by Nicole Marsh
As I grew older, they slowly realized that I wasn’t their kind, a witch. My reflexes were faster, my sense of smell was stronger, and I could hear anything happening in the house even a floor away and three rooms over. They waited until six months before my first shift to move us to the other side of town. Waiting as long as they could, to maintain contact with their coven and offer my life a bit of stability.
When I found out I was a shifter and the consequences this news brought- changing schools, leaving my friends, moving into a smaller house- I was angry. Understandably so, for any teenage boy already filled with hormones.
I needed an outlet for that anger and it ended up being Mira. She was my first friend, my best friend, and I knew she would eventually forgive me. Or at least I thought she would. I pranked her and teased her for a few months and when I was done, my number was blocked and she’d no longer open the door to her house when I came over.
I’d lost a lot of friends when my family moved across the Main Road- very few kids wanted to remain friends with a “dirty, smelly dog”. I lumped Mira into that category and moved on, finding new friends through sports.
Until recently I had no idea that everyone at school carried on my personal vendetta to tease Mira- long after I’d personally let it go. If I had known, I would’ve put a stop to it a long time ago, despite being on the other side of town. As it is, I’m already working on something to get the kids at school to leave her alone.
Shaking off the past, I pull into the Love’s driveway behind Mira’s Prius. Being lost in thought lent me a lead foot and I was able to make the twenty minutes or so across the Main Road to her house- in less than twelve. Grinning, I snag the cupcakes I brought with me and bound up their front steps. I bang on the door twice and Jacob lets me in with a slight nod and a “Welcome Mr. Mort.” After he takes the cupcakes, he lets me know Mira is in her studio.
I take off my shoes and wander upstairs. I haven’t been up here in years, but I plan to peek around until I find her studio. After checking behind two closed doors that turn out to be guest rooms, I wander towards another with an open door. Peeking my head around the corner, I spot Mira. Instead of walking in immediately, I lean against the door frame to observe her. She’s clearly in her element. Wearing a set of headphones and swaying lightly, her brush flying across the canvas as she paints a wolf standing at the edge of a forest.
Tearing my gaze from her form, I check out the rest of her studio. It’s a professional set up, but I wouldn’t expect anything else from the Love’s. They’re the type of family that believes in doing something well or not bothering to do it at all.
I don’t know much about art, so the actual painting supplies in the studio doesn’t hold my interest. What captures my attention is the wall across the studio, entirely covered in wolf paintings. I push myself off the door frame and amble across the room to inspect them closer. As I pass Mira, I hear her take a sharp inhale. “Vlad, you startled me, I didn’t hear you come in,” she says.
I make an mmm-ing noise in response, enraptured by her work. Each painting of a wolf is someone I recognize from my pack, which is strange because I’m pretty sure she’d never seen our wolf forms prior to her birthday. The detail in her images is stunning. It makes me feel like the wolves could run right off the page into this room. I want to reach a hand out to stroke is across the canvas and feel the downy fur.
After I scan the wall, there’s three paintings in particular that I focus on. In the center of the wall is a series of a dark wolf with amber eyes. In one he’s howling at the moon, in another he’s standing at the edge of the woods, and in the third one a small human figure stands next to him they both have their backs to the viewer and look over a cliff to the ocean. Completed with the same level of detail as the rest, the paintings are amazing. But the reason that they catch my eye is that they’re paintings of my wolf.
Mira’s voice breaks through my thoughts, “I actually really need to talk to you, Vlad.”
Her nervous tone has me turning quickly, ignoring the paintings to address a concerned looking Mira. “What’s going on, Little Mir?”
She’s standing near her canvas, her headphones now dangling around the sides of her neck. Her paintbrush is no longer in sight, and she clasps and unclasps her hands in front of her body a few times. When she finally speaks, her words have my hackles rising in fear, “I received a letter from a Shifter Council. Like some sort of summons. It sounds like I’m in trouble for something and they want to ask me a few questions. Have you heard about this before? Am I not supposed to know about the shifters?” Her voice started out pretty calm, but by the time she’s finishes speaking, it’s risen in pitch. Clear evidence of her panic.
I take four long strides across the room and wrap my arms around her tiny body. “Shh, it’s okay,” I tell her, while silently cursing in my head. Fuck. This is why I didn’t bring the summons and show it to her. I can’t believe they sent her one too. I didn’t think that the Shifter Council was allowed to interact with the Coven. “When did you get your letter?”
Mira’s voice is a bit muffled, but I can still make out her response. “Two days ago.”
Before I can process the information and formulate a plan, a slightly frazzled looking Jacob appears in the doorway to the studio. His chest is heaving and for the first time- at least that I’ve ever seen- his tucked in shirt is slightly askew. “Miss Love,” he says between two deep breaths. “There are two large men waiting outside the front door. They say that they are from the Shifter Council and they’re here to escort you for a summons.”
Mira pushes hard against my body, placing both hands against my chest to shove hard. I reluctantly release my hold, slowly, looking down at her as I ease her away from my chest. Her eyes flit to my face, a small flash of fear present. Mira quickly shutters her face and turns to address Jacob. “We’ll head down to speak with them, thank you Jacob.”
Dumb and Dumber, as I’m referring to them, drive Mira and I to the Community Hall in a big white van. They didn’t say much at the Love’s other than to tell us our presence was required. Mira surveyed them on her porch, taking in their massive forms before her gaze collided with mine. She didn’t say anything, just scanned my face before she agreed to their request.
As we ride in the van, I’m practicing some of my meditative breathing techniques and thinking about the upcoming knitting expo, trying to keep my fear under control to prevent an untimely shift. I’m not worried for myself, I’m worried for Mira. The Elder Shifter Council is not unkind, but they’re also not known for their compassion. Above all else, their goal is to protect the Shifter Community at large, enforce the laws created to help do this, and if they think our secret is at risk of exposure, they’ll stop at nothing to protect it.
I watch Mira’s closely, curious to find what she thinks of the Community Hall, as the van stops outside. Her eyes widen as she takes in the sprawling building before us, it’s likely she didn’t even know this building existed. She had no reason to before today. The outside of the building looks like a giant log cabin, shaped into an octagon, with two arms stretching off the top like pincers on a crab.
As I watch her, I try to remember what I thought when I first entered in the building, almost five years ago. The Community Hall is a base point for much of the happenings in the Shifter Community. Many young wolves experience their first shift here, myself included. First a class is held to instruct on what to expect, then a mentor is assigned to guide through the first, painful experience. Over time it becomes easier and quicker to shift, and easier to overcome some of the wolf instincts that make shifters potentially dangerous. But control comes with time- hence the reason for the supervision for youngsters.
In addition to shifting courses, the Community Hall also hosts a community forum once a month to address issues in the shifter world and to distribute news. The other function of the Community hall is to serve as a jail, for shifters that have broken laws, risking exposure to humans. More often than
not, the cells are used to hold shifters that have lost their humanity to their wolf, instead.
Even as a shifter, the Community Hall is intimidating, I can only imagine what Mira will think as we walk up the few steps and enter the large, imposing wooden doors. Dumb and Dumber bypass the smiling receptionist and lead us down a hallway to the left.
Mira and I follow in silence and I reach to grab her hand, feeling the small shock I always do, whenever our skin touches. It’s like she constantly covered in a layer of static. My protective instincts feel like they’re on overdrive and I find comfort in the small touch.
I’m still battling with the part of me that wants to snatch her up and run back the way we came. My body is screaming this place is going to be trouble for her and my instincts want to react in fight or flight. Instead of turning back the direction that we came, I give Mira’s hand two squeezes in quick succession. Reassuring both of us that we’ll be okay.
To distract myself, I try to keep track of our path through the building as we wind right, then left, then right again. We walk down long, windowless hallways lit with fluorescent overhead lights. Dumb and Dumber finally stop walking once we’re deep into the building, in front of a large set of doors. Dumb gestures for us to open the doors and walk through. I step forward, tucking Mira behind my back and push open the doors, hoping for the best.
13
The Grandma
Mirabella
I step to the side of Vlad, tugging on his arm to let me stand beside him, instead of cowering behind him like he wants me to. His nervousness is rolling off him in waves, he’s barely holding it together. I’m not a fragile flower though and he needs to let me show the Council that. I’ve never met this Elder Council before, I just became aware of the shifter community recent. But I have plenty of experience facing bullies. If they’re trying to push us around and they think I’m too weak to stand on my own feet, things will be much worse than they need to be.
Vlad shoots me a look, but I just smile at him and pat his arm with my other hand in silent reassurance. We’ve got this, babe! Wait, err… We’ve got this Vlad! I send my mental positivity his way.
The room we enter into is magnificent. Shaped like an octagon with a plush chocolate brown carpet covering the floor and walls painted a deep, forest green. Like the hallways we spent the past half-hour winding down, the walls are windowless, covered with images of both nature and wolves. Unlike the hallways, the ceiling is covered in large, rectangular sky lights allowing the room to be lit from above.
Natural light bathes the room and highlights a large rectangular table. It’s massive, made f solid-looking pieces of unstained wood and seats four men and one woman. They’re all dressed like they’re about to go hiking and appear to range in age from late thirties to early sixties. This must be the Elder Council, even though most of them don’t appear that old.
My guess is confirmed when the eldest looking male with graying hair stands from his seat. “Miss Love, Mr. Mort, please come to the center of the room to stand before the Elder Council.” He waits until we follow his command before sitting back down to continue, “Do you know why we have called you here today?”
Without looking at Vlad, I take a half step forward. “No sir, we do not.”
The Council all turn their heads, exchanging glances fraught with unclear meaning. The man and woman sitting at the end closest to the door bend their heads together and have a whispered conversation. After their pause, the man with the graying hair speaks again, “We have heard that you healed a wolf after he lost his humanity, Mira Love.” He turns to address the two men that came to my house, “Guards, bring him in.”
The two men that came to my house followed us inside the room to stand near the doorway. I guess as a precaution to keep us from trying to escape. Shooting us a look that says, “Don’t try to run this unguarded door like idiots”, they walk behind the Council’s table to another door that I hadn’t previously noticed.
When they return, the guy from the woods is held up between them, his hands are cuffed and his head is hanging low. He looks like he’s barely able to keep himself upright. I gasp out. I want to rush over to Tony’s friend and help him, but a firm hand is placed against my arm, silently telling me to stay in place. I drag my eyes from Eric’s slumped form to Vlad’s face and see a warning look flash quickly across.
Don’t react anymore. Got it.
The same man speaks again, “Eric, repeat what you told the Council earlier.”
When Eric looks up, his eyes are defeated. Like he’s been beaten down repeatedly while in the Council’s custody and he’s run out of fight. The guy who stands near Vlad and I is no longer the same confident guy from the interview just last week.
His voice is monotone, as if he’s been forced to repeat this story so many times he no longer feels any emotions tied to the words he speaks. “I denied my wolf, starting at a football practice. I was angry at one of the guys and ended up in a small fist fight. My wolf tried to surge free, but I tamped him down. Then I went to a party that night and kept my wolf in check, even as he became more insistent that I shift. When I finally shifted Saturday, it was worse than the first shift. I had no control over my actions, I was all wolf.” He stops talking and tries to itch his arm. But finally gives up after a few attempts, his movements too restricted by the cuffs on his wrists.
When he’s done trying to contort his arms to bend and reach his elbow, he continues to tell his story in the same monotone voice. “I chased after a human, following them across the Main Road. I was hit by a car during the chase, and limped to the forest to die from my injuries. My leg was badly broken, bent the wrong way with part of the bone exposed and I was losing blood quickly. I could feel my life ebbing away, even as the wolf.”
Eric stops talking to acknowledge Vlad and I, standing in the center of the room to his left. Even though his gaze is directed at us, his eyes appear vacant.
This whole situation sits wrong with me. Eric seems like he’s in a trance and doesn’t really know or care why he’s here. “Mira, the girl standing there, touched me and was able trigger my shift even though my wolf was in charge. I shifted back to my human form, which popped my leg back into the proper position and allowed my skin to grow back correctly.” The volume of his voice rises as he continues, “She saved me. She brought me back from being lost to my wolf and allowed me to shift back to human!”
Vlad and I watch Eric’s hysteria mounts. It’s the first sign of emotion that he’s shown since he’s been in the room and it’s more alarming than when he appeared robotic. One of the guards pulls something from his pocket. The flash of a needle glints in the sunlight before the guard jabs Eric, injecting him with a clear liquid.
Eric quiets and his body slowly slumps towards the ground. Before he hits the floor, the two guards pick him up and deposit him somewhere through the doorway behind the Council.
I have my hand over my mouth to keep myself quiet. Poor Eric. Maybe I brought him back from being a wolf, if what he says is true, but clearly I didn’t save him. I’m not sure if it’s something the Council is doing to him or something about his shift, but he something seems very wrong.
Once the room is cleared and restored to decorum, the only female on the Council addresses us. “Mira, as you can see, you have done something that we once believed was impossible. You brought a shifter back from the brink. Overcoming the wolf to restore humanity.” She gestures to the room behind her as she speaks, “We need to see if you’re able to repeat what you’ve done for Eric. We believe you’re the cure to our Shifter curse!”
Vlad speaks before I can. “Eric doesn’t seem like himself. Even if Mira was able to ‘cure’ him as he claims, aren’t you worried about the mental states of the shifters, if she’s able to restore them?”
The female councilwoman laughs, but instead of sounding joyful, it sounds malicious. “Mr. Mort, I think you’re mistaken. We aren’t asking for a favor, we are commanding that you help the Elder Council.
Miss Love is not currently part of a Coven. Having a powerful enemy like the Council, when she’s on her own and hasn’t fully mastered her magic sounds like a poor decision on her part, wouldn’t you agree?”
I hear Vlad emit a low growl next to me. Once again pat his arm, trying to reassure him that we’ve got this. I’ve got this.
Stepping forward to take back the attention of the Council, I ask, “When do we start?”
Turns out the Elder Council was prepared for my immediate acceptance of their task. The guards travel through the wooden door behind the table, this time returning with a massive, golden furred wolf. The wolf is wearing a metal muzzle, attached to two chains, one in the hand of each guard.
He growls ferociously as he enters the room and I can hear his teeth grinding together behind the muzzle. Even the muscular guards have a hard time controlling the wolf. Yanking hard on the chains to pull him back- after the wolf lunges at Vlad and I- standing unprotected in the center of the room.
This time I’m truly afraid, wishing I could hide behind Vlad, like he wanted me to when we first entered the room. But I’m not that girl, I never have been, and especially can’t be now. I need to face my problems head on, take control of this situation and get us out of here.
I take a deep breath, steeling my spine to approach the wolf cautiously. I hold both hands in front of me, like I saw Vlad do that first day behind his house. “It’s okay, shhhh, it’s okay.” I murmur to the wolf in a low, quiet tone as I slowly cross the room.
Once I’m an arms-length away, I close my eyes and take another breath, trying to wipe away my fear. This wolf is even bigger than the other two I’ve seen. A stray thought floats across my mind, I wonder what Vlad looks like in his wolf form? Berating myself internally, I try to clear my thoughts. Now is a time for focus, not to wonder what the guy standing behind me looks like as a furry beast.
