A growl woke Daniel from his induced dream, and he looked over to Jasper, now in the form of a lion. He walked around the circle like he was perfectly trained to do so.
“I see you haven’t shifted in a while, Jasper. Anyway, that there, is rage!” Enek called, taking a deep breath and then turning to Daniel, he whispered, “you’re still calm, somewhat still collected. I think you should fight?”
“No,” Daniel said and shook his head.
“Why not? You both seem to have issues. You can both shift, which means you’ll both heal faster. It makes sense. Plus, it will cut the tension.”
Jasper growled and cut their talk short. He lifted a paw up above Daniel, and took a swipe, he missed and tried again. “No!” Daniel said, shaking his head. Jasper took another swipe, this time his glinting claws came out. Daniel backed away, but the swipes came faster.
“He’s got a weak spot on the centre of his paw, just hit that and he’ll cower away. Plus, you’d make him shift back.” Daniel turned around, the voice was familiar, but he wasn’t there, nobody was there. He turned around again and Jasper swiped at him, clawing at his ankle and dragging him to the ground.
“Shift!” Enek shouted, but all Daniel could hear was his heart beat vying for life.
Daniel held his hands up to cover his face from Jasper’s lion paw as he took another swipe. The circle moved around them, shunning Daniel into Jasper. A slow chant of “get him” and clapping started. Enek was speechless, watching as the events unfolded; still Daniel wouldn’t shift.
“The paw. His paw,” Daniel said to himself.
Jasper swung again, and Daniel batted it away with the back of his hand. He persisted to push himself back, dipping his head into his knees. “Hit the damn thing!” a roar shook Daniel from his insides and he fisted the air, striking the soft bottom of the paw. Jasper pulled his paw away and started to claw at the ground, his jaw snapping with his lips over his teeth, baring his anger as his strong growls ended in weak whimpers.
“He’s the flaw in nature. He’s the weak spot,” the voice chimed in to the rhythm of Daniel’s heart.
The chanting died as all eyes turned to Jasper.
The fur from Jasper’s form deteriorated and dripped from him skin like excess fat, melting in the heat; he slipped right out of it. Choking and flopping around on the floor, people made a new circle around him. And from the gaps in the circle Daniel continued to watch, biting himself in fear. He turned to see a man standing on the balcony inside the stable, grinning at the sight before him.
“Is he okay?” they called out to their teacher, but all Enek could do was watch. It looked like all the animal was being sucked out of him, and the consequences seemed dire.
“He’s going to be really pissed now. And it will all seem like your fault. He doesn’t know it, but he’s temporary disabled in that department,” the man snickered, sounding like he was only inches away from him.
Enek glanced over at Daniel, his face was pained with remorse.
“You wouldn’t know who did this, would you?” Enek asked as the circle disbanded and tended to Jasper.
“No, I thought he was going to kill me.”
“He probably would’ve, but it also looked like you tried to kill him. What is it again that you can change into?”
“Just birds. Really! But once, I—I turned into a lion,” Daniel glanced around.
“Really?” Enek asked, his eyes lighting up with intrigue.
He nodded. “Would that have anything to do with it?”
“I’m not sure. It could just be that Jasper has a reset button,” Enek smiled, “but it could just be that you have an untapped reserve of energy, many families have them, these wells. I’m not that into history, so you best ask one of your teachers about that.”
“I don’t know what I did though. Am I going to get in trouble?”
“No! This life is a learning curve, trust me, Jasper will learn a lesson or two from what happened today. For now though, I think you should go, I’ll declare class over. It’s been very eventful though. I’m giving you the heads up because I know that Jasper will treat this as a threat. I only hope you’re not after a title from what you did today.”
Daniel nodded and then Enek pointed to a side door where Daniel could leave without being spotted so easily.
Chapter Fifteen
Daniel sat on his bed, staring at the remnants of glass still stuck to the wall. He hadn’t cared for clearing the shards up from around the sink and on the floor, he just stared at them like they’d glue back together any minute. He asked himself how it happened; did he do it, the man who was so firmly planted in his head? He didn’t have a name, and he wouldn’t be able to recognise his face in a crowd, only his voice, or the dark bits he camouflaged himself in. That’s when he’d notice.
“Daniel! Are you in there? You missed lunch,” Taner said, knocking on Daniel’s door.
“How can you miss something you didn’t want?” he mumbled to himself and then leant his head back to stare at the ceiling.
“Well you’re lucky actually, you missed Jasper and Mark shouting off about something that happened to him,” Taner said, “I don’t know what though.”
“I think I know,” Daniel said, catching the sullen look on his face in the broken mirror.
“What happened? Was it something to do with you? He did say that he was going to go all lion on you,” he sniggered.
It could have been two things, kissing his girlfriend or whatever it was that had happened in their Animal class, Daniel favoured the latter choice. He itched at his palms and scrunched his face up.
“Jasper got a little wound up in our class this morning. Almost killed me,” Daniel said, taking a deep breath.
“Whoa, you must have really wound him up!”
“And I wish I knew how,” he said to himself, swinging his legs over his bed and standing. He pushed his window wide open, and sucked in another deep breath. The cold air tingled at the back of his throat and he coughed. “But I can’t tell you about it.”
Taner’s voice became muffled from behind the door as Daniel wandered around in his own head.
“Taner, we’ll talk later, yeah?” Daniel said, without waiting for a response, but the silence was assuring.
I need to talk to someone, I need to share this. Someone has to know how to deal with this! Daniel stared up as the stars twinkled at him, speaking in some language, like Morse code. “I want to go home,” he finally said, closing his window.
He fed his arms into a clean jacket and put a pair of plimsolls on, careful not to tread on any glass. He had that tingly feeling in his fingers, ready for someone to get in his way. He pulled his hood up over his head and rushed off out of the building.
Daniel watched as the main building glowed with light and activity, and nervously he glanced over his shoulder, making sure that Jasper wasn’t behind him. He’d replayed scenarios in his head of Jasper being in Reuben’s office just waiting for him to turn up. What could he get me done for, really? I didn’t do anything wrong, I didn’t do anything. He climbed the steps, stroking a hand against one of the marble pillars.
“If it defies you, kill it,” a soft voice said, it sounded like something he would hear coming from the dark. He paused, and kept a cool grasp of the pillar. You defy me. Should I kill you? Daniel thought, entertaining the voice. There was no reply, but as he looked up into the sky and saw several stars twinkle back at him; he felt like they understood.
He shook his head and made his way into the main building, coming close to bumping into a woman pushing a trolley into the hall. He glanced in and found it alive with busy bodies. They were setting the hall up for an assembly.
“Oh good, there’s more,” a girl said, grabbing his arm and smiling. Daniel pulled back, and she let go, and stared at him, her eyebrows furrowed and fused together. “You are here to help set up right?”
“I study here,” Daniel said, pulling his head down.
“Sorry. I thought
you were from the Lowerlands, you just look familiar. Sorry sir. It won’t happen again,” she said, rushing off into the hall.
Daniel stayed in a rouse of shock. “It’s fine,” he said, and rushed off again; up the two flights of stairs to Reuben’s office. He wiped his sweaty hands on his pants and up his jacket, trying to cool down before his heart exploded inside his ears.
He knocked on Reuben’s door just the once, he agreed that if he didn’t answer it meant he wasn’t in, and a part of him half hoped that he wouldn’t hear it at all, even if he was in. Daniel turned his back on the door, about to walk away when he turned on his foot and knocked again. The door whooshed open.
“I thought that were you, although I saw it happening,” he said and glanced up from his paperwork.
“What?”
“You mean, pardon.”
“Yeah, pardon. How did you see me?”
Reuben pushed his glasses up to see Daniel properly. “It’s only natural considering your previous breaches. So yes, you may go see your parents tomorrow, but you need to be back before 2. An assembly is being held, compulsory for all first years. And you being a first year an’ all, it’s compulsory,” Reuben explained with a smile on his face.
That was easier than planned, Daniel sighed. “How did you know I wanted to go home?”
“It’s a first year thing, and you’re from the Centrelands and your parents are dear to you. Y’know I’d half expected you to ask me on your first day,” he said. “There is a list for carriages, but considering your unique ability you don’t have to go on there.”
Daniel wiped his hands on his pants again and sighed, smiling. “How long is the list?”
“Long. People do errands on their days off for me and go up the list, or receive special treatment. But that won’t apply to you, so I’ll have to think of some different bounds to put on you,” he grinned, “I won’t go into technicalities just yet. Oh, and before I forget, Enek came to me and told me that your first Animal class went slightly sour.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised. All my classes this week have been full of drama.”
“I’ve heard. You’re getting to be quite the act, aren’t you, but how has your first week been?”
“Oh, I don’t mean to be at the centre of it,” Daniel said, averting his glance from Reuben.
“Just keep a low profile. There are quite a few people here who will challenge you if you get popular. And you don’t have the greatest background do you,” Reuben chuckled, and then settled himself. “Let’s keep this between us, okay? You can go now. I have lots of paperwork for this assembly tomorrow.”
Before Daniel went back to his dorm, he checked the shower rooms on the ground floor to make sure there were no unexpected surprises. The best times to go were either really early in the morning, or really late at night. The shower room was huge; five stone and steel welded shower cubicles against both walls, and dips in the slate on the ground to move the water into the drains.
Daniel started to fiddle with the controls and the head of the shower above him. It was much more technical than it had been at home. He turned the numbered dials and pressed buttons with weird symbols beneath them until something came out of the head. “Ack!” he yelled, flinching out of the freezing water. He held a hand under as the water went from one extreme to the other. It had happened to him each time he used the showers, but he never learnt his lesson.
“I don’t know what he did, but he’ll pay,” Jasper said, his voice muffled beneath the water falling on Daniel’s head.
“Maybe we underestimated him,” Mark said.
“We’ll get him though. I’m affined with the lion.”
Daniel turned his shower off to listen, but they’d stopped speaking, and he was starting to get cold so he turned his back on. He would have to keep an ear out, because he’d have to get out after them, or before. The thought of timing started to plague him, and he could barely rinse the soap from his hair with his fingers trembling at the thought of sneaking around.
Their showers started and washed the suds off quickly. He put his underwear on and wrapped a towel around his waist, piling all of his clothes into his arms and trying to quietly unlatch the cubicle door. It swung open and slammed against the brick with a thud.
“Did you bring towels?” Jasper shouted over his cubicle wall.
“Yeah. Oh, shit. I left them hooked up,” Mark shouted back, his shower went off and the clang of his latch unlocking resonated through Daniel.
Daniel ran, splashing through the water, and although the room had started to steam, he knew that if he was seen, he was going to be over.
“It’s okay, I have one!” Jasper shouted. And in the same instance, “he’s out here! Jasper, he’s out here!” Mark stammered.
“Who?” Jasper unlatched his cubicle door and peered out.
Daniel rushed towards the doors at the bottom, clutching the towel around his waist and clinging to the bundle of clothes in his arms. He could see Jasper stepping out of his cubicle, tying his towel around his waist.
Jasper grinned, standing between Daniel and his way out, while Mark stood behind. “What was that stunt?” Jasper asked, staring at Daniel. “You’re quiet now.”
“I wonder what would happen if I froze him in this steam,” Mark giggled. “Do you want me to?”
Jasper glared at him. Daniel dropped his clothes on the wet floor as something trickled down the back of his throat. He scrunched his hand up into a fist and as he flicked his fingers and electricity caught the steam and bolted for Jasper and Mark, burning the edges of their towels. The smoke and steam quickly filled the rest of the room. They started to fumble around and put out the fires on their towels, also letting Daniel grab his clothes and slip out.
They started to shout and curse, their voices fading as Daniel headed for the stairs. He started to dress, hooking his arms into his t-shirt, and limping into his pyjama bottoms. He managed to bundle his towel and dirty clothes into his arms as he slowed down. He turned around and saw them, clutching at their charred towels and slipping along the floor.
It became a race to the third floor. Daniel reached it first, slamming the safety door to the floor shut. He slowly made it down to his room. Glancing back and seeing Jasper and Mark’s faces twist as they banged on the glass.
The door opened. “Oi, I will get you back!” Jasper shouted.
“Gotta catch me first,” he said over his shoulder, sprinting for his room. He dug his hand into his pocket for his card, but it wasn’t there. He felt around in his dirty clothes, but nothing. They were inches away, when Daniel tugged on the door handle and swung inside his room. He slammed the door shut, flicking the lock and leaning against it the door.
“It’s a door, we can break it!” Mark rapped the door with his knuckles.
“We can’t,” Jasper said in a whisper but Daniel heard, “people listen to him, he’ll just tell and then we’ll get shouted at or something. We need to get him off time table, and off campus.”
Chapter Sixteen
The excitement quaked in Daniel’s stomach, waking him just before his alarm. He kept relaying thoughts of what he was going to tell Jac and his parents and how he was going to show them some of the new stuff that he’d learnt, even though he didn’t really know how to use it.
He rushed out of the dorms and down the long path to the towering iron clad front gates. There was a small booth integrated into the cladding where a man sat up to a control board. There was another man; he was shirtless and standing beside the booth, glaring down the path at Daniel.
The guard flared his nostrils and glared harder at Daniel. He sucked in a deep breath. “What is your name?”
“Daniel,” he replied.
“Last name?” his face eased up.
“S-Satoria.”
The guard picked up a board from inside the booth, and scrolled his finger down the side. “Oh. You’re the kid who’s from the Lowerlands then,” he said, and Daniel nodded. “The flying one…
well we don’t get many Lowerland kids here, in fact we don’t get any at all.”
“Can I go?” Daniel asked, as the guard’s face broke out into a smile.
“Oh, yeah. You’re on the list, and I guess there’s no waiting around for carriages then.”
Daniel nodded his head and took a step back to face the looming gates as they screeched open, his heart raced at the sound meshing against his eardrums and the prospect of freedom.
“Have a good day, Mr Satoria,” he said, waving at Daniel as he left through the gates.
Daniel walked for a minute or so until he was alone and standing in the midst of the dense forestry. He sighed and leant against a thick tree, taking his shoes and socks off. He wriggled his toes around in the cool air, and then pressed them against the spongy grass. He took his jacket and t-shirt off, throwing them into a pile on his shoes. He flexed his chest and bent his bent to crack the tension in his body.
A new tension prickled his shoulder blades and numbed him. He shivered and straightened his back, revealing two pieces of bone, thick at the top and massing golden feathers to the tip. He closed his eyes and pushed himself up on his tiptoes to embrace the air, the free air. His wings took one powerful slash and pushed him up at least a foot into the air.
Something unsettled him and he dropped back to the ground from the thought that he was being watched. He turned around, glancing back at where he came from, but nobody was watching. He laughed it off, insects are always watching, he reminded himself.
“Long time,” he said, bringing the ends of his golden wings to the front of his body. He stroked them as they tickled the sides of his abdomen. “If only you guys were permanent,” he grinned.
He tucked his t-shirt into the front of his pants and tied his hooded jacket around his waist. He hunched his body low, controlling his breathes, bringing the most momentum to his jump. And with little effort he bounced off the balls of his feet, his wings spread out and caught him, flapping gently. He stared at the shoes and socks he’d left on the ground, but kept flying, above the trees and through a few low clouds which disbanded as wafted them with his wings.
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