The Skin Changers [slow updates]

Chapter One: The New Kid

Note: Skin Changers are in no way affiliated with the ones in J.R.R. Tolkeins "The Hobbit" i simply used the name and am putting my own spin on it

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Gracelyn Winters was never a normal person not because of her long, stick straight, brown hair or her deep blue eyes but because of something a little more complicated than that. She was something the world would call weird or a freak. Something that no one would ever dream of being real. What she was came straight out of a Fairytale. Gracelyn was a Skin Changer. At any time in her seemingly normal life Gracelyn could simply take on the appearance of another person or even an animal. She could close her eyes picture the thing she wanted to transform into and then, like magic, she was it. Unlike Shapeshifters though she did not have to fully become the thing she imagined; she could change her voice into another person's voice or grow a tail or even just change her hair.

Even though something like this may seem amazing or "life changing" Gracelyn saw it as a huge burden on her life. She wanted to be a normal girl just like the rest of the people in the world. Being a Skin Changer meant she had to hide a whole part of herself from everyone in her life, except for, of course, her best friend Lacey Miller who knew everything about her. Lacey was the only person in the entire world she could talk to about the secret part of herself. She couldn't even tell her family.

When Gracelyn was born her parents gave her away to be adopted and she never knew why. She had asked her adoptive parents many times if they knew who her parents were or if they ever met them but they didn't know anything. Only simply that her real parents didn't want her and wanted to stay anonymous. Gracelyn spent most her life trying to research and track down any real information of her parents like if they were like her why on earth they would give her away if they knew what she was. So far she has found nothing, no birth records, no legal information regarding the adoption nothing. It was like when she was adopted everything that could have traced her back to where she came from was completely erased. Something really bad must have happened if they went through so much trouble to erase everything that proved they ever existed.

The last two years of Gracelyn's life she had researched everything she could possibly think of that could lead her to parents or anything about what she was besides the fact she was called a Skin Changer. And the only reason she knew that was the internet or at least that's the only thing that matched what she could do. She felt like she was never going to find her parents and thus never get any information of what she was. For now she was alone.

Gracelyn walked into her first period class at McMarin High School and sat down in her usual seat in the back of the AP chemistry class. As every day in this awful class Mrs. Hapsbury, or otherwise known as the most boring teacher in the universe, used the whole forty-five minutes of class lecturing us about how high school is the four most important years of our whole educational life. Which is stupid because she doesn't actually teach. If it was so important maybe she would stop lecturing and actually give students useful information so they can graduate.

Twenty minutes into class Mrs. Hapsbury stops. For once the old hag actually stops lecturing and looks out the door to her left and starts talking to whoever is standing out there. "Ah this must be the new student." Of course everyone knew about this new student. In a small town like Portland, Texas news travels at lightning speed. "Take a seat anywhere you like." The new boy walked in and siat in the empty desk next to Gracelyn. Out of the five other empty desks he could have chosen to sit in he shrugs his backpack off his shoulders and slides into the desk to the right of her. This class just got interesting.

They stare at each other for a few seconds. The boy's eyes are a beautiful golden hazel, his brown hair falling perfectly right above them. He was cute, at least compared to the other guys in this school but that wasn't saying much, the boys at McMarin werent the best. Suddenly something triggered in the back of Gracelyn's mind, his eyes, they were almost... familiar. She felt like she had seen him before, it was something about the way the light brought out the small gold flecks in his eyes that reminded her of something from her childhood but she couldn't quite remember what exacly she was remembering. She didn't say anything about it and finally he looked away, leaning back in his chair and staring towards the front of the class.

Mrs. Hapsbury continued her lecture on life and Gracelyn zoned out trying to remember why he seemed so familiar to her. The bell ringing to go to second period brought her out of her daze. Quickly the new kid got up and rushed out of the room. "That was weird." Gracelyn thought to herself. She packed up her things, shoved them in her neon blue backpack and walked out of the classroom.

"Was that the new kid that just ran out your classroom?" Lacey was waiting right outside of Gracelyns classroom just like she did every other day to give her the latest gossip of her first period English class with the most insane teacher in the school, Mrs. Linkin, who once came to school high and for some unknown reason didn't get fired. Some people think she slept with the Principle, he's got a pretty nasty history of sleeping with teachers but its hard to find people to work for you in such a small town so he never gets fired.

"Yea he came into class like twenty minutes late and sat in the desk right next to mine." Gracelyn explained the weird eye contact they shared when he sat down but didn't mention the part where he looked familiar, sharing something like that with Lacey was probably not the best idea. Unless she wanted it to get out to the whole school. Lacey was one of the girls most people would try and avoid. With her long blonde, beach waved hair and ocean colored eyes she stood out from most people. She was an optimist, and a loud one too. The whole state could probably hear her when she got excited over something. With her gossip traveled even faster in the school.

"But did you see how gorgeous he was? He was like a god with his jawline and those eyes.." Again with the eyes. she was right his eyes were gorgeous but she still couldn't forget how familiar they looked. There was no way she would have known him when she was little. Gracelyn had lived in Portland her whole life and people would have remembered his family if he had lived here before. People leaving this town was not very common, but no one ever said anything about them being here before. ".. Man the things I would do to him if I got the chance." Lacey stopped drooling over him.

"Ew did you seriously just say that? He's not even that hot. I mean he's better than anyone at this school of course but I don't know I just don't see it." Lacey gave Gracelyn her classic "you're insane" look and waltzed off to her next class.

Gracelyn didn't see the mysterious boy in any of her other classes. The rest of the day went by quite fast and normal despite the nagging thought in the back of her mind of the new boy. A last name was what she needed. She remembered Mrs. Hapsbury calling him Triston this morning but she didn't catch his last name. She'd have to wait till tomorrow morning and listen for him during role call. The internet stalking would have to wait.