I'm Not an Animal (Slow Updates)

Chapter 4

Just to let you know, Viewers are based off of iPads. Hope that made them easier to imagine.

English class seemed to drag on. Every time I answered a question I would get all these looks from the guys. It was like they couldn't get enough of me! When it finally ended I was so happy just to get out of there.

"Hey Misha, want to come over to my place for a sleepover?" I asked as we walked down the hall. "We can help each other with the homework, and it'll be fun. We haven't had one in ages!"

"Sure, sounds great! I'll be at your place in two hours, okay?"

"Five o'clock? Sure. Dad doesn't get back until tomorrow and Jack is off on camp until Thursday night."

"Sweet, girl's night!" Misha have me a high-five and pulled her homework books from her locker. I grabbed mine and slid them into my satchel. We walked outside and Misha went to walk to the Air-Tran when the crowd parted, screaming, and forced her backwards. A Lion jumped in front of her and roared loudly. In less time than it took to blink, I was in front of Misha in my Tiger form.

"Leave my friend alone!" I roared.

"I wasn't going to hurt her! I just need to get out of here!"

"Hey, you're that boy from this morning! Why do you need to go?"

"Because they're chasing me!" Then he ran towards the fence, leaping up it and forcing himself over. He scrambled off into the forest and vanished, once again, into the trees.

Misha was quaking behind me, her legs shaking. I walked over to her and changed back into my human form. "How about you come straight to my house, yeah?" I said, leading her home. I opened up my Viewer and dialled her parents. Her mum picked up and her face filled the square screen.

"Hey Mrs Royan. Is it okay if Misha stays over tonight? And if she comes straight to my house? A Lion just jumped out right in front of her, and she's a little shaken up."

"Of course. That shouldn't be any problem at all. As long as she has her books. Do you have a change of clothes for her, or do you want me to drop some around?"

"It's okay, we have some spare clothes Misha can use. Thank you for letting her stay over."

"It's no trouble at all."

"Bye mum." Misha called.

"Bye Misha."

I disconnected the call and Misha grinned. Then we headed to the Air-Tran. There are different kinds of Air-Tran. Some look like what were called trains, and they glide along rails. They have a row of seats on each wall of every carriage and bars hanging from the ceiling in case there's too many people for the seats. Those are Air-Trains. We also have Air-Trams, which look like previous-day busses. They have sets of seats along each wall and have cage boxes at the front, right behind the doors. These are for bags and luggage, especially if the Air-Tram is taking passengers a long way.

We caught the next Air-Train and rode it to my station. All the houses look alike, save for the numbers out the front. Every house was built the same: two floors; kitchen, dining room, bathroom and family room on the first floor, and parent's room, girl's room, boy's room and another bathroom on the top floor. There is a hallway down the middle and a set of stairs at the far end of the hall. Every house is a perfect square. Front yards are the same, too, with a row of bushes on either side of the pathway. The back yard is ours to do as we want, though, and our house backed onto a forest.

Misha and I hopped off the Air-Train and made our way in front of the rows of neat, tidy houses. Officials patrolled the edges of the Road and nodded to us, smiling, as we entered my house.

"I'm home mum! Misha's here, can she stay over tonight?"

"As long as it's okay with her mother." Mum replied from the kitchen.

"It is! Thanks mum. Oh, there's something else I wanted to show you." I shifted and ran down the hall, turning left and leaping into the kitchen. I roared loudly and mum jumped back when she saw me. She shifted into her animal form, a jackal, and yapped at me. I laughed, but it came out as a deep growl. I shifted back into my human form and mum went wide-eyed as she returned to her own human form.

"You shifted! Oh, I'm so proud of you." Mum pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead. I blushed as she did, but hugged her back. When she let me go, she turned back to the pot in the stove.

"I'm making spaghetti, so as soon as I finish I'll go and get you some pyjamas Misha." Mum said.

"Thanks Mrs McGrath."

"I told you, just call me Cathy." Mum said, laughing.

"We're going to the family room, okay mum?"

"Sure thing. Want me to show you the way there, Misha?" We burst out laughing, then Misha and I ran down the hall. We pulled out our books and started to work on the homework we had in common.

"You have to carry that three and add it to that seven." Misha pointed out.

"Oh, thanks." I called. We continued to help each other until Misha finished her homework.

"I'll help you with that if you want." She said, leaning over.

"Sure. I have to do a report on The Great War. Shouldn't take too long." Misha helped me with little grammar and punctuation errors, pointing out things that would make my report better. We did it in a way that it was my words with her editing, making the paper acceptable under my name.

"Thanks M." I said, hugging her.

"No problem T."

"Girls! Spaghetti's ready!"

"Okay mum!" We walked out, into the hall and down to the dining room. I slid into one of the wooden seats and lifted my fork, twirling it through the long pasta strings. Misha and I slurped up our spaghetti and mum rolled her eyes, before walking off to find some pyjamas. One of my spaghetti strands flicked up, sending sauce over my nose. I stuck out my tongue, trying to reach it, but my tongue was too short.

I wiped my nose and leaned over the table, wiping the sauce on Misha's arm. She cried out and lifted a spaghetti strand before attempting to drop it on my head. I raised my face and caught the spaghetti in my mouth before it could hit my hair and Misha laughed.

"What did I miss girls?" Mum asked, coming back into the room.

"Oh, nothing." I said quickly. Misha snorted loudly as she tried to hold in her laughter. Mum looked at us strangely but just shrugged and sat down to eat.

When we'd finished, Misha came up to my room and I set out a mattress for her. We sat around, talking and playing games on our Viewers. Mum came in after a few hours.

"Get ready to go to bed, it's Thursday tomorrow."

"Aaw. Okay mum." We got up and changed, then slid back into bed. Just as I lay down I remembered the Guide Book. I'd brought my satchel up with me so when mum came in to make sure we were asleep, I pretended to be sleeping. When she left, I pulled out the book and a flashlight and pulled my blankets over my head. I shifted my pillow, pushed my back against the wall, flicked on the torch and started to read.

Attached picture is a simple above-view of the houses.