Jordan’s brown eyes flickered with confusion, but he turned to Ana and shook her hand politely. She felt an electric charge when he touched her and laughed nervously to cover her surprise. He brushed his brown hair out of his eyes. “Welcome, Ana. I have made some lunch for your arrival.”
“Thank you, Jordan.” Lifen stepped ahead of him and he gestured for Ana to go first. They went down a hallway and turned right into another open room. A long wooden table reflected the light coming in from the windows. Rice, beef with steamed vegetables and a covered bowl sat at its center.
“The others know you’re here. They’ll be here in a minute.”
Jordan reminded Ana of a boy she used to know in sixth grade. He was the teacher’s pet and always had a holier than thou attitude, which got under her skin. She hadn’t liked him and she wasn’t sure if she liked Jordan either. Ana hoped the other boys didn’t have an elitist attitude, because it would make it that much harder to fit in.
Lifen sat down at the table and beckoned Ana to sit beside her. Jordan craned his neck to look down the hallway and muttered, “I’ll go see where they are. Be right back . . .”
He ducked out of the room and Ana took a closer look at the food on the table. She was hungry after a long morning of driving through the snow. Lifen placed a small bowl in front of her and uncovered the pot. A curl of steam rose above the brown broth.
“Miso soup,” Lifen said. “Have you ever had it?”
“No, I haven’t, but it smells good.”
After Lifen put a small bowl at each of the other seats, she used a large serving spoon to dish out soup into each one. Dark leafy greens, white cubes and green onions floated in the broth. Ana hadn’t eaten anything like it before, but she was hungry enough to try anything. She was tempted to pick up her spoon and begin eating, but she didn’t want to be rude, so she waited patiently and hoped the others would get there soon.
Voices echoed down the hallway. “Finally,” Lifen said. “It will be nice having another woman here for a change. Males can be so self-centered.”
Laughter boomed in the doorway, and a group of guys wandered in. They quieted immediately when Lifen turned to them, her serene face hardened.
“Sorry, Lifen,” they said. “Welcome home.” Each of them stepped forward to shake her hand. They moved to the table and paused when they saw Ana. She tucked her hair behind her ear and awkwardly stood up, unsure what to do.
“Hi, I’m Ana.”
“Finally,” a twenty-something guy said. “You hired a maid. Thank you, Lifen. But where’s the new student you were bringing back?” He turned around. If it weren’t for his condescending comment, Ana would have thought his blue eyes and handsome smirk were ruggedly charming. Heat radiated across her cheeks and she wasn’t sure if it was her embarrassment or anger that prompted it.
“Ryan, she is the new student,” Jordan muttered under his breath.
Ryan’s eyes widened and then he laughed with a little too much amusement. His long blond hair gave him a laid-back skateboarder’s appearance, but once he opened his mouth, that preconception was broken. “Wow, I apologize. Just didn’t think . . .”
A third boy with tight, black curls brushed past the others and held his hand out to Ana. “Hey, my name’s Derek. It’s nice to meet you, Ana. Don’t mind Ryan–he’s a jerk to everyone.”
Ana shook Derek’s outstretched hand, happy to concentrate on something other than Ryan and Jordan, and experienced a gentle shock of energy when they touched, similar to when she shook Jordan’s hand. He lowered his eyes and his umber cheeks pulled up to reveal a set of dimples. Ana decided he was the most likeable out of the lot.
“Give her a proper welcome, Ryan,” Lifen said in a serious tone.
The smirk on Ryan’s face was replaced with an apologetic frown that she didn’t buy. “I’m sorry, Ana. I’m sure you’ll like it here.”
“Thanks,” Ana muttered before sitting down in her chair.
Derek strode around the table and took the seat beside Ana, while Ryan and Jordan sat across from her. She really didn’t want to dwell on the awkward introduction, so she moved on to small talk and hoped she’d grow to like her new “classmates,” although they weren’t off to a good start. “The food looks great.”
Jordan placed a napkin on his lap. “I wanted to have something warm for Lifen when she arrived. I know how much she likes my cooking.”
Somehow, Ana wasn’t surprised.
“Thank you, Jordan,” Lifen said. “Your thoughtfulness is appreciated.”
Ana breathed in the aroma from the soup and her stomach gurgled.
“Here, let me get that for you.” Derek stood and served her a portion of rice, steamed vegetables and meat.
“Thanks, Derek.” She watched the others serve themselves.
“If I had a pair of breasts, would you help me too?” Ryan flicked his hair back while batting his eyelashes.
Ana wasn’t sure if the insult was aimed at her or Derek, but his reaction startled her. He grabbed his knife off the table. The softened expression that had made her so comfortable a moment ago had transformed into an angry grimace. “Don’t push me, Ryan.”
Maybe Derek wasn’t as sweet as he appeared. She tried to brush away her fears, but every minute that passed made her worry she’d made a terrible mistake coming here.
“Boys, is this how you make someone feel welcome?” Lifen said with a cutting tone. She waited for them to settle before she closed her eyes and said, “Let this food nourish our bodies so we may channel our energy in positive ways.”
They all closed their eyes and remained quiet for a moment. Ana was unsure what to do. Should she copy them or simply wait for them to finish?
“We focus inward to connect with our energy, and remind ourselves of our purpose—to be a positive force in the world.” Lifen’s soft voice drifted through the room.
Ana lowered her eyes and nodded. “I’ll try it next time.”
Jordan cleared his throat. “How was your trip, Lifen?”
“I don’t often travel so far or for so long. I do not like being away from my students. I like knowing you are safe, but even though I missed being home, it was worth it. I brought back someone very gifted.”
The guy’s faces turned to stare at Ana, who was taking a large bite of rice and vegetables. She hastily chewed and swallowed, not enjoying being the center of attention, especially while she was eating.
“Where’re you from?” Ryan took a sip of his soup.
It seemed like an innocent enough question, so she decided it was safe to answer. “Oh, well that’s kind of a long story, but I’m originally from Colorado and this last spring I moved to northern Idaho. Not too far from here.”
“Lifen, I thought you said you were down in Mexico?” Derek asked.
“Yes,” Lifen said. “I had to go a long way to find our Ana. She was far from home when I sensed she was ready for instruction.”
Ana lifted the strange spoon that was resting in her bowl. It was wide and seemed perfectly designed to scoop up a large mouthful of soup. She hoped no one would engage her in conversation while she tried her next bite. The warm, salty broth washed down her throat and coated her stomach. It was delicious and perfect after a long day of driving through the snow.
“Ana?” Lifen’s voice startled her.
She swallowed another mouthful of soup and was disappointed to see she was everyone’s focus again. “I’m sorry, what?”
“They want to know if you’re like me,” Lifen said. “If you’re a shapeshifter as well.” Then she added, “I thought it was best for you to answer.”
As Ana’s eyes combed past each of the boys, she saw they all seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for her answer. Even Ryan, who only minutes earlier had been smirking, was now staring seriously at her.
“Oh, right.” She didn’t really want to talk about it with people she’d just met. Plus, she hadn’t actually told anyone yet. It didn’t even make much sense to her, so
how was she supposed to explain it?
“Hey, Ana,” Derek said. “It’s weird talking about it at first. No worries, I get it. If you want, I can tell you about when I discovered I was a shifter. That cool?” He gripped his spoon in his hand and pressed his lips together.
“Yeah.” Ana took a shuddering breath, thankful that he’d helped her avoid talking before she was ready.
Derek pushed back from the table and crossed his legs. “I was almost seventeen when I first shifted. I definitely wasn’t expecting it, neither. I was hanging in the backyard . . .” He gave a smirk. “Actually, I was blowing off steam, ‘cause my girlfriend and I got into a fight. The little yappy dog next door, a Chihuahua or something, was letting loose at the fence. All I wanted was to get away and escape from my problems—you know?”
Ana nodded and rested her hand beside her plate, more interested in Derek’s story than eating. From her periphery, she could see Ryan and Jordan finishing their food and staring out the large windows behind her. She guessed this wasn’t the first time they’d heard the story.
“While I was staring at the little rat dog,” Derek said, “it turned all blue with glowing lines—trippiest thing ever the first time. Thought it was getting sick at first, or was a freaky alien or something. But then my skin started tingling and next thing I knew, I was shorter than the weeds in the yard. Wasn’t sure if I’d wished myself that way or what had happened. When mama got home I was scratching at the back door, shivering in the cold. She thought I was the neighbor’s dog at first, but when she heard it barking ten feet away and saw my pile of clothes on the ground, she got a funny look in her eye and let me in, like she knew it was me. She gave me some food and water and told me to think about my human body and a feeling like ‘going home.’ Before I knew it, I was naked on the floor at my mama’s feet.” Derek’s cheeks darkened and he rubbed the curls on top of his head.
“Don’t remember you mentioning that juicy detail before, Derek,” Ryan said and raised an eyebrow.
“You ready to tell your story then?” Derek fired across the table, adopting his fiery expression again.
Ryan put his hands up, feigning innocence.
“Didn’t think so.”
Lifen shot them both a glare. They quieted and focused on their food instead.
Ana was curious to learn more and eager to diffuse the tension. “So, your mom wasn’t surprised you were a shifter?”
“After I ran to my room and got some clothes on, Mama said that her family always told stories about when her great-great-grandpapa was brought to America. He was no ordinary slave, and I guess he frightened his share of landowners as some big cat.” Derek’s white teeth flashed and he laughed in amusement. “I had plenty of questions for her, questions she couldn’t really answer. But she said that before her grandpapa died, he’d told her that his dad had told him that it wasn’t no story, and to keep an eye on any boys born into the family. That when they got close to being a man, they might just come scratching at the door in the form of a wild animal.”
“That would’ve been a manlier choice,” Ryan muttered under his breath. When Derek stared him down, he raised his hands in the air and rolled his eyes. “What, a Chihuahua? You can’t really be proud of that one.”
“Better than your city rat,” Derek answered with a cold sneer.
“I think my gopher was a good, solid starting point,” Jordan interjected.
“What about her? She more useful than her pretty face?” Ryan raised his voice. “I don’t know why I’m defending my first shift in front of someone I know nothing about . . .”
They all quieted and faced Ana, awaiting her response.
Her cheeks flushed again and she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Um, I shifted for the first time a couple days ago.”
“No kidding,” Jordan said. “Don’t see many shifters around, let alone a girl. That’s pretty rare. So what was your first shift? A mouse, a squirrel . . .?” He raised his eyebrow.
Ana had nearly forgotten about Lifen, who was staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows. “I have never understood why everything must be a competition for men. It is their downfall.” She nodded at Ana, as if to tell her to continue, and she thought she saw the corners of her mentor’s mouth curl up.
“A horse,” Ana said softly.
“What do you mean?” Ryan frowned. “You were born the year of the horse?”
“No, I shifted into a horse. That was my first form.” And only one so far, Ana thought.
The wait was worth it, she decided. After hearing the boys banter about who was less of a man, she couldn’t help but enjoy the expressions on their faces.
“I told you it was your downfall,” Lifen said. “After you are done eating crow, please go up to Ana’s van and bring her belongings down to the spare room beside mine, and please park her van in the garage before it becomes an ornament in my driveway. Whoever is remaining, please show Ana around the house and then we will meet in the meditation room in half an hour.” Lifen rose from the table and the others stood as well. Ana finished chewing and grasped her napkin in her hand while she pushed her chair back.
“Would you like me to prepare the afternoon tea as well?” Jordan asked.
“Please do.” Lifen looked levelly at her student. “If you will excuse me, Ana, I need to tend to a few things before we begin. I hope you find yourself at home here. I know we will become a close family. We are all part of a special group. Remember, loyalty above all else. If you need anything, just ask. I am so pleased you are here with us.”
Their teacher breezed from the room and after she left Ana took one last bite of food. She didn’t have much experience being around men, outside of Chance and Balam. She stared out at the snow and said the first thing that came to mind. “So, is there Internet here?”
Ryan laughed. “You can kiss technology goodbye while you’re living here. Lifen says it’s to keep our focus pure, but I think it’s just another way to punish us.”
“Punish you for what?” Ana said.
“For being men, I don’t know,” Ryan said. “We’re not allowed to date, leave the house or surf the Internet. At least she hasn’t taken away my music—that’d be the last straw.” Ryan combed his shaggy blond hair away from his face.
“Right, like you have somewhere else to go,” Derek fired at him. “You know why she does what she does. It’s to help and protect us. Why don’t you go park Ana’s van and bring her stuff down?”
Jordan piped up with, “I’ll clean up and make the tea.”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed and he spun out of the room dropping words like, “God’s gift” and “teacher’s pet.”
Jordan started stacking the dirty plates and avoided looking at Ana. “Right, well. You know what you need to do then, right Derek?” Outside of Lifen, it seemed like Derek was the only person pleased she was there. Hopefully, the others would warm up to her. Even though she didn’t really like them much on introduction, it would be hard to live in a house if she had to walk on eggshells. She didn’t bicker often with her mother and sister and when they did, it didn’t involve yelling as much as crying and silent glares, but just being around her aunt and uncle too much gave her a headache. Aunt Tera liked riding Uncle Jace over the littlest thing. Ana hoped it wouldn’t be this loud the whole time.
Derek patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Now that Lifen’s back, things will chill. Without her around we’re all more on edge. How ‘bout I show you around? And I wouldn’t listen to Ryan. No matter what he says, we’ve got it good here.”
“Yeah, I’ve never been in a house like this. Looks like it belongs in a magazine.” Ana stared out of the windows at the sapphire blue lake that shimmered at the base of the mountain.
“Nothing like Chicago. I mean, it’s got its nice points, but it’s so quiet here. That was hard for me to adjust to.” Derek led her out of the dining room and went straight across the hall to the kitchen, a long space with more vaulted ceilings. Travertine tiles cover
ed the floors and pale bamboo cabinets hung on the walls.
All Ana could think was how envious Eva would be if she could see her now. “Wow.”
Jordan brushed past her with an armload of dishes. He placed them in a large sink and said to Derek, “Make sure you tell her the rules.”
Derek rolled his eyes. “Right. This is Jordan’s territory. Don’t mess with his food or move anything or he’ll go bat on you.”
“That was one time, Derek,” Jordan said. “Don’t know why you can’t let it rest.”
“Jordan’s usually in charge of dinner,” Derek said. “There’s food in the fridge and cupboards for breakfast and lunch—food gets delivered weekly, so we get everything that we need. Lifen likes starting practice early in the morning at sunup since that’s when your energy’s fresh. Then we care for the animals, and if we do that quick, we have free time until the afternoon when we go at it again.”
“If Jordan usually makes dinner,” Ana said, “then what do you and Ryan do? Are there chores?” She thought about Ryan’s comment about her being a maid and presumed she knew the answer.
“Well, Ryan and I rotate with cleaning and dishes,” Derek said. “We do our own laundry and we all care for the animals, which means feeding, cleaning stalls, bathing and grooming.”
“That reminds me,” Jordan said. “It’s your turn to do the dishes, Derek. I’m going to see if Ryan took care of her car and luggage.” He adjusted his striped polo shirt, gave Ana a sour look and turned out of the kitchen.
“Hopefully you don’t get any new scratches.” Derek sneered at the pile of plates and bowls in the sink and muttered, “I’ll do it later. C’mon, bet you want to see the rest of the place.”
They walked back down the hallway, toward the entrance of the home. The large formal living room opened up across from the front door.
“Lifen serves tea here. Sometimes her old students drop by for a visit and to have some of her special blend.”
Ana frowned.
“She mixes her own tea that increases the flow of energy. It smells like lawn clippings, but with some sugar it’ll grow on you.” Derek’s umber cheek creased, revealing a dimple.
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