CHAPTER 2: SHAPE SHIFTER
I skipped work early informing Ron I was going out to take pictures. Easily fooled by that he let me go. At 4:30pm I parked my car at the beach parking lot and decided to walk through the forest instead of along the beach to the others. I was quiet deep inside the forest when I spotted a figure moving between the trees. As I drew closer I realized it was a man. Curiously I watched him as I followed instantly knowing that he wasn't human. I had a sixth sense about these things and his movements were far too grace-like for that of a mere man. On the left side of his neck I noticed a marking off some kind. As I squinted my eyes to make it out he turned around sharply his black eyes piercing mine. I gasped and recoiled almost falling back. He must have realized I wasn't a threat since he relaxed a bit.
"Can I help you?" his low voiced cut like a knife.
"Uh..." I was stuck for words "No, I'm just walking here"
"Sure you are..." he said as he turned to walk away. He was a shape shifter I could tell by the way he seemed at home in this forest the way he sniffed at the air. I was curious to know what he was doing here. Not many of his kind come through this small town.
"You're a shape shifter aren't you?" I called out. Damn me, and my big mouth never thinking before I spoke. He turned to me in a flash, his silver eyes bright. Uh-oh. Maybe I shouldn't have asked that and I wasn't even sure why I did. The animal in him sprung loose and he was on me in seconds I couldn't even say half a shield spell. Without thinking I did what I was best at doing and the quickest to summon. I brought on the fire element. Heat lasted from my raised hands and slammed into the shape shifters muscular built. He flew back instantly a few meters and landed on his back, his t-shirt on fire. Okay, maybe I over did it, but it worked, didn't it? He didn't rip my head off but then that didn't stop him from trying again and besides I may have just practically asked him to murder me.
He sat up and put the fire off with his hands, most of the bottom half off the t-shirt burnt away. He gave me a murderous look as he stood up
"Witch" he spat out breathing heavy while smoke coiled from the big hole in his t-shirt.
His abs which was visible due to the hole had patches of black and burnt skin which was already healing. I stared at it and then at him. He took a step forward anger reflecting in his perfect face. "Hey" I shouted backing up "You started it."
"You try that again and I'll kill you" he promised me coughing as smoke entered his lungs.
"I don't think that would be a wise thing for you to do"
"Oh?"
"Yeah... see I know who you are" I said confidently. My advisor Delano told me about a shape shifter who in human terms would be a mix between an assassin and bounty hunter. I was pretty sure I was looking at him. "You're Jasper Cross" I paused for a reaction from him. All I got was a narrowing of his eyes. "And I know that if you kill me that would put you in a lot of unnecessary trouble" My statement was received by the gritting of Jaspers teeth. Ah much better. Beat that smart ass.
"You may know my name but what you know ends there" he said through clenched teeth.
I was pretty good at guessing things and I was sure I could guess him outright. "You're here looking for a supernatural being, right?" His silent response told me I was right. I smiled sweetly while he looked like he wanted to throw a rock at me.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"I'm Alix, talented witch, extremely successful demon slayer and every guys dream' I grinned.
He narrowed his eyes at me. I thought the last bit was pretty funny, guess he didn't have a sense of humour.
'Right" he said looking amused in a mockingly kind of way "Whatever." He turned to leave for the second time. This time I let him go. I think I probably freaked him out a little. Poor guy. A noise sounded behind me to which I turned around automatically. It was just a bird. When I turned back to Jasper's retreating back I was surprised to see I was alone. I hate it when they do that.
CHAPTER 3: SEEING SHADOWS
I made it in time to the beach party, the bonfire was already lit and sounds of music, voices and laughter floated through the air as I approached. Lisbon saw me first and squealed in delight as she ran over to give me those annoying hugs that the fancy crowd were so famous for. I welcomed her enthusiasm for my arrival and smiled as I hugged her back. When our hug broke I saw Jay over her shoulder looking at me.
"I'm so glad you're here" Lisbon was saying. I brought my eyes back to her face and said "Its good to see you. It's been quiet a while"
She grinned and spun around pulling me along with her to the others. I spotted Kazia having a heated conversation with one member of the fancy crowd. I called them the fancy crowd because made everything a big deal and basically defined prim and proper. It was painfully annoying and I could see Kazia looked to feel the same way right now. She held up a finger when she saw me motioning that she'll be with me soon.
My eyes moved to Jay and he raised the cup he held in greeting. I smiled at him and waved. Lisbon introduced me to some people I never met before and I was luckily spared from socializing with anyone else when Kazia showed up at my side.
"We're ordering pizza, is that okay?" she asked.
I nodded and Lisbon drifted off to talk with some other girl whose name I didn't know. The rest of our little party got more exited when the pizza's arrived later. We ate as night fell around us, the bonfire and a few lanterns being our only source of light. It was relaxing here as I sat on a log the waves softly crashing on my left and the dark woods on my right. I watched our little group dancing around the fire to the music; their hoots and shouts getting sucked up in the night air. I smiled at Lisbon's bad attempt to dance and then my eyes drifted beyond them as I caught a glimpse of movement. I stared into the darkness and there not very far from us was a dark figure moving about. I wondered who would be out alone out in the darkness doing God knows what.
I quickly scanned the crowd for my friend's whereabouts and spotted them near the fire. I looked back at the figure and saw the most peculiar thing, the figure or what ever it was seemed to be part of the darkness. I was sure my eyes were playing tricks on me, that there wasn't a figure out there at all, until so suddenly bright red eyes lit up the darkness and pierced right through me.
My insides froze and my breath stopped. There was only one thing that could have eyes like that: a demon. A jumped of the log and raced towards the red eyes. No one seemed to notice my strange need for a jog but that was something not worth worrying about. The fear that stirred in me was not of the demon itself but the fact that it was so close to my friends. I passed them while I ran chasing the thing as it took of into the woods.
I halted when I neared the edge of the numerous trees that made up the forest. Thick darkness spewed out in front of me making it impossible to see, much less to chase after a demon that seemed to BE the darkness. Not wanting to be left vulnerable I turned around to head back to the bonfire when I slammed into something large. I gasped out loud and relaxed as I realized it was Jay.
"What are you doing here?" he asked frowning. His hands were on my arms and I shivered beneath them.
"Nothing" I told him "Just taking a walk"
"If you call that a walk, I wonder what you call a run" he looked at me skeptically.
"Let's go back to the others" I said ignoring his look and taking his wrist. We walked away from the fire; our feet sinking into the sand, behind us the woods lay absolutely silent. The presence of the demon not only scared the forests inhabitants it also left me unsettled which made me spend the rest of the night looking into the forests dark depths for red eyes. I knew it was a demon but what I wasn't sure about was what type of demon. I've never seen anything like it before and that got me puzzling. One thing I could be pretty sure about was I knew now what the shape shifter was here for.
