"This is fan fiction for the Whateley Academy series. It may or may not match the timeline, characters, and continuity, but since it's fan fiction, who cares? To see the canon Whateley Stories, check out either Sapphire's Place (http://www.sapphireplace.com/stories/whateley.html) or the Big Closet (http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/taxonomy/term/117)."
The following story may contain adult themes and mature language. It broaches controversial topics like suicide, religion, sex, homosexuality and transsexuality. These topics are sometimes handled in a humorous fashion that may seem inappropriate to some. If any of the above is unacceptable to you or against the current laws in your geographical location I ask you not to read the story.
If you liked this story, or for constructive criticism please feel free to contact me at c.o.l@gmx.net.

I want to thank the folks at the Whateley boards for giving me some pointers so I could identify the most glaring problems with my writing and hopefully fix them. Any remaining faults are to be blamed on me.

Chancing Changes

by Rhodes

Part 1

October 6^th , Friday

Countless stars dotted the dark autumn sky over New England. The cloud cover that had been hiding the celestial bodies from view for the last few days had dissipated. As if to make up for the lost time, the night sky seemed to put up an especially magnificent display. The absence of big cities in close vicinity allowed for a breathtaking view of the innumerable twinkling lights.

All this beauty was lost on the lean, short boy gazing at the sky through an expensive looking telescope. The window of his room on the third floor of Emmerson cottage was not very well suited for this, but it served. He purposefully put down some notes on a sheet of paper on the window-sill and checked the sky again.

“Perfect!” He exclaimed, just when the door to the room opened.

“What's so perfect, kid?“ asked the young man who entered the room. Flicking on the ceiling light, he managed to ruin his roommates night vision and mood at the same time.

“I have asked you several times already not to call me this!“ the boy at the window spat out. He barely managed to suppress the fury in his voice while blinking at the bright light. He was rather touchy when it came to his slight, almost girlish build.

“Oh yeah, sorry Hillman, or ... what was it again? Warlock? Y' know I'm pretty sure that one's taken already.“

Richard Hillman shot his roommate a baleful glare, not bothering to respond. He had not yet figured this cretin out.

The boy standing in the doorway, blissfully smiling at him, was seemingly oblivious to Richard's barely restrained rage. The handsome youth looked like he had jumped directly off the cover of an issue of Men's Health. Well over six foot in height he positively towered over Richard's own 5'3'' or at least so it seemed to the shorter boy. Athletic and muscular, with angelic blond hair and an air of confidence about him, Walter 'Adonis' Simmons was about as different from Richard as a single being could possibly be.

Himself he had raven black hair over a face that most people wouldn't have called handsome. All on top of a body that was well on the scrawny side for a boy his age.

It was not a fair comparison since Simmons was very obviously an exemplar, his body sculpted by mutation to fit the young man's subconscious idea of what it should look like. It bugged Richard none the less.

What he had not figured out yet was if Simmons made fun of him on purpose, or if he was just dumb. His last roommate had tried to dominate over him from the start, but had soon learned that one did not mess with 'The Warlock'. A slight smile played around Richard's lips when he remembered the high pitched shrieks of his former roommate that one morning.

Unfortunately, while no one had been able to prove anything, he was certain that administration was keeping an eye on him because of that incident. So Richard was pretty much forced to put up with Simmons for now.

But anyway, things would change soon. When his plans for tonight worked out he would soon have the respect of his dumb roommate and be the most envied man in the whole Academy.

Once he won her over no one on campus would ever dismiss him for a nerd and social misfit ever again.

He had first seen her on his first day back at Whateley after the summer vacation. She had everything... an almost otherworldly beauty and grace, wealth (judging by her attire) and best of all she was obviously a quite potent spellcaster, if somewhat untrained. She was the ideal match for him. Once he found the right time and place to bring himself to her attention she would without doubt recognize his tremendous power and see the wisdom in their union.

There was just this one problem that had come up recently. So far she had rebuffed any advances of the various boys trying to hit on her, realizing how far below her they stood. But recently some twerp, who was naming himself Stalwart, had stubbornly refused to take no for an answer and had begun stalking her whenever she was out of her cottage. The most infuriating thing about this was not the deed itself, but the fact that he seemed to win her over slowly but surely. Sure, she always seemed to be annoyed when she talked to the dunce but she was talking to him.

Well after tonight this would not be an issue any longer.

A very unpleasant grin appeared on Richard's face that would have wiped away even Simmons' perpetual smile, had he seen it. The annoying jock was already laid back on his bed reading some sports magazine, so he did not notice.

Richard carefully put the telescope away, a gift of his grandfather, and started to pack some necessary items into a duffel bag. When he carefully took the oddly shaped black glazed figurine from his shelf and began wrapping it up in some soft cloth for safety, Simmons spoke up again.

“So you finally throw this ugly thing away. Always wondered why you keep it. Looks like an anorexic pig with wings.“

Suppressing a growl, Richard decided to try to educate that fool at least somewhat.

“It is not a pig it is a chimera, a spell focus that I made myself!“ Grandfather had been adamant about the 'craft it yourself' part, and, as they both had found out, Richard's pottery skills were rather... lacking. It served its intended purpose none the less.

“Besides that, I am not throwing it away I just need it for something.“

“Yeah, whatever, jus' don't put it back on the shelf later, it's creepy.“

Richard made a mental note to return the Chimera to its place on the shelf as soon as he was back. Then he tied up the bag, and left the room without further comment. It was late and he was not supposed to leave the cottage, but one of the few good points about Simmons was that he just did not care what his roommate did. At least as long as it did not interfere with his own activities.

------------------------------

As soon as the door had closed behind Hillman, Adonis looked up from the magazine he had been pretending to read and extracted a small, PDA looking device from his backpocket. He slid a short pen out of the casing and jotted down something on its screen. After he had tucked it away again, he pulled out the magazine once more and started reading, for real this time.

<Easy money.> he thought, the smile on his lips becoming smug.

------------------------------

Avoiding notice from just about everyone, Richard sneaked out of the building. No one seemed to be around so there was no big need for secrecy, but it could not hurt to be careful. A short while later he arrived at his 'ritual place' as he called the smallish copse of trees near Emmerson cottage.

He began setting up his tools very carefully. The spell he was about to cast tonight was a highly complex piece of wizardry and any mistakes could end in disaster. A single moment of losing concentration might void the spell at best or make it backfire at worst. He shuddered at the idea.

But there would be no disturbances. The students would all be in their cottages and the campus security would not come over here. Besides those Rent-A-Cops could not pour water out of a boot without detailed instructions on the sole, so no worries there.

At last he felt the time was right, everything was set up, he was ready. He double checked the wards he had just set up. They would ensure that nothing of what he was about to do would come to the attention of the various sensitives close by. Sitting down with his legs crossed in a lotus seat he put himself into a deep trance with an ease that came from hours of practice with his grandfather. He then began to draw upon the ambient mana. Collecting the glowing lines appearing before his inner eye, he began to weave a multidimensional pattern from them, more complex than any weaver had ever imagined. A kaleidoscope of vibrant colors swirled before him while he forced the living energy into the pathways of his spell's matrix. The pattern was centered on the small, oddly shaped figurine, which he had put down in the center of his hermetic circle. It would act as an anchor point for the spell to be, fixing it to the mortal world.

Sweat was appearing on his brow, but the look of almost inhuman concentration on his face never wavered. In the deep recesses of his highly trained mind some stray thoughts flitted around, well deep enough not to interfere with the work at hand.

<Almost... no one will ridicule me anymore... if they could see me now... raw power... masterful control... no one can match The Warlock...>

Channeling and controlling this much power was intoxicating, and it grew more. The weaving was becoming more complex with every moment that passed. The multicolored ball of pure magical energy constantly growing.

The power flow had almost reached it's apex. This was the point where the ecstasy of wielding and controlling those primal energies became so much that it threatened to overwhelm Richard and burn him to ashes.

This was also the precise moment that a heavy hand landed on his shoulder, and he heard a voice behind him say,

“Hey what are you doing out here this late kid?“

“KID! WHO DARES!?“ Overwhelmed by rage about the insolence of a mere mortal disturbing him in his moment of triumph, Richard turned his gaze on the interloper. Putting every single bit of scorn he could muster into it, he tried to smite the inferior being with a single baleful glance. Unfortunately he let a few of the ethereal threads slip in the process and quite literally dropped the ball.

“OH SHIT!“

-----------------------------------

October 7^th , Saturday

David O'Brian swiped his card through the reader at the side entrance to Kane Hall, stifling a yawn, and looked up to the small surveillance camera mounted above the door. This allowed the security computer to recognize his face and check if he was cleared to enter. The buzzer sounded and he stepped into the building once more shaking his head over the tight security measures.

Well it was tight for a boarding school, but the Whateley Academy was not your usual boarding school. Remembering the briefings and tests he had had to go trough before he got the job this summer, David did not doubt that this whole security lineup was completely reasonable.

Since he was a rookie, and rookies were put into A shift usually for the first few weeks, he had missed out on most of the 'fun' so far.

But a few weeks ago a manhole cover, having been blown up by some explosion in the storm drains, had missed Lex' head by mere inches when they both had been on their way to the parking lot. It was then, that David started to believe a few more of those colorful anecdotes his best friend had been telling all the time.

He was a bit early for his shift, but he wanted to make a good impression in his first few weeks. He could always slack off later. Not that he planned to.

He rather liked his new job. Chief Delarose and Lt. Forsyth appeared to be fair and intelligent superiors, something he hadn't always been able to enjoy in the Boston PD. An awful lot of his new colleagues seemed to have some form of military background, but so far he had gotten along with just about everyone.

The most unusual thing about this job was, naturally, the mutants. Mutants with any form of useful or visible power were exceptionally rare in the normal police. The powerful ones either put on tights and a cape or got hired by higher ranking agencies, or both. None of them just wanted to be normal cops. When he thought about it he could easily understand them. Just to imagine the amount of red tape the city would choke some super strong brick type with just to avoid lawsuits and the outrage of 'concerned citizens' about possible collateral damage. No it was probably for the better.

Also in normal police work he almost never had to deal directly with super powered criminals since they were usually handled by the local hero group, which he had been glad about.

He had met some of the heroes though, but the only one he had gotten to know a little better was Skyhawk during the whole Delgado incident.

Compared to that, working at Whateley was fascinating. Patrolling the campus on a 'green' day was still one of his favorite duties. He had always been fascinated by mutants and their powers, so he doubted this job could ever be boring for him in the long run.

David had finished putting on the uniform and was just closing his locker when Richardson entered the locker room. The balding man in his early forties looked tired, and had obviously just finished his shift. But there was a spring to his step and a slight gleam in his eyes that told David that duty tonight had been neither bad nor boring.

“Ah, morning O'Brian. Beamed in early today?“ Richardson quipped while opening his own locker.

David sighed. Oh how he loved this special joke. He would get back at Lex for telling them that his middle name was Miles.

“Morning Richardson, had an exciting night?“

This was obviously the exact question the man had been waiting for, since his face was split by a huge grin as he turned away from his locker towards David.

“You won't believe it! You know that bunch of trees near Emmerson? Well Davis and I went over there tonight because we got word that something was going on there...“

------------------------------------

The singing of the birds in the treetops above was what brought him out of unconsciousness. Still dizzy he tried to figure out where he was. It seemed he was on his back on what felt like rather rough ground. He could feel twigs and leaves poking him all over.

The second thing he noticed was that he was stark naked. Either that or someone had stuffed all this rubble into his clothes. Deciding to open his eyes he was almost blinded by a stray ray of early morning light that broke through the thick shrubbery between the trees around him.

He felt very odd. Something about those sensations clamoring for the attention of his still dazed brain didn't add up. Struggling to get up from his sleeping spot he suddenly became aware of a very strange weight shifting on his chest. Also something soft and almost silky spilled from his head down over his upper body. Getting a really bad feeling he braced himself on his left hand in a semi upright position. He then cautiously felt for the offending weights that were flopping around on his torso.

<Hehe... no way. This almost feels like...>

The remaining dizziness fell off him as if someone had just doused him with ice water. He very slowly lowered his head to see.

In front of his eyes a slim, delicate and very feminine hand with nicely manicured nails cupped one of two distinctive, fleshy and very visible mounds. In any other situation he might have enjoyed the view, but, like everything, this was a matter of perspective. Also his neural pathways were insisting that all body parts starring in this special scene were somehow connected to him. Adding to that the odd feeling of something rather important missing somewhere down there he became really uneasy.

In a last, desperate attempt to clear things up he issued a command to that limb, which couldn't possibly be his own, to give the rather prominent mound a squeeze.

The incoming sensations were foreign and confusing at best. Also they destroyed any lingering hopes that he might just have a bad dream. He lost his balance as his left hand slipped on the dead leaves covering the ground and he dropped back down. Only the copious amounts of blond hair spilling from his scalp saved him from injury when his head hit the ground.

Staring up into the early morning sky through the canopy of autumn colored leaves he decided on the most rational course of action that came to his mind at this point.

A blood curdling and quite high pitched scream erupted from his mouth. Startled, the birds in the trees around him decided to interrupt their morning concert and took flight immediately. The few people already up and about this early momentarily looked up wondering what that ruckus was about, but soon went back to mind their own business. After all, this was Whateley. Strange was normal here.

-----------------------------------

David was on sensor duty this morning, not exactly one of his preferred jobs. Somewhat bored he reclined in his chair and watched the various screens displaying views from all over the campus. The first early risers were trickling into Crystal hall for breakfast, among them a girl with really odd blue hair. If he was not mistaken she was the one that had been right in the center of some of the more weird events lately. Someone had an office pool running on when the next incident involving her would happen, though he very much doubted the Chief would be pleased if he learned about that one. Otherwise the campus was pretty much deserted.

Suddenly some movement on one of the screens showing the vicinity of Emmerson caught his attention. When he looked closer at the video feed though he saw nothing that could have drawn his attention. The picture showed a bunch of trees, some half naked girl struggling with the shrubbery between them. The leaves were already throughly changed to the autumn colors New England was so famous for. No, nothing there. Maybe it had been a squirrel.

He shrugged and thought about the story Richardson had told him earlier. He was sure the man was trying to pull his leg. 'Vision of feminine beauty', sure... he had almost laughed out loud at the clumsy attempt. But he was the rookie so he had to expect such things and put up with them. Something was tugging at the back of his mind but he could not quite pin it down. He sighed and began anew to scan the screens for anything unusual.

-----------------------------------

He had finally calmed down somewhat and decided to go looking for help. It appeared that no one in this nuthouse of a school deemed it necessary to check who was screaming like a banshee in the middle of the campus this early in the morning. He was trying hard to be pragmatic about what had obviously happened to him and mustered up all the determination he could to approach the issue with coolness and logic.

But damn this was hard. From all he could see he was a girl now for God's sake!

Naturally there were some issues regarding his state of dress. Especially since every movement he made reminded him that his new form had a few more spots to cover up than he was used to. He had collected a few branches that still held onto most of their leaves, and had draped them over the more interesting parts of his new anatomy. He strongly suspected that this 'wild forest girl' look did not hide a whole lot, but currently every little bit of cover helped him in the ongoing battle to keep his wits together and cope with the situation.

What helped distract him somewhat was the fact that he felt a monstrous headache coming up. This didn't do much for his overall mood though.

Looking around the mostly deserted campus he tried to come up with an idea how to get this mess sorted out. It was obviously still early in the day so not many people would be around. He more or less welcomed this fact since he did not really care for his situation to become the talk of the whole school. At least that was how he rationalized it. Some small part of him also seemed to be very reluctant to parade this new, seemingly attractive and pretty much naked body in front of a throng of hormone crazed, super powered teenagers.

He came to the conclusion that he would lay low for the moment and try to get around unnoticed as much as possible. Falling into a jog towards some bushes nearby he almost immediately stopped dead. Trying to hold onto his protective cover and supporting two elements of his new physiology at the same time proved to be impractical. So he abandoned the upper part of his 'costume' and started walking at a somewhat slower pace using one arm to simultaneously cover and 'steady' himself.

Satisfied, that he now was not in danger of knocking himself unconscious any longer he increased his pace again.

Carefully navigating around the patches of poison ivy that were strategically planted all over the campus Alexander 'Lex' Jenkins slowly made his way towards Kane hall.

-----------------------------------

Richard woke up aching all over like he had just run a marathon. Grunting he blindly fished for the alarm clock on the bedside table and tried to focus his eyes on the digital display. The glowing red numbers claimed that it was just past 8am but he did not feel rested in the least.

The thought of last nights activities was enough to wake him fully. He had botched the spell, had he?

No. Now he remembered. One of those buffoons from security had disrupted the spell in its critical phase. He had not been able to regain control of the matrix in spite of his awesome skill. He had been able to avoid the ill effects of the failure though. The interloper had been less lucky but Richard had managed, despite the garbled chaos his spell matrix had degenerated into, to add another enchantment on top of it. This would make sure that this special 'person' would not trouble him anymore. From what he had seen in the twilight that 'man' had gotten off lighter than he deserved.

Richard got up from the bed still being a little jittery from channeling enough magical power to level a good sized building. He was delighted to see that his obnoxious roommate was not present. The bloke was an early riser and would already waste his time running around the campus like some madman. Why an exemplar would feel the need to exercise, especially this early in the morning, was beyond him. But all the better.

Savoring the quiet Richard began unpacking his duffel bag. He had simply left it standing leaned to his desk when he had returned to the room last night. In his own defense he had to say that he had been incredibly tired and had just fallen into his bed.

When he had left his ritual place he had been in a hurry so his tools were in great disarray, basically just stuffed into the bag. At least he had been considerate enough to wrap the Chimera up again before putting it topmost into the duffel.

He carefully unwrapped it and put it back on the shelf, the midnight black glazed terracotta figurine almost seeming to writhe in his hands. This kind of reaction was normal. The magical strands newly linked to the Chimera needed to 'settle down' somewhat to anchor themselves in reality. His special spell, which he had added before leaving the copse, had probably settled well before dawn. The huge, random release of magical energy that had come before that was obviously taking a lot longer for the Chimera to digest.

While he stashed away the other items from the bag he analyzed his situation.

The events of the last night had surely put a damper on his plans regarding his beloved. The constellation of stars had been just perfect for this purpose. He doubted that he would see a similar one again in his lifetime. But that did not matter. Sure, the stars were helpful but the real power lay within himself.

The actual problem was that he had used up some precious materials and it would take time and effort to replenish his stock. So another try in the near future was currently not an option. At least the only witness of last nights events was taken care of, so he had all the time he needed.

Suppressing a violent yawn he put away the last of his equipment. He had not eaten in over twelve hours but quickly decided he needed sleep more than food right now. It was fortunate that he had no classes on Saturdays. Lying back on the bed again a smile played around Richards lips. This was but a minor setback, nothing would keep him from reaching his ultimate goal, the undying love and devotion of Nikki Riley.

---------------

Hiding between some trashcans behind Kane hall Lex considered what he would do now. He had given up on his first plan to just walk into the security headquarters and let the authorities handle this. Foremost, by doing this he would hand control of his life to someone else, something that he had sworn himself would never happen again.

Not wanting to be the butt of his colleagues' jokes for the next hundred years or so played a big part as well.

Finally he was not entirely sure if he could sufficiently prove his story. If he tried to remember anything that had happened in the last twelve hours he came up with nothing. His transformation was a complete mystery to him. He did not know any real school secrets besides the obvious stuff, having been just a grunt on one of the security teams for about two years, so using this to prove his identity would hardly work.

Calling Mom and Dad was out of the question and the only person around here that he knew well enough to convince was...

<David! Yes, that's it!>

Lex smiled broadly. David and him had been close friends since their childhood, their fathers having been partners in the Boston PD. There was just about nothing they did not know about each other. Lex had even convinced Dave to take the job at Whateley. If he could make anyone believe what had happened to him it would be Dave.

His friend was on 'A' shift this weekend so he would not be able to reach him until this afternoon. This left Lex some time to prepare. Looking at himself again he decided that he would have to do something about his state of dress or rather undress. It bordered on a miracle that he had gone undetected so far, considering what he probably looked like. So scavenging for clothing was his first priority for now.

Maybe he would be able to turn something up in one of the locker rooms at the dojo. This early on a weekend it should be more or less empty.

<Well, no time like the present.>

Lex stood up from his hiding place abruptly, startling a raccoon that had been foraging in the trash next to him. The animal, at first, had been seemingly unfazed by the naked woman intruding on his private dining spot but now it decided to leave in a hurry. In taking off it toppled the trashcan which started rolling noisily along the wall, spilling its contents on the way, only to be stopped by a large gray and red metal bin.

When Lex noticed the writing on the bin he smiled.

He went closer to what he considered the first stroke of good fortune in a while. It was rather big, not the usual kind he had seen standing around elsewhere. On the upper front there was some kind of hatch that allowed for used clothing to be dropped in, but sadly it made the bin's content inaccessible as well. In the side was a small door, about three foot square, secured with a sturdy padlock. All in all the whole thing seemed to be rather robust. Thinking about how he might crack this particular treasure chest open Lex backed off a little to get a better view. This was when he stepped on something hard with his bare left foot.

Wincing he looked down to see what the offending object was. As it seemed he had stepped on a slightly rusty screwdriver that had fallen from the toppled trashcan. Its wooden grip was splintered somewhat, but other than that it was in prime working condition.

<Convenient... almost too convenient.>

He shot a glare at the cloudless morning sky.

“If this is you trying to make amends... try harder“ he grumbled in a very nice sounding voice, that had a silky smooth quality to it. Involuntarily he groaned.

He shrugged and started to attack the padlock's fastening screws with his newfound tool. Within a few minutes he had the lock off and was pulling plastic bags and a few loose items of clothing through the opening. Rooting through his findings was disappointing. It was a lot odds and ends. Someone had even put a red and blue spandex bodysuit in there, complete with an attached cape. The problem was that most of the stuff was simply too small for his new body. Not at all surprising if one considered the average age of the students and the fact that most of the clothing in the bin were things that those kids had grown out of.

“Probably shouldn't have been sassy with the forces above,“ he mumbled to himself.

He managed to find a dark gray wool skirt that came down to about mid calf on him and a rather tight fitting light blue polo-neck sweater that was kind of fuzzy looking. Despite his 'jiggle problem' and the rather drafty feeling down below he was almost glad there was no underwear that fit even remotely. Reluctance to wear second hand undies, even if they were properly laundered, was one reason for that. Also the thought of putting on such very feminine clothing didn't really appeal to Lex. He was well aware that this notion was stupid, but it somehow would have felt like giving in to the change. The skirt really was way too much already.

Shoes were less of a problem. One of the bags held various kinds of footwear. One pair of worn out, white leather sandals even fit pretty well. Further searching turned up a pair of brown socks that were only a little small for his feet.

Finally fully dressed, at least from what other people would see, Lex roughly stuffed the rest of the clothing bags back into the bin. He closed the door again, not bothering to replace the lock. Standing up, the first thing he noticed about his new outfit was the skirt. Never having worn one in his life the sensation was quite disturbing. In some places it clung like a second skin, in others he felt more or less naked. Looking down at himself he noticed that despite the rather thick sweater it was obvious that he wore no bra. Also the state and coloring of his clothes probably left him somewhere between the labels 'fashion victim' and 'bag lady'.

Another thing was that the clothes, especially the sweater, irritated his skin in some very special spots. He wondered if this was due to a more sensitive skin or because of unwanted passengers they had picked up in the bin.

All in all he felt better with some clothes on and wondered if he was ready to face people. This thought made him realize that he had not even seen his face yet. He knew from touching it that it was definitely not his old face but no more than that. Getting an idea he walked around the corner towards the side entrance of Kane hall. His scavenger hunt had taken most of the morning, and judging from the sun it was almost noon. He'd been really lucky that no one had seen him back there.

Arriving at the side door he found what he had been looking for. The door was mostly made from reinforced security glass, and the hall behind it was rather dark, as usual. He had no chance to bask in his own cleverness though when he beheld the figure in the reflecting glass.

The young woman seemed to be around 20 years old and was dressed in an outfit that could have been called frumpy, if not for the fact that it showed off her assets quite clearly due to it's tightness.

Her breasts were not exceptionally large. Lex had no experience guessing sizes, but they seemed more or less in proportion for her frame. Her body wasn't what you would call curvy, more on the athletic side, but still displaying soft lines instead of edges. From what he could see she had long shapely legs that went on and on all the way to the ground, as one of his high school friends used to phrase it. She seemed to be close to his former size, a few inches shy of six foot. Her face had an European look about it. Slightly angular but still absolutely feminine. She had an air of aristocratic authority but didn't appear haughty. Just about the only thing that he recognized from his old self were the eyes. Sure, they seemed larger, but they still had that very deep blue that he was used to.

The most noticeable thing about her was the hair. It was a very pale, almost platinum blond, straight as a rail and it was long. It was not shoulder length or even back length, it was of an almost unnatural 'be-careful-not-to-sit-on-it' variety. Also it was pretty messed up but less than he would have expected.

Lex was still lost in the image reflected in the glass when suddenly the door opened and Grimes and Wilkinson of squad four left the building, almost bumping into him. They were talking animatedly and simply ignored him, even when they had to dodge past.

To say Lex was surprised was an understatement. They almost had run into him and hadn't even bothered to look up to check who the oddly dressed, disheveled stranger might be that loitered near the side entrance to the security headquarters. Especially since he just had seen what he looked like. He had a really bad feeling about this. Had it really been sheer luck that had kept him from being discovered while he had been rooting through the contents of the Salvation Army bin?

Deciding on a little experiment, he went out on the path in front of Kane hall and approached the first student he saw passing by. It was a cute Hispanic girl with a red streak in her dark hair.

“Excuse me?“

The girl just walked past him without even looking.

Deciding on a more direct approach he caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder stopping her.

“Hey, could I talk to you for a second?“ The girl turned towards him with a confused expression, her eyes seemingly unable to focus properly on Lex.

“Ah sorry, what did you say?“ she asked, still unable to look straight at him.

Lex let go of her shoulder and started to repeat his question.

“I just wanted to...“ But the girl didn't seem to hear. She just shook her head as if to clear it, turned around without another word and started walking on in the same direction as before. Lex looked after her, an unbelieving expression on his face.

------------------------------

Lex sat on one of the cast iron benches near Kane hall, a dejected expression on his pretty face. His headache was still building up, which meant, judging from his experience, it would be a decidedly nasty one. Also several tests during the past afternoon had done nothing to improve his hopes for a quick solution to his other problems.

Everyone he had tried to talk to had just ignored him unless he had basically assaulted the person. If he made physical contact in one form or another they seemed to perceive him on some level but were clearly confused and uncomfortable. One of the kids had even zapped him with some sort of static discharge to get away. Also they all seemed to forget about him as soon as they had escaped just continuing with their previous business like nothing had happened.

He had even tried writing a letter detailing his situation. But the receptionist at the the entrance to security HQ whom he had slipped it had just looked at it with a puzzled expression, scrunched it up and thrown it into the trash.

It seemed as if the whole world had gone mad suddenly. Or maybe it wasn't the world? Maybe he had gone over the edge. Maybe he was really sitting in a cozy padded cell wrapped up in a straitjacket zonked out on a nice cocktail of various psychotropics.

Well, he was determined to make another attempt. 'A' shift was over and Dave should come out soon. He was sitting on one of the benches that had a good view of Kane Hall, and anxiously waited for his friend to appear. His patience was rewarded when the side door he had been watching opened. Out stepped a man in his late twenties with chestnut brown hair. He was wearing a black motor-cycling outfit that showed off his lean build. He started towards the staff parking lot where, as Lex knew, his bike was waiting for him.

Jumping up from his observation spot Lex quickly caught up to his lifelong friend hope gleaming in his eyes.

“David! Wait up!“ No reaction.

With a sigh Lex closed the remaining distance and grabbed his friends shoulder. When he turned him around rather forcefully Lex got a sinking feeling in his stomach. Davids face showed the same unfocused expression that Lex had come to know and dread during the last few hours. But he did not intend to give in easy this time. Grabbing both sides of Davids head he tried his best to force eye contact between them. He tried hard to speak slow emphasizing every word.

“David Miles O'Brian! Focus! It's me, Lex! Try to focus man!“ The still very confused man struggled against his grip, but not very hard.

“Lex?...“he mumbled in a very dazed voice.

“Yes! Lex. Alexander Jenkins. Your friend!“ Lex could barely restrain his glee. He was getting through to him! No one so far had taken up anything he had told them. That Dave repeated his name was a good sign he was sure of it.

“Lex isn't here, he's off duty this weekend...“

“I am Lex! I know its hard to believe but that's the truth. I was changed!“ Lex took a step back, sure that he had finally broken through this curse. David just stood there and looked at him with a confused, somewhat dazed expression, then he turned around and started walking towards the parking lot again not even looking back once.

Lex was crushed. Dave had been his big hope, his only hope of support in this madness. Then he did something that he hadn't done since he was ten years old. He sat down on the ground where he had been standing and started to cry.

-------------------------------

David walked down the path towards the parking lot, glad that his shift was over for the day. Sensor duty had been dull but it had its advantages too. Like not being in danger of getting knocked unconscious by a banana that was being abused as a projectile in a super powered food fight. Just to pick a purely hypothetical example. He absentmindedly rubbed his right temple.

<I really should call Lex when I get home.> Now where had that thought come from? Something had derailed his train of thought pretty good it seemed.

He arrived at his bike, and as usual all worries fell off him. Dave loved this machine. It had been expensive, alright, but its classic design made it worth every cent. Putting on the helmet, he mounted the Yamaha Sentinel. Almost giddy with anticipation of the ride down into Dunwich he checked if everything was in working order. He did not mind the commute at all. Winter was coming though, and in New Hampshire that meant no bike for several months. He winced at the thought.

Lex always claimed that this motorcycle craze, which David had been cultivating over the years, had to be treated by professionals. He chuckled softly when he remembered a particular alcohol induced argument along those lines which they had had a few years ago . He was puzzled for a moment. Why did his thoughts keep on drifting back to Lex? His mom was, and always had been a firm believer in premonitions and some of this had rubbed off on him. He decided to give his friend a call when he got home just to be sure everything was alright.

He started up the heavy machine and steered it towards the front gate never noticing the oddly dressed, crying woman on the path behind him.

-------------------------------

October 8^th , Sunday

Richard woke up early having slept through most of Saturday finally feeling somewhat refreshed again. It was just past 7 am, and Simmons was still asleep on the other side of the room for a change.

He considered waking the obnoxious bloke for a moment, but decided he preferred the quiet to a chance to antagonize his roommate.

Having the showers to himself due to the early hour was a boon especially since there was no shortage of warm water that way. One would expect that a high profile school like Whateley would be able to afford a decent boiler but no such luck.

After he had finished dressing, his stomach took the chance to remind him that his last meal had been more than 24 hours ago. So he decided on an early breakfast in Crystal hall.

The morning air was crisp and had more than a little autumn chill in it. Glad for his padded jacket Richard hurried towards the great glass dome at the central court of the campus. When he came close he noticed a familiar figure huddled up on one of the benches near the Whateley statue.

The girl seemed to be fast asleep, and from what he could see she had probably cried a lot before she had entered that state. Oddly enough she was clutching her head in her sleep with both hands.

It seemed that his spell had done its job despite the disruption, but sadly on the wrong target. The fact that she had obviously been here the whole night without being picked up by security proved that his second spell had taken hold too.

A sense of pride overcame the young man when he observed his work. He was surprised to see her wearing clothes, wondering where she had gotten them from, but all the better. Especially the skirt would speed things up. After having seen her in daylight he was sure that his spell had come through as intended. A few days of adjustment, and this precious jewel before him would be a man-crazed little minx. He doubted that she would even remember much of her old life.

While he looked down on her she started stirring and moaned softly. Richard quickly decided to go on towards Crystal hall intending to avoid any direct contact. Maybe it would be better to put some additional safety measures in place. Security would be missing her old self in a few days. He decided to make a call... after breakfast.

-------------------------------

October 9^th , Monday

David was worried. He had tried to call Lex several times during the weekend but had gotten no response. It seemed he had not been in his apartment either. At least as far as Dave had been able to discern using the spare key Lex had given him.

His last hope had been that his friend would show up for work on Monday, since they were both on 'A' shift for the coming week, but so far he had not appeared. He was just starting to mentally go through some horrible scenarios of what could have befallen his friend while he walked towards Sensor station, when Lt. Forsyth poked his head out of his office.

“O'Brian, come in a moment.“

David, wondering what this might be about, followed his superior officer into the small, glass walled room. The Lieutenant sat down behind his desk and motioned him to take the chair in front of it. Dave was new enough on the job to still be nervous when dealing with his superiors, so he sat and waited for the Lieutenant to begin.

“I understand that you know Alexander Jenkins pretty well?“ Dave was puzzled. How could they already know that he was missing. It was still early enough that he could just be late.

“Yes Sir. We have grown up together. Actually I think he recommended me for my job here.“

“Hmm, good. Could you then perhaps explain this? It came in with todays mail.“ Lt. Forsyth asked, while shoving a single sheaf of paper over his desk towards Dave.

Picking it up David started reading the rather short letter.

Notice of resignation

Dear Lt. Forsyth

I hereby want to inform you that I will be resigning my position with Whateley Security as of today October 6^th, 2006. I apologize for this rather sudden act, but I recently had a spiritual revelation that I need to follow up on. I will be emigrating to Tibet shortly.

I want to thank you for the opportunity to work with you and your staff.

Sincerely

Alexander Jenkins

David was baffled.

“Tibet!?“

“So I take it that this is a surprise to you too?“

“Absolutely Sir!“

“When have you seen Mr. Jenkins for the last time?“ Lt. Forsyth leaned on his desk, hands folded in front of his face, while he studied Davids reaction.

“Saturday... err no Friday afternoon when my shift ended. He didn't mention anything. I mean, he would have told me about something like that.“

“So you don't think this letter is genuine?“ the Lieutenant asked with raised eyebrows.

Studying the letter again David could find nothing really wrong with it except its content.

“Well Sir, it sure looks like his handwriting. I'm no expert though. He is rater impulsive at times but this seems somewhat extreme.“

Taking back the letter from David, Lt. Forsyth looked at it for a moment then put it away into the folder on his desk, shaking his head slightly.

“Is there something else Sir?“

“Ah no, thank you,“ the Lieutenant replied appearing to be almost surprised that Dave was still there.

As he left the office David could not shake the impression that something was fishy about the whole thing. He was certain his friend would have told him about something like that.

-------------------------------

October 11^th , Wednesday

Lex woke when a rather bold squirrel decided to check if there was any food to be had somewhere in the pale golden mop of hair that now graced his head. It took off as soon as he started to move. He followed the dark brown rodent with his eyes until it disappeared in the underbrush.

“No nuts around here little pal... none at all.” he mumbled, a rueful smirk on his face.

He looked around trying to find out where he was. It looked like some generic underbrush, but he could just make out the statue of Noah Whateley through the branches, not too far away. He remembered spending what seemed like an eternity bunched up here trying to rip his own head off just to end the pain.

Judging from the sun it was early afternoon, which day he could not tell.

The last time he had had a headache near as bad was just after they had dug him out from under the warehouse back in Boston. It had seemed fitting back then considering he had been nearly crushed by a four story building. He had been out for almost a whole day then, incapable of thinking straight, sleeping or doing anything but wishing to die. All this despite the fact that they probably had pumped more than enough painkillers into his system to drop a herd of elephants. After that he had been fine and the Doctors could find nothing wrong with him besides a mild concussion on his head.

Now his brain was still throbbing, but that was mostly bearable. Especially compared to what he had had to endure during the last hours or years or however long it had been. Struggling with his hiding place he slowly got up, twigs snatching at his already battered clothing. He tried to straighten the rumpled skirt when he remembered that it was well and truly pointless. No one would be able to see him anyway.

Sighing Lex randomly picked a direction, wondering when Fate, or whatever had decided to screw up his life, would jump out from its hiding place to club him with the mace of misery again.

Mumbling to himself about the injustice of it all he strolled aimlessly along one of the walkways making sure to ignore everyone he walked past just to pay them back for ignoring him. He was getting more and more miserable by the minute. He felt dirty, well, he probably was... very. Also this damned girl body insisted on feeling so different that he was reminded of his situation with every breath he took. Feeling incredibly lonely while having to constantly dodge people to avoid being run over didn't help much either. Last but not least while the worst pain was over, his throbbing head was still making him very uncomfortable and edgy.

He was just seriously considering to try and knock himself out by headbutting one of the archaic gas lamps when his eyes fell on the entrance of the on-campus store.

Lex entered the shop, glad that at least the automatic door reacted to his approach. The shop seemed empty at the moment except for the middle aged, pudgy woman behind the counter. Looking around he noticed the broad spectrum of wares one would expect from a place like this. From more or less standard school supplies and books to housewares, from candy to toiletries there was a bit of everything. Then there were the more exotic wares catering towards the unique needs of Whateley students. The assortment stretched from shelves stuffed with occult knick-knacks to stands displaying baseline surveillance gear and other electronics. Some of this stuff was so weird that Lex didn't even try to identify it. One rack even held blunted melee training weapons. This place was stocked with the idea in mind to keep trips to town unnecessary for the students reducing the schools exposure to the public.

Currently this was just convenient for Lex since getting to Dunwich was out of the question unless he fancied a long walk, which he didn't.

Going through a rack with non-prescription drugs he quickly turned up a small package of Aspirin and opened it right away, swallowing two of the pills immediately. When he came across the feminine hygiene products he paled visibly and shuddered hurrying on.

Weaving his way between the racks towards the exit something caught his eye. Set back into a discreet corner stood a shelf filled with a small selection of underwear. Female underwear. Lex paused. He was not really uncomfortable as things were arranged currently. Maybe it got a little drafty now and then but he could handle that. It still felt pretty indecent though, and he somehow doubted that it was a good idea not to pack the valuables away so to speak. Especially since he currently slept out in the open. He couldn't help but wonder what else besides the squirrels climbed all over him while he slept. Shuddering slightly at the thought he pushed down his male pride and headed towards the rack.

Sorting through the various garments he picked one pair of plain panties that seemed to be roughly his size unpacked it and stepped in, constantly looking around for any possible watchers. Only after laboriously maneuvering them into their proper position while trying to keep the skirt down he mentally slapped himself.

<Invisible! Remember? Duh, I need to do something soon, this girl stuff gets to my head obviously.>

Deciding that now that the damage was done he might as well go all the way Lex grabbed a sports bra from the shelf and proceeded to put it on. This time deliberately without any attempts at modesty. But despite logical reasoning it still made him feel like some perverted exhibitionist.

After everything was in place again he did a few cautious hops on the spot and was pleasantly surprised. First of all he seemed to either have a really good eye for sizes or he had just had two lucky draws, since his two new acquisitions fit perfectly. Secondly he felt... contained. While there was still some noticeable movement on his chest it was a lot better than before and when walking normally he hardly felt it. This lifted his spirits somewhat and he caught himself giggling in a very girlish way causing him to sober up pretty fast.

Groaning with one hand on his face he walked up to the counter. He knew what the outcome would be, but he reasoned that it would not feel quite like shoplifting if he at least tried to pay. Not that he had any money but it was the thought that counted.

The clerk obviously was enthralled by some soppy romance novel. One of her favorites guessing from the well worn cover. It depicted a rather 'Gone with the Wind'ish scene between some barechested hunk and a buxom girl almost falling out of her dress. The name tag on the clerks blouse said Bernice.

When she blindly groped for a box of tissues sitting on the counter next to her Lex got an idea. Just before her hand found it he pulled the box out of her reach again. After a moment she looked up from the book located the box and was about to grab one of the tissues from it when Lex moved it once more.

Getting irritated Bernice put the book down, carefully marking the page by adding another dog-ear to the book's collection. She stood from her rickety folding chair which took the opportunity to let out a miserable creak. Bracing both hands on the counter she leaned over it and looked around the store with an angry expression almost headbutting Lex in the process. Firmly grabbing the offending box with both hands she sat down again, the chair groaning in protest.

“Darn kids! Give a teenager some weird powers and all he can think about is harassing everyone,“ she mumbled under her breath while plucking out one of the tissues.

Putting the box down on the floor next to her chair the clerk set herself on the task of cleaning her nostrils throughly. All the while Lex had been standing there dumbstruck only snapping out of his stupor in time to dodge out of the clerks way. On the wall behind the counter hung a calendar. The transparent plastic bracket that was used for marking the current date was set on the 11^th of October. He had been out for more than three days.

-------------------------------

This was getting weird. David had called a few people he knew from his time with the PD trying to shed some light on Lex' disappearance. Apparently, at least if one could believe the records in the database of Boston Airport, one Alexander Jenkins had boarded a flight to Shanghai last Friday night.

Seeing this, Dave had almost been convinced that his lifelong friend really had had another bout of tremendously bad judgment mixed with wanderlust. There was just the nagging feeling of Lex being in trouble that kept him from calming down and waiting for word from Central Asia.

All his doubts had been blown away though when he had checked on Lex' apartment again this morning. Only intending to water the few plants that had been sturdy enough to survive under his friends care he had been surprised at what he found. On the kitchen table lay several printouts from an online travel agency about travels to Tibet. He also discovered a receipt dated back to the 5^th for booked flights from Boston to Shanghai and a connecting flight to Lhasa. This might have deepened his belief that everything was in order, if he hadn't been absolutely sure that those documents hadn't been there on Saturday evening when he had looked for Lex the first time.

By now David was in full cop mode. He had checked the door and windows, but had found no sign of forced entry. Lex' passport was nowhere to be found but Dave had no idea where he usually kept it. Whoever had done this had worked like a professional. There was even a visa for Tibet on the name Alexander Jenkins as one of his contacts had confirmed. Also Lex' suitcase that he usually kept on top of the bedroom wardrobe was now missing right along with about half of his clothes.

He had spoken to the caretaker of Lex' apartment complex, the only other person having a key to the apartment but he didn't think the man was involved. The elderly gentleman had been insulted when David had asked him if he had given out the key to anyone.

All in all this whole thing had the feel of professional work, but suspecting mutant involvement was not too far fetched either considering where they both worked. Some of those kids really had their act together already despite being not old enough to vote.

There was the possibility of some old enemy from Lex' time at the PD to be the one responsible but it seemed unlikely. Usually Joe Crook did not hold a grudge that long, and then would not do something that elaborate. On the other hand the owners of some of the bigger toes they had trodden on back then also would have reacted earlier if they just wanted to set an example. Also there just weren't any bigwigs in their collection of enemies that would have enough of a reason to do something crass like abduction.

So his money was on a mutant for now, possibly a student with a grudge. The problem was, that despite all his storytelling Lex had taken the non-disclosure paragraph in his contract seriously. Dave knew no details about anyone at the Academy who might resent his friend but he knew there were some very vicious creeps among the students. He shuddered when he remembered that they had had to pry that psycho Bloodwolf off a tree meaning there was someone still meaner and more powerful around.

For what must have been the sixth time today he considered calling Lex' parents but again decided it would be pointless. They would know nothing and all he could do was scare them. The police wouldn't take him seriously either since he had no proof. They would just open a file, see there was no obvious base to his abduction claim, and bury it among the copious amounts of paperwork they had anyway. He had done it no different back in Boston. So it was up to himself. He would ask around security and keep an eye open for students who fit the meager profile he had just compiled.

-------------------------------

October 12^th , Thursday

To say that Lex was depressed was like claiming the Atlantic ocean held some water. He had spent some time yesterday in a mad hunt for calendars on the campus. But every single one of them had shown the same. Well except that one in the unused office in admin that was showing August 34^th 2057. He had been more or less unconscious for the last three and a half days. Adding all the moping before that he had probably blown his chance of shedding some light on what had happened to him. The trail would be cold by now.

Almost a week had gone by and he had accomplished nothing. But being realistic, what could he have done? This whole situation was hopeless. He was an invisible ghost haunting the place where he used to live. Never having been a very chummy person he had been surprised how much he missed interaction with other people.

So far he had refrained from entering any of the cottages. Since he already felt like some perverted peeping Tom when he just watched the students out on the campus he didn't think entering the cottages would be a good idea. Also, since his ID bead was missing he had no access to most other parts of the school.

He had slept on one of the benches near ol' Noah again last night despite the fact that it was getting really chilly after sundown. Maybe he subconsciously hoped he would freeze to death in his sleep thus ending this nightmare. But it seemed his subconscious was out of luck. He managed to wake the next morning without any trouble. Actually the morning air had been pretty warm, but his dreams had done everything to deepen his already dreary mood. He had decided then that being among other people might do him some good, so he had made his way towards Crystal Hall.

Lex had spent most of the morning at a small table at the outer edge of the dome, just watching the activities around him. It almost made him feel human again. When lunchtime came the dome started to fill up with students. He watched with some amusement the amounts of food some of those kids shoveled down. It was funny to see some 15 year old girl clean a plate holding enough food for three grown men and going for seconds.

Suddenly it hit him like a ton of bricks.

Food! He had not eaten for almost a whole week. Even worse he could not remember drinking anything either. He just hadn't felt the need.

<Crap... I'm dead. I just didn't notice till now. I'm my own ghost haunting the school.> He slumped in his seat, resting his head on the table before him, trying hard not to weep.

since 12/11/05