Shifted

6 Months Prior  I stood in the doorway desperately trying to hear what my parents and uncle were talking about. I could hear them arguing about something but couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.  My uncle never came to visit and would only sometimes talk to my mom. He and my dad never got along and I barely know him.  I pressed my ear to the door and tried to stifle my breathing. “Elsie doesn’t need to know,” I heard my mom say. I couldn’t tell what my uncle said but my dad raised his voice.   I wonder what they could be talking about that involves me? My parents and I are pretty close and what does my uncle, who I hardly know, have anything to do with it? If it did involve me, shouldn’t I be part of the conversation taking place in my living room? I took a deep breath and stepped into the living room. They immediately stopped talking. My uncle looked at me with surprise in his eyes. My mother looked at my dad. Dad just stared at me before speaking, “Elsie, we need to have a discussion with your uncle. Can you please go upstairs to your room while we talk?”  I looked at my mom who still hadn’t said anything. I rolled my shoulders back and stared at my dad, “I think that if this conversation is about me, I should be included.”  My uncle actually laughed. My parents looked at me in shock. I can’t really blame them. I normally do as I’m told without question. This time it felt different. Like this was important.  My parents shared a silent conversation while I anxiously waited. My mom motioned for me to sit next to her. I moved to sit down and everyone else followed. My uncle never takes his gaze off of me. Mom turned and took my hands in hers, “there is a lot you don’t know about me and my side of the family. Your father and I made the decision to live our lives the way we wanted to and that included having you and living the way we do.” My uncle shifted uncomfortably in his chair and made a noise like disgust in his throat. “okay, and…” I questioned, still not understanding why this was such a big deal. Mom let out a sigh and looked at my uncle. Finally, my dad spoke, “When your mom and I met, I was backpacking through Alaska. It had been a dream of mine and before going to college I decided to take some time and go explore the wilderness. One day I was walking along this ravine when I saw this beautiful woman at a stream below. I remember standing and watching her for a while taking in her beauty. That’s when I decided to go and say hello. We ended up staying together for the entire week. She camped alongside me and we had the best time together. My last night there she was nervous. I could tell something was wrong but she wouldn’t tell me what was bothering her. I figured she was upset that I was leaving the next day. We promised to talk to one another and visit when we could. Then I heard a deep growl. Followed by what seemed like a hundred growls. I panicked. I never carried a gun but did have bear spray and a taser. I told your mom to stay in the tent and that I would try and scare them away, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me down into a deep embrace. She told me that she would handle it and that I was to stay in the tent no matter what. Reluctantly, I let her go. She left the tent and the growling stopped. I sat in the tent as long as I could, worried sick about what was happening to her. I opened the tent and stepped out to find no one there. She was gone.”   “Your father was stubborn and came looking for me the next day. He found me deeper in the woods at our cabin where he met my brother and father. As you can imagine, neither were very happy to see a boy show up to see me.” She smiled as she looked at my dad. “My father told your dad to leave and that he wasn’t welcome. Eric tried to force him to leave but your dad stood his ground.” I looked over to see my dad staring at my mom with love in his eyes. My uncle, however, looked like he wanted to rip someone’s head off.  “So, what happened,” I asked. “Well, your dad and I decided that we wanted to see this through. Everyone thought we were crazy because we had just met but we just knew. My father became furious and told me that if I decided to go with your dad that I was turning my back on my family. That I wouldn’t be welcomed back.” My mom looked sad as she recalled this part of the story. I squeezed her hand. “Is that why I’ve never met him and hardly seen my uncle?” She nodded.  “I guess I still don’t understand how this involves me?” I asked as I looked around the room.  This time my uncle sat forward in his chair looking me straight in the eyes. “Elsie, you are part of a strong line of..” “You will NOT speak to her!” my father yelled. My uncle stood and, in that instance, I swear he grew to 7 feet tall, muscles rippling down his body, and a growl emanating from his chest. “Did you just growl?!” I exclaimed. His eyes shot at me and they trapped me in his gaze.  “What if I did growl, would you be afraid?” he asked. “No.” I answered simply. He smiled and sat back down in his chair. He turned to face my mother, giving my father his back, “how are you going to handle the change if you aren’t going to tell her?” “EWWW, are you seriously here talking to my mom about my period?! That’s gross. I don’t even know you.”  “Elsie, he isn’t talking about your period.” Mom took a deep breath and looked at me before she swept a piece of my hair behind my ear. “I need you to just promise me to listen and then I will answer any questions you may have.” I nodded, sitting back and sinking into the couch as I tired to prepare myself for what my mom was about to tell me.  “I grew up in Alaska with my family. We are very special because we have been blessed and those blessings have been passed down generation to generation. Our entire family lives together and we take care of one another. Family means a lot to us and that is why it’s so important that we stay together. It also means that I made a huge decision when I chose to leave and be with your father.” She paused. “Elsie, my family and I aren’t human. We are shifters and can turn into wolves. We live in packs and can shift anytime. We have a wolf that is part of our soul that we can talk to and we complete one another.”              I can feel the laughter growing inside me before it explodes from my mouth. It takes several minutes for me to collect myself and notice they are all looking at me. “What? You seriously expect me to believe that? I don’t know what is really going on but you could have come up with something better than mom turning into a wolf.”  Dad ran his hands over his face and stood up and walked away. I watched as he walked over and took a bottle out of the cabinet and poured himself a drink. He motioned to my mom and uncle, offering them one. They both accepted. I watched as all of the adults said nothing. I could feel the panic start to rise in me as I was trying to figure out what they were deciding to do.              “Elsie, I know this is hard for you to believe, but it is the truth. I walked away from my family, my pack, to be with your dad. It isn’t normal for our kind to mate with humans. It is even rarer for us to have children. That’s what makes you special. Your dad and I decided that, since my family couldn’t accept us being together, that we would leave and start our own lives. We would put my past behind me and we would start our own family. Your uncle and I didn’t start talking again until I became pregnant with you. We weren’t sure what the pregnancy would be like and needed medical attention from someone who understood. He has kept in contact to check on you as you grew.” “But why?” I asked. My dad spoke,” because we aren’t sure if you are part wolf or not. We don’t know if you will go through the change or if you will be 100% human.” I stared at them in disbelief. They were serious. This must be why my uncle is here.  I turned and faced him, “Why are you here? I mean, why are you here now?”              “I’m here because you are coming of age and I’ve been pressuring your parents to come back so that we can try and figure this out. But we are running out of time. You won’t be able to travel through the pass once it starts to snow and you might already start the process by spring and then it will be too late. Your parents seem to think that they can handle this and that you are better off not knowing.” He turns and glares at my father. “What happens when you change?” I ask hesitantly.  “The first time is the worst. You shift under the moon and your body becomes one with the wolf. Your body will take the shape and conscience of your wolf. You will feel every bone break, muscle tear, etc. The first time, it helps when you are surrounded by family to help you through the process. Each time you shift after that, it becomes less and less painful until you can do it without even thinking about it. Your uncle believes that you would be better off surrounded by your pack and family if you were to shift. While your father and I believe that you would be fine with just him and I, if that were to even happen. We don’t know that it will.”               “Do I get a say in this?” I asked. The room was silent except for my uncle’s fingers tapping along the sides of his glass. My mom and dad were quiet for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the silence broke and my mom spoke, “We will support whatever decision you make. But you need to know that if you decide to go and live in Alaska, we may not be able to go along with you.” I stared at her shocked, “what do you mean you may not be able to go with me? How could you leave me?” My uncle spoke, “your mother made a choice to leave the pack many years ago to be with your father. Once you leave a pack, you cannot just return. It is up to the pack to allow your mother to return. It is an entirely different matter as to whether or not they will allow your father to stay.”  “Let me get this straight. This pack gets to decide who stays and who goes?” My mom and uncle both nodded in agreement.              “Then I guess my decision is made. I won’t leave my parents. You can’t expect me to learn that I may or may not be part wolf and then expect me to leave my parents? Not gonna happen.” I stood and walked up the stairs to my room and shut the door. I walked over and sat on my bed trying to wrap my head around everything that had just happened. We come from a line of wolves, magic people, shifters, or whatever they are called. I could be part wolf. Or I could just be a normal human. Here I was worried about high school and finding a boyfriend. Now I have to worry about whether I am going to sprout ears and start howling at the moon. I could still hear my parents and uncle talking and decided I was done trying to listen. I turned on some music and snuggled into my bed. I closed my eyes and thought about what I might look like as a wolf.