Shape Shifting Love

Chapter Five

Chapter 5

Michaela

As I climb out of the car, the sunlight hitting my face and warming my cheeks. The huge house in front of me seems so normal, so peaceful, may be too peaceful. Mason walks over to me, with a glimmer of a smile on his face and grabs my hand. I look down at our entwined hands, his rough skin holding my hand so tightly. Then I look back at him and we both smile, I pull my hand away to take my things that the strange looking man hands me. Mason’s hands drop to his sides, and just before he can slip them into his pockets I grab one of them and drag him to the front door. The tall woman opens the door for us and allows us to step inside.

“Now,” starts the strange looking man, “So what do you think? I know it’s not much, and not like home but I’m sure you will get along with the other teens here. Oh let me show you your room.”

We follow him up the stairs, which creek and squeak with every step we take. He leads us past three rooms before we get to ours.

“I’m sorry but you two will have to share, all the other rooms are filled is that ok?” he explains to us. The room contains two single beds which are pushed right up to the walls, a chest of draws and a double wardrobe. The walls have been painted light blue which seems to be fading by the windows.

“Well, I guess we will leave you to it,” the woman says, “When you are done the other teens will be down stairs in the lounge.”

I nod and so does Mason as the woman and strange looking man start their way back down stairs. I dump my things on the floor and collapse onto one of the beds that I have now claimed as mine. Mason comes and sits at the end of the bed and plays with the cords of his jumper. I sit up and take his hand, “What’s the matter?” I say to him as I look him in the eyes. He had always had the habit of looking at the floor when he lies. But he just looks away and gazes out the window. So I stand up and move in front of him to block his view.

“Come on, you know you can tell me anything.”

“Yeah I know,” he starts, “it’s nothing really, I think I’m just trying to adapt to the whole situation that’s all.”

“Well ok, if you’re sure,” he nods and makes his way over to his bag and starts unpacking, so I do the same.

Once we have finished packing we head our way down stairs to the lounge where there are four people sitting on the sofas. One girl rushes over to us; she is a little shorter than both of us and her hair is tied in two messy plaits.

“Hey, you’re new I’m guessing?” She asks as she sweeps her ginger fringe to the side.

“Yeah,” I start, “I’m Michaela and he is Mason,” he puts his hand up to say hi and then slips it back into his pocket.

“Hi then, my name is Catherine, you want to come and sit down?” She walks back over to the sofas and we follow her. She throws herself onto the sofa and pats the seat beside her for us to sit on. She picks up her IPod and starts listening to it, but the others pay no attention to us. Two of them, obviously boyfriend and girlfriend, are huddled against each other. The boy’s black spikey hair the exact colour of the girl’s long wavy hair besides him.

“That’s Leo and Kate,” Catherine says as she takes on of her earphones out to speak to us, “come here together and believe they are going to leave together as well. They both ran away from home because their parents didn’t approve of their relationship together, well that’s what I’ve heard. But if you ask me I think there’s something else to it.”

I look at her, “What do you mean something else?” She looks at me and shrugs,

“I don’t know, maybe not just a normal family argument. I don’t think that would just be the cause of them running away that’s all.”

I look at Mason who has seemed to have immersed himself in his thoughts. But there is also another girl in the room; she sits on the floor against the wall engrossed in a book. Catherine obviously sees me looking at her and taps me on the shoulder to get my attention.

“She’s called Hayley, always got her nose in a book, never really hear much from her. I think she came here because her family couldn’t deal with her, they think she has selective mutism or something like that.”

“So she’s never spoken to you, like how is that even possible?”

 “I have no idea,” Catherine replies to my question, “all that I know is that she’s never spoken to me anyway.”

I peer over at Hayley again who is still engrossed in her book. Her green eyes darting between the words, and not being slightly put off when her bright ginger hair flops in front of her face.

“But, now that I think of it,” she begins again, “I’ve walked past her room a couple of times and heard her talking to herself.”

Once she has finished talking Catherine slips her earphone back into her ear and sit back. I turn to Mason who looks at me and shrugs, as if I’ve just asked a question.

“Hey Michaela do you want to come up to my room and I can show you around a bit?” Catherine offers me.

“Yeah, that would be good,” I turn to Mason and ask, “Do you want to come with?” he shakes his head and I just shrug off the thought that I should stay with him. Anyways he probably wants to think through some stuff I guess. So I follow Catherine up the stairs and leave Mason in the living room.