Shifters

Runaways and Captives

Josh awoke with a start, coughing as his lungs filled with dust as he drew several heavy breaths from the musty air. Sitting up immediately after coming to, he rolled over just in time to see Elle snap awake, aura already emanating off of her petite frame. 

"Are you okay?" Elle asked cautiously as she quickly got to her feet. 

"Physically," Josh answered, "Yes, however, I've got a huge migraine from the entire thing."

Before he could say anything more, Elle's aura suddenly expanded exponentially, suddenly transforming into a beautiful mature woman. Amidst her transformation, the scent of freshly turned soil alongside the perfumed fragrances of flowers in full bloom filled the air. 

"This should suffice in terms of proving my identity," Elena said with a small curtsy. 

"You already had my trust," Josh replied, glancing away as the older woman's allure invaded his mind, "But I appreciate the gesture!"

Satisfied by his response, the smell dissipated as Elena once again transformed back into her younger counterpart, Elle. 

"So, how are you doing?" Elle questioned, "What did you mean by the words you said?"

"I-," Josh began, rubbing the back of his neck as a clump of haziness lingered in the back of his mind," Wh-what do you mean? What happened and what did I say?""

"Not now," Elle said looking all around them before grabbing his arm as she pulled the boy to his feet, "There'll be loads of time to chat later! Can you walk?" 

Feeling the numbness in his legs receding, Josh nodded his response, following closely behind Elle as she took off at a moderate pace. As they made their escape, Josh constantly casted several backward glances, expecting Raizen or perhaps the Devourers themselves to be on their trail. Despite his morbid expectations however, no signs of pursuit could be seen as they traveled past the monotonously placed, ancient bookshelves. 

"Do you know where you're going?" Josh asked after five minutes into their run. 

"Last I checked," Elle replied without looking back, "There's only one way to go! As long as we follow this path we should arrive at the outer ends of the Library."

Finding truth in her words, Josh continued on in silence, staring behind them frequently as they progressed. Before too long, Elle, who'd been somewhat surprised by Josh's ability to match her steady pace, gazed ahead grimly as multiple questions burned through her thoughts. Whatever she encountered within that independent space was certainly not the boy trailing closely behind her. From what she could gleam, Josh showed no signs of remembering the ordeal after his suppression. 

'Could he truly have forgotten?' she wondered absentmindedly speeding up, 'Considering his current behavior, it's almost as if I'm watching an entirely different person. And what exactly was that just then,' she wondered, thinking back to the otherworldly entity that had possessed his body.'

Until then, only Joana had been capable of giving her such a scare, however, the presence emanating off of Josh's body at the time had not only frightened her more than Joana ever could, but it also made her realize just how small and insignificant she really was in comparison.  

"What now?" Josh asked, suddenly snapping Elle out of her thoughts. 

No longer spellbound by her internal musings, Elle looked ahead, immediately spotting what appeared to be an ominous gateway.

"What is that?" Elle questioned, immediately stopping in her tracks. 

"There's nothing to worry about," Josh replied, braking just ahead of her, "That's the exit Patricia used earlier. Once we go beyond that, Raizen and potentially even the Devourers won't be able to follow us," he paused before muttering, "Not like there's anyone on our trail," he said, adding," that I can detect at least."