Seeking Shapeshifters

by Rebekah L. Purdy

  His gaze hardened once more and he raised his hands and shoved me back. “Next time, watch what you’re doing.”

  I sat there for a moment trying to comprehend what’d happened.

  Ima. The voice came again. Swallowing back my fear, I peeked over the side of the cliff to the jagged rocks below. A movement caught my eye. I gasped when a silver and green fin skimmed the water. A human head tilted up to look at me, long flowing seaweed like hair floating behind it.

  Welcome home. The creature disappeared beneath the surface.

  My cell phone rang, causing me to jump. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw my home number pop up.

  “Hello?”

  “Ima,” Matt said out of breath. “Are you okay?”

  “Ye—yeah, I’m fine,” I stammered.

  “Where are you?”

  “Just outside of Old Town.” How did he know something was wrong?

  “I’m coming to get you.” He hung up before I could assure him I was fine.

  My glance shifted to find my friends staring at me.

  “What’s going on with you?” Carsen said, his voice laced with concern.

  “I don’t know. I thought I heard someone calling my name.”

  “You scared me to death.” Carsen pulled me against him, brushing my hair out of the way.

  Talon muttered behind us, and I spun around to look at him because for a brief second I thought he’d said “Me too.” But he avoided my gaze and stalked off.

  “Girl, I tell you if you ever freak me out like that again, I’ll kick your butt.” Ferren managed a weak smile.

  She and Carsen exchanged glances of unspoken worry then Carsen pulled me close and kissed me.

  Passion sparked between us like a stick of dynamite and I clung tight to his chest, letting his lips brand me as he kissed me once more.

  “Your dad’s truck is coming,” Ferren said.

  Carsen and I peeled apart but neither of us looked away.

  “I’m yours,” I whispered, entwining my fingers through his.

  “Yes.”

  The truck skidded to a stop and Matt leapt out, his eyes frantic. Pushing past Ferren and Carsen, he examined my face before his gaze landed on Carsen’s hand holding mine.

  “Ima, it’s time to get you home. Say goodbye to your friends.” He didn’t leave any room for argument as he scanned the cliffs. He clasped my arm, and I opened my mouth, but one look from Matt told me not to say a word.

  “I’ll see you later,” I said.

  Matt guided me toward the truck in a hurry and Carsen afforded me a lopsided grin before waving goodbye.

  “What the hell?” I jerked away from him.

  I couldn’t believe Matt had embarrassed me like this, in front of my friends and boyfriend. This was unforgivable, even for him. I flounced down on the seat of the truck, with my arms tight across my chest.

  “You need to be more careful, Ima,” Matt said as we pulled away. “You could’ve been killed.”

  “What are you talking about? You weren’t even there.”

  His jaw tightened, and he gripped the steering wheel. “I can’t explain it Ima, Keetah was acting strange, and we hadn’t heard from you in a while.”

  What was going on? How did he know I was in trouble? But Matt focused his attention on the road, completely ignoring me. When we pulled into the driveway, he rested his head on his hands and took several deep breaths. I didn’t move until he raised his face and glanced at me.

  “Maybe my leaving isn’t such a great idea,” he said ripping the truck door open.

  “No, I think it’s the best idea.” My voice sounded strained. Although deep down, I didn’t want him to go anywhere.

  “Listen, I saw something.” He ran a hand through his hair. “There was something not right about that place. All I could think to do was get you away from it.”

  I chewed on my lip, staring him down. But even I couldn’t deny the fact that strange stuff had occurred in Old Town. I sighed, knowing I’d forgive him, even if he just made a fool of me.

  “Everything okay?” Dad asked as we entered the house.

  “Yes,” I said.

  Dad hugged me then ushered me into the living room. “I need to talk to Matt for a minute.”

  Matt nodded then turned to Keetah. “You better keep an eye on her dog.”

  Perhaps I wasn’t the only one losing my flipping mind. When they left the room Keetah moved to my side. I stared down at him then went to sit on the couch.

  The dog followed close behind, hopping onto the couch next to me. I stood and walked to the kitchen and the dog came too. I moved left, he moved left. I went into the hallway, he went into the hallway. Every movement I made, Keetah mimicked. I went back to the hallway again and he frolicked next to me.

  I stopped suddenly outside the guest room.

  “I don’t think I should leave Lou,” Matt said in an unhappy tone.

  “You were summoned, besides she’ll be fine.”

  “Fine? Do you call nearly walking off a cliff today fine?”

  “She’ll be looked after. When I’m not here Keetah will be, not to mention I don’t think Carsen Shinew will let anything happen to her.”

  Matt snorted. “That boy’s trouble, mark my words.”

  Keetah nudged me, and I shoved him away. Whatever else Dad said was lost in whispers. Since I didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping, I crept down the hall toward the bathroom with Keetah scampering after me like I was a giant, meaty bone.

  “I don’t think so,” I said. “You’re not coming into the bathroom with me.”

  Keetah shoved me out of the way and slid past me into the bathroom.

  “Ugh!”

  I finally gave up trying to push him out of the john and sat down on the toilet. Keetah plopped down right next to the porcelain throne, taking watchdog to a whole, new level.

  “Okay, if you’re going to sit there you can at least hand me a piece of toilet paper,” I said to my dog.

  He cocked his head to the side then reached over with his mouth and started pulling the paper off the roll. Only he didn’t stop at one or two squares but rather drug it across the floor until about ten feet of it lay strewn about.

  “Keetah,” I warned. “No!” I reached behind him and tore the paper off then got my own.

  His lips moved back to reveal teeth, he was grinning again.

  “I’m beginning to think you’re possessed,” I muttered as I flushed the toilet.

  With a sigh, my mind flitted back to Matt and Dad. What had they been discussing? I was missing something, and it stirred up nothing but unease.

  What a day! I get a boyfriend, almost die, discover Matt’s strange, almost psychic ability, and find out I have a crazed dog who likes to watch me pee. Not to mention Dad’s odd behavior; this made me dread what tomorrow would bring.

  “Ima,” Dad called.

  “Coming.” Making as much noise as I could, I clamored out of the bathroom.

  “I’m bringing Matt down to the airstrip now.”

  The moment of truth had arrived. I moved in slow motion hoping to prolong the inevitable. Matt stood solemn as I entered the living room. How do you say goodbye to someone who’s been there for you through a long summer, the first day at a new school, and kept me sane in my dad’s absence?

  My throat tightened as I stared at him, tears streaming down my cheeks. Needless to say I’d forgiven him.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He hugged me tight.

  “You promise to call, right?” I sniffled.

  “Yes. And don’t worry about anything. Keetah’s here and your dad will only be gone for a few days a week.”

  Wiping my eyes on his coat, I clung to him until Dad laid a hand on my shoulder.

  “I’ve got to get him to the strip or he’ll miss his flight, Ima. He’ll be back soon.”

  I forced myself to let him go and he moved away slowly then stopped when he got to the front door.

  “In a couple of
weeks we’ll have our investigation in Seward,” he said with smile. “And Ima Blue, all you have to do is call, and I’ll come running.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ve seen you run, so that’s not very encouraging.”

  He laughed. “Always a comedian, poor Keetah maybe I should’ve gotten you some earmuffs before I left so you didn’t have to listen to her.”

  I shoved Matt out the door and stood on the porch, watching them pull out of the driveway. When they disappeared from sight, loneliness crept in. I shivered. Who would protect me now?

  Chapter Seven

  Footprints

  Pulling my scarf tighter about my face, I trudged through the snow, checking our cameras. We’d had them placed for over two weeks now but neither of mine showed any evidence of shifters. One camera caught a picture or two of caribou getting a drink from the creek, but nothing more. I replaced the batteries then reset the cameras before moving on.

  Two weeks, was it that long ago Matt had left? The nights were long and lonely, but both Dad and Matt called me as often as possible. Even Brady surprised me with emails and pictures.

  But there were also some high points during this time due in part to Carsen. He made me feel safe, special and beautiful. I hated the school days to end because it meant I’d have to wait a whole day to see him again; to feel his hand clasping mine or see him gazing at me.

  Not that I wanted to sound cliché, but I knew there was no doubt I’d fallen in love with Carsen Shinew. At times, it didn’t seem like a good idea. For one, I didn’t know how long we’d be in Point Hope. I dreaded the inevitable day, when Dad would come home to tell me we were leaving. But so far he was content, which made me happy.

  Plus, for the first time I had real friends. And they weren’t on the Berry S.I. crew! Ferren and I hung out after school but never at my house. I feared they’d find out about my dad and freak. So I lied and told them I wasn’t allowed to have people over while he was gone, which was kind of true.

  Carsen and I tried to spend as much time together as possible since his basketball practices start at the beginning of November. His first game would be a couple of weeks after that. This of course, meant I wouldn’t see him a whole lot.

  The wind picked up, and it brought me back to reality, the frigidness stung my cheeks. My breath came out in smoky tendrils, while my nostril hairs froze. I peered down at the ground and came to an abrupt stop.

  “Holy crap,” I said aloud.

  I spotted human footprints in the snow. It was too cold for someone to wander around barefoot. It startled me and I stood for a moment trying to digest what I saw then followed the human prints, until, to my astonishment they turned into bear tracks. My heart accelerated, and I raised my digital camera to snap off some pictures.

  “Dad!” I shouted.

  My hands shook beneath my gloves and I silently urged him to hurry up.

  He bounded up alongside me out of breath. “What’s going on?”

  I pointed to the footprints. His face broke out into a grin.

  “Ima,” he said. “This is what we’ve waited for.”

  “I know,” I said with a laugh. “I already took a few pictures, but the winds are starting to cover them with snow.”

  “Let’s try to follow them,” Dad said.

  We hurried in pursuit of whoever made the prints only to find they went into the creek then disappeared. The snow kicked up making the visibility drop, and we decided to end our search and head back home before we ended up stranded.

  When we got back to the house, I took off my layers of winter gear and rushed in to download my pictures onto the computer. While I waited for them to transfer over, I picked up the phone and dialed Matt’s number. I wanted nothing more than to share my findings with him. But to my disappointment he never answered.

  So instead, I logged onto my email and told him to call when he got a chance then I forwarded him a picture of the prints, hoping to entice him.

  It was unbelievable, after only a month we finally got a break.

  ****

  “I’ll be gone all weekend,” Dad said the next day as he slung a bag over his shoulder. “And when I get back Monday, Jefferson will be with me.”

  “No! Dad, why him?”

  “He wants to come up and see Point Hope. But don’t worry he’ll only be here for a day then we’re all heading down to Anchorage to meet up with Matt and the others. From there we’ll get our equipment around and be in Seward sometime late Tuesday afternoon to investigate the Jesse Lee Home.”

  I smiled in spite of the “dreadful” news, because if nothing else, I looked forward to seeing Matt and investigating a haunted house. Unfortunately, this meant I’d have to be away from Carsen for a couple of days, but then again it might do us good to have some time apart. Not because I wanted to be away from him, but it meant we’d be that much happier to see one another.

  “I hope you know, I won’t come out of my room when Jefferson’s here,” I said with a laugh.

  “I’d expect nothing more.” Dad waved goodbye and headed out the door. Once he left, I went to get ready for school.

  Carsen waited for me in the parking lot when I pulled up. I barely got out of my Jeep before he had me in his arms giving me a bear hug.

  “Morning,” I said.

  He gave me a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I missed you.”

  I stared at him, my lips turning up at the corners. I chewed on my bottom lip wanting to tell him about my discovery the previous day. Yet, words wouldn’t form; my fear of losing him outweighed my excitement.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “My dad’s colleague is coming in Monday to stay overnight and the guy’s a real moron.”

  “That sucks.”

  “Yeah, and I’ll get to see him for a couple more days when we go down to visit Matt on Tuesday.”

  Carsen frowned. “A couple of days with Matt?”

  “He’s my friend, nothing more. Besides I have all I can handle right here.” I poked his chest with my finger.

  Once I shut my car door, Carsen took my hand and led me into the school.

  “I hate the thought of not seeing you.” Carsen grabbed my bag from me while I opened my locker. His eyes were intent on me.

  “Well, I’m gonna miss you, too.”

  Carsen peered down the hallway in both directions then leaned down, his lips brushing against mine.

  “So how long are you going to be gone for?” He played with the string on my parka, like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

  “I’ll be back to school on Friday.”

  Just then, Ferren rushed over to us. “Are you coming to the Halloween carnival—because if you are, I wondered if you’d volunteer to do the kissing booth with me?”

  She was kidding right? The request took me by surprise, but I didn’t move to answer either way. Instead, my eyes scanned the hallway and I spotted Talon leaning against the wall taking in the conversation with a lopsided grin on his face. Of course, he thought it was funny. What a jerk!

  But I didn’t need to answer because Carsen spoke up next to me. “No! She doesn’t need to do that.”

  “Quit being jealous, it’s for charity.” Ferren scowled.

  “I don’t want to watch a bunch of guys kiss my girlfriend.”

  “Then you can buy all the tickets.”

  “I can’t, I’ll be helping at the basketball shooting contest,” Carsen said with a groan.

  Okay, so maybe no one cared what I thought about me sitting in a kissing booth. But obviously it didn’t occur to any of my friends as they continued bantering back and forth.

  “Fine then, maybe Talon will buy the tickets.” Ferren smirked, drumming her maroon nails against my locker door.

  Talon appeared startled and avoided my eyes. “Who says I’m even going?”

  “Don’t be a jerk, you always go. Besides, who will scare the hell out of the little kids?” Ferren reached over and socked him in the arm.

  Little kids? He
ll, he scared me and I was sixteen, and that was without the use of a mask. The way his dark, coffee colored eyes penetrated right through me or the way he snarled whenever I came near—he was a walking time bomb waiting to explode. I just wanted to make sure I was far enough away when it happened. Except, I couldn’t deny the fact he’d saved me out on the cliffs. And there was no way to ignore the strong reactions I had to him. I swallowed hard, not wanting to think about him. Carsen was my boyfriend, not him.

  Tugging me away from Carsen, Ferren half dragged me down the hall.

  “Okay, so you’ll help right?” Ferren pleaded.

  “Yeah, but I hope you know I’m not a great kisser.”

  “That’s not what my cousin says.”

  My cheeks burned, and I focused on the posters on the wall advertising the Halloween Carnival, which would be set up in the gym. But it was the poster next to it that caught my attention. It was for a dance coming up on November twentieth, less than a month away.

  Ferren grinned. “I hoped you’d see it. Carsen’s an idiot and will probably forget to ask, so I thought maybe you could ask him instead.”

  A dance. Crap, I’d never been to one before. Excitement raced through my veins at the thought of buying a dress and spending a whole night wrapped in Carsen’s arms. Before I could go find Carsen though, the bell rang and Ferren and I rushed down the hall, then into class where Carsen sat on top of my desk, waiting for me.

  “So I wondered if you wanted to go the dance next month,” Carsen asked before I managed to form a single word.

  “Yeah.” Like I’d say no. Finally, I’d get to dress up in something other than jeans and t-shirts. Dad would have to splurge on make-up and shoes. Everything was perfect.

  He pulled me into his arms, our eyes fixated on one another. We moved in until our faces almost touched, but Mr. Cavanaugh walked into class.

  “Not in my class, Mr. Shinew. I suggest you take your seat—you too, Ms. Berry.”

  The class erupted in laughter and Carsen moved away from me, plopping down in the desk behind mine.

  I hid my face behind my textbook, trying to focus on my sociology homework. Carsen stretched his legs out, his foot nudged my shoe. I inhaled deeply, wondering how I’d make it through first hour.