Transmutare

This is a short story I wrote about a year ago and just recently read it over again and realized that it's actually a kind of cool story! I'd like to conclude it someday, but for now this is all I've got and I hope that you enjoy it! I'd love to hear what you guys think!

A sudden lance of pain, screams, then silence.

The moon fell below the mountains, the hint of a sun slowly peaked on the east horizon.

Its warm rays caught skin as it peeked through the windows of a barred up and abandoned house. It was light skin, pale and smooth, not a blemish in sight.

Her eyes flung open, a wave of emotions crashed over her: pain, soreness, fear, but most of all confusion. She looked at her hands, her feet, her hair, sweat ran down the side of her face. This body wasn't hers…this sweat wasn't hers, nothing was hers.

Who am I? She screamed in her head.

Leaping off the mutilated bed, the girl scratched at her skin, searching for a familiar touch, but it all felt so wrong. She touched the walls, the floor, anything trying to feel something that was familiar, that was hers. But she didn't even know who she was; she recklessly searched the abandoned house. It was completely empty besides her and the bed.

She didn't realize until then that giant tears were covering her face. She wiped them away, but only more sobs came. Collapsing onto the rough wood floor, she cried. Everything felt so wrong. Even the pain of slivers from the wood floor felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable on this new skin. This body wasn't hers, the tears that were dripping off of her chin, they didn't belong to her, they belonged to this unfamiliar shell that was called a body.

The sun rose higher, it was almost noon.

With no tears left to cry, the nameless girl rose from the tear-streaked floor. She had to find out who she was. She caught sight of a giant hole in the back door, unlike the rest of the empty house that was inches deep with dust, the dust around the hole looked as if someone had been dragged or crawled in like a worm into the house.

She crawled out of the hole and blinked as she stared into the sunlight. She was in the middle of a lifeless desert. The house was slanted and broken looking, just the way she felt.  In the distance she saw sky scrapers and towering hotels. Someone could help her there. She looked down at herself, she was barefoot and wearing a nightgown. She knew there was nothing she could do to change that, so she started the long trek to the city.

****

A few hours passed, and she caught sight of a lonely road that was the only way to the city. She didn't like the emptiness of the road, and so she walked beside it. The hike was long, and she was hungry. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it and the painful, uncomfortable feeling that came with it.

                

A sleek orange sports car pulled up in front of her.

               

“Hey, crazy girl!” A teenage boy with fiery red her waved. “Do you know where you’re going?”

                

“No.” The girl jumped at the sound of her own voice, it felt like sandpaper against her throat, but it sounded so confident, it most definitely was not her voice.

                

“Do you realize what you’re wearing?” He pointed at her, “and no shoes?”

                

She looked down, what was once a white silk nightgown was now rags. Her white, creamy legs shook with fear and exhaustion.

                

“You need help.” The boy muttered to himself, but she still heard him, and glared. He turned back to her, “Get in; I’ll take you to the hospital.”

                

The girl shook with panic upon hearing the word hospital. Flashes of white lab coats and fake smiles, the feeling of someone slicing into her stomach, she shook her head. “No, no! Please, not there!” She begged.

                

The boy’s face softened. “Okay, okay! I won’t take you there, just let me help you.” He reached across and opened the passenger door. “Get in.”

                

She hesitated. Could she trust him? He watched her stand there idly and smiled at her. She finally slid into the car and awkwardly pulled the door shut.

The girl shook the whole ride to the city. The boy watched her carefully.

                

“Are you cold?”

                

She shook her head.

                

“Do you have a name?”

                

She shook her head again.

                

“Oh. Sorry.” He stared at the road as he accelerated towards the city. The silence bothered him. “I’m Layne. I live out in the country, but I work in the city. Farm work just doesn't cut it for me.”

                

He glanced at her to check and see if she was okay, she frowned when he stopped talking.

                

“Keep talking.” She whispered. “Please.” There was something in her voice, was it fear?

                

Layne’s mind went blank. Talk? About what? “I…umm…I go to school, do you?”

                

“I don’t know, I don’t know who I am.”

                

Layne glanced at her, shocked. “You don’t remember?”

                

She shook her head, “No…well…I don’t know.” She tensed up, “I’m just not who I was before, and I don’t know who I am.” She looked out the window, making sure Layne didn't see her cry, but he caught a crystal tear fall.

                

“It’s okay.” He said. “I’ll help you, somehow.”

                

When they reached the city, the girl couldn't break her eyes away from anything. She had never seen anything that looked so alive and busy before, or at least she couldn't recall. Cars zoomed past, people jostled through people to get to work, to school, the coffee shop. There were people everywhere.

                

“Look familiar at all?” Layne slowed down to let her take it all in.

                

“No…but it’s beautiful. Everything is so energetic and bright and…” She lost the words she was going to say.

                

“Alive?” He guessed.

                

She nodded.

                

“You hungry?”

                

She grabbed her stomach as it growled.

                

He laughed, “That answers my question.”

                

She smiled, Layne was so kind to her, it was the first thing that actually felt correct and comfortable in this unfamiliar body.

                

“Let’s get you some clothes too.” He pointed at the muddy nightgown. “Here, put on my coat.” From the backseat he grabbed a long, black trench coat.

                

Layne parked the car in the library parking lot. Across the street was a small café. He gently led her to its welcoming doors. She ate ravenously. He couldn't help but wonder where this girl came from. He watched her carefully as she ate. Her body was covered in small scratches and bruises. Her thick brown hair looked as if it hadn't had a good soaking in a long time, and her green eyes were dulled and downcast. His imagination got the best of him, and he imagined her living in a padded room, with no windows, no lights, and no one else to comfort her. He shook the thought away. That kind of stuff only existed in the movies.

                

“Can I give you a name?” He finally asked on the way to the mall. He felt weird saying it, and smiled awkwardly, hoping it would ease some of the fear the girl may have.

                

She nodded, slightly smiling.

                

“Hmmm…” He took a long look at her as they walked. “Jane…you look like an Jane.” He smiled, pleased at his artistic name. It had actually been his grandmother’s name and it was the first thing he had thought of, but it fit her perfectly.

                

The name sounded wonderful to her. It felt right, as if she really was Jane. Her smile grew. “I like it.”

                

At the mall, Layne bought her a pair of jeans, a white tee, and black, sturdy boots. “Keep the jacket, it looks nice on you.” He said after she tried to return it.

                

Jane enjoyed Layne's company, in fact she loved it. Nothing that day felt right except for Layne. She didn't want the day to end.

                

“Do you have a place to stay?” Layne asked, then instantly felt silly for asking. He had found her on the side of a road with no memory of who she was, the answer was pretty clear. He mentally slapped himself.

                

She shook her head, she didn't want to go back to the abandoned house.

                

“Then if it’s alright with you, I’ll take you back to my place. My mom has a spare room set up for emergencies.”

                

As soon as they left the city and were driving on the empty road, Jane turned to him. “Tell me about you, your life? What’s it like?”

                

“It’s pretty boring, really.” He said. “I live on a farm, and that’s how it will always be. My life lacks excitement.” He smiled. “Until I met you.”

                

She blushed.

                

In the country, nestled in a small town, Layne’ house was a two story red brick house, with a white picket fence. “Yeah, it’s kind of cliché.” He said when they pulled in. “I sort of can’t wait to get out of this house and get my own apartment in the city.”

                

“I love this house.” Jane breathed. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered a house very similar to this one that felt safe to her. This one felt the same way.

                

Layne’s family welcomed her in with open arms. Layne’s mom was a large and boisterous woman who made the best homemade pies in the planet and had the most infectious laugh. Layne’s dad was a bit more mellow, he didn’t say much but he caught every word said and every motion a person made. At first, Jane felt nervous next to him, but by the end of the night, she felt safe next to him. Layne’s siblings, all older than him tended to be more like their mother. They were loud, and loved to tease Layne, but they were very kind and open to Jane. And they constantly insisted she took more food, saying she was too thin.

                

When it came time to go to bed, Layne’s mother led her up to a spare bedroom on the second floor of the farm house. Jane loved her new bedroom. It was tidy and simple, but cozy. After a warm bath, she changed into a bright yellow pair of pajamas Layne’s older sister had lent her; they had ducks all over them. She slid under the covers of her soft bed and breathed in deeply. While her body still didn’t feel like her own, she felt like she could maybe get used to living like this if she had to.

                

Layne snuck into her room. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Sorry about my family, they can be a bit overwhelming.”

                

She nodded. “I’m okay. And I love your family. I wish I knew who my family was.”

                

Layne slid onto her bed. “You can stay as long as you need to, and I’m sure any of us would be happy to help you find your family.”

                

“Thank you.” She smiled softly. “Could you tell me more about yourself? I’m not quite ready to fall asleep yet.”

                

He grinned and then sat cross legged at the end of her bed and suddenly burst out story after story of his life. She learned about his dreams of becoming an architect, and how in first grade he broke both his arms jumping off of the fire pole rather than sliding down it. She wished she could trade stories back, but at the same time, she didn't mind just listening. She asked about his car, he laughed and told her how his uncle had given it to him as a project for the summer to fix up, and in the end he got to keep it. She found out that he worked as a teller for a bank in the city and was also about to start an internship with an architect the following school semester.

                

Before either of them knew it, the clock downstairs struck midnight; they had been talking for hours.

                

Before Layne could say another word, a sudden lance of pain shuddered through her body. Her skin tightened and stretched, then loosened, then tightened again. Her bones felt like they were snapping and breaking, reshaping themselves inside of her. She curled over in pain and began to scream.

                

Layne watched in horror, backing away as he saw her beautiful form change before his eyes. She ripped the blankets away and before he could stop her she blindly sprinted out of the room and down the stairs. He could hear her thrashing about and a sudden explosion of glass breaking.

                

“What happened?” His family ran into the bedroom.

                

“Jane!” Layne broke free from his frozen state of fear and recklessly ran out of the house to find her. How could he have just let her run away like that? How could he just let himself freeze when she needed his help. He couldn't lose her, he ran out into the farm lands, listening and looking for her everywhere. But it was too dark, and her screams were gone and there was no sign of her anywhere.

                

“Jane.” He breathed out.

                

“Layne, come back inside.” His mom shouted. “We’ll look tomorrow!”

                

He lingered outside a bit longer, hoping to see her pale figure in the distance. But eventually he turned around and went back inside.

****

                

Night passed, the moon fell beneath the mountains, the sun peaked across the eastern horizon.

                

Buried beneath bales of hay, he opened his eyes, nothing felt right. He shuddered when he felt the hay scratch against his body. This wasn't right. This was not who he was...this was wrong. He looked down. He was dressed in bright yellow pajamas with ducks all over them. They were too small for him. This wasn't him. None of it was. This body didn't belong to him.

                

Who am I?