored the accelerator. When she finally backed off the accelerator, she shifted into third gear and slowed down to the speed limit. Sherri and I were both laughing.

“That was a blast,” Sherri said with a wide grin. “Do you want to cruise Main Street?”

“
You’re driving. Maybe we’ll run into some guys who are looking for a good time, if you know what I mean.”

Sherri stared at me.
“You’re just teasing me because you know I wouldn’t cheat on Bruce.”

“
Of course I am, but you should have seen the look on your face.”

We entered a freeway entrance with a long straightaway to the onramp. Sherri was wearing a mischievous grin when she came to a dead stop.
“Watch me lay a strip.”

Sherri revved the engine and popped the clutch, leaving a trail of burned rubber behind her as she picked up speed. She speed-shifted into second gear and we picked up speed. We were going close to seventy miles an hour when Sherri hit the brakes and slowed down.
“How’s that for a kick in the pants?” Sherri said, trying to control her laughter.

We drove around for another hour, talking about school and who was doing what. I knew that Sherri was very happy. She had a boyfriend she was crazy about and now she had her own car. For a sixteen year old, the term we used in the sixties was
“made in the shade.”

We stopped at Baker
’s Dairy Bar for a cherry coke. We were sitting there watching the kids dance when Bruce walked in the door with a gorgeous blonde. They sat at a table near the back of room, unaware that we were sitting close by. Sherri had two options. She could either break out crying or she could walk over to their table and pull the girl’s hair out by the roots.

Bruce stood up because he sensed he was in the presence of Changelings. When he saw us, he stood up and came toward us with the girl in tow. I sensed that Sherri
’s emotions were running wild.

“
Sherri, I’d like you to meet my cousin Georgia from New York. Her parents are spending the week with us and I thought I’d treat her to the best chocolate milkshake in the entire state of North Carolina.”

Georgia
’s smile was extremely friendly. “Bruce has told me all about you, Sherri, but you’re even prettier than I imagined.”

Sherri was so relieved I thought she was going to jump up and hug Georgia. Sherri stood up.
“Won’t you join us?”

Georgia replied before Bruce could say anything.
“We’d love to.”

What looked like a tragedy was turning into an enjoyable afternoon. Sherri and Georgia got along famously and everyone had a good time. Developing my powers was extremely important, but sometimes it was nice to be able to sit back and enjoy being a sixteen-year-old.

* * *

Saturday was a lazy day. I spent some time in my bedroom, morphing into a lot of new characters. I especially liked Connie Francis and Brenda Lee because they had such great voices. Janis French couldn
’t carry a tune in a bushel basket.

I invented a new game for the kitties by morphing into a very speedy little mouse. When they thought they had me cornered, I made myself invisible and escaped. It was a fun game and it was good exercise for the kitties. Playtime always ended with a flying session because that was the Missy and I
zzy’s favorite game.

I still wasn
’t sure how my powers worked when I morphed into an animal. If I morphed into something like a bird or a tiger I had their powers, but I wasn’t able to turn invisible or morph into a Mist. All I could do was morph back into Janis French. That wasn’t the case when I morphed into a mouse and played with the kitties. I didn’t have the slightest idea why this was true. Maybe it was because I was bringing someone pleasure. I decided it wasn’t worth thinking about.

I hadn
’t revealed my new morphing skills to my parents, but tonight was going to be an exception. I wanted them to know that I wasn’t going to the dance tonight as plain old Janis French.

“
I have a surprise for everyone,” I announced at the supper table.

“
I love surprises,” my dad said.

I morphed into an exact likeness of Grandma Pauline.
“That’s incredible!” said my mother. “Your skills have really improved.”

I morphed back to myself and made the announcement.
“I want everyone to know that I’m changing my appearance tonight. I won’t be going to the street dance as Janis French.”

My father chuckled.
“That sounds like fun. No one at the dance will know who you are.”

My mother looked suspicious.
“Is there a special reason why you want to be different?”

“
I have two reasons. First, I want Wade to have a gorgeous date so the other guys will be envious. My second reason is I’d like to feel really special for a change. I know it sounds vain, but what’s the fun of being a Changeling if you can’t show off once in a while? No one’s going to get hurt.”

“
You’ve convinced me,” said my dad.

Mom smiled.
“You’ve convinced me too. I can’t wait to see the new you. I bet you’ll be a knockout.”

*
* *

I slipped into my new navy blue sundress with white polka dots. I wore my navy blue sandals and my favorite silver charm bracelet. When I twirled around in front of my mirror, I thought I looked pretty good.

The next thing on my agenda was to acquire the skills of a great dancer. I thought about all the great dancers in Hollywood. I could choose from Ginger Rogers, Ann Miller, Mitzi Gaynor, Eleanor Powell and Rita Hayworth. There were others, but those were the ones I liked best.

I finally decided on Rita Hayworth because she danced like she had a wild streak that couldn
’t be tamed. I saw her dance in the 1947 film, “Down to Earth” and I never forgot it. Not only that, Rita Hayworth was the only redhead in the group and Wade liked redheads. Actually, Rita Hayworth wasn’t a real redhead, but that wasn’t important. Most movie stars wouldn’t be recognizable if you saw them on the street with no makeup.

I morphed into Rita Hayworth and checked myself in front of the mirror. I had acquired the dancing skills I wanted, so the next phase was to change my height and age.

I increased my height to six feet tall. Then I gradually regressed my age until I looked sixteen. As I had done with the Egyptian Princess, I made my neck a tad longer and raised my cheekbones.

Rita Hayworth had a good figure, but I decided to improve on it because my new body was a lot taller. I made my legs shapelier and made my waist thinner. Then I finished up by making my bust a tiny bit fuller. When I was finished, I think I resembled a gorgeous Barbie doll. I was positive Wade was really going to be impressed with his date tonight.

To my delight, my dress fit perfectly and my sandals were a perfect fit for dancing. It never ceased to amaze me how I could physically change my size and my clothes adjusted right along with the transformation. If that isn’t pure magic, nothing is.

I stood back and twirled around in front of the mirror. I couldn
’t wait to put my new dancing skills to the test on the dance floor. I was ready to party.

I wish I
’d had a camera to capture the expression on my parents’ faces when I walked into the living room. I twirled around in a circle. “How do I look?”

“
Breathtaking,” my mother said, “but I don’t know who’s the prettiest—Janis French or the new you?”

“
Now you’re flattering me, Mom.”

My father approved, too.
“Your morphing skills are beyond phenomenal. I’m really proud of my little girl.”

“
Janis is exceptional,” my mother said. “She’ll set new standards for morphing in our Clan. Bill, do you think Janis’ new personality looks slightly familiar?”

My dad stared at me.
“Yeah, but I don’t know who.”

“
I think she looks like a six foot teenage Rita Hayworth.”

My dad didn
’t agree. “I think Janis looks more like a six foot Rhonda Fleming.”

“
Keep guessing guys, but I’m not going to tell you. I just hope Wade likes it.”

“
Don’t be surprised if Wade doesn’t want to bring you home tonight,” my father joked.

“
Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be a good girl.”