Secret Shifter

by Louise Cypress

  Rolling my shoulders back, I took a deep breath and held it as long as I could. Then I let it out in a slow, steady stream through my nose and dropped to all fours.

  The world became clearer, but also less colorful. I saw things in yellow, blue, and gray, with sharp distinction. Bird songs that had been difficult to distinguish a minute ago rang out in every direction. The air smelled like damp grass and exhaust. I shivered with anticipation about what I might discover. There was nothing I loved more than a good hunt.

  I trotted up to Esma’s house first and smelled feline in the air. The bars of the security gate were too close for me to slip through, but my keen canine senses allowed me to discover things I hadn’t seen with my human eyes. My nose wrinkled in disgust as I smelled the strong scent of cat urine. When I looked up, I saw a long wire that led from the porch to the gate, with a leash hanging off it. Maybe the insane cat was put on a zipline so it could get fresh air.

  Suddenly, the garage door opened, and a Lexus backed out. I jumped into the bushes just in time to avoid being spotted. I could still see through the gate, though. When I looked into the garage, I saw a small motorhome, an SUV, and a couple of jet skis, but no Corvette. Esma must have already gone back to college.

  Yeaow! A giant cat with triangular, pointed ears pounced against the front window, scratching at the glass. It was the same cat I’d seen before, spotted like a leopard with angry brown eyes.

  I barked, on instinct, and held my ground. Don’t mess with me, I growled. Cats got on my nerves even on a good day. I couldn’t understand what the cat meowed at me next, and I didn’t care. I was looking for Slayer Academy, and this wasn’t it. The house seemed empty, except for the psycho feline and the middle-aged woman. Sneezing, I trotted out of the bushes and back down the sidewalk.

  I investigated the house with the hedge where I’d stashed my clothes next but didn’t find anything suspicious except for snail bait. I was glad the owners didn’t have dogs because those pellets smelled delicious and yet were a guaranteed trip to the emergency room. The automatic sprinklers turned on right when I was leaving, and a splash of water caught my tail. I wagged it as hard as I could to shake off the droplets.

  The next house had a five-car garage and a circular driveway. Although still definitely a mansion, it was smaller than the three-story monstrosity where the crazy cat lived. This house had a security gate as well, with shiny silver details on the wrought-iron decoration. I peered through the narrow bars and saw a fountain gurgling in the entryway. I wanted to squeeze through the gate and explore further, but there was a mesh screen that lined the perimeter. It was ugly by Mt. Soledad Road standards, but perfect for keeping dogs out—or in. I sniffed the air to see if I detected a scent. All I smelled were petunias blooming on the front porch.

  There was no way around it; I needed to be smaller. I ran back up to the house with the hedge and hid behind the bushes. This time I shifted into the tiniest breed I could think of that still made me feel respectable, a cairn terrier—like Toto from The Wizard of Oz. At nine inches tall and thirteen pounds, I was the perfect size to squeeze underneath any fence that blocked my path.

  I hurried back to the house and breached the perimeter. I may have been small, but I was hardy, fearless, and assertive. Cairn genes took hold and centuries of rat hunting in the Scottish highlands sharpened my senses. I noticed mole hills in the grass and my nose twitched with the desire to ferret them out. Get it together, Kate, I yipped to myself. I needed to focus. I was here for one reason only: to find Slayer Academy and meet people who could explain to me what had happened to my mom. Hopefully, they’d let me join their ranks so I could seek justice.

  I wasn’t sure what to do next. Now that I was a lap dog, it was harder to prowl around and peer into windows. Maybe I should find another bush and shift back into a retriever so I could see better. I was just scoping out my options when the front door opened and a man with short, brown hair and a square jawline stepped onto the porch. He spoke in a voice I recognized as soon as I heard it, even before I looked at his face and knew it was him.

  “Okay, people. Let’s get a move on,” said Van.

  The slayer was here? Standing in front of me? A hundred emotions bubbled up inside me at once: shock, elation, hurt, and joy. Van wasn’t just a slayer—he was my mother’s slayer. I wasn’t angry with him for destroying her because no way would Mom have wanted to be a monster, but seeing him sparked sadness for all that I’d lost.

  Van cupped his hands around his mouth and called into the house. “Did you hear me? It’s time to run. Let’s put in four miles before it gets too hot.”

  “I’m coming, I’m coming.” A young woman about my age came through the front door wearing a tank top, leggings, and aviator sunglasses. Her hair was styled into two French braids that reached her waist.

  Four more people followed her, two men and two women. They were all around the same age: late teens or early twenties. It was hard to tell.

  “I don’t see why we have to run outside,” whined a woman with mousy, brown hair and a flat butt. She spoke with a slight German accent. “Can’t we do this on the treadmill?”

  “No.” Van crossed his arms. “We can’t.”

  The woman pouted. “Sunscreen got in my eyes yesterday and almost blinded me.”

  “How horrible for you,” said the girl with braids. “It’s amazing that you survived.”

  “My sister’s right,” said Van. “Physical conditioning is essential. Vampires have heightened senses and super-strength. It’s impossible to outrun a vampire because they will beat you every time. But slayers need stamina, which is why physical fitness is a must.” Van paced around the group. “Is everyone armed?”

  The girl in braids pointed to her tank top. “Silver nano-mesh, right here.” She reached down to her ankle and pulled something shiny out of her sock. “Plus a switchblade for good measure.”

  Van nodded. “Good job, Cassandra.” He flicked his wallet chain. “A slayer is always prepared.” Van inspected the rest of his students nodding his approval at their hidden weaponry. When he got to the whiny woman with mousy, brown hair, he frowned. “Nothing, Gretchen? Really?”

  Gretchen slouched. “It’s hot outside and the nano-mesh is scratchy.”

  “Unbelievable.” Van rolled his eyes. “I don’t care that your mother is engaged to Uncle Jared. You’re taking up a valuable slot here at Slayer Academy, and I expect you to prove you deserve it, or I’ll send your butt back to Munich so fast, you won’t have time to say auf Wiedersehen.” Van spun on his heel and faced the driveway. “Okay, people. Let’s run.” He jogged down the driveway and the security gate slid open, letting the group past.

  I want to be part of that group, I barked to myself. Gretchen’s spot belonged to me. I didn’t know much about slayers, but I knew I could outrun her. I raced off the property and back to my pile of clothes behind the shed. I shifted back to human and threw on my running gear as quickly as possible, not bothering to double knot my laces. My legs worked on overdrive as I raced down the sidewalk to where the tiny group of runners clustered in front of me. By the time I reached them, my lungs and heart worked together in perfect synchronicity. I wasn’t even sweating yet.

  I trotted at the back of the pack for a few minutes without anyone noticing. Van and Cassandra were up front, with the two men and the woman in the middle. One of the guys had dark skin and a muscular build. The other was leaner, with sandy blond hair peeking out from underneath a baseball cap. The woman was Asian American with a slim figure and a determined expression. Gretchen lumbered behind, her breathing ragged. She gasped for air and loped along the sidewalk at a slow pace. It only took a few minutes before she stopped completely.

  I slid into her former position at the back of the pack.

  “How’s everyone doing?” Van called. He took a cursory glance over his shoulder to make sure everyone was there. “Can I get a he-yah?”

  “He-yah!” I shouted with the rest of them.

/>   Van stopped in his tracks and the three people behind him narrowly avoided crashing into him. “Who are you?” His hand grabbed the silver chain at his waist.

  “Your new recruit for Slayer Academy.” I jogged in place and pointed behind me with my thumb. “Gretchen couldn’t keep up. You need someone with stamina. You said so yourself.”

  “Cass,” Van said without taking his eyes off me. “Is this your idea of a trick?”

  “It’s not.” Cassandra pushed her sunglasses up on her head. “I swear.”

  Van widened his stance. “Who the hell are you? And what are you doing here in my”—Van hesitated—“running group?”

  “I’m Kate Canus, and I already told you, I’m your new recruit. I want to join Slayer Academy—so long as I can graduate from UCSD at the same time.”

  “How do you know about Slayer Academy?” asked the guy with black hair and dark eyes.

  “Zip it, Kellogg.” Van gave his student a sharp look and returned his steely gaze to me. “I don’t know what you think you overheard, but there’s no such thing as Slayer Academy. We’re training for a 10K, and you’re not invited.”

  “A 10K?” I ran around to the front of the group so I was directly next to Van. “I run six or seven miles a day. No problem. But don’t lie to me about Slayer Academy. I’ve seen you slay before.”

  Van clenched his jaw. “You’re out of your mind.”

  “Oh? So now you’re gaslighting me?” I pointed to his watch chain. “Is that the chain you used to slay my mother, or have you replaced it since your days flushing out vampires in Carlsbad?”

  “Your mother?” Van raised his eyebrows.

  “Yeah, I watched you do it right after she turned. What happened to her wasn’t her fault.”

  Someone behind me gasped. It was Gretchen, who’d finally caught up with us. “Did you say Carlsbad? We learned about that in Slayer History.”

  “For crying out loud Gretchen, shut up for once.” Cassandra glared at her.

  Van looked me up and down. I fought the urge to snarl. I didn’t like being inspected like a stray dog at the shelter. Tiny hairs on the back of my neck rose up, and I curled my fingers into fists.

  “Cassandra,” Van snapped. “Kellogg, Max, Leah, and Gretchen, keep running. I’ll escort our surprise guest back to the house.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need backup?” Cassandra pushed down her sunglasses. “We work in pairs.”

  “Then why are there only five students?” I asked. “Don’t you need a sixth—like me—to even things out?”

  “I don’t know who you are,” Van told me, “and it’s clear you’re a good runner, but even though I might not be able to outrun you, I can sure as hell outfight you.”

  “Nobody said anything about fighting.” I lifted my hands in surrender. “I just want an education, that’s all.”

  “Oh, you’ll get schooled, all right,” said Cassandra before she led the group away. “Good luck with Mom.” She tossed her braid over her shoulder.

  Van walked down the sidewalk back toward the Academy, not bothering to jog. “What’s your name again?”

  “Kate Canus. I’m twenty years old and a junior at UCSD.”

  “And you said you’re from Carlsbad?” He rubbed his chin.

  “Yeah.” I braced my arm behind me for support as we climbed uphill. “My mom was a NICU nurse at Randy’s Children’s Hospital. We lived in a two-bedroom townhome in Carlsbad. I’ll never know the exact details, but I think Mom must have been preparing to leave for work one afternoon in the spring when a vampire attacked her. She still had her pink scrubs on.”

  “Pink scrubs…” Van massaged his temple with one finger. “I remember a victim who looked like she might have been a nurse. She died in the kitchen.”

  “That’s right.” I nodded, trying to steady my rapid pulse.

  “But I don’t remember a girl being there witnessing the crime scene. How old were you?”

  “Fifteen. I was coming home from cross-country practice.” There was no need to tell him I was a Doberman at the time. I knew Van slayed vampires. I didn’t know how he felt about shifters. “I hid behind a curtain and you didn’t see me,” I lied, coming up with the excuse on the spot. “Your mom was with you, too. You sprinkled water all over the kitchen and dining room before you left.”

  “And?” Van prodded. “If you’re telling the truth, then you’re leaving something important out. Otherwise, you’re full of it.”

  I didn’t know what he wanted me to say at first, but then it hit me. “There was a dog,” I added. “A Doberman who protected me from the other vampire who was in the dining room.”

  “Your dog?”

  I nodded. “Her name was Lucy,” I said, choosing Mom’s middle name. I bit my lip and spun the lie out further. “The police took Lucy away and euthanized her a few days later because they blamed her for the killings.”

  “I’m sorry.” Van sighed. “That’s not fair.”

  I shrugged. “Life isn’t fair. Except now it is.” We’d reached the gate. “I’m here at Slayer Academy. I’ve spent the past five years dreaming of the opportunity to eradicate vampires. I want to make them pay for destroying my mom.”

  And my life.

  Van cupped his hand over the keypad so I couldn’t see it, and tapped in the code to the gate. “I can’t offer you a spot here. Only my mother can do that. Or my Uncle Jared,” Van added under his breath. “But I can introduce you to my mom. Her name’s Natalie Xander and she’s a descendant of Van Helsing.”

  Chills raced down my spine. This was the moment I’d been waiting for. How hard could winning over one mother be?

  Chapter 5

  Natalie Xander stood at a whetstone in the kitchen sharpening knives. She looked remarkably unchanged since the last time I’d seen her, aside from a gray streak in her braid. “Hi, Van. Back already?” she asked without taking her eyes off her work.

  “Yeah.” Van stepped in front of me, partially blocking my view. “And I brought a visitor with me.”

  “A visitor?” Natalie’s hand clenched the knife she was holding, but I couldn’t see her face. “You invited someone here without asking me?”

  “It was a special circumstance.” Van stepped to the right, revealing me to his mother. “This is Kate Canus. She witnessed us slaying her mom and another vampire in Carlsbad five years ago—before Promageddon.”

  Promageddon? I raised my eyebrows. Did Van mean that tragedy at La Jolla Cove High a few weeks after Mom had died? They’d said on the news that a gas leak had caused the fire that killed over fifty students.

  “Hello, Kate.” Natalie set down her knife. “You say you witnessed something unusual?”

  “If by ‘unusual’ you mean you and your son barging into my house moments after a vampire attacked my mother and my dog saved me, then yeah. Unfortunately, I did.”

  “I make no apologies for my life’s work,” said Natalie, “but I know what it feels like to lose one’s mother. For that, you have my deepest sympathies.”

  “Thank you.” I stood up straight. “I didn’t come here for sympathy. I came because I want revenge against the people who killed my mom. I want to slay vampires, like you do.”

  “Kate’s been searching for us for five years.” Van slapped me on the back, and I jumped. “How did you finally find us?”

  “Yes,” said Natalie. “I’d like to know that too. Why don’t we step into my office?” She led us down the hallway to a small room lined with bookshelves and office equipment. A 3-D printer sat on a cart next to a full-size replica of a human skeleton. Natalie sat down in a cushy leather chair and indicated the seats on the other side of her desk. The metal chairs had ladder backs.

  “Let’s start at the beginning.” Natalie scooted forward in her chair and the hinges squeaked. “You said your name is Kate Canus. Is Kate short for anything?”

  “Katherine.” I wiped my sweaty palms on my thighs. “I’m Katherine Canus from Carlsbad. My mother’s name was Melea
h Canus, and I have no idea who my father was. We lived with my grandpa until he died of a heart attack when I was in first grade.” I swallowed hard, remembering the image of Grandpa slumped over at the dinner table and Mom screaming at me to dial 911 while she administered CPR.

  Thinking about Grandpa’s death was difficult, and I didn’t want to rehash the details of Mom’s murder again if I could help it. Luckily, I didn’t have to. Natalie skipped over that part and went straight for how I’d tracked them down five years later.

  “How did you find our address?” She steepled her fingers together and rested her arms on the sleek metal desk.

  “I was running on campus. I’m a junior at UCSD.” I explained about slowing my pace for a cool-down and eavesdropping on Esma and Chase. “As soon as I heard Esma mention ‘Slayer Academy,’ I paid close attention.” I curled my toes inside my sneakers. “Did you ever find the vampire who terrorized Carlsbad? Is he still out there somewhere? Can I slay him?”

  “Easy there, killer.” Van stretched out his legs. “Nobody said anything about you becoming a slayer.”

  “But I want to be here,” I said. “I’ll do anything to join.”

  “This isn’t a sorority house.” Natalie curled her lip. “We don’t take pledges.”

  “The waiting list for Slayer Academy is long,” said Van. “And we only select from our inner circle—families who’ve been part of Helsing Incorporated for centuries.”

  Natalie stood up and walked to the massive bookshelf on the wall. She took down a leather-bound album with a cracked binding. “Helsing Incorporated was founded by my ancestor Abraham Van Helsing in 1876. Now my brother, Jared, is in charge. Major leaders from all religions support our mission of a vampire-free world. We partner with rabbis, yogis, priests, and imams. Slayers may work in secret, but the highest level of every religious organization know about the importance of eradicating vampiritis, the deadly infection that breeds more vampires, from the world.”

  Natalie sat down and opened the book on her desk. As she flipped through pages, I caught glimpses of daguerreotypes and sepia-toned pictures. When she reached a page with a list of names, she paused and ran her fingertip down the chart. “You said your last name is Canus?” Natalie asked. “I don’t see anyone named Canus here.”