As Jack and I step onto the porch of my house, his voice breaks the silence, "James, are you absolutely sure about this?"
"Yes, I am. My mom shouldn't be home, so we should be fine," I say
We venture into my father's concealed lab, a place shrouded in mystery and filled with enigmatic experiments. "So this is it, huh? Let's find out the truth," Jack says, his voice tinged with a mix of anticipation and curiosity.
I open the hidden door, we step inside, and to our surprise, everything gleams with a newness. "That's strange. Everything looks untouched," I say, my voice filled with wonder.
"Yeah, that is weird. Something more is going on. Let's start looking around," Jack says
We meticulously comb through the entire lab, but our efforts yield nothing. "Any luck, Jack?" I ask, my voice filled with a hint of unease.
"Nope, what about you?" Jack says
"Nothing here," I say
"Well, this was a waste of time," Jack says
I hear a voice in my head: "Follow your instincts."
"Jack, did you hear that?" I say
"Hear what? Did you hit your head or something?" Jack says
I feel a surge of power, and my body starts to change. Fur sprouts from my skin, my bones shift, and I transform into a wolf. "I have an idea. Hopefully, that'll work," I say, my voice now a low growl.
"Alright, man," Jack says
I use my nose, and that takes me to a wall. "there's something here," I say
"Dude, that's a wall. There's nothing off about it," Jack says
I touch the wall, and it opens up. "oh my god, it worked," I say
"Woah, this is crazy. Your father built another hidden room," Jack says
"No, he didn't. This isn't normal," I say
"Then who did?" Jack says
I look through the wall, and it seems like an empty void. "I'm going through," I say
"Please be careful. I don't want you getting hurt," Jack says
As I get closer to the wall, I get pulled in, and the wall closes in behind me. "Woah, where am I?" I say
I see two figures approaching me. "It's been a long time, son."
"Son, what on earth are you talking about?" I say
"Your father, Carl, took you from us."
"Wait, hold on, so you're telling me my parents aren't my parents just when I thought things couldn't get more confusing," I say
"I know you have questions, but we don't have the time to answer them. We'll just give you your memories back, the ones that were taken from you," one of them says, their voice filled with a mix of urgency and regret.
"Do I at least get to keep my old memories?" I say
"Yes, and now you should return."
I get thrown back through the wall, and I start remembering everything. "Jack, you're not going to believe this," I say
"Uh, James, we have a problem," Jack says
"What problem," I say
I look up, and I see my cousins. "I tried to stop them," Jack says
"James, what is all this?" Nick says
"Look, there's a straightforward explanation for all this," I say
"We'd love to hear it," Nick says
"It's very complicated. Maybe later," I say
"We recorded the whole thing, and if you don't do what we say, we post this video," Nick says, his voice filled with a mix of triumph and menace. The video, proof of my supernatural abilities, could expose me to the world.
I return to my human form, my mind racing with fear and uncertainty. "What do you want me to do?" I say, my voice filled with a mix of resignation and defiance.
"You have to go to summer camp," Nick says
"Ugh, fine," I say
"Don't try to skip out on this. We'll know," A.J. says
They both leave. "Anyway, what did you want to tell me?" Jack says
"I just found out that Carl took me from my real parents," I say
"Wait, are you saying this isn't your real family?" Jack says
"Yeah, but my real parents gave me my memories before all this," I say.
"So your real parents, who are they?" Jack says
"Hybrid and Nyx from what I know," I say
"So what about you? Is James your real name?" Jack says
"Yeah, it is," I say
"I see. What about siblings?" Jack says
"Yeah, phantom, I think he's the one that's been messing with me in my nightmares, I guess," I say
"Sounds rough," Jack says
"I haven't met them, so I don't know," I say
"I see. Well, I guess you got your closure," Jack says
"Yeah, but at what cost? Finding out the people who raised me aren't my real parents." I say
"I get that it's a lot. Look, you should probably get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow," Jack says leaving.
I leave the lab, go into my bedroom, and immediately fall asleep on my bed.
YOU ARE READING
life as a shapeshifter Remastered (book 1)
FantasyJames Carter was a 15-year-old who became a shapeshifter after one of his father's experiments five years ago. He has to keep his powers a secret while having the death of his father loom over him his entire life. Can James keep his powers a secret...
