EverChange

Chapter 10

I had torn chunks out of fallen logs, tree bark, chased small animals and even ate some fish down by the lake. I.... never ran around in areas that big. When I was in grade school, we would go down to Belle Isle and I would turn into some dog and we'd run around. Sometimes we would stay late (before they buckled down on the rules) and Roanne would shoot off 'fireworks'. Linden and Mom would sit and watch with us. 

We had an entire set up. I would be rottweiler-retriever thing, had a collar and tags we bought second hand, and called by the name "Misty". It got all my pent up energy from not using my powers for weeks at a time. I had been a problem before we worked out this deal. I would shift into cats, ferrets, squirrels, birds, gekkos, and my mother's least favorite, snakes. I could only be the form. I could change my bones, skin, muscles, added limbs and toes, but I could never do things like toxins or poisons. Even if I turned into a dart frog, I was just slimy. Every snake was fanged, but I couldn't synthesize venom. After I had broken up with my first girlfriend, I slept in a lot, and when someone(usually Roanne) woke me up I would be in form. Sometimes, something humanoid. This one time, I was a snake, I don't remember what, I just remember wanting to tear my skin off-- and as some form of self preservation, I was something that didn't have nails or claws. 

I remember her screaming, and using something hard to hit me. I panicked, bared my fangs, then dove between the gap behind my bookcase and the wall. I remember staying there for hours, almost a full day. This, was a reverse of that. The dirt felt heavenly between my toes. The smells and sounds flooded my predatory mind-- and the urges to mark everything and eat raw flesh were almost overpowering.

I had caught a rabbit with my own jaws, then let it go moments later. It was fun. I had found a cougar, and her cubs. She chased me away and gave me some gashes on my hip. It was hours later, the sun was high when I decided to turn in. I walked up to the house, limbs aching and caked in mud,  blood and everything was tangled in my hair-- 

"Wait. Whut." I stood there, staring at my hands. "When... Okay." I didn't recall changing back, or even thinking human. I reached the porch, and found only the sweater from the night before. My tank, and pants were gone. "Are you.... Fucking kidding me!"

I pulled on the hoody, my shoulders stiff. When I finished zipping it up and tugging the hem down, I looked at the door to find a group of people staring at me. I did not recognize any of them. I was on the wrong porch. This was the wrong house. My face burned and I felt sick. 

I awkwardly waved at them, then gripped the railing to jump off. Arms encircled my waist and yanked me back up.

"Holy shit! No! You'll break your neck!" he shouted at me. My hands went out, to claw at his face. 

He tugged me back over the railing, my legs went out and I kicked off the wood. We both collided with the wall, and I heard people shouting. I would get arrested for trespassing and assault. I sprung off him and smacked right into the broad chest of another man.

"Woah Li'l Sheila." he spoke with an accent, his tone full of laughter. "We're friends of Donny-- You know Donny right?"

He gripped my arms, then released me, taking a step back to give me room.

"Knocked the wind out of me." he grumbled, eliciting a laugh from the guy with an accent. 

I sidestepped to get inside, where I was met with amused expressions from men and a few women sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. 

In a whirl of soft purple and white, Devonny ran past me to the men outside. This got one of the women, a blonde with spiky short hair and gauged ears to burst out laughing. I looked her way, and she addressed me.