“Kayla, calm down and listen to me,” Jackson pleads.
As he steps forward, she turns and takes off running through the woods. She doesn’t have to think about how to do it; she just runs at full speed. The terror of what’s happening and what she is seeing blinds her with fear. She runs for what seems like forever, when suddenly, a huge shape jumps over her and blocks her path. She immediately stops. Looming before her is a giant wolf. Kayla instantly cowers and closes her eyes.
The wolf approaches her. She can’t see anything, but then Jackson is touching her. “Kayla, it’s me. Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you. Now, you can change back. You just need to think long and hard about it, okay? Kind of like you did when you first shifted. Think about being yourself again.”
Wanting nothing more, Kayla thinks of herself over and over again. A ripple flows through her body. This time when she opens her eyes, she sees her hands planted on the ground. Kayla instantly starts to sob. Jackson reaches over and takes her into his arms. “No!” she screams. “Get away from me!” She shoves him back and scrambles against the tree.
“Kayla, baby, calm down. You need to listen to me. Your family has been hiding a lot of information from you. You may not believe it, okay, well, you might now, but you…you’re a shapeshifter. You just shifted for the first time.”
“What?” Kayla breathes out, staring at him.
Jackson kneels in front of her. He gently pushes her hair behind her ear. “You aren’t human. You’re a shapeshifter. You just changed into a dog and…ran off.”
“Are you…what…are you one too?” Kayla gasps.
“Yes, so are our parents.”
Overrun with emotion, Kayla shakes her head. “My parents…no, that can’t be. How could they hide this? Why would they hide this?”
Jackson scoots over and takes her hands into his. “Let’s get you home first. We can all talk about it there. You’re going to need to sleep soon. Your first shift is the hardest. We usually do it for the first time when we’re kids, but…well…you haven’t. It’s going to be harder on you. We need to get you back to my house.”
She starts to cry. “No, I want to go home. I want my mom and dad!”
“Damien is getting them. Everyone will be at my house. We will explain what’s going on when we get there. You need to stand up, okay?” He puts his hands out, and she takes them. Jackson pulls her up, and Kayla throws herself into his arms. He wraps them around her and holds her. Kayla feels the warmth of him through his shirt. She shivers. “We need to get you back and in clean clothes. Maybe give you a hot bath. This takes a toll on your body the first time.”
With a small giggle, Kayla asks, “Are you giving me the bath? I may actually enjoy it then.”
“Whoa, okay, that is the shift talking.”
“No,” Kayla says, looking up at him. “I want you to take care of me. I trust you.”
Jackson runs his fingers down her face. “Then I will take care of you.”
“Do you know what else I want to do?”
“What?”
“This,” Kayla breathes out as she pulls him down for a kiss. As soon as their lips meet, it’s like a bolt of lightning. Jackson pushes her back against a tree. Kayla runs her hands through his hair. The heat of their bodies increases as they push against each other.
Finally, Jackson pushes her away. “No, Kayla, stop, please, I can’t control it.”
“Are you rejecting me?”
“No, Kayla, listen to me. Our hormones increase after a shift. It can make you really…frisky, especially when you’re around someone you’re attracted to.”
Kayla frowns. “So you don’t want this.”
“No, Kayla, that isn’t it. I just…we can’t do this, okay? It wouldn’t be right. We need to get you back anyway.”
She starts to cry. “What is going on?”
“Like I said, we’re shapeshifters. It’s what we do. Your parents thought they could suppress it in you, but they were wrong. Now come on, we need to walk back to the car. You ran pretty far.”
Looking down, Kayla says, “I lost my shoes. I loved those shoes.”
“Here, hop on my back; I’ll carry you.”
“That may be difficult, I have on a leather skirt. Wait! How did my clothes not tear to shreds? Isn’t that what happens?”
Jackson laughs. “It’s really a long explanation, but you take the molecules around you and shift everything.”
“Can I shift someone else if I’m touching them?”
“No, not anything living. I promise, we will answer all your questions, but we really need to get back. I lost my cell phone, and your family is probably going nuts.”
Nodding, Kayla says, “Okay. I guess I’ll have to walk. That’s going to hurt.”
Dropping to his knee, Jackson puts his fingers underneath the side of Kayla’s skirt. The feeling of his touch makes Kayla’s breath catch in her throat. With one tug, he rips open the seam on the side. “Turn,” he murmurs huskily. She does and he rips the other side, but his fingers stay on her skin. Kayla’s heart beats rapidly in her chest. Finally, he pulls away and stands up. “Now, get on my back.”
He turns around and Kayla jumps up. Jackson easily grabs ahold of her. They start walking back through the woods, and Kayla rests her chin on his shoulder. “I’m really tired.”
“Shifting drains the energy out of you, especially when you first start doing it. You will probably sleep for a long time when you finally get back.”
They are quiet for a while as they walk. “It’s kind of creepy in these woods at night,” Kayla whispers. “What if something jumps out at us?”
“I could probably turn into something bigger and scarier than whatever is trying to jump out at us.” Jackson laughs.
Kayla giggles. “Can we change into anything?”
“Not all of us. Most of us are limited. Take my family, for instance. We can shift into animals about the same size as we are.”
“So it’s not like werewolves. We can shift into anything?”
Jackson bursts out laughing. “Oh please, never mention werewolves again. Our kind hates that mythology. We can turn into wolves yes, but it isn’t some disease or freakish moon phase thing. We aren’t all buff, and we don’t walk around without our shirts on.”
“Mmm, but I think I would like it if you did.”
Jackson chuckles. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Kayla is quiet for a while, thinking through everything Jackson told her, but another question propels her to speak again. “Why did my parents hide it?”
“I can’t answer that. You’ll have to ask them.”
“I want to punch them, but I think I may wake up soon.”
Turning his head, Jackson says, “Wake up?”
“This is a dream, of course. I mean, this isn’t really happening. What I don’t get is when did I fall asleep? Maybe I’m in some feverish delusion.”
He shakes his head. “No, Kayla, this is really happening.”
“No, it can’t be real, silly Jackson. There are no such things as shapeshifters.”
Jackson suddenly stops and sets Kayla down. She steps back and looks up at him. “Watch,” he says. In an instant, it's like Jackson melts and a dog appears. Kayla gasps as she sees the mastiff from the library.
“That was you!” Kayla yells.
Shifting back into himself, Jackson nods. “Yes, that was me.”
“You were going to eat Jude!”
“I wish,” Jackson laughs, “but I was never going to really hurt him. I’ll let Damien do the physical damage.”
With a curious expression, Kayla says, “Damien…is he a shapeshifter too?”
“Yes, here.” Jackson turns his back to her and bends his knees. “Hop back up.” Kayla complies and they start walking again. “Damien and I are cousins, but we are descendants of two different bloodlines.”
“What do you mean?” Kayla inquires softly.
Jackson hops over a tree trunk like it’s a
stick. Kayla raises her eyebrows. “Our grandfathers were brothers, but our grandmothers were from two different bloodlines. So, technically, we aren’t much alike because females pass on certain traits.”
“So I got everything from my mom? Both of my parents are shifters, right?”
“Yes, they are both shifters, but our genetics are difficult to understand. Your dad will hand down certain traits, but so will your mother. Your bloodline is…special.”
Kayla frowns. “Why?”
“We’ll get into that another time. It’s complicated.”
“So my parents are both shifters. What happens when you marry someone who isn’t a shapeshifter?”
Jackson chuckles. “We don’t really. You can’t reproduce with a human.”
“What?” Kayla exhales in shock. “What…I mean…I’m human!”
“No, actually you aren’t.”
Kayla shakes her head, completely dumbfounded. “What? You’re crazy! Of course I’m human, what else could I be?”
“Well, technically, you’re an alien.”
She just stares at him for a minute. “Excuse me?”
“We aren’t from Earth.”
“That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard!” Kayla yells. “There are no such things as aliens. I mean aliens abduct people and do all sorts of horrible things to them.”
Jackson snorts. “We would never let another alien race come here and do anything to humans. That’s all fabricated by people.”
“Let’s say you are telling me the truth. Do humans know about us?”
Jackson pauses and then replies, “Damien will have to answer that. I don’t know how much you can know.”
“What…why Damien?”
“He’s an important figure with our people. I’ll explain it later. It’s probably a little much right now.”
Scoffing, Kayla says, “Really, everything is a little much right now.”
“Sorry about that.”
The full moon allows them to see even though it’s dark. “So do we have any super powers?” she asks.
Jackson laughs. “Like what, laser eyes?”
“No, I don’t know. So we can only shift?”
“Yes, we can only shift.”
“Bummer.”
He looks at her over his shoulder. “Shifting isn’t enough for you?”
“I still think I’m going to wake up from this weird dream, so I can ask stupid questions. Hey, if this is a dream, I can do whatever I want, right?”
“It’s not a dream, Kayla.”
Kayla puts her face down on Jackson’s shoulder. “You smell good.”
“Thanks.” Jackson laughs.
“Since I'm dreaming,” Kayla mumbles into his shirt. “I can ask you a question and have no repercussions.”
“Oh dear.” Jackson sighs. “You aren’t dreaming, but I have a feeling that you’re going to ask anyway.”
Lifting her head, Kayla asks, “Why can’t I like you?”
“I knew that was it. Kayla, it’s not that you can’t. I just won’t let it go anywhere. I don’t want you to get hurt because of that.”
“So I have to marry someone of our own kind.”
Nodding, Jackson replies, “Yes, preferably.”
“Like Damien.”
Jackson stiffens, and his next words sound forced. “Yes, like Damien.”
“Is that why he wants to date me?”
Shrugging, Jackson mutters, “I guess. You would have to talk to him about that.” A heavy silence hangs in the air for a while before Jackson finally sighs. “I’m going to ask a question, and I know it’s not really any of my business, but…do you like Damien?”
“Yeah, I guess I do,” Kayla replies as she fiddles with his collar. “He’s nice to me and seems really interested. Why, does that bother you a lot?”
“No,” Jackson murmurs. They approach the edge of the woods. “Here we go. See, it wasn’t that bad. Your feet didn’t even get hurt.”
Kayla frowns. “Yeah, but I lost my shoes and you lost your cell phone.”
“I will buy you new shoes,” Jackson offers, setting her down.
“Do friends buy each other shoes?”
Jackson smirks. “Probably not, but this is an exception.”
“Whatever.” Kayla laughs when they get to the car. She looks inside of it. “Oh my gosh, Jackson! I am so sorry! I hurled all over your really expensive car.”
“I’m going to send the cleaning bill to your parents. It’s their fault.”
Kayla rolls her eyes. “Funny.”
“No, I'm dead serious. It’s their fault that you had to endure that hell. They can clean my car,” Jackson states, opening the back door for her. “I don’t think you want to sit in the front seat.”
“Let me think about that…no.” She climbs into the backseat and Jackson shuts the door. Kayla leans her head against the cool glass.
When Jackson gets in, he looks down to the center console where his cell phone sits. “I didn’t lose it. I have thirty missed calls.” He looks at it. “Four are from Tracy. Six are from Damien. Ten are from my parents and the last twenty have to be from your parents.”
Reaching down for her purse, Kayla brings out her phone. “Hey, I got you beat, I have fifty.”
Jackson presses a number on his phone and holds it up to his ear. “Hey, Dad, we’re on our way back. What? Really? What do you think happened? No, we went for a walk, had some ice cream…KAYLA SHIFTED! Don’t give me that. Damien and I kept saying this was going to happen. No one listened to us, because we’re just kids and have no idea what we're talking about!” There is a pause. “Whatever, Father, I’m hanging up now.” He hits end and growls.
“Your dad is mad?” Kayla asks quietly.
“No, not really. I am, though,” Jackson spits out as he starts the car. He hits the gas pedal and speeds off down the road. “Since we got here and I found out you didn’t know anything about where we come from, I warned them. You were at the age where it really couldn’t be stopped, but nooo, no one listened to me. I told them the Kiej wouldn’t totally suppress it, but, obviously, I don’t know anything.”
Kayla laughs as they turn a corner and she is thrown to the side. “Don’t you think I should be the one who’s angry?”
“Aren’t you? You just found out you’re a shapeshifter!”
“I still think I’m dreaming. I’m waiting for you to take your clothes off, because then that would be a good dream.”
Her reaction breaks Jackson’s bad mood. “A good dream for you is me being naked?”
“I didn’t say naked. You could take your shirt off. That would be nice.”
“Make you a deal. I’ll take mine off, if you take yours off.”
“No!” she exclaims back. “This is my dream.” Before she can say anything else, her phone rings. It says it’s her mom. Answering it, she says, “Hey, Mom! Guess what? I changed myself into a dog.”
Her mom responds with a moment of silence before cautiously proceeding. “That’s what you have to say? No screaming, no yelling, just hey, I turned into a dog?”
“Do you want me to scream? Anyway, as I keep telling Jackson, this is a really messed up dream, so I don’t really care.”
“Kayla, honey, I think you’re in shock. This isn’t a dream. You really did shift.”
The smile on Kayla’s face disappears when reality sets in. “This isn’t a dream.”
“No, honey.” Her mom sighs. “I am so sorry.”
Kayla drops the phone to the floor. “Oh my…” And with those words, she passes out.
Later she hears, “Kayla, come on, wake up.”
“She may not wake up,” she hears another voice say.
Kayla finally makes out Damien’s voice. “You guys are ridiculous. Let her sleep.”
“We need to make sure she’s okay,” her mom snaps. “The first shift is the hardest.”
“Like we don’t know that,” Damien retorts.
“Damien, watch your mout
h,” Jackson’s dad yells.
“Don’t tell me what to do!” Damien growls.
She feels a cool washcloth brush across her forehead. Finally able to speak, she mumbles, “Will you all shut up?”
“Oh good, oh honey, how do you feel?” her mom asks.
Opening one eye, Kayla says, “Horrible. I had the most messed up dream.”
Her mom sighs loudly. “Kayla, I’m sorry, but it wasn’t a dream.”
“Yeah, honey,” her dad interjects. “You shifted.”
“Oh please, don’t say that,” Kayla groans, rolling over. She falls off the couch and lands on her knees. “Ow.”
She feels two hands on her sides, and she is lifted into the air. Turning around, she finds Jackson there. “Hey, you doing okay?” he asks.
“No, you all suck,” Kayla grumbles. She looks down at her outfit. “Wow, I really need to change. I look like a prostitute who was digging through a dumpster.”
“I’ll get you some clothes,” Jackson’s mom says.
Her dad comes up next to her. “Honey, we have a lot to explain.”
“Oh really?” Kayla replies sarcastically. “I shape-shift into a dog in the middle of the woods after profusely vomiting all over my new friend's car, and then I'm told I'm a member of an alien race. I'm pretty sure I've got it covered, thanks, though.”
“Kayla,” Jackson whispers. “Come on. Give them a break.”
She turns to him. “Traitor. You were just as mad when we were in the woods!”
“I’m furious,” Damien interjects with attitude.
“Thank you!” Kayla exclaims. “I hear that you were pushing for me to know.”
Damien nods. “Yes, that’s partially why I’m here. The council sent me.”
“The council?” Kayla asks, confused.
“Why don’t you sit down,” her mom says. “Let us explain a few things.”
Crossing her arms, Kayla snidely retorts, “No. I want to change my clothes and tell everyone to—”
“Kayla Marie!” her dad yells.
“Whatever,” Kayla mumbles, flopping down on the couch. She tries to pull her skirt down, but since it’s ripped, she ends up showing a lot of leg. Everyone stands around her, staring at her. “Well, are any of you going to talk?”
Her mom sits down next to her. “Okay, well, to start, you aren’t human.”