Transformed Chapter ThreeA Chapter by Tabitha M.Glowing yellow eyes. Ferocious growls. The taste of blood. She was running, as fast as she could, for her life.
Larissa's sleep was cut short. She sat up immediately, checking her surroundings, hoping it had all been a dream, a horrible nightmare...but it had not. The IV was back in her arm, and she promptly ripped it out. Her injuries were presently numb, which she guessed was a good thing. She was able to stand with no pain. "Sleep well, Larissa?" The doctor was studying two papers laid side by side. He looked up at her with a smile. "I see you removed your IV again. You really must stop doing that." "And give you the chance to pump me full of drugs and god knows what?" She glared at him, wishing he'd burst into flames or explode. Maybe something more graphic and R- rated. "I don't think so." "Oh, Larissa, I would never give you anything that would hurt you, silly girl. I need your body in working condition. You would be useless if you were broken." "What do you want with me anyway?" she demanded. Her courage had picked up since last time. She would have no chance of getting out if she hid in the corner and cried. "Your DNA, basically," he said offhandedly. "I told you, you can have mine." This voice came from across the room. It was a girl, just a couple years older than Larissa. The girl was stunning, her flawless skin almost dark as night. Her long hair even darker. "And I told you, yours won't work, Deidre," he said casting her a glance. "I need fresh meat. And she's about as fresh as it comes right now." Deidre scoffed, mumbling, "Just because she's a virgin." Larissa shot her a glare. "And how the hell would you know that?" Deidre turned her own black eyes on Larissa, a playful smile pulling over white teeth. "Honey, it's not that hard to tell." Larissa's cheeks flushed and opened her mouth to make a sharp retort, but the doctor cut her off quickly saying, "She's not talking about a sexual virgin, Larissa. She's simply saying you haven't changed yet." She looked at her hospital gown questioningly. "Out of this?" Deidre and the doctor both laughed at her. "In a way, yes," he said still laughing. "No," Deidre said wiping away a tear. "You haven't changed into your animal form yet. Haven't you told this girl anything?" "Of course, I did," he said. "You probably explained it in a way she didn't understand. Not everybody thinks like you. We're not mind readers. I'll tell her the full story." Deidre got up and dragged her chair closer to the cage. "Okay. Several years ago, there was a group of scientists who were experimenting with DNA and gene splicing. But they were doing it in secret, keeping it from the government. They were offering mothers', who went in for artificial insemination, large sums of money to do experiments on their unborn children. And, of course, some went for it. You were one of those babies. And so was I, and so was Doc." She cast him a glance, but he was looking through a microscope, ignoring her. She rolled her eyes at him then returned her attention to Larissa. "They merged our DNA with animal DNA. Mine was a panther." She seemed proud of this. "The project only lasted about twenty years, which was kind of long, all things considered. The government caught whiff of it about ten years ago. The scientists burned all of their records and fled before the government could catch them." Larissa was actually intrigued. "I never knew my mother." "I didn't either. That was a side effect actually," Deidre explained. "Either the child lived and the mother died, or the mother lived and the child died. It always ended like that. And they never figured out why. But even if the child survived the birthing process, they didn't always live. Sometimes their bodies couldn't handle the transformation." She paused, watching Larissa's face carefully. "And the transformation is real. I'm not making this up. All of this actually happened. I know how crazy this sounds. I've been in your situation." Deidre looked at the cage with a furrowed brow. "Sort of. You share DNA with an animal. As do I." She stood up and closed her eyes. Her expression took on a look of intense concentration. Suddenly, her body started to morph. Her face turned feline, growing a short snout and a mouth filled with sharp teeth. Her skin sprouted slick, black fur. Her legs were reshaping, taking on the figure of a cat's hind legs. Her nails grew into fierce, sharp claws. A thundering roar erupted from her throat as the transformation was coming to an end, almost like a cry of pain. Larissa took a step back in shock. Her heart pounded in her ears. "Oh, with the dramatic roar," the doctor said with a roll of his eyes. Deidre was breathing heavily. She shot him a hateful glare. "You forget how much it hurts." Her voice was a little deeper, but she didn't appear to have any trouble speaking. Larissa was mesmerized. She couldn't take her eyes off Deidre. Larissa had watched her change, but still couldn't believe it, but there Deidre stood, a shockingly beautiful combination of a panther and a human. He ignored the werepanther, returning his attention to the microscope, and Deidre returned hers to Larissa. "What do you think?" Deidre asked, turning around so Larissa could see her tail, and hair, which had stayed perfectly in place. Larissa swallowed, still stunned. "Terrifying." Deidre laughed, pleased with her reaction. "Why, thank you, darling." She sat back down in her chair and picked up where she left off. "I got lucky. Very lucky. The first change is very unpredictable. You never know what you're going to look like, what characteristics your body will take. Although, the scientists were better about that their last couple of years, so you'll probably look and function fine. The earlier ones weren't so lucky..." She cast the doctor a lingering glance but quickly returned her eyes to Larissa. "So why haven't I...changed yet?" Larissa said her mind only half accepting this new information. "You haven't given it any effort yet, simple as that. Although, nobody can turn until they turn eighteen. It's always been that way, and nobody knows why. There's lots of stuff we don't know," Deidre said with a chuckle. "We're all still learning. And I'm sure there's lots we'll never know." Larissa mulled everything over in silence for a few moments before asking, "Why me? How did you know?" "I knew nothing. That was Doc." She motioned with her head toward him. "That was all him. I didn't even know you were here until today." "I did my research, but I wasn't a hundred percent sure until you were admitted into the hospital," he said. "I had one of my shifters hunt you down and rough you up enough to get you into the hospital. Although I must say, she went beyond the call of duty." A smug, proud smile lit his face. Larissa just glared at him. He picked up a small stack of papers from a printer and studied them a moment. "I'm happy to announce, you are disease and cancer free." "And how do you know that?" she demanded. She was starting to feel the tugging at her stitches, and a low pounding in the back of her head. "I did a DNA swab while you were sleeping," he explained, thumbing through the papers. "Do you know her animal yet?" Deidre asked, walking over and peering over his shoulder. He clicked his tongue as he studied a paper. "No, not yet. The test still needs some time. I know it's canine though." "I hope it's not a wolf," she said. "That would be anti-climactic." "It would, wouldn't it?" the doctor chuckled. The tugging turned into a throbbing, and Larissa slid to the floor, pressing her burning flesh against the cold tile of the floor. "You know, that needle you keep ripping out, it gives you pain medicine." The doctor placed his papers on the counter as he spoke. She ignored him, leaning her pounding head against the cool bars. She wasn't going to let him stick another needle in her arm, or do anything else to her if she could help it. Larissa watched as Deidre changed back. Her tail shortened and disappeared, nails retracted and reformed. Her face shortened and returned to its normal, striking features. Larissa was still amazed that Deidre's panther form looked so...human. She was completely recognizable. The same high cheek bones, the same almond shaped eyes, her voice even sounded basically the same. Larissa wondered if it would be the same for herself. "Well, it just got boring, so I'm leaving." Deidre gave the doctor a departing hug. "See you later, Doc." "It also fights off infection," he said turning his attention back to Larissa. "You could get a nasty infection. Wouldn't want that, would you?" "Maybe it'll kill me." She became aware of the gnawing hunger in her stomach. When was the last time she ate? "I hope not, I'm not through with you yet." He went back to studying his papers. "What do you need me for anyway?" "I already told you. Your DNA." She closed her eyes, stifling her frustration. "What do you need it for?" "I have my reasons," he said peering into his microscope then glancing back at his papers. "Well, you already have my DNA, so can I leave?" Her head was throbbing. She'd give anything for a bed right now…or a shower. Her hair was greasy, her skin slick with oil and sweat, and she was pretty sure she was starting to smell bad. She gave herself a sniff and wrinkled her nose. Yeah, definitely needed a shower. He chuckled. "No, no, no. Now that I know that you're disease free, I can move onto the next step." "Which is?" "I need to take your blood, and another DNA sample while you're changing, then another after you've changed." "What if I changed right now? Before you got those things?" she said in a weak half threat. He gave her a smile. "Then you would never see the light of day again, Miss Mange." Her adrenaline kicked in. "I won't change for you,” she growled, “I won't do it." She didn't even know if she could. "You will in time," he said confidently. "Hunger and pain will drive anyone crazy. Shouldn't take more than a few days." She swallowed, her nails digging into her palms as she balled her hands into tight fists. She was going to die here; and nobody would know… or even care. No one even knew she was gone. © 2015 Tabitha M.Author's Note
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Added on January 24, 2015 Last Updated on January 24, 2015 Tags: fantasy, shapeshifters, romance Author
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