Age of Sagacity

Chapter 4: La Papesse

Transcending into consciousness from a heavy, black unconsciousness is like instantaneously blasting every sense with stimuli and several emotions at once. One second you are nothing: a breath, a heartbeat, and a colony of cells without a personality then in a blink you are no longer a body but a person, a distinct individual whose brain is suddenly flooded with the responses to blinding sun light, cold water tickling along bare skin, the rich sweet scent of dead leaves and dirt, the soft whine of a mighty beast broken, and the taste of metallic blood. I sat bolt upright as my head spun from the sudden onslaught of senses.

"Kate..." A voice whispered from behind me.

His blonde hair was caked to his face with dried blood, and he held a hand firmly over his left side. Uncle Rolf tried to stand as a look of discomfort and pain wrinkled his forehead.

"What happened? Are you alright?" I asked while getting up to help him and letting him drape an arm over my shoulder. I wasn't sure about him yet but it was hard to see such a bold man in distress.

"They know you've awakened. They will come for you again. We have to leave here."

This wasn't the same regal man that had tested me in the hallway a couple hours ago. His voice held fear and protection. I hadn't earned such a thing from the man I barely knew who stood beside me now.

"First, tell me what the hell is going on."

He took a breath and straightened to stand on his own. His eyes remained a calm and pure blue like the moonlit winter skies as he spoke.

"You are now of the age of sagacity--the time in the life cycle of each shifter when the beast inside them awakens and begins to slowly take over the humanity they have known since birth. You are beginning the transformation, and by the rise of the moon tonight you will have completed the rebirth."

I could only stare at him as he tried to brush the bloodied hair from his face.
"It is no coincidence that your eyes have shifted, or that, no doubt, you've have the dreams. The men who came here just now know who you are, and they will stop at nothing to destroy you."

"How can anyone know what I am when I don't even know what I am?" I was too calm. It must have been shock because I should have been screaming.
I took a deep breath and realized my whole body was a dull ache. He gestured back toward the house and let his face go blank.

"They won't attack in the presence of non-shifters. They won't risk that sort of exposure. We will be safe in the house for now."

"How are you going to explain the hole in your head? I doubt they will miss that."

"It will heal, but we will clean the blood before we go. They must not know what has happened. It would put them all in danger."

"What happens if I do something in front of them? I mean it's not exactly gonna stay light out forever."

Even to me this sounded crazy, and he was right about the dream and the weird kaleidoscope colors in my eyes. I watched as he started back for the house after splashing some spring water on his face to chip away at the blood glued to his skin. I wanted to ask hundreds of questions, to say something, but I opened my mouth to speak and nothing seemed to make it out. I stopped trying to form sentences and just trudged along behind silently until we reached the back porch. I'd have been lying if I said I wasn't about to have an anxiety attack as we opened the back door.

"Oh good! You're both back! I just finished frosting the cake," my mom said as she straightened a stack of magazines on the coffee table.

"I have something to show Kate, and then we will be back down for dinner."