Shifters

Chapter 1

The call that should have brought the joy of imminent freedom sent shivers of fear down my spine. Each girl at the home had to wear a bracelet imbedded with a tracker and a pager, a luxury most of the Fallen could never have dreamed of owning, even though it was more of a burden than a treasure to me. But of course, the girls' home I lived in was owned by the government, which meant that the home's budget was significantly higher than any citizen-operated orphanage.

The bracelet was buzzing and lit up green, signaling that I was to report to the headmistress immediately. This only happened when someone was getting adopted. But something was wrong. What kind of nice family would come claim someone in the middle of the night? Who was claiming me when no one had visited the home in months? My mind buzzed with questions as I pulled on a robe and crept out of the dormitory. I skirted the creaky floorboards in the hall and crept downstairs. The headmistress's office door was open, golden light seeping out onto the worn carpet of the hall. I stepped through the door.

"You called?" I asked quietly, fearing that using a voice any louder would betray the terrified quiver in my voice.

"Yes," Mrs. Thorn replied, her beady eyes scrunched up in a feral smile. "I would like to congratulate you on being adopted."

"Madame, who adopted me?" I questioned.

"I'll let them introduce themselves," she replied mysteriously.

Out of the shadows, two people emerged, their white lab coats swirling around them. This was no kind, loving family. These people worked for the government. My fear grew.

"You can't do this!" I shouted at Mrs. Thorn.

"Actually, I can," she purred. "They filled out all the forms and paid the money. I'm sorry, but you belong to them now."

I tried to scream, but the sound caught in my throat. The stern-faced kidnappers in their pristine white coats ushered me out the door and over to a black van. They lifted me into the back and one of them pulled a cloth out of his pocket.

"What? Why are you...?" I stuttered.

"The location of the Facility is classified," he replied and pressed the cloth to my mouth and nose.

My world faded into darkness.

                               ***********

When I came to, the van was bumping over a road that I guessed was probably full of potholes. I sat up, shaking my head to clear the last of my grogginess. I scooted over to the side of the van, where, instead of the black-painted windows I had expected, there were one-way black sunshades. I peeked out, but all I could see was trees. Trees that weren't any types I recognised. I felt very alone and very lost.

I watched the window for a long time since I had nothing else to do. When I was so bored I began contemplating going back to sleep, the van made a turn onto a paved road and the foliage began to thin. Suddenly, a mansion appeared out of the leaves and mist. Vines had crept up and overtaken most of it, but its former glory could still be seen. I couldn't see in front of the van, so I was surprised when my view was abpuptly cut off by whitewashed walls. I felt the van slowing down and quickly slumped over, pretending to still be asleep. If the "Facility's" location was such an important secret that I had to be drugged, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to let these people find out that I was awake and had seen the outside of my new home.

The van finally slowed to a stop and I heard the front doors slam. Someone came into the back of the vehicle and rolled me onto a stretcher, binding my hands and feet to the hard plastic. The stretcher was lifted up and out of the van. When I dared to glance at my surroundings, all I could see was white walls and the occasional black door to either side of me. After a long walk, the stretcher finally turned and I was brought into a room. My hand and feet were released and then I was rolled off the stretcher and onto a cot. My escort left the room and I released a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. Then the telltale click of a lock echoed through the room. My heart sank. I was still a prisoner. I waited a while before opening my eyes to survey the room. My quarters were a perfect square with pale green walls. The only decoration was a vase of flowers on a stool in the corner. I rolled off the cot to go look at them and found that they were fake. I sighed and flopped back onto the cot. The events of the night caught up to me and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

                                        **********

When I awoke, the plastic flowers were gone, and in their place sitting on the stool was a woman in a white lab coat. She had blond hair and unnaturally dark eyebrows. Apparently, she had been watching me sleep. Creepy. She smiled at me when she saw I was awake.

"Theodora Myers, what a pleasure it is to meet you," she trilled.

"What do you want from me?" I asked nervously.

"Don't be scared, darling, your new life here will be great! You have been chosen to have the honor of experiencing the newest technology!" she chirped.

"New technology?"

"Why, of course!"

I sat up. "What?"

The lady finally realized I had no idea what I was doing here. "Well, it's simple. Our scientists here have been scanning the medical records of orphaned children, looking for the lucky few who fit the criteria to help with our newest breakthrough. You are one of these few."

"But what is this 'breakthrough technology'?" I asked.

"Cell structure morphing, changable DNA," she replied in a confidential whisper. "Shape-shifting."

"Yeah right." I let out a slow breath. Not only were these people kidnappers, they were also insane.

"You are one of three people in the world strong enough to undergo the transformations," she added.

"Lucky me." I said sarcasticly. The lady didn't pick up on the sarcasm.

"That you are!" she said brightly. She glanced at her watch. "Time for lunch. You must be hungry after skipping breakfast. Time for you to meet your fellow shifters!"

"Fellow shifters..."

"Yep!" I had no choice but to follow her as she beckoned me into the hall. We walked down several hallways. Well, at least I wasn't going to be alone in this.