The Shifters: Katrina

By the time nightfall rolled around, I had plenty of friends signed up to go on the trip with me. Tyree and Gene were two of the helpers I had, and when they told everyone I found out about the plan, it was safe to say that my friends were shocked. After glaring at them all and storming away for good measure, I holed up in my dorm room and began thinking of a plan. The documents were hidden in one of Greenhill's two bookstores; it was the smaller one ran by a family of three. It was close enough to the hospital that I wasn't worried about what to do if someone was hurt.

It was just the possibility of traps that got to me.

If anyone got hurt because of me, I'd lose it.

"Katrina?"

I tensed. "What?"

"It's your mother."

My fists curled. I nearly ripped the door off its hinges, grabbing her by the throat and throwing her inside my room.

"How did you get away from the others?"

She held up her hands. "I need to warn you."

I paused. "Warn me?"

Something was different. She didn't have her blind faith in hunting, or the crazed tone in her voice.

It was like she was Marie Roberts, the woman who adopted me instead of the woman who kept me around to be hunted.

"Those documents. I've read them," she began, sitting up on the floor. "Whatever you do, don't sacrifice yourself, Katrina."

"What are you talking about?"

She pursed her lips. "Your leader is right. You may find an answer within those pages."

My eyes widened.

"But... You won't like one bit of it."

A scowl appeared on my face. I stormed forward, grabbing my mother by her shirt and yanking her up.

"You're strong," she choked as she stumbled upward, "I'm glad."

As I brought our faces closer, I saw tears brimming in her eyes.

"You bitch..."

She smiled. "You'll be okay, Katrina. Just put yourself first."

I didn't listen to her words, pulling back my fist before striking her across the face. The power wave that it released sent my mother flying into the wall. I snickered, knowing Coraline or a guard would show up no matter what. When they did, I'd let them have their prisoner back.

"Smart."

I ignored her words.

"Don't waste this, Katrina."

I turned my back on her, the echoes of a guard's footsteps outside my door.

"I don't want to hear it. Goodbye."

With that, I dragged her out the door.

"Katrina, are you sure about this?"

Tyree stood in the doorway to my room, watching me tidy up before leaving. I was dressed in my all-black shifter's bodysuit, running shoes, and a mask to cover my face. My hair was braided down my back, and I wore black gloves. The bodysuit was full length, long-sleeved and even had a turtle neck, so everything but my eyes and forehead was hidden. The gloves protected my fists during a fight and hid the apprentice bands. My wallet was tucked inside one of the shoes in case of an emergency.

"It's what I'm doing. You choose whether or not to back out," I told her sharply. Tyree fell silent, following me when I brushed past her and shut the door to my dorm. The others were already waiting for us outside, dressed similarly to me. Willa and Koren were at the head of the group, both as backup and the drivers. The others were Quintin, Shae, Tyree, Gene, Nathan and Alisa. It had been a while since I'd seen Nathan since he was a guard and constantly going out on missions.

"Do you know where we're headed?"

I nodded. "Of course. Let's go."

Koren grabbed me by my shoulder before I could get too far.

"I know this is approved by Coraline, but this could get messy."

I raised an eyebrow. Using a trick I learned from Koren himself, I concentrated a flame onto my shoulder. It scorched his palm, and he yelped.

"Any of you can leave," I said loudly, "I'm upset that you guys tried to do this without me, but... I won't force you to come along with me. It's not my place."

"We're not worried about us," Gene said incredulously, "we're worried about you."

I paused.

"Come on."

The group sighed collectively, which nearly made me laugh, before following me. I headed for the fire entrance, since I had no clue where the water one was, and simply trusted they would follow behind me.

"You know," Shae said as she trotted to catch up with me, "you're awfully tempermental."

I laughed genuinely. "I've heard that before."

"I'd ask if something was bothering you," she smiled, "but I already know the answer is yes, so instead I'm going to go with... Don't take it out on us, okay? We're trying our best."

"I'll keep it in mind," I said begrudgingly. "I just..."

"You've got some struggles," she points out.

"Maybe a few," I muttered. We reached the fire entrance, and I managed to snuff out the glow as well as the flames. Shae boosted me up so that I could pull myself out of the tunnel, reaching up toward me once I was steady. I propped myself up on one arm and reached over with the other, grabbing her forearm and heaving her up. It was only possible with my supernatural strength, and we continued to lift everyone up until we were all outside the compound. My hands flickered red as I called the flames back to life, and then we were off.

Koren led the way to the vehicles. It was the same stash as before, and since Nathan was the only earth shifter, he was the one who pulled a white van out of the ground. The rest of us were fire and water shifters, which may have been bad planning on my part.

With the van ready to go, we piled in. It was nearly identical to the blue one, but was more comfortable inside. Koren and Willa sat up front, leaving the rest of us on the benches in the back. The idea was that Koren would drive to Greenhill and I'd get us to the library, which meant I had about at least thirty minutes before I had to do anything important.

I leaned into the wall of the van, tilting my head back.

Who knows what I'm about to find.

Why do I feel so nervous?

I'm just risking the safety of a bunch of people. It's all good. I live for trouble.

This is definitely a bad idea.

Which means it's perfect for me.