1nn0c3nt

---Thursday 22nd August 2019---

My alarm goes off, and I wake up filled with anger. I turn into a bird and fly without even thinking into my bedroom wall. The real, conscious pain in my head distracts me momentarily from replaying my friend's death over in my mind. I need to calm down. I get up and get ready for school silently, hoping to God my friend's still alive and that it was all just a dream. When I get to school, no one talks to me, apart from my friends. The others wanted to forget what happened yesterday, but my friends are inquisitive. No point in hiding now, I think to myself. "So- what happened yesterday?" one asks. "Nothing. I couldn't really see over the top of the table I was hiding behind," I say trying to brush everything off. "No, someone said they saw you tap your arm and-" I cut her off. "I know- turn into a biosynthetic hood. I know. Now please, stop asking me about it." they retreat, suddenly aware of the stress the situation caused me.

"Sorry, Jaka. We uh- we didn't know for sure it was you. You're so quiet in class that someone else pretended they were you." I feel irritation burn my veins like flowing fire. "Let them." I say darkly. "Anything that throws everyone else off my scent is good. Also, if you don't want me to go to jail, please don't mention this incident outside of school?" I ask them. They nod. I know they're going to spill it eventually. I decide I need to talk to Peter, a kid who's hid his identity for years. I need help, and I'm not afraid to say it. But then I get the call of a lifetime from- guess who? Peter's voice crackles to life. "I'm going on a school trip tomorrow. I really need this break. I'm leaving you in charge," he says. I laugh. "What about Shuri?" He laughs back. "Nah, I figured it better to leave the tech stuff to her and leave the patrols to you." I choked back a sob of excitement- Peter Parker, the famed yet unknown Spider-Man, was leaving patrolling to me, a fourteen year old Australian shapeshifter. My mind was beyond blown. "I've got Bucky and Sam patrolling in New York and around the compound," he continues. "And Shuri's keeping in touch with her brother. But you- you've got an entire country to yourself!" he laughs. "Don't worry. You'll do great. I know it. And if there's anything you need, buzz me. I'll buzz in if something goes wrong- not everything in my life so far has liked the idea of going right," he adds. "See you soon,Wolfcry," he says. "Copy that, Spider-Man." I finish with a smile as the audio feed cuts out.

He buzzes me again the next day. "We just took off! Good luck, Jakaranda." I stop for a second. "Hold on just a sec," I say, turning into a peregrine falcon and using my inbuilt migratory navigation skills to track down Peter's plane. I find it up in the air and change form behind a cloud into a firebird, a brightly-coloured bird no-one's seen in years. I find the window and fly past. On the inside of the plane I hear vibrations, and I know someone's talking. "If you look out your windows, you'll see a rare firebird! What a sight!" I see Peter inside. He's talking to Ned, his best friend. A smile shows up on his face and I read his lips as he whispers, "That's no firebird," he scrambles over to the window. He waves, and I nod in return. "That's Jakaranda," he smiles again. Ned gives him a puzzled look. "Jakaranda?" Peter waves his hand dismissively, though I sense his surprise. "She's part of the next generation- We're founding a new Avengers force dedicated to Tony. We're going to be the next suit of armor around the world," he says. Ned blinks. "So- you're telling me you found an Australian shapeshifter? How'd you track her?" he asks. Peter just shakes his head. "Spider-sense. She's fifty percent malleable DNA, meaning she's able to graft animal DNA into her own to shapeshift. I sensed her animal form." Ned nods."She's also the last of her kind- Recently, I've been researching Italy, but stumbled across Australian facts- and they say, for Australia, that all their shapeshifters have been killed. Meaning, she's the only one left." I wave one more time and head back to my foster home.

I lie on my bed, arms and shoulders exhausted from flying such a long distance, staring up at the ceiling, repeating Ned's words. She's also the last of her kind- but I know that's impossible- I can't be the only one, can I? The moments before my mother's death flash before my eyes- I remember watching them knock her out cold, putting an end to her violent protest. I remember being helpless and unable to help her, restrained by two government guards in heavy tactical armour. They drag her unconscious body into a room I can't see into, and then her scream pierces the silence before I hear her body thump to the ground. Silence rings throughout the room, deafening my four-year-old ears. I open my eyes and see that the room around me has become blurry- I touch my eyes and feel the cold presence of a tear. I- I am the last one- the thought catches up to me without invitation. I haven't seen another Australian shapeshifter since my mother's murder; it adds up in my head. I get into bed and cry myself to sleep.