Hunted

Chapter 9

Sam's POV

5 years ago

The alarm went off and my head was spinning. Today I turn sixteen but the days is starting off crappy. With one swift movement I sent the alarm clock sailing across the room. As it shattered against the wall. I hope I didn't wake my parents, or little Carry. I got up rubbing my eyes. My body ached and my head wouldn't stop pounding. Banging came from the other side of my door, though it might have just been my mother knocking. How did I know it was my mother? 

"Same, I'm coming in," She said through the door as she opened the door. She smelled of chemicals and lavender. No wonder my head was pounding, lavender gives me headaches. She must have been wearing a large amount. 

"Mom, why are you wearing lavender?" Come to think of it all week she has been wearing lavender, hand soap, body lotion, and now body spray, or is that perfume? 

"You know why." I sighed. Today wasn't only my birthday, but also the same day that I tame the beast. 

Present Carah's POV 

"What happened on your brothers 16th birthday? Did anything out of the ordinary happen?" Austin asked as he got closer to me. 

"My mom and dad went out for a while that morning. I don't know where but when they came back Sam was tired, too tired to play our birthday game. They were gone for no more than an hour I would say, yet he looked as if he had rode his bike for four days straight."

"That must have been when they got rid of that part of him." 

"How do you get rid of part of you like that?" I didn't understand why someone would do that. Why would you remove something so vital to your self? Just so you could have an easier life controlling your emotions? 

"Some say that the shifters found a way to physically remove this part of them and kill it before it realized that it was no longer part of their 'host'." That would explain why Sam was so tired. Another thought came to me. 

"After Sam came home the cat," I looked at Dillan as I spoke, "That stupid thing came up to him and rubbed all over his leg. Sam hated cats before that, why didn't he," 

"Why didn't he shew the thing away?" Austin asked finishing my question. 

"The cat might be part of the process. You hate cats. We hate cats, but it's more of an intolerance for them. We do not hate them, but our Animi part of us cannot tolerate being around them.  It's not like dogs or cats, because sometime if they are raised together than they can learn to coexist, but, just like yourself and the cat, Animi can't. We are revolted by the idea of being close to a feline, big or small. It's like a protection instinct in ourselves. Cats are known to kill Animi, they think of us as prey,"

"When in reality we could kill one in one fowl swoop." Austin interrupted Edward's explanation.

"No wonder no girl has caught you likable, 200 years and your still single." Edward shot back with annoyance.

"two hundred years?" 

"Oh something your mum, and dad won't tell you is that when this part of you is removed your ability to live longer because of your Animi is inhibited."

"So how old are you guys? How old are you Dillan?" I ask as I look from Ellie to Edward to Dillan. 

"I'm 576," Ellie said. 

"I'm 659," Edward followed. I looked at Dillan. He hung his head and folded his hands in his lap, I hadn't noticed him remove his hand from my shoulder. 

"Dillan, how old are you?" I asked again. 

"Does it really matter?" he said with his body language stiffened.