Gabriel

Chapter 1 Gabe Randall stood with his teammates, watching the large screen in horror. It had been six months since the world found out that shifters were real. The outrage had died down a bit, but not the fear, and the restrictions and laws were just getting started. Now, his football team stood in the locker room, watching the director of the football league make a national announcement. “It has been brought to our attention,” the director said, as camera flashes lit in bursts around him, “that because of the increased strength and speed that bear shifters possess, we can no longer allow them to compete with pure human athletes. The risk to our human players is too great and the advantage is unfair. This new rule will be effective immediately.” The press went crazy shouting questions at him. He paused to listen, then spoke again. “This decision comes after months of studying the genetic differences between shifters and humans, and no, we’ve found no way yet to limit the strength or speed of shifters to make them equal to humans, nor have we found a way to increase human ability to make them more like shifters. It comes down to basic physiology. Bears are just faster and stronger. Simple as that.” He listened again, then said, “ All current records and awards will be adjusted to reflect that the athlete is either human or shifter, and separate records will be held for each race. No, we will not strip any current titles.” One reporter screamed out a question loud and clear, “What are the shifters supposed to do now?” The director shrugged and said, “I don’t have an answer for that. Perhaps start an all shifter league. Those are all the questions I will answer today. Thank you.” Coach Tucker turned off the TV and turned to his team. About half of them were shifters, including the coach himself. The entire team had always known, of course, which players were human and which were shifters. They strategized positions and plays accordingly. Just like every other team in the league. But once the public got a hold of this knowledge, the outcry had to be addressed. No unfair advantages for shifters. Period. Not in sports, not in life. This decision was not exclusive to football. It had already happened in the hockey league and baseball league. They expected more this week. They’d known it was coming, but hearing the words and knowing the reality was here made them all upset. “Well, team. This isn’t a surprise, and there’s nothing we can do. I’ve talked with other coaches. There will now be blood tests before each game, right on the field. The new testing devices will be available before the new season begins. We have no choice but to split the team.” “What about what he said,” Gabe asked. “About an all-shifter league?” “I would guess that will happen eventually, but building a league takes time. I would guess it won’t be happening anytime soon. I’m sorry.” Gabe hung his head and he noticed that his shifter teammates had much the same reaction. “I’d bet we’ll see plenty of amateur leagues pop up,” Coach said. “Great,” Kenny mumbled. None of them wanted to go back to the amateur league after having gone semi-pro. It was a huge slap in the face. They should be moving up to the pros, not going back. Gabe drove home that night, wondering what he would do with his life now. He’d focused so long on football, his life felt somewhat pointless. He got back to the house he shared with two roommates and grabbed the newspaper from the kitchen table. He flipped to the employment section and held a pen above the page, ready to circle. By the end of the hour, he’d read through every ad. Some more than once. He’d only circled three. Two for a construction worker that claimed no experience was needed. One for a garbageman. Also no experience needed. The next day, Gabe got to work making phone calls and sending online applications. Then, there was nothing to do but wait. Several weeks had gone by. Gabe hadn’t just sat around, doing nothing. He’d gone out, looking for places to apply, he’d gone through the paper every day to find new ads. He didn’t want to have to go to the unemployment agency and didn’t see any reason to. He could certainly get a job on his own. Then, finally, he got a call back from a man named Bob who needed a new member on his construction crew. Gabe didn’t have any tools, but Bob assured him they could loan him what was needed. He just had to show up with boots to protect his toes. Easy enough. His first day on the job went okay. He really knew nothing about building houses and it showed. The guys had to explain everything to him and he asked a lot of questions. But, he felt like he’d learned something by the end of the day and the guys even stood around when work was done, drinking beers. They gave him one and brought him into the circle. “Well, you sure don’t know s**t, but you learn fast,” Bob said, slapping him on the shoulder and handing him a beer. “Thanks.” Gabe took a long sip, the cold beverage cooling him slightly. “What in the world did you do before this?” Jared asked. “I was a football player,” Gabe said. They all looked at him slightly wary. There were hundreds of former athletes in the world now, thanks to the new regulations against shifters. Bob leaned close and lowered his voice. “Are you one of them shifters?” Gabe assessed the situation. If this turned nasty, could he take them on? There were four on the crew, all big men, strong from years of carrying 2x4s and pounding hammers. The tools were put away, though, and they likely didn’t have guns or knives on them. He could shift and run if he needed to. “I am,” Gabe said. “That a problem?” Their expressions changed to awe. “Not at all,” Bob said. “Just good to know. When something heavy needs lifting, we’ll call on you.” He put his hand on Gabe’s shoulder and smiled at the other men in the crew. A warning to them, maybe, that they better play nice. They nodded in agreement. Gabe felt the relief in his chest. It had been kind of hit or miss these days. Some people accepted shifters without question. Usually they were the ones who knew one personally and knew they weren’t a threat. Some were wary because they didn’t know any and asked a lot of questions, but in the end, didn’t have a problem with it. Then there were those who thought all shifters should be killed or locked up, or just hated them for no real reason. Never could tell who was who. On his way home, his phone rang with a call from Coach Tucker. “Coach,” Gabe said. “I hope you haven’t been sitting around on your butt the last few weeks. It’s time to get back to training. There’s a new league starting.” “I’m not interested in amateur leagues.” “Who said anything about amateur? This is pro. Pro, Gabe. And because you killed it in the semi’s, you’re in prime position to get a star spot. Word is, scouts were seeking you out anyway for the pros before the regulations changed. I’m sure it helps that they’re asking me to coach the local team.” “No way.” This was all too much. With Tucker coaching, there was no way he wouldn’t get in. And pro? All-shifter pro? None of them thought it would happen anytime soon. “Well, you know what people are like. They want to see big guys bash into each other. Turns out the human league lost some numbers after the split and there aren’t enough athletes to fill the teams with two pro leagues, so humans and shifters are both scrambling for talent. And they’re looking at the semis. You are it, my friend.” “Man.” Gabe shook his head. “Tell me I’m not dreaming, Coach.” “Gabriel, the last thing you have time for is dreaming. Get your butt on that field by 9 a.m. Training starts tomorrow.” He hung up and immediately dialed Bob. When he said pros, Bob was so thrilled, he didn’t mind that Gabe wouldn’t be working with them again. He made him swear to sign jerseys and photos when he made it big and not to forget them. Gabe walked in his house and let out a victory shout. Then, he went right to the basement to workout.