#shapeshifter!thomas

“You made a comment about ‘land legs’ earlier. And just now you said you weren’t a ‘fish out of water,’” Virgil replied. Emile glanced around nervously, refusing to look either Logan or Virgil in the eyes.

“Uh, I- I’m just kind of a goofy guy, I guess!” he laughed nervously. Virgil didn’t look convinced, but Logan gave Virgil a slight glare, silently telling him not to press on the subject. It was clear that Dr. Emile Picani was hiding something, but Logan was confident that he was trustworthy, even if he was a bit… over the top.

“That is quite alright, Dr. Picani. Thank you for your time today,” Logan said, giving the doctor a thin smile. In return, Emile gave Logan a dazzling grin.

“Thank you! I guess th-th-th-that's all, folks!” he proclaimed, giving a cheesy impression of Porky Pig, waving at Logan and Virgil. While he was waving, Logan caught a glimpse of something on his wrist. It seemed to be a bracelet, made out of pale pink and blue seashells. But before he could comment on it, the exuberant doctor had left the room.

“Well that was…” Virgil trailed off, sagging in his chair.

“Interesting. But he is our best candidate,” Logan said. Virgil gave Logan an incredulous stare.

“That guy? Really? I think the short-tempered dwarf would be a better option,” Virgil huffed. Logan’s mouth set into a firm frown.

“Was that a pun?” he asked, his voice low. Virgil snorted out a laugh, covering his mouth as soon as the sound escaped his lips.

“Not intentionally. But come on, Logan. This Dr. Picani was clearly hiding something. What if he’s a siren?” Virgil protested.

“Sirens are supposed to sing about your heart’s deepest desires. Dr. Picani was making puns and wouldn’t stop quoting cartoons. Not really my heart’s wishes,” Logan replied.

“You do realize that you are dating Patton, right?” Virgil smirked. Logan’s face flushed slightly.

“I- um, that’s not the point! And if Dr. Picani really is a siren, then I’m sure you would have heard musical tunes and Disney quotes,” Logan shot back. Virgil rolled his eyes and groaned.

“Okay, so he’s not a siren. But there’s still something weird about that dude,” Virgil muttered.

“I did notice he had a seashell bracelet on. Perhaps he likes the sea? That ‘land legs’ comment could merely have been a reference to a trip to the beach he had taken recently. We very well could be reading into this too much,” Logan pointed out. There was silence for a moment, while Virgil mulled over what Logan had just said.

“Maybe you have a point. Guess I’m just paranoid, as per usual. So we’re gonna hire this guy?” Virgil asked.

“He is our best option,” Logan replied. Virgil let out a sigh.

“I guess you’re right,” he shrugged. Logan nodded, giving Virgil a small smile.

“Very well. I’ll take care of the paperwork and get it to Ms. Torres,” he replied.

“Sounds good to me,” Virgil said, standing up from his chair and stretching. Logan shuffled through the papers on the table, making sure that each document was in its place.

“I’m gonna head to my classroom, if that’s alright with you. See you at lunch?” Virgil asked, beginning to leave the room. He stopped at the doorway, casting a glance back at Logan.

“Of course, Virgil. See you then,” Logan replied, sparing a quick glance up from his paperwork, then focusing back on the pile in front of him. Virgil smiled, then left the room to get ready for the school day.

The day carried on rather uneventfully, however, Virgil was glad when lunchtime came around. While the morning had been uneventful, it had been quite boring. Then again, Virgil supposed, it was a Monday.

As he walked down the hallway to Logan’s classroom, Virgil hoped that a certain group of misfits would be joining them for lunch. That is, he was hoping to see Thomas, Joan, and Talyn. The trio, by invitation of Logan, would often have lunch with the two teachers. At first it was because they wanted to discuss the Mythical-Human Relations club meetings, seeing as Thomas, Joan, and Talyn ran the club along with Logan. However, now they joined Logan and Virgil for lunch simply because they wanted to.

“Mr. Caelius! Quick question for ya!” Joan asked, once Virgil had entered Logan’s classroom. Virgil raised an eyebrow, setting his bag down as he took a seat at the cluster of desks. It seemed that the three teenagers had once again rearranged Logan’s classroom, something that the science teacher didn’t particularly enjoy. However, having his classroom slightly rearranged to accommodate the five of them was better than the alternative of them not eating together at all.

“Shoot,” Virgil shrugged.

“Okay, so the vampire thing where you can’t see your reflection. Is that true?” Joan asked, leaning forward in their chair. Thomas and Talyn leaned in as well, while Logan rolled his eyes, and shook his head with a fond smile.

“Well… it depends on the mirror. If it’s made with silver, I can’t see my reflection. But if it’s made with a different metal, I can see myself just fine,” Virgil replied. Thomas and Joan immediately slumped back in their chairs, while Talyn smirked.

“You both owe me five bucks,” they said smugly.

“Wait, you guys bet on whether or not I could see my reflection?” Virgil asked, trying to suppress a laugh.

“Yeah, I bet that you couldn’t see your reflection, but Joan was convinced that the whole mirror thing was a hoax,” Thomas sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“And I told them that they were both wrong,” Talyn shrugged. Both Logan and Virgil chuckled at that, while Joan and Thomas gave out various mumbles of frustration.

“So tell me, has anyone heard anything from our undersea friends?” Logan asked.

“You mean Annika and Haven? I haven’t heard anything from them since Annika decided to go back to the ocean,” Thomas replied.

“Yeah, and Haven went with her. Something about wanting to meet aquatic fairies?” Talyn added, glancing at Joan for confirmation.

“Yeah, she also said she wanted to explore the world. Haven was held captive by D.O.M.E. for quite some time,” they said.

“Makes sense,” Virgil shrugged. However, Logan seemed puzzled.

“But how would she go in the ocean and visit the undersea creatures? She’s a fairy, and as far as I’m aware, fairies do need to breathe. And I don’t believe her tiny, delicate form could handle the deep sea pressure,” Logan pointed out.

“Maybe she has water wings?” Thomas grinned. Logan’s lips pressed together in a firm line.

“Or magic. Fairies use magic,” Joan added. A small, frustrated sound escaped Logan’s lips, and he brought one hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Fine. I suppose that makes sense,” he huffed. The teenagers and Virgil broke into laughter, while Logan let out a sigh.

The lunch period continued as normal, with the teens idly chatting with each other, Logan and Virgil occasionally joining in the conversation. Soon, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. Thomas, Joan, and Talyn said goodbye to Logan and Virgil, and then Virgil returned to his own classroom.

The day seemed to drag on slowly, until finally the final bell rang. Students rushed out of the building, leaving Virgil alone in his classroom. He straightened the papers on his desk, debating on staying late and grading them. As much as he didn’t want to, it probably would be better if he started now, rather than waiting until later.

With a sigh, he walked out of his room to let Logan know that he was staying late. Virgil could have just texted Logan this, but he needed an excuse to stretch his legs, as well as put off grading for just a little while longer.

While walking to Logan’s room, he noticed a girl standing in the hallway. She wore a mauve cape coat, black jeans, and black ankle boots. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled up into pigtails, her warm brown eyes glancing around frantically. There was something… familiar… about the girl, but Virgil couldn’t quite place it.

“C’mon, Zephyr, where are you?” the girl muttered. Virgil raised an eyebrow, stepping closer to the girl. She didn’t seem to realize he was there.

“Looking for someone?” Virgil asked. The girl jumped, eyes wide. She stumbled backwards slightly, and Virgil put his hands up in a placating gesture.

“Whoa, it’s okay! I didn’t mean to startle you. You just looked a little lost, and I wanted to help you,” Virgil said, giving his best attempt at a reassuring smile. The girl seemed to become more terrified.

“Vampire,” she gasped. Virgil stiffened, self-consciously running his tongue over his fangs, as if he had forgotten they were there. This caused the girl to thrust her hands out in front of her, shielding her face.

“Hey, don’t freak out! I may be a little… irritable sometimes, but I’m not gonna-” Virgil’s sentence was cut off as a sudden gust of wind blew him backwards, knocking him off of his feet. He groaned as his back slammed into the ground, trying to discern where that sudden wind came from. They were inside so how… unless…

“A mage?” he wondered aloud, slowly rising to his feet.

“That’s right, vampire,” she spat, hands held out defensively. Virgil sighed.

“Look kid, I’m not gonna hurt you. I don’t hurt anyone,” Virgil explained. A determined frown came over the girl’s face.

“Right. You probably use this school for some sort of sick feeding ground!” she scoffed.

“I’m telling you the truth. Not all vampires are bad, you know,” Virgil shot back. The girl’s eyebrows furrowed, and she took a deep breath.

“Eno degnaf eht nrub, nus fo syar nedlog!” she cried, and a brilliant light formed in her hands. Virgil hissed in pain, dropping to his knees. It felt like his skin was smoldering, and he squinted up at the light before him. Somehow, this girl managed to create sunlight in her hands.

Suddenly, as soon as the sunlight appeared, it faded away. Spots danced in Virgil’s vision, and he could barely stay upright. The girl didn’t seem to be faring much better, as she was leaning heavily against the wall. She managed to get her bearings, and straightened up, holding out her arm. A ball of fluff- which seemed to be a rabbit with wings, unless Virgil was really out of it- flew over and perched on her arm. The girl turned, casting one last glance at Virgil over her shoulder before darting away. Then Virgil fully crumpled to the ground, his vision fading to black.