The Shifters: Katrina

It was a battle zone. No longer could I see lush forests, for they were on fire. The air wasn't clear anymore, but filled with the screams and animals flying at each other. The earth bore marks of claws and the bodies of the injured.

And the lakes, streams and ponds...

Filled to the top with red.

I was above it all, standing on the edge of a roof. Watching. Waiting.

Why wasn't I helping?

I spotted a familiar head of pink hair; spiky and short. Nathan. He wasn't a lizard, but a human boy stumbling through the crowd of fighting shifters. There was an arrow through his shoulder, and burn marks up one leg.

He was suffering.

Go help him, I told myself. However, the girl standing on the roof refused to move. That version of me watched as Nathan collapsed, his head facing my way as he screamed one last time in pure agony.

The scream was cut off as another full human leapt onto his back, in the way of my line of sight. This person had a knife in hand, with a legitimate sword strapped to his back.

Hunter, my mind told me. The man drew his sword and began to hack at any shifter he could get close to. The battle changed from animal against animal to a bloody fight of humans against animals who were also against themselves. My mind raced, unable to pinpoint who was a friend and who was a foe.

Unexpectedly, my view point changed from looking down below to looking to my left. There stood a familiar shifter, green eyes boring into mine.

Kami's face was stricken with tears, and there were claw marks that went from her collar to her calf.

She said something I didn't comprehend -- but the girl did. She shifted, and I caught a flash of gray in the corner of my eye as everything became mych clearer. Scents wafted by; the coppery tang of blood clouding my sense of smell.

There was the sound of flapping wings, large ones that seemed powerful.

What is happening? I thought.

Right before fire blew up in my face.

I woke up with a start, my mind reeling as I threw myself onto the floor, coughing into the ground. It felt like something was lodged in my throat, so much that it was painful. The rug ruffled up around the edges as I thrashed, chasing the last remnants of my nightmare away.

I pulled myself up into sitting, leaning into my bed. My chest was heaving as I stared at the floor, the dream just out of my grasp.

Shaking myself out of it, I dragged my feet into the bathroom and got ready for school. Today was the day I'd start working on elemental stuff with Willa, and once she gave me the all clear, I could start working on it in school too. The nightmare was far from my mind as I slipped into a random pair of jeans and a white shirt with maroon edging. My hair was tangled from my mini freakout, and I spent a good five minutes detangling the strands.

Just as I finished, slipping on my bag and shoes, there was a knock at my door. I grabbed a key before walking over and pulling it open, completely befuddled. Kami was the only one who had visited, and she just always opened it and walked in.

I cautiously swept my eyes up to meet those of my visitor's.

"Shae?"

My partner smiled. "Hey Katrina. I was hoping we could hang out a bit before classes. The water kids usually spend some time together just to pass the time."

Right, I thought, I have friends in this place.

Weird.

"Um, sure," I frowned, "I'd love to."

She looked unsure, shyly scratching behind her ear. "Are you sure? You can say no.

"I know you're already a part of Tyree's friend group," she added, looking slightly embarrassed that she brought it up.

"I'm not really good at the whole friend thing," I shrugged, "but I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to hang out with more than one group of people. Lead the way."

I stepped out of the room, locking it behind me as we fell in step with each other. We were mostly silent until we reached the staircase. Hopping up onto the banister, I shot Shae a wink.

"Take the shortcut with me," I said, allowing myself to slide a bit. She eyed the banister, hesitating.

"You'll be fine. Trust me."

Shae bit her lip to hide her devious smile. She joined me on the banister and we began to slide, shooting past several other girls. Laughter followed us, Shae having a much more fun time than I was, making me guess that she didn't normally take the banister. I hopped off the end, Shae landing hard and skidding along the ground before catching herself.

"Fun, right?"

She nodded, joining me as we walked out of the dorm building. Several girls shot us annoyed looks, but I ignored them. I recognized a few of them as kids from my classes, and even spotted the head of blonde hair that belonged to one of the bitch twins.

"Did you hear what I said?"

Pulling my eyes off whichever twin it was, I looked at Shae with innocent doe eyes. Sheepishly smiling. "No?" I stated, though it was more like a question.

The on and off shy girl rolled her eyes. "Willa is going to make sure you get something out of your element today, even if it's just water in your palm."

Excitement zapped through my body like electricity. I couldn't wait, and I even had my leg bouncing during first period in a way that made Tyree snap at me. I was extra focused in classes, willing the time to go faster as the clocks ticked on. During lunch I was bubbly and chatty, more so than usual.

Finally the end of the day arrived, and it didn't feel like I'd just been put through the wringer. Instead, I felt like a livewire waiting to put my energy to good use.

Willa was standing outside the school with Shae when Sonya and I came out. The other girl waved goodbye to me as I waltzed over to my mentor, grinning like a madwoman.

Willa rolled her eyes.

"This is gonna be one hell of a chore."