A Wild Kind

Chapter 10 (this bits long sorry)

Alyra backed out of Dario’s driveway and raced out to the main road. Dario sat in silence for several moments, before finally asking “You said you’d explain that stuff to me in the car. We’re in the car…” He looked hopefully up at the two girls in the front seat. They exchanged a glance before Evalyn began to explain.

It was early on the morning of the 19th of April, and Alyra had just woken up. Today was her 13th birthday. But for her, it felt different to any other birthday.Mentally and physically.

She leapt up on her bed and swung down to the floor, where she shook awake her best friend who slept on the bunk below her, Evalyn.

Evalyn’s eyes shot open to reveal the sparkling green emerald eyes that were hidden when she slept. With a smile, she propped herself up and hugged the owner of the beaming face that awoke her up.

Then, Alyra pulled Evalyn up out of her bed and the two raced down the stairs. Their excitement, however, was short lived, when they arrived in the living room, and the only person down there was a stranger. His eyes were sad, but still, he smiled.

“Hello girls” He cocked his head and gazed at them; it crept them out. The pair had seen enough TV to know that this probably wasn’t good. They both stuttered, trying to choke there words out.

As the stranger sat down, he ushered for the girls to sit too. Naturally, they didn’t. A sigh came from the stranger

“Look. I know I’m just some random who’s come into your house on your birthday. But I have serious things to tell you. And I need you to understand. Soon, hopefully. I was going to let you down easy, but you are really co-operating. There’s lots I have to tell you, but I’ll start with this-You know Mark and Mary? Alyra’s ‘parents?’”

Those last few words he spoke so sarcastically, and with air quotation marks. All things considered, the girls hadn’t been scared until they realized their parents could be in danger. The stranger saw the fear in the girls eyes and continued

“Ah, there it is. Well, I’m sorry. But they were never real. They were actors. Don’t worry, they are ok, but we had to that. Everyone like you, Alyra, has to be put through it.” Alyra’s face scrunched up as Evalyn began to speak for the first time to the stranger

“Wait. Everyone… Like… Alyra…What do you mean? She’s no different from the rest of us.”

And suddenly, Alyra screamed. She fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Heat rose through her body, starting at her fingers and toes, burning its way through her system.

Every bone in her body felt like it was shattering, and heart sped up and ached along with every square inch of her entire body.

Alyra's screams became quieter as her voice became strained and all noise came out as puffs of air. It; this terrible sensation; hurt everywhere.

It burnt, strangled, stung and ached. Alyra’s senses began to slow; she could no longer hear Evalyn scream and panic, or feel her try and help her up. As her vision blurred, Alyra was only vaguely able to see the stranger, trying to pull Evalyn away-rather unsuccessfully.

Then, slowly, the burning started to disappear. Alyra still felt mostly numb, but still had some sensation, yet it still all hurt. She could just pinpoint movement in her ears. She felt them shift and change.

Within mere seconds they were no longer normal human ears on the side her head. They now sat atop her head, and felt pointy. She flopped them about, they were almost like cat ears.

The pain then shot from her skull down to her tailbone. A new sensation came with it, a growing sensation, and soon, a new movement became available. It was a tail, long and thin. At first, moving it was weird, but very quickly it felt as natural as moving arms.

Next, the burning came back. Only quickly this time, thankfully, and only lightly on her skin. It danced along, and as Alyra mustered the energy to lift her arm, she noticed it left black stripes.

What is happening to me she thought to herself, but her whole brain felt; fuzzy? The pain flicked about her hands and feet, and swept once more through her body before it slowly faded away. Still, Alyra refused to move.

Until, finally, all the buzzing and pain had gone, at which point she sat up in front of her mirror to be shocked by the face that she saw. It looked like some sort of human cat hybrid thing. The stranger chuckled a moment and declared

“Alyra Dante, my name is Lucias. I will be your Keeper for the next 5 years. My job is to help you, care for you, and teach you, and Evalyn, who has and always be right there by your side. I will do this, because you are part of what is becoming an extinct race; the skinwalkers.”