Nimrah

Genuine

---------------------------------Chapter 5---------------------------------

I was placed into the back of a large silver van, on a pile of cushions covered with a plastic tarpaulin. Dr Aleksi was still repeating, “I’m so sorry,” over and over. Now though he backed away so I couldn’t hear him. Two strangers leaned over me and started pressing thick pieces of material over the ‘incisions’. The pressure sent burning pain ricocheting throughout my entire body. I wanted to get away from them but it hurt too much to move, and I was screaming again.

“Shhh, shh. It’s okay darling. We’re only trying to help you, I promise,” it was a woman talking. She was holding one of the pieces of material over the slice in my left arm, “Get some painkillers or something in her. She’s in a lot of pain.”

Another stranger came forward with a needle full of a kind of blue liquid. I tried to struggle but he held my arm still and pushed the needle in. My world began to spin and the pain began to subside. I closed my eyes and let myself pass out.

I woke with a short scream, “CHASE!”

A long haired blonde came and began to check all the equipment I hadn’t noticed was surrounding me, “It’s okay Hun. You’re fine. Nobody’s going to hurt you here.”

I looked up at her. Her soft blue eyes appeared to be telling the truth. But looks can be deceiving, I reminded myself.

“Yes, that’s very true. Looks can be deceiving however I truly wouldn’t ever try to hurt you. You’re to…” the blonde seemed to be searching for a word, “‘Special’ I guess… Oh, I’m Theda by the way.”

“Russian… God’s gift,” I whispered.

“Yep that’s right. You’re good with name meanings.”

I nodded, “I searched a lot when I renamed myself, I liked that one.”

“Yeah, we heard about that. A little bit obvious don’t you think?”

“What?”

“Nimrah White… Leopard White. Just a bit obvious.”

“Oh… Obvious how… What do you mean?” Why am I talking to this person? All I know is she’s called Theda and yet she seems to know a lot about me. Well a lot considering I haven’t told her a thing.

“Don’t fret darling. We know you change into a snow leopard. There are a few people in the world like you that change into something. We currently have working here a monkey Changer, a shark Changer, a tiger Changer and a jackal Changer. We don’t know why but we do know how to find them. Then they’re monitored until they’re eighteen and then offer them a job here to train.

“However we have opposition… see they want to bring destruction to the world. You Changers are the only hope of stopping them, only you don’t come of full power until you’re over eighteen, only they don’t know that and thought that they should try kidnap you in hope they’d find out how to stop us. They’ve never succeeded in kidnapping a Changer before but then most aren’t as obvious as you. First getting abandoned by your family and then changing your name to something so obvious, and then always standing out at your school. You should have tried to blend in.”

Umm… Lady I may not know much about you but I do know when you’ve crossed a line! Who the hell do you think you are blaming me for getting kidnapped? I’m sorry I got mad over my parents abandonment. I’m sorry for feeling sick at the very thought of keeping my original name. To me that felt like a betrayal to who I was.

“Oops, my bad,” I sneered.

“Oh no! I’m sorry. I’m not trying to say it’s your fault. I’m sorry.”