"Hey Kat, take a look at this," she said.
Date: Sunday, October 9, 2016, 4:53 PM"Oh my God," Kat said in shock as she finished reading. "She has a really good point, doesn't she Alyssa?"
From: Tara Kassidy <[email protected]>
Cc: (none)
Subject: DO NOT POST THE VIDEO.
Okay, I obviously haven't watched your video yet. But I just thought of something super important, and I'm typing it right away so I can send it as soon as I get your email address.
Now I don't know how your friend learned this...thing you showed me. Imprinting is what you called it, right? But however she learned it, I find it very hard to imagine that nobody else would have heard of something like that if it were possible. I mean she can't be the first one to discover it, right? I think I overheard her saying something about being from another dimension (really, that's perfectly normal and believable compared to what I saw you do) but even if it's only normal where she's from, clearly people here can do it too. So why hasn't anyone here discovered it on their own? Someone, somewhere must have at some point, right? But then why wouldn't anyone know about it?
I don't normally believe in conspiracy theories or anything like that, but this seems like the most reasonable explanation here. If someone discovers something this big, it couldn't possibly stay hidden by accident. And someone has to have discovered this at some point; humans have been around for a long time. I even found some stories online from a long time ago that sound like what I saw you do. It says they're myths, but after seeing it myself, I don't doubt they're true. Except how would it remain a myth without someone trying to keep it that way? I think it's a safe bet that there's some powerful group of people who want this to stay hidden from the world, not that I have any idea why they'd want to.
Now if I were in charge of this organization, I'd be stupid to assume that no one else would ever discover it, or that no one who does would want to share it. If my goal was to keep it hidden, it would be foolish not to prepare for that possibility. And it's only reasonable to think that someone who does discover it would just share it on the Internet and let it naturally become popular as people find it. I wouldn't be surprised if this has happened before. Of course, the problem with this is that it'll take time to become popular. Time that this shadowy organization can use to get it taken down somehow (I'm sure they have a way) and do who knows what to prevent them from telling anyone else. If I'm right, I don't even want to think about what might happen to you if you post that video.
Of course we can't let them win right? You need to show the world in a way where a whole bunch of people will see it at once. Like at a huge event with lots of people who will see it with their own eyes, and even more people who will see it on national live TV. If that many people see it at once, there won't be any chance for anyone to put a stop to it. Though unfortunately, I don't know how you'd get on TV without demonstrating it to a smaller group of people first, which is a problem because I have no idea to tell for sure who you can trust. (God, I feel like a conspiracy theorist now!) I'm sure you can figure something out though.
Besides, until then, I bet it's fun being special, being able to do something no one else can. Might as well enjoy that for a bit more, right? Have some fun with it? I want a chance to experience that too!
I'll watch your video right away. Wish me luck!
- Tara, the girl from the store
P.S. Didn't I see the two of you yesterday as well? Tell your friend I'm sorry for walking in on her in the fitting room--actually wait a sec, did she imprint with that dress? That would explain a lot. Didn't know she was there when I grabbed it, lol!
"One second," Alyssa said raising her index finger, not quite finished reading the email. "Done," she said after half a minute or so, sounding kind of concerned. "What were you saying?"
"Doesn't she have a good point?" asked Kat.
"She does," said Alyssa. "Good thing we ran into her again at the store, I really hadn't given it that much thought!"
"You agree with everything she says?"
"Yeah, but how are we going to get on national TV?"
"Dunno, but we'll think of something."
"...Wait, when I imprinted on the news, only you saw that, right?" Alyssa laughed, figuring it wouldn't be that simple.
"Yeah," Kat replied, laughing herself. "I mean you just imprinted on your own TV, didn't you?"
"Right, that's what I thought," said Alyssa. "Figured it was worth asking though."
"Actually, remember what she said about people seeing it with their own eyes? That's certainly a good idea, and just being on TV wouldn't do that."
"True!" said Alyssa. "Hey, wait, I just remembered there was something I wanted to try," she said excitedly as she stood up, closing her eyes.
"What are you doing?" said Kat.
"Trying that thing you did where you imprint on the air."
"Don't expect to get that right away, it was a while before--" Kat stopped mid-sentence as she watched Alyssa effortlessly evaporate into the air just as she did herself.
"Oh wow, this is soooooo great!" Alyssa's voice echoed throughout the room, coming from nowhere in particular. "You're right, I love being everywhere at once!"
"How did you...?" said Kat. "You just...that took me months to get down!"
"Maybe I'm better at imprinting than you are now," said Alyssa's voice with a giggle. "Hey, how do I become a mist person or whatever like you did?"
Kat paused for a second, still amazed at how fast Alyssa had figured out how to become air. Then she answered Alyssa's question. "Well what I did was I moved myself to only a small part of the air, in the shape of my body."
"Hold on, let me try," said Alyssa. It didn't take much effort at all; all she did was remember what the shape of her human body felt like and try to take that form again, while still being made of air. In only a second or two, she felt just like she was in her old body, except she couldn't see herself, she felt weightless (much like she had that morning inside the TV), and her whole body just felt looser, non-solid and more free. It was a wonderful feeling.
"I think I got it! See?" Alyssa's voice was heard again, this time coming from where her vaporous body was standing—or rather floating, her toes a couple inches off the ground—as Alyssa waved to Kat without even the normal effort of moving her hand. "Wait, I can't see me...can you?"
"I can hear you," said Kat. "But air is invisible. You're air, so you're invisible."
"But I saw you when you did it."
"Yeah, that's because I made myself visible," Kat explained. "You know how your personality changes things you inhabit?"
"Yeah, but wouldn't it have done that already?"
"You can control those changes too," said Kat. "So I just tinted myself my natural color. You try it."
Kat watched as Alyssa faded into view, the shape of her body made by blue vapor floating in the air. "I did it!" she said. "Actually, hold on, let me try something else."
Alyssa began to change again. Instead of simply tinting the air, she took on the appearance of a beautiful sky scattered with puffy clouds, in the shape of her misty silhouette. The view of the sky didn't look like a part of her; rather, it looked more like it was visible through her, as if she was a window or a portal. Her hair grew longer and floated freely in the air behind her, looking more like formless vapor or flames of energy than hair.
"Oh wow, that looks amazing," said Kat, reaching her hand through her friend as if to touch the world beyond her, even though all she accomplished was scattering her vapor a bit.
"That feels weird," Alyssa laughed. "Kinda tickles, being scattered around like that."
"Let me join you," said Kat. "I want to try that look, that's really cool." She closed her eyes and evaporated herself as she became one with the air. A second later, she too became a vaporous silhouette. Only hers showed a night sky, with twinkling pink and white stars, and even glowing violet and pink nebulae in the distance. "How do I look?" she said.
"That looks amazing," said Alyssa, as she reached toward Kat to give her a hug. But to her surprise, Kat quickly floated away in avoidance, leaving a trail of mist which quickly dissipated.
"What's wrong?" asked Alyssa.
"I don't know if we're ready for that yet," replied Kat.
"What do you mean?" asked Alyssa. "I was just going to hug you. What did you think I was doing?"
"I just don't know if that's a good idea yet with us...the way we are right now."
"Why not?" Alyssa asked, confused.
"Well, right now we aren't solid," explained Kat. "We're vapor, and what happens when vapor touches other vapor?"
"I don't know, what?" said Alyssa. "I mean is 'touch' the right word? I think it more...mixes, cause it can be in the same place, right?" She demonstrated her point by moving her hand through her body. It went through effortlessly, the vapor of her hand easily mixing with the rest of her body.
"Exactly," said Kat, nodding. "Now what do you think will happen if two people mix in that way?"
"I don't know," said Alyssa. "...Can we try it?"
Kat laughed. "I just said I don't think we're ready."
"But what would happen?"
"Remember what I told you about in the car? It's like that."
Alyssa thought back to when Kat had told her about imprinting on another person and sharing a mind and body. "...Oh that's right!" she said in realization. "Sorry, I didn't realize."
"Oh it's okay!" said Kat.
"Wait, but I thought you said before that we probably were ready for that, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but it's better to start slow with a new person," explained Kat. "The best way to start is you stay in your normal, human body, and I imprint on your body."
"Why's that?"
"Because your body is the one physical thing that's more 'you' than anything else," she explained. "You'll know your body still belongs completely to you, and I'm just visiting. Again, it's starting slow."
"Oh, that makes sense," said Alyssa. "Now when do you want to try that?"
"Does later tonight sound good?" suggested Kat. "I assume you'll be ready then?"
"Oh, definitely!" Alyssa said, excited. She started to reach over to hold Kat's hand, but stopped herself. "...Is it at least safe to hold hands now?"
"That shouldn't be a problem," said Kat as she grabbed Alyssa's hand. Where their hands met, you could see a beautiful sunset separating Alyssa's day from Kat's night. It looked like a rainbow.
For Alyssa, the sensation in her hand was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She felt like a Siamese twin, joined at the hand, except not at all permanently. And she felt like she could almost pick up some of Kat's surface-level thoughts, but not enough to be sure. They looked each other in the eyes and smiled (their faces somehow visible in a way despite their current forms), enjoying each other's company more than ever before.
And Alyssa knew it was only going to be even better when she let Kat imprint on her.