New Prompt (for September 28, 2022):
"Rumor has it that your school is haunted with a highschooler around your age. While you stay after school to catch up on a subject, you hear a whiser in your ear. You freeze up expecting to hear whispers of pain and anguish, instead you hear the answers to your homework." {credit to writing.prompt.s on Instagram}
Old Prompt (from September 14, 2022):
"You are born in a world where on the eighteenth birthday, people gain the ability to shapeshift but are also legally required to get a unique bar code tattoo for criminal identifying. On your eighteenth birthday, you shapeshift for the first time, only to find your tattoo morphs along with it." {credit to writing.prompt.s on Instagram}
My Story: I Discovered I Could Break the Law
In my world, everyone awaits their eighteenth birthday with much anticipation. It's not because they can vote or buy lottery tickets or even because they can drink alcohol legally. We get something even cooler.
"Now, the first time you shapeshift will be quite painful," my mother said as she drove me to the tattoo parlor.
"I know mom. We learned about it in school." I rolled my eyes.
My mom placed her hand on mine. "I need you to hear me. It will be extremely painful. I can give you maximum-strength ibuprofen before, but you'll still feel every bone and muscle reshaping."
"I should pick something close to human form so that I go through less pain. I know mom." I squeezed her hand. "I'll be fine."
"If you have any questions, your dad and I are more than willing to answer them." Mom put the car into park.
"I know." I opened the car door.
"Do you want me to come in with you?" Mom asked.
"Nope." I slammed the door and walked into the tattoo parlor.
A burly guy with a long beard stood at the counter. He looked me up and down once before speaking. "Look, we know what fake IDs look like. We work with someone who makes them. Just wait a few more years--"
"I'm eighteen. Today is my birthday." I dug into my pocket. "I was also told to give you this."
I handed him the letter that had received on my doorstep a week ago. It detailed where I was supposed to go and what was going to happen. My family had been anxiously waiting for this letter to arrive.
"Shifter, huh?" The guy eyed me. "Cadence does all of our shifter tats. Give me one second."
The guy walked into the back and appeared with a slender blonde who smirked from ear to ear. "'Nother shifta?" Her British accent made her neigh understandable.
"Yes, ma'am." I nodded.
"'Ere for a code?" Cadence pulled on some black gloves.
"That's what the government said I needed to do." I stepped toward her.
"Right. Follow me." Cadence walked down a hall and took me into the second room on the left.
I sat down in the chair as she printed out a bar code and then placed it on my arm like a temporary tattoo. All shifters were required to get a tattoo above their left elbow to identify them if they ever decided to commit a crime in shifted form. This prevents them from becoming someone else to get an enemy arrested.
Though it stung quite a bit, I was certain I was going to be in much more pain tonight. I grit my teeth and bared the pain.
872540967204
The numbers under my code were my new identifiers. I needed to remember them to the best of my ability as soon as possible to report them to the government. For the moment, I was allowed to be amazed at them.
"Remember to send this form back to the government with a picture of your tattoo." Cadence handed the paper back to me. "And here are your care instructions. Have fun tonight."
I walked back out to the car. Mom smiled as I opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. Without any further questioning, mom drove home.
*****
Midnight was fast approaching and I was growing more and more nervous. My mom had given me ibuprofen to take about an hour ago. I wanted patiently for the time to come. I already had a shift in mind.
Most people like to shift into something bizarre and entertaining as their first shift. It's a fun story that they want to tell everyone. My mom chose a jaguar, my dad became a grizzly, and my older sister Angela decided to change into an octopus her first time. Angela caused quite a problem for us considering we didn't have salt water around.
From what my mom had said, I changed my pick. I wanted to be a labrador to play with my dog Finn, but the pain seemed too much for me. Every shift got easier. I wanted to pick something that would be an easy transition instead of feeding my heart's desires.
With a deep breath, I stepped in front of the mirror and focused on my form. Pain rippled through every inch of my body. I could feel my bones lengthening slightly. My muscles stretched out to cover my new limbs. My hair lengthened and my fingernails grew, too.
Everything subsided. I opened my eyes and found myself huddled in a ball on the floor. I slowly rose to my feet, feeling mostly the same. I caught a glance at my hair in the mirror and almost shrieked with some mix between joy and horror. It had worked.
My auburn hair had been replaced by Angela's strawberry blonde. I was at least an inch taller, and my nails were longer and coated with blush pink gel polish. Freckles dotted my nose. My eyes shone a warm brown instead of their usual light green. With a grin, I turned and left my room.
Mom was in the living room reading a book. Dad had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for me. Instead of presenting myself to them, I walked to the fridge as if I were getting a midnight snack. Angela loved strawberries, but I hated them. I knew if I grabbed them, I would certainly be convincing.
As I reached for the fridge, my eyes caught something that stopped me in my tracks.
634220134332
My number had changed. The bar code looked different, too. I couldn't help but panic as I walked into the living room.
"Angie, what is it? You look pale as a sheet." Mom set her book on the table beside her.
"It's me, Liz." I held up my arm. "But I have Angie's barcode."
"Angela, this isn't funny." Dad had woken up and was peering at me through his bifocals.
I sighed. "If you don't believe me, I'll prove it."
I marched up the stairs praying that even Angela wouldn't be partying on a Tuesday night. My prayers were answered as I pushed open her door, and my sister sat up. Her eyes widened as she took me in.
"Is that really what my hair looks like?" Angie asked.
"I need to see your tattoo." I flicked on the light.
"Why?" Angie rubbed her eyes.
"Just let me see it." I pulled her left arm away from her eyes.
634220134332
Mom walked in behind me. I held my arm up next to Angela's. The numbers and lines were identical. There was no way to tell us apart.
Dad appeared at the door as mom covered her mouth in horror. "Jim, what do we do?"
"Elizabeth, change back right now." Dad stared at me with terror in his eyes.
I felt my body returning to normal and the process was already becoming easier. Maybe the panic was just numbing my pain.
"What do we do?" I asked.
"We report your number to the government as instructed." Dad rubbed his forehead. "No one needs to know about this. Liz, you will only change around us. It could be because the tattoo hasn't fully set yet."
"And in a week if it continues to happen?" My mom asked.
"I don't know Melissa!" Dad shouted.
Angela pulled me into a hug as tears started to fall from my eyes. She whispered reassurances to me as my mom and dad bickered. They both left when they realized they were causing us stress. I spent that night in Angela's bed having nightmare after nightmare.
*****
Today, no one knows my secret except for my family. Even after the tattoo had healed, it continued to change. When I turned into an animal it disappeared altogether. We consulted with Cadence and she said that it was the same as any tattoo she'd ever done. We lied and told her it had gotten infected.
Now, I was standing in a fine dressing room. My hair was beautifully curled and my makeup was gorgeous. A white gown adorned my body. And the weight of this secret crippled me as I left to see my future husband for the first time.
Every inch of me shook. Leo was a shifter, too, but he didn't know my secret. I had never changed in front of him and lied about why I didn't take a stereotypical shifter job. His mop of blonde hair looked beautiful against the navy blue suit he wore.
As I tapped him on the shoulder, I felt ill. He turned and smiled at me but instantly panicked. "You look sick. You aren't rethinking this, are you?"
"No, there's just something I haven't told you." I took a deep breath. "I don't shift for a very specific reason. I'm not like the rest of you. My tattoo changes or disappears when I shift. No one knows, and I was so terrified that you would report me. I understand if you don't--"
He gently cupped my face. "I love you. Every part of you. If you feel like you can't shift, I don't mind."
I wrapped him in a tight hug. "I love you, too. Thank you."
"If it makes you feel any better, my cousin has the same condition." Leo smiled at me. "Jamies could get you a gig at the FBI, and you could make bank."
I chuckled. "I might just have to take you up on that."
Happy Writing,
Ally Mac
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