The Shifters: Katrina

I felt alive.

Ben was strong like every shifter was, though I had begun to notice that so was I. The more time I spent in the compound, the more I saw signs of being a shifter. Ben was faster than anyone I'd ever fought with, and his strength matched mine. It was almost like fighting Nathan, except the older shifter was a better fighter than Ben. My opponent had no chance of landing a hit on me as I moved as quick as possible, getting up and close before backing off. My fist flew toward his gut and Ben gasped, hastily blocking it. He returned the strike with his own, and I found myself stuck for a way out.

But I always found a way.

Biting my lip, I brought my open palm up to meet his fist. The second my fingers wrapped around his fist and caught it, I saw a wave of something fly from my hand. Our friends were blown flat onto their backs, Sonya's hair flying every which way. I watched with wide eyes as the wave pushed through the trees, shaking leaves from their branches and looking like it wasn't slowing down.

A grin appeared on my face, and Ben looked horrified.

"Still want to keep at it?"

He paused before his leg swung toward my hip. I laughed, using my fist to strike his thigh. It gave him a Charley horse and he stumbled, allowing me to swing for his chest. Ben's eyes widened before he blocked it, his arm hitting my fist to the side and letting off a small burst of power.

This is amazing, I laughed, swinging again. Ben blocked, watching the burst of power exploded from where we hit each other. We continued on and on, marvelling the waves of pure force as we sparred. Our friends began cheering, learning to deal with the waves of power. They were startling and scary, but it just made me even more tempted to create them. I grew serious, grinning madly as I struck harder, faster, smarter. Ben was having a hard time keeping up, sweating as our skin continued to make contact and blow off power.

"Kat--"

Ben's words were cut off as I lunged for him. He blocked, soon regaining his stance.

"Katrina, I'm ti--"

I went for him again, ducking under his clumsy fist and heading for his ribcage.

"Enough!"

Right before my fist made contact with him, I was thrown back. Air bent to a shifter's will kept me pinned down, even when Ben got to his feet. We'd been blown away from each other, our friends standing in a perfectly straight line looking like they'd been caught trying to steal.

I managed to lift my head. Kami, Koren and Coraline were just barely passed the thick trees, Coraline's hands glowing a clean white. Ben joined our friends, and I heard him assure them that he was fine under his breath.

I could've hurt him, I realized, I went way too far.

In that moment, I didn't care that others were around.

"Ben," I called. He turned around to look me in the eyes, seeing me stuck on the ground.

"I'm so sorry," I finished, bowing my head to him in partial shame. I never hurt friends or those kind to me, only those who deserved it.

Despite what I was expecting, he smiled.

"You weren't trying to hurt me, you got a little carried away," he told me, "it's fine."

I breathed a sigh of relief and laid my head back on the grass. Closing my eyes for a second, I took the time to calm my racing heart, feeling a familiar presence somewhere inside. Normally, I assumed it would be leftover rage.

Now I knew that it was another form of me. My animal, waiting to be released one day.

"Katrina."

I opened my eyes, only to see the three adults leaning above me.

"You can never do that again," Coraline snapped. "First you cause a disturbance in the town by letting off waves of almost harmful power. Then we come here and see that you're about to break a fellow shifter's ribs. You could've hospitalized him easily."

"And without any training..," Koren added; pursing his lips. I couldn't move or escape their scrutiny.

My instincts took over and I managed a shrug.

"I said I was dangerous. I'm not some perfect kid. Following the rules to the letter isn't my way, it's not who I am."

I sighed, albeit a little sadly. "It will never be."

Koren matched my sigh before walking over to my newfound friends.

"You guys should get back home. Katrina will see you at school tomorrow."

The five of them nodded, throwing me sympathetic looks before turning on their heels. It was actually pretty relieving -- they didn't seem mad in the slightest.

Hopefully I didn't just burn those bridges.

Coraline frowned before I felt a pressure lift off my chest. I sat up, staring at the grass as my shoulders slumped.

"Would you believe me if I said it wasn't on purpose?" I joked, playing with blades of grass. I wove them together, not particularly interested in what the adult shifters had to say. Naturally I expected a lecture and possibly a punishment, so I was just waiting for them to announce my doom.

Not like this can get worse. I'm separated from home, unable to control myself, certain hunters will kill me on the spot -- the list is growing at an alarming rate.

I snorted at my own thoughts.

"Something funny?" Kami snapped, her green eyes filled with uncertainty. She wanted me to avoid making her mistakes, but she also wanted to yell at me. Badly.

"Just my current situation," I responded in a singsong voice. "I definitely didn't expect this."

The python woman rolled her eyes, walking over to where Coraline and Koren stood whispering. I didn't bother trying to eavesdrop.

Instead I laid back and stared at the sky. It was almost sunset, and I watched the early stars begin to appear in the sky. A calm exhale left my lips, making only the slightest noise as I stared at the colourful sky.

This made me feel like I was living.