Tim was sound asleep in his bedroom. As he lay on the mattress with his head on the pillow, the small, portable clock radio continued to tick the seconds away, while everyone else was asleep.
The hands on the clock indicated that it was 4:15 in the morning. It was Tuesday morning. Normally, Tim wouldn’t wake up till 7AM so he could be in class around 9:30 in the morning that day. His radio-alarm would go off, and he would slowly roll out of bed, shower and get dressed, and head on out to class.
But things have changed for Tim. Ever since he joined the swim team and started hanging out with Ty, Peter, and Allen, he has noticed strange things about himself and others. This was no ordinary high school swim team. They were the best though; these boys had become the State Champions during the past school year. Still, it seemed like there was something else that set these guys apart. Tim was the new guy, and he had yet to allow himself to “fit in” with the rest of the guys. But, aside from these swimmers, who seemed to always be very close to each other, there was something weird about them… Something magical… They would always arrive at the pool at the same time and leave at the same time, and they did everything together, as if someone was controlling them… It seemed as if they were somehow connected to one another…
Tim was suddenly wide awake! No alarm could wake him up like that! It was something internal, like it was his own body that woke him up! Not only that, but he was suddenly overcome with an incredible urge to go for an early morning swim in the pool by the high school. The idea of going for a swim wasn’t a bad one, but he had never felt an urge like this before.
Tim got up and slipped on his Speedo, before he pulled a t-shirt over his head and his flip flops on his feet. He then grabbed a towel and hung that around his neck. Suddenly, he felt a need for urgency… He became rushed… He started running out the door… He jogged down the street to the school… He then ran to the pool area, took off the flip flops, dropped the shirt, the towel on the chair and dove right in!
“Ahh… Right on time…” Allen chuckled, as he stood at the edge of the pool with a huge grin on his face.
Tim swam to the ladder and grabbed hold of it, when he saw Allen standing there.
“How did you know I was coming over here?” Tim wondered, as he slowly climbed up the ladder.
“Because I’m the one who made you come here!”
“What?” Tim answered in disbelief.
“Give me ten seconds, and Peter will dive in as well!”
Tim stared at Allen with a look of confusion. What was Allen talking about?
“Hey guys… Whoohoo!!” Peter shouted, as he came running on to the pool platform. He tossed his shoes aside and his towel and his gym bag on the floor, before he dove right in the pool. He swam two laps, before coming out, and walking up to Tim and Allen.
“Hey Allen…” Peter chuckled, giving him a high-five as he walked right up to him. “Thanks for waking me up!”
“Hi Tim! Glad you could make it!” Peter smiled, as he gave him a pat on the back.
“Wait a minute…” Tim said in a serious tone of voice. “What happened here? How come all three of us are here at the same time, at 4:30 in the morning?”
“Allen made us come here, Tim!” Peter giggled.
“You two are here, because I wanted you two to wake up and come here…” Allen said, as he folded his arms before his chest.
Tim was feeling really awkward by all this, and it seemed even stranger to him that Peter didn’t seem to mind it at all.
“You mean… You can control us?” Tim wondered out loud.
“Yes, I picked you two because I think you are the most talented swimmers on the team…” Allen replied.
“Doesn’t it bother you…?” Tim said to Peter, “That he can control your body?”
“No, not at all!” Peter just laughed. “I love it”
“Tim, Tim… I think you need to understand what it means to be on my swim team…” Allen chuckled, as he walked up to Tim. “Just look what I can do to Peter…”
Both Tim and Allen turned towards Peter, whose chest suddenly started to bulk up, growing bigger and rounder, forcing his shoulders to become wider!
“Ahhh…” Peter moaned, as his muscles continued to grow.
“Oh my God…” Tim gasped, as he saw his classmate change before his very eyes. “Look at him! He’s growing bigger!”
“Are you doing that to him?” Tim wondered, as he turned towards Allen.
“Yes…” Allen chuckled. “I can make him do whatever I want! Watch this; I’ll make him hop a few times. Look at his calves, first.”
Tim and Allen turned towards Peter, who was standing a few feet in front of them, and facing them.
Suddenly, Peter’s calf muscles began to inflate, growing to freakish proportions! They stopped growing when they were so big, it seemed like he had a pair of baseballs implanted in his legs! Not only that, but Peter started hopping on the balls of his feet, like his calves wouldn’t allow him to stand still. After ten hops, he finally was able to stand on his feet again.
“Do you realize that standing before you is the world’s greatest athlete?” Allen chuckled, as he pointed to Peter.
“What? What do you mean?” Tim wondered.
“I can make Peter tall and slender, with pecs and shoulders. He’ll be an Olympic swimmer. Or I can make him shorter and more muscular, like a weight lifter. I can also add muscle to his legs, and he’ll be a marathon runner. And I can make his arms and shoulders bigger, so that he can win the gold in gymnastics. It doesn’t matter what sport he’s in, I can make him a champion at any sport I want to!” Allen said confidently.
Then Allen turned towards Tim, who was feeling very uncomfortable.
“See? I can make you shrink and grow, too!” Allen said to Tim.
“What? No way!” Tim shouted back.
Suddenly, Tim started to shrink, as Peter and Allen looked on.