As always, the first period was spent on acclimatization. Fortunately, this time I was thrown into an adult body, not some baby's. But even so, for the first hour, I simply sat on some bench, staring blankly into the distance, holding my aching head. When my soul fully merged with the body, I carefully got to my feet and walked toward a small bridge visible in the distance.
I could try to dig into my memory and see if anything of the previous body owner remains, but from experience, I know it's better not to do that in the beginning. The headaches might come back.
While walking, I looked myself over. Apparently, I'm not very tall, more of an average height, with a young body, not too developed, probably around eighteen. My clothes are simple, worn-out, and don't exactly smell like roses. Regular jeans, worn-out sneakers, a T-shirt with some plain print, and a sports jacket thrown over it. A fairly heavy backpack is slung over my shoulders. What I don't get is why I'm wearing leather gloves when it's summer outside?
As I walked along a narrow path in some park, I noticed that nearly everyone I passed was either a girl or a woman. I saw a plump, but content-looking guy once, surrounded by a trio of girls. They were swarming around him so much that I actually felt jealous.
They threw me interested glances, but no one tried to jump me and assault me behind the nearest bush. So, not everything is as bad as it might seem. Why, then, do I feel so uneasy? And that damn smile from Archie...
When I reached the wooden bridge, I stopped in the middle, holding the railing slightly and leaning forward. Below, a stream was running slowly in a clearly artificially dug channel. Not much of a mirror, but at least something. I still couldn't find a phone in my pockets; maybe it's in the backpack, but I didn't feel like rummaging through it now.
In the flowing water, I saw a fairly handsome, but still masculine young man. Hmm, I guess I was right about the age. But what's up with my hair? Among the brown, not-too-long strands, I could see a partially gray bang. Under my shoulder blade, I felt a disgusting pull.
"No, he didn't throw me into..." I groaned heavily. "What's the point of this?"
My breath faltered, I turned and weakly sat down, leaning my back against the wooden slats. I struggled to pull off a glove from one hand.
"Hey! Are you alright?" someone asked, and I was covered by a human shadow, but I barely noticed it. All I cared about was that Archie couldn't have done this to me!
The voice kept asking something, but I didn't respond. Then the person, or rather, another woman, sat beside me. A delicate female hand touched my exposed skin, and the worst thing happened. My fears were realized. As soon as we touched, I felt my body fill with free energy. It was as if I'd turned into a robot and had been plugged in for a recharge. Yes, I've got something to compare it to!
But this time, it was even worse! I involuntarily drained not only the life force from the first person I encountered, but seemingly her entire soul along with her memories. Right now, I felt like a damn black hole sucking in everything within reach. Veins appeared on the skin of the unknown woman, and she grew pale and aged.
Shaking my head, I ripped my hand from her grip, and everything stopped. The woman's face started to regain color, but not very quickly.
Swallowing, I put my glove back on, got to my feet, and quickly walked away from the scene.
Damn Archie! What the hell did he do? Why did he put me in the male version of Rogue's body? No, these abilities are seriously overpowered! I don't even need to strain myself, I could bend the world to my will, but what's the point? I was hoping for several years of casual, commitment-free sex with hundreds of lustful girls, and what did I get? A body of an energy vampire! Damn, now I won't even be able to kiss normally without sucking out the entire life force from my partner!
And what am I supposed to do now? Work with my "hands" for the rest of my life?! Or buy a scuba suit?!
"Damn you, Archie!" I yelled in anger, scaring off the nearby birds.
"April Fool's!" they shouted back!