THE CHANGE

"Say that again...?" Dad's fork still hovering.

I stopped slouching and sat up. I'd expected this."I want to be a Vampire," my voice was surprisingly loud. Then again, I'd just had spicy food. It always did wonders to my vocal chords.

Dad threw Mum his famous 'Really?' expression.

"Don't look at me," she shrugged. Trust my mum to throw me under the bus. And to think we'd talked about it only minutes ago.

"I think it's a cool idea," David said in his sing-song manner.

"Eat your food, Davy!" Dad ordered. My eight year old brother's face returned to his plate.


But not before giving me a quick thumbs up.

"Do you even know what you're asking?" Samantha said.

"I wasn't asking, I was 'informing' my family."

Dad returned to his plate, "There'll be no talk of vampiring,  mermaiding or werewolfing---."

"Mum...?" Samantha looked like she were about to cry. To tell you the truth, I was a little more than half-excited at her disappointment.

Mum leaned in and pressed a hand on her shoulder. "One thing at a time dear..."

Samantha's tone was hushed and urgent, "But you said---."

It was Dad's turn to drop his fork. "You too...?"

Samantha shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Weee!" David yelped, "you're going to be a vampire too?"

"That's gross!" Samantha said. "Vampires are so 3013. Mermaids are the new dragons."

"Did you know about this?"Dad's eyes were stern. Mum didn't stand a chance. She took a large gulp from her glass of wine and looked away.

"This is crazy," Dad rubbed the side of his head.

Uneasy lies the head...

"no one in this house is having a Change and that's that."

I tentatively rubbed the side of my plate. "So we're not even discussing it?"

"Wee! A mermaid sister and a vampire brother!"

It was mum's turn to be stern. "Eat your food, Davie. No one's Changing."

"Like hell!" Samantha said.

"What was that?" Dad's eyes were on her.

"Nothing," she swallowed some water.

"That's inappropriate dinner table talk." Dad said.

I kept my voice low, "So is denying a person their constitutional right to Change ."

"Don't talk to your father like that!" Mum pointed a fork at me.

There was silence in the room. Outside I could hear the distant humming of cars in mid-air traffic.

That's when I dropped the bombshell."I registered and I'm taking my first injections tonight."

"What?" Mum, Dad and Samantha at the same time.

Dad was out of chair faster than two slices from a toaster. "You did What?"

It was my turn to stand. Though, my height wasn't as impressive as dad's but hey, there was hope.

"I'm Eighteen years old---."

"---and in no position to make such a decision by yourself. This is a family decision and so long as you live under my roof---."

"Then I'll move!"

Samantha shot up from her chair "Me too!"

"Sit down Sam!" Dad said.

"Will all of you SHUTUP!" Mum's voice was a like a Lazer cannon blast.

More sounds of flying cars passed between us.
"Harold...?"

Dad's face was a cross between a snarl and a growl.

"Harold!"

Her voice finally broke through like the snap of a hypnotist's fingers. He exhaled.

Mum composed herself. "I spent two hours preparing this meat sauce. Could've used the robot, but decided my family deserved something better."

The family robot by the door made a weird sound.

"...no offense Mic 1."Mum said.

Mic 1 bowed its large metalic head.

She turned to me. Say what you will about my dad's eyes, Mum's watch-yourself gaze was legendary. "...there'll be no more talk about Change in this house is that clear?"

"But mum---!"

"Is that clear, Sam?" Mum said.

Sam sank into her chair and wrapped her fat arms around her chest. "...yes...mum."

Then they all turned to me.

"...you...?"

Long silence.

Then my hand buzzed. I opened my palm. Caller Id said, Tina.

"I have to take this," I made to leave.

"You'll sit there and finish your meal," Dad said.

"Like I said," I think there was a smile on my face, "I'm eighteen. I don't have to do anything." I tapped my forefinger and Anna's image appeared on my palm.

"Get back here!" 

But I was already leaving the room. Before I shut the door, I caught bits of the conversation.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Dad said.

"Me?" Mum replied, "you're the one who can't control his temper. Besides, eighteen year-olds are weird---."

"So we just let our children do whatever they want?"

I heard mum sigh. "It's 3017. People are marrying robots and taking werewolf injections."

"...and to think a thousand years ago, people were worried about the inter net...twitter."

"...what's Twitter?" Davy asked.

Then I shut the door. My family didn't matter. Only Anna's image in my hand did.

"Hola!" Anna said.

I loved the sound of her voice.

"So how did it go?" She said. The screen on my palm flickered. "You really need to change your hand microchip. The reception's really poor...can you see me now?"

I moved towards the door. The noise of cars was louder. Sounded like a mid air collision from all the screaming I was hearing. I moved away from there towards the stair case. The screen stopped flickering.

"Better...?" I asked.

"...yeah," she said, "So...how did your folks take it?"

I let out a sigh. "How do you think?"

"That bad huh?"

I just couldn't get enough of her face. It was so enchanting. How did I manage to catch a girl like this? She was so out of my league!

"Anyway," she had a mischievous grin on, "Check this out!." She opened her mouth to show her fangs.

"Whoa!" I said. "Already?...how many shots have you had?"

"Two," her image said with enough delight to fill the sky. "By tomorrow, it's bye-bye sunlight. I'm already feeling stronger and faster. Ooh! I can't wait!"

"But...I hear it's dangerous using unauthorised agents...illegal vampires kill---"
"Semantics, semantics," Anna said, "now you sound like those anti-Change folks."

I sighed. "I'm just worried that's all."

"Well, not all of us have generous allowances to afford 'legal' Change procedures. Anyway, what does it matter? My folks are thrilled."

"If both my parents were a werewolves, I'd be happy too."

"I don't get your folks," she said. "Why are they so old fashioned? Who wants to stay human for life? It's boring."

"Tell my dad that."

"It's not like it's hurting anyone...and I hear sex is amazing!"

I got stirred up inside. Anna could do that to you; with one look or word, she could make you horny in a snap.

She stared at me in the way only she knew how to. I felt shy and turned on at the same time. "So...you still wanna do this?"

"...I ...yeah...."

"Don't be a pussy, babe. We're going through the Change together, so we can lose our virginities as vampires."

My heart was racing. Images of her naked body flooded my mind. I wanted her, she was my soul mate.

"...I...yeah...."

She eyed me for a few seconds. Then brought her voice down. "Can you still make it tonight?"

Don't be a pussy.

"...I'm...going get my first shots tonight."
Her smile couldn't have been wider. "See you in an hour."

My hand stopped glowing.

"What does she even see in you?"

I almost had a heart-attack. "...Jeez Sam---!"

My chubby sister was standing a few feet away. "...you're not even fat---!"

"...not all trends are worth shit." I said when my heart-rate returned to normal.

"Just the ones that get you laid, right?"

I didn't have time for this. "What do you want from me, Sam?... It's my life---?"

"And apparently, your skinny body," I flung her hand from my shoulder.

"What...?" She said. "You think this is the 2000s? No one stays thin anymore. You wanna be a skinny vampire?"

I was heading for the door. "Fuck off,Sam!" I didn't even hear the door slam behind me. I activated the cab-beacon on my thumb. All I could think about was Anna.

I had to see her.

About three minutes later, I was on an air cab, weaving through sky-scrapers. The guy must have been on some new speed drug.

"You mind slowing down?"

He looked over his shoulder just as a large yellow bus flew passed us. I could just make out his scally skin and the gill-flaps just under his chin. An Aqua man!

I had no idea they still had Injections for those.

"Wow," I said, trying not to be rude. I'd read in the old journals, that Aquamen were one of the first people Changed. "...you're an...."
"Yea," he said. "I get that alot. Sorry about the speed. Need to find some salt water--fast."

Being an aqua-man had it's benefits aside from talking to fish and added strength, there was also being able to swim fast--which was a cool way to beat road and air traffic. But it also had a terrible downside; the changor had to drink or at least bathe salt water every six hours. It was either that or die a very slow agonizing death.

"I didn't know they still made injections for aquamen. How long ago did you go through the change?"

The Gprs display lights on the dash board danced across his scally face. "Three years."

"Wow!" The standard duration for Change is two years. Anything longer than that, means you carry that form for life. 

I think I frowned. Who would want to be an Aquaman for life?

"I don't expect you to understand," he said as we weaved past a floating billboard:

"SAY NO TO CHANGE! HUMANS WEREN'T MEANT TO BE MONSTERS!"

"Most people don't." I heard my voice say.

We didn't speak for a time. Night sky was filled with bright lights and sounds. It was as if nature were celebrating my decision. But I felt a tinge(Okay, maybe more than a tinge) of fear. I had sapped my entire savings for the procedure. The vampire Change was the most traumatic...and dangerous. If something went wrong...

...this wasn't the time for that.

"Scared?" He said when our eyes met in the rear view mirror.

"Huh?"

"You're holding a Change folder." He said.

I looked at the folder on my chest.

I didn't mind the chit-chat, but I felt he was prying. Maybe I should've waited for a robot cab instead.

"Vampire, huh?" He said.

I wrapped my arms around it and nodded.
"Brave," he smiled. "Very brave."


We arrived at the centre.

There was a large gathering of people with floating banners outside.

"HELL NO! THE CHANGE MUST GO!"
"HELL NO! THE CHANGE MUST GO!"

I covered my folder, swiped my arm over the E.P.O.S and got out of the Air-cab.

"We were born human," the woman with the Holographic Address System was saying. "You mock your very nature by doing this." I recognized her instantly.

Her name was Peggy. And she hated Pro-changers as much as Vamps hated sunlight.

"...I MEAN, WOULD YOU WOULD YOU WANT TO BECOME SOMETHING ELSE...?"

Bitch was a real piece of work! Who gave her and her minions the right to question me?

"...ABOUT EIGHT HUNDRED YEARS AGO, A TINY COMET CRASHED INTO OUR PLANET BRINGING WITH IT UNKNOWN ENZYMES..."

And trust her to be dramatic. She thrusted a finger the front entrance of the Change centre.


She might as well have been holding an automatic rifle at the damn place.

"...THESE...'SCIENTISTS' SYNTHESIZE IT TO TURN US INTO...MONSTERS. DON'T LET THEM CHANGE HUMANITY...DON'T LET THEM CHANGE OUR FUTURE...!"

Then the rest of the crowd joined in:
"HELL NO! CHANGE MUST GO! HELL NO...!"

And on and on they went. Several robot police officers were already at scene stumping around, lights from floating banners bouncing off their metal bodies.

"...please conduct yourselves accordingly...violence will not be tolerated..."

"HELL NO! CHANGE MUST GO...HELL NO...!"

The robot officers had their hands in the air, trying to calm the crowd.

"...violence will not be tolerated...please return to your homes."

"HELL NO! CHANGE MUST GO...!"

Funny thing was, I could spot some green-eyed people amidst her crowd of supporters.

Hypocrites!

Green-eyes were the bye--product of the Change. Whether you were a vamp, werewolf, dragon, witch or zombie, you were stuck with green-eyes for a year or two--depending on how long you wanted your Change to last.

Fucking hypocrites!

Think I'll skip this part and get on with the rest of the story.

I spotted Anna's chubby figure a few minutes later, squeezed my way through the crowd and met up with the love of my life. As a couple, we'd often received weird looks. I mean think about it; she was a beautiful plus size girl walking around with a skinny thing like me. It was always hard ignoring the hurtful stuff people said:
"Skinny rat...!"

"...gaunt face...!"

Had I been born a thousand years earlier, I would've been called sexy. But this was 3017...skinny meant unattractive.


Anna and I held hands  and entered the room with walls so white, you couldn't see the corners. There were  large portraits of Doctor Buh. The man who first synthesized the enzyme and Changed the world(no pun intended). The man was a god!

We sat down. It was room temperature, but I was sweating like crazy.

What if something went wrong?

She held on to my hand.

I noticed the changes in her right away. Her hair looked longer and her eyes were green diamonds in the snow. I could stare at her all night.

"I'll be right outside, okay?" She said as the two men in white lab coats entered. One of them had a hologram note pad.

"Okay...!" He said in a sing-song manner.


Wondered why he was so chirpy. He had a mustache. I didn't trust mustaches, sunglasses, shoulder-pads and Ponzi schemes.

Reason?

They're just sneaky, what do you want me to say?

"We just need to run through a few things before we begin." Mr Chirpy-Mustache said.
"Are you nervous?"

I nodded.

"Perfectly normal," he smiled. "Had one girl come in once who was so nervous, dude farted through out the interview."

He gave me a curious look. "You're not a farter are you?"

Anna giggled and squeezed my arm. "Not a farter. Sweats alot, though."

I managed a smile.

Chirpy-Mustache returned to his holographic note. "Okay, for the purpose of this session, I'll switch you to the A.I."

He showed me a small chip behind his left ear.

Crap! Dude was part Borg. Which meant half of his consciousness was a series of circuits and processes. Totally slipped my mind. Most professionals were part borg. It made their work easier. Two brains in one. Which meant both couldn't run simultaneously.

He clicked on the chip, and his eyes became as steady as cursor on a computer screen.

"Have you committed a crime before?"

His voice was different--colder.

I shook my head.

"Have you taken part in the commission of a crime?"

"No."

"Have you been involved in the decision to commit a crime?"

I actually gave that some thought. "No."

"Have you been charged with a crime?"

"No."

He continued staring at me. Borgs were excellent lie-detectors. I hated the fact that I was still sweating. But I consoled myself with Anna's presence. She was my rock. Fuck my family! She and I were going to rule the world--for two years at least.

"After your procedure," Chirpy-Borg-with-a-moustache was saying, "you'll experience a fifty-percent increase in strength, speed, sensory perception and your diet will consist solely of synthetic blood."

"I don't even know what that tastes like." I said.

"I hear it's better than sex." Anna said, "...not that I would know..."

"I fail to understand the comparison." Chirpy-Borg-With-Moustache said. "How does the taste of synthetic blood equate to sexual intercourse?"

Dude was creepy. Enough said.

"Are those the only safe-guards?" I said trying to change the subject.

"A microchip will be inserted in the back of your neck to monitor your behaviour. This will be for evaluation every Five years. After which you'll---."

"Did you say five years?" I was sitting up now.

"From your response, I take it you are surprised?"

Anna was squeezing my hand. "We talked about this," she was grinding her teeth, "we agreed on a life time committment."

"I never said...I'd sign up for life!"

She left my arm and stood up. "What are you saying?" Her eye colour went from green to yellow and then green again.

"...What's up with your eyes?"

The borg threw her a curious stare, "How long ago did you have your injections?"

Anna's expression flickered. "Forget about me. We're here for him."

The Borg wasn't convinced. "I am detecting strange brainwave patterns from your cerebral cortex."

She stared at him like she were about to tear him to pieces. "Stay the fuck away from me, tin-can."

The Borg was on his feet. Had he grown taller? I couldn't tell.

"Your injections were administered in an unauthorized centre,"

Anna's eyes were green again. I noticed her nails had elongated within the past three minutes.

What the hell was going on?

The Borg took a step towards her, "...the illegal substances in your body will increase your aggression and stress levels before eventually killing you. You will be a danger to yourself and society."

Retreating from the Borg, her eyes went from yellow to red...and then green again.

"...what's he talking about Ann---?"

"Shut the fuck up!" But the voice that spoke from her mouth was a cross between a growl and a snarl. This couldn't be my Anna.

The Borg's expression was like ice "I am authorized to quarantine or terminate illegal specimens."

Anna barred her fangs and hissed at him.

The sound chilled me. Was he actually going to...?

In an instant, her eyes were red again. She lunged at me. But the Borg was faster. He snatched her from the air and snapped her neck.

I couldn't breath, think or blink. My heart probably stopped beating.

Her heavy body hit the floor with a sound that sent a tremor through my being.

Her lifeless eyes continued to stare at me. They went from red to green...then brown.

Tiny icicles raced across my skin. I couldn't steady myself. I was possesed by a feverish demon.

"My apologies for your loss," the distant voice of the Borg was saying, "but she would've Killed you if I hadn't intervened. Take heart, it was for the greater good. Do you still wish to procede with the procedure?"

This was a dream...it couldn't be real.

"...Madam...?" I felt his cold hand on my shoulder, "... do you require a moment to gather your thoughts?"

I couldn't stop shaking.


"...madam...?"




I AM Opustjk
ENOUGH SAID.