Crescent Wolves - G. Bailey Page 0,11
patiently waiting for her kid to grasp a simple math concept. But my mind is a mess. I find myself thinking back to the fact that yesterday morning I was waking up at home in bed, the only worries on my mind was the fact that I had an upcoming history exam and that we were out of instant coffee. Now here I am, sitting across from two strange women with magic powers who are telling me that I, too, have magic powers.
Secret societies. Magical boarding schools. Supernatural beings. And I still haven’t even fully processed the fact that I breathed fire a few minutes ago. It’s all too much. I drop my head and cover my face with my hand, my shoulders slumping. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so tired. “You have to be kidding,” I mumble into my hands, not looking at Samantha or Josie. Suddenly the idea of meeting their eyes is too much for me.
“We’re not,” Samantha says, “but I can see that you’re feeling a little overwhelmed.”
“A little overwhelmed?” I ask, lifting my head. “A little overwhelmed? You’re telling me that you’re going to whisk me away to some kind of boarding school for shapeshifters, and you think I’m just a little overwhelmed?”
“Okay,” Samantha concedes, “fine. Very overwhelmed. But trust me when I say that with time, this will all stop being so scary. Once you’re at Shifter Academy, things will start to feel more normal. I promise.”
“You’re assuming I’m even going to go with you,” I say slowly, my eyes narrowing. “I never agreed to this.”
Josie raises her eyebrows. “Are you saying you’re not going to come with us?”
I shrug my shoulders, even though I can already feel myself making up my mind. My world has been turned upside-down already. I’m not about to shake it up any more. “Are you going to force me?”
The woman exchanged another one of those cryptic looks, and it’s enough to make me want to scream. It feels like this is all a joke, and I’m the punchline. “If you’re asking whether we’ll take you there against your will,” Samantha replies slowly, “the answer is no. We’re not authorized to do that. Even if we were, we wouldn’t be able to teach someone who’s hellbent on not participating.”
“Good,” I say, a little smugly, finally feeling like I’m getting a scrap of power back. I get to my feet, dusting the dirt and grime off my hands. God, I need a shower. “Then I guess we don’t have anything else to talk about.”
“Just a minute, Millie,” Samantha says. The women both stand up, their expressions unreadable. “I would advise you to think long and hard about this,” Samantha continues, staring at me with her big blue eyes. “It’s true that we can’t force you to come with us. But that doesn’t mean your life can just go back to normal now.”
My eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”
“For starters,” Josie chimes in, “your powers have been activated now. There’s no undoing that once it happens. Sooner or later, you’ll end up with your back against the wall again - and I’m guessing sooner, considering you seem to be living on the streets - and you’ll shift again. It’s a dangerous ability, and if you don’t learn how to control it, then you may end up hurting someone. Or yourself.”
“I’ll take my chances,” I snap, not liking the condescension in her tone.
“Second of all,” Samantha adds, crossing her arms over her chest, “you’re on the grid now, Millie, whether you like it or not. We detected your identity and your magic, and if we could do it, then others will be able to as well. Other shifters, for example, and eventually, humans, too. If our liaisons with the human community find out that there’s a rogue shifter out in the world, they’ll watch you. And if - when - your powers start to cause problems, because you’ve never been trained in using them, they will come after you.”
I swallow, feeling my confidence falter a little. “And then?” I ask, not sure if I really want to know the answer.
“And then they’ll deal with you as they see fit,” Josie finishes. “Humans may be our allies, but make no mistake: they’re not our friends. This school is a way of protecting you from their perception that shifters are a danger to the world. If you don’t accept our help, you’re taking on the risk of living your life as a rogue