Shift (The Neturu Chronicles)

by Sarah Kay Carter

  All color drains from his mother’s face, leaving it ashen white as she processes the information. She looks at Kayla. Kayla smirks and says, “If it’s a boy, we’re going to name him Macon.”

  “What?” his mom screams.

  Kayla bursts into a fit of giggles and falls over on the bed. Jackson laughs right along with her. “Mom, we’re kidding. Kayla isn’t pregnant. We were just pulling your leg. But doesn’t it make her sleeping over a little less of a bad thing?”

  “Jackson!” his mom spits out. “That was not funny. You two, get dressed and get her home.”

  “Yes, Mother,” Jackson groans as he shuts the door.

  Still giggling, Kayla looks at him. “We are in so much trouble.”

  “I’ll show you trouble in about five seconds,” Jackson murmurs, climbing on top of her. “She said we had to get dressed, which means we have to be undressed at some point to get redressed.”

  “Mmm,” Kayla hums. “Why do I feel like you’re going to use that to your advantage?”

  “Could be because I am,” Jackson whispers, before he bends down to kiss her.

  A year and a half later…

  “Stop,” Kayla giggles, brushing Jackson away with her shoulder.

  “No,” he murmurs, kissing her on her neck again.

  Kayla pushes his head away with her hand. “Come on.” She laughs. “Damien’s calling any second.”

  “I was planning to enjoy the company of the woman I love,” Jackson growls playfully. “But nooooo, she would rather talk to my cousin.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Honey, we can make out anytime we want. I haven’t talked to him in weeks. I have to thoroughly yell at him for missing my graduation party.”

  “Damien was here for our actual graduation,” Jackson reminds her. “He’s part of the council now. That comes before us in importance.”

  “He’s like my male best friend. I miss him.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Jackson sighs, pulling up a chair next to her. “I miss him too. There’s no one to spar with around here.”

  A pinging noise comes from Jackson’s laptop. Kayla clicks on a button and Damien appears. “Hey!” she exclaims.

  “Hey back at you.” Damien chuckles. “How are two of my favorite people?”

  “Good,” Kayla replies. “You missed the most epic graduation party ever! Especially, since yours truly was valedictorian.” She shoots a grin at Jackson and he rolls his eyes.

  Damien sighs. “I know, but I couldn’t help it. I have even more responsibilities now.”

  “That’s all great and everything, but you better be coming to visit in the next two weeks. It’s our summer before we go to college! There is so much for us to do.”

  “Actually, that’s why I called. In three weeks you’re invited to a rather large event. This is the first time we’re doing this. It could go one way or another, but I think it’s a good idea.”

  “What is?”

  “We’re doing a rendezvous for Neturu teens,” Damien states. “It’ll be held at a private resort. There will be activities and workshops. It’ll be fun.”

  Kayla leans closer to the screen. “I’m totally in. I need to meet more Neturu girls.”

  “There will be plenty there. We’re already getting a big response to this.”

  “Hey,” Kayla chirps mischievously. “If I’m meeting new Neturu girls, maybe you can too.”

  Rolling his eyes skyward, Damien groans. “Kayla, I love you, but I don’t need your help.”

  “It’s been a year since you’ve even gone on a date Damien,” Kayla whines. “Come on. You have to meet someone.”

  He puts his hands out. “I went on a few dates.”

  “They all ended badly because they wanted your money or they wanted in your pants,” Kayla draws out in annoyance. “I know, I know.”

  “He doesn’t need your help.” Jackson chuckles. “He does know what he’s doing.”

  She turns and looks at Jackson. “I want Damien to meet a girl that clicks with his personality.”

  “I’m going to be at this thing for business purposes.” Damien snorts. “My enjoyment will be from seeing you guys. Anyway, the downfall of being me is that every Neturu girl knows exactly what and who I am. It makes me immediately doubt things. It’s not, ‘Hey, who are you, oh it’s nice to meet you.’ No, it’s, ‘Oh my God, you’re Damien, the son of the Merjyet line!’”

  Jackson starts squealing like a girl and waving his hands around. “OH MY GOD, not THE DAMIEN BLAKELY!” That makes Kayla burst out laughing.

  Damien slams his hands down on the table in front of him and goes, “He’s so hot and rich too.”

  Kayla’s laughter borders on hysterics, and she holds her stomach. “His eyes are so dreamy,” Jackson draws out, twirling his hair.

  “You think I have pretty eyes?” Damien retorts. “Why thank you.”

  “I’ll show you how pretty your eyes are when I give you a black eye from sparring,” Jackson states, cracking his knuckles.

  “Oh, now it’s on,” Damien quips back. “Mock my beauty.”

  Kayla manages to get her laughter under control to rejoin the conversation. “I think you have beautiful eyes and so do a lot of other girls,” Kayla declares. “You’ll meet someone. Just make sure you’re open to it.”

  Damien shakes his head. “It’s not that I’m not open to it. I just haven’t met anyone that takes my breath away. I want to have what you guys have.”

  “You will, I promise. I just want you happy.”

  Damien sighs. “My life is so busy right now, I don’t think I’d have time to date. It would have to be someone that could deal with me being on the council.”

  “You’ll meet someone, and hey, maybe it will be at this rendezvous.”

  “I highly doubt it,” Damien chuckles. “I’ll just be happy to see you two.”

  Meanwhile in L.A....

  Throwing on her helmet, Claire runs down the front steps of her house and climbs on her motorcycle.

  “Claire!” a voice bellows behind her. “Stop!”

  Claire turns and sees her mom on the porch. Her mom crosses her arms and gives her an angry stare. Claire starts her bike, the revving engine growling her response. When her mom puts her hands on her hips, Claire rolls her eyes and takes off down the street. She obeys the speed limits until she gets to the freeway. Once Claire hits the on-ramp, it’s a whole other story. She cranks the throttle and speeds past all the cars in front of her.

  Her anger and adrenaline drive her to push her bike to the max. She doesn’t slow down until she approaches her desired exit. Ten minutes later, she runs up the steps to her brother’s apartment and bangs on the door.

  It takes her brother almost an entire minute to open the door. “Claire?” her brother chirps. “What are you doing here?”

  “Our. Mother. Has. Lost. Her. MIND!” Claire seethes.

  Ben snorts. “You just figured that out?” He holds the door open wider. “Come in and tell me what happened this time.”

  “I’ll tell you why,” Claire snaps, brushing past him. “We got an invite in the mail the other day, and Mom signed me up for it. She didn’t even ask if I wanted to go.”

  Ben shuts the door and sighs. “What invitation is that?”

  Claire pulls the envelope out of her coat pocket. “This, she signed me up for this. It’s like leading the lamb to slaughter.”

  “Claire, honey,” Ben starts. “There is no leading you to slaughter. You would just kill everything.”

  “I don’t go for killing,” Claire retorts sharply. Ben looks up and raises his eyebrows. “I go for maiming…then killing.”

  “Let me read it,” Ben sighs, looking down at the piece of paper. After a minute he exhales, “Holy crap.”

  Giving him a look, Claire says, “Yup, lamb to the slaughter.”

  “Just go there and scare the crap out of people by kicking some random person’s ass.” Ben laughs. “I would pay to see that.”

  “And
disgrace Grandpa? I don’t think so. He would do whatever I did to that person tenfold.”

  Shrugging his shoulders, Ben says, “I think you could take Grandpa now.”

  “Ugh, yeah, not testing that theory.” She snorts. “Anyway, I can’t go around starting fights. It’ll just draw unwanted attention, but seriously Ben, I can’t go to this! If anyone finds out, I’ll be ruined!”

  “One day someone will find out. You’ll meet a boy someday and fall in love.”

  “No Neturu is going to touch me,” Claire snaps. “That’s why I stick with humans. There’s no fear of them finding out what I am.”

  “Your choice in guys sucks Claire. You should try a Neturu. They can see past your quandary.”

  Claire rolls her eyes. “Whatever Ben, I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life or married to a human and shunned from our people.”

  Tilting his head, Ben replies, “You wouldn’t be shunned.”

  “I couldn’t come to any sort of family function,” Claire quips. “Oh, I’m sorry, that’s not a pet. That’s my uncle Tom, since we know Uncle Tom has a hard time controlling his shifts.”

  Ben bursts out laughing. “I guess you have a point.”

  “Alone,” Claire emphasizes. Ben sighs and rubs his forehead. Snagging the paper from him, Claire holds it up. “This stupid rendezvous is going to be my downfall!”

  “Just…I don’t know,” Ben exhales. “Stay away from everyone. Get a book and hide in the corner. Go for like a fifteen-mile run every day.”

  She gives him a look. “Ben, people may think it’s weird that I am actually running in human form.”

  “Oh come on,” Ben scoffs. “It’s not that weird! We exercise all the time! It’s part of our training.”

  “It’s not a rendezvous for fighters Ben,” Claire snaps. “It’s for teenagers.”

  Ben takes the piece of paper back. “It’s ages sixteen to nineteen. That’s older teens.”

  “You know, if it were a rendezvous for the guard. I would totally go.”

  “Catch yourself a boyfriend then.”

  “Boyfriend, boy toy,” Claire says. “Whatever.”

  Holding up the paper, Ben says, “You very well could meet a boy here. You never know.”

  “I want a guy who can go toe-to-toe with me,” Claire declares. “I will not find that at this stupid rendezvous.”

  “Don’t count anything out, Claire.” Ben sighs. “Go to this. See what happens.”

  Letting out a scream, Claire points her finger at him. “I will not go to this. Over my dead body!” With that she turns and stomps out of his apartment.

  Find out more about the Neturu in

  “Shiftless”

  Coming Soon.