Flames and Starlight

5🌘

Laura

Grandma quickly called the police, informing them about the shapeshifter. They arrived shortly and surrounded our front yard with yellow police tape and a forensic team. We explained to everyone what happened. They collected the blood sample from the pavement and put what remained of the crow in a tiny body bag. It may have seemed hilarious, that all of this fuss was being made over a crow, but it was a shapeshifter, a fellow supernatural that had died literally at my feet. This was no laughing manner.

I stood by Grandma the entire time, watching everything ensue. I replayed the crow landing and splatter by my feet over and over. My stomach churned once again and I felt as though I was going to get sick even though there was nothing left in my stomach.

An officer, another shapeshifter, approached us with a grim face. "This looks like an unfortunate accident that happened to this shifter. It doesn't look like there was any foul play involved, this might've been a freak accident where this shifter had been shifted too long or it could be something else entirely, so who knows? I apologize this had to happen to you today."

"Thank you, officer," Grandma said with an uneasy smile. I remained silent.

The blood was cleaned off the car by the forensics team and they along with the officers left. Neighbors had gathered outside, watching the whole spectacle with curious gazes.

"That was interesting," I muttered, staring after the vans that drove away.

Grandma sighed and patted my shoulder. "Not the way I wanted to start off my morning. Are you okay?"

"Nauseous and potentially scarred for life, but I'll be okay."

"Do you think you'll be able to handle going to school and work?"

"Yes. It's bad if I miss the first day for either."

"I agree. Let's get going. We're both late enough as it is."

She drove me to school on her way to work. She walked me to the front gate, where she buzzed the intercom, announcing our names and why we were here. The gates swung open and we were able to walk to the front steps where a tall woman wearing a black business suit, blonde hair piled on top of her hair in a firm knot, and small glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She seemed like she'd be cold, stoic, and an ice queen at first glance, but she smiled warmly as we approached and I felt immediately at ease. A quick read of her aura revealed she was a vampire.

"Hello, I'm Dean Hunter," she said warmly and shook both of our hands as we approached. "Welcome to Starlight Academy. You must be Laura Harper."

"Yes ma'am," I said politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you as well. And Kim, it's nice to see you again."

Grandma volunteered a lot at the school for special events, dances, chaperones, anything like that and had graduated here when she was in high school.

"It's nice to see you too. Sorry, we're late. We had some issues getting here this morning."

"It's fine. Today all Laura has to worry about is finding her classes. It's not too far in the semester so it won't be too hard to get her caught up."

She led us inside through the two huge wooden doors and into a lobby where I had trouble not gaping at. The tiled floor was glossy and clean to the point you could see your reflection in them. There were actual lounge couches you could sit at, as well as a coffee maker on a table near the wall with styrofoam cups stacked beside it.