The Shifters: Katrina

Light exploded in my vision. It was the sun, shining down on Kami and I. She had blown the doors of the van open without even touching them, and a gust of wind stole us both from the back of the van. I gasped in fear as we climbed into the sky, shooting upward until I could see for miles. It was miles of unfamiliar territory, meaning I was already a long way away from home, but that was far from my thoughts as I saw the ground below us. Kami was laughing as I began to panic, screaming as I watched the van pull over, everyone getting out to watch as Kami's gust of wind threw me around the sky. I screamed as loud as possible, but no one else stopped as two girls flew around the sky. Kami snickered, bringing herself close to me as my hands trembled.

"Do you believe me yet?" She snarled in my face, her voice barely carrying over the wind blowing by us. I nodded, anything to get my feet back on the ground. The woman tilted her head, smirking at me as the wind took us higher.

"I don't think you do!" She yelled. "I am Kami, wind elemental and python shifter!"

Her flair for the dramatic showed through, the wind keeping us suspended as Kami melted away, her body morphing into something else. Instead of the tall, intimidating woman, in front of me was the python who'd been slithering around my legs before I tried escaping from my own house. I screamed, trying to swat the snake away as I began to fall through the air.

Oops, Kami's voice popped into my head. I kept screaming, holding my hands over my eyes to prevent myself from seeing the ground rushing up toward me. Curses directed at Kami left my mouth as wind rushed by my ears, my hearing unable to pick up on anything. For all I knew, they'd already gotten Kami back into the van and left me to splat against the road.

That's what I thought until an iron grip wrapped around my ankles. I jerked to a stop, my neck cracking as I went limp for a split moment. The parrot, a brightly coloured, gigantic bird, had taken hold of my ankles and held me in place. I was still heavier than it, but it did an excellent job of slowing down my fall, and I was able to catch myself, only getting minor scratches as I hit the pavement. Unlike before, there were no cars or people to witness the giant animals or flying snakes.

I relaxed into the ground, trying not to vomit. Laughter came from above me, one sole person laughing at my distress. It was Kami, already back into human form. The parrot shifted as well, becoming Victoria. I nodded to her in thanks before dropping my head to the shoulder of the road, pebbles cutting into my cheeks.

"That was extreme, Kami!" Koren snarled, grabbing my attention. Myself, along with the other shifters, watched in amazement as Kami and Koren got in each others faces, their eyes almost glowing as they yelled at each other. Koren, claiming to be a wolf, was obviously an alpha type, but Kami was a snake who's nature didn't relate to a wolf who followed pack rules. She was in touch with an animal who did what they pleased, a headstrong snake with no rules.

I had a feeling they went head to head on a daily.

Groaning, I pushed myself up to my feet. Despite almost falling to my death, I felt relatively fine, my only focus being on getting away while they were distracted. Panting heavily, I tried to remember in which direction the road traveled. It was hard, considering I had been focused on how high up I'd been in the air, but I grasped the general idea of which direction I had to head in, and began to back away from the six adults.

Six.

Not seven.

The second I began to run, I slammed face-first into someone else. It was Aaron, the driver of the van. I squeaked in surprise, back tracking and trying to make it around him, but the man reached out and grabbed my arm to keep me there.

"Don't fight us, Katrina. We're just like you, we know what it's like to be constantly getting into fights with everyone around you. Why are you running from us?" Aaron asked coldly, as if I was just a stupid kid trying to run from the adults.

But I wasn't.

"I have a family," I spat, trying to tug back my arm. "I can't just leave them."

Aaron's grip tightened, and I could tell he wasn't used to people fighting him on the subject.

"You're an orphan, Katrina. They aren't your family."

I stopped dead, my head aching as his words sank in. Words I'd fought myself about for years, ones I finally learned to leave behind. Adopted or not, the Roberts were my family. Even if I was some sort of magical shapeshifter, they were still the ones who raised me. Still the people who stuck by my side. I had brothers, a sister, and two mothers. And even if it wasn't by blood, it was by choice.

And that was good enough.

A surge of frustration shot through me and I pulled away from Aaron, breaking his grip easily.

"I'm an orphan with a family, a group of wacky people who I call my mothers and siblings. And so much for not knowing who I was, asshole. Now let me go, at least to tell them I'm alive."

Aaron looked from me to his hand, which had been holding onto my arm with an iron grip. He seemed surprised that I was strong enough to pull away, and since they were all fully grown shifters, I was too.

I shook my head -- I had no time for questions and awe. I had to get home to Greenhill to see the others. With a final glare to Aaron, I began running in the other direction. The others began to yell, breaking away from Koren and Kami's arguement, but when I looked back, all I saw was Aaron holding out an arm to stop them.

Giving me the chance, or maybe just letting me go.