Shapeshifter

She looked at him with thoughtfulness. Oh how darling Alex was! Even as a grown man he had freckles. Everyone loved him. In fact it was hard for her because he seemed to fall in love continuously. And young women responded to him with warmth.

"Sugar pie... "

"Yeeahh..? "

"We have a date tonight! "

"Ask the waitress." Lucy pouted. He was always chatting up Darlene, who was 17 and had an incredible body and a genuine smile.

"Ok, i will! Darlene, I'm taking you out tonight! "

The young woman smiled at the joke and winked at Lucy.

"With all due respect, but I'm not interested. I think we are not compatible. "

"And you're getting a sizeable tip! "

Lucy said, smiling at both of them.

After work, Lucy went to the beach. She could feel the sun melting away everything, her bitterness, her jealousy, her hurt feelings. Her age. When she rolled up her towel she had changed hair colour and body shape. Her eyes were now green, not blue. And her waist was tiny, her breasts high. She had thick blond hair which fell in curls to her shoulders. A knockout.

Why didn't he see her for what she was? He just wanted eye-candy? Well, now, instead of the heartfelt, hyper-sensitive Lucy, she was Ange, or Angel as they called her. Fun, yes, but just easygoing, not too serious. She was going to put Alex's faithfulness to the test. All before his dinner date with Lucy. Little did he know, she and Lucy were one and the same. She could change her shape faster than he could change his mind. An advantage to having alien blood. A distinct perspective on human frailty.

Well, beyond these characters she took on, she was Ohma, managing the power and flow of current and electricity. She could cause blackouts, stop wi-fi, and even cause storms and change the texture and shape of sea water. When she wanted, she became a woman made of wire, her hair breaking off into crackling purple strands, her heart exploding out in a raging surge.

These human characters were her tools. Ohma was bent on revenge, and for every sentimental crime men wreaked upon these women, she would have them pay, ounce for ounce and pound for pound.

But now it was time for fun and games. And she would have her fun with him, for all the times he had had his fun with her, flirting and ignoring her. She was going to test the limits of his self-esteem.

Ange worked at the bar where Alex bought his rollies, tobacco and papers, and was a damn fine girl. She had this hair that was wavy and always seemed like a raging river. And the sweetest smile. And she always had a spicy compliment for him. Which he blushed at, usually.

"Hey good-looking! "

He was tall, with curly dark hair, a little bit of stubble. And those frozen blue eyes, you wondered if he was real.

Ange always had one up on him. She was gentle and kind, seemingly the opposite of Lucy, who was becoming increasingly bitter and angry. Even though he had loaded her down with gifts of every sort.

"Hey Ange, what's new?"

She invited him to sit down with a gesture. She playfully pinched him on the cheek. Oh, how he loved her witty banter!

"How's your gal? "

"Next question, please. "

"Not like you couldn't do better. "

Suddenly she bit him next to his ear. It was the alien in her. On Gamma 54 it was a mating ritual. He started.

"Sorry! "

But she didn't have time to say it, because he was already kissing her, his hands feeling the round shape of her golden thighs. He pushed her towards the storeroom, but they were interrupted by a customer who entered, an older gentleman with a vest and tie.

"I daresay..! "

There was the trace of an English accent, and both of them, startled, pushing each other away.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Cherron, how can I help you? "

With a wink Ange went back to her work, and Alex stumbled out of the bar, feeling her perfume all over him.

Ohma analyzed everything with her cold, logical, spacey brain.

Alex could not see Lucy, because he could only see what was in front of him at the time. Short-term male memory loss, you might call it. Any cute blondie was more than enough to eradicate any so called heartfelt promise.

Well Ohma would have her way now, she would toast that creepy little bastard.

With all the purple power growing in her heart she blasted all the power lines within a mile of his house, because Gammese people had a map of the territory better than google.

She screamed with pleasure at the feeling of all those rivers of light snaking through her, blowing her top, and while she used all suppressed rage in Lucy's heart, she scorched the main switch to the ground. Alex could do whatever he liked, but not without consequences. Feelings were important. Not just his.

As Alex drove home he thought about what had happened. In the end, he knew he was ready for a change. He called Lucy.

"Hey."

"Hi." She answered slowly, and from her tone Alex could tell she had been crying. For God's sake, what the hell did she want from him?

A screech ripped through the summer night air and something splattered across the windshield of his car, something colorful and broad, looking like an octopus. He dropped the phone and veered off the main road, managing to avoid the ditch by inches. As he jumped out of the car he could have sworn he saw that strange octopus launch itself into the air, spinning into the sky until with a swollen gleam, it sparked a purple swash of sparkling light across the country night.

Shaking, he looked around, and heard only crickets singing their evening chants. He heard his heart bouncing around in his chest. He looked at his phone. It was ringing. Lucy. Again.

Maybe Ange had drugged him back at the bar. He was hallucinating.

If there were really a Lucy, she would have been so sad, so miserable. So ignored and abandoned. But in the broad night there was no one but Ohma, who just was playing her trick on Alex, who couldn't see that he was in love with shadows, with dreams.

With a lock of hair, with a sparkling eye, with a graceful smile.

The next day Lucy called(really it was Ohma, but her voice was perfectly disguised) and asked for an explanation.

"Listen, I need to know...are we together or not? I'm tired...of always calling. I feel like a stalker not a girlfriend. Just come out and say it. You're sick and tired of me."

Her voice was flat.

"What do you mean Lulu? "

That was her favorite pet nickname, but it wasn't going to change her bad mood now. But behind the cranky voice, a sensual alien girl from Gamma 54 was laughing it up. She had a smooth skin with colorful gecko patterns, and elongated eyes. And a wicked sense of humor.