window. I just cleaned the carpets.”
“I’m mutating, too, aren’t I?” The words burnt my throat. “That would explain all the weird things with me. And you . . .” I trailed off, turning to him.
He rolled his shoulders, not answering the unfinished question. “Do you think its coincidence that I picked your school to go to?” he whispered. “No. I’m not a super senior—I just have connections around town, the high school especially. We have to keep our eyes out for newbies like you that don’t know what’s happening. I knew what you were the day I sniffed you out in the woods. In that second, I knew you were one of us.”
“Us?” I suspected who he meant. “You’re talking about people at the shelter, aren’t you?”
“Not all of them at the shelter. There are humans there, unaware of our differences—like Jamie. But yes, there are quite a few of us because it’s not just for animal rescue; the shelter acts as a watch station for us, the reserve a protected home.”
“Great. So we’re all mutants.”
“No, we’re not mutants , Lina. Cain’s kind, maybe, but don’t call us that.”
“Fine. Then what do I call us?”
He took a breath, straightening up in his seat. “You can call us Shifters.”
Chapter 9: Chronic
I can call you what ?”
“ Shifters .” Aaron exaggerated the word. “You know, like, shape-shifters? We are the Miew Demos.”
I stared. When I was younger, like middle school age, I’d had the biggest infatuation with fantasy novels. Well, an infatuation with books period. I liked the stories about the vampires who didn’t want to hurt their human lovers, and the witches who had to solve puzzles and make spells to save lives. But—ironically—my favorites were the stories about shape-shifters, those who can change their physical appearance between human and animal.
“But we aren’t like Cain,” Aaron added quickly. “We’re sort of like, I guess you could call it, an enemy clan? And we don’t start rippling or cracking as our bodies rearrange.”
“I see.” I ran my hands through my hair, trying to soak this in. It was not easy. “Okay, so let’s say I believe you for one second. What do you— we turn into?”
“You really don’t know?” he asked, amused.
“Should I?”
“Uh, what’s a mutt’s worst enemy besides another mutt?”
My eyebrows shot up. “We turn into cats ? Are you kidding me right now?”
“We’re not talking house cats, Lina,” he assured, his smirk turning into a grin. “No, no. We’re talking the meaning of feline: we’re literally the wildcats.”
“ Wildcat ?” I couldn’t say that word and put my name next to it. It was like trying to put two magnets with the same polarization together: it was just not happening.
“Our clan is relatively small. We’re a very rare breed of people.” His smile fell. “Actually, a better term might be endangered .”
Staring at my hands, I tried to picture paws in their place, tried to imagine the feel of fur covering my body. Scary. “What do you mean endangered? Like, we’re being hunted?”
“Pretty much. Yeah.”
“By what?”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “The Iew Keftey . . . creatures like Cain.” He flashed me a guilty look. “That’s, um, the real reason why I had stitches. I do jog on the reserve, but it’s to keep watch for the Keftey. I got into a fight with an intruder trying to break our borders. Then, that next Friday I was on the edge of the reserve and got into a fight with a real wildcat—one that wasn’t a Shifter. The gang found me and took me to the shelter. I don’t like cages all that much, and Ellen forgot to let me out before she left, so—”
“Holy Mother of Pearl. The cougar! The cougar in the cage was . . .” I trailed off.
He smirked. “Me.”
I shook my head, closing my eyes. I couldn’t bring myself to believe him, though the evidence was all right there. It was just so unreal! But if Cain could
“I’m mutating, too, aren’t I?” The words burnt my throat. “That would explain all the weird things with me. And you . . .” I trailed off, turning to him.
He rolled his shoulders, not answering the unfinished question. “Do you think its coincidence that I picked your school to go to?” he whispered. “No. I’m not a super senior—I just have connections around town, the high school especially. We have to keep our eyes out for newbies like you that don’t know what’s happening. I knew what you were the day I sniffed you out in the woods. In that second, I knew you were one of us.”
“Us?” I suspected who he meant. “You’re talking about people at the shelter, aren’t you?”
“Not all of them at the shelter. There are humans there, unaware of our differences—like Jamie. But yes, there are quite a few of us because it’s not just for animal rescue; the shelter acts as a watch station for us, the reserve a protected home.”
“Great. So we’re all mutants.”
“No, we’re not mutants , Lina. Cain’s kind, maybe, but don’t call us that.”
“Fine. Then what do I call us?”
He took a breath, straightening up in his seat. “You can call us Shifters.”
Chapter 9: Chronic
I can call you what ?”
“ Shifters .” Aaron exaggerated the word. “You know, like, shape-shifters? We are the Miew Demos.”
I stared. When I was younger, like middle school age, I’d had the biggest infatuation with fantasy novels. Well, an infatuation with books period. I liked the stories about the vampires who didn’t want to hurt their human lovers, and the witches who had to solve puzzles and make spells to save lives. But—ironically—my favorites were the stories about shape-shifters, those who can change their physical appearance between human and animal.
“But we aren’t like Cain,” Aaron added quickly. “We’re sort of like, I guess you could call it, an enemy clan? And we don’t start rippling or cracking as our bodies rearrange.”
“I see.” I ran my hands through my hair, trying to soak this in. It was not easy. “Okay, so let’s say I believe you for one second. What do you— we turn into?”
“You really don’t know?” he asked, amused.
“Should I?”
“Uh, what’s a mutt’s worst enemy besides another mutt?”
My eyebrows shot up. “We turn into cats ? Are you kidding me right now?”
“We’re not talking house cats, Lina,” he assured, his smirk turning into a grin. “No, no. We’re talking the meaning of feline: we’re literally the wildcats.”
“ Wildcat ?” I couldn’t say that word and put my name next to it. It was like trying to put two magnets with the same polarization together: it was just not happening.
“Our clan is relatively small. We’re a very rare breed of people.” His smile fell. “Actually, a better term might be endangered .”
Staring at my hands, I tried to picture paws in their place, tried to imagine the feel of fur covering my body. Scary. “What do you mean endangered? Like, we’re being hunted?”
“Pretty much. Yeah.”
“By what?”
His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “The Iew Keftey . . . creatures like Cain.” He flashed me a guilty look. “That’s, um, the real reason why I had stitches. I do jog on the reserve, but it’s to keep watch for the Keftey. I got into a fight with an intruder trying to break our borders. Then, that next Friday I was on the edge of the reserve and got into a fight with a real wildcat—one that wasn’t a Shifter. The gang found me and took me to the shelter. I don’t like cages all that much, and Ellen forgot to let me out before she left, so—”
“Holy Mother of Pearl. The cougar! The cougar in the cage was . . .” I trailed off.
He smirked. “Me.”
I shook my head, closing my eyes. I couldn’t bring myself to believe him, though the evidence was all right there. It was just so unreal! But if Cain could
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