Ethan stared out the car window as the dense New Hampshire forest gradually gave way to the sprawling campus of Whateley Academy. The tall brick buildings with their ivy-covered walls looked like something out of a college brochure—normal, prestigious, safe. Nothing about the place screamed "school for mutants," which was probably the point.

"We're almost there," Jordan said from beside him, practically bouncing in his seat with excitement. "Can you believe it? An actual school for people like us."

Ethan shot him a sidelong glance. People like us. As if their situations were remotely comparable. Jordan had merely discovered he could build impossible devices. Ethan had been transformed into... this. He glanced down at his—no, her—body with familiar revulsion, the feminine curves hidden beneath the loose hoodie she'd insisted on wearing.

"Yeah. Great," she muttered, tugging the hood further over her vermillion hair.

The private driver—from a service that specialized in transporting students to places like Whateley—cleared his throat as they approached the main administrative building. "Schuster Hall," he announced, pulling up to the curb. "Someone will meet you here for orientation. Your luggage will be delivered to your assigned cottages."

As they exited the vehicle, Ethan couldn't help but notice the wide variety of students crossing the campus. Some looked completely normal, while others had obvious mutations—scales, unusual coloration, even extra limbs. She supposed she should be grateful. At least her transformation left her looking like a regular human female, even if it was the most humiliating experience of her life.

The agent handed them each a folder with their basic information before driving away, leaving them standing awkwardly on the steps of Schuster Hall.

Jordan was already flipping through his folder with enthusiasm. "Look at these class options! Advanced Technologies, Devisor Lab, Theoretical Engineering... this is going to be amazing!"

Ethan was about to respond when a soft voice spoke from behind them.

"Hello. You must be our new arrivals. I'm Emiko Mori, your student guide for today."

They turned to find a petite Japanese girl with short black hair and serene features. She wore the school uniform—a modest dark skirt, white blouse, and blazer—with a quiet confidence.

"I'm Jordan Williams," Jordan thrust out his hand eagerly. "And this is Eth—uh, I mean—"

"Ethan Anderson," Ethan finished, reluctantly taking Emiko's outstretched hand. She'd considered using a different name, something more feminine, but had ultimately decided against it. Changing her name felt too much like accepting this transformation was permanent.

If Emiko found anything strange about a girl named Ethan, she didn't show it. Her midnight blue eyes, speckled with silver, showed only gentle understanding.

"Welcome to Whateley," she said with a slight bow. "You've both been assigned to Melville Cottage, which is where we'll head after a brief orientation. If you'll follow me, I'll show you the main campus areas first."

As Emiko led them away from Schuster Hall, Ethan took in the surroundings. Students of all descriptions moved between buildings, some walking, others flying, and one girl seemed to be teleporting in short hops. Nobody looked twice at anyone else, no matter how strange their appearance or abilities.

"Whateley was founded in 1878 as a normal private school," Emiko explained as they walked, "but was repurposed in the 1960s as a safe haven for mutants and others with special abilities. The campus is protected by both technological and mystical security systems."

"Mystical?" Jordan perked up. "Like, actual magic?"

Emiko smiled. "We have an entire Mystic Arts department. Not all powers are mutant-based."

"What about you?" Jordan asked. "What can you do?"

"I'm an ESP-type with medium abilities," she answered. "I can see and communicate with spirits, and I have a degree of danger sense. I also have some minor magical capability focused on Buddhist prayers and exorcisms."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Exorcisms? Are there actually demons here?"

"More than you might think," Emiko replied with complete seriousness. "But most are relatively harmless if you know how to handle them."

Great. Not only was Ethan stuck in a female body, but now she had to worry about demons too.

Emiko continued the tour, pointing out various buildings: Dunn Hall for science classes, Kirby Hall for mystical and psychic studies, the impressive Crystal Hall cafeteria dome, and finally, the cottages where students lived.

"And this," Emiko said as they approached a large, luxurious-looking building, "is Melville Cottage. It's the newest and most well-appointed of the dorms."

Melville looked more like a high-end hotel than a dormitory, with its elegant architecture and manicured grounds. Inside, the lobby featured polished wood, comfortable seating areas, and even a small coffee shop.

"This is where both of you will be staying," Emiko explained. "Melville typically houses students who appear mostly normal—no GSD."

"GSD?" Ethan asked.

"Gross Structural Dystrophy," Emiko clarified. "It refers to major physical mutations. Students with more visible mutations often stay in Whitman or Twain Cottages."

A middle-aged man in a tweed jacket approached them with a welcoming smile. "You must be our new arrivals. I'm Mr. Forrest, one of the house parents for Melville Cottage."

After introductions, Mr. Forrest took them through the basic rules: curfews, quiet hours, restricted areas, and the emergency protocols. Most of it seemed straightforward enough, but Ethan's attention drifted until she heard her name.

"—and Ms. Anderson will be in Room 312. It's a single room, which we felt would be best given your particular abilities."

Ethan blinked. "Single room? I thought most freshmen had roommates."

Mr. Forrest's expression turned sympathetic. "Your file indicates that your teleportation abilities are currently unpredictable and can be triggered by stress or strong emotions. We thought it prudent to give you your own space until you gain better control."

Heat rushed to Ethan's face. Great, she was being treated like a hazard on her first day.

"Jordan will be two doors down in Room 316, sharing with another new student," Mr. Forrest continued, either not noticing or politely ignoring Ethan's discomfort.

As they continued the tour of the common areas, Ethan felt increasingly self-conscious. Most of the students they passed looked so normal—or at least, comfortably abnormal. They belonged here. Ethan didn't belong anywhere anymore.

The tour eventually led them to the residential floors, where Mr. Forrest handed them their key cards. "I'll leave you to get settled. Dinner is served in Crystal Hall starting at 5:30. Ms. Mori, if you wouldn't mind showing them to their rooms?"

As Mr. Forrest departed, Emiko led them down a hallway of the third floor. "Jordan's room is just past the lounge area," she explained. "And Ethan, yours is this way."

They were passing a group of students in the hallway when someone's phone suddenly blared with a loud, jarring ringtone. The unexpected noise made Ethan jump, and she felt it happen—the familiar tingling sensation spreading through her body.

"Oh no," she whispered, just as the world around her blurred.

There was a disorienting moment of darkness, and then Ethan found herself somewhere else entirely. Somewhere that definitely wasn't the hallway.

The first thing she noticed was that she was completely naked, her clothes having been left behind during the teleportation—again. The second thing she noticed was that she was in someone's bedroom. The third, and most alarming, was that the bedroom was occupied.

A girl with striking blonde hair streaked with pink looked up from her desk in shock, her amber eyes widening as they took in the sight of Ethan standing nude in the middle of her room.

For one terrible moment, neither of them moved or spoke. Then the girl's features began to change—her ears elongating into fox-like points and sweeping up to the top of her head, patches of bright pastel pink fur appearing on her arms, and what appeared to be a bushy tail with the same vibrant pink coloration materializing behind her. Even her blonde hair took on streaks of the same pastel pink hue.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?!" the girl shouted, jumping to her feet. "Who the fuck are you? How did you—? Are you NAKED in my ROOM?"

"I'm sorry!" Ethan cried, desperately trying to cover herself with her hands, bright sapphire blue eyes wide with mortification. "I didn't mean to—it was an accident—my powers just—"

The girl's expression shifted from shock to outrage, but there was something else there too—a flicker of something in her eyes as she looked at Ethan that wasn't just anger.

"You teleported into my room? COMPLETELY NAKED?" Her voice rose with each word, but her cheeks had flushed a deep red that didn't seem entirely due to anger. "What kind of perverted power is that?"

"I can't control it!" Ethan pleaded, mortified beyond belief. "Please, I need something to cover up with—"

The girl seemed frozen in place, her eyes darting away from Ethan but continuously being drawn back. Her bright pastel pink fox ears twitched visibly atop her head, and the matching pink fur on her arms seemed to spread slightly.

"Just—just stay there," she finally managed, her voice strangely strained. She yanked a blanket from her bed and threw it at Ethan. "Cover yourself before I claw your eyes out!"

Ethan gratefully wrapped the blanket around herself. "Thank you. I'm so sorry about this. I'm new, and my powers are... unpredictable."

"No shit," the girl muttered, now refusing to look directly at Ethan. Her fox-like ears were still fully visible, their bright pastel pink fur twitching with agitation as she seemed to be struggling to make them disappear. "So you just randomly teleport into people's rooms without your clothes? That's your power? Being a naked home invader?"

"Not intentionally," Ethan said miserably. "I just got startled, and—"

A knock at the door interrupted her explanation.

"Ethan? Are you in there?" It was Emiko's voice.

"Yes!" Ethan called out, relief washing through her.

The door opened, and Emiko entered, followed by Jordan. His eyes immediately widened at the sight of Ethan wrapped only in a blanket, and he quickly averted his gaze—though not before stealing a quick glance. His face reddened as he made a visible effort to look at the floor, the ceiling, the window—anywhere but at Ethan—though his eyes kept betraying him with brief, furtive glances in her direction.

Emiko took in the scene with remarkable composure.

"I sensed you were here," she explained to Ethan before turning to the room's rightful occupant. "Kira, I apologize for the intrusion. Ethan is a new student with uncontrolled warping abilities."

"Warping? Is that what you call appearing naked in someone's bedroom? How about 'criminal trespassing'?" Kira snapped, her arms crossed tightly. Her pastel pink fox features were still clearly visible, which seemed to add to her agitation. "Maybe invest in a leash for your new student before someone calls security."

"It's a teleportation mishap," Emiko explained calmly. "Organic matter travels, but non-organic matter like clothing sometimes doesn't."

"It wasn't on purpose," Ethan added desperately. "I would never—"

"Save it," Kira cut her off harshly. "I don't care about your excuses or your freaky powers. Just get out of my room and stay the hell away from me." Despite her caustic words, her voice had an undertone that didn't quite match her apparent fury. She seemed to be having a difficult time controlling her own transformation, which was clearly embarrassing her.

Jordan stepped forward with a bundle of clothing—the same clothes Ethan had been wearing moments before. "I grabbed these from where you, um, disappeared," he told Ethan quietly, still struggling not to look directly at her. "They were just floating in the air for a second before they fell."

Ethan clutched the blanket more tightly around herself. "Could you all... turn around? Please?"

Everyone obliged, though Ethan thought she saw Kira hesitate for just a moment before turning away. Jordan's head started to turn slightly before he caught himself and faced the wall resolutely, shoulders tense. Quickly, Ethan pulled on the clothes Jordan had brought—her sweatpants and t-shirt.

"Okay, I'm decent," she announced.

When they turned back, Ethan noticed that Kira was making a visible effort to control her shapeshifting. The bright pastel pink fox ears were receding, and the matching fur was fading from her skin, but it seemed to be taking considerable concentration.

"I truly am sorry," Ethan said to her. "I'm still learning to control this."

Kira's expression was complex—annoyance predominant, but with something else underneath, something she seemed to be fighting against.

"Just... stay out of my room, teleport freak," she said, but the words lacked the full venom her tone suggested.

"We should go," Emiko suggested gently. "Kira, thank you for your understanding."

As they filed out, Ethan glanced back one more time. Kira was watching her with a mixture of irritation and something that looked almost like reluctant curiosity. Their eyes met briefly—sapphire blue connecting with amber—before Kira scowled and turned away, her ears momentarily reappearing with their distinctive pastel pink coloration before she got them under control again.

In the hallway, Emiko led them toward Ethan's assigned room. "That was Kira Devereux," she explained quietly. "She's a shifter with fennec fox characteristics. She can sometimes lose control of her shifting when she experiences strong emotions."

"She seemed pretty angry," Ethan muttered.

"I think it was more than just anger," Jordan commented with a slight smirk, finally meeting Ethan's eyes now that she was clothed. When Ethan glared at him, he quickly added, "I just mean, you know, she was probably embarrassed about her shifting."

"We're here," Emiko announced, stopping in front of Room 312. "This is your room, Ethan. Jordan, yours is just down there, Room 316."

Ethan's room was simple but comfortable—a bed, desk, dresser, and private bathroom. It was spacious for a single, with a large window overlooking the campus. Her luggage had already been delivered.

"I'll let you get settled," Emiko said. "Dinner starts in an hour, and I can meet you both in the lobby to show you to Crystal Hall if you'd like."

After Emiko left, Jordan lingered in the doorway.

"So... that was quite an entrance," he said, trying and failing to suppress a grin.

"It's not funny, Jordan," Ethan snapped, sitting heavily on the bed. "I teleported into some girl's room naked. On my first day. How am I supposed to show my face around here now?"

Jordan's amusement faded. "Hey, it'll be okay. This is a school for people with weird powers. I bet stuff like this happens all the time."

"Did you see how she looked at me?" Ethan buried her face in her hands. "Like I was some kind of pervert who did it on purpose."

"I don't think that's what—" Jordan began.

"Just go to your room, okay? I need some time alone."

Jordan hesitated, then nodded. "Sure. I'll knock when it's time for dinner."

After he left, Ethan lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. One day. She couldn't even make it through one day without a humiliating incident. And now she'd made an enemy of what appeared to be a temperamental shapeshifter with anger issues.

Except... had Kira really been just angry? Something about her reaction nagged at Ethan. The way her eyes had lingered, the blush that spread across her cheeks, the difficulty controlling her shifting. Emiko had said strong emotions could trigger her transformations, but who said it had to be anger?

The realization made Ethan groan and pull a pillow over her face. Was it possible that Kira had been... attracted to her? To her female form? The thought was both embarrassing and confusing. Before the transformation, Ethan had never considered how it might feel to be the object of someone else's desire—especially not another girl's.

She pushed the thought away. It was too much to deal with right now, on top of everything else. All she wanted was to figure out how to control these powers, find a way to reverse the transformation, and get back to her normal life.

If that was even possible anymore.

A knock on her door pulled Ethan from her thoughts. It was Jordan, announcing it was time for dinner. Reluctantly, Ethan got up, straightened her clothes, and prepared to face the rest of the campus—and possibly Kira again—with as much dignity as she could muster after such an inauspicious beginning.

Whatever else happened at Whateley Academy, one thing was clear: it definitely wasn't going to be boring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In her own room, Kira Devereux stared at her reflection in the mirror, willing her fox features to fully recede. What was wrong with her? She usually had better control than this.

"It's just because she startled me," she muttered to herself, watching as her bright pastel pink fox ears slowly shrank back to human proportions. "Anyone would react that way to a naked girl suddenly appearing in their room."

But even as she said it, she knew it wasn't just shock that had triggered her transformation. There had been something about that girl—Ethan, what kind of name was that for a girl anyway?—something that had triggered a response she hadn't expected.

"Get it together," she told her reflection sternly. "She's just another student. A clumsy, inconsiderate one who can't control her powers."

Yet the image of Ethan standing there, vulnerable and embarrassed, kept returning to her mind. The striking vermillion hair, those piercing sapphire blue eyes, the surprisingly athletic build...

Kira growled in frustration as she felt her ears beginning to point again, the familiar pastel pink fur starting to emerge along with them.

"This is ridiculous," she hissed, focusing intensely until her features were fully human once more. "I am not attracted to some random teleporter who invaded my privacy."

Satisfied that she looked normal, Kira grabbed her jacket. Dinner in Crystal Hall would be a good distraction. She'd find her usual group, sit far away from the new students, and forget this whole embarrassing incident.

But as she opened her door, she couldn't help glancing down the hall toward Room 312, where she knew Ethan had been assigned. Just to make sure the girl wasn't about to materialize in her path again, she told herself. That was all.

It definitely wasn't because she wanted another glimpse of those piercing sapphire blue eyes or that striking red hair.

Definitely not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of Chapter 01

Hey All!

SO, this is 2 big things for me.

My First attempt at the wonderful Whateley Academy Universe!
AND
My First Contest Entry!

There will be 10 chapters in total for my entry plus 3 flashback chapters.
I will release them daily or so (so as not to overwhelm the front page)

Likely I will be continuing this series, and no my other series are not on pause. I did slow down on them just a little bit while I go this one pounded out. But they are not put to the side.

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TTFN Everyone.