Shifter

Chapter Two (lyra)

It hadn't taken long for Lyra to find Ryan. He had been asleep a few yards away from where the water of the creek met the rocky shore.

Now the two of them walked side by side in search for a place to sit. A old log ended up being the best option.

Lyra handed Ryan the bigger red apple as he made to sit down. Lyra backside didn't hurt much anymore and she was easily able to able to sit comfortably next to him.

A gentle breeze blew Lyra's hair back and she closed her eyes. Throughout Lyra's life she had never met her mother. She often longed for a mother to hold her. Her father had never done anything to comfort her. She wondered why she left them. Lyra assumed her gifts were passed down by her mother. Things would have been a lot easier if her mother had been there those initial months when her abilities first made their appearance. On many occasions Lyra had come close to getting caught.

Though he wasn't any good at being a parent, Lyra was generally grateful for her father. Sure, he hated her guts and offered her the bare minimum of care. But at least he provided a home and food for her.

She might be able to shift into animals but that didn't mean she automatically new how to survive as one. As much as she wanted to run away, Lyra was better off at home than anywhere else.

"Lyra." Ryan said gently as he set the leftover core of his apple on the ground. "What took so long coming out here?" Lyra paused her own apple eating and looked at him.

"I broke a glass. Father wasn't happy." She left out the part about Ryan's mud tracks not wanting him to feel guilty.

"Oh." His reply was quiet. "I'm sorry Lyra."

"Ryan! What are you sorry for?! You're not the one who shattered a jar on the floor!" Ryan shrugged.

For a moment the two sat in silence. Lyra scanned the shore in search of a decent skipping stone. It didn't take her long before her eyes came across one.

She stood up to go retrieve. It's smooth surface felt cold in the palm of her hand. Gripping between her thumb and index finger, Lyra shot it down stream. It skipped three times before it finally sank to the bottom.

She looked around her and spotted three more.

"Hey give me a couple!" Called Ryan from the log. Lyra quickly tossed two of the stones to Ryan as he came towards her.

Gripping one the same as Lyra had, Ryan threw his first stones. It skipped five times.

"Ha! I better at skipping than you!" He shouted.

"Oh really?"

"Of course I am. Besides I'm older than you. I have way more experience."he chuckled at Lyra's expression.

"That means nothing! Your older only by a few months!" Her angered expression turned to laughter as well. "I'll show you!" She threw the rock as hard as she could. It skipped seven times. She turned to Ryan looking pleased with herself.

Ryan then threw his. They counted and his stone unmistakably skipped a total of eight times. He smiled at Lyra in triumph.

"See? I really am the bes—" he was suddenly interrupted by Lyra pushing him backwards right into the water. The shocked expression on his face caused Lyra to explode into a fit of giggles.

Ryan groaned in pain. Lyra suddenly stopped her laughing and reached down to help him up.

"Ryan! I'm so sorry! I really didn't meN to hurt you!" Once Ryan grabbed hold of Lyra's outstretched hand however, he burst into a smile as he yanked Lyra down with him.

This time it was Ryan who started laughing as Lyra burst through the water looking quite flustered. It didn't take long for Lyra to join Ryan in his laughter.

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After hours of enjoying the chilly creek water, Lyra and Ryan climbed out of the water to dry of. With nothing to dry off with the two layer down in the grass under the sun. The warm rays sent nice chills down Lyra's spine. Despite what had happened with her father, Lyra had enjoyed herself today.

Moments passed while the two sat in silence. The only noises came from the gurgling creek water and the summer insects.

Lyra turned on her side, propping her body up on her elbow and looked over at Ryan. His eyes were still closed as he enjoyed the sun.

Out of all the years Lyra had known Ryan, she had only really gotten to study him on a handful of times. And after every observation, Lyra had come up with the same conclusion each time. Ryan was very handsome.

With long lashes, tan skin, lushes brown hair that sparkled in the light. It was no wonder he had many girls from the village swooning over him. Lyra's favorite feature of his were his navy eyes. She hadn't seen any others like them.

Though she would never openly admit it to anyone she had had quite a crush on him for a while now. Lost in her daze, Lyra didn't notice that Ryan's eyes had been open for a few minutes. He chuckled finally.

"Like what you see?" He asked with a smirk. That certainly knocked Lyra out of her trance. Immediately Lyra's face flushed with red. She quickly turned away.

"No Ryan!" She said. "There was only a bug on your head! See? There it goes..." Lyra's excuse was far from convincing, and fooled no one.

"All right Lyra. A bug." Ryan said. Lyra sighed quietly.

"I should probably head home. I've been gone long enough. My father won't appreciate my absence." Ryan shrugged. Lyra quickly stood up, the heat from her face not yet subsiding. Before Ryan had a chance to say anything else Lyra spun around on her heel and was off.

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Thanks for reading this far!
I promise there will be more to come!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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