My alarm clock screeched at me like the apartment was on fire. I glared at it as I reminded myself that it was only doing its job. But that didn't make my desire to toss it against the wall lessen by much.

Closing my eyes again, I reached for my glasses with my sore arm. I expected it to throb and ache, and cause me endless minor suffering for a day or two, but funny enough, it wasn’t sore anymore. In fact, it felt fantastic! It was like I never slammed it against one of the lab doors.

When I put my glasses on, my vision became blurry. “What the hell?” I mumbled. “Is my prescription up?”

I pulled them off and realized that my eyesight was perfect. I didn’t need to squint to see. Everything was crystal clear. I could see exactly what time it was from across the room. All the colors around me were more vibrant. More alive.

I grinned. “Today’s going to be awesome!”

Quickly, I got up and shut off my alarm.

Just as I was about the open the door, my heart missed a beat, and I let out a little scream. I paced around my room, starting again from the bed before I headed towards my door once more. In the mirror was someone else. A different me. Correction. It wasn’t me at all. That was the problem.

I locked my door and stared at myself. I was about three or so inches taller—which I didn’t mind except everything else about me was different too. My short honey-blonde hair was now long and chestnut. My eyes were now fully green, but not like Hulk green. Green like grass after a rainstorm. My skin was still fair, but that seemed to be the only thing that was the same. Even my face was different. There were slight similarities, but I was someone else completely. My body was leaner, yet I could see some muscle definition. But at the same time, I looked delicate.

For a moment, all I could think about was that song from Mulan, ‘Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me? Why is my reflection someone I don’t know?’

“What the hell happened to me?” I whispered to myself.

Even my voice was different! It sounded more alluring, seductive almost. Where was this on my date with Colin!?

I jumped as Des knocked on my door. “Penn? Is everything ok?” she jiggled the door handle. “What’s going on? I heard a scream.”

“Oh,” I pretended to cough. “Des, don’t worry about me. I’m feeling really sick. I think I’m going to stay home today.” I coughed more, hoping she bought it.

“Oh, no.” The concern in her voice instantly made me feel bad for lying, but what else could I have done? This is weird. Even for me. “Do you want me to stay home with you, Petite? Let me in so I can see if you have a fever.”

“No!” I cleared my throat. “It’s ok, Des. Go to class. Don’t miss anything on my account. I’ll be fine. I’m just going to sleep and eat soup all day. Boring sick people stuff.”

“Mmm… I don’t know, cherie.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll call out from POW! today. Promise.” I gritted my teeth, hoping this would be enough to make her mother bear tendencies disappear for a day.

There was silence on the other side of the door before she torturously dragged out her words. “Alright, but promise to call if anything, yeah?”

“Definitely.” I agreed quickly. 

Was it too quickly? Did she notice? Am I acting like a total lunatic, right now? Breathe, Penn. Breathe!

“Alright, feel better, ma amie.”

“I’ll try.” I smiled at Des’s sincerity. “Have fun in class.”

“Will do.” My roommate replied softly.

Only when I heard her footsteps fade away did I fall face first into my pillow.

*****

After I heard Des leave, I felt it was safe to unlock my door. But for some reason, I still felt the need to look behind the door like I would get caught any second! Stop being ridiculous! I told myself. This is just some weird--

Some weird what, though? 

Needing time to figure this out, and not totally convinced I could persuade everyone I know that I got a full makeover in the last twenty-four hours, I sent an email to my professors that I wasn’t going to be in today and called POW! to let them know I was ‘sick.’

I walked around my apartment, feeling completely comfortable in a body that wasn’t mine. How did this happen!?

I went back in my room to get dressed. As I started to put on one of my Kingdom Hearts shirts—got to love Roxas—I realized that it didn’t quite fit the same anymore. It was more fitting, and my jeans were just a wee bit too short.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” I stared down at myself, shaking my head. “Ok, seriously? How can my clothes not fit, but my shoe size be the same? I don’t understand the world…”

Fortunately for me, I had a pair of sweats that were just a little too long on me before this sudden transformation. At least I’ll be comfy.

I spent the rest of the day checking to see if it felt weird to do the normal things I did, like eat and write. It wasn’t. It all felt natural—like I was born in this body rather than the one I was in yesterday.

What did I do differently? I pondered. THE LAB! It must have something to do with the lab. It’s the only thing I’ve done out of the norm… that I know of… 

My cell rang and I answered when I saw it was Des.

“Hey, Petite, how are you feeling?”

“Infected.” I replied with a cough.

“Oh, cherie…” she sounded like she was frowning. “Well, do not worry for I am on my way home!”

“Really? Already?” I asked, nervously.

“Oui. My last class was cancelled, and you’ve been very odd today. So, I’ll be coming home soon.”

“Oh, alright.” I bit down my panic at her words.

“See you in a bit.”

“Yep, bye.” I replied before hanging up. “And that’s my cue to go.” 

*****

I felt like I was being stared at even though I knew no one was looking at me. I mean, I don’t think anyone will glance at me and see, well, me. I barely saw a difference. I doubt anyone I know will.

It was bizarre to walk to the lab in broad daylight. I guess I got used to going only when darkness blanketed the sky. But since I don’t look like my normal self, I shouldn’t be too concerned.

As I continued to walk, I smelled smoke in the air, and when I looked up, there was a black foggy pillar in the sky. Without thinking, I made my way to the area—following the smoke like it was a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end of it—and stared straight at the fiery building. It was one of the old apartment complexes. A bunch of people were screaming and scrambling as they watched their homes disintegrate before their eyes.

One man in particular caught my attention. A few people were holding onto him. He wanted to return to the building.

“Let me go!” he screamed. “I have to go back! I have to get her! That’s my daughter!”

“It’s too dangerous.” A woman told him. “The firemen will be here soon.”

“It’ll be too late!” he spoke as if they were all insane and he might have had a point.

I looked up, trying to look past the flames rapidly engulfing the building. I just barely saw someone in one of the windows on the third floor. I stared back at the man, coming to the same conclusion he did.

She would die.

Suddenly, something came over me. The injustice of it all was insufferable. It wasn’t fair for those people to decide that child could die. It wasn’t right. Why shouldn’t she get a chance to live?

Next thing I knew, I headed inside the burning structure—people yelling after me to come back, but no one daring to follow. The further I went, the more the smoke and flames licked at my skin. I prepared myself for the pain, hoping the Force was on my side, and shockingly, it was. The fire tried to terrorize me, but I barely felt anything. At first there was the briefest sense of my skin trying to disintegrate, but then… there was no pain. Not even a little. The only thing I felt was warmth.

I stared at my arms to discover that my skin was tinged red. But I put the find aside as I heard a little girl sobbing.

“Hello!?” I yelled, searching the rooms.

More crying came the further I went. It was getting louder. I was getting closer.

When I found her, she was near the window, curled up in a little ball. She had to be no older than five.

“Hey,” I smiled at her, dodging a flaming pillar.

She screamed when she saw me. My skin must have made me look like the inferno I came through.

“It’s ok, it’s ok.” I tried to soothe her as I reached for her. “I’m going to bring you to your daddy. You want that, right?”

“Daddy?” she sniffed.

“Yes, he sent me to get you.” I left my hand in front of her to grab. “He knew I would find you.”

“Alright,” she trusted me hesitantly. When she placed her hand in mine, I scooped her up and searched for a new way out.

The way I came would sear her in my arms. It was a miracle I made it through. Though, I didn’t want to push my luck.

The ceiling was collapsing on us, and the girl was coughing harder. The smoke was filling her lungs. I gave her a reassuring squeeze as I saw a fire escape in one of the rooms. It was starting to fall off the building, but if I was quick enough, I could get us down there with little harm.

Swiftly, I climbed onto the unstable platform, it dipped at our weight. Shit…

The girl looked up at me with big brown eyes. I can’t let her down.

“Don’t worry. We’re almost down. Just a little bit longer. Can you hold on for a little while more?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, forcing herself not to sniffle.

“Ok, now I need you to climb onto my back and hold on tight.” I told her. “Piggyback time.”

She did as I asked without complaint.

I started to climb down the ladder, but each step I took had the girl whimpering with fear. The fire escape was going to collapse any second. I could feel it loosening in my hands. I looked down; we were still at least one story up.

I took a deep breath and smiled over my shoulder at the girl. Here goes nothing.

I let go of the ladder. I snatched the girl off my back and clutched her to my chest. I groaned as I hit the pavement back first. The way my shoulder felt was nothing compared to this.

She climbed off my chest and placed the palm of her hand against my face. “Are you ok?”

“Perfectly.” I lied. I managed to sit up, noticing that my skin was back to normal. I stared at the impact I left on the ground. I turned to the girl and smiled. “Go. Your daddy is in front of the building with everyone else.”

“Ok,” she nodded, watching me as she went.

I got up slowly, but my back didn’t hurt as badly as I thought. I was practically healed. Tough skin. I thought as I watched from the corner as the girl was reunited with her family. The father cried as he held his little girl. I walked past them as the fire truck and ambulance noisily stopped at the curb.

“How did you get out?” I heard the father ask.

“The red lady you sent got me.” She replied.

“Red lady?” he asked, perplexed. 

“Yeah, the one who looked like the fire!”

I smiled as I left the scene. I turned around one more time to stare at the building. It was collapsing within itself as the firemen finally put out the flames.