The Shifters: Katrina

I would've enjoyed my small moment of fame a lot more if someone hadn't come barreling out of the crowd and tackled me immediately.

My only thought before I hit the ground was; oh shit.

"That was awesome!" Dani exclaimed, hugging me even though we were both in the dirt. I was winded, groaning and laughing at the same time. "That was the coolest entrance ever!"

"I've..," I wheezed, still trying to catch my breath, "been back for a couple hours already."

She rolled her eyes. "Still! Whoever came up with that is a genius!"

"That'd be me," Chloe laughed, appearing beside us. The girl looked my way. "Also, there's more of them coming to see you. Prepare yourself."

I snorted, laying my head back on the pavement. "Swell."

Sure enough, more cries followed. Tyree and her group appeared seconds later, the gorilla's eyes sparkling with devious delight as she spotted me on the ground. Dani had moved to sit beside me, chatting with Chloe, as I locked eyes with Tyree.

"You sneak," Tyree teased, "how long are you staying for?"

"Until further notice," I replied with a grin. In the past two months, Tyree had put on even more muscle, her tank top showing off her thick arms and intimidating strong features. Still, there was a predatorial grace in her movements. My friend sauntered toward us, Antonio, Gene and Ben at her sides.

I sat up to greet them. Gene was as handsome as ever, looking like a classic heartbreaker with his green eyes, dark hair and freckles. Antonio was adorably short, and it pleased me to see that he hadn't grown while I was away. Ben, on the other hand, was just as thin as when I'd met him. They were the first people to welcome me into their friend group, and I had grown attached to them even with all my terrible experiences involving high schoolers.

To my surprise, my partner in crime was hot on their tail. Shae elbowed her way past everyone, screaming a quick sorry before she tackled me to the ground -- and I had already been sitting. I snorted, hugging her back as I did my best not to die from getting winded twice in a row.

"Willa will be so happy to see you!" Shae shrieked. Her hair had grown, hanging over her shoulder in styled curls. She seemed less shy now, dare I say even bubbly.

"You're going to suffocate her," came a voice from behind her. It was Cory, his signature smirk on his face. He and his brother, Quintin, stood just behind Shae. Quintin looked ready to fall asleep, but that was normal for him. They still looked eerily similar, but the attitudes were exact opposites.

Cory's teasing made Shae get off, the short shifter going to whack Cory's arm. He laughed, the two of them rough housing in a way that made me question the level of their friendship. Quintin seemed to think it as well, sharing a knowing look with me until I couldn't help but laugh as well. Chloe offered me a hand to help me up, rolling her eyes at the playful water shifters.

Tyree was the one who glanced around, watching everyone filter back into their houses after realizing my little show was over.

"I thought there would be more," she muttered. "Where is everybody?"

I looked around as well, mentally counting everyone I hadn't seen. Luke, Alisa, Rowan, Anna, Emma, Liam, Wyatt and Talia were nowhere to be found.

"You have a point," Shae added once she stopped hitting Cory. "Even Sam and Max have been talking about Katrina."

"I thought they would've gone back to hating me," I shrugged, thinking back to when they'd helped during the invasion. Thanks to the two tempermental apprentices, all the citizens of the compound had been safe in their houses when the hunters arrived.

"Well, we should find them," Dani said loudly, getting everyone's attention. "Because I have an idea!"

Eyebrows shot up all around.

"Don't give me that look!"

We laughed at Dani's expense.

"Guys," she whined. "This is good, I promise!"

I rolled my eyes. It made me happy to see Dani acting outgoing, especially after the incident that led up to us meeting. I still hated that huntress, and sometimes wished I had done worse to her when I had the chance.

"What is it?"

She clapped her hands, clearly excited. "We should play hide and seek tag with in our animal forms!"

My curiosity was piqued. For once, I felt like a game was the perfect thing to do.

It will be a nice way of settling in, I decided.

Plus, whose going to chase a dragon?

"I'm down," I said, finally getting to my feet. I shook myself out, feeling the last bit of adrenaline drain away. "I missed goofing off with you guys."

Tyree snorted. "Remember when Coraline busted us that one time?"

I inhaled sharply before letting out a low whistle. "Ah, one of my favourite scoldings."

"You've got plenty to pick from."

Cue the laughter. I, personally, scowled.

"Moving on," I muttered. "Let's go track down the others."

"They might be in the gym," Chloe said. I cocked an eyebrow, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Since the invasion," Dani began, explaining for her, "Coraline has had masters hanging around the gyms so that people can get extra training, not just the apprentices. Everyone wants to be better prepared."

"And since we can't all go running off," Tyree added gruffly, "we chose to get stronger."

I winced. Running off was a good way to describe it, especially considering I really had used the missions as a way of avoiding confrontation.

Guilt flooded my systems and I looked at my feet. I heard Tyree swallow, probably noticing the awkwardness in the silence that followed.

Do I tell them I'm sorry?

Am I being a terrible friend?

I wouldn't know.

I opened my mouth, ready to say something, but nothing came out.

I had been the outcast back in Greenhill all of my life.

Did I really think that the months I spent in a place where I belonged would change my social skills?

Yes.

I really did.

But here I was, unable to deal with problems and floundering when it came to apologizing.

You're not like this, I told myself.

You're loud and brash and rude. You don't follow rules and you never back down.

"Maybe we should just--"

I cut Chloe right off.

"I'm sorry, you guys."

When I looked up, Tyree had wide eyes and the rest looked downright floored.

I squared my shoulders, my hands clenching into fists.

I'm not going to sulk and let this build up into a real problem. I'm going to deal with this right now.

"I shouldn't have just left out of the blue. I know that what we found affects everyone, not just me. I should've been here with you guys instead of trying to shut everyone out."

Because I may not know the rules of socializing, but...

"I suck at being a friend, I know. I promise I'll work on it."

There was a moment of silence, which was probably just them trying to process my words.

Then, Tyree let out a dry sigh.

Followed by the same amused smile I had come to recognize as the smile of one of my best friends.

...I don't follow the rules anyway.