I was leaning out of the kitchen window, hand cradling my head, and massaging my temple. The wind whipped through my messy red bob, but I'd long since given up on brushing the wavy strands it from my face. I was so tired, my god was I tired, but I couldn't exactly ignore this situation that had been suddenly thrust upon me. I had to calm down and figure things out.
I was smoking. I didn't smoke tobacco unless it was a blend, you know? But I couldn't find a blunt, my nerves were blitzed, and to top it all off I'd felt an unnatural craving surge up within me as soon as I spied the little white carton on the edge of the kitchen counter. The "kiddos" had enjoyed chicken noodle soup and a platter of stale veggies with a surprising amount of contentment. They had begged me for cookies from the top of the fridge, which I allowed, and after some prompting they scampered off to do kid stuff in another room.
Holy shit. Kids. Am I really stuck taking care of kids? I didn't even know their names. I took another long drag on the cigarette, blew the smoke into the wind, and gazed out at the city complex below. I had a roadside view from high up in the apartment, and could see far to the left and right. This wasn't any city from my Earth, I knew that much. It felt like I was living in the husk of a once glorious metropolis. Despite the sheer size of the city there were very few people walking around, and just as few cars. Less than half of the windows in the neighboring buildings were lit, and half dead vines had all but consumed the top 3 floors of the brick tower opposite my window perch. The air was cold and dead every time it blew against my face, but that kept me awake. I needed to be awake for this. I took another long drag, then tossed the orange filter to the streets below. The full pack invited me to take another, but with a grumble I resisted.
I produced a ragged wallet I'd found next to the carton of cigs, and slipped the ID out. There was that face. That dammed face. The same one that was in the silver mirror back in the abandoned manor, and now, the same one that looked back at me from every mirror.
"Name, Madrion Dublaine. Address, Brooklyn, NewYork." I said in her husky voice. This was not Brooklyn. At least not the Brooklyn I knew. The buildings were too tall, and too close together. The signature brick scape had too much soulless concrete and steel. To top it off the kids didn't even have a Brooklyn accents. I chuckled, glad I was able to find some humor in this nightmare.
I continued to examine the ID:
Age: 37. I'd lost a good 9 years in this trade, and wasn't happy about it, but tried not to think too much about that problem. I continued down the identifiers.
Height: 5'2"
Weight 180lbs Ironically this was the same amount I weighed in my real body. Only I was squished down a full foot, and didn't have the excuse of muscle mass and bone density.
Hair color: Red
Skin: White
All of this was normal enough, or at least as normal as can be expected for someone who didn't match any of those descriptions one day ago. It was the last item on the ID that threw me.
Race: Human
Why yes. I am a human. Why the hell was that clarification necessary? As if in answer, I heard a sudden cry erupt in the fading red light of the sun. My spine tingled, and I froze. I'd heard a bobcat scream in the night while camping on a mushroom hunt once. It was wild and feral, but had a humanity to it that froze the heart. This cry reminded me of that, only the sound was deeper. I scowled, and looked at my ID again.
Race: Human
I pulled the window shut, and stood upright. My spine creaked like a door on a rusty hinge, and the muscles in my lower back immediately lodged a complaint over the imposition. I leaned against the counter for relief, and crossed my arms under my heavy bust. My bra... Can I say that? "My Bra". Well whatever. My bra was digging painfully into my shoulders. I didn't know much about bra's, but I knew they were supposed to give support, and these were failing at that job. My sweater puppies were more like bean bag chairs, minus the benefit of lightweight stuffing, and that was only the start. This whole body bulged and bubbled in all kinds of unfamiliar ways. If my tummy weren't so soft, I'd be worried this body was pregnant, and I'd already slammed my hips into the corner of the table after misjudging how how big I was. I carried the weight well at least. I was more curvy than heavy and droopy, but I could still see the tell tale signs of age and gravity. I thought back to the other faces in the silver mirror. I'd really gotten a raw deal compared to those other bodies, but frankly that was fine by me. Those kids, Eli, and Grace, and Zarra, and Harrison. They were young and bright. They had futures. Relatively speaking I could deal with being older. I wondered briefly who had ended up as what, and hoped they had taken to their bodies more easily than me.
"Let's see... Grace could be the blondie. Eli could be the cat guy." I mused out loud. "That wouldn't be too much of a change to be honest" I laughed at the idea of Eli waking up with paws, then coughed lightly.
"Then that would would make Zarra the tubby girl. She wouldn't be happy about that, but she was tough and could roll with the punches. That would make Harrison the fox man." I smirked. "Hell, that might even be an upgrade." Of course that was best case scenario. Who knows how the die were actually cast.
I glanced over to the living room where the sound of the kids reached my ears. "Shit." I buried my face in both hands, then brushed my hair back in utter exasperation and sighed. At least I'd gotten this life instead of them. That brought me some comfort. A part of me thought about giving them up for adoption, but the thought alone made me want to vomit, and that wasn't this bodies reaction either... At least I didn't think it was. I may have been a burn out bum chasing pipe dreams, but I wouldn't abandoned kids that needed help. No way. No how. I watched the shadows of the kids as they jabbered on in their little kid language and moved with excitement. I shook my head. No. I'd never let a kid go through 'THAT'. Not if I could help it. I wasn't sure about all this other shit I was having to confront, but I wasn't about to make my situation their problem. At the very least, I'd make sure they could be happy. My thoughts turned to Eli and I nodded resolutely.
