Shifted

School

We were greeted by an overly eager woman who looked like she was a former beauty queen. Her teeth were sparkly white and her hair was done up in a complicated style that must have taken her forever to do. She wore a tailored pantsuit in the deepest shade of blue. She took my uncle's hand and shook it with so much enthusiasm that I was pretty sure his arm was going to fall off. I followed behind my dad, who stood next to my uncle. My dad coughed to draw attention to himself and the woman looked his way. “Good Morning, I’m Principal Foy, welcome to Whitmore academy.” I dropped my bag on the floor producing a loud thud. “I’m sorry, did you say Whitmore Academy…like as in my last name?” I interjected. Principal Foy looked nervously at my uncle, who gave her a reassuring smile. “Elsie, this school was founded by your great grandfather. Our family takes pride in supporting the education of our youth. This is why I insisted on escorting you today. To ensure that you are properly taken care of. It has been quite some time since we’ve had a family member attend and we want to make sure everything is perfect,” my uncle gave Principal Foy a look that was both a compliment and a warning.

I was speechless as I walked the halls to make my way around the school. It wasn’t large but my classes were spread from one side to the other and on various floors of the school. I was praying I didn’t get lost. We found my locker and I quickly put my things away and walked back towards the office with my dad. I couldn’t help but notice that my uncle and the principal held back to talk as they walked. I wish I could hear what they were saying. As we entered the office, the woman behind the desk stood. She welcomed us and had my father fill out some paperwork. I sat as I waited to be told what to do next. Suddenly, a girl about my age walked into the office. She had bright purple hair and dark black eyes. She wore fishnet stockings, a black leather skirt, and a dark green top that made her purple hair stand out. She caught me staring and I quickly looked away. Was this how I was supposed to dress? I hoped not.

Principal Foy and my uncle walked in. The girl literally bowed and my uncle nodded. “Ashlynn, this is Elsie. Elsie this is Ashlynn. She will be your escort for the day to make sure that you are comfortable and have everything that you need.” The principal turned towards Ashlynn, “I have assured Mr. Whitmore that Elsie will be welcomed with open arms and that we don’t foresee any issues.” Ashlynn blushed before nodding in agreement. She turned towards me, “Hi, would you like to go to class or see more of the building? We have an amazing library and all the cheese fries you can eat.” I smiled. Maybe Whitmore Academy wouldn’t be as bad as I thought it would be.

As soon as we turned the corner and were out of sight of the adults, Ashlynn threw me up against the lockers. Shocked, I put my hands up and tried to push her away. She let me go and just started laughing before continuing to walk down the hallway. Unsure of what to do, I waited and watched, wondering what the hell just happened. Before she turned to go down the hallway she turned back to me, “they are going to eat you alive if you don’t stand up for yourself and act like you own this place. You do realize you do actually own this place, right? That means you have a target on your back. You better be ready, Elsie, because they are coming for you.” Ashlynn turned and walked away down the hallway. I took off running to catch up with her, not wanting to be caught alone.

Panting, I asked, “What do you mean eaten alive?” I really didn’t know if she meant literally eaten or just figuratively. I finally decided that it didn’t matter because both ways were bad news for me. Ashlynn didn’t speak again until she opened a door that led to the largest library I had ever witnessed in my life. Shelves spanned from floor to ceiling and went on forever. This room seemed to feel and look bigger than what was possible from the outside. The school looks relatively small from the outside, but standing in this massive library made me wonder how. Ashlynn shut the door and walked over to a table. She showed me how to look up the books that were available and how to find them. She took my hand and led me to a table in the middle of the room. Pulling out a chair, she motioned for me to sit. So, I did.

Ashlynn

This meek looking girl sitting across from me could not possibly be part of the strongest pack in this area. She was thin and wispy and had no self-confidence. No wonder Mr. Whitmore escorted her to school today. He wanted to make sure that even though Elsie looked like this she was still Whitmore blood. More importantly, we were all told of her arrival and how we were to be on our best behavior. Unfortunately for her, it did the exact opposite and now she has a target on her back.

As I looked over her, she fidgeted in her chair. I couldn’t tell if I made her nervous or if she really was in shock at seeing this many books. The room was enchanted so that it could hold much more than should be possible. Our town is made up of humans and shifters. We mostly get along and only some human families know about us or our gifts. Still, looking at this fragile girl in front of me, I feared for her life and mine. If something should happen to her, from the looks that Mr. Whitmore were giving we were all dead.

Finally, Elsie spoke, “So, what are we doing here?” I smiled, “I thought we could take some time to get to know one another so that I could better assist you. Hesitantly, she took a seat across from me. “You need to tell me what you know,” I demanded. Her eyes widened but to my surprise she didn’t look away. Good. She had some sense after all. “I just found out a few months ago that my mom’s side of the family are shifters and that her family, her pack I mean, live here. I decided that I wanted to see what this place was like and get to know more about who I am, or possibly what I am.” With this last statement, she seemed to not know if I knew or not that she hadn’t shifted. I sat back in my chair waiting for her to continue after several minutes. When she didn’t speak, I asked, “so that is literally all you know?” She shrugged her shoulders. “Oh! Just today I learned that my family started this school and they fund it.” Elsie said matter of factly. I couldn’t help myself but laugh. “You really are clueless. Your family, or rather your mother’s pack, are the most influential werewolf pack in Alaska and probably in the United States. Your lineage is ancient and with it comes respect and privilege. When your mother left, she not only left her family behind but a legacy as a true alpha daughter. That basically makes her royalty. Which means you are basically a princess.”

I noticed that she was turning white as a sheet and probably moments from passing out. s**t. “Look Elsie, I want to help you but I am praying to the Moon Goddess that you are a quick learner. People are going to be testing you to see if you are worthy of the position you hold. It especially won’t get easier until after you shift. At least then they will have to respect you and pack law.” “When will I shift?” Elsie asked. “Honestly, you should have by now, but many are saying that because you weren’t around a pack and your mom wasn’t helping that it has been delayed. So, it could be anytime.” Suddenly the bell rang and my heart started to beat wildly. “Well, I hope you are prepared because they are going to want to meet you.” “Who is they?” she asked looking worried. “The pack, of course.”

Elsie

My hands were slick from sweat and my heart raced as the loud bell sounded and I followed Ashlynn out of the library. The hallways were crowded and everyone seemed to be busy going about their day. I let out a breath thinking that maybe they wouldn’t notice me. As we walked, the sea of students parted as Ashlynn and I continued down the hall. I could feel people starting to stare at me as I heard the familiar sound of photos being taken. Ashlynn suddenly stopped by a row of lockers. She pointed to the locker at the end, “This is mine. Here is your schedule, locker number, and combo to get in. I suggest you don’t keep anything valuable in there because the locks can’t really keep anyone out.” I nodded as she stepped aside. Your first class is across the hall with Mr. Strider for English. He’s a good teacher and will be glad to have you in class. I will meet you here afterwards and take you to your next class before we head to lunch. “Thanks for helping me,” I said as I turned to walk away. “Elsie,” I turned to look her way, “Don’t let them see you’re scared.” I watched as Ashlynn turned and walked away towards her class.

I steadied myself as I walked into my English class. Mr. Strider greeted me with a warm smile and told me to sit where I wanted. Not wanting to stick out, I headed straight to the back row of desks and took a seat. More and more students filed into the classroom. I watched as they took me in and quickly sat down whispering to one another. Maybe Ashlynn was wrong and they weren’t going to bother me. I reached into my bag and pulled out my notebook and pen when I realized that the room had gone deathly silent. I looked up to see a group of girls staring at me like I had three heads. “Can I help you?” I asked. One of the girls smirked while the red-headed one, who was clearly the leader, took a step towards me. “Actually, it’s you that can help us. Get out of our seats and there won’t be any problems. Considering you are new, I’ll let it slide this time.” The girls standing beside her laughed. I glanced around the room to see that Mr. Strider had busied himself at the board and no one in class was looking our way. So, that is what she had meant. Well, luckily for me, the mean girls I can handle. I cleared my throat, “I’m sorry what’s your name?” I asked. “Emily,” she snapped. I stood from the desk, “Well, Emily, my name is Elsie Whitmore and this is now my seat. You and your cronies can go find seats elsewhere.” Emily got in my face and snarled, “Just because you say you are a Whitmore doesn’t make you one. You are just a dumb human who doesn’t know her place and will end up dead in a week.” Someone in the class let out a small gasp. I stared at Emily, not daring to look away. “Get out of my face and sit the hell down before I make you sit down,” the panic rose in me even as the words left my mouth. “Do it!” Emily yelled. “ENOUGH!” The girls immediately bowed their heads and I looked around them trying to figure out what had just happened.

A large man stood in the doorway and I could see the anger rolling off of him. He stalked towards us never taking his eyes off of Emily. “Who do you think you are trying to start a fight first thing when Elsie gets here? Weren’t the orders to welcome her?” Emily opened her mouth to speak but he stopped her by putting his hand up. She stared at the floor along with the two other girls. He turned to face me, “I’m sorry for Emily’s actions. I will ensure that her father hears about this. It won’t happen again.” He turned before I could say anything and walked away. The three girls sat down in the row ahead of me and didn’t look at me for the rest of the class. In fact, no one looked at me or said a word to me the entire class period. This was going to be harder than I thought.

The bell rang and, just as she had promised, Ashlynn was waiting for me outside of my classroom. She was smiling but I wasn’t sure what for. “You did great!” she beamed as she told me. “What are you talking about?” I asked. “You stood up for yourself. Emily can be a complete b***h but you stood your ground.” I looked at her confused, “how do you even know what happened?” “Easy. Everyone is talking about it! It isn’t every day that someone tells her what to do and the fact that the Beta showed up speaks volumes for who you are.” I stopped walking and turned to face her. “Wait, what’s a beta and how in the hell did he find out about what just happened?” Ashlynn laughed. “You really know nothing, don’t you? Wolves in a pack can communicate with one another through our bond. It’s how we stay connected and know what’s going on. We can put up a shield if we don’t want to hear or want to be left alone, but we also communicate with everyone through it too. So when you started to tell Emily where she could go, we all started talking about it. The Beta is the 2nd in command for the pack. He was either already here doing something else or he had been sent. Either way, it means Emily made a big mistake and you just earned some major points in my book.” When I didn’t speak or start walking, she took my hand and led me into the cafeteria.

I was shocked to see so many people in this room at once. Everyone was busy getting food and finding friends to sit with. I noticed several people taking pictures of me but didn’t bother to smile or wave. Ashlynn motioned for me to follow her, so I did. I took a tray and followed through the line picking out food as I went. I placed a large helping of cheese fries on my tray and grabbed a soda to wash it down. When we got to the end of the line, I wasn’t sure what to do. I had no money and I started to panic. The woman must have sensed my anxiety because she looked at me kindly and said, “For you sweetheart, everything is on the house.” I blushed and Ashlynn reached over and put two large chocolate chip cookies on my tray before shrugging her shoulders and walking away. I smiled, her and I were going to get along just fine.

We headed to a table where a few other people were already sitting and they smiled as we approached. Ashlynn introduced me and we took our seats. I started to eat my fries when an arm reached across and took some off my tray. I smacked the hand away, “hey! Those are mine.” The hand belonged to a blonde-headed boy who had eyes as green as my mom's. I couldn’t help but smile at him, “sorry, I’m territorial when it comes to my food.” He laughed, those eyes seeming to glimmer in the light. He was bad news and he knew it. “I’m Caleb and this is Seth and Max.” He pointed to two of his friends sitting across from him. “I’m Elsie.” “Oh, we know who you are. We heard all about your incident with Emily.” Everyone at the table seemed to laugh about something I didn’t quite understand. I ate in silence as I watched everyone around me and listened to the conversation.

Ashlynn walked me to my next class and I hoped that I wouldn’t have any drama in this class. The teacher wasn’t there yet, so I just picked a place to sit in the middle row, hoping it was safe. I was excited about this class because math was my best subject and I was sure that I could keep up with my classmates. The bell rang and students filed into the classroom. No one sat next to me and I was losing hope that someone would want to talk to me. A short woman walked in and took out a folder as she turned to address the class, “today you are going to take a placement exam for next year. I know it’s early, but just try and do your best. This will help our counselors know how many seats in each class we will be needing.” As she walked along and passed out the papers she stalled next to me. “Hello, I’m Mrs. Pippin. I’m glad that you are here and if you need anything please let me know.” I smiled at her as I took the test. I looked around and others had already started, so I did the same.

I finished the test and looked around to find that most of my classmates were still working on the test. We had twenty minutes and I started to panic that maybe I didn’t do as well as I thought I did. I raised my hand and Mrs. Pippin motioned for me to come up to her desk. I handed her my test and told her I was done. She took it and looked it over, flipping it over to also look at the back. She stared at me. “Do you like math, Elsie?” she asked me. “Yes, it is one of my favorite subjects. I was in a math club back home.” She smiled. “So I’m guessing I did well on the test then?” I asked. “Actually, you got a perfect score. That means you are going to be bored in my class. I will have to speak to your counselor and have you moved to a more advanced class starting tomorrow.” She was beaming as she said this but for what reason I wasn’t sure. I looked at the clock and still had time left in class. I asked Mrs. Pippin if I could please use the restroom and she said of course.

I walked down the hall to find the restroom. I opened the door and went into the stall, locking the door behind me. I really didn’t have to use the bathroom, I just needed a minute to think to myself. So far, the day hadn’t been that bad. I just know that everyone is going to stare at me and scrutinize me every day while I’m here. I’ll also have to stand up for myself and know that the beta, or whoever, isn’t always going to be there to help me. No big deal at all, right? Just then, I heard the bathroom door open and a group of girls walked in. I quickly tucked my legs up to my chest so they couldn’t see I was in there.

“I cannot believe that Beta Jackson showed up to stop you from putting Elsie in her place. What is with that?” someone asked. “Probably because her uncle told him to watch over her to make sure no one kills her before she can emerge. I’m sure they can’t wait to have another chance at having an alpha female. They won’t risk losing her.” Emily’s voice hit my ears and my entire body tensed. “You really think she will shift? Wouldn’t that mean that she would be in line to…” the girl was cut off by Emily, “Even if she does shift she’d have to be welcomed to the pack. I know for a fact that right now her little mommy is trying to regain entrance and we all know that isn’t going to happen.” Emily laughed. “Yea, my guess is that mommy will get such a good beating that she gives up and goes back home. Elsie won’t be able to stand it and they will go back to whatever hole they crawled out of.” I heard the door open and I waited a few seconds before releasing my legs to the ground. What did she mean that my mom was taking a beating? I wasn’t sure with how confusing all this shifter stuff was, but I wasn’t about to let my mom get hurt over something that had to do with me.

I raced out of the bathroom and down the hall towards the front doors of the school. I had just made it past the office and out the front doors and two large arms wrapped around me, bringing me to stop. I screamed. Unsure of what else to do, I kicked, scratched, and threw all my weight to the ground, trying to get the person to release me. No matter what I did, his tree-trunk-sized arms remained locked around me tightly. I yelled, “LET ME GO!” The person laughed, causing his chest to rumble against my back. “I mean it! I need to get to my mother. Let me go now and I won’t tell my uncle.” With this, the arms released me and I turned to look at the man's face. It was the Beta that Ashlynn was telling me about. He stared at me, “they said you were feisty.” I placed my hands on my hips in disapproval and glared at him, “I don’t care who you are or what you are, Emily says my mom is taking a beating and I’m not just going to sit by while it happens. So you either take me to her or you get the hell out of my way.” The hulk of a man standing before me roared with laughter. “Oh my, you are so much like your mom that it’s ridiculous. Your dad sure has his hands full.” He walked, motioning for me to follow him. He stopped next to a Ford pickup and opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in and he shut the door. He got in and started the truck, waiting for me to buckle up. He backed out of the school parking lot and it wasn’t until then that I had realized that I didn’t know this person and had just gone into a car with him. This could be the dumbest decision I’ve ever made.