The ShapeShifters Book Two

Outcast

Wings. Beautiful wings. Wings that could carry one from place to place and not tire. It was the dream of everyone to have wings. Or so I thought.

Ever since I was born, I have had wings. They temper my dreams and the waking world. I never knew why I had wings, my parents certainly didn't have them. My wings aren't bird wings either. What did you expect? That I'm an angel?

Well, to my parents I was an angel. With or without my dragonfly wings. I carry my dad's name, and his father's name.

Why did everyone hate me and bully me? I was scorned for having these wings and ridiculed. I used to be an amazing flyer, until I was sick of the torment and I hid them away.

Not sure how I hid the wings, but one of those days, when even my best friend turned on me, I wished that I never had those cursed wings. I was crying when it happened. No one was on my side, it felt like I was all alone. All because I was different.

People are cruel that way. If you are different in any way, they will find a way to make you feel horrible about it.

So here I was, sixteen, having made my wings disappear. When I came back, everyone was fine with me. I wasn't bullied, but inside I felt empty. I needed the sky and the sky needed me. But there was no turning back now. I wanted to be normal, and that is what I got.

-/-

10 years later

"Ollie!" Andrew hissed into Oliver's ear. "Wake up!"

"What?" The blonde opened his eyes blearily and realized he was in class. He was now in college, but he didn't fit very well into that.

"Look I know you're smart, but don't tune out the lecture." Andrew adjusted his green shirt. Ollie only had a few friends after being tormented his whole life, and Andrew was one of them. His other friend, Rob, was in another class at the moment. That left Andrew the near impossible job of keeping Ollie awake.

Ollie was dreaming of flying again. It had been ten years since he had felt the wind on his clear and golden wings. Unconsciously, he would reach back with his hand, as if thinking the wings would just appear. Sighing, Ollie turned his attention back to the droning professor. He didn't know why he still had hope.

After the lecture, Andrew confronted Ollie about a pressing question. "Why do you keep touching your back?"

Ollie froze midstep and quickly moved his hand, a blush across his cheeks. "I-It's itchy." He lied, silently cursing himself. No one knew that he used to have wings. Perhaps it was Ollie's way of making sure the loss of his wings wasn't in vain. He would never be ridiculed again, unless someone found out.

Andrew gave Ollie a calculating look, but decided against pressing the matter. Rob hustled out of his class, a backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Hey my dudes!" Rob gave each of them a fist bump which Ollie returned half-heartedly. "Ollie you okay?" Tillting his head in concern, Rob studied his friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ollie stared at his shoes.

"Hi Ollie!"

Oliver looked up to see Rose grinning at him. He gave a weak smile in return.

"Rob, Andrew," She nodded at each of them. "How are you all?"

"Good as always Rose," Andrew pulled the slouching Ollie upright.

"See you in Physics!" She twinkled as she spun on her heal and sauntered away.

Ollie heaved a sigh, but not because of Rose. His friends took it that way and tried to cheer him up.

"You find the right words sometime." Andrew hooked an arm around his friends shoulder.

Ollie opened his mouth to reply when everyone heard an audible thud. "What was that?" He spun around to see nothing out of the ordinary.

Unfortunately, that is not how things go. Another thud was heard, this one louder than the first. A final thud was heard, and cracks spread across the walls to their left.

Oliver was frozen in place, horror in every limb of his body.

"Come on!" Rob tried to pull Ollie from where he was rooted in place. Ollie was in shock, and in that short time frame, a human broke through. He would have been handsome if it weren't for the horrible scar crossing his face and the evil grin upon it. He was wearing some kind of gas mask and a black and red body suit of sorts.

"No more mutants will escape!" He cried out. "I know there is one in here, and you won't make it to the sanctuary !"

"What the heck is this sanctuary?" Andrew and Rob managed to get Ollie unfrozen and they both ran away along with the rest of everyone else.

Inside, guilt crushed Ollie. He was the reason this guy was here. Somehow someone had figured out his deepest secret.

A scream. Oliver spun around to see that the villain had Rose in his grip. Red filled his vision as he only saw the horrible scene in front of him

"Put. Her. Down." He commanded, feeling something grow inside of him. The man narrowed his eyes.

"I don't think I will."

At this point Oliver didn't care if anyone thought he was a mutant. He was the only one standing up to save Rose. Ollie started running, preparing to jump and kick to save her.

When he went to jump, he went higher than he would have thought possible, enabling him to put his heel directly on the gas mask. This knocked them man backwards and Rose free of his grip.

Rose managed to get to her feet, an expression of shock on her face. "Wh-h-?" She was unable to form a single word.

Andrew and Rob were looking at him with shock as well.

"You- you have wings!" Rob backed away a step. Ollie twisted his head and spread the dragonfly wings ever so slightly. They were back!

"So you are the mutant." The evil man growled from behind him. Oliver prepared to fight him again, although he was a good deal smaller.

"Evil!" A male voice called out through the crowd, everyone making way for him. He had mismatched eyes, and the brown one had some sort of mechanism.

"What now?" Evil hissed.

"Leave him alone. Or you'll have to face me."

Apparently, whatever the gentleman could do was way more scary than the person named Evil. Evil growled and ran out of the hole he had made, leaving a very shocked crowd of people.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Andrew whispered before walking away, Rob following with a look of regret. The rest of the people cleared out with looks of scorn, trepidation, hate, disgust, and sympathy. The strange gentleman was left in the hallway with Oliver.

"What is your name young fellow?" He held out a hand wrapped in a bikers glove. Ollie was nervous taking it, since the man also had a matching military grade vest over a tight gray tee.

"Ollie," He finally decided to take the hand and shook it.

"I'm Nick," Nick looked at Ollie's wings. "Are you a shapeshifter?"

"I don't think so?" Ollie opened and closed his wings, wondering why Nick was even talking to him.

"Huh." Nick frowned. "Well, welcome to The Sanctuary dude."

"The Sanctuary? The place that evil guy was talking about?" Oliver asked, a little nervous.

"The Sanctuary is a place for what people call outcasts, mutants, aliens, and misfits. We are a small group, but we only accept a few people. We are different, but we thrive together." Nick held out his hand again, this time to invite Ollie. "You'll be accepted as who you are, not as who you are expected to be."

Ollie took one look at the college and then Nick's hand. He loved his wings, and if this gentleman would accept him for who he was, then he wanted to follow him.

"I'm in."