14 A Heart to Heart Talk with a Cockroach

I found cockroaches mildly repulsive till the day I became one. And no, it wasn't because of a curse. And nor was it a punishment. It was self inflicted.

So, you know how during the test I turned myself into an elephant on accident? Well that's what we were learning in class today, animal transformations. Basically you have to, in your mind, really wish to become a certain animal and if you managed to work the magic your finger'd glow and you'd transform into that animal.

Across the room Oceanus was turning, as easily as changing clothes, from sea creature into sea creature. Then, the teacher went up to him and told him to become a creature that can go on land. So...he became a frog. I stifled a laugh, that guy literally does whatever he wants.

Meanwhile Alex is next to me, trying so hard his face is turning pink.

"I can't turn into any animal no matter how hard I try!"

"What animal are you trying to turn into?"

"I-I don't know!"

"How about a dog?"

"Okay! I'll become a strong, fierce dog." And with a silver poof he transforms...into a tiny puppy with huge eyes.

Instantly all the girls cluster around him cooing and begging to pet. I stifle another laugh. That was probably not the dog he meant.

I then turn back to myself. I wonder what I should turn into. I've done an elephant. I recall how, in my mom and aunt Sophie's early days at school my mom became a cockroach a lot so she could sneak into aunt Sophie's room and talk with her.

I start thinking, maybe...

POOF! And with that I'm a tiny green cockroach and that's when the trouble starts.

"EEEEEEEEEKKKKKK!" Literally every girl in my class screams, then they start to panic, nearly squashing me in the process. Alex the dog, not realizing it's me even tries to eat me.

So, I go by instinct. I turn and run. I run past towers, through cracks in doors, I run under tables and girl's dresses, probably a bad choice since they start shrieking afterwards. Soon, the whole school is on the lookout for a tiny green cockroach.

Finally, I am exhausted and quivering under a table, too frenzied to gather the thoughts and magic to turn myself back. And that's when I feel hungry. My first instinct is to eat a piece of hair on the ground in front of me but the human me feels squeamish at the thought.

Then I smell-or more like sense something sweet. I follow the scent. I crawl under a table and past a corner and am met with-Linsey, sitting in a quiet corner and munching on a pastry. We stand frozen, staring at each other in surprise for a little while, then I realize where I am and get ready for a hasty exit, but the scream never comes. Instead I hear, "hey, little guy, are you hungry?"

Linsey holds out the tantalizing piece of pastry and I don't move, suspicious. Then, I am unable to resist because my little cockroach body is too hungry to refuse, even if it is poisoned. I crawl onto her hand and take a bite. She, surprisingly doesn't squash me and instead gently deposits me and the pastry onto the window sill.

"You know", she tells the ravenous me, "whenever I think life's hard for me I just think of you guys. You little cockroaches have it much harder just to get a meal compared to me."

She sighs a little.

"That Adria, I honestly envy her. She doesn't care what people think. She is just able to be herself, I honestly wish I could too". I freeze in my gluttonous endeavor, at this.

"With my mom's expectations telling me to snag the perfect prince I was all ready to go for Cedric but then he was put in evil. Now I just...she's so lucky, she doesn't have to be perfect all the time, she doesn't have to be in good, she can act how ever she wants even though we're both princesses."

I desperately want to stand up and yell that that's not true but then the door bangs open and Lei stands there, out of breath.

"Ha(huff) have you seen a green cockroach anywhere? None of the girls will rest easy until they know where it went."

I freeze, is this my end? But then Linsey stands up, doing so in such a way that she is blocking me from view.

"Ewwwww! There's a coackroach! Where? That's so gross! Lei get out of here and shut the door so it can't get in! Shut it!"

I gape my tiny cockroach mouth, what an actress. If the girl who was kind to a starving cockroach was the real Linsey, then could everything thus far have been a facade?

Lei quickly shuts the door, afraid of provoking a hysterical Linsey and leaves. After he goes, Linsey turns to me, triumphant.

"No one's going to hurt you while I'm here."

I am too much in shock by Linsey's personality change. So, she actually deserves to be in good? And does she actually hate me, or not?

Linsey sits back down "I honestly-"

Suddenly the door bangs open and there stands one of Linsey's friends...Maya I think her name was?

"Linsey come on, there's a cockroach in the school and we need to stick together." Then, she comes in the room and drags Linsey out. Luckily, she doesn't see me. But on her way out Linsey gives me a little wave.

After she leaves I just sit there, mind numbed by all that has occurred and after about an hour finally transform back to human. Then, I go to rejoin the rest of the students who are mostly over the cockroach escapade. But I, of course don't tell anyone it was me.

Two things changed after the cockroach escapade.

First, girls in the school for good began bathing and washing their hands even more than usual causing major bathroom clogs and they were jumpy at every little thing for weeks afterwards.

Second, I was nicer to Linsey. I didn't want to be her henchma-ahem, friend or anything. But, I hated her less.