Shifters

Chapter Five

"Why, why, why, why...."

I chanted continuously as I raced around my room, trying and failing miserably to do seven things at once. There was a toothbrush stuck in my mouth, I was gripping a shirt in my hand and I only had one shoe on.

"Where the hell is my bag?" I suddenly shouted, stomping my foot. The toothbrush almost fell out of my mouth when I talked. I shook my head, running back into the bathroom to finish brushing my teeth.

I had overslept today. On top of that, I had a pounding headache, my eyes were sore and I couldn't find my goddamn bag.

I angrily jammed my toothbrush into its holder and hurried back out to yank on the dark blue stretchy top I had hurriedly picked out. Now that I was fully dressed, I shoved my other converse onto my foot, pulling the hem of the ends of my dark jeans out of the flaps.

With almost no patience left, I grabbed my eyeliner pencil and coated my eyes, almost poking one of them out of my socket in the process. I was finished getting ready, but the traitorous alarm clock on my nightstand read 7:25. School started in 30 minutes and I had already missed the bus.

"I am so not in the mood for this," I growled to the empty room. And where the hell was my school bag?!

I was about to storm downstairs to look for the cursed thing when I spotted it out of the corner of my eye, half submerged under the blankets sitting in my chair by the window.

I angrily blew a strand of hair out of my face and marched over to grab the strap. Yanking it out of the chair, I stormed over to my door and stomped down the hallway.

I took the stairs two at a time, my head pounding with each jump. I decided to screw breakfast and rushed out the door. Only then did I stop when I realized I had no way to get to school.

Fuck. Everything.

I was so close to letting out a scream. I always had been blessed with a short temper as part of my nature, but today my patience was pushed to the edge.

There is one way you can get there, a voice whispered in my head.

I didn't have to think about it to know what it was talking about.

No! I shot back. There are too many people out.

Do you really have a choice? The voice argued. Come on. You're out of options.

I scowled. Sometimes I really don't like you.

Yes, you do. You love me.

Shut up.

With a shaky breath, I shrugged the strap of my bag onto my shoulder and set off down the sidewalk. If I was going to Shift, I would need some cover.

*****************

My nerves were a bundled mess as I trudged through the overgrown forest. Every little sound had me jumping like a frickin' kangaroo. I glanced down at my jeans, only to be further annoyed by the sight of a dozen little burrs sticking to the fabric. Thank god it was cloudy out today, or else I would have been sweating like a dog.

The clearing I had found the other day came into view and I let out a breath, thankful my search was over. I took a moment to collect myself before stepping into the little nook. Now that it was in broad daylight, I could finally appreciate the coziness there was to it. Going all the way around the space were trees, trees and more trees, forming a wall around the area. Small blue and purple flowers dotted the grass at my feet and a cold breeze blew through the leaves of a nearby bush. It was peaceful, like I could spend all day here doing nothing but thinking.