Shai Soi

Chapter 14

It was the day of Council. Finally. At last. Wait, today? It's too soon! It seemed to be an eternity away, but now that is was right on top of me, it was coming on too fast. The thought of changing in front of so many people was nerve-wracking.

I hadn't slept very well- again. I had tossed and turned all night. When it became clearly evident I wasn't getting a wink of rest, I gave up. Instead, I passed the time reading the rest of my novel. Now, I deeply regreted that choice. Deep circles seemed to inhabit the skin underneath my eyes.  If I looked into the mirror, which I avoid at all cost, I'd see sickly pale skin. It was a wonder I could function at all. But thanks to my friend Caffeine, I managed.

I trudged down the stairs into the kitchen. Dad had already left, his coffee mug abandoned on the counter. I washed out the dregs and placed it in the dishwater. Closing it with my hip, I opened the fridge. Once I found the orange juice, I took five huge swigs right from the carton. (Hey, when a girl is thirsty, she's gonna drink.)

"Check 'healthy drink' off the list," I muttered. I grabbed a Coke and a hoodie, and shouted, "Momma, I'm going to Barnes and Noble. Do you want anything while I'm out?"

"Can you get some Styrofoam, the same measurements as last time?" she called from upstairs.

Since Momma was an engineer, she would actually need some art stuff to make a model. When I was smaller, I'd help her glue columns, cables and other fancy engineer terms together. Last week I made a model trip to the store to get some materials.

"Want me to drive you?" Momma asked.

"I think I'll just run, you know, for practice?" My stomach squirmed.

"There's my girl. Be home by six sharp, cub. Don't want to be late to your Tannces."

A Tannces  was what shai soi  called 'The Acceptance.' It's when a Newling, (I'm not even explaining that term) is admitted into the Council through a series of tests. My gut twisted into a hard knot. There was no way I could do this. Despite my unease, I muttered in acknowledgement, knowing she could hear me because of her lioness hearing. I laughed to myself. No wonder I couldn't get away with back talking. She could always hear me.

So why do you keep shouting to each other like a couple of loons?

Because I'm human, Arnold.

Yeah, yeah. That's no excuse.

Shut up.

Make me.

Because Arnold was a figment of my weird imagination, I could.

I locked the door with a satisfying click. The day was warm, almost humid with a cloudy overcast  and yellowing grass. It really needed to rain. I tugged at the collar of my hoodie and started jogging down our walkway that led to the sidewalk. Darting straight across my street's round a' bout, I waved at Crazy Cat Lady Loretta, a neighbor who's unfortunately younger than what you would want to believe.

She was fresh out of college with a degree in Journalism. Loretta was recovering from a catastrophic break up. Hence, the cats. Hence, why I know she journals. If you were unlucky enough to get caught in the check out line next to her, you could hear her babble on about 'the betrayal that hath daunted me from doting upon another lover.' S-u-u-u-ure. Whatever you need to hear.

I made extra care to check to see if anyone was watching before slipping into the woods, changing skins in a fluid movement. Heaven forbid Crazy Lady Loretta see me shape shift. She'd probably scream in delight and make a lion-Rebecca-sized sweater that made you want to hang yourself. Of course, her cats couldn't hang themselves... but one tried with a Christmas lights cord. Lucky for him, he got electrocuted. Personally, to die by being internally fried wasn't my preferred death, no offense to Mr. Cuddles.

I slinked through the woods. My lioness eyes made every green leaf even more vibrant. The chatter of a squirrel was as loud as a gunshot round in my ears. The humidity didn't bother me, my natural habitat was much hotter than this.

CRUNCH.

I flinched. The snapping sounds of children's feet on twigs rang in my head. Their laughter bounced off the tree trunks, making them appear to come from every direction. I looked around for a hiding place. Best be hidden as a lion than take time answering questions why a girl would be in the middle of the woods. Unfortunately, there was no place to hide. The troop was getting closer. The troop leaders yelled at the scouts to get back to camp.

Not good, not good...

They were so close. The boys were right on top of me.

Think. Change into something... a bird. They have beaks and...

"What's that?"

"It looks like a tail-"

I'm lifting off the ground. I am a bird...

"Guys! It looks like a cat!"

Tweet, tweet, I thought weakly. Come on, Rebecca. Breathe...

I felt my skin change. My fur melted into bumpy skin, quickly covered by brown feathers. My nose weighed a ton. It sharpened to a fine curved beak. My vision became even sharper than in lion form. I could spot the pores of the boys' face as I lifted into the air. They pointed and awed at my new skin. I was certain they didn't see me change, because one boy with wild red hair yelled, "Hawk!"

I felt elated, not just because I was soaring high above the clouds, but because I'd actually done it! I turned into a different animal since the time I started changing. Wind caressed my sides, gently sliding through my sleek feathers. The currents of the air swirled around me, as evident as the lines of text in a book. I swooped about, loving the feeling of a precise dive through the clouds only to soar up again. Thank goodness I didn't mind heights. Or else, I'd fall out the sky just thinking about the distance between me and the hard ground.

Okay, maybe go just a little lower...

I arrived in the back woods of the mall a few minutes later. Who knew hawks were so fast. My landing was sloppy, mostly because I changed into my human form a little too soon. I was just able to channel my lioness strength before I hit the ground.

"Ow," I groaned. I swiped the dirt off my clothes and walked into the mall.