I ran upstairs into my room. Everything was as I remembered it. Nothing had changed, except that my normally neat bedcovers were screwed in a heap at the end of the mattress. Also someone had cleaned out the bin.
Stopping at the mirror, I had another look at myself. My full length reflection showed that the subtle changes hadn’t been limited to my face. For one, I seemed taller, even though I was sure I hadn’t grown. It was like I carried myself better. Taking off the top showed the rest. I was still slim, but underneath my skin were the faint definitions of muscles. I tensed a bicep and was shocked to see a respectable sized lump appear. Overall, the changes weren’t drastic but still noticeable. Like I’d become an alternate version of myself, who’d spent his life dedicated to health and fitness. Not knowing what to think, all I could do was shake my head in wonder.
I threw the grass stained vest in the wash basket and changed into an old hoodie and a pair of trainers. As I headed for the door, I noticed my phone lying on the desk.
I’ll check it later.
A few minutes later we were standing on the street, illuminated by the overhead glow of a streetlamp. They continued all the way down the road at even distances, casting little pools of orange onto the pavement. Mikey pointed into the distance. “Run down to the fifth light and back and I’ll see how fast you are.” I couldn’t see any reason to object, so I turned and faced the gloom, waiting for his signal. “GO!” he shouted and I sprang forward as he was still finishing the word.
My trainers slapped mercilessly against the pavement as I sprinted forward. For some reason, it didn’t feel fast enough; I was still moving at a normal pace. “Come on!” I shouted at myself.
Then something happened, a mental switch flicked inside my brain. Everything went into overdrive. I could hear the steady thumping of my heart and the pounding of the blood swimming around my temples. The thuds of my soles hitting the concrete sounded like echoing booms. The Streetlights flashed past and I had to remind myself to stop as I rocketed past the fifth. Hopping around on one foot, I turned and charged back. Mikey was just a little blob in the distance, but as I rushed forward, slipping in and out of the light, he grew until he was a full size teenager. I could see his face, frozen in shock. Then I was past him, skidding to a halt about twenty yards further up the road. The strange sensation stopped as fast as it had started. I was barely out of breath as I reached my half-brother.
He stared at me and blinked.
“So how did I do?” I asked, anxiously rubbing the back of my neck.
He made a spluttering noise and backed away from me. “I–I don’t know what to say. That was impossible! No one can run that fast!” He pointed to the spot next to him. “When you passed me you were a blur. I mean seriously, you were a blur Alex!”
“Okay not so loud!” I hissed and tried to pull him towards me. Instead, he went sailing past and flew to the ground, sliding along the pavement.
“Mikey”! I gasped, running towards him. He groaned and rolled over.
“Oh crap! Are you okay?”
He nodded. I was afraid of what might happen if I tried to help him up, so I let him stand by himself. Apart from a graze on his left hand he appeared unharmed.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Oh god, what’s happening to me?”
“Relax, I’m fine,” he assured me, dusting himself down. Then he smiled. “I guess we can put a tick next to super-strength. Guess that would explain the car crash.” A thought came to me. “The car crash! I bet it’s on TV!” We both ran back into the house and piled into the lounge. I switched on the local news and waited. The headlines and even filler news came and went. Nothing about a crash. Mikey looked at me and shrugged as I powered off the set. “Maybe they didn’t report it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Mikey, I was hit by a car doing at least fifty. It folded in half and I walked away without a scratch. In what world would that not be news?” I sat down on the couch and rubbed a hand against my head. “None of this makes any sense.”
The sound of a car rolling into the drive caught my attention.
“Mum and Dad,” said Mikey stating the obvious.
Somehow telling them seemed like a mistake. I stood up and walked close to my half-brother. I whispered as if afraid my parents would be able to hear through the outside wall. “Mikey, I don’t want you to tell them anything okay? Let’s keep this between me and you.” He arched his eyebrows. “Where the hell are you going to say you’ve been?” I wasn’t sure. “I’ll think of something, just back me up okay?” He stared at me. “Please?” He sighed. “Fine.” I clapped him on the shoulder, making sure to be gentle. “Thanks.”
The engine rumbled to a stop and I heard the thunk of doors slamming, followed by a clatter of keys in the lock. “Hello?” Mum called as the front door clicked shut. “Mum, Dad, in here! Guess who’s back?” called out Mikey. Mum and John came rushing into the lounge. “Hi,” I said awkwardly as they appeared, actually waving at them.
“Alex! Oh my boy!” sobbed Mum and ran over, wrapping her arms around me. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!” As she held me close, I rested my head into the crook of her neck. There was nothing quite like a mother’s comforting to make all of your troubles disappear. Looking up brought me back to reality with a bump.
John had held back, his thick arms folded across his even thicker chest. He was eyeing me suspiciously. “Where in the bloody hell have you been? Your Mother has been going out of her mind with worry!” he growled. “And what’s with the makeover?” He gestured his hand towards me.
Until he had said the last part, I’d had no clue what I was going to say. Now I knew.
Mum unravelled herself and stood away from me, wiping her eyes.
I raised my hands in a defensive pose. “I’m really sorry I worried everyone. I’ve been feeling pretty down lately, so I decided to go to this new alternative health place down the coast.” My words sounded confident to my ears. I hoped it was the same for them. “They were advertising it for sixth formers. A winter retreat. I had to get the train really early in the morning and because I was so tired, I forgot to take my phone.” I breathed in deep. “I was going to call you from the place, but you weren’t allowed to use phones unless it was an absolute emergency. Part of the treatment they said.” I felt the last few words hang in the air, like vapour.
John was staring at me, trying to see if I was telling the truth. Before he could call me out on it, Mikey came to the rescue. “He’s telling the truth Dad. I’ve seen it advertised in the hub. This is actually my fault a bit. Alex told me he was thinking of going the other week, but I completely forgot.” That seemed to work. There was no way that perfect Mikey would lie to his Dad. John nodded and flicked his eyes back to me. “Why didn’t you tell us you were going?” he demanded. I looked down at the floor trying my best to look ashamed. “Because I didn’t think you would let me.”
He shook his head and sighed. “Well you’re a bloody idiot for leaving your phone behind.” He turned to Mum who was staring out of the window. She looked lost in thought.
“I’m going to call the police and let them know. You coming babe?”
Mum snapped out of her reverie. “Yes, two seconds honey.”
John headed for the door and stopped. He seemed to be dealing with some kind of internal struggle. When he spoke and the words were a little strained. “Whatever they did at that health place, it’s done the trick. You look…better,” he grunted. Then nodded to show he was done and disappeared from the room.
A smile crept across my face at yet another unexpected compliment courtesy of my stepdad. It soon switched to confusion when Mum hugged me again and whispered something so low into my ear I could barely hear. I drew back at her words, confused. She squeezed my arm and turned, heading out of the door.
What on earth did she mean by that?