Chance of Survival

Surprises and Kidnappings

She was standing in the backyard looking a little relieved but not at all shocked. It seemed like she had been waiting for us. "Good you all had enough sense to come to a safe place. Even then I'm not surprised you all wandered off to find each other it's instincts to find others that are in their animal form, especially on your first shift, you know you're safer in a pack." We all stared at her confused and shocked. She wasn't freaking out or panicking in fact it seemed like she was one of us or understood what was happening. That was confirmed when she shifted into a large all dark brown horse. She whinnied before I heard her voice on the mind link. 'I should probably explain everything from the beginning'
'Yeah you should.' Zoey responded 'That would be nice.' Miko told her 'As you have probably figured out this is not some freak accident that causes you all to be able to turn into animals. Others can too but not everyone can. They have to have special DNA to be able to do that and that trait is passed down from parent to child, you just can't get it you have to be born with it. Now that DNA gives you the ability to shapeshift as it makes you look like a human but affects everything of course after your first shift you change a little. The genes that make up that DNA determine what kind of animal you turn into as it carries all of the animals of your ancestors but if your ancestors weren't one kind of animal then you have no chance of turning into it. Now there are animals that were never apart of this or the trait died out as others had a higher chance of showing up. Such as fish the gene for that was slowly wiped out but has been long gone. There are also things such as hybrids the traits are able to combine into new animals which three of you are an example of. There is also some that are more rare than hybrids. I'm sure you all know of mythical creatures-'
'Are you saying what I think you are saying because if so that's awesome!'
  'Yes Miko the myths are based off a special type of us. They are rare because so few carry the gene but if you do then you will have a "mythical" form alongside a close but very normal looking form. Ace and I are an example of this.' "What?!" In my shock I had turned human but the mind link still worked as I heard everyone else's shocked voice screaming exactly the same thing. My aunt turned to me then her form changed instead of her being a normal horse she now had big black feathery wings, she was a pegasus. "Okay so she's not lying." I muttered as I really had hoped that she was but only about the mythical creature part. However I knew if it hadn't been me that I would be excited I just hated that while it was weird that I could turn into an animal at least I had thought I was normal among those who could too but no I was a freaking shapeshifter with two forms and one of them was a magical creature that no one really believed existed. I am a freak even to freaks. 'Why me? Why does my life always have to get weirder?' I think to myself reminded of everytime I thought I was fitting in or comfortable with something only for something new and unexpected to be thrown at me. 'Ace if you want to shift back you just have to focus and calm down, soon you all will get the hang of it.' My aunt told me probably because the conversation would be easier if we were all in one form and because no one else could control their shifting but her. I would have to become a German Shepherd. I sigh but push aside my thoughts and focus on the form. It was a lot easier and painless than shifting back to human was but I was growing even more tired and I was feeling more and more like I was about to pass out soon. 'Don't worry Ace you will be able to easily change forms with barely a thought about it without all of the side effects soon. That goes for all of you.' She told us 'Now I'm going to go talk to all of your relatives and tell them that you are here. Try and shift back and go inside. Ace if anyone is hungry give them food and if anyone is tired feel free to nap on the couches.' With that she shifted so her wings were gone but she was still in horse form galloping off. "Ace your aunt is so cool!" Bailey's over excited voice rang out out shocking me into shifting as I hadn't realized she had shifted. The others took a little while longer but Miko and Zoey were first then Jasmine, Tucker, and Alex. "Come on I have candy inside." I tell them "What happened to the rule of don't take candy from strangers?" Zoey asks "It disappeared when we all turned into animals this morning." I tell her "Well okay then I'm up for candy." she happily says as she walks in. Once we were all in Zoey and I share the candy, Miko and Jasmine fought over the Cheese Its like normal. Bailey seems like she is trying to eat all the fruit in the house while Alex and Tucker do the opposite eat all the junk food that wasn't my candy or the fight worthy Cheese Its . I got up giving Zoey a glare that said if you eat all the candy I will make you pay. She stuck out her tongue then smiled before eating a handful of skittles and opening a bag of swedish fish. I laugh and walk into the kitchen grabbing everyone a bottle of soda and begin passing them out. Zoey holds out her hand for hers after everyone else got theirs "Candy first." I say waving the bottle above her head making her stand up. I realize my mistake as she is four inches taller than me "that won't work shorty." She says while laughing as she grabs the bottle and pushes me into the couch. "Here you go." she says handing me candy as I growl "I'm not short."
"Sure you aren't not eat your candy." I do as she says looking around the room. Jasmine and Miko look almost the same as before but if I hadn't known them before this I wouldn't have found the wild glint shining in their eyes strange or the defined muscles new. They looked so close to being the same that I could almost ignore it but it was still there. Yet they were still the same Jasmine's coco brown eyes were still warm and friendly and her ginger hair still made the black streaks she had dyed in them stand out. Miko was still shorter than me and her silvery grey eyes still stood out more than the bright purple streak in her blonde hair. I didn't know the others but everyone had the wild almost feral look to them and it showed the most in the hidden strength and gleaming almost glowing eyes. Alex and Tucker despite their same height, taller than all of us, were so different Tucker was pale were Alex was deeply tanned. Tucker reminded me of ice, cold and unforgiving with his white blond hair and dark almost navy blue eyes. Alex seemed friendlier in comparison with his brown hair and dark brown eyes that almost seemed black. I could tell that I had changed as I stared in the mirror hanging on the wall but I looked almost the same my eyes the same blue and my black hair still making me seem even paler than I actually was. The dark blue highlights were still in my hair almost seeming like a trick from the lights above me. I glanced at Bailey who was falling asleep her pale green eyes foggy but they suited her and her dark red hair with the dyed white tips. It made her seem lighter and happier. I yawned as I moved my head to look at Zoey, she glanced at me but looked away. Her eyes were still the rich dark green color but didn't seem as pircing in this form due to her lightly tanned skin which went well with her bleach blonde hair. I realized only after I had finished basically staring at everyone that we had finished the candy and that I was done with my soda. Despite the fact that I had just eaten sugary candy and drank caffeine filled soda I still felt tired but didn't realize how tired I was until I feel asleep and woke what felt like seconds later by a bright flash of light. "What?" I say waking up fast but still sleepy and confused then I see Miko sitting in front of me holding her phone. 'She took a picture? Why?' Then I realize why I had been woken up having my picture taken, I wasn't the only one asleep on the couch Zoey was too. I had stretched out across the couch before falling asleep and then Zoey had fallen asleep on me cuddling into my back as she slept. I try not to move, as the more I did the tighter she held me and more of her weight was put on me and because I didn't want to wake her up but that didn't me from stopping Miko from keeping the picture. "Delete that!" I hiss at her "This is for picking me up so no I will not delete it." She says while trying not to laugh "By the way you two look cute." I struggle to get up my face burning with heat from the rush of blood as I think 'She is not cute she is striking.' I'm sure my face only got redder when Zoey snuggled closer and pushed her face into my neck as she muttered sleepily "Stay." I freeze but jump at the sound of the front door slamming open then smashing back into its frame as it shuts. "Everyone remain calm we are here to help and protect you. I'm agent of the laboratory Fireflare." The guy speaking who is apparently an agent is not the only one there as three other agents are by his side all in weird looking armor and helmets that covered there whole face. " Any reason you are here?" Zoey asks trying and failing to sound innocent and sweet but not at all flustered by the fact that she was cuddling me. I slam my elbow into her rib cage and get a glare as she moves over 'You sound like if they say the wrong thing you're going to kill them.' I say over the mind link so they don't hear. She glares again by relaxes, not at all stressed by this situation, against me as they answer "There is a video of three people in this room who were among animals and were animals until they shapeshifted into humans. I believe the others here are the other animals in the video." Fire guy says but no one answers shocked that this is happening while most likely doing the same thing that I am terrifying myself with thoughts of what they are going to do. At some point I had turned into a German Shepherd confirming what he had said. Me shifting made Zoey think she should too which then caused a chain reaction that happened so fast that I wasn't really sure what happened. The second she had shifted Bailey and Miko had tried to shift but the agents were firing. It couldn't be real guns as real guns didn't shoot what appeared to be tiny darts. They hadn't shot Miko or Zoey or me but everyone else was out cold or so I hoped as I was panicking. While we were staring in shock the three helmeted agents move, slipping collars over our heads leading us to a van and gathering the others and placing all of us in cages. No one fights back unable to do anything but follow someone else. 'They are so kidnapping us.' Zoey's shocked voice is all I hear as the van starts