Deanna and Shane did not look the least bit surprised by my abrupt entry into the rear cabin. Deanna glanced politely up from applying a layer of top-coat to her perfectly manicured nails. Shane was looking right at me, a big grin on his face.
"You sure told him."
Heat rushed into my cheeks. "You heard that?"
"Wildcats have excellent hearing," Shane informed me. "Not that it was needed in this case. I think even the pilot sitting up there in the cockpit might have heard you."
The heat in my face intensified. "Sorry."
"For what? I've been wanting to knock some respect into that little cockroach ever since we went through security."
Deanna blew gently on her nails. "I wanted to claw his eyes out, personally, but that's just me."
"Umm..." I didn't know what to say. These two were still an unknown to me. Their motivations, their reasons for being here were about as clear as mud.
Deanna thumped the empty chair next to her. "Sit down, Cyprus. Now that he's out of the way we can talk properly."
Talk about what? What's there to talk about? I wondered. But I tentatively stepped forward and took a seat between them. The rear compartment was a lot more cramped than the main cabin. There weren't even any window. But, I found it didn't bother me so much now. Not with the newly acquired energy fizzing pleasantly through my veins.
I sat quietly, fiddling with the hem of my shirt, feeling embarrassed, confused and nervous in almost equal measure. I strongly suspected that these two were with the Silent Heroes. I could only think of a few reasons for them to be here and each one sounded more improbable than the last. Did they work for Connelly? Had he recruited them the same way he had recruited me? Were they undercover? And how was I supposed to ask all these questions without one: looking like a total idiot or two: saying something that could possibly get me into serious trouble? What if I suggested they were spying on Connelly only to find out they were actually working with him?
And, even if I did manage to figure out what the heck was going on here without looking stupid or incriminating myself, there was still the question of my own alliances. Who's side was I on? Who was I supposed to trust?
Was being a shape shifter always so darn complicated?
"You're looking a little lost, Cyprus," Deanna said.
"You could say that," I muttered. I was afraid to elaborate any more than that.
"Do you remember us from earlier? At the Silent Heroes headquarters?"
"Sort of... I think... were you there?"
Deanna laughed a little. "We most certainly were, Cyprus, although Shane and I never got a chance to introduce ourselves. But, you probably recognize us from TV, right?"
"Err..." the truth was I hadn't really followed all the shape shifter stuff very closely. I recognized Deanna and Shane in the vague, non-specific way I recognized most actors, or the popular kids at my school.
"No?" Deanna sounded surprised.
"Well..."
"What, have you been living under a rock?" Shane said. "The whole world knows who we are. I think I'm a little insulted."
"Dominic didn't seem to recognize you," I pointed out.
"Yeah, but that kid it so self-absorbed I doubt he knows who the president is."
I didn't know what to say to that.
"Oh, stop teasing her, Shane," Deanna said. "Can't you see the poor girl is nervous enough as it is?"
"Nervous? About what? What's there to be nervous about?"
What was there to be nervous about? What was there to be nervous about? Was he serious? Did he even know about all the crap that had happened to me today? Add that to the fact that I had no idea what was going on here, or what I was supposed to do, or who I was supposed to trust, or whether I was making the right decisions or completely screwing everything up, or...
I realized I was gripping my armrest so tightly that my nails were digging into the fabric. I took a few measured breaths and forced the muscles in my hands to relax.
"There's plenty for her to be nervous about," Deanna said briskly." She looked at me. "Cyprus, before I tell you anything I want you to understand something. You're under no obligation to be involved, all right? You made your decision. We respect that decision."
"Even if it was stupid," Shane added.
Deanna gave him a look.
"What? It was stupid."
She chose to ignore him and focused back on me. "But, we knew you would recognize us. We couldn't very well say nothing. Like I said, you don't have to be involved. But, at the very least, we would appreciate it if you didn't blow our cover."
"Otherwise we'll have to kill you."
"You're not funny, Shane," Deanna said, while I just about choked on my own saliva. "He's just kidding, Cyprus. Don't worry. As I was saying, we're here to investigate this so-called training facility. The military wants to know what's really going on and, frankly, I can see why. This Connelly guy is being way too secretive about the whole thing. For all we know he could be forming his own private army."
I swallowed. An army?
"I'm not saying that's a likely scenario," Deanna quickly added. "I'm just saying we don't know. We don't know what he's up to and we think it would be safer for everyone involved if we found out."
"So... you're spying on him, is that it?"
"I prefer to think of it as investigating."
She could call it whatever she wanted, it sounded a lot like spying to me. I was beginning to wonder if it had been a mistake to come back here. If Mr. Connelly ever found out about this I was already at risk of being considered an accomplice. Even if I walked away right now. Even if all I really did was fail to mention it to him...
"All right, you've had your say, De," Shane said. "Now let me have mine."
"I don't want you to pressure her, Shane."
"I'm not going to pressure her. I'm just going to give her the facts."
I looked back and forth between them, thoroughly confused.
"Cyprus, you're part of the reason we're here," Shane said.
"I am?"
"Of course. And it's not just because powers like yours shouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Or because Connelly could be planning on turning you in some kind of weapon, for all we know..."
"A-a weapon?" I choked.
"... the fact of the matter is, you could be extremely valuable here, Cyprus. You could be a huge help."
"But only if you want to," Deanna said. "If you'd rather walk away... tell us to go to hell, etcetera, feel free."
I didn't answer for a moment. I was still stuck on the word "weapon." But, they were both looking expectantly at me. I had to say something.
"What do you need my help for?" I asked weakly.
"Connelly is bound to be suspicious of us," Shane said. "Or anyone involved with the Silent Heroes. But you... you're going to be his star recruit. He'll have you involved in everything. You're going to have a first class seat to all the conniving, weasely crap that goes on at this training facility of his."
"Aren't you jumping to conclusions here?" Deanna said. "We haven't even seen the place yet."
"I don't have to. This guy Connelly is a rat. I can smell it on him from a mile away. He's up to something and it's not good, I can guarantee you that."
Deanna rolled her eyes, as if she had heard this argument before. "We're not asking you to do anything you're not confortable with, Cyprus. And we're not going to put you in danger. We're just giving you the option to be involved. You can take your time. You can think about it. We'll be around, so just let us know if you're interested. We won't mention it again unless you bring it up first, all right?"
--------------------
Deanna and Shane kept their word. They didn't put any pressure on me. They dropped the topic of Connelly and the training facility all together. For the next hour or so they told me stories about being a shape-shifter back when normal humans had no idea we even existed. All the secrecy, the sneaking around. The shifter villages hidden deep in the most far-flung and remote parts of the world.
Compared to all the insanity that surrounded being a powerful shifter now, it sounded like pure bliss to me.
I tried not to think too much about the offer to help them spy on Connelly. I felt like it was too much for my brain to handle right now. Even the tiniest, most insignificant passing thought to our recent conversation left me feeling as though my brain was expanding like a balloon, pressing against the inside of my skull, swelling with so many doubts and fears and questions and "what if" scenarios that I felt like my head was going to explode.
Dominic came to get me after about an hour. He looked annoyed and told me that I had done enough sulking for one day. He paid no more attention to Deanna and Shan than if they were a couple of flies.
I reluctantly re-joined my brother in the main cabin. We sat on opposite sides of the plane, not talking, barely looking at each other, the air between us tense and prickling and so thick with tension you could have cut it with a knife.
I was thoroughly relieved when the plane began to descend. It meant the painfully awkward flight would soon be over with.
There was a slight jolt as we landed on the runway. I heard the crew moving around outside. I sat staring at my clenched fists, too tense and nervous to look out the window, knowing that my new home would be out there looking back at me.
Shane was right. I was stupid. I was stupid for coming here. I was stupid for agreeing to this. I had completely messed everything up. And now, to top it all off, I had gotten the Silent Heroes involved, complicating things even more.
I didn't want to deal with all this. I just wanted to go home.
I heard a faint thump against the side of the airplane. Moments later the side-door opened and the pilot stuck his head in, smiling and squinting in the harsh glare of the sun. "Last stop. Everybody out."
Dominic rose smoothly out of his seat and quickly disappeared through the open doorway, not even looking back at me once.
I was frozen. Paralyzed. Unable to go back but too afraid to move forward. I wondered, briefly, what would happen if simply refused to get off the plane. Maybe, if I asked nicely, the pilot would fly me to a deserted island somewhere. A nice, desolate place where no one could see me. Where no one could stare at me or arrest me or try and recruit for interviews and reality shows.
You're being ridiculous, girl, I told myself firmly. Running off to a deserted island somewhere would solve exactly none of my problems. I was here now. I had made my choice. Good or bad, I would have to see this thing through.
My limbs felt stiff as I rose to my feet. I felt myself moving towards the exit as if I were floating.
The moment I stepped out of the airplane, I was struck by a wave of intense heat. The air was thick with humidity. It felt heavy in my lungs, as if they had to work twice as hard to separate the oxygen I needed from all the moisture in the air. A brisk wind churned my hair around my face, causing streaks of purple, blue and green to flash around the edges of my vision. The breeze carried a salty, briny smell to my sensitive nose. The ocean.
I looked up though my swirling hair. I had seen the brochure advertising this place. I remembered how stunning the pictures had been, but nothing had prepared me for seeing it in person.
Aside from the narrow runway where our plane had landed, we were surrounded by endless waves of pure white sand, extending in huge valleys and peaks in every direction. The ocean was off to my right, a narrow strip of brilliant greenish blue, clashing sharply with the ivory dunes. The training facility was straight ahead. A narrow strip of ultra-modern buildings running parallel to the beach, sleek forms reaching up towards the cerulean sky, sunlight glinting off frames of glass and steel.
It was just as beautiful as I had imagined, but the place had sort of a cold, impersonal feel to me.
I must have stood there for too long, trying to sort out my thoughts, because Dominic gave me a nudge and said, "we don't have all say here, sis."
I rolled my eyes and followed him. Deanna and Shane walked several paces behind us, carrying all the luggage and looking perfectly at ease.
The air between me and Dominic continued to bristle with tension. We kept a good three meters apart from each other, like two sides of a negatively charged magnet.
A single, paved road led from the airstrip towards the training facility. I was acutely aware of the sun, hot and strong on the back of my neck.
Though I wasn't really sure yet what to make of this place, my inner wolf seemed to approve of it, at least. I could feel the animal inside my mind, ears pricked forward, eyes bright and alert, tail waving back and forth. It wanted to go racing off the trail and explore. Sniff every surface. Run through the waves of the ocean and chase fish it was never going to catch. It wanted to frolic in the dunes and roll in the sand and dig holes to nowhere like a big, happy, overgrown dog.
I reined the creature in, keeping it firmly under my control. After all, the last time I had allowed the wolf to run things it hadn't turned out so well.
When we reached the buildings it was like we had entered another world. One second, we were on a deserted beach. The next it was like we were in the downtown core of a major city. The streets were wide and lined with palm trees. The modern buildings loomed in on either side of us, making me feel small and utterly insignificant.
But, several details gave away the fact that this was no average city. If all the plants sprouting from the every window was not enough to advertise the presence of shape-shifters, the menagerie of huge, fantasy-like animals walking around certainly was.
It took all my effort not to stare with my mouth hanging open and my eyes bulging out of my head. I had never seen so many different, astonishing varieties of shape-shifters all in one place. There were huge wolves as big as Bengal tigers. Gigantic wildcats the size of horses. Massive horses as big as Asian elephants.
The people were all beautiful. Clear-skinned, muscular and lean, with hair in every shade and pattern imaginable. Blue and red like the wings of a parrot. Gleaming chestnut like a thoroughbred stallion. One girl's hair was mottled like a leopard only, instead of yellow and black, it was patterned with turquoise and green.
I saw one of the monstrous horses approaching and quickly moved out of the way. I watched the magnificent creature as it trotted past. It was pure silver from the tips of its ears to end of its tail. And... wait a second...
I looked again. No, I wasn't seeing things. The creature had a long, spiral horn growing out of its forehead.
That was no horse. It was a freaking unicorn.
I felt dazed all of the sudden. Everything around me seemed to have taken on a shiny, surreal quality.
We turned right and stepped through a revolving glass door into one of the skyscrapers. Possibly the biggest one, it was hard to tell. Cool air washed over me. I vaguely noted the pure opulence inside the building. Pillars and marble floors. Fountains and chandeliers. Plants and flowers growing everywhere. But, in truth, everything was turning into one big, overwhelming blur. It was like my brain had ceased to function properly at the sight of a three ton, silver unicorn.
We stepped into an elevator. Dominic pressed a button and we shot up dozens of floors. I watched the ground fall away. The vertigo just reinforced the sensation that I was in a very strange and vivid dream.
We got off on the top floor and headed down a seemingly endless corridor. Deanna's high heels echoed disorientingly against the walls. Everything around us was so polished and shiny it almost hurt my eyes.
Dominic said something. I didn't understand a word of it. He held his hand out and I accepted the key-card in a robotic sort of way. We had come to a stop outside a heavy, golden doorway.
Dominic kept talking. I had no idea what on earth he was going on about but I looked at him as though I was listening, watching the swirling movements of his unusual eyes.
Once his little speech was over, he abruptly turned and walked away.
There was a moment or two of silence and then Deanna spoke. It sounded like she was asking me a question.
"What?" I blurted stupidly.
"I said are you feeling okay? You have the strangest look on your face."
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," I said automatically, while at the same time wondering why I was telling her this when I didn't even believe it myself.
"Why don't you get some rest? And remember, Shane and I are always around it you need us."
"Sure. Yeah. Sure."
"All right." She left my single, tattered suitcase, then the two of them went down the corridor after my brother.
I entered my new room. I was only dimly aware of my surroundings. I knew it was excessive in every sense of the word. Probably bigger than my house. Maybe it even had a diamond encrusted bathtub. But it could have been a giant hole in the ground for all I cared at the moment.
I dropped my suitcase in the middle of the floor and collapsed onto the huge, four-poster bed. I threw my arm overtop of my face, closed my eyes and hoped that, somehow, the world would make more sense then next time I opened them.
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AN: this story is being re-written. I will message all followers when it is underway again.