Shifting Fate (The Neturu Chronicles Book 4)

by Sarah Carter

  I say we tell your dad.

  No, it’s kind of fair to the humans to have a group that monitors us. Otherwise, we are controlling them. I’ve had this conversation with Connor a couple of times.

  Lana finally says, That does make sense and seems fair.

  Anyway, I can handle this. We can handle this. We are scary when you put us together.

  True. We are. Is Connor still coming with?

  Yes. He refuses to stay behind.

  I understand that. It wouldn’t really be fair to know and then not be able to do anything about it. You dragged him into this. Now, you can deal with it because that’s only fair.

  I get that. Anyway, the more the people, the better. Who knows. Maybe having a human there will help. If they can stop us, they may not be able to stop him. Not that he could do much, but you never know. He may surprise us.

  Maybe having a human there is a good idea. If they incapacitate us, they may not be able to affect him.

  That’s what I was thinking.

  Ashe interjects, This is sort of crazy, but I’m excited to meet humans that know about us. That should be interesting, if anything. I wonder how long they have known.

  My mother is the one who told them. So, I have no idea.

  But, your mother was alive the whole time we were here. So, it could have been from the beginning.

  They knew her before she lost it. I wonder what she was like in the beginning. I wonder what made her go insane.

  I have no idea. Maybe it was living for so long. It could have been a side effect. Maybe it took a toll on her body and brain.

  Could be. It doesn’t matter now. What matters is that there is a group of humans that are going to out us. That’s bad. It would cause chaos and death. Lots of death. This would become a war.

  We will take them down. Maybe this other group of humans will team up with us. Wouldn’t that be cool!? Neturu and humans working together for the greater good.

  That would be cool. That would be awesome actually. Give me hope for the future.

  Lana agrees, I totally concur. If we can pull this off, it makes the idea of coming out look a tad bit brighter.

  True. So, we will meet up at the park at six?

  Sounds good to me.

  Me too, Ashe agrees.

  Okay, see you there, Lexi replies.

  Bye.

  See you then.

  “Are you there?” Lexi hears.

  She shakes her head. “Sorry.”

  Maddie laughs. “It looked like you checked out there for a minute.”

  “Daydreaming,” Lexi replies, with a smile. “I tend to do that. I probably just need food.”

  “Yeah,” Maddie agrees. “I get all weird when I’m hungry, too.”

  Derrick pats his stomach. “I’m starving.”

  “You’re always hungry,” Connor chuckles.

  “Like I said, so am I,” Lexi interjects. “Don’t feel bad.”

  Scoffing, Derrick says, “I don’t. I’m a growing boy.”

  “Make sure you don’t grow in the wrong direction,” Connor jokes, pushing his friend.

  “Ha ha, you’re so funny,” Derrick snorts.

  They make it through the line and get their food. Taking a seat, Lexi dives in right away. She gets so hungry so quickly. Everyone else does the same. “So,” Maddie finally says. “Jackie hasn’t been around.”

  “I, kind of, finally told her to just leave me alone,” Connor replies. “I’ve had enough. She was threatening me. I don’t take kindly to threats.”

  “I could see her going all psycho on you,” Derrick laughs. “Misery sort of thing.”

  “Stephen King is awesome,” Lexi declares. “I love him.”

  Derrick nods. “I started to read him in middle school. Some of my teachers totally disagreed with my parents letting me read it.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with his stuff,” Lexi states. “It’s better than reading smut books.”

  “Yeah, I’m not really into reading about strong, strapping, alpha males.”

  Everyone laughs. Lexi teases, “Really? You’re not about the billionaire executives that have their way with women?”

  “I don’t know. If a billionaire really wanted me, I may go for it,” Derrick laughs.

  Lexi laughs even harder. “Be a kept man.”

  “Sure, why not,” Derrick snorts.

  Maddie says, “I’m glad you finally put Jackie in her place. She needed that. She is obsessed with you.”

  “It got a little unnerving sometimes,” Connor agrees. “I mean, I never wanted to hurt her feelings, but it got to be a little much. Then she started threatening breaking up Lexi and me, that was the last straw. I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

  “She’s crazy,” Derrick whispers, looking around. “Be careful. She is probably listening somewhere.”

  Everyone laughs. Connor shakes his head. “She hasn’t said a word to me, so maybe it worked.”

  “Hopefully,” Maddie says. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she still had a few tricks up her sleeve.”

  “I have bigger things to worry about right now,” Connor declares.

  Frowning, Maddie replies, “What are you worried about?”

  He stutters, “Oh nothing really, just school stuff, but I’m honestly not worried about Jackie. She’s harmless.”

  “I’m not sure,” Maddie says. “I would keep an eye on her.”

  “I will,” Connor agrees. “I don’t trust her, so I will watch out.”

  Lexi shakes her head. Her life went from simple to completely complicated in a week. They just eat and talk about the concerts they’ve been to. Finally, they are walking to their next classes. Derrick points down the opposite hallway. “We have to head this way.”

  “Okay, see you at the end of the day,” Lexi replies.

  Connor smiles. “Meet me at my locker.”

  “Definitely,” Lexi agrees.

  He waves and then smacks Derrick on the back. Derrick smiles. They turn and walk away from the girls. Maddie and Lexi watch them walk away. When they are out of sight, Maddie grabs Lexi and starts to pull her down the hallway. “Oh my god,” Maddie gasps.

  “What is going on?” Lexi whispers.

  “So, last night Derrick and I got together,” Maddie whispers back, pulling her close. “We went to the park near my house. We were sitting on the top of a picnic table. It was a really clear night, so we were star gazing. He knows all the constellations. We were kind of leaning into each other because he was pointing at some stars. I laughed and turned to look at him. He turned and looked at me. Oh my god, our faces were so close!”

  Totally excited, Lexi gasps, “What happened!?”

  “He kissed me,” Maddie states seriously.

  Lexi grabs her hands and grips them. “No way!”

  “Yes,” Maddie squeals. “It was great. It was my first real kiss.”

  “Awwww,” Lexi says. “That’s so cute. Connor was mine, too.”

  Maddie grins broadly. “Isn’t it great?”

  “It’s wonderful,” Lexi replies. She pulls her down the hallway. “So, what happened after that?”

  “We kissed some more,” Maddie bashfully says.

  “Did you guys talk?”

  She smiles. “Yeah, a little bit. He said he’s cared for me for a while, but with my past, he never wanted to push it.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I said I understood, and that I cared for him, too. We talked about what we wanted to do. Connor got brought up. We aren’t sure how to handle him.”

  Shaking her head, Lexi states, “It has nothing to do with him. This is about you two. Anyway, maybe he will be happy for you.”

  “He’s so protective of me,” Maddie sighs. “I’m not sure how he will feel about it.”

  “Who better to choose than the guy who’s been like family his whole life?”

  She raises an eyebrow. “That’s true.”

  Lexi reaches over and puts her arm around Maddi
e’s shoulders. “I say you two figure out what’s going on before you mention it to Connor. This is about you.”

  “But, he is part of the equation.”

  “Honestly, no he’s not,” Lexi replies. “This is strictly about you and Derrick. If you guys start a relationship, Connor isn’t going to be part of that. Will his reaction affect you? Possibly, but you shouldn’t let it sway your decision.”

  “I have to agree,” Maddie sighs.

  “This is awesome news, though,” Lexi gasps. “Oh my gosh. Who knew a few days ago that this would happen?”

  Maddie smiles up at her. “I think I have you to thank for that.”

  “How do you figure that?” Lexi asks, with a perplexed look.

  “You pushed me to be honest with him,” Maddie states. “That’s huge. I don’t think I would ever have been. I’ve never really had a close female friend before. Thank you. Thank you for pushing me.”

  Lexi pulls Maddie tighter against her. “No problem. I nudged you, not pushed.”

  “I’m pretty sure it was pushed, but thank you so much. I never thought he had feelings for me. Never, in a million years.”

  “Well, obviously he does, so, it’s a good thing.”

  They get to class and walk in. Maddie turns around as they go to their seats. “I’m not sure what to do next.”

  “I think just relaxing and going with the flow is the best idea,” Maddie suggests. “You don’t want to overdo it right away. Take things slow.”

  “In total agreement on that one,” Maddie says. “Slow is good.”

  “See where he stands. Don’t push it,” Lexi replies.

  Sitting down, Maddie sighs, “How do you think we should tell Connor?”

  “Figure out where you stand before you even bring Connor into the situation. Again, I’m repeating myself, but this is about you and Derrick, not Connor.”

  “That’s a fact,” Maddie agrees, with a nod. She smiles broadly. “I’m so excited.”

  “You should be,” Lexi gleefully says. She reaches over and grips Maddie’s hand. “This is huge.”

  Maddie nods. “It kind of is.” The bell suddenly rings. Maddie smirks and says, “Got to pay attention to the most boring class in the world.”

  “Right,” Lexi laughs. “B-O-R-I-N-G.”

  With a smile, Maddie says, “Yup,” and turns around.

  Class starts, and Lexi smiles to herself. She couldn’t be happier for Maddie. Things seem to be going well for everyone. Then her smile falters. She is thinking of tonight and what is to come. She is scared. That is for sure.

  The rest of the day goes by quickly. Lexi isn’t sure if it’s because she is so nervous, or what. Making her way to Connor’s locker, the knot in her stomach gets tighter. Connor turns to her and looks just as worried as Lexi. She half smiles. He smirks. “Are you all set?”

  “Yeah,” Lexi says. “We should get going so we have time to practice.”

  “Both of us,” Connor states. “I need to know what I am doing, too.”

  “That’s putting you in a lot of danger,” Lexi groans.

  He slightly glares at her. “I’m in this now, like it or not. I need to be able to help.”

  Nodding in agreement, Lexi says, “I get that. Okay, let’s go do this.”

  They walk out to his car. Getting in, Lexi takes a deep breath. “You okay?” Connor asks.

  She shrugs. “This is pretty intense. I’ve never been without my powers.”

  “But even the guy said it wasn’t a sure thing every time,” Connor points out. “So, you may not be completely helpless.”

  “That’s true,” Lexi agrees. “Well, let’s go get the gun and then drive to the spot.”

  “Derrick is actually going to meet us there, but then going to take us farther into the woods. So, the gunshots aren’t heard. We don’t need anyone snooping around.”

  “No, we don’t,” Lexi says, shaking her head. “That’s the exact opposite of what we need.”

  Connor starts his car and backs up. They are quiet all the way to his house. The tightness in Lexi’s stomach doesn’t get any better. Connor runs into his house and comes back out with a backpack. “Okay, I have it,” he says, when he gets back into the car.

  “Let’s do this,” Lexi says. He pulls away. “I can aim, so it’s just knowing how to use a human gun.”

  “Well, I’ve never shot a gun in my life,” Connor declares. “So, I’m not sure if I can hit a barn.”

  That makes Lexi laugh. “Pretty sure you wouldn’t be able to miss a barn.”

  “You never know,” Connor chuckles. “I could be horrible.”

  “You could also be a sharp shooter. We don’t know.”

  He smiles. “A sharp shooter, huh?”

  “Maybe,” Lexi replies, smiling too. Shaking his head, Connor just laughs. They quietly make their way to the woods. When they get out, Lexi sticks out her hand. “Let me carry the bag.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I can dart behind a tree and disappear if need be,” Lexi states.

  Shoving out the bag, Connor agrees, “Good point.”

  Lexi takes it and swings it onto her back. “Let’s go.”

  They walk through the woods silently. There isn't much to say. They finally come to the clearing. Derrick isn’t there yet. Connor points to the bluff. “Want to sit and wait?”

  “Sure,” she nervously replies.

  “You’re scared, huh?” Connor says, as they sit down.

  With a nod, Lexi answers, “Yes. Not about the gun. I’m trained with every weapon that we have, but it’s what’s going to happen tonight that has me worried.”

  “They came peacefully to you,” Connor points out. “They could have done something to you, but they didn’t.”

  “I know,” she agrees. “I’m more worried about what this other group is going to do.”

  “Maybe we can team up with the people that we are meeting tonight and take out the other group,” Connor says.

  She looks at him. “Take them out? We aren’t killing anyone.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way,” Connor laughs. “I meant stop them. Stop them before they do anything.”

  “That’s what we are going to have to do,” Lexi says. “The Neturu can’t be outed. Not yet, at least. The world isn’t ready for that. It would mean war.”

  “I would have to agree,” Connor sighs. “I know a lot of people that would just freak out about it.”

  Suddenly, they hear, “Freak out about what?”

  They quickly turn around. Derrick is standing there. “Oh nothing,” Connor nervously chuckles. “We were just talking.”

  “Do you have the gun?” Derrick asks.

  “Yeah,” Lexi replies, tapping the backpack strap.

  “Okay, we need to go farther into the woods,” Derrick states. “We don’t want anyone to find us. I know of a really good spot. I’ve gone shooting there before.”

  Connor waves his hand. “Lead the way.”

  Derrick nudges his head, and they start to walk. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me what’s going on?”

  Lexi shakes her head. “It’s best that you don’t know.”

  “You’re not going to off anyone, right?” Derrick asks, raising an eyebrow.

  She smiles and says, “No, we hopefully won’t have to use it at all. That’s what my goal is.”

  “Well,” he says, coming to a clearing. “We can do this here.” He extends his hand.

  Lexi hands over the bag. Derrick reaches in and pulls out the ammo and gun. He points it away from them and to the ground. “Always be safe,” he says. “Never point it at anyone.”

  “Okay,” Lexi says, stepping over by him. Connor follows.

  Pointing to the gun, Derrick declares, “That’s the safety. You should always have it on. That’s on, and that’s off.” He moves the safety.

  “Got it,” Connor replies.

  Derrick slides out the clip. “This is the clip. This is where you put the bull
ets, so I will show you how to do that.” He opens the ammo box and starts to slide the bullets into the clip. “So, once that’s full, you slide it back in.” Lexi watches closely. Derrick holds up the gun and points it to a tree. “Once it’s loaded, you are good to go. You push off the safety, pull the slide back, and shoot.” He motions with his hand. “Step behind me.” Connor grabs Lexi’s hand and pulls her behind Derrick. Derrick holds up the gun and shoots. There is a splay of wood as the bullet hits the center of the trunk.

  “I want to try,” Lexi declares.

  “Okay,” Derrick agrees. He steps aside, and she walks up to where he was. Derrick continues to point the gun to the ground. “So, you put on the safety, and then hand it to someone else.” Lexi takes it. “Then you slide off the safety as you point it away from everyone.”

  “Unless I plan on using it,” Lexi counters.

  “Yes, unless you plan on using it,” Derrick says. “Hold the gun up, and try to center yourself. There’s going to be a little kick back. That’s something you are going to have to get used to.”

  Lexi moves her feet and takes a stronger stance. She holds up the gun and aims at the tree. She eyes up her line of sight. Pulling the trigger, the gun jumps back a little. The bullet misses the tree. Now, that she knows what it feels like, Lexi aims again. She shoots. The bullet hits the center of the tree.

  “Try again,” Derrick suggests. Lexi aims and pulls the trigger. The bullet lands in the same area. “You’re a pretty good aim.”

  “Thanks,” Lexi says. “I think I’m comfortable with it. You should try.” Her attention turns to Connor.

  Connor nervously wipes his hands on his pants. “All right.”

  Throwing on the safety, Lexi steps aside, as Connor comes up next to her. She carefully hands him the gun. Connor takes it and points it to the ground. “This is the safety.”