The Shifters: Katrina

It hadn't taken the adults very long to realize I didn't want to talk to them. They took their seats on the benches in the back as the orange haired man returned to driving, allowing me to sit in the corner on my own. I left my head resting on my arms and pulled my knees to my chest, subtly rocking back and forth. I was worried about the rest of my family, but also for myself. Koren hadn't stopped staring at me, but where he looked gentle, Pinkie looked hostile.

I looked up, seeing her glaring at me. We held gazes for a second, both of us unwilling to back down. She even began to inch toward the edge of her seat, growling.

A sense of familiarity took over as my blood began to boil. Most of the time, I wasn't actually looking for trouble, but whenever I thought someone was challenging me, I tended to grow hostile and lose all sense of logic. It had gotten me into more fights than I could count, and was why most people called me a hot-headed bitch.

"Cut it out," one of the blonde women snapped. Pinkie relaxed immediately, though I didn't know to respect the woman and continued to growl. "I said enough, Katrina."

"Why should I show respect to someone who won't even tell me their name," I snarled, clenching my hands into fists. I hadn't moved from my corner, but it felt like I was already up in the woman's face.

She rolled her eyes. "My name is Molly."

"That's Rachel," she added, pointing to the other blonde.

"Victoria." The woman with blonde hair and blue highlights waved.

"Kami." Pinkie glared at me before looking away.

Koren winked, waving Molly off when she began to introduce him. She rolled her eyes, then pointed at the man with red hair. "That's Xavier. The ginger driving this trainwreck is Aaron."

I nodded, forming a list in my head of who they were so that I could describe them to the police later.

Ivan Koren. Tall, built male, probably around twenty-one years old. Black hair with the front dyed stormy blue. Eyes that were occasionally black? Says something about being a wolf?

Kami. Pink hair, green eyes. Fair skin. Medium build. Fiesty, probably a bitch... Though that might not be relevant for the police.

Victoria. Pretty blonde with brown eyes and dyed blue highlights. Probably the nicest and calmest one.

Molly. Also nice, but stern. Regular blonde, brown eyes.

Rachel. Haven't heard her talk yet. Tiny frame, blonde hair, brown eyes. She and Molly look similar.

Xavier. Bright red, spiky hair. Blue eyes. Looks like he's childish, but extremely strong, I thought, picturing when I'd first woken up. Several moments flashed before my eyes to when I'd began to panic. It had been Xavier who forced me back into the collar.

I exhaled, remembering the seventh adult. The one driving. Aaron. Ginger, with freckles. I think.

"Now will you calm down?" Molly prodded, crossing her arms. I ignored her, dropping my head back down.

"I'm calm," I muttered, though more of the sentence flowed through my mind. Until I get away and go to the police.

"Good," Kami said, her hosility melted away. "After all, we have two hours left of this drive, and a lot to talk about."

My mind was reeling from her sudden kindness, but the others didn't seem surprised. Rachel sighed, leaving her seat to kneel in front of me.

"We know you don't trust us, Katrina, but if I tell you a story, do you promise to listen?" She asked, and I made a mental note about her. There was a beauty mark below her eye, and her voice was soft like a child's. Another two things for the police.

Despite my plans to get them all thrown in jail, I nodded. Her voice was melodical, and I wouldn't mind listening to her talk for a while. Rachel smiled, seemingly relieved as I let myself relax and sat crisscrossed, leaning back into the wall as I waited for her story to begin.

"One time, in a city not too far from here, a young man was living with his parents. He was sixteen, struggling through high school. His classmates hated him because he was always screwing things up for them, and the adults hated him for always starting fights. But, even though he did so many things wrong, the kid was still a good person. He had never meant to do what he did. He just knew he was different, that something separated him from everyone else.

That's when he ran away. He'd gotten into a fight and hurt the other boy badly -- he didn't know what else to do. The boy ran and ran until he came across three tents set up in the middle of the woods. There, he met the Shifters. People with magic in their bodies that had the ability to change into an animal form. But their animal forms were stronger than normal. They were bigger, faster, smarter -- all around better. And the people understood the boy. They didn't shun him, but accepted him. Elegance, a man who became a swan, Ferocity, a woman who was also a tigress, Loyalty, a white wolf who's human form was also a woman, and a man called Pride, who's form was that of a black bear.

Those four were the original shifters. Not only did they help the lost boy find his shifter form, but they also showed him the life of a shifter. One filled with nature and bonding. He found his element as well. Shifters were known in the past for their animal forms, and their gift over the elements. A shifter would have influence over one of the four elements; fire, earth, air and water. Along with the guide of the four, the boy grew to become a powerful shifter and lived well.

He is where our story starts. He became the leader of a new era of shifters, and built the first of many compounds for our kind with the help of the four. Over time, those originals lost their will to fight back against humanity's oppression, and left it to the boy to continue on with the shifters' lifestyle."

Rachel stopped abruptly, blushing as she ran a hand through her hair. I frowned, watching her scamper back to her seat. Kami whispered something softly in her ear before approaching me, sighing as she plopped down in front of me.

"Listen, kid. Shifters like that exist. People who turn into animals and use elements. All seven of us are shifters, and so are you. That's the truth, but significantly shorter."

My jaw dropped, picturing the animals in my living room. Proof sat right in my head, but I couldn't even fathom the people in front of me becoming large animals. Nor could I imagine myself becoming one, or using any sort of magic.

"I don't believe you," I admitted, watching several of the others sigh as Kami smirked.

"Don't worry, I got that covered."

Then, there was light.