Shift (The Neturu Chronicles)

by Sarah Kay Carter

  Kayla growls. She jumps up and runs past Damien. She sprints through the house and to the backdoor. Quickly, Kayla shifts back to herself. She frantically opens the door and runs out. Turning around, she sees Damien and Jackson, both of them as dogs. Kayla turns and jumps off the porch. Mid-fall, she shifts into a dog. As she hits the ground, she tucks and rolls, hearing barks from behind her. Laughing inside her head, Kayla gets on her feet and tears off around the house.

  She can hear Damien and Jackson behind her. She books it down the driveway and then across their massive lawn. With everything going on lately, there is nothing more freeing than playing with the boys in dog form. Suddenly, Damien is next to her. He leaps and tackles her, causing them to roll across the grass. When they stop, Damien is on top. He barks and then licks her face. Kayla shifts back to herself. “Stop it, that feels weird!”

  Damien is himself again. “Well, you shouldn’t have run then.”

  “Kayla,” Jackson yells. “You shouldn’t shift like that. You could have gotten hurt!”

  “I’m fine,” Kayla exhales, worn out from the run. “See, nothing wrong.”

  Lifting himself off of her, Damien says, “She shifted on the fly. That is a huge leap forward.”

  “Does that mean I get to change into something other than a dog?” Kayla exclaims.

  “Maybe.” Damien laughs. “We’ll see.”

  “No,” Jackson snaps. “It is too early for that! I don’t want anything happening to her.”

  Turning to him, Damien replies, “I wouldn’t let anything happen to her, and in the end, it’s my decision, not yours.”

  “I should have a say in this. She’s my friend.”

  “But really, in the end, it’s my call.” Damien sighs. “She’s my ward.”

  Kayla looks at Damien. “Ward?”

  “Yes, I’m your trainer and protector. The council has appointed me to you, which is better than having you with a stranger.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know how happy I would be if it were someone else.” She rubs her head and yawns. “I’m tired.”

  “Could be because you just ran yourself out,” Jackson suggests, shaking his head. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

  Kayla hums, “Mmhmm,” and then passes out. She wakes up as she is laid in bed. Damien moves down and starts to take her shoes off. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

  “Shh, you should go to sleep.”

  “I want to put on pajamas. My clothes are dirty from the grass.”

  Damien quietly replies, “Okay.” He opens her suitcase and grabs a pair of pajamas. Chuckling, he says, “Cute, penguins.”

  “Shut up. I love my penguin jammies. Don’t make fun of them.”

  “I would never really make fun of you,” Damien replies. He brings over the pajamas. “Here, you can put this on.”

  She grabs it from him. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll leave you to get ready.”

  “No comment about helping me put them on?”

  He smiles. “Well, if you're offering.”

  Vigorously, she shakes her head. “No way in hell, buddy.”

  “That’s what I thought. If you need anything you can come get Jackson or me. We’re going to bed too, since you wore us out.”

  “Okay,” she murmurs, yawning again.

  Bending over, Damien kisses her. Kayla returns the affection. Then, unexpectedly, their energies collide. Kayla yanks him down on the bed with her. They kiss each other deeply. Damien lifts her up and moves her back farther on the bed. When he is back on top of her, Kayla rips his shirt off him. They embrace each other tightly. Damien reaches down and starts to undo the button on her pants.

  “Damien,” she whispers.

  “Mmm,” he hums, shutting her up by kissing her. She gives in and pulls him hard against her.

  Suddenly, he is yanked off her. Kayla gasps and yells, “What in the hell?”

  Jackson pulls Damien off the bed by his pants. “That's enough. You both just came out of a shift.”

  “I’m so sorry, Kayla,” Damien pants. “That wave of energy wasn’t coming from me.”

  “It was from me?”

  Breathing hard, Damien bends over and puts his hands on his knees. “Yeah, holy cow, you’re powerful.”

  “Oops?” She wrings her hands together, not knowing what else to say. Both guys stare at her, and she feels her face growing hot. “This is kind of embarrassing.”

  “Why don’t you get your pajamas on, and you go to bed,” Jackson says sternly to Damien.

  Damien takes a deep breath. “Yeah, actually I’m going to go take a shower…a really cold shower. I need to leave. I’ll see you in the morning, Kayla.”

  “Okay.” She watches Damien grab his chest and leave her room. She looks at Jackson. “Thank you.”

  “Mmhmm,” Jackson curtly responds.

  Furrowing her eyebrows, Kayla asks, “Are you mad at me?”

  He returns her gaze. “No…yes…I don’t know. You need to go to sleep. Get your pajamas on and get into bed, okay?”

  Kayla nods and whispers, “Okay. I need to brush my teeth.”

  “Then get your pajamas on, and you can brush your teeth in my room.”

  “Sounds good,” Kayla murmurs, running her fingers through her hair.

  Jackson looks at her and then leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. Kayla falls back on her bed and lets out a huge exhale. “Oh boy.”

  A few minutes later, she knocks lightly on Jackson’s door. “Come in,” she hears him say.

  She opens the door and sees him standing in front of his desk, playing with his iPod. “I’m going to use your bathroom.”

  “All right,” Jackson replies, not turning around.

  She tiptoes past him into the bathroom where she quickly brushes her teeth and washes her face. Jackson is sitting on his bed, fiddling with his fingers, when Kayla exits the bathroom. “Thanks,” she whispers.

  He looks up at her and smiles. “You can use it whenever you want, even in the middle of the night.”

  Giggling, Kayla says, “Yeah, but I may get confused and crawl into your bed.”

  “Whatever, it’s nice to have someone to sleep next to.”

  “Done that often, have we?”

  Jackson shakes his head. “Not really, but it was nice to have someone next to me.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. Good night, Jackson.”

  “Good night, babe,” he murmurs. Kayla walks over to him. Bending over, she kisses him softly on the forehead. He grabs her hand and squeezes it. “Go to bed.”

  “Okay,” she whispers. “Night.”

  “Night.”

  She leaves his room, shutting the door behind her. Kayla pauses in the hallway, overwhelmed by the desire to go back in. “Knock it off, Kayla,” she breathes out. “Go crawl into Damien’s bed, not Jackson’s.” She hurries back to her room.

  Chapter 13

  “Wake up, sunshine,” Kayla hears from beside her.

  She opens her eyes and yawns. “What time is it?”

  “Eight,” Damien replies. “We have plans for today, so time to get up and get ready.”

  “More training?”

  Damien shakes his head. “I promised Jackson we’d wait until after he gets home from school. You and I are going to go on a quick road trip.”

  “I can’t go anywhere,” Kayla replies, sitting up.

  “That’s what this is for.” He holds up a large glass of green liquid.

  “Oh, that looks so gross.” Kayla gags. “What is it?”

  Laughing, Damien says, “It’s an entire Kiej plant blended up. It will keep you in check long enough to do what we want.”

  “I have to drink that?”

  “It’s not so bad, just try it,” Damien instructs, thrusting it forward. “I promise you’ll like where we’re going.”

  Kayla takes the glass and looks into it. “Are you sure I’m going to like it, because this looks nasty.”

  “Just drink it. I add
ed some sugar and other stuff so it wouldn’t taste so bad. I also have some of Jackson’s brownies and another shake. We’ll be gone for a while, but if need be, we can stop and meditate or shift if you can’t control it.”

  “Are you sure this is a good idea? Won’t somebody get mad?”

  “I’m the council representative and I get the say so. Anyway, we’ll be back before anyone knows it. Come on, drink it.”

  Frowning, Kayla brings the glass up to her mouth and takes a gulp. She pulls it away. “Okay, it’s not the worst thing in the world.”

  “Nope, now finish it,” Damien urges. Kayla grimaces but takes the glass and chugs it. When she is done, she hands the glass to Damien. “Excellent,” he says. “Go take a fast shower and then we need to go.”

  “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Kayla asks.

  “Nope,” Damien replies. “Go take a shower.”

  With a laugh, Kayla says, “Okay, let me get my stuff ready. I don’t need you hovering over me.”

  “I’ll make you an omelet and meet you in the kitchen.”

  “Okay, thanks,” Kayla replies, going over to her suitcase. “Anything in particular I need to wear.”

  “A little nicer outfit, not too dressy, though. Hurry up.”

  Kayla snorts. “I’m going.”

  “Are you going to use the upstairs bathroom?”

  “No, Jackson’s, it’s right next door.”

  There is audible sigh. “As long as he isn’t in there with you.”

  “No, he’s at school, hopefully getting my homework. Now go so I can get ready.” Damien smiles and then leaves. Kayla sorts through her suitcase, picking out a pair of black pants and a peasant top.

  When she goes into Jackson’s room, she finds everything in order. “Nice,” she whispers. After shutting the bathroom door, she sets her stuff on the counter and notices a piece of paper taped to the mirror. Her name is written on the front.

  Opening it, she reads: Good morning, beautiful. I figured you would use my bathroom. I just wanted to wish you a good morning and hope you have a great day. Please don’t do anything too extreme with Damien. He can be a little over the top sometimes. Also, make sure you don’t swallow each other whole. If you need anything today, feel free to text me. You can actually text me anyway, since school won’t be the same without you. See you later. Jackson.

  “Awww, that was sweet.” She folds the note and sticks it in her pajama pocket with every intention of keeping it.

  After she is done showering, Kayla gets dressed. Her eyes fall on the art room’s door. She tries to open it, but it won’t move. Kayla looks down. The key in the lock is now gone. “Sneaky, Jackson.” Shaking her head, she goes back to her room to put her stuff away.

  Kayla walks into the kitchen just as Damien flips the omelet in the pan. “Perfect timing,” he says. “You need to eat fast.”

  “Are we on a time constraint?”

  “Well yeah, we don’t need that high dose of Kiej to flush out of your system. So eat, eat.” He puts the omelet on a plate and hands it to her.

  Kayla laughs and takes it. “Okay.” She takes a bite and hums. “This is really good.”

  “I’m glad that you like it,” Damien replies. He makes small talk as she eats. When Kayla is done, Damien takes her plate and puts it in the sink. “Okay, come on, let’s go.”

  “There was Kiej in the omelet too, wasn’t there?”

  Damien nods. “Yes, there was. We need to keep enough in your system.” He takes her hand. “Come on.”

  She giggles as he pulls her through the house. Damien helps her pull her jacket on. “Thank you,” she whispers. He gives her a gentle kiss on the lips and she smiles in return.

  “You are going to love this,” Damien declares as the scenery on the highway flies by the car windows.

  “What are we doing?” Kayla asks.

  “Heading to a town just outside of Denver. There’s someplace I want to take you. You’ll love it, trust me.”

  Looking at him, Kayla says, “Are we going someplace to shift?”

  “Oh, no, no, no shifting allowed. My dad wanted me to take you here. It’s on the council’s request.”

  “Ooh, some secret alien stuff?”

  With a chuckle, Damien says, “Not even close. Just wait, you’ll see.”

  They drive down the highway listening to music, and Damien reaches over to hold Kayla’s hand. After a while, they come to a populated area. Kayla looks around. “Okay, now I’m really confused. I thought you were taking me someplace, like, wildernessy.”

  “Nope, we’re here,” Damien states, turning into a driveway.

  Kayla looks out the window. “A car dealership?”

  “Yup.”

  She turns to him. “Why are we here?”

  “Why do you think?”

  “No way. You’re buying me a car? You can’t buy me a car!” she yells. “No, no, no!”

  Damien laughs. “Yes, yes, yes. Anyway, I’m not the one buying it. My father is.”

  “What? Why?”

  “As a welcome into our society and an apology for not stepping in so that you knew what was going on earlier. Plus, it was my idea.”

  “Damien, be serious. I’m not going to accept a car.”

  He rolls his eyes. “Whatever, I’m still going to buy you one, and it can sit in your driveway. You may as well have an opinion on what you get.”

  “What is Tesla, anyway? I’ve never even heard of that company.”

  “It’s a type of sports car,” Damien replies as he parks. “Come on, you’ll love it.” He opens the door and exits the car.

  Kayla scrambles out after him. “Damien, I said I didn’t want a sports car. They are horrible for the environment and given what we are, we should care even more than other people.”

  “You’ll love this, trust me.”

  “No, I do not want a gas guzzling vehicle!”

  Damien turns to her. “Kayla, all these cars are electric.”

  “What?” she exclaims.

  Nodding, Damien nudges his head. “I told you, you’ll love this. Come on.” He reaches over and grabs her hand, pulling her toward a line of cars. “So, which one do you like?”

  “I don’t know,” Kayla hisses. “This is crazy! You can’t buy me a car.”

  “I’m ignoring you,” Damien replies, moving down a car.

  “Can I help you folks today?”

  They turn to see a gentleman walking toward them. Damien smiles. “Yes, my name is Damien Blakely. I believe my father contacted someone here.”

  “Oh yes, I was told about that,” the gentleman says. “My name is Phillip. How can I help you?”

  “We’re here to buy a car,” Damien retorts, somewhat sarcastically.

  Phillip turns and looks at Damien’s car. “Are you…trading that in?”

  With a snort, Damien says, “Hell no, we’re here for a car for her. She wants an electric car, and I want her to have a fun vehicle.“

  “Well, Teslas are all electric,” Phillip says. “We have three different models: Model X, Model S, and the Roadster.”

  Damien looks at Kayla. “I take it you don’t want a sports car model.”

  “Nooo,” Kayla replies. “Just a normal car.”

  “The Model X is our version of an SUV. It has a third row of seats and it's fast. It goes from zero to sixty in five seconds.”

  Kayla’s jaw drops. “Why in the world would I need to do that?”

  “It’s fun for getting on the highway,” Damien states, “as long as there aren’t any people in front of you.” Kayla rolls her eyes in response.

  “The other model we have is the Model S. It goes from zero to sixty in six seconds. You can go 300 miles on one charge and of course, zero emissions.”

  “Which one do you want?” Damien asks.

  She looks up at him. “You aren’t really going to do this, are you?”

  Damien smirks at her. “Yes, I am. So unless you want me to pick it out, te
ll me what you want.”

  “The third row of seats would be cool.”

  “Let’s see the Model X then,” Damien tells the dealer.

  He nods in reply and walks them over to the cars. Kayla points out that she needs an automatic. Damien replies that she should learn to drive stick because it’s a lot more fun. She shakes her head and he sighs. A little while later, the dealer asks, “Would you like to test drive it?”

  Kayla looks at Damien. “A short one,” he says. “She’s diabetic and needs to eat a snack first and then we can go. Come on, sweetheart.” He pulls her back to his car. Damien pulls out a container of brownies. “These have a mega dose of Kiej. Jackson got up early this morning and made them upon my request. He just didn’t know what they were for.”

  “He is going to be mad at both of us.”

  “It’s fine, we’re adults.”

  Snorting, Kayla says, “We aren’t adults. I’m still in high school. You’re the one who’s emancipated.”

  “Whatever, we’re responsible teenagers. We aren’t robbing a bank or anything. Now eat your brownies.” Kayla happily eats three, bouncing around excitedly. Damien watches her with a grin. “Having fun?” She nods happily as she chews.

  When they get into the Tesla to drive it, Kayla nervously taps the steering wheel. “Okay, I can do this.”

  “It’s going to be okay,” Damien replies from the passenger seat. “Just take it easy.”

  “Your father did give us his credit card, correct? Just in case something happens?” the salesman asks.

  Damien turns around. “We’re paying in cash, no loan, straight debit.”

  Philip stutters. “I-it’s a smooth ride.”

  Damien turns to Kayla. “Okay, baby, take it out when you're ready.”

  “Hold on,” Kayla says. She leans over and kisses Damien. “All right, I’m ready now.” He laughs as Kayla starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. After driving it around for a while, they make it back to the dealership. “That was awesome!” Kayla squeals.

  “What?” Damien exclaims. “You drive like my grandma! This goes from zero to sixty in five seconds. You didn’t go faster than thirty-five, and you did it so slowly. That was ridiculous!”

  “Shut up, who asked you?”