Shifters (The Neturu Chronicles Book 3)

by Sarah Carter

  “They can be that way with no punishment,” Mason replies. “They are free now. They are free to be kids. They’ve never had that before.”

  “None of us have,” Trinity says.

  Xander takes her hands. “We have been free and it’s wonderful. Wait until you experience what this world has to offer.”

  “I would like to see it,” Trinity says. “It never bothered me before, being blind. But now…there’s this world to explore. I want to be able to see it. I want to be able to enjoy it.”

  “Dr. Galliger said they were going to look as to why you are blind,” Xander states. “Maybe they can make some changes.”

  “Hopefully they can heal Tray’s back,” Aurora whispers, looking at Tray.

  “I think they are going to look at him tomorrow,” Xander sighs. “We should all go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. They are going to want to start testing. Well, us at least. I think they will hold off on the little kids.”

  Mason crosses his arms and smirks. “They will probably concentrate on Little Bit.”

  “That little girl is amazing,” Xander says, shaking his head. “The things she can do.”

  “I thought I was the most special,” Trinity giggles. “I think I was a trial and error sort of thing.”

  Xander repeats, “Trinity thinks she was a trial and error sort of thing.”

  “Maybe,” Mason replies. “I think we all are.”

  “But, what was she going to do with Lexi?” Ariel asks.

  Shrugging, Mason says, “I have no idea. Lexi doesn’t either. Something with Jiub.”

  “But what?”

  “I don’t know,” he snorts. “Maybe we will never know. The Collector’s bat shit crazy. That’s all I know.”

  Trinity shivers. “Do you really think we are safe?”

  “We have the scariest beings on this planet protecting us. I think we will be safe.”

  She shakes her head. “I wonder if they will ever find her.”

  “They will. The planet is only so big and the Neturu can track everyone now. It won’t take long I bet,” Xander states, with a nod.

  “We will see,” Aurora sighs. “I hope it’s soon and I hope they kill her. Actually, I hope they torture her and then kill her. Actually, I hope they just torture her for the rest of her life.”

  Xander raises an eyebrow. “As much as we may want that, the Neturu are a peaceful race. There’s no way they would do that.”

  “They should!” Aurora exclaims. “For all the shit she put us through. I would do the torturing.”

  “Then you are no better than her,” Xander replies. Aurora just glares at him. “Let’s all go to bed, so that we can be more balanced tomorrow.”

  “I am getting tired,” Trinity says. “I’m going to come out of Shima.”

  Nodding, Xander says, “Okay.”

  A few seconds later, Trinity stirs. “It was nice to see all of you together. I’ve never done that before.”

  “It would be nice if we could all hear you at once,” Ariel replies.

  “I’ve never tried that,” Trinity says, sitting up.

  “Never?” Ariel replies.

  Trinity shakes her head. “Maybe tomorrow. The Collector always kept me on such a tight leash. I don’t think she would have wanted me to project to all of you at the same time.”

  “Let’s save that for tomorrow,” Xander says, grabbing her hand. She stands up. “I bet you are tired.”

  “I bet she’s tired,” Mason laughs.

  Xander cocks his head and counters, “Just like you are tired.”

  “Hey, I’m not even going to play around. I shower her with as much affection as I can now. Especially since I wasn’t allowed to do it before.”

  “It will be nice,” Trinity says, smiling. “Alright, let’s go.”

  They take their time because of Trinity and go to their rooms. “Okay, night,” Aurora yawns. “See you in the morning.”

  “Night,” they all call out.

  “Alright, we are in here,” Xander says to Trinity. “We will see you guys in the morning.”

  “Have fun,” Mason calls out.

  “Mason, shut up,” Xander snaps. Mason can be heard snickering as Xander shuts the door.

  Trinity starts to walk around the room, feeling her way around. She finds the bed and sits down. “That guy said there are different clothes for me.”

  “Do you want to get washed up?” Xander asks. “There’s a bathroom.”

  “Yes,” Trinity replies. “I need your help a little since I’m not used to this place.”

  Xander is quiet for a minute. “You want me to help you wash up?”

  “Well, no,” she replies. “Though if you really wanted to, I would be up for it.”

  “Trinity!”

  She opens her mouth and smiles. “I would love to see the look on your face right now. No, I need you to show me where everything is.”

  He walks over to her and extends his hand. “Come on.” Trinity stands up and he leads her to the bathroom. Xander grabs a toothbrush and puts it in her hand. “This toothbrush can be yours. There’s a bunch in here. It’s purple.”

  “Thank you,” she replies. “Wash cloth?”

  Reaching over to the shelving, Xander hands her one. “Here’s the soap,” he says, bringing her hand forward to the bottle of body wash. “Let me get you the clothes.”

  “I’m going to brush my teeth,” Trinity says. She reaches forward and feels the knobs of the sink. She turns it on and then feels for the toothpaste.

  “It’s right here,” Xander states, putting it near her hands.

  “Xander, being blind isn’t new,” Trinity laughs. “I just need everything near me.”

  “Yeah, sorry,” he stammers. “Just trying to help.”

  Trinity puts down everything and reaches over for him. When she finds Xander, she pulls him towards her. “I know you are just trying to help. I appreciate it.” Grabbing his head, she pulls him down to kiss her. The kisses are delicate and soft. Desire stirs in Xander. He pulls her against him and deepens the kiss. They start to get heated and Trinity gasps in his mouth. She pulls away. “Whoa.”

  “Yeah,” Xander mumbles, running his fingers through his hair. “You should get ready. Let me get you your clothes.” He turns around and leaves the bathroom. Xander finds a few piles of clothes on the dresser. He pulls out a nightgown. Turning, he goes back to the bathroom. “Here’s a nightgown.”

  She turns to him. “What does it look like?”

  “It’s purple and very soft. It has cute owls all over it.”

  “Let me feel,” Trinity says, reaching out her hands. “I’ve never worn a nightgown before. Nothing soft.” He puts the nightgown in her hands. Trinity smiles. “It is soft. Wow, I will never want to get out of it. It’s pretty?”

  “It’s very pretty.”

  “I will have to go to Shima tomorrow so I can see all the beautiful clothes. I just want to get ready for bed now.”

  Xander puts his hand on the doorknob. “I will let you get dressed,” he says. “If you need anything yell. I’m going to close the door.”

  “You can keep the door open,” Trinity says, reaching for the toothpaste again. “I don’t mind.”

  “Trinity…”

  “Xander,” she says, turning to him. “We have loved each other for years. We have pretty much dated for that long too, in our standards. I’m to the point that I trust you completely. I don’t care. I’m ready to take those steps with you. I have wanted to take those steps with you. I love you so desperately. We were never allowed to show each other affection. I want to do that now. I want to share that with you.”

  He nods. “Okay.” Turning he walks into the bedroom. Xander isn’t sure where he’s supposed to look. Sitting down on the bed, he stares at the floor. Then, because he can’t stop, he looks up. Trinity is standing there in…nothing. “What are you doing?” Xander squeaks.

  She reaches out for him. Xander takes her hand. “St
and up,” she says. He does. Trinity reaches down and pulls his shirt off.

  “No,” Xander snaps, pulling it back down.

  “Xander. My Xander. Stop,” Trinity whispers. She pulls his shirt up. With her fingers, she gently runs them along his torso until they find a scar. Xander tenses up. Then Trinity leans over and kisses the scar, ever so gently. The small, sweet sign of affection makes Xander feel at ease. Trinity does it again and again. Xander physically relaxes. He gently rubs her head and kisses it. Trinity pushes his shirt all the way off.

  “What are we doing?” Xander asks.

  Trinity pulls him down and kisses him. “No expectations,” Trinity says. “We’ve been denied for so long. Never able to do what we’ve wanted to do. Because, be honest with me, you’ve wanted to do more.”

  Xander pulls her against him. “I’ve wanted to do so much more.”

  “Just don’t think about it,” Trinity whispers. “We’ve always had to think about it. Always mindful. Always scared. We can ignore that now. Just do what feels natural. Be with me. Feel me. Show me that you love me.”

  “I’ve never done anything before,” Xander mutters, feeling slightly awkward.

  “Neither have I,” Trinity replies. “Which makes it even more special. Love me Xander. That’s all I am asking.”

  He bends down and kisses her. It starts slowly and a whole lot of new sensations stir inside of Xander. He puts his hand on the small of her back and pulls her against him. Trinity deepens the kiss. Everything in Xander warms.

  Bending down, Xander picks Trinity up. He carries her over to the bed and lays her down. “You’re positive about this.”

  “Yes.”

  He undoes and takes off his pants. “If you want to stop. You need to tell me and I will. I won’t be mad.”

  “Shut up Xander,” Trinity laughs. “Just come here.”

  Xander climbs onto the bed. He looks down at her. “You’re so beautiful Trinity. I love you.”

  “Hopefully, someday soon I will be able to see while we do this.”

  “They will also get rid of these,” Xander says, taking her fingers and tracing them across a big scar.

  “They are part of who you are,” Trinity says.

  “What do you mean by that?” Xander replies sharply.

  Trinity puts her hands on his chest. “You went through so much. You were strong and made it through. These are just reminders of how remarkable you are.”

  “That’s not how I see them,” Xander states. “We are going to get rid of them.”

  “I love you just the way that you are, but if you need to get rid of them, I will support you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Now, less talking,” Trinity whispers, pulling Xander down to kiss her.

  *****

  “Xander,” Trinity whispers.

  He stirs and opens his eyes. She is still laying in his arms, resting her head on his chest. “Good morning.”

  “Morning. I can’t sleep anymore,” she whispers. “It’s still a strange place. The only reason I slept at all is because you are here.”

  “Yeah, don’t worry. I understand. It took us forever to get used to sleeping different places. I still have a hard time. Not so much now that we’ve been rescued, but still. I haven’t slept as well as when I did with you last night. I’ve wanted this for so long.”

  She kisses his chest. “Me too. I love you.”

  “I love you more,” Xander counters.

  “Nuh uh, totally not even true,” Trinity giggles. “I by far love you more than you love me.”

  “You will not win this debate.”

  Trinity smiles. “I want to see you.”

  “What do you mean?” Xander replies, confused.

  “I want to go to Shima and see you right now.”

  “You want to see me naked?” He laughs.

  She reddens. “Yes. I only think it’s fair.”

  “Okay. Go to Shima.”

  Smiling, Trinity lays down and closes her eyes. A few seconds later, she is sitting on the bed in front of Xander. Her cheeks redden. “I have never seen a naked man before.”

  “I sure hope not!” Xander exclaims.

  “Oh, shut up,” she teases. “No, I just wanted to see you. I think it makes it more intimate.”

  “It does.”

  She looks over at herself. “It’s so weird to see me next to you. I look dead.”

  “You’re like sleeping,” Xander says.

  “I guess,” she sighs. “I really hope they can fix my blindness. It would be one thing if I have never seen, but I can see when I am in Shima. I realize what I am missing and want it so badly.”

  “They will probably want to do more testing today. I bet they can tell you if they can or can’t do it. Or what it’s going to take. Like my scars are going to take a few surgeries. Supposedly it can be painful but we are so advanced, I bet we have some killer pain meds. Not that I haven’t been through straight pain before, but if I never have to do that again, I would be ecstatic.”

  Trinity smiles. “We never have to go through anything like that again. I think we are finally safe.”

  “We are safe. So safe. They won’t let anything happen to any of us. They went immediately to rescue you guys. As soon as we knew, we made a plan. Little Lexi had a big hand in it. She’s amazing.”

  “From what you’ve told me, she sounds incredible. I wonder why The Collector made her.”

  “There has to be a reason,” Xander replies. “Damien thinks she wants to take over Earth. But what does that have to do with Kenga?”

  She shrugs. “Well, if Jiub is dying, wouldn’t she want to bring the Kenga here? The bitch obviously has a major interest in the Kenga. Maybe she wants to bring them here. Take over the council and steal the ships.”

  “That’s an idea,” Xander replies. “But what good would it do? We still can’t make children. What purpose would it serve? They tried to kill us off. I realize we had to leave some behind. I have to presume that she had to leave someone behind.”

  “Do you think she had samples or something? Or how do you exist?”

  “That has to be the case. You can’t just create Kenga strands. So, if we are all from the same person, it must mean that we are from whoever they loved.”

  “It would make the most sense,” Trinity says. “But what does Lexi have to do with it?”

  He shrugs. “Maybe she wanted to create an army. An army of us and Lexi.”

  Trinity shakes her head. “I don’t think that’s it. We age. How fast could she produce us to make an army all at once.”

  “That’s a really good point that we didn’t think of,” Xander replies. “We should find Damien and mention that. We should probably find him in general. Let’s get dressed.”

  Trinity disappears and then she stirs beside him. “No getting dressed. Clothes off,” she giggles. “Come here.”

  “We can’t lay in each other’s arms for the whole day,” Xander laughs, moving over by her.

  “We shared the greatest act that we could last night. I would like to repeat it this morning and every day after that.”

  He holds himself over her and kisses her forehead. “You plan to keep me really busy.”

  “Just once a day,” Trinity states. “Or twice, maybe even three times.”

  “Wow Trinity,” he laughs. “I would never have thought there was this side to you.”

  She bashfully shrugs. “We were never allowed to show affection to each other. I want to do that whenever I feel the urge. If I want to hold your hand, I can hold your hand. If I want to kiss you, I can kiss you. If I want to do other things…I pull you aside in a room.”

  “Trinity,” Xander chuckles. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “I can think of a few things,” she replies. Trinity pulls him down and kisses them. They spend the next hour getting lost in each other.

  A while later, they are walking to the cafeteria. There is a lot of noise and talking coming from the cafet
eria. There are a lot of Neturu around the kids. It looks like they are taking blood samples. Dr. Galliger is to the right, looking at a tablet. Xander walks over by him. “What’s going on?” He asks.

  “Everyone has agreed to tests. We are doing the most simplistic ones at first. Blood samples. We will sort out who everyone is. I have a feeling you may be the only Kenga,” Dr. Galliger states. “The other kids show no unusual abilities.”

  “What are you going to do with Jennifer?” Xander asks. He spins in a circle. “Where is Jennifer?”

  “She went with Mr. Paulson to get scanned. She was very eager to find out what makes her so different. She is a very colorful person.”

  Trinity laughs. “She is definitely her own person. She stood up to The Collector and got punished a lot.”

  “Nowhere near how much we got punished, but she was none the less. I’m glad she is excited about the testing.”

  “Yeah, she was very eager to get started, so Mr. Paulson took her back right away. For now we are starting with blood samples. If we find anything different, then we will do more testing.”

  “When can you test me about my blindness?” Trinity asks.

  “We would like to get a more detailed scan on you. See what really happens when you project while you are Shima.”

  “Can I eat first?” Trinity asks, reaching to find a chair. “The food smells delicious.”

  Dr. Galliger points to the kitchen. “They made a bunch of different pancakes. Strawberry, chocolate chip, blueberry and regular. There are also syrups and whip cream. The kids devoured about three courses of them.”

  “I would like to try all of them,” Trinity says, scooting herself to the table. “Xander, honey, can you get me some pancakes?”

  “Sure, which ones would you like?” He asks.

  “All of them,” Trinity answers. “Two of each.”

  With a laugh, Dr. Galliger says, “You want eight pancakes? They aren’t little.”

  “She eats like the rest of us,” Xander replies. “You don’t want to see us in a food eating contest.”

  “I’d like to see you go up against Claire.”

  “I’ve thought about that,” Xander says. “She may out eat us though, but only by a little bit.” Bending over, he kisses Trinity’s head. “I will go get you some pancakes.”