The Shifters: Katrina

To say the least, I made a great impression on the town by being dragged by the ear by Kami. Koren followed behind us, laughing hard as I struggled against her. True to her nature, she had a strong, unbreakable grip. The wolf was also strikingly wolf-ish, since his laughter was loud as a wolf's howling. Nearly every shifter around was drawn to watch us go as Koren and Kami dragged my sorry self back to Coraline's office. She stood with her arms crossed in amusement in the center of the room, awaiting our arrival.

"Trouble, yes, but fights, no," Coraline said in amusment, tilting her head as she stared me down. Kami released my ear, returning to guard the door with Koren. "Did you find anyone to battle, Katrina, or did you find some friends?"

"Friends," I spat, "for once. Not exactly my type, but they were nice."

The corners of her lips turned upward in amusement. Her patronizing stance did nothing to improve my mood, which had nose dived after being caught by Kami and Koren. Now all three of the teenage shifters I met probably thought I was a loser or that I had been an intruder. Either way, I was not excited to see them again.

It's not like I lied though, I comforted myself, I did tell them I was new here. I just withheld the part about me staying in this building.

A smirk came to my face. It had been fun, I'd admit that, and maybe having those three look down on me would give me a chance to meet calmer people. After all, Beth and Heather were certainly a lot. While Gene was someone I could get along with, I didn't need to be seen as a romantic threat toward either of them.

"Katrina. You're a good girl, but you need to reel in the recklessness. You're a shifter, and at some point, you'll be wielding real power that could hurt someone. We need to know that we can trust you."

"But you can't," I countered, crossing my arms and leaning onto one hip. It was Coraline's turn to look unimpressed, and I'd seen the same look in my teachers before. "This is always how it goes for me. I get in trouble. I get lectured. I lay low for a while, then it all happens again."

The woman turned away, her cheetah markings shining in the moonlight. We were silent as she walked toward the window without a sound, gently pressing a hand to the glass.

"What did the people of your town think of you, Katrina?"

I looked at the ground, remembering my daily bitterness toward the rest of Greenhill. "They hated me. Everyone but my adopted family," I confessed, but my tone grew hard. "I hated them, too. They were pissy snobs and I didn't care about them."

Coraline hummed in response, as if that was what she expected. Behind me, I could hear Kami and Koren whispering to each other. With the leader absorbed in her thoughts and the two shifters probably gossiping about me, I could only feel one thing.

Like I was on the outside again.

I growled under my breath, holding myself tightly while my arms were crossed. My thoughts were spiraling between anger, sadness and a lingering sense of adventure. Deep down, something was brewing in my body. It was my frustration clawing to be released, to become an explosion that would start a fight if I wasn't careful.

Coraline's gentle sigh brought me out of my haze of anger. The shifter woman slowly came to stand in front of me, her hand coming up to touch my shoulder, which made me flinch. I was prepared for a swing, and ready to fight back against the much powerful leader.

"Why do you want that to repeat, Katrina?"

Dumbfounded, I gaped at her. "W-What?"

Coraline smiled sadly. "You're leading yourself right into the same situation. You're pushing us away and trying to land yourself in the same position you were in in Greenhill. The hated one. Why?" She asked, stepping back as I processed her words.

Was I really doing that to myself?

I paused, staring down at the floor. With the way things were going, I could see her point.

I exhaled through my teeth, causing a low whistling noise. "Maybe..," I began begrudgingly, "maybe I just don't know what it's like to not hate everyone around me. There could be some issues messing me up."

A soft hand brushed my own, Coraline's fingers intertwining with mine. She smiled warmly, like a mother would.

"You belong here, Katrina. We'll find your element, and your form will come. And we will help you learn and grow," she promised, her eyes holding a genuine light that set my nerves at ease. "Just help us do it."

I nodded, dropping her hand so that I could cover my mouth as I yawned widely. She laughed quietly before leaving Koren and Kami to step forward, the female shifter placing her hand on my shoulder with less hostility than before. Coraline smiled once more before gently patting my cheek and returning to her chair, eyes on something far away in the compound.

"Come on, Katrina. I'll show you your dorm," Kami said, guiding me out of the room. Koren bowed before catching up with us, already explaining another thing to me.

"Every shifter in the compound without a high school diploma will be in the same school as you. On either side of the school building are the dorms, one for girls, one for boys. Your building has the fountain outside, the boys' have lion statues. Teachers are staying in the dorms on the bottom floor, so go to them for help. Because you haven't found your form, you'll be alone for a while. We tend to pair up roommates based on animal compatibility."

After a few seconds of processing, I nodded. We'd reached the three large buildings on campus. I could see the lion statues of the boys' dorm, and noticed the daunting size of the school as Kami led me to the building with a large fountain outside. Koren gave us a friendly wave before heading into the dorm, and I turned to Kami.

"You guys are teachers?"

She shrugged. "Us guards stay wherever. Over the past few years, we noticed that any aggressive students tend to calm down when we're around, so some of us like to stay in the dorms."

The thought that they'd be so close by was comforting as we climbed the stairs into the dormitory. Kami remained a few steps ahead of me as I marveled the decor of the place, various things scattered tastefully on the walls. Unlike the walls, though, the floor remained clear of even the slightest tripping hazard, and the ceiling were notably high.

For all the animals. No use having to repair the dorms every single day, I thought, following Kami to a back stairwell. Up and up we went, and eventually I could only guess the floor number. It was around seven when we finally left the stairs behind, entering a lonely, dusty hallway. I cringed as Kami threw me a sympathetic look, leading me to the end of the hall. She then took a key from her pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open before handing me the key.

"There's some extras in there that you could hide around the doorway incase you lose yours. Or maybe ask one of the teachers to keep one for you, whatever," Kami suggested, already walking back down the hall, "and try not to let the silence get to you."

Loneliness hit me like a punch to the chest as I stepped through the door, the lights off in the room. Holding my breath, I closed the door behind me and waited for the click of the lock before flipping on the lights.

The room was better than I'd expected for a dorm. It had hardwood floors, with a rug peeking out from around the corner. The first door inside the room led to a clean yet plain, spacious bathroom. Around the corner was a bed large enough for two of me with a full set of pillows and blankets, and a matching nightstand. A closet was pushed up against the wall, and a desk sat next to a large bay window. I dropped my key next to two spares that were on shelves above the desk, and threw myself onto the bed.

Coraline's words drifted through my head as I felt tears drip down my cheeks, wetting the pillow under my head.

I belong here, I told myself, shutting my eyes. I don't need to keep searching for where I'm meant to be.

Bye, Mom. Bye, Mum. Catch you later, Ray, Mia and Felix. One day I'll come visit.

But now, Iluita is my home.