The Shifters: Katrina

Nathan was in much less of a hurry to get back to the town after we had decided my element. He was excited for me to meet master water shifters, all while I was focused on getting to the bottom of why the fire gemstone glowed as well. First they all tell me I should already have an element, then Coraline brings up mysterious power waves and asks about my fights, and now I had two stones glowing.

I'm forgetting about the montrous willow tree.

I rolled my eyes at myself, fed up with my own thoughts. Who thought leaving your old life behind and trying to adapt to your new one immediately would be so hard?

"I'm such a smartass," I groaned under my breath. Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," I lied easily, "keep talking."

He held his silence for a second before shrugging. "There are two older masters in Iluita, but their apprentices are also good with water too. One has two male apprentices and the other has a female apprentice. In my opinion, the boys are rather cocky and annoying, but I guess they're okay," Nathan continued, the two of us finally reaching the shops in the outer edges of town. Shifters were waving and saying quick hellos to Nathan as we passed, though some of them snorted when they saw me go by.

First I was being dragged around by Kami, and now I'm following Nathan. These people think I'm a joke.

"Earth to Katrina."

"Wait, what?" I blurted, prying my eyes from the whisperers. Nathan was a few feet ahead, looking back at me over his shoulder.

"I said, we have to go visit some of the teachers in the shifter school to get you set up. Then we can go talk to some water masters," he repeated, hiding a smirk. Somehow, I found myself seeing parts of my mom within him. The confidence and the way his smirk was failing to hide. The way his head was tilted even reminded me of Felix whenever he was excitedly explaining something artsy.

It took my breath away, to say the least, and made my heart ache.

Eventually I shook it off, refusing to look at him again. "Alright."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his expression change into a frown, but he said nothing. We continued on our way, passing by the girls' dorm as we walked toward the front doors of the school. It was Saturday, just before lunch time, and I was expecting for the doors to be locked, but Nathan breezed right in. There were few people around; older shifters mostly, though I could see younger people waiting for something.

"Why are people here?" I asked, voicing my exact thoughts. "It's Saturday."

Nathan grinned for real. "The school is open all week so that people can get some extra lessons if needed. Coming in on the weekends is optional, but every other day is mandatory like regular schools unless you're sick or Coraline has asked that you do something else."

School on weekends? If this wasn't shifter school, I'd say that's horrifying. But maybe this isn't so bad.

Making sure to follow my lizard friend, I found myself constantly scanning the hallway as if I was looking for something. Really, I was just trying to see what this place was like, but something else was making my skin crawl. After a while, I came to a stop, not bothering to alert Nathan. The lizard shifter kept going for a few steps before turning around, finally sensing I had stopped.

"Katrina? What are you doing this time?" He teased, watching me watch the walls. They seemed off, darker than the rest. Cautiously, I walked over and trailed my hand down the surface. It was soaked, but the rest hadn't been.

"Very good!" Someone laughed. Five shifters had rounded the corner in front of Nathan, who looked pleased to see them. Two of them had the customary blue band around their arms, and part of me was already sure of who they were.

"Katrina, these are the two water masters and their apprentices," Nathan told me, "Master Willa and Master Ryu. The apparentices are Sam, Max and Shae."

The boys looked bored while the girl, Shae, waved. The two masters nodded at Nathan before sizing me up, resting their eyes on my hands.

"Where are your scars?"

I lifted an eyebrow, looking at the male master. Ryu. "What do you mean?"

He crossed his arms, nodding to my hands. "You fight a lot, don't you? Coraline told all the masters that a new, hot-tempered shifter had moved in. So where are the scars on your knuckles?"

I lifted my hands, appreciating the nearly flawless skin on the back of them.

"One of my adoptive mothers helps me heal them with all sorts of creams that she buys," I admitted, "so there's pratically no scarring."

One of the boys scoffed, and I could read his lips as he muttered under his breath, the other boy snorting.

Princess.

I growled, a familiar cool rage coming into play over the smallest thing. My pride had caused it -- I couldn't stand being called a princess. Thoughts, worries and doubts all melted away as per usual until it was just me and my anger directed toward the boys. Slowly, the shifters around me noticed my glare and the set of my jaw. After all, I was practically radiating anger.

Power waves, Coraline's voice echoed in my head. Do you get into many fights, Katrina?

I couldn't help but feel like I couldn't trust myself at the moment, and my rage melted away as the doubts entered my mind once again. The shifters all looked rather surprised as I let my gaze fall, feeling sullen now that I realized I had royally screwed myself by now. I couldn't trust myself, I missed my family, and at the end of the day, I felt absolutely terrified.

Nathan cleared his throat. "As I'm sure Coraline told you, Katrina's shifter plant was rather large and impressive, and we've just tested her positive for the water element," he explained, giving the masters his full attention. I briefly entertained the idea of trying to slip away before I realized the apprentices were still watching me. "Coraline wants Katrina to do extra out of school training to catch up to the rest of her class, and figures we should keep an eye on her."

"I'm trouble," I added, "already got scolded once."

Willa rolled her eyes. "We'll whip you into shape, kid. You're coming with me, you and Shae will be a team like the boys are with Ryu."

Shae still looked just as friendly as before, beckoning me to come over to her and Willa. I glanced at Nathan, trying to gauge his reaction.

What about my fire? I wanted to ask, but buried the question in my subconscious. He motioned for me to greet my new partner and mentor, looking confused as to why I hadn't moved.

Damn it, I thought, plastering on a small, fake smile as I walked toward them. Willa nudged me with a wry smile while Shae shook my hand, the difference between the two giving me whiplash.

Nathan winked at me before turning around and heading for the doors, leaving me with the water shifters in confusion.

But hey, it's where I belonged.