The Shifters: Katrina

I stood, watching Nathan go in uncertainty as the boys began to pester their master with questions. If only Willa could answer all my questions as easy as Ryu, who was spitting out responses to the boys at lightning speed. Maybe I can try and ask some hypothetical questions. After all, if they think I'm trying to learn about and accept who I am, they may loosen up.

I hid a smile. Coraline was right -- I was fighting them, and maybe that was the wrong move. But I had to be able to trust myself before I could trust them, and I still wanted to see my mothers and siblings. They didn't deserve to be abandoned by me when all they ever did was care.

That's it, I decided, I'll get this shifter stuff under control and go back home. I'll be strong enough to protect them by then.

While being absorbed in my thoughts, Ryu had dragged his students away, leaving me with Willa and Shae. The older woman rolled her eyes at the other water shifters before turning to us, smiling.

"Alright. Time to get to know each other, I suppose. And we can answer any questions you have, Katrina," the master offered, walking further into the school. I raised an eyebrow at Shae, who in turn shrugged.

"I've never had this happen," she whispered to me as we followed our mentor, "so I can't give you a heads up about what crazy thing she's about to put us through."

"Crazy thing?" I repeated, my other eyebrow shooting up as well. Shae shrugged again, skipping ahead to be next to Willa. Trailing behind the two, I took the time to map out the first floor of the school in my head, in case I needed to hide from angry teachers anytime soon. It seemed like we were walking for ages, but eventually Willa and Shae stopped outside a room with a blue door. One look around told me that whatever was on the other side, it was spacious, because in this particular area the doors were separated by large sections of empty wall space. I could tell that the blue meant water, and that this was some sort of meeting ground for anyone who's element was water. Willa pulled a key from her pocket and slid it into the knob, a click coming from the lock. She and Shae grinned at me before throwing the door open, the other teen grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me inside.

As Willa closed and locked the door, I stared in fascination. Sofas, bookshelves and everything else found in a library common room were scattered around, but that was the simple stuff. Large tanks of water and windows that allowed bright sunlight to stream added to the open feel of the room. The ceiling was an underwater mural, with fish, coral and sunken boats all over. Extra blue bands hung next to the door, and a dozen other things were all around for me to explore. Few people lounged around since it was a weekend, all of them teenagers like Shae and I with the customary blue bands. Instinctively, I reached for one of the extras on the wall, but Willa stopped me gently.

"Apprentices of masters are given twin bands for their wrists," Willa explained, "because they tend to be stronger. The bands notify their masters if they're powers are out of control."

My hand dropped back to my side as my skin pricked. She'll know if I over do it with water? I thought in distress, frowning. I gritted my teeth together, wondering if I could work around her senses. The master left Shae and I just inside the room, heading for something in a bookshelf on the other side. The other apprentice grabbed my hand, a burst of confidence going through her as she pulled me toward the couches. Lounging on one was a tall boy with his eyes shut, and beside him was a similar looking boy who was wide awake focusing on a jug of water in front of him. Shae paused as the water stirred, droplets of it floating upward, the boy's eyes never leaving them. He spread his fingers out and the droplets spread along with them, creating a sheet of water that he threw our way. I was ready to chew him out when Shae lifted her own hands, taking hold of the water and stopping it midair. There was a laugh from the boy that I'd thought was asleep, and Shae returned the water to its jug.

"You never learn to leave Shae alone," the boy laying down muttered, still smiling. He hadn't opened his eyes to notice that it wasn't just Shae here, but I didn't bother him. Sleep was not something I wanted to bother for others.

"Who's this?" The wide-eyed one asked, motioning to me. Shae began to respond before she fell silent, still a little shy.

I smiled. "I'm Katrina."

The boy grinned. "So you're the troublemaker Coraline warned all the seniors about," he mused, "I'm Cory. The lazy one is my brother Quintin."

"Coraline told people about me?"

Quintin cracked an eye open, looking surprised. "Of course she did. Rumors about the girl Kami dragged by the ear were spreading like wildfire, plus a new shifter is always interesting. But a lot went in to tracking you down, you know."

Shae gently led me to an empty sofa. I was frowning, remembering what Coraline said about searching for someone giving off waves of power. She had also mentioned that was what happened when a powerful shifter turned from human to animal or vice versa, but I had never done that. It was always fistfights for me. Even now, with my element supposedly being extremely strong with that willow tree of mine, I was bewildered as to why people knew me.

Quintin groaned, slowly pushing himself up. "First we all start feeling power waves from a town far off from an unknown source. Then we send a team to find out who it is and suddenly they're gone for much longer than expected and we can feel the waves even more," he rambled, holding up a finger each time he began a new point. He stuck up a third with a wry look. "And once you finally get here, Kami and Koren are telling Coraline all about how hunters already had a run in with you. Then you start trouble, and not only that but somehow you have the strongest elemental affinity that anyone has seen for a long time."

You forget that I have fire, too, I wanted to add, and that I don't even have a clue about my form yet. My mouth remained zipped as I acknowledge his words, scratching the back of my neck sheepishly.

"And she told this to everyone?"

Shae nudged me. "Don't worry about it. She only told officials, masters, the senior students and some of the other trustworthy shifters. And the guards, but they already knew."

I lifted both eyebrows. "Who does that leave?" I countered, wondering how many people were actually in this compound.

Cory considered it for a second before shrugging. "Kids, a lot of high school students, some of the regular adults. Iluita is the one of the biggest compounds around, so don't worry about being judged by everyone," he assured me, though I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. This was definitely not the place where I'd be getting into fights every day.

The only question was, could this place be a home.