The room was dead silent for several long moments. After all the shouting and arguing, it was almost disorienting. I thought over and over again about everything the police officer had said. Whiplash... broken ribs... someone who might be paralyzed for the rest of his life. Not to mention the lawsuits.
I looked down at my hands, my thoughts going to Isaacs equally troubling words. I knew he was trying to help. He was on my side, but... even he had admitted how dangerous I could be under the wrong circumstances.
I briefly probed my brain for this "Inner animal" everyone kept talking about, but everything felt pretty normal inside my head. There was no angry wolf, pacing and growling and fighting to be released. Yet, according to Isaac, the creature was there. Lurking somewhere in the depths of my brain. Ready to completely take me over unless I learned how to keep it under control. And, what if I couldn't? What then? More disasters? More injuries? More lawsuits?
And to think, just this morning I'd been worried about a stupid biology exam.
"Man, what a tool."
My head jerked up. It was the pixie-haired girl who had spoken. She glared pointedly at the screen where the cop had been a few moments ago.
"He was only doing his job," Isaac said diplomatically.
"Doesn't stop him from being a tool," the girl replied.
A few people laughed, though I was far too nervous to even crack a smile.
"Cyprus."
I jumped and looked at Isaac. "What... what am I going to do," I blurted, before he could say anything.
"Cyprus, I realize this is a lot to take in, but I want you to try and stay calm."
"He... he said they're going to take me to court. He said there were lawsuits."
"I'm aware of that, Cyprus. Listen, we can deal with this. Our team has some very good lawyers."
"But I'm not one of you!" I protested shrilly.
"Not yet. We can fix that easily enough."
This should have made me feel better, but it didn't. What were they going to do, exactly? Pay all my legal fees? That could easily run into millions of dollars. Maybe they were famous, but I doubted even the Silent Heroes had that kind of money. They were non-profit. They weren't a freaking corporation.
"Cyprus, we will deal with the legal situation as it comes," Isaac said. "I'm more concerned with getting a handle on your abilities. Can you tell us what happened during the earthquake? Can you describe it to us?"
I shivered and looked around the room. Several famous shifters gazed back at me. I recognized all their faces but, aside from Eve and Isaac, I couldn't recall any of their names.
I swallowed hard, took a breath and told them everything I remembered. I stared at the table as I spoke. I couldn't look them in the eye. I didn't want to see their reactions. What if they thought I was a monster? What if they looked at me the same way that cop had?
When I was finished, Isaac spoke up again in a thoughtful voice. "Cyprus, do you have any history of powerful shifters in your family?"
"Umm... no," I said. "Not that I know of."
He looked at me for a moment. "Do you mind if I ask about your background?"
"My what?"
"Your heritage. Your ethnicity."
"Oh," what did that have to do with anything? "Well, my mom is native American. Chinook, I think."
"And your father?"
"I've never met him, but I'm pretty sure he's Japanese."
"Hmm..." Isaac muttered.
"Does that mean something?"
"Possibly. I may have to do some research." Isaac's silver eyes flitted briefly around the room. "All right, here's what I think we should do. I'd like to get Cyprus somewhere safe. One of the shifter villages would probably be best. I'll take her home to pack a few things. The rest of you, start doing some damage control with the media."
Eve groaned. "Aww, man."
Isaac ignored her. "Cyprus if you'll come with me."
----------------------
Isaac drove me home. He was as smooth and controlled behind the wheel as he was on his own two feet. He maneuvered every turn, every lane change so effortlessly it was like we were barely moving at all. His brand new sports car probably had something to do with it. I was used to my mom's old clunker, with its snarling engine and the weird, jerking motion it made whenever it changed gears. In comparison, this was like driving on a cloud.
Too bad I couldn't enjoy it. I was busy staring out the window, blindly watching the traffic go by as words circulated through my brain in a nauseating loop. Whiplash. Lawsuits. Broken ribs. Paralyzed. Lawsuits. The mantra repeated so many times that the words lost all meaning.
I spent the entire drive restlessly bouncing my foot up and down, crossing and uncrossing my arms, clenching and unclenching my fists. I was consumed with anxiety. Every little thing seemed to grate on my nerves. My backpack, gripped tightly in my lap, continued to vibrate with non-stop calls and text messages, a constant reminder of my situation. The car, which had seemed so nice and spacious when I first stepped in, now felt cramped and stuffy. The smell of leather burned my nose. I would have rolled down my window, but I was afraid someone might look over, recognize me and form a lynch mob or something.
Isaac pulled smoothly up in front of my house.
"I'll give you a few hours," he said. "Pack only what you need. Talk with your family. I'll come and get you later." He glanced at his watch. "Shall we say six o'clock?"
"Wait," I said. "You're not coming with me?"
"I think it's better if I give you and your family some privacy."
Fear shot through me. "What if I shift again?"
"That shouldn't be an issue. You just shifted this morning. It takes a few days for the animal to rebuild its strength."
Yeah, for a normal shifter, maybe. I wasn't exactly normal. How was he being so freaking calm about this, anyway? He was acting like everything was just fine and dandy, and it wasn't. Not even close.
I got out of the car, not feeling any better. I watched somewhat resentfully as Isaac sped away.
The house was quiet when I got inside. My mom was probably still asleep. I thought about waking her up, but decided against it. I knew how much the night shifts took out of her.
I went straight upstairs to pack. I had no idea what I was supposed to bring. No one had thought to mention where in the world they were taking me. I flung open an old suitcase and starting throwing clothes randomly inside. I was feeling more and more irritated with every second. All the stress... all the fear and anxiety I had been feeling was beginning to morph into anger.
Sure, just go ahead and get packed, Cyprus, I thought, shoving a winter sweater on top of a pile of shorts. Don't worry about where we're taking you. Don't worry about all the people trying to sue you into oblivion. Just do what we say, and everything will be fine.
Yeah, right. Nothing was fine. It was all a gigantic mess and they weren't doing a damn thing to fix it.
My phone rang, a voice call this time. I winced. It sounded unnaturally loud. Why was my hearing so sensitive? Was that part of being a shape-shifter? If so, it as annoying as heck.
I hurled a bottle of sunscreen at my open suitcase. It missed and splattered all over the floor. I released a frustrated growl and went to get a new one. I pulled my door open harder than I had intended. It slammed loudly against the wall. I was halfway to the bathroom when my mom suddenly appeared.
"Cyprus, what is all the noise about?
I froze.
"Why are you home so early?" she said. "Don't you have work tonight? And what on earth have you done with your..." he eyes found mine and she stopped talking, her own eyes going wide with shock.
"Mom," I said, completely forgetting the sunscreen. "We have to talk."
She continued staring at me. My phone rang again. I clenched my teeth a little.
"Listen, I know this might sound weird, but-"
"You shifted."
"I... yes. Wait, what?"
She grinned, looking pleased with herself. "Don't look so surprised, Cyprus. I do watch the news.
"Yeah, but-"
"You're a wolf, right?"
"Yeah. How did you know that? Mom, what's going-"
My phone rang a third time. I growled deep in my throat. The wolf—the inner animal Isaac and Eve kept talking about—was suddenly there in my head, teeth bared, protesting all the noise.
"Come downstairs, Cyprus. We should talk about this."
She was being much calmer than I had expected. She wasn't even acting surprised.
I followed her down the stairs. I could leave my packing for later. I was a little too agitated for it right now, anyway.
"Have a seat." my mom said. "You're worked up, I can tell. How about I make you some tea?"
"No, mom, that's okay. Can you please listen?"
But she was already busying herself in the kitchen. She talked over her shoulder as she worked. "So, did you cause a fuss at school when you shifted? Is that what all the phone calls are about?"
"It's a lot more serious than that."
"Oh, don't be silly, Cyprus. I know all about this stuff."
"Since when?"
"Since always. Your great grandmother was a wolf shifter. Of course, I was quite young when she died, but it's not something you tend to forget."
"My great..."
"Would you like cream or sugar?"
"I don't care about the tea, mom. How could you not tell me this?"
"I was keeping my eye out for signs," she said casually. "I didn't notice any until you came home just now. There's usually a little more warning, as I understand it."
I didn't even know what to say.
She walked back into the kitchen with two big, steaming mugs. "Cyprus, sit down, will you?"
"Mom, you don't understand."
"Of course I do. You had your first shift. You weren't expecting it. You were a little alarmed. Lord knows you have a tendency to overreact to things. But, it's all going to be fine."
"Okay, mom, you really don't understand. I didn't just turn into a wolf. I didn't just freak my classmates out a little, I-"
The doorbell rang. The noise seemed to cut right through me.
I growled. Or maybe my inner wolf did. I couldn't really tell the difference. Who the heck was that? Couldn't I get five minutes to try and gather my thoughts, here?
I strode across the room to answer it. A familiar young woman, wearing a business suit and glasses, stood on the other side. "Good afternoon, Miss. Griffin! I'm glad I caught you at home. We talked earlier, but your nurse very rudely interrupted our conversation. Now that she's out of our hair, shall we continue?"
Oh great. It was that annoying reporter from the hospital.
"Look, this isn't the best time," I said.
"It won't take but a few moments, Miss. Griffin."
"No, really. Trust me on this-"
"Just a couple questions. Five minutes. Ten at the most. Everyone can spare ten minutes, right?" She stepped forward and placed her hand against the door, holding it open. "Now, tell me. Did you know you were a shape shifter before the incident this morning?"
I said nothing. I wracked my brain, trying to think of some way to get rid of this woman without resorting to physical force. Then inspiration struck. "Umm, hey! Would you like a full interview?"
The woman's eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. "That would be absolutely fabulous Miss. Griffin."
"Okay, come back this evening. About eight o'clock. I'll give you two full hours. How does that sound?"
"Excellent, Miss. Griffin! Excellent! I'll just give you my number in case you need to change the appointment time," she flipped me a business card.
I forced a smile. "Great, thanks."
"See you in a few hours!" the woman sang. She was practically skipping as she walked away.
I quickly shut the door and returned to the kitchen. My mom was busy adding sugar to her tea.
"Who was that, dear?"
"No one," I said. "Can we talk now, please?"
"Of course we can talk. I'm ready whenever you are."
"Right," I said. "Right. Well, see, the thing that happened was..."
The doorbell rang again. I felt like screaming in frustration. "Hold that thought."
What does the stupid woman want now? I wondered, as I made my way to the front entrance. I pulled the door open, ready to give her a piece of my mind, but it wasn't the reporter this time. Instead, I found a boy from my school. He grinned confidently down at me.
"Hey, Cyprus. You know me, right?"
I definitely did. His name was Justin. About half the girls at school had a crush on him. To be honest, though, I had never been one of them. I mean, he was attractive enough, I guess. But, he always had this dull, empty look in his eyes that reminded me strongly of a dead fish.
"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" He said, when I didn't respond. "So, what do you say we go out tonight? My friend is throwing this huge party, and-"
I slammed the door in his face and went back inside. My mom was now busy adding milk to her tea. "My goodness, you are a popular little shifter, aren't you?"
I massaged my temples. I was getting a major headache. "Not for the reasons you think."
"I'm sure it will die down. Everyone's just excited."
"Okay, mom, we seriously need to talk."
"I'm right here waiting, Cyprus. You're the one who keeps getting visitors. Look, here comes another one."
Sure enough, a second later, there was a loud knock on the door. "Just ignore them," I said. "Pretend there's no one home. They'll go away." I thought hard for a moment. "Okay, mom, I don't want you to freak out when you hear this, but-"
"Your tea is getting cold, dear."
"Mom."
The person outside knocked again, louder than before. "Cyprus Griffin? Miss. Griffin, are you in there? I would really like to speak with you!"
My mom looked like she wanted to get up.
"Ignore them," I repeated.
"I can see you! The voice said. "I have a very generous offer for you. I think you'll want to hear it."
I threw my head back, praying for patience. "Okay, fine! Come in, the door's open!"
The front door swung inward and a young woman stepped smartly over the threshold. She wore a tight black dress and shiny black heels. She walked forward in short, dainty steps.
"Thank you so much for seeing me, Miss. Griffin. Oh tea! How lovely!" She perched delicately on the arm of my chair and picked up one of the mugs. "Well, I'll get right down to it, shall I? I'm a representative for one of the biggest television networks in the country. We are currently recruiting for a new reality show," she took a sip of tea and continued. "We'd like to put horse and wolf shifters into a big house together and see how they get along. We thought it would make for some excellent drama, horses and wolves being natural enemies and all. Filming starts in just a few weeks and a place is yours if you want it."
My head was spinning so much I felt dizzy. "A reality show?"
"We'd be willing to offer you some very generous compensation, of course."
I barely heard her. I was still trying to wrap my brain around the idea of a shifter reality show when the doorbell rang again.
"Oh, for crying out... hold on."
This was getting ridiculous. Who was it this time? A movie producer? A circus owner? Another boy from school asking me out on a date?
I marched up to the front entrance, already planning ways to get rid of this person as soon as possible. I planted my feet, yanked the door open...
And stared.
A young man stood casually on my front porch. He immediately reminded me of Isaac, although I couldn't figure out why at first. Isaac was tall and pale with bright blue hair. This boy was short, not much taller than me. His skin was faintly tanned and his features were distinctly East Asian. His hair—gelled and spiked like an anime character—reminded me of golden, late afternoon sunlight. It even seemed to glow faintly around the edges.
Really, his resemblance to Isaac was basically zero. Except, of course, for the smooth skin, the flawless beauty, the strange aura of power that surrounded him.
But, even more astonishing... the single detail that had caused me to freeze dead in my tracks....
His eyes. They were a complex, marble pattern of silver and dark gray. The colours swirled around his irises like angry storm clouds rolling through the sky. Only once had I ever seen eyes like that...
"Hey, sis," the boy gave me a confident, dazzling smile. "Long time no see."