Bittersweet

Chapter 11 - The Shift

"Revenge is sweet and not fattening." ~Alfred Hitchcock

Victoria's POV

"Yeah...yeah...absolutely..of course I'll bring it... thank you, bye" I finished, hanging up the phone with the palace.

"All done?" Sonia asked me from the other corner of the room, bag in one hand, box in the other.

It was officially the day, the day for my sister's first change, and also her 21st birthday.

"Yeah" I replied "Are you ready to go?" she nodded eagerly, walking towards me. "Great, let's leave shall we" and with that, we picked up our stuff and got into the car, driving off towards the temple, behind which my sister would be during her first change.

Every time a snake shifter turns 21, they obtain their snake form. Unlike werewolves, this is not a painful process, it's more of a pleasurable process. Family members gather around in the temple and watch as the gods worship us with our original form. To show our appreciation towards this, at least one family member contributes to the shifting, providing the shifting member by providing them with their old and peeled off snake skin.

I know it sounds painful, but it's far from painful.

I smiled at the memory of my first change. Despite not having anyone around, I still remember how other snake shifters around were more than happy to help with the shift and donate their skin to me, making it easier for me to shift. It was one of the most pleasurable and cherished moments of my life, and a moment I would never forget. The first time I had connected with my snake felt like I was in heaven and talking to god himself. She was everything I strived to be, and the best part was, she was within me, making me the person I stood to be present day.

Soon, the figure of the small temple came into view, excitement fluttering between both of us.

I slowly parked my car down the road to the temple and got out from the car, my sister mirroring my actions. Collecting everything we needed from the car, we made our way towards the inside of the temple.

The first thing that came into view was the fire on the ground, and the priest sitting next to the fire, chanting away familiar mantras with his eyes closed. Behind him, the grand statue of Shiva shined in all its glory. Climbing up the few steps, Sonia and I approached the front, joining our hands in front of our god and closing our eyes to thank the lord for everything we had and mourn for everything we had lost.

When our eyes opened, the priest had gotten up from his chant and came towards us with the familiar silver plate where I would give my snake skin to Sonia for her shift.

"May Shiva always be with you my child" he said, handing us the plate before returning to his original position.

Thanking him, we walked behind the statue, the place where it would happen. Slowly, we pulled out my skin from the box and placed it on the silver plate, positioning it on top of the red, holy cloth. Sonia quickly changed out of her usual attire into traditional Indian clothes, ready for her change to take over. She seated herself on a familiar red cloth, cross legged, her eyes meeting mine in excitement.

"You ready Son?" she took a deep breath, before her gaze reconnected with mine and she nodded.

It would happen anytime now. Sonia closed her eyes, knowing it was bound to happen anytime. My eyes fell on the outside through the small window inside the temple, noticing the sun almost completely down.

A few seconds later, I watched as it completely disappeared from view.

The next thing I heard, was my sister. More precisely, the chanting coming from my sisters mouth.