CHAPTER 111: METAMORPHOSIS

Mira stood in the center of the living room, her gaze sweeping over the four unconscious figures sprawled like discarded puppets.

The apartment had fallen into an unnatural hush, broken only by the faint hum of the refrigerator and the distant honk of Mumbai traffic filtering through the cracked window.

Sterling and Rajesh slumped in their chairs, their heads lolled back, their chests rising and falling in shallow, drugged rhythms. The tea had done its job swiftly, herbal, yes, but laced with a potent sedative from her private stock, mostly used for "emergencies" but would get the job done immediately and effectively. They would be out for hours, long enough for her to finish what she’d started.

Raquel lay crumpled on the floor near the couch, her dark curls fanned out like a halo, her expression peaceful in oblivion. Liam was beside her, one arm flung out as if reaching for something just beyond grasp, his freckled face slack. Mira knelt between them, her heart pounding with a fierce resolve. She had them in the palm of her hands, now, they would be better. Useful. Hers.

She reached into her pocket, her fingers closing around the cool glass vial. The third dose. The final transformation.

This wasn’t like the first two potions, those had been subtle, just to rewrite their memories in gentle waves, planting memories of a new life, making them gullible enough to believe whatever she said about them.

But this third portion was the real deal, and alchemy incarnate, a family secret passed down through generations of her bloodline. It reshaped not just the mind, but the body. Flesh, bone, identity, all malleable under its influence.

Mira uncapped the vial and drew the liquid into a syringe, careful not to spill a drop. The needle gleamed, but she wouldn’t pierce skin this time. Oral administration was key for this batch, it needed to seep into the bloodstream, passing from the oesophagus, straight into the core of who they were.

She leaned over Raquel first, gently prying open her mouth with gloved fingers. Raquel’s breath was warm against her hand, a soft sigh escaping as Mira depressed the plastic, injecting half the dose onto her tongue. The liquid vanished almost instantly.

"Swallow, my friend," Mira whispered, massaging Raquel’s throat lightly to encourage the reflex. Raquel’s eyelids fluttered but didn’t open, her body complied instinctively, the potion sliding down.

Now Liam. She shifted to him, repeating the process. His lips parted easily, and she administered the remaining half, watching as his Adam’s apple bobbed in an unconscious swallow. "You’ll thank me later," she murmured, capping the empty syringe and tucking it away.

She stepped back, wiping her hands on her jeans, and watched. The changes began subtly, like the first rays of light from the morning sun. Raquel’s skin, once a warm olive tone from her Mediterranean heritage, began to lighten, shifting to a creamy porcelain hue. Her freckles faded, dissolving into smoothness. Her nose, previously long and proud, shortened and upturned slightly, the bridge narrowing. Her lips plumped, taking on a fuller shape, while her cheekbones rose higher, sharpening her features, she looked ethereal. Her hair, that cascade of dark curls, straightened and lengthened, the color bleeding from ebony to a rich chestnut brown, the soft strands shimmering.

Liam’s transformation mirrored the pace, but in different directions. His fair skin deepened to a sun-kissed tan. His eyes, even as they were closed, would open to a new colour, Mira knew, the potion’s blueprint called for hazel instead of his original blue.

His nose broadened at the base, giving his face a more rugged symmetry, while his mouth thinned slightly, the corners turning up into a smile. His red-tinged hair darkened to jet black, cropping shorter and thicker, with a natural wave that hadn’t been there before. Even his build altered subtly, his shoulders broadened, his height stretching by an inch or two as his bones realigned with faint, audible cracks.

Mira observed it all with clinical detachment, her mind cataloging the shifts. The potion didn’t just alter their appearances, it rewove the DNA strands, erasing genetic markers that could be traced.

Fingerprints would swirl into new patterns, dental records would no longer match. And the memories... oh, the memories. For Raquel and Liam, the third dose would erase the old entirely. No more echoes of their past lives.

In their place, new narratives would bloom. They would wake as Aarav and Priya, perhaps, or whatever names she assigned. Whole new persons, loyal to her vision of a fresh start.

But Mira wasn’t done. She couldn’t leave herself unchanged, consistency was key. If trackers like Sterling and Rajesh had found her, others might too. She needed to vanish into her own reinvention.

From the kitchen counter, she retrieved a small shot glass and poured a measured amount from a second vial, identical to the first, but made specially for her. This dose was special. She would change physically, but her mind would remain intact, a captain steering the ship while the crew forgot the old voyage.

Mira raised the glass, the liquid cool against her lips. "To new beginnings," she toasted the silent room, then downed it in one swift gulp. It tasted like lightning and honey, burning sweetly down her throat.

The transformation hit her like a wave, but she stayed conscious, gripping the counter to steady herself. Her skin, already fair, deepened to a golden bronze, as if she’d spent years under the heat of the sun. Her eyes, reflecting in the darkened window, shifted from brown to a striking emerald green, flecked with gold.

Her nose refined, slimming at the bridge, while her lips softened, gaining a natural rose tint. Her hair, straight and black, lightened to auburn waves that cascaded longer down her back. Even her height adjusted, adding two inches, her frame leaning out into elegant lines. Bones creaked, muscles reshaped, but the pain was fleeting, a price for perfection.

She glanced at her reflection in a nearby mirror, touching her new face. "Hello, Ivy," she whispered, testing the name. It fit. Memories intact, she remembered everything: the estate, her father’s neglect, the desperate flight with Raquel and Liam, now Priya and Aarav. The potions, the control. It was necessary.

Sterling and Rajesh remained oblivious, their breathing steady in the drugged haze. She had hours before they would wake up, plenty of time to clean up. She dragged Raquel, now Priya to the bedroom, laying her gently on the bed.

Priya’s new chestnut hair fanned across the pillow, her porcelain skin glowing softly. Next, she pulled Aarav, formerly Liam, his tanned features relaxed in sleep. They looked like siblings now, or close cousins, their appearances harmonized to blend seamlessly into Whitethorn’s crowd.

Mira packed the remaining vials into her bag, along with forged documents she’d prepared weeks ago, their new passports, IDs, bank cards linked to anonymous accounts. The apartment would be abandoned by dawn.

As the transformations settled, Mira sat on the edge of the bed, watching her friends’ chests rise and fall. Priya stirred first, a soft murmur escaping her fuller lips. Her eyes fluttered open, now a deep violet, another quirk of the potion. "Ivy?" she said, voice groggy but warm. "What... where are we?"

Mira, now Ivy smiled, her emerald eyes crinkling. "Home, Priya. We had a late night packing. Remember? The move to the new place."

Priya blinked, new memories flooding in like a gentle tide. "Oh, right. The exhibition wrapped up. Aarav and I helped with the crates." She sat up, touching her face absently. "I feel... different. Better."

"You look great," Ivy assured her. "Rested."

Aarav groaned beside her, his hazel eyes opening. "Head hurts. Did we celebrate too hard last night?"

Nisha laughed softly. "Something like that. But we’re good. Get dressed, we leave in an hour."

They nodded, no questions, no doubts. The old Raquel and Liam were gone, erased as thoroughly as chalk from a board. Priya hummed a Bollywood tune as she rifled through her bag for clothes, her movements fluid and confident. Aarav stretched, his broader shoulders rolling, and grinned at Nisha. "Thanks for always looking out for us."

"Always," she replied, her voice steady.

Back in the living room, Sterling and Rajesh hadn’t moved. Ivy considered them, troublesome, but not immediate threats. The sedative would wear off soon, but by then, she’d be gone. She left a note on the table: "Tell my father I don’t need his protection. We’re safe now."

No signature. Let them puzzle over the empty apartment, the vanished teenagers.

As the first hints of dawn painted the sky pink, Ivy urged Priya and Aarav out the door, bags slung over shoulders. They slipped into the bustling streets, just three young people blending into the crowd. Behind them, the apartment door clicked shut, locking away the remnants of old lives.

Sterling stirred hours later, his head throbbing, his vision swimming. The room was empty, silent. Rajesh groaned beside him. "What... happened?"

"She’s gone," Sterling rasped, spotting the note. "And she took them with her."