Changelings

I’m Jordan and I’m in year eight at Stimmen boarding school, a few weeks through the first spring half term.

     It was just an average Friday school afternoon when everything started. I looked normal enough, brown shoulder length hair, brown eyes, but me and Rick Sello, sitting next to me, share one big secret. We’re changelings.

     Let me explain. As changelings, we can turn into animals. Well, I couldn’t turn into many. Only three, as I was twelve, but Rick could turn into anything as he was thirteen. Every changeling has a first animal though. I’m a Siberian Tigress, and Rick’s a Cheetah.

     Ok, so that explains mostly about changelings. Now how we got so close. When we were younger, our parents sent us to one of the only changeling academies in the UK, PFA. We graduated really early. Anyway, at this academy, they believed that instead of having boy’s dormitories and girl’s dormitories, that one boy and one girl should be in one room, with their own bathrooms and changing rooms. So me and Rick were put together. He is kind of hot, although I would never let him know, light grey eyes always sparkling, his brown-blonde hair looking like nature couldn’t decide. At first we didn’t like each other, but over time we got as close as twins, although he was older than me.

     Anyway, so we were sitting there in the school library, just talking. “I can’t believe it!”

     Rick nodded, his light grey eyes shining. “Well, it’s true! Cause my birthday was at the beginning of the holidays, and then you know I’ve got all my animals now, my mum took me around the world, visiting some of my foreign relatives!”

     I shook my head. “Ugh! My mum would never do that! She didn’t even take Tabby into the woods when she transformed. You’re so lucky!”

     Tabby’s my older sister, Tabitha Casey. In fact, she’s a lot older than me; ten years. She graduated early from PFA as well, but not as early as me and Rick. She left after the term that she turned thirteen.

     Rick nodded again. “Yep. It was so fun! If we do it again, I’ll try to get my mum to invite you, and—“ He was cut off by a massive laugh from the table next to us. The librarian came in and told the boys sitting there to either be quiet or get out, and they all pretended to start reading books. But as soon as the librarian left they were whispering again.

     Kal Jackson, on their table, stood up. He has thick, blonde hair and radiant blue eyes. He is slightly full of himself, thinking he is so hot. To be honest, he kind of is. When I started year seven here, I had a major crush on him. But then I realised how arrogant he is.

     Anyway, he walked over to me and Rick, and put his hand on Rick’s shoulder. Rick looked up at him, eyebrows raised. Kal smiled at him before reaching down and pecking me on the cheek. Me and Rick both stood up at the same time, (as I said, we’re really close) me in front of him and Rick behind.

     Kal raised his hands defensively. “Hey, come on guys! It was just a dare!”

     I looked over his shoulder at the boys on his table. Most of them were smirking, but Terry stood up. “Come on, Kal, a proper kiss!” There was a round of cheering from the table.

     Kal went red, and I saw something strange out of the corner of my eye. I looked down and gasped. His hand was shrinking and growing fur. I let my vocal-cords change into their Tiger form, and gave a deep growl. I hoped that Rick could hear it, like a warning call. I don’t know if he did, but he still looked at me and realised something was wrong, and nodded. I nodded back, and he moved to cover me.

     I grabbed Kal’s hand and went round the back of him, growling in his ears. You see, while my vocal cords were Tiger, my language was Tiger. I could still understand human, just not speak it. So, as I was telling Kal to ‘stay calm, we are doing this for your own good’, he was probably hearing ‘grr grrgrr, grr grrgrr grr”.