The Shifters: Katrina

It wasn't long until late spring's warm weather came around, sunlight making the new buildings shine. Our school was remade, this time even bigger, with a glass hallway that let people see into the common rooms to appreciate the beauty of their decor. Coraline's--Koren's building was looking amazing with three separate sections. One was for casual, daily work, a second was for meetings and the Elites, and the middle section, the tallest of the three, had floors upon floors for everything else. That included Koren's office and his penthouse, which was the top floor. The infirmary was rebuilt with upgrades, and many of the shops were relocated and renovated. Clarissa now had a shop that took up two buildings' worth of space, and I went there nearly everyday for lunch. Mint chocolate muffins were a favourite around town.

The forests were finally recovering with the help of earth and water shifters, most of us taking on the roles of gardeners for the time being. Wildflowers blanketed the compound in colours, and I loved to put them in my hair whenever I could. The dorms were redone as well, this time using the empty ones for shifters whose animals preferred their personal space.

There were no more empty floors to isolate people with.

Not long after the weather began to warm up, Cory threw another party. This time, I had a date -- which was mostly just for fun. Despite it being a joke, Luke did show up at my dorm with a bouquet, and he never stopped complimenting me on the outfit I wore. Considering he liked it so much, I'm sure Talia would've been proud.

Another thing that came into play was our new exchange system with other compounds. The system was like Koren's baby; it entitled us to share resources and fighters with participating compounds, and it allowed young shifters to travel between compounds the same way Rowan grew up doing, all so that they could learn from different masters. It allowed for my foreign friends to stay a little longer -- in the name of education, of course. It also gave me something to do, since none of the teachers that came from other compounds knew how much of a handful I was.

M. Crim got a nice break from me while I tortured the new teachers.

Even as I spent most of my time training or going out to do Elite business, I managed to build a bond with Reagan. She was a funny, strange girl that had been cooped up for most her life -- the way I would've been if the hunters hadn't allowed my mother to treat me like a real daughter. After hearing how they treated her, I was glad that Marie loved me enough to take me on alone. It shone a little light onto our relationship.

Bond building wasn't the only thing Reagan and I did. We sat down with Koren to plan our moves as Guardians, which consisted mostly of keeping peace between shifters and keeping the hunters under control. Reagan insisted that she was staying in Iluita; that being around another Guardian soothed her anxiety. I had to admit that she had a point -- there was something about her that just seemed to understand something about me. It was safe to say that we got along damn well, and we were both excited to visit Ileial come summer as our first ambassador trip.

So that's how I spent my days, having a fun time for once. I laughed with friends, helped with redecorating, and just lived this weird life I had.

However, at night was when reality clicked. I studied battle strategies to use against the hunters, read the recovered history documents, practiced calling on my icy fire.

And, unfortunately, I spent many nights thinking about the people I missed. Most nights, I found myself crying into my pillow as to not wake Chloe. I cried about Marie, for whatever that was worth. My sobs started every time I thought about Molly, Talia, Alisa, Nathan, and hell, even Beth. Sometimes I would sit in silence, guiltily thinking about Sonya and Anna.

Those wounds would take a long time to heal, even with all my fancy abilities.

As if that wasn't enough, it wasn't long before I began to think about enemies as well. The last words Talia spoke to me hung in my head, haunting me.

There was yet another person among us that I needed to watch out for. A woman, who had influenced Talia in some way. Maybe she even made Talia betray Iluita.

It was probably a good thing that I was ready for the adventure to continue. I was expecting another conflict -- those just seemed to never stop.

However, come morning, those things didn't sadden me.

Instead, I was thrilled. Excited. Energized.

I was me, of course. A troublemaker who could never escape trouble.

Whoever 'she' was, she could come for me. She could come for Iluita, or my friends, or my territory.

And I would be there to crush her, time and time again.

After all, I was--

"Katrina, you have your goofy daydreaming look on your face again."

Eh?!

"She has a point... You're drooling."

"What?! No I'm not!"

"Other side, Katrina. Wipe the other side of your mouth."

"Guys, don't be so mean, you'll make her cry."

"I'll make you cry, buttface."

"See? She's defensive."

"Katrina's always defensive."

"Guys."

"After all, she's just plain old Katrina."

"Excuse you, I'm a dragon! I'm not plain or old!"

"Uh huh."

"Sure, Katrina."

"Whatever you say, Kat."

"Hah... Y'all suck."