Fiory School of Shapshiftion (Ahem. dear dorks, that's shapeshiftion without the e)

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

First, an angry looking rhino charged at me. I stifled a scream and let out a gasp of terror. Two huge, unfamiliar, rough hands immediately grabbed my wrists. An enormous man was coming up to me. He was holding an axe!!!!!!!! Oh right, I guess a gasp counted as a peep. But, it's just that, I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!!!!!!!!! Sterling felt me tense up.

The next thing I new, the huge man was being practically ripped apart by a white lion. Then the lion attacked the two men holding me. But an army of rhinos, tigers, and wild boars was forming around him. No way he could make it out of there alive. NO WAY. Shit, Sterling was gonna die cuz of me. I walked over to him, calmly. He flinched when I touched him. He shapshifted. I figured out why he turned away from me before. He was naked until he had gotten rid of all of his lion qualities. I averted my eyes, knowing I would be mad at myself forever for not getting a close up of his hotness. When his pants were fully formed, he stepped close to me and pulled me to his chest. Then he kissed me. Really hard. Into my ear he whispered, "Hug me and don't let go until I tell you to."

Still flustered about the way he had suddenly kissed me, I wrapped my arms around him. For the first time, I became aware that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Oh well. Then he shapshifted. I felt his body grow all hairy and white. When he was fully animal, I noticed the deep gashes in his fur and flesh. Blood. He had gotten hurt by the men. He was breathing deeply. He was weak and hurt. I squeezed his front paw, keeping my other arm secured around him. Then he shapshifted back. I blushed. I again averted my eyes until I was sure he had pants on.

"Let go." He whispered. Then he faced the crowd. "Jury!" He yelled, in the manliest voice I had ever heard from a teenager. He spread his arms out. "This girl is not ashamed of shapshiftion. She is not disgusted. And she is my lover. She has not turned me away because of my transformation. She gasped from the tiger only because she is new to this. Within a year, I can promise you, she will be used to it. Enroll her to Fiory School. Charge her to me. I will answer for her misdoings. Give her a form and be rid of her. She will not burden you. Give her a form and leave everything to me! I offer you a deal never before presented! Accept an opportunity you will only find once!!"

He put down his arms and stared at the snake, which I noticed had been there the entire time. He shapshifted.

"Sterling, you give us a simple choice. We have agreed to your offer. If after exactly one year, she has not grown accustomed to our ways, we will murder both her and you, in the worst way we can find. In the meantime, we will give her the form of the snow rabbit. Now leave before we change our minds."

Sterling grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the room. I wondered if I had done something so terrible to make him this angry. He yanked me pretty rough.

Once we got far enough away from the court, though, he pulled me into a hug.

"Thanks." He whispered through my hair.

"For what? You're the one that saved my life." I hugged him back, super hard.

"For playing along. And for helping me when I was being cornered."

"Hey, why did you call me your lover?" I wanted to know. Seriously, I did.

He looked away and I swear I saw his cheeks get pink. "It, it was just something I said. It's against their morals to get in the way of a serious romance." I blinked.

"A what?" I asked, pulling away. He put his hands up. "I didn't mean it like that. It was just extra wood for the fire." I jumped into his arms, catching him off guard.

"One more thing." I said.

"Sure."

"Why did you stiffen when he said I'd be a snow rabbit."

Sterling set me down and backed up against a wall. "No reason."

"I asked you a question, Sterling." Mom-tones sometimes work.

He turned away from me. "I said no reason!" He yelled.

"Listen, cuz I'm only saying this once." I said, really angrily. "I hate being rejected, especially when all I'm asking is a question!! Thanks for saving my butt, back there, but you're not getting let off the hook that easily. I have a problematic temper and I can't put up with your crap!" He stood up and slapped me. My cheek burned. My eyes glazed.

I turned around and ran far away from him. I turned into so many different halls that I lost track of where I'd turned left and where I'd turned right. My tears and rage both blinded me. How dare he? I stumbled into some kind of office. A boy about my age and a man a few years older, were arguing.

The man looked up. "You must be Yana, the new girl I have to enroll. First of all, would you deal with this young man here?" He glared at the boy.

The boy got up and pulled me out into the hall with him. "I'm Lark." He said.

"Hi."