Shifters (Feline english version)

Chapter 3-3

Why take all these oratory precautions to tell me this and in such a pompous manner? Did I look that limited?! It was not such a difficult concept to understand. I was about to open my mouth and ask him which parish they depended on when I realized that it was a strange place to start a religious community, at least a conventional one. Besides, he didn't look much like a priest at all.

The second theory that came to my mind then was much less appealing and immediately made me want to run away. I didn't fall into a cult, did I? That's the last thing I need! Not wanting to offend my host until I knew for sure, I tried to mask my surprise and continue the conversation as politely as possible, despite my current temper and state of nerves.

- 'I don't need to introduce myself, I guess you already know who I am?' I couldn't help but say. 'You seem well isolated for a religious community,' I tried in my most innocent voice. 'And where are all the other members?'

No matter how clever and calm I tried to appear, I couldn't help but wiggle on my seat, uncomfortable. After all, this man had almost forced me to come to him, I had the right to be a little paranoid.

- 'I have never spoken of a religious community,' he replied with a gentle smile, 'but I think you already know that. I used the term "community" because it seemed to me to be the simplest and clearest way to make you understand, without shock, that many of us live here. If you have not yet met anyone, it is simply that I am waiting to see your reaction to my revelations before presenting them to you... or not.'

He still had his affable air, but a powerful sense of hardness seemed to emerge from him. It was definitely getting weirder. This man was speaking in a curious way, and now there was something strange emanating from him that I couldn't define.

Physically, he was not particularly remarkable. Well over fifty, tall and well built, without having worn out with age. A pleasant but rather random face, topped with greyish brown hair, trimmed short. Nothing special. Yet this disturbing impression persisted. I waited in silence for him to explain what it was all about. When, seeming tired of the heavy silence that was dragging on, he said with a calm voice while looking me straight in the eyes:

- 'First of all, know that our world is more complex than you think,' he began cautiously. ' "Humans" in the strict sense of the term are not the only ones to populate this planet...'

He stopped, obviously waiting to see my reaction before continuing. Ooookay! I had stumbled upon a cult of freaks who read too many fantasy heroic books or watched too many teen Z-series, either way. Disappointment overwhelmed me. What the hell was I expecting? I shook my head and began to stand up, my hands raised in front of me in a gesture of appeasement, as I had seen many people do when I was a child.

- 'Look, I'm gonna get up, get out of here and you'll never hear from me again, okay?'

Carefully, I then began to move backwards towards what I hoped would be the gate's direction.

- 'Wait!'

His imploring tone caught my attention and I hesitated, while he stood up as well and reproduced the same gesture as I did. Like I'm crazy and need to be calmed down. Has the world turned upside down?!

- 'I was a little abrupt and I apologize for that. I probably misspoke. I understand that this must be a big shock for you and...'

- 'I wouldn't say a shock no,' I interrupted him in a voice that sounded normal to me despite the increasingly violent pain that was pounding my head. 'More like a big disappointment. As you apparently already know, I have some "particularities" and I was hoping to get answers to my legitimate questions. Instead, I find myself in front of a delusional guru who thinks we share the planet with aliens or whatever! So I'm upset and angry, but not shocked. Now, I'm going to leave you to your delirium and go.'

The air in the room suddenly seemed to solidify and my headache became almost unbearable. So much so that I could not hold back a small groan of pain and carried my hand to my temple. My gesture brought a small nasty grin to Charles' lips and dramatically altered his face. No more nice, caring uncle. The mask had fallen and I finally saw him as he really was, which was not reassuring.

He seemed taller, strangely wilder and kept cold eyes on me, all goodness and feelings had disappeared. Great! In addition to a madman, I had come across a sadistic sociopath. It must be my lucky day! I should have kept my mouth shut and left here as soon as possible.

- 'I'll pretend I didn't hear your disrespectful remarks,' he said in a measured voice full of threats. 'You know from experience how insulting and disturbing it is to be called crazy when you're not, don't you?'

His sweet voice and most of all his remark felt like an uppercut to my stomach, and I staggered under the influx of bad memories that assaulted me. He was right, of course, except that he was really delirious. I understood better why he was interested in me, however. He must have had, I don't know how, access to my psychiatric file and believe that we were sharing the same hallucinations. I tried to take a calm and not mocking tone to address him, while I was still discreetly trying to get closer to the entrance to the hallway.

- 'Yes, you're right and I apologize, stress no doubt? I'm not going to bother you any longer and go home to take an aspirin.'

My voice and smile sounded wrong. It's amazing how quickly polite expressions can come back when you're dealing with an unbalanced person.

- 'You have a headache, don't you?'

His questioning tone was neutral, but nevertheless accompanied by an uninspiring smile.

- 'Obviously! And I don't see the connection with this crazy conversation,' I muttered for myself in a low voice.

Not low enough apparently, considering the little smirk he gave me.

- 'It must happen to you a lot, no?'

And that's when reality hit me! No, I've never felt that way before yesterday. Before I actually met Hannah. At least never with such intensity. I looked at him stunned and was not surprised to see his endless unpleasant smile coming back on his lips. Smile that seemed to say: so who's right, you little fool?

- 'What is your explanation, my dear?'

His sarcastic tone told me that this word was not to be taken in its affectionate sense.

- 'I... I don't have one. It's certainly a simple coincidence. Stress and lack of sleep,' I said foolishly.

- 'Come on, you don't believe it yourself,' he smiled at me. 'Well, now that your hysteria is over, why don't we go back and sit down to finish this conversation?'

His almost bored tone and condescending behavior drove me mad but not entirely reckless. This man was obviously dangerous, but he had just raised an interesting matter that I should have seen earlier.

These terrible headaches had only occurred in his and Hannah's presence. Upon consideration, this had occurred from time to time. A sharp pain, but so fleeting that it lasted only a few seconds. Kind of like someone knocking on the door of my mind. As if the perceptions I had been ferociously repressing since my childhood were sometimes trying to make a forced breakthrough.

I hadn't really paid much attention to it until now and preferred to ignore everything that had to do with these "differences", but it is true that the coincidence was a little big. Especially since this time it was more like a grip on my head getting stronger and stronger under pressure that was hard to bear. Nevertheless, it still seemed to be gradually getting lighter, allowing me to reason a little more clearly.

- 'So what is your explanation?'

I attempted to sneer at my question, but my shaky voice ruined the effect.

- 'Now, now, one thing at a time. How about we pick up where you interrupted me so rudely?' he said from the couch where he had returned, cross-legged, giving me a look of dismay mothers' gave to a reckless child.

I took a deep breath and straightened up to my full height. There's no way I'm going to show him that these headaches are weakening me. I could probably handle his delusions for a few minutes, if at least something concrete came out of it.

- 'Go ahead, but I'm staying up.'

- 'Very well. Since the easy way doesn't seem to work, let's go straight to it,' he said in a harsh voice, as he stared at me. 'We are a clan of metamorphs.'