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 Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 6:14 pm
"Sure. Just gimme a second to get ready"
Cody dashed along the room to pick up some clothes and went to change himself in the bathroom. In a minute he had his swimtruncks on (with a half decent whole cut for his tail, right below the elastic) and the sandals on his feet
"Ready. Lets go"
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 7:53 pm
Nita MacNeal Nita waited for Cody to change, realizing she had forgotten a towel. Ah, well. She needed to do laundry anyway, so a little more sand in her jeans wouldn't hurt. When he was ready, she walked with him down the path from the village and towards the beach. It was a lovely evening, as many of the island's evenings were, and finally cool enough for Nita to be comfortably out and about. "So," she said after a few minutes only filled with the soft sounds of feet on sand, "How was it?" Cody Archer Cody decided not to take his bike this time. Likely his tail would get bent at that would hurt like hell
The freshness of the evening seemed to be doing some good to him as well, specially around the new skin. It even seemed it was taking the soreness away
"It hurted a lot. I never though it could hurt so much. And it wasn't just the tail, my feet and my ears changed too. Did it hurt that much to you too?" Nita MacNeal Nita looked, not having previously noticed the minor changes to his ears, and the slightly more drastic changes to his feet. Would that mean Cody was going to lose his legs, like Cass? "It did hurt," she replied honestly, picking her way over the still-warm sand, heading closer to the damp, packed stuff at the water's edge. "Especially the tail, and when my ears stretched. Fur is really itchy. But tylenol helps, and it's fine after a couple days." A few feet from the water, Nita shucked her jeans and padded into the surf. The coolness was really nice on her fuzzy feet. She dug her toes into the watery sand and peered out over the horizon. Cody Archer "And there was more" he showed Nita his left arm "Remember my bandage? I had a catheter under it and now it's gone. I can't even find a mark!"
The sight of that great mass of water made Cody want just go into it and swim. But he first had to remove his t-shirt and sandals. It would feel horrible if he had to return to his room with them wet Nita MacNeal Oh yes, Cody's MS. The reason for him being here. Had the doctors actually fixed it? Or at least made progress? Nita peered at Cody's arm, turning it over and carefully looking for the mark. "That's amazing," she whispered. Maybe they really could do good here, and not just in really exceptional cases like Colche's, which seemed to be more a matter of kindness and education than the physical changes themselves. "Does that mean you haven't needed the catheter since you changed, then?" she asked, hoping her question wouldn't embarrass the boy too much. Nita stepped further away from the shore, rocking gently back and forth to the rhythm of the waves. Cody Archer "No... the last time it was used was when I got an injection when I arrived. I'm not allowed to do it myself and no one came to give more"
Now free from the extra clothing, Cody could follow Nita into the water. It was a great sensation that hit his skin, the water rushing along his body and along his tail. The new skin specially appreciated it, as it washed away the soreness and the heat
But he was having a bit of trouble coordinating his movements. He was kicking his feet to move in the water, but the tail was doing it too and it kept hitting his legs
"Stupid tail" Nita MacNeal "That's really great, Cody." Nita watched him as he joined her in the water. Did he actually know how to swim already? It seemed he was having problems with his tail. "Try not to think about your tail too much," she suggested. "Thinking like a human only gets in the way at times like this. Like when I zoomed up that tree!" Nita dunked herself all over and came back up, shaking salt water out of her braids. The red panda wasn't terribly happy in the ocean, but it just seemed so right to Nita herself. All those years in the Midwest, and this was what it took to finally get to an ocean. Cody Archer "It's not that easy. I can't really control my tail"
He pouted as he stoped swimming. Even when just using his arms to stay afloat, the tail seemed to want to keep moving, though it wasn't moving as fast now Nita MacNeal "Hmm..." Nita wiped a drop of water away from her eye and placed one hand on her hip. "Can you try floating on your stomach and holding your legs still? Just to see what your tail can do if you're deliberately not trying to control it?" She held her arms out towards the boy. "I can grab you if you start to sink." Cody Archer Cody did as she told him, grabbing her wet furry arms for balance
His tail kept moving as trying to help him to keep his balance in the water, but slowly stoped once he was steadily kept afloat Nita MacNeal "Good," she said, her legs spread firmly under her and her fluffy tail (looking rather sad and bedraggled in the water) waving behind her for balance. "Now, can you kick gently with your legs and keep your tail still like that? Try getting a sense for how the muscles feel right now." Privately, Nita thought it would be more useful to learn to swim with his tail, since that was what real dolphins did, but it was also important for Cody to learn to control his tail independently. Cody Archer "I'll try"
Cody started to kick the legs, but apparently the tail didn't seem to agree with the orders. It tried to swin on its own, though not as much as before
"I can't get it to work. It moves a bit like when I'm walking but it keeps kicking up and down. How do you control yours?" Nita MacNeal Nita watched as his tail continued to swish about. Maybe they really were going about this the wrong way. "I don't really control mine," she admitted, "but it doesn't really move a whole lot. It helps me keep my balance in the trees and stuff, but it's not all muscular like yours is." Nita paused for a moment, hrm'ing softly. "If you watch a dolphin swim," she said thoughtfully, "they use their tails a lot. Maybe what you need to do, in the water at least, is let your tail take over. Forget about your legs for a while." Cody Archer "Like this?"
He kicked his legs up and down at the same time, pretty much like dolphins did. And apparently he was doing it right now, because after a few seconds he managed to coordinate both tail and leg movements Nita MacNeal "There you go!" Nita cheered, letting go of Cody's arms. "How was that?" She shifted again, ready to support Cody if the dolphin's insticts weren't quite enough to keep him above the water. "You wanna try actually swimming like that?" Cody Archer Cody didn't seem to be having any trouble swimming. Back at home he used to go to the river lots of times during summer and this style wasn't exactly hard to control
"It's a bit weird, but it really works. And yes" Nita MacNeal "Great! We can go out a bit further, then. I'm not a great swimmer, but I'm a lot better than I used to be. Watch the under-tow, it's pretty strong." With that warning, Nita dove forward against the waves, swimming with muscles made strong from climbing trees. Cody Archer "Ok"
He started swimming dolphin like and followed Nita. The tail was still too short to offer proper impulse but it was enough to keep up a good rythm
"Where can we find the dolphins?" Nita MacNeal Not too much farther out, Nita paused and began treading water. Her toes just barely touched the bottom and every few minutes she would bob down and push off with her toes to help keep her head above the choppy water. It would be well over Cody's head, but he was doing pretty well now that he wasn't fighting so much with his tail. "They're usually pretty far out, towards the horizon. They always look like they're having so much fun out there." Nita used one slender hand as a visor over her eyes and looked out across the water. The sun was just setting, turning the sky pink and orange, with hints of purple farther up. The perfect time to be out, watching for a pod of dolphins. Cody Archer Cody kept himself from going too far in the water, no matter how inviting it looked. The tail was complaining again, sore still but mostly because the new muscles weren't accustomed to move around so much
Even his excitment (or was the dolphin's) to be in the water could make him ignore it
"Will they show up soon? I'm getting tired" Nita MacNeal No sooner had Cody spoken when Nita pointed with her free hand. "Cody, look!" A half-dozen dolphins were only about 30 meters away, leaping and diving through the waves. Nita treaded water furiously, watching the pod frolicking in the distance. Cody Archer "WOW! This is so cool!"
He tried to follow Nita into the deeper waters, but it was getting harder and harder for him to keep his head above the water Nita MacNeal The red panda girl noticed Cody having a bit of trouble and swam backwards into slightly shallower water. She kept watching the dolphins, playing and occasionally sending up sprays of water. Nita sighed, almost wishing that she were turning into a dolphin... It would be so amazing to be able to join them. "Maybe you'll be able to swim like that some day, Cody." Cody Archer Cody grabbed Nita's shoulder for support. Neiher his tail or legs could keep him afloat for now
"You really think so?" Nita MacNeal Nita slipped her arm under Cody's, holding him up. They would have to get back to shore soon; she was getting tired too. "Maybe," she said. "It looks fun, doesn't it?" Cody Archer "It does. I wonder if they would let me play with them. You think they would?" Nita MacNeal Nita grinned, imagining Cody diving about with the dolphins. "Well, dolphins always seem so friendly, they just might. After you change some more, though; it wouldn't really be safe to try it now." She could tell Cody was getting tired, but she didn't want to embarrass him by drawing attention to it. "Hey, we should go back, okay? Red pandas aren't meant for swimming." Nita dunked herself again and swam arm over arm towards the shore, watching Cody carefully to make sure he was able to keep up with her. Cody Archer Cody simply nodded. It made sense. He wasn't able to keep up with them yet
"Okay"
He tried to will the tail to move, just to test it out, but it kept motionless. So he used his arms to swim back to shore, the legs kicking weakly and the tail simply following the movement Nita MacNeal Once the water was lower than her waist, Nita stopped swimming and walked the rest of the way, offering an arm to tow Cody, should he need it. On the beach, she brushed as much of the water out of her fur as she could, wringing it out of her long braids. Nita paused for a moment and then gave in, shaking herself and watching droplets of water fling themselves away from her body. "Well..." Nita said. "Did you have fun?" She grinned and worked on smoothing out her fluffed-up fur. Cody Archer Cody didn't took her arm for support, he could manage himself now that he had his feet back touching the ground
He realised it was a good thing he wasn't growing any fur, considering how much trouble Nita seemed to have to dry it up. In his case the water simply slided over the new skin, which was good when she sprinkled him water
"Yeah" he was trying not to laught at her figure, the fur all standing and with sand caught around her feet and lower legs. She looked funny Nita MacNeal "Whoops! Sorry," she said, realizing she'd sprayed water on the boy. Nita grinned, a little embarrassed, and ran her clawed fingers through the top part of her hair. It would frizz up if she didn't wash it soon. A yawn split Nita's face as she stood in the damp sand, backlit by the setting sun. The swim and the excitement of the evening was definitely getting to her. "We should probably go back to the village. I think the dolphins are gone, anyway." Nita peered out across the water again, just in time to watch the pod slip out of sight. Cody Archer Cody put his t-shirt and sandals back on, before shaking the rest of the sand off. His eyes couldn't follow the dolphins movements with this light, but he was starting to grow tired anyway
"It was fun" he tugged her tail slightly, just out of curiosity Nita MacNeal Nita squeaked involuntarily. "Hey!" Her tail flicked, sprinkling Cody again with water and some sand. "That's attached!" Nita giggled; she wasn't angry, just surprised. She started walking along the beach in the general direction of the village. Cody Archer Cody laughted in reply, covering his face with his hands when sprinkled him again
"You could use it as a mop. You got me wet all over"
He kept grabbing her tail on the way back every now and then. It was funny to feel it move on his hand Nita MacNeal Nita snorted. Cody was lucky he was just a little kid, or else he would have been smacked for his impertinance. Back in the village, Nita walked Cody to his duplex. She ruffled his hair and tugged his tail gently. Turnabout is only fair-play. "I'll see you later, kid," she said. "Come see me sometime if you want to go the beach again, 'kay?" Cody Archer "Hey"
He quickly started to unruffle his salt covered hair. Why did people always like to make it messier than it already was?
"Okay" he half stuck his tongue out at her playfully as he said goodbye Nita MacNeal Nita stuck her tongue out at Cody in response. The hair-ruffling was in return for the tail-pulling! "Good night," she called, padding down the path to her duplex. Covered in sand and salt as she was, Nita was more than ready for a nice warm shower.
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Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:15 pm
Three days after Cody had stopped by her duplex, Amaya was finally finished altering all the pants he had left with her. She went through them all once more before finally deeming them alright. Her large hands picked them all up gently and put them into a bag.
She then quietly made her way over to the little boy's duplex and after making sure they would be protected from the elements, left them by his doorstep. Afterall, the iguana wasn't sure if he was around, of if he was sleeping. Better to just leave them there and have him find them.
With one last smile she left his doorstep and headed back to her own duplex.
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:59 pm
More Changes... but not my Own Joliette Rigiel Mid hours of the morning was the time in which her dream woke her. Her stomach rumbled audibly "I'm hungry" she whined to herself. She sits up and rubs her belly . She pauses her head looking down the skin under her touch feeling... loose "Oh my god" she whispers seeing hte scales spreading and the thin layer of skin shedding away. She stared unable to move she was shivering from fear. She shivers feeling the coolness of the room against her newly forming scales, the sun beconned her and she stumbled from bed and across the room pulling open the door of hte duplex and ontot he grass intot he sunshine. Then it started the stretching of her face, the growth of her tail... And with the pain she lets out a high pitched ear peircing scream of pain tumbling to her knees not caring that she wore not more then a loose pair of shorts and a loose top. Cody Archer Cody was ridding down the street on his bike, which wasn't very easy thanks to his tail, when he heard the scream coming from one of the duplexes. He never heard anything like that in his whole, short life, but he knew he meant someone was in trouble. Big one
Without a second thought he turned his bike around and went to where the scream came from
Whatever he was expecting it certainly wasn't this. Apparently someone was going through a change like he did. And it wasn't just a tail growth
Not knowing what to do he just stood there, half frozen half amazed by it Joliette Rigiel Her scream died down and her eyes clenched tight, she would have been panting but taking a breath seemed impossible. Her hands were changing she could feel them, she could feel the pain it brought her. And her feet as well, she simply didn't want to move, she just stayed there on her hands and knees Cody Archer Caught up in the amazement of watching someone else change, Cody slowly approached the lizard woman
He still remembered how much it hurt him, but he knew nothing on how to make the pain go away. Maybe distracting her from it.... it did worked sometimes when his MS stricked
"You feeling ok?" Joliette Rigiel She shook her head and eventually lifted her head looking at the boy she'd never seen before, her tongue flickering picking up more 'scents' then ever. She nearly collapsed having shifted her weight her hands hurting like ens "No" she croaked "Hurt..." her golden eyes taking in the details of the boy Cody Archer Okay, that had been a stupid question
"Sorry, it's just..." Having no idea on what to say he simply tried to help her getting up by grabbing her under the arm and lifting as much weight as he possibly could... which wasn't that much Joliette Rigiel She winced as he moved to help her up "Ow" her very british accented voice echoed the pain she still felt. The short woman felt it from the tip of her snout to the tip of her tail "Whats.. whats your name" she asks him trying to distract herself from hunger and pain Cody Archer "Cody, Cody Archer. Yours?"
He tried hard to lift her up, but Cody simply didn't had enough muscle for the job. Even with her scaly skin helping in the grasp, he just couldn't lift her on his own
"You're too heavy" Joliette Rigiel "Don't worry about me... I know..." she knew even standing upright she was a few inches shorter then this boy... or at least she had been, she didn't know just how tall she'd be now. "I'm Joliette Rigiel, most here jsut call me Joli though" she said, her name distinctly french dispite her british accent Cody Archer Cody knew little of accents and names to tell which was which. For him it might as wellRussian, because he couldn't tell the difference
What was strange for it was her being so close to his own height. Just about every was taller than he was
"Nice to meet you Joli. You sure you don't want help? I could barely walk when I changed" Joliette Rigiel "Help I'd love, but you dont have to lift me on your own... I need to find food too" she wished she could ignore the pain, it just wasn't happening though, the pain was worse then all her previous changes though. "Uhm..." she wasn't sure what to do and she looked around for ideas Cody Archer "Food? I can get you some food. The cafeteria isn't that far and I have a bike"
Cody was about to hop on his bike when he suddently remembered not everyone here ate the same type of food. And he wasn't sure on what lizards ate
"What food do you eat? Hope it's not bugs because I never found those at the buffet" Joliette Rigiel Joliette chuckles softly and settles onto her bottom "Meat... and only meat" she nods, her desire for meat only having increased with this change Cody Archer "Ok" he dashed off towards the cafeteria
It took Cody a while to return with the meat
His first problem had been picking which type of meat to take. He never had realised there were so many to pick from, so he just selected those that looked more appetising (which coming from a person with dolphin tastes wasn't exactly the best for a lizard type), mostly chicken and turkey sandwitches, grilled pork and a salmon. It didn't even occured to him to have a look at the raw section
The second problem was finding something to carry all that food. He couldn't take a tray, otherwise he'd let everything fall on the way back. He pondered for a second to use his t-shirt, but that would be discusting to put on later. So he just asked the cook if she had a bag he could borrow
And the last problem was making his way back without letting the plastic bags tied to the handles of his bike compromise his balance
When he returned he was running at he side of his bike, stearing it on foot while the bags threatened to tear with all that weight and movement Joliette Rigiel Joliette looked up as the boy returned, "Thanks" she says with a smile, her tongue flickering and picking up the scent of meat, she shifted positions, the size of her tail now was going to take getting used to "Soo.." she peers at him again "Marine life?" she pits a sharp black claw at the boy's bottom end. Cody Archer Cody untied the bags and brought them to Joliette. Hopefully she would enjoy his selection
"What? Oh! dolphin. You?" Joliette Rigiel Joliette took the bag from him looking into it, she pulled up anything that was meat, leaving behind bread and any form of vegetable "Komodo Dragon... Biggest meanest..." she paused tearing meat from the chunk in her clawed... ?hand? "meat eatting lizard alive in the normal world" she didn't consider that island... 'normal' Cody Archer Cody watched her a bit amazed at the way she ate. Was like watching a very hungry dog eating a bone... or that was the closest thing he could think of
"Really!? I thought the biggest lizards were crocodiles. I didn't know dragon actually existed!! How come you don't have wings?" Joliette Rigiel She stopped mid tear and peered over at him "Komodo's don't have wings" she says after swallowing hte chunk of meat. "I've never seen one except in encyclopedia... and now the mirror" her smile was a wry one as she returned to eatting anything meat in the food he brought Cody Archer Cody grabbed the bread and the vegetables Joli was leaving behind and made a sandwitch for himself. Even though his body craved fish more, he still hadn't developed any problem in eating regular food
"What about breathing fire? All dragons do that right?" Joliette Rigiel Joliette couldn't help but laugh at the child's innocence. "No not this kind... The other dragony-like islander maybe, but I haven't seen him in a while" she finished all the meat and shifted position and winced "Ow..." She looked him up and down again "I want to lie down" she says alloud more to herself then him Cody Archer "Another? You mean there's another dragon here? Cool!"
He finished up his own sandwitch and started putting the rest of the food back into the bags. It wasn't much though, maybe enough for 2 or 3 more lettuce sandwitches Joliette Rigiel "I think thats what he's becoming, not sure though..." Joliette pushed herself to her feet ackwardly "Ow..." she mumbles the speaks up "I will have to see you again Cody... it was lovely to meet you" she looks at her hand and doesn't really offer it to him, she thought it was ugly, and now she knew she'd have to try and find a way to do her art, but wasn't sure how "I need to lie down" it was that and wanting to not be in public eye Cody Archer "Okay. Was nice meeting you too Joli" he smiled at her as he got back to his bike Joliette Rigiel She watches him leave for a moment and then disappears back intot he duplex laying on her belly on the bed willing hte pain she felt to go away
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 8:17 pm
Not Feeling so Good Cody wasn't feeling so good lately. His right ankle was completely swollen and red, purple and even black in some places. It was a pain to walk, even though the cuts weren't bleeding anymore
Last day, during another of his bike rides, Cody had decided to try something new and do some stunts like he had seen on TV. It had went well at first, a couple of malformed wheelies and bunny hops. But when he tried to repeat the feat, his MS striked at the worst moment and the next thing he knew he had the bike over him and a sharp pain on his right leg
It wasn't broken and it seemed like other cuts he had received several times before. But it was bleeding quite a bit, so he got up and dragged himself back to his room to clean the wound and look for something to cover the cuts
Over that day Cody didn't notice anything strange on his ankle. It hurted to walk since it was so close to the joint, but nothing abnormal about that
Only next morning he realized how swollen and painful it was, when he got up and started to support his weight on the leg. And when he took the bandage off he saw how bad it looked
And maybe was just the body reacting to the infection, but he was starting to feel feverish
Right now Cody didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to treat infection and he didn't want to look weak and go to ask for help to the adults (not to mention they would likely scold him from trying bike tricks). And he seriously was not going to use the intercom and call Aubrey or any of the doctors about this
In the end he decided to stay in the room and not do anything about it. Maybe if he got some rest it would get better soon
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 11:26 pm
Cody would be woken up at some point not long into the night by one of the staffpeople who he didn't recognize. They'd escort him (gently) into a jeep and take him into the labs where his foot would first be examined before he would be taken into a room very similar to the hospitals that he had spent a good deal of time in before coming to the island. Especially since Cody is so young, they'd keep him in the labs for observation, as well as take the opportunity to do some blood tests and observation to see how his initial transformation has affected his MS - both in symptoms as well as evidence in his system. He'd be fed food of about the same calibre as the cafeteria, and there would be a television with a stack of videos, more or others upon request. However, unlike most hospitals, the door to his room would be kept locked.
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Island of Moreau Vice Captain
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 1:42 pm
The time in the labs would have been pretty booring. And your ankle really doesn't seem that bad, and it hasn't for a bit. But the doctors have insisted on keeping a close eye on it and you, and running a lot of those tests. Sometimes there are injections.
But they never tell you anything. And you haven't seen the woman who brought you here in the first place.
You're waking up one afternoon as someone new walks into your room, dressed differently than most of the doctors. IT's a man, with long white hair, a tophat, and dark clothing. He's not wearing scrubs or a labcoat, and he's holding a needle.
"Well, Cody. It's time. Your system is pretty stable right now, and we think that now might be best for your next change."
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 1:50 pm
Bored, bored, BORED!!! This whole place was boring from top to bottom. Cody's ankle had recovered, so why were the doctors keeping him here? And why didn't anyone tell him anything????
When he woke up he thought he had nothing but another boring day ahead of him, so he was rather surprised when this man entered the room. And even more when he noticed the odd fashion!
Cody knew little about clothes, but he was pretty sure tophats were out of fashion ages ago
"Time? Time for what? You mean you guys are going to get me changed again? Is it going to hurt as much as before? And who the hell are you? You don't look like a doctor"
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 1:55 pm
"Indeed we are." Sabin responded, though he seemed distracted. "And... we'll spare you the pain this time... at least best we can." He looked him over, and began prepping an IV. "We can't use too much, or the serum might... have complications... but this should be enough..." Sabin didn't seem concerned with spending too much time explaining. He swabbed Cody's arm with an alcohol swab, gave him a quick, succint injection, and then hooked him up to the IV drip. You feel warm... then numb... then sleepy..... As it turns out, the last injection was indeed "The" injection. The doctors are more sympathetic - you being the first really young child on the island, and give you a concoction to make you not remember any of the pain or the ordeal. When you wake up, the tubes are gone, and you feel very ... different. Your hands are webbed, you might notice first, as you look over yourself. But from the waist down is where the biggest changes are. Your torso has lengthened, your tail longer and stronger, and rather flexible. There are two ventral fins down your sides - one to each side. And you've even got the dorsal fin - it's still somewhat small, but definately there, and it makes lying on your back uncomfortable. Your legs are shorter, and your feet even less "defined". If you go to stand up, you can, but it's hard to balance, and much easier if you hold onto the edge of the bed for support. Your tail can bend almost up to your belly, or back out horizontal to the floor. Other changes that you might not see at first: your ears are very tiny now, almost gone alltogether. And your MS symptoms have begun to decrease. Think of it like turning the clock back several months (to a year?) of how bad your symptoms are. The skin is more sensitive to the air, but you can still go without water fairly easier. It just feels really nice and... 'right' when you're wet.  The doctors would take a few more samples after your change, and you'd be held there for most of the day before they would drive you back to your duplex. ((Note: If this isn't how you want things to go, I can modify it... ^^; ))
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 2:35 pm
Cody couldn't remember anything shortly after that injection was given. The weirdly guy... getting another injection... then.. sleep! But why he was feeling so weird now?
He tried to brush his hair off his face and that's when he noticed he was different. His hands were webbed!?!
Quickly he got up, only to find much bigger changes from his waist down. It was odd looking at that long tail laying between his legs, so... dolphin like! And the fins? It felt so weird having those things sprounting in front of his stomach
Cody didn't notice the changes over his legs or ears. Nor the dorsal fin until he felt it brush agaisnt bed when he tried to get up
"This is so weird!". Getting himself to stand up was proving much more of a challenge than before, but he blamed the tail for that
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 12:00 pm
New Changes, New Problems It was good to be back home. Though it wasn't his real home (back with his family), it was the closest thing he got. And it make him feel happy in a way. He was out of that boring place
But being back proved to have some challenges as well. And the first one was his shorts
The new thickness of the tail proved to be impossible to button them up, thought the webbing didn't helped either. It took hours for Cody to come up with a solution
He tied up both of his shoelaces to the button and to the hole, and after wrapping them around his waist, he knot them together, so the shorts couldn't slip
But this cause 2 problems. One, he couldn't move his tail much, or the button would fall off. Two, the tennis shoes fell off the feet all the time
The second challenge was finding a good position to sleep
He hated having to sleep sideways, it always made his shoulders and hips hurt. For more than once he made the mistake of trying to sleep on his back (his favourite position) on sleeping on his belly
The dorsal fin made it completely impossible to keep that position, but it seemed odd to Cody the flippers not allowing that position as well. He moved them about with his hand (it was still awfully weird felling the webbing, like he had glue between the fingers) and they didn't feel very mobile. Probably it would take some time, like when he first got the tail
Anyway, Cody was forced to sleep on his side in the end
Another morning, another thing to get used to. And this time was the lack of balence
Groggy with sleep, Cody had completely forgot he was not the same kid as 24 hours ago, so he found himself flat against the floor by his bed. The smaller surface of his feet made him slip
Cursing things a 10 year old boy shouldn't be saying, he slowly got up and used the walls to ensure he would reach the bathroom door without any more incidents
For a moment he felt like he didn't want to look at himself on the mirror. What if his face changed as well? It was bad enough having to deal with that stupid tail and fin right now
But he didn't noticed a thing. No beak, no dolphin teeth, no black eyes. With a sight of relief, Cody carefully took off his shorts and went into the bathtub. He couldn't stand the smell of hospital on his skin any longer
The water rushing through his skin felt like heaven on earth. It washed away the worries, it washed away the annoyance he felt at his current body, it just made him feel good all over
He didn't know why it made him feel like that, and actually he didn't care. It felt too good to ponder on. So he just turned on the power and let the water fill the bathtub nearly up to the top
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Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:26 pm
Cheetahs, Dolphins and Mermaids Cody Archer It took forever to Cody gather enough will to leave his bathtub, but his stomach complained loudly from the lack of food. Not having anything edible in his mini-fridge (only stuff he had to put in the trash) he went to the cafeteria to grab a bite
After a good meal he decided to take a look to the entertainment room. He really felt like watching a movie now. Or maybe play a game. What do decide, what to decide? Colche Lukily, perhaps, for the young Cody, Colche was already in the entertainment room, her blue eyes fixed on the idiot box. As was her normal routine, she was curled up with a pillow in her lap watching one of the disney films she must have seen a million times already. Todays drama was the little mermaid. she was right at the beggining, but she was already looking nervous. There were beasts in this that were very scary, the shark, medusa, the scary eel thingies.
Of course, when Cody came plodding through the door, the little cheetah girls ears perked and a smile spread accross ehr pretty maw "hai!" she puurrs her big baby blue eyes watching the youngster with a cheerful grin. It had been some time since she had last seen Cody, but as usual, to her, people changed, that didn't mean they wern't the same person. "wanna watch?" she puurrs pointing at the TV with a furry claw of a finger. Cody Archer Cody hadn't noticed Colche until she cried out. He usually wan't much of noticing when people looked different (except for too obvious changes), but Colche was a rare exception
Again she was clothesless, but this time she was all fur. Not that meant any less awkwardness to him
"Err, sure" he walked close to the cheetah girl and sat beside her, careful not to look too much at her
He'd never seen the little mermaid before (because the cover made him think it was a girls movie), so he turned his full attention to the story Colche Colche giggled as Cody sat down next to her, her tail swaying for a moment she rooted down the cushion beside ehr and pulled out a bag of sweeties. Clearly, she stored these candy's down the side of the couch for just such the occassion. "Sweety?" she tilted ehr head gently, she knew pretty much not to mention any transformation that Cody had undergone, most people were all snesitive about their changes.
"This one of my favourite stories" she grins, he vocabulary had certainly improoved since she had last spoken to Cody, her sentences almost unbroken "It's scary tho" she nods an affirmative grabbing her pillow and hiding her face when the shark appeard, peering over it carefully. "Scary" she nodded lookign a little sheepish. Cody Archer Cody felt her tail twaping his. It was a weird felling, since he not yet used to the new lenght of this member
At the mention of sweets he broke the visual contact with the television to look at them
"Thanks" he took a couple of them, popping one into his mouth
"I never seen it before. What is it about?"
He looked at the shark destroying the ship as it chased Ariel. That wasn't scary at all, not by his standarts "No it's not. Sharks are cool" Colche Colche pouted a bit. "Nasty shark" she stated simply a smile crossing her pretty furry maw as the shark stopped attacking and ariel escaped. She gave a sigh of releif and tilted her head "it's good, watch" she puurrs eating a sweet herself with a chewey sound.
"It's gots scary sea witch tho, kinda like billy!" she grins and giggles, her laughter filled with a gurgly little puurr "seesee!" she exclaimed as ursula appeared "like billy!" she grins broadly, hoping Cody would get ther joke. Cody Archer Cody just shrugged. Sharks were cool and that's that
He got a bit lost when she kept mentioning Billy. He never met or even heard of him. So when Colche pointed at Ursula he just felt confused
"So Billy is a fat guy with octopus legs?" Colche Colche looked thoughtful. Well, billy wasn't exactly fat but he did have octopus legs. she giggled a little ehr long tail swaying bac and forth once again the very tip twitchign as if it had a mind of it's own and was aggitated.
"Billy a octopus" she states with a nod of her head her sweet blue eyes dancing playfully. "Hims funny" she grins "bit grouchy tho, like ursula" looking at Cody she wondered if he would mind if she asked what he was becoming. She didn't know much about animals with that type of skin, maybe he was becoming like awen was? Cody Archer "Oh! Sounds like a nice match"
For Cody octopus were just eight legged animals you could see being sold in a suppermarket, and lately becoming one of his favourite dishes. But personally he always thought they looked kind of goofy and in a bad mood
The felling of her tail rubbing his again made it twitch Colche Colche smiled and looked down at his tail with a tilt of her head. She smiled lightly "purty tail" she stated rather simply her sweet blue eyes perfectly serious. "I like it" she smiles her ears twitching forwards a** he said it making her look alert and possibly more friendly than usual. Cody Archer "It's stupid. Makes me fall all the time"
Though it wasn't as bad as before. Least now he had some control over it. But it still annoyed him Colche Colche tilted her head and frowned. "I like it!" she nodded determinedly, though she didn't have such a cumbersome tail she had managed to get her own, extra long appendage stuck in several doors before she worked out how to get through them without trapping her fuzzy stick. Cody Archer "It's stupid, stupid, stupid!" Cody added stubbornly "I can't even wear my shorts straight anymore!"
He made an annoyed face and turned his attention back to the tv, just in time to see Ariel losing her voice to the sea witch Colche Colche tilted her head lightly, her ears flattening against her head , she hadn't meant to upset Cody but clearly she had. Sighing lightly she picked up ehr pillow and cuddled it against her chest putting ehr full attention back on ariels adventures.
After a few minutes though Colche giggled. "cody boy ariel" she wrinkled her nose playfully and tilted ehr head. "betcha swims real goods now!" she stated her big baby blue eyes looking playful, hoping maybe to cheer Cody up with her words. After all, Ariel was a really cool chracter! Cody Archer Cody didn't payed any attention to Colche until she compared him to Ariel
"AM NOT!" The high pitch on his voice didn't made him sound as angry as he wanted to. More like he was panicked by the idea
"I don't look anything like her. She's a fish! I'm a dolphin!!!"
"And I don't know. Didn't tried since I changed" he really hoped he got better by now. Having his tail smaking his legs made it really awkward to swim Colche Colche frowned "ariel awsome though!" she stated with a slight frown. She honestly didn't understand boys, princesses were the best things to be! In her mind any ways. Flickering her long tail, she let ehr tongue peer out between her lips "Dol..fin" she nodded. "like flipper!" she grins, she had recently discovered 'flipper' in the form of aseries which adorned the shelves of the media library. Cody Archer Cody simply stick his tongue out at that idea. Only a girl would find that type of character awsome
"I dunno. Maybe" he knew he'd heard the name flipper once, but he couldn't remember where or what it was related to Colche Colche giggled and nodded, flipper was an awsome chracter too,s he filed Cody under 'flipper' in her nicknames and went back to watching the film quietly. She enjoyed this film, it was really fun and kinda scary too. Of course she assumed that boys liked princesses too though.
She hummed along to alot of the songs as they came up, she didn't know all the words but she knew the tunes.
It wasn't too long though before the film was rolling to it's climax, which for Colche was the scaryest bit. With the giant ursula. She hisses at the screen, her ears flattening tightly against her head "bad lady!" she stated rather simply, even though she knew it all turned out alright in the end. Cody Archer Cody turned his attention back to the movie again. He simply couldn't understand Colche. Girls were so weird sometimes
"Yeah" he replied absentmindedly. This part was really interesting, with the whirlpool, the ships, thunder and stuff. He didn't even noticed his tail banging against the floor, as if he just wanted to dive in the water to join the fight Colche Colche smiled as the movie drew to a close, she stretched and yawned a bit "time for nap" she stated nudging cody with her damp black nose. "see soon okies!" she puurrs, jumping to her foot paws, she headed for the door. it was time for her nap now the movie was over. Maybe she didn't realsie it, but as she walked towards the door, she hummed the flipper theme tune.Flipper was a good name for Cody, he was such an intelligent dolphin after all! Cody Archer Cody wipped his face as soon as Colche let him go. Her nose was cold and wet and almost felt like he had been kissed. Bleargh!
But the wetness ad the movie made him want to be in the water again, so he grabbed his bike, carefully trying not to let his tail hit the wheel, and went back to his room to get in the tub again
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Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:18 am
Newcomers need Lessons Cody Archer Cody was spening too much time in his bathtub. Way too much time. But the sensation water gave him was too good too keep him away from it. But why not having a bit of both?
Grabbing a towel and taking his bike, the dolphin kid made his way to the lake. Maybe Awen or Emelyn were there. If not he could enjoy the water AND not feel trapped in a tank or something. It was the perfect plan
Once he got there he simply dashed away from the bike and dived away
Out of the water the tail was just an annoying new member that screwed up his balance all the time, but inside it was like Cody got a pair of flippers for feet. And it seemed with this new change it was much easier to coordinate the tail and leg movements. The dolphin and human mind were closer together Gallen Marcuss Gallen had dozed off by 5 am only to re awake at 7:00 am. The sun was rising and it looked like it was going to be a great day. Gallen stretched as he got out of bed, his bare feet resting on the carpeted floor as he wiped the sleep form his eyes. It seemed the fever had broken over the night. As he leaned over to slip on his shoes, he thought it would be a great time, before everyone was up and about, to go explore the island.
Once he had his shoes on he got up and inspected how he looked in the mirror, his clothes did not look to bad, even though he slept in them, and for some reason he did not feel so tired. Excitement was fueling him. He soon opened the door to his duplex, greeted by the early morning sun and took in a deep breath. Usually at this hour he would be up doing his tai Chi work out, but today he would let it go. He wanted to see what the island had. He looked around and randomly started to walk in the direction of the shore. Cody Archer Cody was a bit far of the lake's shore when he heard someone approaching. It was weird on how far the sound could be carried over water, but he didn't even knew that property
Hoping it was Emelyn he turned to see who it was, only his head bobbing out of the water Gallen Marcuss Gallen ruffled through the dens jungle path to eth lack shore, making a lot of nice. He being a klutz tripped a could times over large roots or hit his head on low branches or vines. Yet all in all he was fine as he emerged before the lack. He was about 5 feet tall, from a distance he looked like a teen age kid, yet up close you could tell he was obviously between 19 and 22. He stretched and smiled as he enjoyed the early morning sun glimmering over the island lake. Then he saw a small blond haired head bobbing out of eth water…who was that. To Gallen it looked like a kid, but he was not sure. Maybe it was one the Professors children or some techies kid. He smiled and waved to the young boy. Cody Archer Cody didn't recognized who that person was. He certainly didn't looked like he had any animal features. Maybe he was someone new
He approached closer to the shore and still inside the water he waved back. With the distance and the water it wouldn't be easy to tell the webbing between his fingers
"Hi! I'm Cody" Gallen Marcuss Gallen waved back with a smile, it was a kid.
“Hi there little guy, My names Gallen. I did not expect to meet anyone this early in the morning. What yha doing out here alone?”
Gallen looked around the beach as he asked this question, maybe he missed seeing eth lids folks. If so he would find them soon and say good morning to them as well Cody Archer "I'm not little" Cody grumbled out loud. If there was one thing he hated it was being called little. He was 10 and he had been among the tallest in his class
"And I just came to take a swim" he swam a bit to the sides to exemplify. A bit too fast than it would be normal for a normal kid though Gallen Marcuss He was an exceptional swimmer Gallen noted as he walked closer to the shore line, his hands in his pocket.
“I am sorry, you just seem small from where you are swimming. So Cody where are your parents?”
Gallen still looked around only to be greeted by deserted shore and dense Jungle. Though the nice sea breeze felt wonderful. He was very tempted to pop off his shoes and put his feet in the crystal clear water. Seeing that Cody was enjoying his swim, it probably was ok to do this Cody Archer "I'm here on my own"
Cody didn't want to go all over the sadness he felt everytime he thought about his family. He was starting to deal with it, but it still hurt like hell. And the only reason that wasn't written all over his face was because he didn't want to Gallen to think he was a little kid Gallen Marcuss “Alone!!? You mean here on eth beach right?” Galen now was watching Cody, he noted something seemed to bug the boy. He soon pulled off his shoes and rolled up his pants.
“I see your a really good swimmer, how old are you Cody?” He felt it probably was bets to change the subject of the conversation sensing that maybe he hit a nerve asking about the boy’s family. He waded into the surprisingly warm water, enjoying eth feeling along his legs and bare feet. Cody Archer "No! Alone on the island. I have my own room"
At the mention of his swimming skills, Cody brighten up. He was really proud he was doing so much better than before. It was great not having his tail banging of the back of his legs all the time. He still had to pay attention now an then though. Because inside water the dolphin instincts acted up and rulled over on how he should swim
"I'm 10. How old are you? How long you've been here? Do you know your animal yet?"
As he kept talking he got closer to where Gallen was, though not getting out of the water. It would be much easier to spot his tail and fin from this distance Gallen Marcuss “Alone? On this island…but…why?” Gallen had trouble grasping why such a young boy would be on a medical research island all alone. He sighed as he waded deeper into eth water.
“I am 22, and no I just got here yesterday…. Do I know what animal I have?” Gallen was confused at the last question as he watched Cody swim closer. Something about the boy was not right, yet Gallen could not place his finger on it. How he moved in the water. He started to notice the kid had very small ears and that it looked as if he feet kicking behind him where moving like a tail, a gray tail.
“So why are you here all alone Cody?” Cody Archer "To get cured from my MS"
It was a simple reason that seemed perfectly acceptable to the grownups. And to him it made perfect sense, even though he couldn't really undestand what that had to do with turning him into a dolphin. But it was an animal he liked so he really didn't mind... well except the tail
"Really? I don't know how long I'm here, I don't count the days and they didn't had a calendar at the labs, but I'm here since June" Gallen Marcuss “Oh.” Gallen felt bad suddenly prying into this boys personal life. It made senses now, the waiting room and reception desk back at the labs, this was also a expensive medical treatment facility. Well this is great, Gallen smiled, my sister is helping cure kids like Cody here of there MS and what not. He was proud of his sister. Yet what did Cody mean, by, “what was Gallen’s animal.”
Then it hit him, “since June!” it was September now, he looked at the boy and gave him a sad smile,
‘it is September now bud, you been here for a while. But you’re feeling better right?” Gallen knew that these kinds of experimental treatments took time to do, and he hoped that Cody’s long ordeal here was going well. It sucked to be away from family for so long. Cody Archer Cody felt happy he didn't had to explain what MS was. He wasn't sure if he was getting better himself, since it had been a while since his last attack. Probably he was, considering the wait
"I think so" at that mention he had to get up and show how he was turning out. After all a good number of people with MS weren't able to walk properly and he wanted to show that was not the case Gallen Marcuss Gallen looked at the boy with a smile, which quickly faded to him gawking as the boy stood up. The boys skin was rubbery and grey from his tummy down and there..was..a…tail? A tail…A TAIL!!! Swooshing behind him. Gallen lost his balance and fell on his rear in the water.
“Oh dear god, what the hell is that. Pointing at the boys dolphin appendage. He started to back away from Cody, scared. This had to be a dream…no a nightmare. Gallen’s mind could not wrap around what was just reveled to him.
“dear god, what the hell is that, what the hell are you?” Cody Archer Cody was extremely surprised by Gallen's reaction. He never expected him not knowing people were getting turned into animals here and he certainly never broke the news down on nyone else before
Unsure, he turned around ot see if there was anything behind him. No, only his tail. It was completely amazin someone not knowing what that was. Or to be afraid of him
"Just my tail. And I'm kid" this was all he could come up as a reply. Gallen was staring to scare him and make him unsure of himself Gallen Marcuss “T-T-T-Tail!?, Humans do not have tails.. specially Dolphin tails….!!” He cussed in Chinese as he backed away quicker, scared shitless of what he was seeing. This was not normal. Gallen was ready to pass out or have a heart attack, he did not know what to do. A tail, A TAIL!! What the hell was going on here. This kid said he had MS, obviously he had more then MS wrong with him.
But a small voice in his mind noted that some people have birth defects and maybe this was the case. Still the other side of him, the side that was in charge was screaming to get the hell out of the area and lock himself in his room till his sister came. Cody Archer "I didn't had it before!"
Cody was pratically screaming at Gallen, half-spooked half-mad at him. It was not like he was doing this on purpose. If he could he would have asked never to have that thing to begin with. It was stupid and it hurt like hell to grow, but if this the only solution for his MS then he would have to live with it
"You're stupid! Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!!"
Cody was crying with anger, trying not show the tears but it was useless. It wasn't his fault, he didn't do anything wrong. Why in the hell was Gallen so afraid of him? It was so frustrating and it hurted. Almost as much as the changes Gallen Marcuss Gallen sat there as the boy burst out crying. He just made a kid, a kid with a dolphin tail, but still a 10 year old kid cry. He felt bad inside as he started to gain his wits. This kid must have gone through some tough s**t. He sat their looking at Cody.
“I..I..I am sorry, I just did not expect to see someone with a physical deformity.” Yet the tail was perfect, as if it was grafted to the kids body like in some really bad late night sci-fi movie. “Cody, I am sorry.” He felt bad, worse then bad Gallen felt like a jerk. Cody Archer "It's.not.a.deformity" Cody cried between sobs. He was furious at Gallen. He just wanted to punch the hell out of him until he realised how stupid he was being
"You just wait until you get yours! Then I'll come and say how deformed it is!!!" Gallen Marcuss “Huh” Gallen was quite confused. Wait till he got his deformity? What the heck was this kid going on about. He felt bad for making this kid cry. Gallen was not a bully. Still what he was witnessing, a kid with a dolphin tail, was defiantly not right and he knew not how to properly react to this. Cody Archer "I hope you get turned to a snail. Or better yet, a slug. A big fat slug!!"
Yeah, a slug was definitly the worst animal anyone could get turned into, in Cody's opinion. Not that he would ever wish that on someone though, he was just angry Gallen Marcuss “A slug?” Gallen responded, Now he was defiantly not sure what this kid was going on about. But he knew one thing, this kid was quickly setting off his brat-o-meter. Yhea it was his fault for poorly reacting to this sudden surprise, but this kid should realize that people not use to such things, as a kid with dolphin/fish/what ever features, can react poorly to eth surprise. Christ it is only one of the million normal human flaws.
Yet Gallen still felt bad, making a kid this upset was not something he took pride in. Even if the kid was a brat. Still…….”what are you going on about? A slug?” Cody Archer "Everyone that comes here gets turnd into an animal-person! Ambrose is a wolf, Amaya an iguana and Colche a... a, a kind of leopard or something!"
It was as simple as that. He did knew why and obviously didn't know how, but that was the reality here. And being a kid this didn't sound like such an impossible thing to happen to Cody. Heck, happened all the time on TV. Was it so hard to believe that someone had finally managed to come up with a way to do it? Gallen Marcuss Gallen’s jaw dropped, he looked at Cody, then at the island, then at Cody again. Then Gallen began to laugh. “Oh that is a good one kid, people turning to animals. You have quite an imagination.” He did not know who the kid was referring to, probably imaginary friends. Heck was that not normal for kids, specially ones who needed a way to explain why they looked, or acted, or even lived the way they did. It was a way of escape. Just like Gallen and his comic books. Cody Archer If there was one thing Cody disliked more than being called little was being called a liar or be said he was just making thing up. Gallen was so in his hate list
"I'm not making it up!!! Do you know anyone with a dolphin tail? Or flippers or fin? Does this look fake?!?"
Cody turned around to let Gallen have a good look at his back and his tail waved around on its own accord. What would take to get this thickhead to believe him. Having him to grab his tail? Fine, he could! Then Cody would have a good reason to beat him and show he was right all along. Because even a 5 year old would know no one grew dolphin tails. That was just stupid Gallen Marcuss Gallen shook his head and smiled, “Nope little guy, I do not. I am sorry you have them, but I am sure the doctors here will help find a way to give you a normal life.” Cody’s little story, which un known to Gallen was actually the truth and the terrible secret of the island, helped allow the 22 year old to find a rational explanation to why Cody looked the way he did. Obviously he was here for treatment for some deformity. Still it was very odd how his deformity looked like a perfect Dolphin a tail and fins.
“Hey it is great you have an imagination though? So when can I meet your friends Amberos and…errr.. this cheetah girl.” Gallen was patronizing Cody now. Cody Archer Cody stomped back out of the water and stop right in from of Gallen, his face red with anger. At such a short distance it would be very hard to keep thinking of his dolphin features as deformities. They looked way too perfect and... normal looking (for a dolphin)
Without a warning he pushed him as hard as he could (which wasn't much) with his webbed hands
"I'm not imagining, I'm not lying and I'm not little!!!" the tail raised and his flippers twitched visibly with this outburst Gallen Marcuss Gallen fell back, as a huge splash came up form the small man. Ok this kid was on his major brat list. As Gallen looked up at the kid he finally saw the strange features. They where too perfect to be deformities, yet what this kid said could not be true. But Gallen was too annoyed by this kid to really give what was plainly in sight a second thought
“The hell, you lousy little brat. How dare you push a grown up. Did your parents teach you any manners.” As Gallen yelled he noted that Cody’s tail moved along with flippers, in reaction as the little boy got angrier. Cody Archer Cody wasn't really the type of person to disrespec others, but if anyone called him a liar than he wouldn't care less if it was another kid or a grown up. It deserved retaliation
"You're an idiot and a jerk! I hope one of the dangerous islanders eat you up, you slug!!"
Angry he just turned around, grabbed his bike and ran back to his room. Anything not to see that idiot's face again Gallen Marcuss Gallen sat there in the water as he watched the small boy run off. “What just occurred?” he said under his breath as he got back up. He looked back to where Cody had run and shouted, “You know kid you’re a real brat!!!!”
This was going to be a long vacation, Gallen just did not know how long
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Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 8:30 am
Some Sticks Bend, other just Break Cody Archer Pissed. That's how Cody was feeling, completely pissed. Ever since he met Gallen he couldn't help to feel angry at everything. He wasn't a liar, he wasn't a brat and he defenetly wasn't making things up. It made him furious that idiot not beliving the truth right in front of his eye. Grownups were real thickheads sometimes
He was having one of those urges to swim again. The tub was nice but made him feel trapped. And he wasn't going to the lake anytime soon again
He remembered seeing a river leading to the lake. Might as well go exploring, get his mind off things. So he grabbed his faithful bike and slowly made his way towards it Richard Harrison Richard had slept fitfully that night . Images of animals with human eyes had haunted his dreams. He woke up feeling very tired. He didn't want to think about the island anymore, it was just a circle of depression and fear. So he resolved that today would be a day off. He'd go off somewhere and do something relaxing and not worry about things today. There would be plenty of time to think about schemes, escape routes and distress signals another day. He had seen a set of fishing rods and tackle boxes in the Rec room. He'd just go find a fishing spot where he wouldn't be disturbed and pretend that he had simply retired from reporting and was enjoying a long break. Richard didn't really think it would work, but it was better than staring at the ceiling of his duplex. So early that morning, Richard had aquired the fishing gear and set off in search of a good fishing spot. The lake didn't look too promising, being really muddy and reedy but the river... Some distance up the River, Richard had found a perfect spot, a shade tree right by a natural eddy in the river. He sat there, prefectly still, waiting for a bite. Cody Archer The sound of wheels crushing the twigs and dead leaves could be heard in the distance. It didn't belong to a jeep, it was too slow and had no sound of a motor
In just a couple of minutes it was easy to see who the sound belong to. A bike. And a dolphin-like kid was riding it
Cody had been to absorved in his thoughts to pay any real attention to the things around him. Only when he was nearly on top of the still normal man he realised he wasn't alone
He could have turned away and go somewhere else. Cody really didn't want to face another unchanged person and get called a liar again. But there was something about this man that made him stay. He kinda remind him of his grandfather
So he just stood there watching, unsure if he would be yelled at again or not Richard Harrison Richard hadn't been having much luck, which wasn't really that surprising considering all he had were the plastic lures that came in the box. He was thinking about using bits of the sandwhich he had grabbed from the cafetiera when he heard the sound of wheels on the path. A bike and a rider emerged, then stopped. A kid, a teenager perhaps, with a dolphin tail. Richard looked at the boy, he studied the tail for a moment. He hadn't really wanted to deal with people today. Oh well, not like his thoughts had actually been clear anyway besides the kid looked upset already. Decision made, Richard's cautious look broke into a smile. "Hey, there lad. Out for a ride?" Cody Archer The man hadn't started screaming at him. And he was smiling. That helped Cody's spirit lift up a bit
He got off of the bike, but didn't make a motion to get closer. He wasn't still sure on how the man would react
"For a swim. I wanted to explore the river. You're fishing? Got any bites yet?" Richard Harrison Richard grinned at his little bobber swirling around in the eddy. "Not a single bite. Course that might have something to do with the fact I've just got lures and no bait." Richard looks back at Cody, nodding at the tail. "Swimming eh? I bet your mighty good at that." Might as well focus on the positives. Cody Archer "Lures? Bait?" Cody's knowlege on fishing was practicly non existant. The only things he knew were a rod, string, hook and worm. And wait for fish to bite
Cody looked back at where Richard was pointing and look back at him again. He HAD noticed the tail and wasn't making any fuss about it. That alone was enough to bring a smile back to his face
"I am! Not as good as a dolphin but I can swim pretty fast. I tried it 2 days ago. It was really great. I love swooshing around the water, it feels awsome"
Making a little break he approached the much older man. He really needed to vent this down on someone, he really needed an opinion and advice. And he looked nice
"I met a guy at the lake the other day. He was nice in the beggining but then he looked at my tail and then he got scared and started screaming at me and called me deformed and a liar. He said I was making things up when I told people got turned into animal-people here. And I got angry and ran away from him"
"Why didn't he believe me? It's not my fault, is it?" Richard Harrison Richard was happy for the boy that he seemed to be enjoying himself a little. He arch his brow at the boy when he blurted out his encounter with Gallen. Sighing a little, it was clear that the boy needed some one to talk to. Patting a patch of grass next to him, inviting the boy to sit next to him, "No its not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong." Cody Archer Cody complied to the invitation and sat next to Richard
"Then why did he acted like that? I was telling the truth!" Richard Harrison Oh Boy. This might take awhile. How to explain the concept of denial to one so young. "What's your name son?" Gotta start somewhere, Richard reasoned. "And how did you get here?" Cody Archer "I'm Cody. And I came here to get cured from my MS" Richard Harrison Ah, so the boy was at least getting something out of this. Richard wondered about his parents but avoided bringing it up. It was very likely to be a touchy topic. Where to start. He picked up a small twig and flexed it experimentally. "You see Cody, this is the only place in the world where people grow tails. And most people don't know about this place so they believe such a thing is immpossible. Can you think of something that's impossible?" Cody Archer "Yeah, I know. I only found out when I came here snd Aubrey told me. But I didn't called her a liar!"
Cody pondered for a bit, trying to think something really impossible
"Sneezing with your eyes open! I tried, it doesn't work. Ever" Richard Harrison Richard chuckled at the boy's example. "Thats actually possible, but don't do it, your eyes might fly out of your head from the pressure." Richard couldn't resist spreading that little myth. "Anyway no you and me, when we see something that we thought impossible we say, 'Oh I guess that possible after all' and move on with our lives." Richard flexes the twig. "We bend but we don't break, much like this twig here. Some people are more like..." Richard selects a thicker, drier twig. "Are like this one." He snaps the twig in half. Guess what happens when people's heads break?" Cody Archer Cody's eyes opened in amazement. Now that was something he defenetly wouldn't want to try
He was about to ask if he knew anyone that got the eyes blown out, but stoped when Richard spoke again
"Hm..... I don't know. Get an headache?" Richard Harrison "Kind of. It hurts, it hurts so much they will say or do anything to convice themselves that the impossible didn't happen. Which includes accusing prefectly honest people that they are lying. This fella, what's name? Will probably realize how things are in a week or so, but maybe you should stay away from him for awhile." Cody Archer It kinda make sense. It was stupid to try and deny the obvious but it didn't seemed such a strange concept. He knew it had happened to a friend of his once, when his dog died. He never really believed he was gone
"It's Gallen. Fat, idiotic slug Gallen"
And with that Cody got up, feeling much more cheerful. It wasn't his fault, he wasn't a freak or something. Gallen was just stupid, but he would realise he was right and then Cody would make sure he wouldn't forget it
"Thanks mister"
And with that he jumped on his bike. He still wanted to have a swim but he knew better than diving in the water where someone was trying to fish. But before he got out of sight he had time to turn and shout a goodbye
"Hope you catch loads of fish grandpa!"
Why the hell he called him that!!! Richard Harrison Gandpa!?? Richard wasn't that old, well maybe he was. A genuine grin split his face as he watched the dolphin boy take off. He waved. "Take care Cody!" With that he reeled in his line, pulled the weeds out of the hook and recast his line. Gallen uh? Too bad He didn't know the duplex number, Richard might have went to pay the man a visit...
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