Shift (The Pandorma Adventures Book 1) (12 page)

“Are you coming?” Ryan asks.

“Yeah.”

I force one foot forward then another. There’s no way I’m showing my fear. My foot runs over a slimy rock, which rolls across my ankle, a squeal almost escapes my lips. I bite the inside of my cheek.
Thank goodness I didn’t scream.
Ryan slips and just barely keeps himself from going under. I open my mouth to ask if he’s okay when the rock I’d been standing on rolls sideways. Automatically I sink into a crouch so I won’t fall in. Big mistake. The water flows above my shoulders, soaking me before I can jump back up. I look down at my clothes. They’re completely drenched, as well as my socks and shoes and the backpack. Sighing with dismay I continue wading to shore.

“Nice fall,” Trevor snickers when I sit beside him and the others.

“I didn’t fall, I caught myself.”

“Sure. I thought you were a goner for a minute there.”

“Ha, ha hilarious,” I say as I squeeze out my hair.

The sun is just beginning to settle over faraway mountains. I clump up as much of my shirt as I can and start wringing out the water.

“Your clothes will take forever to dry, you’re going to get cold,” Dark says.

“It’s summer, I’ll be fine.”

“It will get colder tonight. If you take your clothes off and wring them out, they’ll dry faster,” Dark points out.

“I brought a sweater. And undressing with a male audience is the last thing I want to do,” I say.

“It’s fine with me,” Trevor says giving me a mischievous grin. I glare at him.

“I’ll be fine,” I repeat.

Dark shakes her head and I take the sweater out of the backpack. It’s only a little wet. I slip it on then I wring out my socks and put them and my shoes back on. I hand out energy bars before putting the backpack back on.

We head into the forest. The trees are abundant with leaves and needles, the tops, soaring to the sky, can’t be seen from below. Dark stops in front of a giant, gnarled tree with wide, low growing branches.

“We’ll be safer off the ground,” she explains.

I frown. We’ve barely entered the forest. I can still see the vanishing sun and grassland. “Shouldn’t we go in a little farther?”

“No. The farther in we go the more dangerous it might be.” Dark hops onto a high branch then scales up further.

“I think I’ll stay down here,” Trevor says.

“Scared of climbing?” I taunt.

“You really should come up,” Dark calls before Trevor can respond. The lowest branch is about two feet above me.

“Do you want a lift?” Ryan asks.

“You’d love to give her one wouldn’t you,” Trevor remarks under his breath.

I feel myself begin to blush. “No I can get up,” I say. I jump as high as can. I dig my fingers in hard so as not to fall, then I start swinging my legs, trying to get up. “Don’t even,” I grunt when I feel Ryan’s presence behind me. I hook my leg onto a side branch and pull myself up. I climb higher to give Ryan room then look up. Darklily has to be at least twenty or more feet above us. I start climbing after her.
Stretching and weaving around branches, my muscles quivering with the exertion of pulling myself higher.
Snap!
I look down to see Ryan’s knuckles white from hanging onto his branch; the one I assume was beneath his feet gone. He grunts as he pulls himself back up.

“That was close,” he says breathlessly.

“Hey Ordinary Boy, if you fall, don’t expect me to catch you,” Trevor shouts.

“He’s such a jerk sometimes,” I say.

“If he’s such a jerk, why are you with him?” Ryan asks as he passes me. I start to tell him that I’m not with Trevor, he’s just a friend, but he’s caused me to look down. I’m a lot higher than I thought I was. On impulse I clutch my branch tighter. Leaves have hidden most of Trevor so I’m not sure if he’s lying down or if he’s even still there. He can’t be serious about staying down there alone.

“Trevor?”

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t you come up?”

“Don’t feel like climbing,” he answers.

“Hey!” I yelp as a branch hits the side of my head then scrapes my arm on its way down.

“Sorry. That branch was weaker than I thought.”

“How about a warning?” I ask, rubbing my head. I’m probably going to have a bump in the morning.

“I was busy trying not to fall.”

I’ve gone about five more feet when another branch, this one larger, crashes down, narrowly missing me.
“Ryan!”

“Heads up!” he yells in panting breaths.

This is obviously not one of Ryan’s strengths.

“It’s a little late now. Let me guess, you were trying not to fall,” I say.

I look up when he grunts. His legs wildly kick out and with straining muscles he slowly pulls himself up and onto the branch.
Oh.
Curbing laughter, I quickly climb up close to Ryan.

“I think I’ll sit here for a minute,” Ryan says sweat trickling down his forehead.

I bite my bottom lip.

“That was
not
funny.”

“It was from below,” I say through giggles. “Why do you keep picking dead branches?” I ask with pretend confusion and he gives me a look which only makes me laugh more.

I climb up to where Dark is.

“Finally,” Dark breathes.

“If you hadn’t noticed, we’re not cats.”

Dark just points in front of her. “This limb should be good enough, sleep there.”

I look at all the giant branches around me. “What about Ryan?”

“You guys can share a branch. You might want to hold onto him,” she remarks and it only sounds like she’s half joking.

“Where will you be?” She looks down and I follow her gaze, but only see more branches. “If something tries to climb up I should hear and stop it first,” she explains.

“Better hurry up down there before it gets dark,” Dark calls to Ryan, who is again struggling. Dark makes her way down a bit then lies on a branch.

“Dark, maybe I should stay down there with you.”

“Why?” She already sounds half asleep
. Because being so close to a boy—no, to Ryan makes me feel different.
“I don’t want Ryan to knock me out of the tree,” I say instead. I hear her snort.

“That’s a lame excuse. Although it might be true,” she adds after there’s another crack from below. Dark is now softly snoring so I don’t bother bringing it back up. I scoot farther out on the branch and turn around. I slide off the backpack, snap part of a nearby dead branch and hang it on it, then I lie down. I put my chin on my hand so the bark doesn’t bite my skin.

“Where do I sleep?” Ryan asks. I look up at him. The hair on his forehead is slightly wet and he looks ready to fall down.

I pat the space in front of me. “You can sleep here,” I say. “Or pick a different branch.”

Ryan moves from his limb to mine.

“We should’ve brought rope. Among other things.”

Ryan doesn’t lie down, instead he leans against the trunk and stares up at the sky. Or, what sky can be seen. For a few minutes I look at the sky as well and when I look back at Ryan I find him studying me. The intensity of his gaze makes my cheeks flush and I expect him to look away but he doesn’t.

“I still can’t believe we’re actually on another planet,” he says quietly.

“I know right? Today has been insane.”
And painful,
I think, touching my cheek. He nods.

“You should practice shifting tomorrow.” Ryan and I startle slightly at Dark’s voice, her emerald eyes sparkling in the semi-darkness. “There’s no point in waiting until we reach the stones.” She watches me eagerly, as if I’ll turn into some animal that very second.

“Dark I’m not shifting right now. I don’t even know how.”

“Hmm.” She flicks her tail thoughtfully. “You could ask Trevor. It can’t be too hard to shift. Medusa and Xavier can shift from one creature to another in a split second. Which is unfortunate because that’s what makes them so powerful,” she adds crossly.

“I’ll talk to Trevor and practice tomorrow.”

Dark nods then pulls back her head and goes to sleep.

“Goodnight Lissa,” Ryan says.

“Night.”

Ryan stays alert but the sound of chirping insects lulls me to sleep.

Chapter 9

“Licorice!” My father’s desperate cry echoes around the slithering, inky darkness. “Dad!” I try to shout but the word sticks in my throat. Again and again I try, frustration building when every time results in failure. Suddenly everything starts twisting. Waving and bending in front of and beneath me so I can’t move without falling.
The puddle in front of me ripples. I stare in horror as my father’s face appears beneath the glass-like surface. Eyes hollow, face pale and blank, trapped beneath the water.

“No,” I whisper. He looks dead.

Jerking awake I nearly slide off the branch. I steady myself and relief trickles through me. I wipe off my cheek just as another drop of water splashes on me.
Rain?
I look up into the void eyes of a wolf. Screaming I jump back.

Ryan jolts awake, yelling, “What? What is it?”

The ethereal figure’s lips pull up into a snarl, drool dripping from its fangs, it inches toward me. I scramble to the side and space opens up beneath me. A scream strangles my throat as I start falling down. Ryan springs forward to try and catch me, but it’s too late.

Pain jars around my middle. A branch has broken my fall. Arms and legs dangling, I wait for my blackened vision to clear. Slowly I fix myself so that I’m sitting on the branch. Craning my neck I look up. The wolf is gone, so is Ryan, and Dark gazes down at me with worry. I look below.
There.
Ryan is a few feet beneath me, his body stretched out on a limb.

“Ryan?” I call softly even though talking causes me pain. He doesn’t move. Not allowing my thoughts to fully form, I painfully start descending toward him.

“Ryan?” I say his name quietly again, afraid to break the weighty silence that has settled in the forest. My back hugs the tree. I don’t dare go out any farther. Ryan is lucky the limb hadn’t broken when he fell on it. I reach out, intending to gently poke him, but my arm is too short. I glance around for a stick I can use. Snapping one off I lightly nudge Ryan with it. “I’m good,” he moans faintly, and relief washes over me.
Jingle, jingle.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I fearfully look around. The darkness next to me moves. Squinting I lean forward. What I thought was darkness curves into the wolf. With purpose it slinks to me, literally walking on air. My breath quickens. We are still quite a ways up so jumping is out of the question. I’m trapped.

“Time’s up.” The wolf’s voice is thick, rusty like the words are difficult to speak. It springs at me. I duck even though I know it won't make any difference.

In the blink of an eye Darklily is on top of the creature. Crashing follows in their wake as they plummet to the ground. Turning back to Ryan, I urgently start poking at him.

“You need to get up!” I hiss. When he doesn’t respond I jab him harder.

“Ow,” he moans painfully.

“Get up!”

Pity worms through me as Ryan, with difficulty gets into a better position. Rubbing his head he looks at me, confusion clouding his eyes. Below I can only hear hissing and an occasional growl. Motioning for him to follow I climb down, grimacing as pain sears through my chest.

By the time I’m low enough to jump down, Darklily and Trevor are staring out into the distance. Ryan stumbles a bit when he lands beside me. I breathe shallowly, forcing myself to stay standing even though I want to lean against the tree.

“What was that?” Somehow my voice is stronger than I feel. Trevor and Dark look back at Ryan and me. Dark’s eyes flicker with worry.

“A screature.” We all stare, waiting for her to clarify. Minutes of silence pass before Dark understands. “Oh. A screature is a shadow creature.” Dark narrows her eyes before continuing. “They're somewhat, uh, complicated things.”

“What can you tell us about them?” Ryan asks.

“They're a shadow, but not fully. They can take any shape or form. Can solidify and vaporize at will. When they’re solid, their teeth and claws can rip through pretty much anything. They’re strongest at night, because they can move about more freely in the darkness. They’re mostly indestructible.”

“How helpful,” Trevor mutters.

“So what’s their weakness?” Ryan asks.

“Sunlight. If they touch sunlight they dissolve, but grow back almost instantly. The sunlight has to burn their heart for them to die.”

Ryan lets out a breath and runs a hand through his hair.

“Will it come back?” I ask.

Before she can answer Ryan asks, “How many do you think there are?”

“It shouldn’t return. They give up fairly easily if you can outwit them. Tonight it was only that ‘wolf,’ but there are no more than seven of them on Pandorma. Which is good because they are pure evil. To anyone and everyone. Unless you’re on their good side or manage to control them somehow.”

“Why are there only seven?” Ryan asks.

“I heard once that they represent different things. There’s Wrath, Hatred, Vengeance, and Malevolent.” Dark pauses then finishes, “Agony, Scorn and Dissention.”

“What happens when they die?” Trevor asks.

“Another takes its place,” Dark answers.

“How is that possible?” Ryan says.

Dark flicks an ear. “When a hateful person dies does hate cease to exist?”

“Makes sense,” Ryan says.

“I think that screature was working for Medusa,” I say after a moment of silence, all of us still on high alert.

Fear spikes along Dark’s fur. “What makes you say that?”

“He told me that time was up.”

Face grim, Darklily stands and starts pacing. I can guess some of the thoughts running through her head. Dark’s instincts are probably screaming at her to flee. Unless that’s just me. I had felt moderately safe before, up in the tree, but now every little sound I hear has my head turning circles. It seems too dangerous to move or stay.

Dark stops pacing and looks at Trevor. “Do you smell anything?”

Trevor shakes his head.

“Me neither. But that doesn’t mean it’s not here. Except for a very faint acidic, smoky smell they have no scent.” Dark paces for several more minutes before declaring, “I don’t think it’s safe to stay here any longer.” Without waiting for our agreement she trots off into the darkness, leaving us to bumble after her.

Trevor yawns and shakes his head like he’s trying to wake himself up.

Ryan catches up to Dark and asks, “Are they born or—made?”

Darklily shrugs. “I only know the basics, what keeps me alive.”

Trudging through the forest in silence my dream comes flooding back. I try desperately to hear his voice again; my father’s wonderful, deep, soothing voice. Was it agony or helplessness that’d been in it? Maybe something has happened to him. His face trapped beneath the water vividly appears in front of me. His eyes dead; skin pale, face a mix of regret and sympathy.  Then it disappears as soon as it had appeared.

“You okay?” Ryan's voice is gentle, but it still startles me. I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding and look at him. Ryan knows my family is messed up but I never told him everything. Like how my parents suddenly took off and left me behind, or that I’ve been having nightmares about Dad—he’s always crying out for me but I can never get to him.

Ryan is still waiting for an answer, expecting the truth because he feels I will give it to him. But I don’t feel like telling him my thoughts. So I simply say, “I’m fine.”

Ryan gives me a look that says he doesn’t believe me, but he doesn’t push.

By sunrise we can barely stand any longer. Trevor's tail droops while Ryan and I drag our feet. Dark has kept to a steady trot throughout the whole night and now with the fear induced adrenaline spent, weariness is finally catching up to us.

“Let’s stop. Just for a minute.” Dark lies down seconds after the words are out of her mouth. Ryan leans against a tree next to her while Trevor, true to his nature, lies down away from them. I go and sit next to him.

“Trevor, how do you . . . turn into a wolf?”

Except for a speck of curiosity his face is blank. “I basically command my body to do it. Why?” he asks drowsily.

“Just trying to figure out how to shift. Dark said that I can shift into more than one animal.”

He frowns slightly. “I’m not sure how it would work then.”

“I noticed you don’t, uh, take off your clothes before you shift,” I say this quickly and try not to squirm uncomfortably.

Instead of making some kind of remark that will make me even more uncomfortable he answers, “Clothes are kind of like . . . fur. Fur is part of the animal form and clothes are part of the human form. Does that make sense?”

“Yes,” I say, relieved.

He snorts. “It wouldn’t be so bad if you had to undress to shift, would it?”

“Oh, hush.” I flick him on the shoulder and he chuckled. “Did it hurt the first time you turned into a wolf?”

He instantly gets somber. “Yeah. A lot. But it’s worth it. Wake me when we start to move again okay?”

“Okay,” I say but he’s already fast asleep. Sighing I walk back to Dark and Ryan. They’re sound asleep as well. A red flag goes up in my mind. If Trevor and Darklily are snoozing then there is no one capable of watching out for danger.
But it's also the perfect time to attempt shape-shifting
, I think suddenly. What are the chances of something happening this very minute? High.

If this were a movie, then this would be the part where I’d be rolling my eyes and saying
‘that is SO predictable, of course she’s going to do it’,
in my head. But if I climb a tree I can be a lookout as well as practice shifting.
Perfect.
Seriously no, it isn’t, but when will I get another chance to make my first shift without an audience?

We’ve stopped at the edge of the forest, purposely keeping out of the middle of the forest as much as we could. I put the sweater back in the backpack then set it near Ryan then seek out a tree that is more inside the forest. I can see Trevor, but Dark and Ryan are to my right. I figure they’ll be safer since a steep, rocky hill runs behind them. If Dark is afraid of things in the forest then that is the way I should face.

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and clear my thoughts. Dark said that Xavier and Medusa can turn into any animal they want, and that I’m like them. They must have to think of the animal in order to change into it. I itch the back of my neck, trying to think of a small creature.
Cat, I’ve always wanted to be a cat.
Minutes pass, nothing happens. The image begins slipping from my mind and I’m beginning to think I’d been right after all. I can’t shift.

Then my body starts shaking. My arms and legs start constricting like they are getting smaller, it feels like fire is burning through them. My stomach churns with anxiety. As the pain grows it feels like my consciousness starts slipping.
Or am I really slipping?
Pain roils through my head as it is hit hard, but that is mild compared to the tightness that binds me. It feels like I’m being shoved into a tiny container that keeps compressing until I can feel nothing.