Eyes Of the Lost

11- Mimic

My eyes widen.
My heart pounds.
My blood rushes.
"Stop. Your have to promise you won't move," Ethan whispers harshly into my ear, his grip tight on my arm. I gulp, swallowing my fear, but it gets stuck in my throat. To be blatantly honest, I'm utterly terrified. I force myself to close my eyes, to breathe. Finally, I nod. Ethan loosens the grip on my body, but I don't move. I trust him.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," he says to me quietly before releasing his hold on my arm, "He's just a mimic."
I open my eyes and face the Howlight before me. It breathes heavily, as if constantly out of breath. Foam drips from it's mouth like a water faucet. It's eyes aren't a glowing yellow like before, but instead they are replaced with a fierce purple. They glare at me angrily, as if it were ready to attack. I look down at it's paws. They are abnormally huge, giant claws jutting out. I shiver, remembering how they felt slashing into my flesh.
I feel Ethan move beside me. He begins circling the Howlight, observing every little thing. He feels the fur and it's roughness, rubbing the texture between his finger tips.
"The fur seems good," Ethan says aloud. "Everything seems accurate. Try to snarl."
The Howlight before me breathes in deep before letting loose a fierce snarl, exposing sharp yellow teeth. I stay still, despite my body telling me its time to run away.
Ethan walks back to me, staring at the beast's wicked grin.
"Change back, everything looks in order," Ethan announces.
There is another flash of light, making me look away. When I look back, the boy from before stands there, his arms crossed.
"So, what did you think?" He asks, his grin wide. "Pretty impressive huh?"
I shake my head, telling myself its not possible. "You mean... You were the-"
"Yup. I just transformed into a Howlight," the boy chuckles, obviously enjoying the attention.
"That's his power," Ethan interrupts. "He can transform into any kind of mammal." My jaw gapes, confused yet amazed.
"Yup!" The boy smiles. "It takes a lot of work to turn into bigger creatures like Howlights, but small things like rabbits and mice I can turn into with ease."
"He can't talk though because he doesn't have human vocal cords," Ethan explains.
"Then by that logic, how do you keep your clothes?" I question, not entirely sure if this is real or not.
Ethan and the boy erupt into laughter.
"It's the way my powers work. When I transform, I completely change my shape. I can choose the shape I transform into, I picture it in my mind. When I see myself, I see myself wearing clothes, so when I transform back, nothing has changed."
I shake my head. "How is this possible?" I ask aloud.
Ethan laughs, amused at how confused I am.
"James is the only guy here with this ability. He's super lucky," Ethan puts a hand on the boy's shoulder.
James... I like it.
"So... You two are friends?" I ask stupidly.
"Yeah," James says, giving me a smile as he shoves Ethan playfully. "Even if he has a more common ability," he pokes.
"Hey!" Ethan frowns. "At least I'm good at it. In fact, I'd bet I practice more than anyone else that haves my ability."
James laughs and shakes his head. "No need to get so defensive, I was just joking. Your ability is cool, and your really good at it. Speaking of..." James looks from Ethan to me.
"Lets see that power of yours," James announces.
I shake my head. "I already told you, I dont know my powers," I say.
James chuckles, "Sure, but I'd say its about time you learned, right?"
I stand confused and cautious, yet extremely curious.
Ethan interrupts before I have the chance to answer. "I don't know James... That might not be a good idea."
James frowns. "Oh, come on Ethan! It will be just harmless fun. Besides, her ability can't be very strong. She hasn't ever practiced before!"
Ethan sighs reluctantly, but finally nods and gives in. "Fine, but you're the one instructing her," he says.
My mind races, remembering how I killed all those men with my powers, and a Howlight.
"I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you," I say.
James shakes his head. "No, you won't. What you've done before has been out of fear. When you control your powers, there's no way they can be as powerful as before," he assures me.
I breathe deep with nervousness, but nod nonetheless.
"Fine... " I nod, still unsure.
"Good," James smiles as he scratches his blonde hair.
There's a slight pause, but sure enough, James begin speaking softly, his voice smooth and thick like honey.
"Picture yourself standing still, and focus on it. Feel your soul deep within you, and force all your feeling outwards, towards you finger tips," James explains slowly. I try so hard to focus on the burning feeling inside me, but it fizzles out, leaving nothing but smoke. I close my eyes, clentching my fists.
"Don't struggle so much," James explains. "It should feel natural, like a water faucet turning on inside of you."
I loosen my grip, focusing on pushing whatever's inside of me out. I shiver, but nothing is happening.
I open my eyes and sigh. "Its not working," I say.
James nods. "Yes it is. You just don't notice it. Your grip on your power isn't strong enough. It will get better," he gives me a reassuring grin.
I smile back weakly, somewhat disappointed.
Suddenly, a buzzing noise erupts from Ethan's pocket. Ethan pulls out a thin piece of metal, which I believe to be a cellphone, and he puts it up to his ear.
"Yeah? What's up?" He asks seemingly no one. His eyes begin to widen with a strange expression. Fear? Suprise? Its hard to read.
"Okay, give me five minutes," he says in a rushed voice, shoving the phone in his pocket immediately afterwards.
Ethan looks at me as if he's ran a mile. His face has turned red, his movements jerky.
Finally, he speaks, his voice almost hoarse.
"They found Samantha."