As we entered the hallway, I reached for Karen’s hand, but she quickly pulled back.
“Don’t touch me until I give you permission. And walk behind, not beside. Understand?”
“No, I don’t. Did I do something wrong?”
She shook her head no, and we continued on to Georgio’s Pizza without another word, where we took a table by the window. Outside, the streets were beginning to fill with evening shoppers.
“Why are you so standoffish?”
“I’ll tell you at seven o’clock, and not a minute sooner. Now let’s order before it gets crowded.”
We got an all-veggie with onions, green peppers, black olives, mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, and broccoli; my favorite, or at least, it used to be. Karen looked at me with a grin and ordered another. A meat-lovers, extra-large.
“Have you talked to Scottie lately?”
“No, he’s still pissed, thinks I made a mistake giving up my job for you.”
“Well, you are an out-of-work freeloader living in my condo.”
“Ha Ha.”
Her comment, said jokingly, did hit home for a moment. After all, it was true. But having the ability to shapeshift allows me to get any job I want.
“Let’s walk up to Duck’s for a few drinks after we eat.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Duck’s had a row of bright yellow outdoor seating where we sat to people watch. A few girls even looked at me until Karen’s burning eyes met theirs.
Looking down, I saw my watch and said, “It’s—.”
“I know what time it is,” she responded.
Shift is an online work of fiction.
This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift – Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.
The story centers around shapeshifting.
I’m currently working on chapter nine.
Timothy French 