Crooked Changeling

by Samantha Bell

  Her explanation gave me pause. I had thought, just for a moment, that this was a room I wouldn’t want to run away from. I looked around, found a sketchbook and some pencils, and dusted off the table.

  The orb shimmered curiously. “Are you going to stay?”

  “Like you said, I have no where else to go.”

  I worked at some sketches for several hours. The orb bobbed around, quiet most of the time. The strange silence allowed me to concentrate on what I was doing. I knew nothing of art theory, but as the orb reminded me, this was not a place for me to be the next great artist, it was simply a channel for my traumatic past.

  I sketched all sorts of things. The women’s shelter, the outdoor mall, the street cats, the house cats, the front door of Woodlock’s.

  “You don’t draw people?” The orb asked after a while.

  I flinched as awful memories came flooding back. “I’ve never drawn a person. I’ve never had anyone that I wanted to remember enough to do it.”

  The enchanted voice said nothing, allowing me to continue adding page after page of scribbles done in pencil and ink. After another hour, I felt remarkably calm. I set down the pencil and let out a sigh. I was relaxed, almost sleepy.

  “I think our time is done today,” The orb said.

  I didn’t argue. “Yeah.” I carefully put my artwork away in one of the cupboards and washed my hands. The orb zipped around, inspecting the room before returning to the box.

  “Do you have a name?” I asked.

  “No. I don’t need a name. I am not important. You are the important one here,” It said. The light began to dim as the orb returned to whatever sleep-like state it experienced.

  I smiled to myself and left, careful to shut the door quietly behind me.

  Just as I was reaching the stairs I came face to face with Maddox, the angry red wolf shifter. He snarled at me and I shrank back. “Hey,” I said nervously.

  Maddox’s eyes flicked over me. It was his first time seeing me in the Woodlock’s uniform. “Hi,” He said as he brushed past me, heading to the pack’s apartment.

  My chest felt tight. I wanted him to like me, all the other pack members did. More than like if we’re being honest here. Was that why he was so cold to me? Was not liking outsiders that serious to him or was he just a grump?

  I watched him disappeared into the apartment and shrugged the feeling away. I just hoped he’d come around. The last thing I wanted to do was cause drama with the shifters. If it came down to the pack choosing him or me, I knew I’d be the loser.

  NINE

  ————————————

  LUNA

  The next day passed mostly without incident. It started to go sour when I realized that I had to take part in gym class instead of hiding in my room. The thought made me sick to my stomach, knowing that I’d face those witches again. Were there more bullies in the student body? I was almost certain there was.

  I felt awkward and exposed in my gym shorts and t-shirt. The sun beat down on us, but the breeze brought a chill to my skin. I crossed my arms over my chest, watching the other students file in. Witches, warlocks, mages, and shifters. The small group was incredibly diverse and tied together by only one thing: being juvenile criminals.

  You’re a pickpocket and a thief! I reminded myself. I did belong here, as much as I tried to deny it. I couldn’t shake the thought that this was not how I was supposed to turn out. The pack brought me here for a reason, and despite their best efforts, I knew this was not where I belonged.

  My internal rambling was cut off by a giant man striding out of the locker room. He had a wild beard and a whistle hung around his neck. He was a bear shifter. “Good afternoon, ladies and gents!” He shouted. Thankfully, he ignored me and went straight into the drills.

  I was what the internet called “skinny-fat”. I had minimal muscle mass, and despite being thin, I wasn’t exactly healthy. I struggled to catch my breath after one lap around the track. The shifters led the crowd, lapping most of us with their beastly speed and strength. I was at the very end, swallowing and ignoring the taste of bile and blood in my throat.

  The whistle blew and my legs gave out from underneath me only a few paces from the finish line. I hauled myself to a sitting position, watching the other students shoot off to the next part of the grueling circuit.

  “Losers clean up!” The coach shouted in my face.

  I didn’t even have the energy to respond.

  I dragged myself through the rest of the two-hour session and nearly wept with joy when it was over. I changed out of my sweaty and dusty gym uniform and threw it into the bin, heading straight for the shower. I let the warm water wash over me, stifling my tears in case someone else heard me through the flimsy plastic curtains. Girls chatted and laughed in the locker room. I felt invisible and that suited me fine.

  When the water went cold, I dried my hair and wrapped a white towel around myself. It was then that everyone looked up at me.

  The witch from yesterday tossed her raven-black hair over her shoulder. “Nice job new girl.” She kicked her dirty uniform off on the floor. Garbage and dirty clothes were every where and it was my job to clean the locker room.

  I didn’t let it bother me. Instead, I went to my locker and opened the door. My school uniform wasn’t there. My grip tightened on the locker door. “Has anyone seen my uniform?” I asked.

  Most of the girls had left now, except for the Queen-Bitch witch and her gaggle of friends. “Nope. But they all look the same, maybe you misplaced it?” She said sweetly.

  Clutching my towel tight, I opened a few more lockers, finding nothing.

  “See ya later, weirdo!” One of the witches called out as the door slammed behind her.

  I was alone with the stinking pile of gym clothes and nothing to change into. I shivered and began digging through the smelly clothes and dumping them into the hamper where they belonged. At the very bottom I found my wrinkled and now quite soiled uniform.

  The sight of my clothes broke me. Sure, it might not have seemed like much to them (although, they probably had more terrible things planned), but it hurt me. The uniform, as much as I didn’t love it, was part of Woodlock’s. It was part of this place that I was supposed to belong to but didn’t. I was a changeling. Not a true faerie, not a magic user, not a shifter, not a human. I was something else. Stuck in limbo in a world where I didn’t really belong.

  I let out an exhausted shout and threw my uniform into the hamper. Summoning my glamor, I brought down a protective shield of near invisibility. I wouldn’t really be invisible, but no one would notice me as I went upstairs with nothing but a towel around my body and black leather flats on my feet.

  Every step was agonizing. It was hard to keep the glamor strong when I was struggling to breath. Every sound made me jump. I took the stairs to the third floor, pausing to make sure that my defenses were still activated. I could hear laughter in the sitting room. I held my breath and made a last dash to my bedroom door.

  I slipped inside and let my towel fall as I sunk down to the carpeted floor. A letter had been slipped under the door. I wiped my face and opened it with trembling hands.

  I didn’t know who wrote it. It was messy and the ink was smeared, but the message was loud and clear.

  NO IMPURES IN WOODLOCK’S. FUCK OFF, FAERIE SLUT.

  I clenched my fist and crumpled up the paper.

  “That’s it,” I hissed. I struggled to my feet, pulled on my black clothes, and dug my hidden fanny pack out from under my mattress. I buckled it around my waist and began packing my worn-out backpack. “Fuck this place,” I growled. “I’m done.”

  I glanced out my window. It was dinner time and the sky was beginning to darken. Once everyone was back in their rooms for the night, I would make my escape.

  The pack was great, but this place was not meant for me. I was meant to be alone. I was a survivor that lived on the edge and that was how I liked it. If I had to dodge faerie hunters for the rest of my
life, so be it. Anything was better than being forced to cooperate with elitist mean-girl witches.

  ***

  As soon as the hallways went quiet, my plan went into action. I darkened my hair with glamor, flipping up my hood as an extra precaution. Pink hair was a dead giveaway. I shrugged on my heavy backpack, double-checked my cash, and slipped out of the room. Using my glamor, I tip-toed down the hallway to the side stairs that let out near the kitchen. I wouldn’t run into any students there and the cook was surely gone for the night.

  The stairs creaked with every step. I winced, taking them one at a time. It was painstakingly slow, and probably an overreaction, but I was desperate. When I finally reached the back door, I took a deep breath and pulled. It was locked.

  “Shit!” I hissed. Now what?

  I went for the kitchen door, which was open. The kitchen was dark and quiet. There was one large window above the sink, big enough for me to slip through easily. Perfect.

  I climbed up onto the counter, slid the window open and kicked out the screen. I set my bag out first and then scrambled out the window and into the grass. I carefully closed the window the best I could from the outside. I could only hope that my disappearance wasn’t noticed for as long as possible. I had to put space between me and Woodlock’s, and that would be difficult on foot.

  I stood up and faced the direction of the thick wooded area that the lawns backed out onto. I didn’t take a moment longer to consider what I was doing. I knew what I had to do to survive. Old habits died hard, or however that saying goes.

  I ran.

  I ran as fast as I could through the darkness until I reached the edge of the woods. Tall pine trees towered over me, standing in perfectly straight lines as if they had been planted by magic. They formed a wall, so tightly packed together that there was only space for one person to slip between them.

  I put one foot in front of the other, walking slowly with my arms in front of me and my senses absorbing everything possible. The forest was eerily quiet. No birds sang above me, and no starlight could be seen through the dense canopy of pine needles.

  The forest looked the same from all sides. All I could see were trees and darkness. That was when that panic began to set in again.

  What was I thinking running out into the forest alone in the middle of the night without magic to defend me? I put my back to a tree and struggled to slow my breathing. In and out. In and out. My panic-stricken mind could only tell me to do one thing and that was run. Running wouldn’t help me now. My chest was aching now.

  I could hear sounds in the distance. Rustling. Something was following me. Great. Who knew what horrible beasts lived in this forest? I bit down on my lip to stop myself from whimpering. My breaths were erratic. Whatever it was, it was closing in.

  I crouched down, keeping my hand over my mouth to cover the sounds of my gulping breaths. Sweat ran into my eyes. I was terrified to the point of tears. Alone in the dark woods was no way to die. Was it a faerie hunter? Was it a wolf? Something worse?

  “Luna!” A voice carried through the thick foliage.

  The sound made me perk up. “Chase?” I whispered. Was it really him or was it a fae taking his form to deceive me? I knew their games. It wouldn’t have been the first time a faerie hunter pulled a dirty trick like that.

  “Luna! Where are you!”

  I saw a beam from a flashlight flickering through the trees. If it really was Chase, he was looking for me. If it wasn’t him, then those were the strongest faerie lights I had never seen. I decided to take the risk. I was still on Woodlock’s Property, so there was no way it was a faerie hunter. I reassured myself and called out. “Chase!”

  The light stopped and shone in my direction. “Luna!” Chase came running towards me so fast that the flashlight temporarily blinded me. The coyote shifter slipped between the trees with ease and appeared by my side. “Luna! You’re ok!”

  I nodded. “I just couldn’t take that place anymore. I feel locked in. Caged.”

  Chase pulled me into a tight hug, burying my face against his chest. He smelled like smoke from a wood fire. “It’s ok, I’m here now.” His skin was warm. “I’m just glad I found you before you got too far.”

  I felt as if I had been walking for hours. “How big is this forest?”

  “Big enough. But if you would have hit the magical barrier, then there would have been trouble,” Chase said. “Come on, let me take you back home.”

  “That’s not home,” I said.

  Chase sighed. “Fine, at least let me bring you back so you don’t freeze out here. A dark forest in the middle of the night is no where I’d want you to be right now.” His eyes met mine through the dark, reflecting the light like an animal. “Please, let me help you.”

  I nodded slowly. “Fine,” I said. “But only because you asked nicely.”

  Chase helped me to my feet and then turned around. “Hop on, I’ll get us out of here in a flash.” He picked me up onto his back.

  I rested my head against his neck. “Thanks,” I said softly.

  “You’re lighter than I thought,” He said and them stumbled over his words. “I mean ‘cause you’re so tiny and with the backpack, and….”

  “I know what you meant,” I giggled.

  Chase let out a yip and a howl to tell the others I had been found.

  I heard two other distinct howls in response. “They were looking for me too?” I asked.

  “Everyone but Seth, he was waiting in case you came back.”

  Even Maddox, that surprised me. My trust in the pack grew stronger. I focused on the warmth coming from Chase’s body. “Thank you.”

  “Of course, beautiful. Now, come on, let’s get back where it’s safe.”

  TEN

  ————————————

  LUNA

  “What were you thinking?” Seth demanded.

  I sat in their apartment on the sofa with a hug mug of tea between my hands. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I panicked and didn’t think.”

  “Apparently,” Maddox snapped.

  Seth silenced him with a look.

  I slumped back against the sofa. The last bits of my glamor fell away, and my hair returned to pink. “I’m sorry,” I repeated. “I had a panic attack. I don’t know what else to say.”

  “I’m just glad I found you before something happened,” Chase said. He was perched on the edge of the sofa. His eyes softened when he looked at me. “That forest can be dangerous.”

  “What were you planning on doing once you hit the magical barrier?” Maddox asked.

  “I didn’t really have a plan,” I admitted. “I just can’t be there anymore. Those other students are awful. The girls are bullies.”

  Jasper shrugged. “This is a reform school, Luna. They’re not exactly angels up there. But,” He stressed. “Everyone who’s here is here because the deserve a second chance. I’m sure if you give them time,”

  “No!” I shouted. “No. They hate me because I’m a changeling. They know that I don’t belong here, just like I don’t belong anywhere else.” I choked and sipped my tea, using the moment to calm myself before I burst into tears.

  “Luna,” Chase said. “We wouldn’t have brought you here if you didn’t belong here. As soon as we noticed you were gone, we tracked you to make sure you were ok.”

  I should have known they’d be able to follow my trail. I sighed. “The only time I feel like I belong here is when I’m with the pack,” I admitted, glancing around to each of them, even Maddox.

  “I think you need to give it more time,” Seth said finally. “You can sleep here for the night and we’ll decide what to do in the morning.”

  ***

  I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned on the sofa, trying to relax but my mind was going a million miles a minute trying to absorb the events of the night. I fluffed the pillow, adjusted the blanket, stared at the ceiling, did everything short of counting sheep, and nothing worked.

  I briefly considered leavi
ng and going back to my dorm room, but that didn’t seem right, considering that they all had gone out to find me and bring me back. The least I could do was stay.

  A light flickered underneath Seth’s door. He was awake too?

  Before I could think better of it, I softly padded over to his room and knocked quietly. “Seth? Are you awake?” I whispered, knowing his excellent shifter ears would pick up my voice.

  “Come in,” He said.

  I opened the door and stood awkwardly in the door frame, taking in the magnificence of his room. It was large, with a king-sized bed, desk, and bookshelves. The walls were decorated with relics with looked like they were from the middle east. It was dark, lit up by a lamp by his bedside. A strong, rich smell of cologne hung in the air.

  “You can’t sleep?” He asked, bringing my attention back to him. Seth was sitting upright in bed, shirtless, with a book on his lap.

  Oh my gods, he was sexy. “Uh, yeah, sorry if I’m bothering you, I just didn’t know what to do. I wanted to apologize for making you and the pack worried.”

  Seth gave me a soft smile and patted the bed next to him. “Come here, little morsel,” He said.

  “Why are you awake?” I asked, shutting the door behind me, and pausing at his bedside.

  “I’m a night owl, or, I guess, night jackal,” He laughed. “I like to get work done in the quietness of the night. Too much going on during regular hours.” Seth set his book aside. And pulled me into his bed. “But, for you, I can make an exception.”

  My heart fluttered. Oh no, this was dangerous. My body hadn’t forgot how his touch made me melt. I was dressed in nothing but panties and my sweatshirt, which only added to my vulnerability. My breath caught in my chest. “Seth, I,”

  “Shh, it’s ok.” Seth pulled me towards him. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  But I did want to. I wanted him to take me and finish what he started in the kitchen. My body had been screaming for it since the first time he touched me. “I mean, I didn’t want to interrupt your reading.”