Seeking Shapeshifters

by Rebekah L. Purdy

We listened intently but the image disappeared. We remained in the gym for a couple more hours with no other occurrences.

  “Okay kids, let’s pack it on up,” Dad said over the walkie-talkie.

  Right as I stood I felt a hand grip my arm, tugging me forward. Blood pulsed in my ears, and my skin grew cold. Panic welled in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

  “What the,” I said, then realized it was trying to lead me somewhere. At first, I tried to resist and it loosened its grip. Okay, time to be brave. No more wussing out. Glancing back at Matt, I nodded for him to follow me.

  The pressure on my arm was gone but I went in the direction the being wanted me to. We went down the hall and back out front where Jefferson stood with Dave. Then right next to my ear, I heard a hiss of air that caused my blood to freeze.

  Bad.

  “Ma—Matt please tell me you heard it.”

  His eyes seemed to glow in the dark as he gazed down at me. “Yes.”

  I had no idea what it meant. I mean, Jefferson annoys the crud out of me and has always made a point to challenge my dad regarding everything he did, but it didn’t make him bad, did it?

  As dawn broke over the mountains, a peaceful feeling encompassed me once more. I sighed at the beauty of the surroundings. The house itself looked more majestic in the light, its ominous eyelike windows more subdued now.

  In the distance, I swore I heard the tinkling of childlike laughter. But when I spun around there wasn’t anyone there.

  We got the wires, cameras, chords, and lights packed up into vans, making sure all the tapes, DVD’s and files were marked before boxing them to take to the motel.

  My eyes burned with sleep, and I leaned against Dad’s shoulder as we set off into town.

  “That was definitely an interesting investigation,” Dad said. “I can’t wait to see if we were able to capture any evidence on tape.”

  “Oh, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” I yawned.

  When we got to the hotel, I staggered bleary-eyed to my room. The ugly orange and brown comforter looked inviting, even if the colors made me think of vomit. I didn’t even bother taking off my clothes, instead I collapsed into bed.

  After a few hours sleep, I got up to help run through evidence. I was in charge of listening to the voice recorders and ciphering through the thermal images.

  “Hey Dad, I’ve got something.” I slipped the headphones off to let him have a listen.

  “Wow, this is great. I can hear kids laughing then footsteps running down the hall.”

  I filtered through a few more tapes, coming across a voice when only Matt and I were in a room together. It sounded like it said, “He loves you,” but I couldn’t be sure. Okay, this was a bit much. Were they referring to Matt? Of course he loved me, we were friends. Unless, they knew something I didn’t.

  My cheeks burned as I tapped Matt’s arm to have him listen to it.

  “Our ghostly matchmaker left a message,” I teased.

  Matt turned up the volume but didn’t say a word when he finished the snippet.

  “Let me have a listen.” Dad reached over to take the headphones.

  I watched his reaction as he quirked an eyebrow, glancing between Matt and me.

  He remained silent as well. I marked it as a piece of evidence then moved on to the next bit. I didn’t find anything else until we came to the tape where Jefferson came upstairs with us and there, right on the tape was the voice I’d heard.

  A chill flittered over my skin and I rubbed my arms as they broke out in goose bumps.

  Bad, it whispered. I highlighted the voice and had them listen to it, too.

  Dad shook his head in disbelief. “That’s strange.”

  Strange wasn’t the first word that came to my mind. More like creepy.

  We spent the remainder of the day going through the evidence, and I thought Dad was going to do a back flip when we showed him two different shadowy figures we caught on tape. There was one on the second floor, and the other one in the gym by the ball.

  “This has been one of the most amazing places we’ve investigated,” Dad said as we handed him copies of the tapes to go over with Keava.

  “Definitely, but I tell you the second floor about gave me a heart failure,” I said with a grin. “But it’s a nice change from Bigfoot hunting.”

  “Wait until you see what I’ve got planned for us after we finish up in Point Hope,” Dad said before heading out the door.

  “I hate it when he does that.” I turned to Matt.

  “But admit it, it intrigues you.”

  I leaned back in my chair, laughing. “Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be memorable.”

  Yet in the back of my mind, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to even consider leaving Point Hope. It depended on Carsen and whether or not his feelings changed. Because living in a small village, with no friends would bring me back to square one. Lame teenager, with no life. I frowned, not sure if I’d be ready to face him or the others when I got back Friday morning. What if they hated me? Or worse, what if they ignored me? I’m a big girl. I’ve managed sixteen years without a boyfriend. I can do this.

  It was hard to imagine being stuck there without anyone to confide in, knowing what I know.

  Matt must’ve sensed my change in attitude because he caught my hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

  “Things really will be okay, you know,” he said. “Besides I think my mom will only need me for another week or two then I’ll be back to bug the living hell out of you.”

  “It’ll be great to have you, Keetah misses you,” I teased.

  “Ha-ha! Should I bring the syrup next time?”

  “As long as we’re not having my bra for breakfast.” I grinned.

  Everything would be okay. It had to be. I fingered Carsen’s necklace, hoping I was right.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Halloween

  By the time, Friday rolled around Dad was off on another job, leaving me to face school. The truth was, I didn’t know what to expect. I hopped in my Jeep, attempting to get out of the driveway, but to my dismay, the snow was piled too high, and even the four-wheel drive couldn’t get through. Great, I’d be stuck on the banana boat from hell. Did I mention I hated school buses?

  I hoped this wasn’t a premonition of how the rest of the day would be. After standing in the driveway for several minutes and partial frostbite to my nose, I saw the bus come around the corner. It hissed to a stop in front of me, and I made my way through the snowdrifts to get on. I sat in the front seat with my arms across my chest, listening to the idle chatter going on behind me. It never ceased to amaze me how much I craved having friends when I watched everyone else around me. I swear it never bothered me this much when I was on set.

  Arriving at school, I was the first one off the bus. I hesitated by the front doors, taking a deep breath before going in and straight to my locker. To my disappointment, none of my friends waited for me. It was my worst nightmare come true.

  A lump formed in my throat as I spun the combination, flinging open the door to my locker. I shuffled through my books, biting back the urge to break down crying.

  “Ima,” a familiar deep voice said behind me.

  My breath caught in my throat. I turned to find Carsen looming over me. His dark hair was disheveled, his eyes piercing like the blue of a flame. I fought to steady myself, searching his face for any indication of the conversation to come.

  “Did you mean what you said on my answering machine?”

  “Yes,” I whispered. “My feelings haven’t changed.”

  He dropped his book bag on the floor, and ensnared me in his arms. His mouth claimed mine, right there in the middle of the school hall. But I didn’t care—all that mattered was he was mine again; that my suffering could finally subside.

  “God, I’ve missed you.” He pulled back and stared down at me.

  “I tried calling you, I thought—well I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”

  “That will never
happen, Ima. You’re the only one who matters to me. Do you know how miserable I’ve been since you’ve been gone?”

  I glanced up. “I wasn’t exactly having the best of times either.” Although, Matt managed to cheer me up, I still missed my boyfriend.

  Holding me tight, Carsen pressed me back against my locker and we stood entwined until one of the teachers walked past, clearing their throat.

  “You must have a lot of questions,” he said as we made our way to first hour.

  “I do, but honestly, it doesn’t matter.” With a glance around our classroom, I shut my mouth.

  “You’re taking this much better than I thought you would.”

  My lips quivered as I forced a smile. He was right. I was taking this too well. But I worked around unexplainable things my whole life so it would be hypocritical if I didn’t take this in stride. I mean, there’d always been the possibility of shifters, and I’d discovered it was true.

  I didn’t want Carsen believing I was scared of him or his people so even if I was uneasy, there’s no way I’d let on.

  “I have no choice but to take it well.” I caught his hand and brought it to my lips. “Because you’re my boyfriend.”

  Talon and Ferren strolled into class a few minutes later. Talon ignored me, which wasn’t unusual for him. But when Ferren only nodded in my direction it hurt. We’d gotten to be good friends, something I’d grown accustomed to.

  “Are they mad at me?”

  Carsen appeared uncomfortable. “They don’t agree with me pursuing you. They think you’ll bring us danger.”

  “Oh. Does this mean Ferren—um, doesn’t like me anymore?”

  “She’ll come around.”

  I peeked at her out of the corner of my eye and saw her gripping her desk. I didn’t want any bad blood between us and decided I needed to mend things as soon as possible.

  Yet, I knew as long as I had Carsen everything would be okay. His hand grazed the back of my neck, sending rivers of electricity flowing through my veins. I spent the whole hour pretending not to notice him, which wasn’t working. I wanted to spin around and stare at him, to let him hold me close as if he alone would keep me from harm.

  The tick of the clock echoed off the walls in time with my erratic heartbeat. This was insane, how could I be so enraptured by one person? I leapt from my seat when the bell whistled and Carsen caught my arm as soon as we got into the hallway. I saw the relief flooding his face when he put his arm over my shoulders.

  “Hey,” Ferren called.

  She seemed standoffish, keeping her distance from me. It was like she was worried I’d spring a trap or something.

  “Are you still planning on doing the kissing booth tonight?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “So you’ll stay after school to help set up?”

  Then I remembered I took the bus to school and wouldn’t have a ride home, but I didn’t want to say no.

  “I—um don’t have a ride home.”

  “I’ll take you.” Carsen tugged me closer to him.

  Ferren nodded, sprinting off, her dark hair flapping like a cape behind her. “See you later,” she called over her shoulder.

  Carsen and I met in the library for lunch, finding a spot away from everyone else.

  “So, did you get in any trouble for me finding out?”

  He gave me a sheepish grin before running a hand through his hair. “A little. The elders were disappointed in me but decided to forego the punishment. My dad and uncle on the other hand weren’t quite so cool about it.”

  “Oh.” My brow furrowed.

  “Don’t worry, it’s just extra chores and hunting,” he said, leaning over to kiss my cheek. “But I wouldn’t change anything, Ima, I don’t want any secrets between us. Plus, it makes it easier to explain to you why I might not be able to hang out some nights.”

  Guilt plagued me as I thought about my own secrets. But this was so new. I didn’t want to ruin it with any Berry S.I. revelations. Besides, he’d had enough to deal with over the last couple of days and the last thing I needed to do was burden him with more problems.

  “You’re perfect, you know that?” I smiled.

  Carsen traced my hand. “No, I’m as imperfect as they come. I’m only half Inuit, and I’m a terrible friend, and boyfriend.”

  I looked at his face waiting for a smile to indicate he was joking, but I was met with nothing but a mask of seriousness. Hearing him say it broke my heart. I stroked his face then leaned against him.

  “You’re wrong. The first thing I noticed when I walked into Mr. Cavanaugh’s class on the first day was you. I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since,” I said. But at the back of my mind, I also remembered noticing the brooding Talon. I shoved the thoughts away, and focused my attention on Carsen.

  He closed his eyes then reopened them to stare at me. “You make me want to be perfect. Before you came, I didn’t even know who I was or where I was going. But now? Now I can see my future and it’s only complete with you in it.”

  His cheek brushed against my own as he took in my scent. His words made me want to cry. There’s no way my dad could move us from Point Hope.

  “I love you, Ima.”

  I swallowed hard, relishing the sound of his voice. It scared me some, to have someone care for me so much. The attraction was there, and so were the moments of feeling special. This had to be love, right? Then my thoughts trickled to Talon and Ferren. What did they think of this?

  Carsen stared at me, as if waiting for my response. I touched his face and said, “I love you, too.”

  ****

  After school, I found Ferren in the gym with about half the town of Point Hope. There were games and tables being set up, and an area for storytelling. I saw Carsen at the other end of the room hanging up signs for his “great pumpkin” basketball shooting challenge.

  The teachers were getting their classrooms ready for trick or treating kids who’d start coming in about seven.

  “Hi,” I said, waving to Ferren. “What do you need me to do?”

  She pointed to two more cardboard pieces of the kissing booth. “Grab those and follow me.”

  Making our way to the corner of the gymnasium, we proceeded to hang up the cardboard castle walls on some cubicle partitions, while Mr. Toonak, our janitor, brought us a large wooden box to use to put our chairs on.

  “Here.” Ferren handed me several tubes of lipstick. “Pick a few colors you want to use.”

  “Thanks.” I grabbed a coral mist, and cherry wine color. “Listen, about Saturday,” I began.

  “Just forget about it, okay?” She shot me a warning look before going back to get the tickets ready for the booth.

  I sighed. I didn’t want her to hate me or ignore me. What I needed was for her to joke around with me and quit pretending like I wasn’t here.

  “Right, forget about it,” I said with a snort. “I want us to be cool.”

  “Things are different, Ima.”

  I bit my tongue to keep from asking why thing were so different. Sure, I knew their secret, but it wasn’t like I was going to run through the streets shouting it. This time, I let it go though.

  Carsen sauntered up to our booth with a grin. “There’s my girl.” He reached over, pulling me against him, and I giggled. He brushed my hair back from my face, caressing my cheeks.

  “Are you already done setting up?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I’ve got the basketballs in order, the signs up, and I helped get the giant pumpkin brought into the gym.”

  For the basketball shootout, kids were trying to make as many baskets as they could within a thirty-second time-period. At the end of the night, the winner would get to take home the giant pumpkin, which according to Carsen weighed about one hundred pounds.

  “I’m going to go see if Grandma needs help, I’ll be back before we start,” Ferren said, leaving us alone.

  Carsen glared after her then turned his attention back on me. “So, I was thinking maybe y
ou should practice a bit before you have to work the kissing booth tonight.”

  “Oh,” I said. “And how do you propose I do that?”

  “Maybe something like this.” Carsen cupped my face in his hands.

  “I sure hope he’s paying you well. That’s some kiss,” a voice said from behind us.

  We broke apart, and I noticed his grandma standing there, Ferren beside her. My cheeks burned and I wondered if I’d incinerate right in front of her. The old woman’s eyes twinkled with mischief as she saw my reaction.

  “We were practicing,” Carsen said with a laugh.

  “You’re a scoundrel, boy,” she said.

  Ferren frowned. “Something like that.”

  Carsen’s grandma scolded her for being rude then put us to work getting her storytelling booth set up next to ours. We lined up small mats for the kids to sit on, along with some candy and treats for anyone who stopped by to listen. I spotted various furs amongst her collection of props, one being a large, white polar bear fur.

  It startled me, and it seemed absurd, almost perverse she’d have a fur that was obviously from a hunt. I wondered if it bothered people to see it and eyed Carsen, but he wasn’t affected in the least.

  “If you get the time, you ought to sit by me and hear some of our folklore.” Carsen’s grandma patted my arm.

  “I’ll do that, thanks.”

  At seven, kids and parents started filtering into the gym. The younger children were in costume, with bags for trick or treating, while the older kids milled about looking for their friends and games to play.

  “Hi girls,” Mrs. Timbers, our English Lit teacher said. “Glad you could help with the booth.”

  She smiled as she slipped her coat off and set the moneybox on the table. She’d collect the money and hand out tickets for us.

  Ferren caught my gaze as we both noticed Mrs. Timbers “Pride and Prejudice” book. She rolled her eyes and pretended to stick her finger down her throat.

  “Ferren Shinew, I’ll have you know I saw that,” Mrs. Timbers said. “Honestly, you don’t know what you’re missing—this is one of the greatest romances.”