The Shifters: Katrina

My things were still in Chloe and I's dorm, even if hers were neatly packed up and put to the side. Her section of the room was a stark contrast from mine, her possessions all bundled up and her bed made while I had things scattered around. I tidied up before showering, getting the matted blood on my head out of my hair. There was also blood in a few more places, but the bruises had all faded. Afterward, I got changed, wearing my green hoodie from back home over a shirt and pair of shorts that were safe for shifting. Once I brushed the knots from my hair, I was a bit more presentable. My eyes still felt heavy and I slouched as I left the room, walking toward the school where my friends would be. It was the middle of lunch, and I found everyone sitting at their usual table, minus Sonya. Even the three water kids, Shae, Quintin and Cory, had started sitting with Tyree's group. Alisa had joined as well, even taking Sonya's place at the table unknowingly. I tried to push the betrayal out of my mind, strolling up to the table with my face tucked inside my hood.

Antonio reacted to my presence first, but at his angle, couldn't see my face. "Can we help you..?"

I grunted, smirking. "I don't know, can you?"

He gasped, jumping up and smacking the hood off my head. "Katrina! You're awake!" He shrieked, the faces of everyone else lighting up.

I did a little wave. "Hey, guys. I guess I needed a nap," I said sheepishly. "I'm glad everyone's okay."

Shae got to her feet, nearly tackling me again with one of her hugs. "God damn it, Katrina, we were all worried sick!"

"You took on Xavier, alone!" Tyree added with her signature scolding tone.

Shrugging, I slid into my usual spot beside the gorilla shifter. "I'm alive, so it's all good," I said indifferently.

"I just wish..," Tyree sighed, "I wish it hadn't been her, you know? I wish she wasn't the one you fought."

I swallowed, both in guilt and remorse. "I didn't know what else to do," I replied honestly, "she was going to stop Emma."

"She was going to do a lot more than that," Gene said firmly. "We all did our best, guys."

Quintin nodded along with his words. The wolf glanced my way, sparkling eyes meeting mine. "You did your best, Kat," the boy assured me, "don't blame yourself for what happened."

Cory spoke after his brother. "Did Coraline update you on what happened?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I have to keep up with my apprenticeship these days."

There was a quick look shared between the brothers, a single sideways glance I couldn't understand. Cory shifted, putting his elbows on the table. Since I'd just arrived, Tyree was already sharing her lunch with me as if nothing had ever changed. "You know," Cory began, "sometimes we students like to throw parties in the woods of the compound."

My eyebrows shot up. "Parties? Really?"

He grinned. "A few shifters who do part-time work will get some snacks, maybe some drinks, and we'll hide out in the forest for a night," Cory explained, winking at me, "I know a few students who have portable bluetooth speakers we can use. I think it'll be nice to throw a party for everyone, and the adults are too busy to bust it."

Excitement shot through me. I may not have liked anyone at Greenhill, but the rich kid parties had been an amazing experience. Parties, trouble, anything fast-paced was a blissful retreat from reality for me. Fighting was the same, with the usual cool-headed mindset blocking out real-time problems. At the moment, I craved some mindless fun. Especially since Coraline was basically telling me to leave everything to her and focus on training.

"I'm down," I chirped.

Tyree sighed. "Me too."

Cory's brother shrugged, Gene held up a thumbs up, and Ben and Antonio nodded along without really paying attention. I felt for them; they'd known Sonya longer than I had. They all knew her longer.

And I was still the one who had to fight her.

My teeth sunk into my bottom lip, the sting distracting me from my thoughts. Cory continued with his party ideas, getting everyone on board. I felt myself grinning, not that I was paying attention. I just had to keep pushing forward -- keep going and keep up with training.

My mind flashed to a memory from Greenhill.

Standing in front of the old, short Principal. Beside me was a girl with a split lip and a black eye. I knew that there would be another bruise along her stomach, left by my foot.

"Ms. Roberts," the Principal sighed, "this student has accused you of physical violence. These are serious charges, and they're not your first offence, Miss."

"They're not true," I lied.

His brow lifted. "How would you prove that? It's your word against hers."

I lifted my hands. They were thin, dainty. With the more time I spent in the compound, I was gaining muscle. It helped that I was getting extra power from my dragon form. However, my stature back then had been delicate.

"I'm not capable of doing something like that," I told him, motioning to the black around the girl's eyes. She tried to bully me since I'd been at Greenhill. She was the queen bee type, but I didn't put up with her bullshit. When she and her lackeys tried to intimidate me, I pounded her into the ground. I didn't remember it, though. Unlike most of my fights, I wasn't thinking clearly. I just saw red.

The Prinicpal frowned. "It's true that someone would need strength to make those marks," he murmured. He gave me a once over, in a thoughtful manner. "Are you sure it was Ms. Roberts? Not to offend, but she doesn't look like she could hit that hard."

"She's been in fights before!" The other girl shrieked. "Of course she could do this!"

The Principal shrugged. "Her other physical encounters have been one bruise on the other person, maximum."

That would change later on, but in that moment, he wasn't wrong. I hit to end a fight, and never had I given someone as ugly a bruise.

"She did this!" Queen Bee snarled, fists balled up. She grabbed my arm, nails digging into the skin. "This bitch hit me!"

Her aggression was enough to save my ass. When her nails dug in enough to cut me, the Principal called in another teacher and she was taken away for punishing. I walked free.

After that day, I focused on trouble. I got away with what I could, took the punishments for everything else. Getting that rise out of people who deserved to be upset -- it was like my own hero complex taking over. The adrenaline of doing something wrong and having to get out of trouble kept me motivated to go to school everyday, just so that I had many victims to pick from. I tormented the tormentors, and partied with the tormentees.

It was the one thing I enjoyed. I hated the people in Greenhill, and since they hated me, no one ever stopped to ask me why I kept bugging them.

I sighed. I needed some serious sparring time, and that party.