Shifters (The Neturu Chronicles Book 3)

by Sarah Carter

Laughing, Lexi replies, “I can see that.”

  “Well, I have to go the other way. Thanks for your help today,” Derrick says, as he starts to back up.

  “Hey, you need to tell me where Connor is after school. I hope it’s not out back smoking.”

  With a weird expression on his face, Derrick says, “Who smokes out back and since when does Connor smoke?”

  Lexi clicks her tongue. “That’s what he told me.”

  “Yeah, Connor is really anti-drinking and anti-smoking. He would never smoke, and no one is allowed to smoke anywhere near the school.”

  “I’m going to kick his ass,” Lexi growls.

  Derrick grins broadly. “Oh, he has a thing for you.”

  “What?” Lexi retorts, jerking back.

  “He only gives shit to the girls he likes. Like, he’s overly nice to Jackie, even though she’s a heinous bitch. That means he isn’t attracted to her, but that he’s giving you a hard time. That means he has a thing for you.”

  A nervousness sweeps Lexi. “We don’t even know each other.”

  “Hell, I’m attracted to you, but as soon as you said Connor stole your keys, I knew. I just didn’t say anything in front of Miss Mega Bitch.”

  “Is she always like that?” Lexi asks.

  “To anyone with boobs that shows Connor attention and most other people, too.”

  “Well, Connor can’t like me.”

  He shoves his hands in his pockets, “Why? Got a boyfriend?”

  “No, and I’m not gay. He just can’t like me.”

  “Well, I think it may be a little late for that,” Derrick chuckles. “But, if he wants you to figure it out on your own, I’m going to let you.”

  “Totally not cool,” Lexi snaps.

  Derrick smiles and shrugs his shoulders. “If I tell you and he finds out, which I would tell him, he would just change where he is.”

  “Whatever,” Lexi laughs. “You suck.”

  He winks at her. “Good luck.” Derrick turns and walks away from her.

  Lexi scowls and then walks down the hallway. Everyone is still turning their heads, looking at her. She sighs. Suddenly, Connor walks past her. “Connor!” she yells.

  Connor grins and says, “Yes?”

  “Give me my keys.”

  He starts patting all his pockets. “Oh my god. Where are they?”

  “What? Where did you put them?” Lexi gasps.

  “In my locker. Couldn’t let the keys to that fine car be floating around school.”

  She stomps her foot and laughs hysterically. “Damn it. Where’s your locker?”

  “I’m not going to tell you.”

  “Connor, come on. Derrick already told me that you lied about smoking, and no one smokes out back,” Lexi states, narrowing her eyes.

  A huge smile spreads across his face. “Oh, you intercepted my best friend. I will be off to go find him now.”

  “Yeah, he’s my new lab partner,” Lexi explains. “Along with her royal highness, Jackie.”

  Connor laughs. “More like her royal pain in the ass.”

  “She has a thing for you. That’s why she acts that way.”

  He rolls his eyes. “Whatever. It ain’t going to happen, no matter how hard she tries.”

  “Have you told her? That may help,” Lexi counters.

  “Yes. I have. I blatantly hit on other girls in front of her, and it has changed nothing.”

  Lexi gets quiet and says, “Maybe she will get the point someday.”

  Suddenly, Connor bends over to her ear. “There’s also the ones that I’m really attracted to. That pisses her off more. See ya later.” With that, he walks away.

  She watches him go and exhales in frustration. “He’s super annoying but..oh get off it. He’s human,” Lexi mumbles to herself.

  Lexi. She hears.

  Yes, Mom?

  Did you go to school?

  No.

  Lexi Rose Blakely!

  Mom, whatever. I just left Chemistry. Dad helped the principal’s grandson, so I’m pretty much in.

  Your dad was worried.

  Why didn’t he come to me?

  He thought you may be mad at him.

  I’m mad at all of you. I hate you.

  You haven’t met anyone yet?

  I got made fun of before I even walked in the door. Then some guy stole my car keys.

  WHAT! Do I need to call the cops?

  No. No. Don’t do that. He’s being a punk. I think he wants to be my friend.

  Good. It would be good for you to have more friends. Human or not. You don’t shift, so no outing the Neturu.

  I’m not Neturu, Mom. I’m Kenga.

  Part Neturu.

  Like the smallest fraction ever. I’m Kenga and a FREAK.

  President of the Freak Club.

  Mom, I’m not trying to be funny.

  Why are you so bummed if someone wants to be your friend?

  He’s human.

  So? I have lots of human friends. They just can’t find out.

  Mom. He likes me. As in, attracted to me as a girl.

  Oh.

  Yeah oh.

  Well...

  Well, what mom? I can’t be with a human.

  I dated humans.

  Dad would flip his shit if I started dating a human. The daughter of the Merjyet line...with a human. Yeah, okay.

  You don’t have to marry him. Casual date is fine.

  What’s the point of casually dating? I would have to give him up at some point. So, either way, my heart gets broken. I think I will stick with becoming the cat lady. At least I said that to Connor.

  Oooo, Connor. That’s a sexy name. Is he hot?

  Oh god, Mom. I don’t want to talk about sexy with you.

  Sigh. I’m officially a mom. There’s no going back.

  What? No, you’re not. You’re the coolest mom on this planet.

  Whose daughter can’t even talk to her about boys.

  Ugh. Good point. Okay, fine. You tell anyone, and I will wake the kids up every morning at five am.

  Fine. Dish.

  He’s super cute. The most amazing crystal blue eyes. Super-hot. Tall. Seems like he would fit right in with my friends.

  Know anything else about him?

  No, but I have met the school’s wicked bitch of the west. She likes Connor.

  Honey, you’re gorgeous.

  That’s all fine and everything, but she is seriously a bitch and is going to make my life hell. Can I use my powers if needed? Just a little bit?

  Lexi...

  Dude, no one needs to know. If Dad finds out, I will take the blame. He won’t even know you knew. But you can run interference on how bad the punishment is.

  Lexi...god. I’m trying to be a mom right now. But I remember being in your shoes. Fine, if something comes up, do it. Just nothing to draw attention.

  Okay. Well, I already pulled her chair from under her today in class. It was hilarious.

  Lexi Rose!

  You just said I could.

  But I’m your mom, so I have to say Lexi Rose!

  Lexi laughs. I love you. But I have to go into French now.

  Don’t humiliate the teacher please, and no teaching the kids profanity.

  Blame Uncle Jackson for that! He’s the one who taught me.

  Yeah, wait until his kids are older. He has no idea what’s coming. Revenge baby. Revenge.

  I, by far, have the greatest family ever. I also have a lot of aunts and uncles who are trouble.

  We were when we were your age. Remind me to tell you the story of your Aunt Kayla and this punk named Jude. Your dad and uncle scared the ever loving crap out of him. It’s a great story. Your Aunt Kayla should tell you.

  Are they coming over this weekend?

  Yeah, of course. Kayla’s pregnant again. She’s eating like I do. I know she’s not, but you’d swear she was having twins.

  Okay. Gotta go, Mom. Love you.

  Love you, too.

  With that Lexi tu
rns into the classroom.

  Chapter 2

  That class and her next two go off with mass boredom. She pretty much puts out there that the teacher doesn’t need to call on her in any of the classes. Taking a pen, she starts to draw. She isn’t awesome at it, but she isn’t horrible either. It gives her something to do.

  When lunchtime comes, she begrudgingly goes to her locker. The last thing she wants is to go to the cafeteria. When she comes to her locker, there is a group of girls standing around it. “What in the hell?” Lexi whispers. She starts to push through the crowd. When she breaks through, she sees who is standing in front of her locker. Lexi spins on the crowd. “Oh gross. Do not look at him like that. That’s my dad!”

  “The name’s Dr. Damien Blakely,” her dad declares.

  “I swear to god, Dad!” Lexi yells. “Don’t be a creeper.” He laughs at her. “Ugh. Dad. SERIOUSLY!”

  “I am her father,” he chuckles.

  “Dude, your dad is hot as hell,” one of the girls says.

  Lexi gestures like she’s going to puke on the floor. “Oh, gross. EEEEEEHHHHHHH.”

  “All right, enough of that. I brought you lunch,” her father says.

  “What’d you bring?” Lexi asks, totally excited.

  Picking up a bag off the ground. “I brought you sushi from your favorite restaurant.”

  “Say what!” Lexi gasps, grabbing the bag from him. She looks inside. “Oh yum.”

  “Are you going to let me eat with you, or is it totally uncool to eat with your dad? I would not have eaten with my dad.”

  “No, you have to stay,” Lexi states. “Come on.” They make their way through the school and into the cafeteria. Everyone quiets down. “There, there’s a table over there.” It’s in the corner and away from everyone. They sit down, and Lexi starts to put out all the trays. “Oh my god. I love you. This is perfect.”

  Her father folds his hands together and says, “Do I actually get to eat some of this?”

  “Ummm,” Lexi hums. “You can eat a little bit, so no one sees how much food I actually need to consume.”

  “Okay,” her dad laughs.

  They sit down and take out their chop sticks. “I’m going first.” She takes a piece and pops it into her mouth. “Mmmmm,” she hums. “So good.”

  Her dad puts a little bit of wasabi on a piece and takes a bite himself. “This is very good.”

  “Thanks dad. This is perfect. This is why you are my best friend.”

  “Now, tell me, what happened this morning?”

  Lexi chews her piece of sushi. “This girl has it out for me.”

  “Any idea why?”

  “It’s all over a guy,” Lexi whispers.

  “Lexi...”

  She looks up at him. “Don’t worry, Dad. I know I will be alone for the rest of my life. I already started the list of cat names.”

  “Lexi, you aren’t going to be alone,” he sighs.

  Dad, I can’t be with a human, and no Neturu will ever want me.

  “That’s not true,” he whispers. “Someone is going to want you, honey.”

  I’m not even Neturu! I’m Kenga. Don’t get me started on the fraction that makes me Neturu. If a Neturu won’t marry a human, why in the world would they marry a Kenga?

  He frowns. “Honey, sometimes people marry for love.”

  “Well, we both know that’s not going to happen,” she snaps.

  “Dude!” They hear next to them. Derrick is standing there. “Are you the dad?”

  “I am the dad. Damien Blakely.” He reaches his hand out.

  “Derrick Cornin,” Derrick replies, shaking his hand. “Your daughter is going to help me with chemistry.”

  Her dad smiles. “That’s awesome. She is a great teacher.”

  “I wish my dad brought me sushi,” Derrick laughs.

  “Would you like some?” Lexi says. “We have a lot here.”

  “Seriously?” Derrick replies. She nods. “Awesome.” He sits down and smiles. Lexi hands him a set of chopsticks. Derrick takes a piece of sushi and puts it in his mouth. He wiggles his eyebrows.

  “Are you a junior, too?” her father asks.

  Derrick shakes his head. “No, I’m a senior. My best friend is a junior. We grew up next door to each other. Connor stole her keys.”

  “What!”

  “Dad, it’s fine. He’s going to give them back. He stole them so I couldn’t leave school. Otherwise, I would have. So, you should probably give him a reward for it.”

  “I’m glad you stayed,” her dad says, giving her a look.

  Lexi looks around. “Where is Connor?”

  “Way across the room,” Derrick points. “And we aren’t inviting him over here because I’m not sharing the sushi.”

  “Wait! Wait! Wait! Not another bite of sushi until you tell me where he is after school,” she exclaims, putting her hands over the sushi. “None. Fess up.”

  “Oh come on,” Derrick whines. “Totally not even fair.”

  She takes a piece of sushi and holds it in front of him. “This looks gooood.”

  “Fine, he’s in the greenhouse.”

  “With plants?” Lexi counters, a little shocked.

  “He wants to become a botanist,” Derrick says. He jumps forward and takes the sushi from her chopsticks. “Mmmmm.”

  Her dad nods. “Botany is overlooked a lot, but you can do great things with it. Help people be healthier. Possibly aid in helping find cures. It’s a good field.”

  Derrick smiles. “He’s really into it. So, he goes over there every day when class ends and checks on the plants he’s growing.”

  “Now, I know where to find him,” Lexi sings. “You can’t tell him I know.”

  “Fine,” Derrick replies. “You have to tutor me in exchange for my silence.”

  “Deal.”

  Suddenly, there is a beeping sound. They both look at Lexi’s dad. He looks at something on his hip. “Crap. Medical emergency. I have to go. Are you guys going to be able to finish this?”

  “Heck yeah,” Derrick cheers.

  “Lexi, I will see you later. Be good. Stay out of trouble.”

  “What fun is that?” Derrick laughs.

  Lexi rolls her eyes and smirks. “I will be good. Love you.”

  “Love you, too. Bye.”

  She grabs a piece of sushi and eats it. Derrick looks at her. “Your dad’s awesome.”

  “You’d love my whole family. My great grandpa you would be scared of, but he’s getting older. But you don’t want to cross him. He was a leader in a military for most of his life. Can kick the crap out of anyone.”

  Laughing, Derrick says, “I will make sure not to cross you. So, tell me. Into music? We’re really into music.”

  “I listen to everything, and I mean everything. From here. All over the world. My library is massive.”

  “We love going to concerts,” Derrick says. “We want to go see Flogging Molly. Tickets go on sale tomorrow. We’re pumped.”

  “I love Flogging Molly,” Lexi replies. “I don’t run into a lot of people who know of them.”

  “Now you are around the right people. You should come to the concert.”

  “Who’s all going?” Lexi asks.

  Derrick grimaces. “As of right now me, Connor, and the she devil.”

  Lexi’s eyebrows slowly rise in disbelief. “She likes Flogging Molly?”

  “I don’t think she even knows who Flogging Molly is,” Derrick groans. “She is like a succubus. Always there and always sucking the life out of you.” Coughing, Lexi chokes on her sushi. She continues to cough. “You all right?” Derrick asks.

  Taking in a deep breath, Lexi tries to keep a straight face. “Yeah, sorry.”

  “Anyway, she goes anywhere he goes and he’s too nice to stop her.”

  “Maybe he likes her,” Lexi suggests. “But won’t say anything.”

  “I’m telling you I know Connor. I have known him since we were six. He super nice to girls generally, but
if he is really interested in them, man, all bets are off. He gives them hell.”

  Lexi fidgets with a piece of sushi with her chopsticks. “He can’t like me. Okay? If I need to avoid him to make that happen, then that’s what I will do.”

  “Why can’t he have a thing for you?” Derrick asks.

  “Family expectations,” Lexi sighs.

  “He’s not good enough?”

  Vigorously shaking her head, Lexi says, “That’s not it at all. Dating isn’t copacetic with me. Like I told Connor, I’m going to be the crazy pet lady. I have a list of names started.”

  “Why can’t you date?”

  She sighs and doesn’t say anything at first. Finally, she whispers, “Dating me couldn’t go anywhere, so I don’t see the point of dating at all.”

  “The sounds sad and a little cryptic.”

  “Welcome to my life. I’m honestly not even being dramatic. I don’t have any options either way. I will be alone for the rest of my life.” With those words, her heart falls.

  “Well, good luck on getting Connor to stop. If you say you’re not interested in him because you can’t date, that’s going to be adding fuel to a roaring fire.”

  Lexi throws her hands up in exasperation. “Oh great.”

  “Go with it. Maybe you’ll like him, too. Maybe you will get past whatever hang up your stuck on,” Derrick suggests, as he puts a piece of sushi in his mouth. Between bites he says, “Conner...is a...good guy. He’d treat you like a queen.”