Shifted

The Meeting

The moving vans had already arrived and the workers had most of our things inside the house and setup. The house was even more amazing than the picture. I couldn’t believe that this was our house while we stayed here. It looked as if it had always been part of the woods. The house was perfectly blended in with its surroundings. I walked through the house and saw that the living room had a massive fireplace, the kitchen was huge, and it had double doors that led to a wrap-around deck that overlooked a pool. “We have a pool!” I exclaimed. Dad just rolled his eyes and mom giggled.

That night, we ordered pizza and tried to get settled in. All of us were exhausted from unpacking and organizing all of our things. My room was on the 2ndfloor and had a great view of the woods that surrounded the house. My room has a bathroom attached to it that has a great tub for soaking and my own vanity. A light knock sounded on my door and I turned to see my dad standing in the doorway. “Hey, your mom and I need to show you something. Can you come with us?” He asked. I followed him down the hallway and downstairs to the back deck. I found mom outside in the back yard near the woods. She was smiling and I couldn’t help but smile too. She took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Elsie, there is someone I’d like you to meet. Her name is Kai and she has wanted to meet you for forever and I think now is the perfect time for you to meet her.” I looked at my mom confused because we were outside near the woods and no one was around other than my dad. My mom walked towards the woods and then turned to face me. Suddenly, she changed into a giant white wolf with the brightest green eyes I’ve ever seen. I stumbled back and tried to get away. The wolf let out a whine. I stilled and looked at the wolf. “Mom?” I whispered. Dad joined me. “This is Kai. She is your mother's Wolf. She won’t hurt you.” Dad reached his hand out and scratched her behind her ears. Kai leaned into him. I reached my hand out and Kai licked my fingers and nuzzled her head into my neck and shoulder. I laughed. She was strong and beautiful. Kai reminded me of my mother. A howl sounded off in the distance and Kai stilled. She responded with a howl of her own and headed back towards the woods. My mother appeared, “we should go inside now. We have a meeting with my family tomorrow and we all need a good night’s rest.”

I followed my parents inside, still uncertain that I had just seen my mother turn into a wolf and back. They both acted like this was the most normal thing in the world. I said goodnight and headed to bed. I watched the shadows move across my walls as I drifted off to sleep.

I woke the next morning feeling foggy and unsure of what the day would bring. Mom said that we were meeting with her family. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but the way my dad was acting was a big deal. We left our house and loaded up the SUV and headed into town. Mom pointed out shops and places to go as we went. We decided to stop for lunch at a local diner. As we walked in, people stopped and stared at us. Mom just kept walking and led us to a booth in the back. “What’s that about?” I asked. “They don’t like outsiders.” My dad answered. I took the menu and decided what I wanted to eat. Our waitress came to our table to take our order and the woman let out a loud gasp. “If it isn’t Michelle Whitmore! When did you get here?” she asked. I noticed that murmurs started around the diner and people were looking at us. “Hi, Grace. You look well. This is my husband, Daniel, and our daughter Elsie.” The woman’s eyes grew wide when she took me in. Quick to recover, Grace coughed and took out her notebook and pen. “What can I get you all?” she asked, trying not to look my way. We all ordered and she hurried off. “What was her deal? Why did she look at me like that?” I asked. “I went to school with Grace when I was your age. She was always nice, but we weren’t necessarily friends either. She is shocked because most shifters who leave don’t procreate with humans. Most think it is too risky and dangerous. So, you are special. That and I’m the Alpha’s daughter, so it was a bigger deal than most.” Mom shrugged like this wasn’t a big deal at all when it was. “Wow mom, you were a rebel.” I laughed and took a sip of my drink.

After lunch, we headed to meet the Alpha, who happens to be my grandfather. We pulled up to his house and dad opened my door for me. I stepped out and was greeted by an elderly gentleman dressed in a dark black suit and tie. He motioned for us to follow him, so I did. When we entered the house it was warm and inviting. It had the feeling of a very large house but it was welcoming. There was a fire in the fireplace. Fluffy blankets on chairs and books lying around. The lighting was done in such a way that it highlighted the architecture but wasn’t too bright. The only thing that stood out to me was how big everything was. The couches were huge along with the chairs. It seemed like you could fit an entire army in the living room. We were shown to a sitting area and told that Alpha would be with us soon.

The door opened and my uncle Eric walked in. He, too, was wearing a suit and looked like he had just stepped out of a magazine. He smiled at me and offered my mother a greeting. He ignored my father and I made a mental note to address that later. I was serious about not coming if my parents weren’t welcome. A few moments later, a very large man walked into the room. Everything went quiet and it was as if he sucked all the air out of the room and my lungs. My uncle bowed his head and my mother bowed hers. My father stood ram rod straight but was white as a sheet. I knew without having to ask who this person was. It was Alpha Elias Whitmore. My grandfather.

“I see you still lack common manners even after all these years,” Elias said as he addressed my dad. My mom stood up and put her hand into his as a sign of reassurance. I stood watching everyone in the room. My uncle stood to the right of my grandfather in an almost identical suit. He looked like a much younger version of the alpha. A beautiful woman sat in a chair towards the back of the room. She didn’t react to our presence, but I wondered who she was. Elias sat down in a chair and everyone else followed. The tension was so thick I could feel it around it like a physical force pushing in on me from all sides. I looked up to find him staring at me. I didn’t let my gaze drop. After a few tense moments laughed and dropped his gaze from mine, turning his attention to my mother. “You look well. I’m glad that you decided to accept my offer.” “Thank you. It’s good to be back, I’ve missed the woods.” She smiled. He frowned, “I’m sad to hear that is all you have missed. Had I known I could have sent you a tree.”

He quickly turned and faced me, “come here.” He motioned with his finger for me to come forward. I walked towards the table where he sat. He examined me, asked me to turn, and then leaned in and actually smelled me. “Um, did you just smell me?” I asked. He stilled, “yes.” I leaned in and smelled him back. He smelled of rich earth and cigar smoke and, for whatever reason, it was comforting. He laughed and I was startled. “What?” I asked. “It’s just no one has ever smelled me back before. No one has had the balls to do so.” I gulped, “sorry, I thought that was what we were doing.” He laughed again. “and what did I smell like?” I hesitated, wondering if this was a test before answering, “like deep rich earth and cigars. I like it.” He turned and looked at my mother who was staring at me in shock. I wasn’t sure what was going on but I could feel it wasn’t good.

As we got back into the car and headed home, no one spoke. Once we got home and went inside, mom finally spoke, “now that we have the Alpha’s official approval you will start school tomorrow. You need to make sure you get a good night’s sleep.” I nodded and ran up to my room. I changed my clothes and got ready for bed. Today was exhausting meeting all these new people and hoping we would be accepted. I laid in my soft bed and pulled the covers up around me. I wonder what tomorrow will be like at school. I sent Sophie a text telling her about my day and then turned my light out. I lay silently listening to the animals in the woods as I drifted off to sleep.

I could hear the cracking of branches beneath thundering paws. My heart raced and my breath burned in my chest. I silently pleaded with my legs to move faster as the wind whipped through my tangled hair. I could hear they were so close to catching me. My eyes stung with the tears welling inside them as I ran. Blood ran down my arms and neck as branches reached out to try and stop me as I ran. I heard a howl in front of me and the hair stood up on the back of my neck, making me pause for just a second before sprinting right. I knew these woods like the back of my hand, but even that gave me little comfort as I ran. The sounds of heavy breathing and growls met my ears and as I glanced back I saw piercing blue eyes looking right at me. My legs ached and my lungs burned, but stopping was not an option. Fear laced my veins, pushing me forward, towards what I didn’t know. The woods cleared and suddenly I was falling…the howls surrounding me as I fell. A scream left my chest just as I hit the ground.

I jolted awake, my body smashed into my bedroom floor. Covered in sweat and heart racing, I looked around my room. I inspected my arms to find no blood or scratches. I took a deep breath and sighed with relief as I realized it was just a dream. I took a moment to gather myself and allow my heart rate to settle. My family and I have only lived here for a few weeks and I was still adjusting to my new surroundings. That included these nightmares that kept me up all night and seemed as if I was really living them.

I stood and walked into my bathroom thinking how tired my legs and arms were. I started the shower and grabbed my toothbrush from beside the sink. I happened to look in the mirror and that’s when I saw it. A single leaf lay within my twisted hair. My eyes grew wide with horror. How did a leaf get into my hair? It was just a dream after all, right?

I hurried through my morning routine anxious for my first day of school. I wasn’t excited about starting mid-semester but had no choice. My uncle was right and the temperature was already dropping and it seemed as if everything knew winter was fast approaching. I raced down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen. I stopped in my tracks as I went into the kitchen to find my uncle sitting at the table casually like this was an everyday occurrence. I quickly looked at my dad, who gave me a silent shrug of his shoulders as he spread butter on my toast. My mom was nowhere to be seen so I walked over and poured myself a cup of coffee before accepting the toast from my dad.

“Um, hi.” I said as I took a bite of my toast. He lifted his eyes from his phone and took me in before speaking, “Good Morning Elsie. Your mother had some errands she needed to run before meeting with the pack. I am going to take you to school today.” “The hell you are!” dad yelled. “Who do you think you are?” My uncle stood and to my disbelief he seemed to become even bigger. To my dad’s credit, he didn’t even flinch as my uncle moved towards him. My uncle glared at my dad, “You will be wise to remember who you are speaking to. Elsie is my niece and that just happens to make her a ranking member of our pack. I will be taking her to school to ensure that she is placed accordingly.” I sat with toast hanging from my mouth as I watched his battle of wills take place. What did he mean when he said I’m a ranking member? I’ll have to remember to ask mom. Just then, dad let out a deep breath. “Eric, you may hold a position within your pack but I am her father and whatever her mother and I decide is what will happen to Elsie.” I choked on my coffee. Both men turned and stared at me like they just realized I was in the room.

“That’s great and all, but aren’t you forgetting that I should have some sort of say in any decision that is made? Isn’t that why we are here in the first place? Can’t we all just go to school together so that we all know what is going on? Anyway, where is mom and why isn’t she going too?” They both looked away and I had a bad feeling about why they weren’t answering my questions. “Fine. We will all go to school like the happy little family we are pretending to be. But, if something should come into question about who Elsie is, I will handle it,” my uncle said as he shot my dad a death glare. Dad turned and looked at me, “finish up and go get your things. We need to leave in fifteen minutes or you are going to be late.”

The ride to school was uneventful. I sat in the back while the two brooding men sat in the front not saying a word or looking at one another. I really don’t know what their deal is, but I’m already getting tired of it. I looked out the window to take in the scene as we drove into town. It looked like one of those cute little towns that you see in the Hallmark Christmas movies. Shops lined the streets and people were out and about stopping to speak to one another. You could see the mountains in the background with their snowy white caps that stood tall as a reminder of the winter to come. I have had some experience with the cold and snow but not a lot. It made sense to me now why my family tended to stay away from the cold or snow. It reminded my mom so much of home. I couldn’t imagine leaving all this beautiful scenery. The deep green trees that look almost blue sometimes. The snowy mountains that seem to watch over everything. Even the air seemed cleaner, crisper.

The car pulled into a parking lot and I looked up at the school in front of us. It wasn’t nearly as big as my last school but it seemed to have character that fit with the town. Before we got out of the car, my uncle turned and looked at me, “Elsie, this school is different. It is filled with a mixture of…well, humans and shifters of various types. Most humans are aware of our orders and tend to steer clear of us. However, some are more interested in what we are than who we are. Do you understand?” I looked at him with clearly confusion written all over my face because before I could answer he spoke again, “What I mean to say is that you need to be careful. You haven’t emerged yet, but you also belong to the most powerful family in this area. That means you are stuck in the “in-between” until you emerge.” Dad spoke this time before I could get a word out, “Is she in danger?” My uncle smiled, “Danger is the least of her worries.” I swallowed as he swiftly opened his door and began walking towards the steps of the school. I quickly opened my door and my dad caught my hand. “You don’t have to do this. We can go back and I can homeschool you or, heck, we can forget the whole thing and move back.”

As much as I missed my friends and my old school, something was pulling me towards this new path my life had suddenly taken. I hugged my dad and stepped back from him, “Dad, I will be okay. I know this is important to mom, but I also want to see where I come from. I have this feeling like I’m supposed to be here. I can’t explain it.” He looked at me with tears in his eyes. He gave me another hug before taking my hand in his and walking towards the steps. As we reached the top, I took my hand out of his and gave him a smile. I could do this. I was Elsie Whitmore and I could do anything. Now only if I truly believed that.