I woke up in the morning and shuffled down stairs.
“Good morning, you’re up early,” Nikki greeted.
I smiled a small smile and sat at the kitchen table. Nikki small-talked with me while she fixed my breakfast.
“When you get ready then we’ll start your training,” she told me as she washed her hands.
I ate faster and finished in no time.
“Let’s go get your clothes on,” Nikki helped me out of the chair and led me to my room.
“What dress do you want to wear?” she asked.
“The blue one,” I told her.
She grabbed my favorite dress and slipped it over my head. I grabbed my blue sandals and tried to put them on, but Nikki had to help me. I eagerly ran down the stairs and out the back door. Nikki walked out in the back yard and stood in front of me for a second, studying me from head to toe.
“Okay first I want you to get angry at me, so angry you can’t control it,” she ordered.
“I can’t, I’m not mad,” I told her while twisting my hips.
“Think about Kaden, come on now, close your eyes and imagine him, act like he’s standing right in front of you, and all you have to do is make one little move and he’d be gone,” she described.
I closed my eyes, and pictured him. His evil grin as he took a step forward, the way he threw Aunt Nikki into the mirror.
I started to shake, and not just shake calmly, I mean shake hard. I shook so hard I landed on my hands and knees.
“Kalinda, shh, you can stop now,” I felt Nikki’s hands lay on my back, but my eyes were still closed.
“Kalinda! Open your eyes so you can calm down!” She yelled.
I tried, but I couldn’t do it. Then the shaking stopped, and Veronica was clapping.
“Good job, now if only we could control the shaking, then we’d be in business,”
I opened my eyes and plopped on the ground in exhaustion.
“Do you want to take a break?” Nikki bent down so she could look me in the eyes.
I bowed my head and laid it on my paws.
“Well while you’re resting, I’ll answer any questions you have, but you’re going to have to change back,” she told me.
I groaned and closed my eyes.
“You have to, if you don’t change back then you will start to act like that animal, and then the longer you stay that animal, the harder it is to change back.”
I opened my wide eyes and stared at her for a second, and then I quickly changed back.
“Very good, okay now, do you have any questions?”
“How did I become one?” I asked, saying ‘one’ because it was a bit awkward for me to say shape-shifter.
“One day you got really sick, this sickness is so rare, only one out of one-hundred people get it.” She explained bluntly.
I nodded when it was clear she was done, “I’m ready for some more.”
“Okay, I want you to try to get angry again, but this time take it down a notch,” she ordered.
I closed my eyes again, and thought of Kaden. I was shaking again, but at a lower level. I still fell down though and when I opened my eyes, Nikki was smiling and nodding at me. I felt a big grin spread across my furry lips as I changed back.
“Did that feel better?” she asked me.
I nodded.
“Now I’m going to tell you an animal and you have to change into it as fast as you can. This will test your abilities and your quickness.” She clarified.
“Okay,” I braised myself.
“Alright… Umm… Cat!” she shouted.
I quickly closed my eyes and pictured my old tabby cat and opened my eyes.
“Good job, fifty seconds. Next, bird!”
I shut my eyes my eyes and phased into the brightly colored bird I saw at the park.
“Great! That time was much faster, thirty seconds! Now let’s take it up a notch, I’m going to say an animal that lives far away from here… Ready… Tiger!”
I shut my eye lids and pictured the orange and black cat I saw on animal planet.
“Wow! Thirty seconds again!” She gasped.
We continued that for a few hours and when the sun started to go down, she stopped. By that time I was shaking from exhaustion, who knew that phasing back and forth could make you so tired.
“Now it’s time for the cool down,” she announced. “Sit in a convertible position and set your hands on your lap. Yes like that, now gently close your eyes and take deep, slow breaths. In… Out… In… Out.”
I breathed through my nose and out my mouth. Slowly and slowly I got so relaxed I almost fell asleep.
“Good job, let’s go inside and get you to bed,” she suggested as she helped me up.
“I want to show Mommy what I can do!” I eagerly said.
“Okay, but then it’s off to bed,” she agreed.
I rushed inside and into Mother’s room.
“Mommy! Mommy! Look what I can do!” I yelled.
“Hold on, darling, look who’s here!” she gestured to a tall dark shadow that sat beside her.
“Daddy! Daddy! You’re here! Now you can see what I can do!” I jumped up and down.
“Okay, honey show us,” Mother said.
I stopped jumping, closed my eyes, and phased into the white wolf I changed into when I got mad at Kaden.
“Wow! That very good, Kalinda!” They both congratulated.
“Okay, now it’s time for bed, you’ll see your dad in the morning,” Aunt Nikki picked me up and carried me into the bathroom and gave me a bath. Almost fell asleep in the bathtub, so she had to carry me out of the bathroom, help me with my pj’s, and covered me up in bed.
“Good night, I’ll see you in the morning,” Nikki pecked me on the cheek and flipped the light switch off as I fell into a deep, but restless slumber.
