Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

***SIMON***

S imon stood in front of the mirror in his cabin, studying himself and trying to come to terms with the new him. He wondered how long it would be before he didn't feel that moment of panic any time he saw his reflection. Letting out a long sigh, he turned away from the mirror and walked over to the closet, hoping to find something that would fit him since he'd shrunk a few inches and added a few pounds to his frame. When it was clear that there was nothing in the closet he could wear, he turned away from the closet in frustration, stomped into the kitchen, and flopped down into a chair, thinking how unfair it all was.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door, and he sat at the table staring at it, thinking about not answering, not in the mood to see anyone. A second knock propelled him to his feet, and he reluctantly went to answer the door, relieved when he saw Max on the porch. He had a big bundle of clothes in his arms, and when he saw Simon looking through the window at him, he didn't wait for him to open the door.

"You are not hiding in your cabin all day," Max said, opening the door and shoving the bundle into his arms. "I'm sure there's something in here you can wear, but I have to warn you, there are no designer labels in there."

He looked down at the clothes, then back up at Max, "This sucks, but I'm tired of wearing a robe," he said, then turned and stomped back to the bedroom to get dressed.

When he came out in the borrowed tee-shirt and shorts, he felt a little more human, "Thanks, none of my other clothes fit anymore," he said. "Where did you get these?"

"I told the staff a new guest arrived late last night, and his luggage was lost," Max said, shrugging his shoulders. "We needed a story to explain you being here, and it was the only thing I could think of."

"And you don't think they'll figure it out?" he asked. "I mean, I still sound like me, and Kira recognized me right away. Won't everyone else?"

"I don't think so. People see what they expect to see," Max said. "If we tell the staff that you're a new guest, they'll believe it. Some of them will think you seem familiar, but they won't ever make the connection between the new you and the old one, trust me."

"I don't know, Max, it all seems a bit risky," he said, shaking his head. "Maybe I should just stay in my cabin, you know keep a low profile."

"Do you really think that's going to solve your problem?" Max asked, shaking his head. "You can't hide when things get tough, Simon. You're going to have to face the world eventually. Personally, if I were you, I'd rather it be here on the island. But the choice is yours."

"You're right, I'm just being a big baby," he said. "I'm just so nervous, I've never felt like this before."

"Well, see, you're already learning something new," Max said, shrugging his shoulders. "Simon, there's nothing to be nervous about, you'll be fine. This is your chance to be yourself, to let what's inside you shine instead of relying on your looks and money."

"And what if no one likes me? What if all I had going for me was my money and looks?" he asked, finally voicing his worst fear.

Max studied him for a second, making him want to cover his face, "If you want to know the truth, I think people are going to like you more when you're being yourself," he said. "I already like you more than I did before, so keep that in mind."

Surprised how much Max's comment lifted his spirts, "Do you really think so?" he asked. "But what if I run into Kira?"

"You'll just have to cross that bridge when you get there," Max said. "By the way, I was wondering……can you still shift?"

He shook his head, "That's gone, too," he said. "I tried late last night after all the lights were out and nothing happened."

"I had a feeling that was part of it," Max said. "I'm sorry, Simon, that must feel very strange."

"I never really appreciated the gift we've been given until now. I feel empty inside, like a part of me is missing," he said, then let out a long sigh. "I guess that's just one part of the lesson, but I promise you, I'll never take it for granted again."

After Max left, he took one more look in the mirror, tried to do something with his hair, then gave up, ruffled it up again, and headed out the door. His stomach rumbled with both hunger and nerves when he walked into the village, but no one seemed to notice him, so he began to relax. The smell of coffee drew him to the coffee shop, and he was relieved to see Cindy behind the counter when he walked in. He knew that he could count on a friendly smile and some banter from the young woman.

"Well, good morning, don't you look pretty today," he said, stepping up to the counter. "I don't know what's better here, the coffee or the view."

A look of surprise appeared on Cindy's face, but quickly turned to mild annoyance, "Good morning, sir," she said. "What can I get for you?"

He was shocked at first by her cold response, then remembered what he looked like and felt the flush of embarrassment heating his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," he said. "Could I please have an iced coffee and scone?"

"Yes, sir," she said. "I'll have those for you in just a few minutes if you'd like to have a seat."

Accepting his dismissal with as much grace as he could, he found a table and sank down into a chair, hoping no one had heard their exchange. When he looked around at the other tables, he realized that no one was paying any attention to him, and for the first time in his life, he felt completely invisible.

***Kira***

Kira sat down her book and let out a long sigh, frustrated that she couldn't concentrate, but even after her talk with Mary Beth and a good night's sleep, what happened to Simon was still on her mind. She'd accepted the fact that it wasn't an elaborate joke and was slowly working her way up to believing in magic. After all, as Mary Beth pointed out, there couldn't be another explanation. The only problem was that it left her having to completely restructure the way she looked at the world, and that's where she was struggling.

If she believed that what happened to Simon was magic, that opened the door to so many other possibilities it made her head hurt to just think about it. Could there really be witches? Were vampires and werewolves more than just stories created in someone's imagination? Fairies……Bigfoot and the Yeti up in the Himalayas, anything was possible if magic was real. Feeling herself beginning to panic, she took a deep breath and looked out at the ocean. She was letting herself get carried away and getting worked up for nothing.

If there really were creatures like that out in the world, humans had survived this long with them around, and it was unlikely that she'd ever run into one anyway, not in her little suburb of Chicago. Shocked at the path her thoughts had taken, she shook her head, deciding she'd seen too many horror movies, and picked up her book again, determined to forget it all for the rest of the day.

Something had happened to Simon. Call it magic, call it instant karma, the truth was he deserved it; he was a horrible human being, and she needed to stop wasting her time on the island thinking about him. Mary Beth claimed that most magic was good. She'd focus on that. Her best friend had never steered her wrong before, and she had no reason to believe she would now. Her racing thoughts finally began to calm as acceptance settled over her, and the strain of fighting what she'd seen with her own eyes melted away, leaving her feeling lighter than she had in days.

With a sigh, she opened the book. It was another perfect day. She had a cooler full of food and cold drinks, the ocean in front of her, and she didn't want to waste it thinking about Simon. She hadn't come to the island for romance, hadn't planned to let a man and his problems be the main focus of her trip. It was time to reclaim her time on the island. Her attraction to him meant nothing. It was just a physical response, and she'd learned her lesson and would never let her body's needs outweigh her own good sense again.

Squaring her shoulders, she started to read, determined to get on with her day, but the sound of someone calling her name made her heart begin to pound. Sure, that it was Simon, but unsure what she was going to do about it, she pretended that she hadn't heard, hoping that he'd go away. But then she heard her name again, this time so close that she knew he wasn't going to go away, and looked up her heart pounding in her chest, bracing herself for the punch of desire she knew was coming.

Nothing happened when she looked up because it was Corey calling out to her, not Simon, and she ignored the wave of disappointment that swept through her, telling herself that she was relieved. She waved, putting a smile on her face, and watched as Corey jogged over to her, stopping a few feet from her chair.

"Kira, I was hoping I'd run into you today," he said, slightly out of breath. "How's your trip going so far?"

She wondered what would happen if she told him the truth, "Oh, it's been amazing," she said. "That rain yesterday was kind of a pain, but Mary Beth and I still managed to get a hike in after it quit."

"That's great," Corey said, looking like he really meant it. "My buddies and I got some fishing in after the rain. We didn't have much luck, but it was fun. We're going to give it a try again today."

"That sounds great," she said. "I'm spending the day lolling on the beach, doing a little bit of swimming and a lot of reading."

Corey grinned at her, "You do look pretty comfortable, so I won't try to convince you to come with us," he said. "But maybe I could talk you into having dinner with me tonight. There's some gossip around the island that the fishing boats went out early this morning to pull in the crab trap, which means there will be a crab boil tonight. I was hoping you'd go with me."

"Oh, that sounds like fun," she said, and a bit too much like a date, she thought. "Mary Beth and I are supposed to have dinner together tonight, but if there's a crab boil, I'm sure we'll be there. Maybe we'll run into each other."

Corey tried to hide his disappointment, "Oh, okay, I understand," he said. "Well, I'll let you get back to your book. I saw you sitting here and thought that I‘d come over and say hi."

She smiled at him, thinking that he seemed like a nice guy, but he didn't make her feel the way Simon did, and then she wanted to slap herself for the thought. "I'm glad you did," she said. "I'll watch for you tonight. Maybe we can sit together."

"Oh, that would be great. I'll be with my friends," he said, pointing to a group of men on the beach playing football. "We're here for a bachelor party. My best friend is getting married in a couple of weeks."

She looked at the group of men on the beach shouting and running around like kids, "I have a feeling you won't be hard to miss," she said, shaking her head. "You should probably get back to your friends. I'll see you tonight. I hope you catch lots of fish."