Sheldon blinked his eyes open, his vision slowly coming into focus. The dimly lit interior of the well-equipped infirmity tent swam before his gaze. He reached for his forehead to soothe the throbbing headache from his wake. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in his side made him wince and collapse back onto the cot.
"Easy there champ," a deep voice said. Sheldon turned his head to see Camp Counselor Vincent sitting beside him while peeling an apple. Sheldon considered the man as one of the better counselors from this camp. Despite the subtle smile on the counselor's face, Shield could see the concerned look underneath. "Never took you for a sleepwalker. You took quite the tumble, and we found you unconscious at the edge of camp."
Sheldon furrowed his brow as he struggled to piece together the events of the previous evening. A memory flashed in his head. He remembered floating in space for quite some time, but that changed when he saw a pale, blue dot in the distance. It was cold, then it was blistering hot. There was a massive explosion that disoriented his sensing organs. In a state of confusion, he lunged at the first creature he saw. A sharper wince caused Sheldon to bend for comfort. Those memories… He knew they weren't his, but it felt like he saw those himself.
"What happened?" Sheldon croaked, his throat dry and scratchy.
Counselor Vincent gave him a glass of water that Sheldon drank almost immediately. "We're not entirely sure, but sleepwalking is a prevailing theory. Groundskeeper Mavis found you barefoot and covered in bruises, but they seem to have vanished overnight. We're not entirely sure why. Your condition seems to be fine, though, but it would be best to let you rest for a few days. Your parents were informed about what happened, but we haven't received a reply yet."
Sheldon nodded as he finished the glass of water. He knew his parents wouldn't be responding any time soon. They were off on a summer cruise in the Bahamas like they always did at this time of the year. That was why they always left him in this summer camp every year despite his continued protests.
Vincent gave Sheldon a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry kiddo. We're going to regularly check on you. In the meantime, just try to rest. I could have Brandon bring those space books you always read."
"Thank you," Sheldon gave a weak smile. He pushed his back against the wall and looked forward to his camp partner bringing the space books he brought to camp. They might contain some explanation for what happened last night. And maybe, he could tell Brandon about what happened. He doesn't know why, but he has this gist that danger would come if he told an adult about the slime. Like his very being was against the idea.
With that, the counselor left Sheldon in the tent with his thoughts. Sheldon looked at his hands, flexing his fingers experimentally. Everything seemed normal, but there was a tingling sensation beneath his skin. An unfamiliar energy hummed inside, and he focused his complete thought on the feeling. To his shock, his skin rippled and flowed. It revealed a translucent, gelatinous substance underneath. It remained solid, but thoughts were enough to manipulate it into strange and simple shapes. He formed tendrils and a hand-shaped blob. If he could shapeshift his hand into slime, what else could he do? Could he shapeshift his entire body? The logical notion seems to point that way. He could also heal his injuries, and that would explain the healing of his bruises as Counselor Vincent mentioned.
And then, another thought crept into Sheldon's mind. A dark, insidious whisper that seemed to come from the alien memories that lingered in his head. He could feel it, a hunger, a need to consume and control. To dominate. To possess.