Earlier that afternoon, Melony Tyne groaned, wondering which of the powers that be hated her so much pair her with what must have been the two worst lab partners in the world. Prior to her changes at the hands of Whitelace, Melony had been a rather typical teenage girl, her only real distinction being the fact that she was one of the school's few African American kids. So far the alterations hadn't been too severe, having her eyes change from brown to hazel and her hair straightening out and shortening a bit so that it rested just above her shoulders. She wasn't the greatest science student, but at least she did her part, which was certainly more than that could be said than the other two in her group. Lucy Corinth was a member of the popular crowd, though Melony suspected this was entirely due to Lucy being so tiny she could serve as the flyer for even their school's cheerleading squad full of princesses, and so dumb that even Tiffany looked smart standing next to her. Right now she seemed fascinated by a beetle flitting across the desktop, though she seemed terrified whenever it darted in her direction. Trevor Blake wasn't nearly as stupid as Lucy, but he might as well have been, for all the good he did. He simply sat there, listening to his ipod and looking sulky. Melony knew goths were supposed to be all dark and brooding, but they didn't have to be vegetables.
Well, no use sitting here and moping about it. Melony turned her attention back to the assignment, almost knocking over a beaker she reached for. She pulled back her hand, realizing she must not be used to these long nails, not questioning when exactly her nails had gotten so long. But wait, how could she not been used to them? She had always kept them long, since she was a little girl.
The teacher called Trevor to the front of the class, who grudgingly complied. Probably just going to rag on him about something stupid, he thought. Instead, the teacher had a note from the principal from him, and told him to step outside to read it. Odd, Trevor thought, if Davidson wanted to chew him out, why couldn't he do it personally? But wait, Davidson? That wasn't right. Why did he think someone with that name was principal? No, that certainly wasn't the headmistress. Headmistress? Ugh, this was giving him such a headache. Might as well just read the note.
He opened the gilded envelope, pulling out a letter writ in a flowing handwriting Trevor somehow knew was the Headmistress'. As he began to read, Trevor's body began to go through a series of radical changes. His hair lost its black dye, but remained a dark brown. His pale skin darkened to a golden, earthy tone, his eyes became almond shaped and brown. His body grew a good foot and a half, largely in the legs, which were also becoming shapely and hairless. His body became long and lean, accented by expanded hips and a pair of breasts sprouting from Trevor's chest. He aged a decade or so, his face now that of a Native American woman in her late twenties. As his eyes scanned over the final line, the final change took place between his legs, as the last marker of his masculinity became the final confirmation to her new femininity.
Tehya Blake folded away the letter, then noticed what she was wearing. The hell? Why was she wearing these. They looked absurd, ill fitting, and probably were designed for some teenage boy. Totally unprofessional. Tehya ducked into a nearby bathroom, entering a stall and picking up a bag of clothing that lay waiting there. A few minutes later she reemerged wearing a white business suit tailored to her height, stopping in the mirror for a moment to apply a light coat of makeup, before heading back out the door.
Back in the hallway, Tehya paused to get her bearings. Why was she in the school building again something about a letter of course! The headmistress had written it to tell Tehya to retrieve one of her girls. Apparently one of Melony's relatives had died, an uncle back in Italy. Wait Italy? But wasn't Melony Tehya shook her head furiously. God, she was so off today. Anyhow, the Headmistress figured Melony deserved the rest of the day off, though why she took the time to write out her instruction in such a lengthy letter Tehya couldn't say. Guess she's just old fashioned or something.
Tehya stepped into the science class, ducking down to avoid banging her head on the door frame. She looked around, spotting Melony sitting alone at a table in back. Odd, wasn't she supposed to have a pair of lab partners with her? Perhaps they were sick today. Tehya explained the situation to the teacher, then made her way back to where Melony sat. Melony was being unproductive, as usual; she appeared to be using one of her bobby pins to fiddle with a padlock. What Tehya didn't notice was that Melony's skin was significantly lighter than the tone it had been when Trevor had left the room.
"Melony?" Tehya asked, uncertain on how to broach the subject. "I think that I think perhaps we should step outside. "
Melony raised an eyebrow, but complied, following the tall woman outside the classroom.
"Well, I don't know how to say it, but your Uncle Antonio is dead," Tehya said, once they had gotten outside. Wow, that was a so indelicate. Tehya wondered how Michelle managed to handle these kids so well.
To Tehya's surprise, however, Melony didn't seem too distressed by this. Maybe a little troubled, certainly, but not surprised. "I see. Did they say how he died?" She asked, looking up at the older woman.
"Uh yes, actually, he drowned, and the police suspect foul play. They still don't know who did it, though."
"The Contadinos, no doubt," Melony muttered.
"Pardon?"
"Nothing, nothing. So, well, what now? Am I to attend the funeral?"
"I'm not sure. I was just told to pull you out of class, give you the rest of the day off. Are you alright, then? Would you like to go back to the dorm?"
"Uh, no, no, that's fine," Melony said. "I'll just wander around here for awhile, if that's alright."
"Alright, you know where to find me if you need me," Tehya said, giving Melony one last look before she headed back to the dorm.
Melony watched as her giant of a supervisor walked back down the hall. That woman was always so awkward, both physically and socially. But not too bad, all in all. Knew when to keep out of others people's business. Not like her Uncle Tony, certainly. Now there was a character, always sticking his neck out. She was surprised he hadn't gotten whacked sooner, actually. But she probably shouldn't think ill of the dead, particularly if he's family. Ah well, no use sitting here and moping about it.
Melony scanned the halls, looking about for any familiar faces. Jay and Yuki usually had fifth off; maybe she could find them somewhere about. Melony Tirotta rubbed the bridge of her narrowing nose, and set out in search of the friends she didn't know she just made
