Shifters (The Neturu Chronicles Book 3)

by Sarah Carter

"They are bad ass mutant super heroes. They all have different super powers," Claire declares excitedly.

  "Like telekinesis?" Xander says.

  "Amongst other kinds," Claire replies. "But we are even more badass because we are shifters."

  "There are mutant humans," Aurora exhales. "We really haven't been out."

  Bursting out laughing, Claire says, "NO! They are comic book characters in awesome movies. We are just the live versions of them. We could be so elite, but Kayla can't fight. She's a real girly girl."

  "We can't fight either," Aurora states.

  "Only Mason can," Ariel continues.

  With a roll of her eyes, Claire groans, "I doubt he can beat me. No one can."

  "You'd have to make contact with him first. That's the hard part."

  "You've never seen me fight. I'm incredibly fast and strong."

  Xander raises his eyebrows. "He is invisible. Mason will just disappear before you can make contact."

  "I would love to test this theory," Claire snickers, cracking her knuckles.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Damien sighs, looking at her.

  A shocked look sweeps over Claire’s face. “You doubt my abilities!”

  “No honey, it’s just that we don’t know what you would be going up against.”

  Her jaw is still down. “You don’t think I could take him.”

  Damien stares at her for a second before responding, “It’s not that, but one day you will meet someone who can go up against you. This guy has a huge advantage over you, especially if he can fight. How are you going to be able to even hit him?”

  “Train me.”

  “On what?”

  “My energy, sensing it,” Claire replies, reaching out and barely touching him. “You are one of the best there is. Train me, so maybe it will give me a leg up in this.”

  He smirks. “That’s a good idea. I am glad that you think so highly of my talent.”

  “Well, you can sense people with the slightest hint of energy. No one could ever do a sneak attack.”

  “I know. You have tried many times while I was in Shima. Tricky, tricky girlfriend.”

  “I have failed every time. I guess I don’t make a very good ninja around you,” Claire snickers.

  With a hearty laugh, Damien replies, “But you’re a ninja to everyone else.”

  “Being a ninja would be cool,” Aurora says. “Can you use a sword?”

  “Yes, I am trained in almost every weapon there is and things that aren’t even weapons. It’s all about taking the nearest object and using it against your opponent.”

  “Like a lamp!” Aurora exclaims.

  “Sure, then you use the cord to choke someone,” Claire states. Everyone gets deadly quiet and stares at her. She rolls her eyes. “Or you can use the cord to tie someone up.”

  Aurora smiles again. “That’s much butter.”

  Claire rolls her eyes again. “I’m a fighter guys. It’s what I do.”

  “So, let’s talk more about Trinity,” Damien says. “I hate to say it, but she sounds like a threat.”

  As those words come out, Claire sees Xander clench his fists. “You do anything to her and we will become just as big of a threat.”

  “I don’t mean it in that matter, but if she can come through you at any time, she will know you are with me.”

  Xander stares at him and then sighs. “I know.”

  “I am somewhat well known,” Damien says. “Living in an institute or not, she may know who we are.”

  “We were trained on everything there is to know about the council and the history of the Neturu. So, yes, we know who you are. Many of the girls have crushes on you. They believe that one day you will come rescue them.”

  Damien is quiet for a minute and then says, “That is my next goal then. We will do everything in our power to go in and get them out of there.”

  “That’s easier said than done,” Xander sighs. “If Trinity found you in Shima, she would be able to see you whenever.”

  “Describe how she appears.”

  With his eyes moving up, Xander exhales, “She just appears. Oh crap.”

  Chapter 4

  Xander

  His eyes stare to the side of him. Trinity is standing there. “Trin….”

  She looks at everyone at the table. “Who are all these people?”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Xander replies.

  He sees Damien look behind him. “Is she here?” He asks.

  “He knows about me?” Trinity whispers. Her hAunting green eyes turn to Xander. “Why are you talking about me?”

  “Let me go outside,” Xander exhales to Damien. “It’s for the best.” Damien nods. Xander gets up and makes his way through the restaurant. Trinity dissipates as he walks. Finally, he makes it outside into a wooded area. “Trinity….”

  “I miss you Xander,” she says, stepping up to him. “Please, come home.”

  A knife rips through Xander’s heart. “Trinity, it’s not as easy as that. You know how they treat us.”

  Trinity looks to the side. Xander gazes at her beauty. She has red hair, much lighter than his own. Trinity is a good five inches shorter than him with very petite features. Every part of her makes him realize how much he loves her. “They aren’t as bad as you make them out to be.”

  Xander rips off his shirt and Trinity looks at him. “Tell me then, if it’s so gentle and loving, where did I get these scars from? That’s what these are Trinity. They’re scars. You get them from when you have serious wounds and your body can’t heal them up properly. They do this to us. The girls heal quicker than I do for whatever reason. I’m not allowed to shift after I get beaten.”

  “May I,” Trinity says, sticking her hand out. Xander nods. She reaches over and traces his fingers down his scars. The touch makes everything in Xander tingle. “Xander…these may be from something else.”

  “Trinity, you aren’t stupid. I realize you are blind, but you see more than most people do. You have had to have seen one of us being punished.”

  She quickly pulls her hand away. “I don’t know Xander.”

  “Trin, baby,” Xander whispers. He puts his hand on the side of her face. Trinity takes in a quick breath and closes her eyes. “You know how I feel about you.”

  “I know,” she exhales, opening her eyes back up. “I can’t make that choice Xander. Don’t make me make that choice.”

  “One day you will be at the wrong end of the anger,” Xander sighs. “And then I will have to kill them.”

  Trinity’s eyes flash open. “You can’t do that.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you. I am very powerful when I want to be.”

  “Come home to me Xander,” Trinity whines, putting her arms around him. Xander’s heart clenches as she puts her head on his chest. “I miss you.”

  He wraps his arms around her. “I miss you too, more than you know, but we can’t come back Trinity. They would just hurt us more than they ever have before. We can’t risk that.”

  With her head shaking, Trinity says, “But they promised me. Nothing will happen to you. You can come home and go on like nothing happened.”

  “So, we are supposed to come back and be abused again.”

  “Xander,” Trinity mumbles into his shirt. “Things will be different.”

  “That won’t happen. Do they know you are here right now?”

  She shakes her head. “No, they think I haven’t made contact yet.”

  “All these times?”

  “No, they think you are too powerful,” Trinity says, looking up at him. “I lie.”

  “Thank you.” He bends down and presses his lips gently on hers. Then with a wisp, she is gone.

  Damien and Claire are standing there. “Were you making physical contact with her?”

  “Yes,” Xander whispers. “You can feel each other. It’s exactly like being in Shima.”

  “How cool,” Claire exhales. She pauses for a second, looking at him. “Yo
u okay?”

  Xander shakes his head. “It’s always hard to see her. To realize she is still there. One day they will snap and then…then I will hunt them down and kill them.”

  “We have to see if we can figure out where she is,” Damien says softly. “We will get her.”

  “She doesn’t want to leave them. Trinity loves the…demon. She actually thinks they won’t hurt us if we come back. I love Trinity, I do, with all of my heart, but she can be so clueless sometimes.”

  “Is she blonde?” Claire quips.

  That makes Xander laugh. “Sort of, she has really light red hair, like strawberry blonde.”

  “Pretty,” Claire replies.

  “Trinity is all around beautiful. She has no clue either because she’s never seen herself. The Collector won’t let anyone around her while she’s in Shima. I guess for her protection.”

  “Is she going to tell them about us?” Damien asks.

  “No, she said she hasn’t told them anything. I don’t think she knew who you were and I believe her. She wouldn’t lie to me. I think she loves me…”

  Claire steps forward. “Haven’t you ever told her?”

  “I was always too nervous to. It wasn’t the right time and then we had to leave. We know we have feelings for each other, but it’s usually not spoken about. We have only kissed each other while she has been in my head.” Xander stops and thinks about it. “The Collector doesn’t know and we need to keep it that way.”

  “Couldn’t you get to her when you left?” Damien asks.

  “I had her hands in mine and was urging her to come with us. I said I would carry her. We needed to run…but, she wouldn’t leave. I had to leave her there. It was the most heart wrenching moment of my entire life. It weighed so heavy on my chest that she was there and I was gone.”

  Claire comes up and puts her hand on Xander. “I’m so sorry, but you are going to have the greatest force on this planet looking for her.” Xander just shakes his head.

  Damien shuffles his foot and then says, “I think we can find her.”

  Quickly, looking up Xander says, “How?”

  “We came up with some new technology last year. It can register our energies. Like, right now, it knows exactly where I am on this planet.”

  “Individual energies?” Claire gasps.

  “Yes, we have to have some sort of reading off of them.”

  Cocking her hip and crossing her arms, Claire says, “Come up with something original.” Xander gives her a peculiar look.

  Damien falters backwards. “Original, what?”

  “I was joking about the X-men crap.”

  With an annoyed look, Damien replies, “It’s not a powerful psychic. It’s advanced alien technology. Whole different genre honey.”

  “Still.”

  He rolls his eyes to the heavens. “It’s not that farfetched. We have the technology to destroy an entire planet. We have the technology to create animals from simple DNA and clone them. We are an advanced race. This isn’t really that out there.”

  “Even so,” Claire teases. “So, how does it work?”

  “Well, it would be a little hard to explain.”

  “Oh! I’m not a genius, so I wouldn’t understand.” Claire grins as Damien gives her a look. She sighs, “Laid it out so we understand.” Xander finds this mildly amusing, he crosses his arms.

  Looking deep in thought, Damien finally replies, “Everyone’s energy has a fingerprint.”

  “Really?” Claire sarcastically replies.

  “Yes,” Damien states. “Each of our energy’s sends off different wavelengths. We have built the technology to sense those wavelengths. They have mine….and yours. We are both very vital to the Neturu race.”

  Her jaw drops. “Someone’s watching me!”

  “Claire,” Damien starts, crossing his arms. “You have a tracking device in you. What’s the difference?”

  “The tracking device can be turned off! What in the hell Damien!”

  “See,” Xander interjects. “The council is crazy.”

  “I don’t want to be watched!”

  A heavy sighs escapes Damien. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you.”

  Xander takes a step back because the anger coming off of Claire is intense. “YOU WEREN’T GOING TO TELL ME! Are you insane?”

  “Claire,” Damien sighs.

  “Don’t talk to me,” she yells. Claire brushes past him but not before knocking him over. Damien falls to the ground hard and then puts his face in his hands.

  He groans, “I am in so much trouble.”

  “You shouldn’t keep secrets from her. She’s your girlfriend and more importantly, she can kick your ass.”

  “I know. It’s new and I wasn’t even supposed to talk about it, but it’s important right now.”

  “She will understand.”

  “In like six months,” Damien exhales. “She is a firecracker when she is pissed, and I have never made her this mad before. I need to watch it.”

  Laughing, Xander says, “Your girlfriend is the last person I would piss off if she really is that hardcore of a fighter.”

  “You’re telling me.” Damien stands up. “Let’s go inside and I will see if I can calm her down and if your food is there.”

  Xander shakes his head and follows Damien into the restaurant. He sees Claire glare at Damien. It takes everything in Xander to not start laughing. He sits down and looks at Ariel. She looks at Claire and then Damien. Her gaze turns to Xander. Xander signs to drop it. The whole table is quiet as Claire and Damien stare each other down.

  “You are such a...” Claire growls.

  “Honey,” Damien sighs, reaching out for her hand. “It was for your own good that you didn’t know. I didn’t want you upset.”

  Claire smiles and grips his hand. Leaning in, she whispers, “I forgive you. Kiss me.”

  Xander is suddenly very suspicious but Damien moves forward for a kiss. Suddenly, Claire’s fingers dart into his side. Damien gasps and crumbles to the ground. “I did it for your own good. What a load of crap!”

  Suddenly, guards move in. Xander stands up. “Xander, don’t!” Claire screams. The plates across the restaurant start to shake. “Xander,” she hisses. “Stop.”

  Everything calms down. Damien is gasping for breath on the floor. The guard member comes up to Claire. “You are under arrest.”

  “That’s fine,” Claire snaps, looking down at Damien. “We are over.”

  “Claire,” he coughs. “Stop.”

  “No, this is ridiculous. Invasion of my privacy and breaking of my trust. That’s it. I’m going back to school and I quit the guard. Freaky stalkers.”

  The whole restaurant is quiet and staring at them. Damien rolls over onto his knees. “Claire….” He groans. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing,” she replies. Claire looks up at the guard member. “If you don’t remove your hand, I will break it.”

  “Are you like PMSing or something?” Aurora asks.

  “What?” Claire snaps.

  “You are flying off the handle a little bit.”

  With a glare, Claire hisses, “He’s watching everything I do. It’s not right.”

  “But are you always this crazy?”

  It looks like Claire is going to scream again and then she stops. “No….no I’m not.” Damien starts coughing on the floor. Claire suddenly looks panicked. She rolls Damien over and darts her fingers into his back. He takes a huge gasp of air.

  “Dear lord….” Damien groans.

  “Oh god Damien,” Claire cries. “What did I do? I don’t know what came over me! Oh god…” She reaches out to grab him.

  “Don’t touch me!” Damien snaps.

  Claire covers her mouth. “I’m so sorry.”

  Taking a deep breath in, Damien puts his finger under his ear. “I’m fine. It’s alright.” He pauses and then says, “What?” He turns and looks at Claire. “That’s impossible.”

  “What’s impossible?” Clai
re whispers. Xander doesn’t even move the tension is so thick. His eyes turn to Ariel and she shrugs.

  Damien seems to listen for a moment, and then he stands up. “There is something going on with you.”

  “What do you mean?” Claire asks.

  The waitress suddenly appears with their order. “Do you still want this?”

  “Yes please!” Aurora exclaims. “I’m so hungry.”

  She puts all the plates on the table. “Enjoy your meal,” the waitress mumbles. Xander looks down at his food and his stomach growls loudly. He takes his first bite and it’s like heaven. It’s been a long time since they have sat down at a table to eat. He sees Aurora and Ariel immediately dig in. Ariel exhales a happy hum as she chews.

  While chewing, Xander looks at Damien and Claire. They are staring each other down. “I don’t know what came over me,” Claire whispers. “I just saw red.”

  “Your energy fluctuated drastically,” Damien sighs, “Sit down. I need to sit down.” He plops down in the chair and put his head between his knees. “What did you do to me?”

  “Nothing permanent,” Claire whispers, as a tear rolls down her cheek. “It will wear off. Damien, please, I didn’t mean to do that.”

  Sticking a french fry in his mouth, Xander turns his gaze to the twins. They both look at each other and shrug their shoulders. Swallowing, Xander states, “You aren’t doing a very good job of convincing us to trust you when your greatest weapon is taking you down.”

  “I didn’t mean to,” Claire cries, placing her face in her hands.

  “Honey,” Damien whispers. He grabs her hand and pulls her to his lap. “Baby, something happened inside of you. We have to figure out what caused it.”

  “What do you mean?” She sniffles.

  “Your energy fluctuated in a way it hasn’t before. It was too quick for them to tell. Dr. Galliger said it looked like you were….”

  “What…turning into a demon?”

  “No, it was as if you were creating energy. Like we do in Shima.”

  A look of shock passes over her face. “I don’t do that.”

  “It seems as though you did, which obviously made you have a violent mood swing.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Claire whispers. “Please forgive me.”

  “It’s fine baby,” Damien exhales. “I’m just sore.”