Without a word, she dropped to the ground. Words would have been futile in her chosen form, and a growl would have belied her frustration.
She changed swiftly, and without fuss. Her body was lithe and agile, and as she crossed the forest floor she didn’t make a sound. She was as graceful as the large cat she’d assumed moments before; intense and fully alert.
Sophia was a born warrior. Her strengths and preternatural abilities were encoded into her genetic structure.
Finding the change of clothes where she’d stashed them, a replica of a dozen others scattered around the forest, she dressed quickly.
When she reappeared her brother was down from the tree and pulling on a pair of shorts.
She studied the three jagged claw marks on his skin and felt a fresh wave of anger.
“You were careless today, Jacob,” she told him, closing the distance between them in a few easy strides.
“Maybe, but we got away, so no harm, no foul.”
“Then what’s this?” she accused, dropping her gaze to the welts on his skin.
He shrugged broad shoulders. “Just a scratch, sis. They’ve done worse.”
They had. Much worse.
She, like Jacob, had been born in a lab. They had spent their formative years in combat training and learning about Euthoratopia; the prison they called home.
They existed to do others’ bidding, and like puppets, they were pulled in whatever direction their masters chose.
They were the only two to survive the Chameleon Project, and that made them special.
Both could shift between human form and that of the animals they were twinned with.
Jacob spent more time as a bird than he did in human form, because it gave him the illusion of freedom.
Sophia on the other hand, preferred to use the skills she had been given in hand-to-hand combat, though in cat form she was pretty lethal.
Earlier they had run into trouble and she’d almost lost her brother to the enemy. One of them at least.
Sophia glanced down when Jacob began to draw symbols in the cracked earth.
On instinct she blocked the message with her body, because they were watching. They were always watching.
The message was coded, an intricate puzzle that took her a few moments to work out.
When she met her brother’s eyes she could see the excitement, an emotion overshadowed by the light of hope. He’d found a way out.
***
Thanks for reading.
Mel
Another brilliant piece! Love reading your writing 🙂
Thanks, Mishka. That means a lot. I enjoy writing for the speakeasy because they give me a word limit and it focuses me 🙂
It’s great to share work on here, and gain feedback from peers, but when it’s a long piece it can be a little daunting.
This one is shorter than my others, so I’m glad you enjoyed it. Using prompts to improve my writing, especially when it comes to micro-fiction, has proved invaluable.
Your writing always grips me right to the end. Brilliant!
Thanks, Callum. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I found it particularly rewarding because it sparked an idea for the work I’ll be completing at CampNaNoWriMo this month. It couldn’t have come at a better time.
Yesterday, on the first day (though perhaps the most daunting), I avoided my computer for most of the afternoon because I had two many possibilities floating around in my head!
Great story. 🙂
Thanks so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I loved your story Mel.
Thanks, Ranu. I’m so glad you enjoyed it and I appreciate the comment 🙂
I like the shape shifting aspect of the siblings, and how they’ve chosen different forms to represent different emotions (freedom and power).
Thanks, I liked that about them too. I appreciate the comment.
I love this world! Such an engaging, creative story, Melissa. Great characters with really cool abilities I wish I’d been genetically encoded with! 😉
Me too! Thanks for the comment. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Great story! I’d love to read a follow up story on how they make a break for it 🙂
Thank you. The story is in my head somewhere, so you never know – you could be meeting them again 🙂 I appreciate the comment.
Now this is an original story with some unique characters. A pair I wouldn’t mind reading more about. (;
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed them. I wouldn’t mind spending more time with them either 🙂 I appreciate the comment.
I like that too, the different forms chosen by the siblings. Great story, kept me hooked… and now I’m still eager to know what happened to them!
There’s still a few trials ahead of them, but hopefully you’ll be able to read more of their adventures 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the story.
What an intriguing take on the prompt-i loved the shape shifting and that they were the products of some experiment.Great title and I am so looking forward to reading the next part -loved this Mel:-)
Thanks so much. I really appreciate the feedback and your kind comments 🙂
I really enjoyed this! Very clever! I’d love to hear more of their backstory and their future. 🙂
Thank you 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Oooh, an exciting snapshot! I’d love to read the rest of this story! I’d love to learn more about the code too 🙂
Thanks 🙂 It’s not the last you’ll hear of Jacob and Sophia!