He ran his fingers through his red hair. “Most of my kind don’t know they are shapeshifters until they have eaten another intelligent creature. They then discover the ability after their first transformation, which happens uncontrollably about a day afterwards. Given the short time that passed before the townspeople found the kids, it would make me suspect the shapeshifter knew exactly what they were doing.”
He paused with a heavy sigh, interlacing his fingers in front of his forehead as he rested his head on his hands. With his eyes hidden, he continued. “The few shapeshifters I’ve met have made it a point to sort of ‘collect’ the forms of each race. A method of gaining power essentially. Some even believe they’ll obtain the ability to use magic if they collect enough forms.”
“Is that true?” I wondered seriously.
“Doubtful,” he replied, looking back up at me. “But really I wouldn’t know. Either way, it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. What matters is whether or not the shapeshifter believes it’s true.”
I nodded in acknowledgment, glancing at Jasmyn again. “So, then they would leave, right? Now that they’ve accomplished their goal?”
My dad’s expression unexpectedly became hard.
My eyes widened in shock. “What’s wrong?” I whispered, not used to seeing him look at me like that.
He continued to stare at me for a long moment, before answering between his teeth. “They might leave. They might not. It depends on whether or not they saw Jasmyn…and whether or not they’ve acquired the Naga form…”
I bolted from my seat faster than my human form was capable, sending the chair behind me crashing against the wall. Black lightning crackled around my gray body, my claws digging into the palms of my hands without cutting me.
My dad jumped up too. “Alyssa! Calm down!” he exclaimed.
I was shaking. My entire body was shaking with rage. In that moment, I was ready to kill, mercilessly so. I was ready to rip out a shapeshifter’s heart, ready to murder whatever might try to harm Jasmyn. I’d tear it limb from limb.
“Alyssa!” my dad exclaimed again, finally getting my attention.
I glared at him, my eyes unblinking, my mind lost in fury. I didn’t realize I was on fire until Jasmyn tentatively reached her hand out to me, flinching when she touched my purple flames that contained no heat.
She slowly wrapped her fingers around my gray wrist, finally shifting my focus to her. The fingers on her other hand were gently clasping the ring around her neck, and her eyes were glowing dimly. I realized she was probably the only reason the house hadn't just blown up.
I quickly closed my eyes, gritting my teeth as I tried to focus my thoughts. After a moment, my rage shifted to grief at the thought of something happening to her. I sucked in a sharp breath as Jasmyn pulled me closer and wrapped her arms around my trembling shoulders, a tear slipping out of my eye. I clinched my hands tighter at my sides as I sobbed unexpectedly, leaning my head into her neck.
I didn’t fully understand why, but my emotions felt unstable.
A few seconds later, and I was able to pull my magic back inside.
After a moment, my dad spoke up again quietly. “More than likely, it’s something else,” he whispered. “We should consider the possibility of course, but even if it is a shapeshifter, they won’t know where Jasmyn is. She’s safe here.”
“I don’t know if I can go to school,” I replied, my voice muffled by Jasmyn’s skin. “Especially knowing she’s here all alone.”
“She’ll be safe here,” my dad repeated. “And you’ve got other things to deal with, like talking to Kaylee. You need to go to school so you can make it seem like you really weren’t involved – pretending like you know almost nothing about it. No one knows Jasmyn is here, and just like we don’t have the first idea of where to find this creature, likewise it doesn’t know where to find us. Even if it is a shapeshifter, there are far too many people in this town for it to find either of you. It could walk around the city for weeks, even months, and never run across any of us.”
He sighed as he continued. “Even if it saw you in the forest, Alyssa, they wouldn’t have anything to go on except your description. And then people would get suspicious that he or she was asking about a girl with black hair – which could be anyone. It’s not like your coloring is overly unique.”
I nodded as I considered that, thankful for the first time that I hadn’t inherited my dad’s red hair.
He continued. “Jasmyn’s coloring is unique, but again, no one knows she’s here. If we were in a Naga village then she would be easy to single out. But here, you blend in with the humans, so long as you can avoid getting angry like that again. Jasmyn won’t be around to suppress your magic next time.”
Having moved my chin to Jasmyn’s shoulder, I stared down at her tail behind her as I considered that. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “Just the idea of…” I took another deep breath.
Jasmyn tightened her embrace on me. I still had my arms at my sides.
My dad took a deep breath. “I know. But you need to focus on your day right now, because we both need to get going. Hug Jasmyn and say goodbye. She’ll be here safe when you get back later.”
I nodded, finally wrapping my arms around my friend’s waist. “Thank you,” I whispered, before pulling away with a sigh. She nodded silently, her gold eyes examining me intently.
I grabbed my last bite of food on my plate, and then said goodbye while I headed out the door with my dad.
She gave us both a warm smile, though I wondered if she was just trying to be strong for me. I hoped she didn't spend the entire day being afraid. I began worrying about her again, but as we made our way towards town, I realized my dad was right.
Jasmyn would be safe, especially now that she had that ring. And I needed to focus on my day, and try to seem as normal as possible – worried about Kaylee, but pretending like I was just another concerned classmate who was uninvolved in the situation.
‘Really, I wasn’t involved,’ I silently told myself, trying to get into the right mindset. My only knowledge of the situation should be what I supposedly knew from my dad, which was that they were attacked by something, and only Kaylee survived.
That’s all I knew.
I could do this.
Chapter 7: Visit
Ms. Landerson was absent that day, staying home sick, although we all knew the real reason why she wasn’t here. Likely, she might have come to class today if Ryker was fine and it had been only the other kids. It was strange seeing Meno and Kaylee’s seats empty, especially knowing that Meno was dead.
Everyone found themselves staring at their chairs throughout the day.
Instead of our normal teacher, we had Mr. Harmon as our substitute – the principal of the school. He had us go through our normal schedule for most of the day, but towards the end he had us make ‘get well’ cards to deliver to Kaylee that evening.
When he asked for a volunteer to go with him, I shot my hand up automatically, realizing it was the perfect excuse. I wasn’t sure if it would seem weird for me to visit her to begin with, but I knew this definitely would be less strange.
Unfortunately, another girl shot her hand up too. Monica, of all people.
I wasn’t fooled for a second. While I knew that she and Kaylee were on speaking terms, I also knew that Monica couldn’t care less about anyone but herself. She was only focused on getting all the juicy information, so she could gossip about it, making herself seem more important in her perception. She just wanted to go find out from Kaylee what happened, or to at least share her current condition with everyone.
Mr. Harmon’s eyes widened in surprise at our overly eager reactions, but I spoke up before he said anything.
“I’m going over there anyway,” I announced. “To see how she’s doing.”
Monica immediately glared at me, her hand still raised. “You aren’t even friends with her,” she sneered.
I ignored her, continuing to talk to Mr. Harmon. “
I was over at her house last night too,” I continued, trying to get my expression to match my words. “I’m really worried about her. The cut on her side is really bad, and they said she lost a lot of blood. I was there really late, so Mr. Sykes had to walk me back home.”
Monica just gawked at me, shocked that I knew more about Kaylee’s condition than she did. She looked back up at Mr. Harmon. “Well, I’m her best friend,” she retorted. “So I’m going.”
The man just looked back and forth between the two of us before sighing. “I don’t see any reason why you both can’t come.” He then held up a stern finger. “But the two of you need to be on your best behavior. I don’t have to bring either one of you with me.”
We both nodded in agreement, with Monica flashing me another glare.
Honestly, this wasn’t ideal. I needed to figure out a way to talk to Kaylee alone, without this stupid girl eavesdropping. Hopefully, Kaylee’s mother would be reasonable. Maybe I could suggest that we take turns to see her, although I definitely had to be the one to see her first. The last thing I needed was for Kaylee to find out I was there and freak out.
Granted, all this was assuming she was awake now. She might still be unconscious.
The last hour of the school day dragged on forever. I tried to ignore Monica while I focused on some homework, not really being concerned about putting too much effort into my card. The principal had run out of things for us to work on, so it was sort of free time. I was glad when it was finally time to leave.
Everyone had set their cards on the teacher’s desk up front, so I walked right up and began trying to stack them neatly. Monica appeared right at my side, shoving me unnecessarily with her hip, since Mr. Harmon had walked towards the door for a moment. I had to remember to stay calmer than usual, knowing I didn’t have my pendant keeping my magic bottled up anymore.
“Liar,” she hissed at me. “You were not there last night. I bet you heard all that from your stupid father.”
I bit the inside of my cheek as she insulted my dad. Ironically, he was probably one of the smartest men in town, if not the smartest, though I knew she was just trying to say anything to get underneath my skin. I had to let it go. Especially now that I could probably kill her without even meaning to.
For some reason, knowing that fact made it easier. Knowing I could hurt her with so little effort, made me feel like I was above her childish taunting.
Doing my best not to respond, I grabbed the cards I had collected and headed towards Mr. Harmon, whose gaze would keep Monica’s behavior under control.
Needless to say, the trip to Kaylee’s house was a long one. I tried to socialize the best I could with the principal while we walked, to avoid focusing on Monica’s glares and to get on his good side while I could.
He at least didn’t seem to think poorly of me due to the rumors about my mom.
“So Alyssa, how’s Deyanira doing? I haven’t talked to Axel in months. Last I heard, she was in Nishran helping with the Dwarven conflict.”
My eyes widened in surprise. I hadn’t heard anyone use my mom’s name in years. “Umm, she’s doing well I think,” I hedged.
I didn’t know what to say, because I wasn’t expecting to have to talk about my mother anytime soon. I supposed I needed to get back into the mindset that I didn’t remember hardly anything about her.
What had my old self known?
“It’s been over half a year since I saw her last,” I lied. “But the last time my mom wrote to us, she said she was doing okay.” I paused, clutching the homemade cards to my chest. “She couldn’t tell us anything about the situation though.”
I heard Monica mutter something under her breath behind us, but I ignored it.
Mr. Harmon nodded in acknowledgment. “No doubt it’s a sensitive subject. Truly a magnificent woman she is – not many have the skills she has. Between her diplomacy and magic, she’s truly amazing.”
I gawked at him in disbelief. “You know my mom’s a mage?” I hadn't even remembered that until yesterday – previously, only suspecting it. How did this guy know more than I had?
He nodded, looking at me in confusion, before glancing back at my classmate. “Of course, but I suppose that’s not common knowledge, is it? Most of the people here are highly superstitious. It’s ridiculous what some of them say.” He scoffed. “Coming up with silly stories just because none of us have had the honor of meeting your mother.”
I nodded slowly as he finished. I knew that them meeting her was never going to happen, but it was nice to see that someone didn’t think ill-will towards my mom.
Why couldn’t Mr. Harmon be my teacher? Granted, his perception might change if he ever did actually see her…
Monica abruptly spoke up, her tone sharp. “How do you know she’s a mage? Have you seen her use magic?”
Mr. Harmon looked back at her in shock from her attitude. “Well, no, I haven’t.” He held up his finger again. “But you should understand something young lady. Alyssa’s father is a good man. He works hard for this town, and is a member of the Night Watch. He has no reason to lie about his wife.”
“Unless she’s a devil,” she muttered.
“That’s enough out of you!” Mr. Harmon snapped. “Or else you can go home,” he added.
Monica stared at the ground with a scowl on her face, but she didn’t retort.
I knew this was probably going to bite me back in the butt, but I said it before really considering my words.
“You want proof my mother isn’t a devil?” I glared back at her, continuing before the principal could stop me. “Because then that would make me a half-devil! Which means I’d be strong and scary!” I snapped.
Her eyes were wide, probably because I’d never actually fought back before, even verbally.
“Okay, that’s enough out of you two,” our peacekeeper demanded in a gruff voice.
I looked up at him apologetically. “Sorry,” I said sweetly. “It’s just frustrating having people call my mom a devil when clearly she’s not.”
“I understand,” he agreed, his tone still firm. “But let’s drop it for now. I brought you two with me to have someone to visit with your classmate. You both should be focusing on her right now. She’s been through a lot.”
I nodded, glancing back at Monica again. “Just to forewarn you, it smelled like death in her room last night. I hope you’re not squeamish because there was blood all over her clothes and sheets.”
Much to my surprise, her face paled at that.
Maybe I could use that to my advantage to speak to Kaylee alone first. Monica was silent the rest of the way there.
When we arrived, I was disappointed it didn’t smell as bad as I had hoped. If anything, there wasn’t even really stench. Monica became more confident when she realized that, assuming I had been lying after all.
It was Kaylee’s aunt who answered the door. She invited us inside, asking us to wait in the living room while she ran to go get Elaine down the hall. To me, it seemed strange knowing there was another family living below this floor. Granted, I suspected they couldn’t be heard unless they were exceptionally loud.
Unlike my house, Kaylee’s home was well furnished. The living room had two wooden couches with firm cushions built in. The wood was ornately carved, especially on the armrests. Very different from the plain bench outside my room back home. They had a few oil lamps mounted on the walls, but both the living room and kitchen area had chandelier lamps hanging from the ceilings.
Despite the fact that my dad had more money than Kaylee’s parents, their house looked significantly more luxurious in comparison. Granted, we didn’t pay rent, nor did we have extra things that would put a drain on our money.
Monica immediately threw herself on one of the couches cheerfully, especially now that she thought I had been dishonest. I wondered if the stench had been more potent to me because I was transformed last night. It occurred to me that I didn’t notice the smell as much when I got caught, although I also wasn�
�t paying attention at that point either.
Elaine came rushing down the hall a few minutes later. “Oh! Alyssa! I’m so glad you’re here! Kaylee’s been asking about you!”
Monica and I both gawked at her, but for very different reasons.
Mrs. Sykes continued. “When she woke up a few hours ago, she was panicking, saying you were injured.” She looked at me apologetically. “She seems really confused. I don’t think she believed me when I told her you were okay. I even told her you were here last night, and I showed her your letter.”
I nodded slowly, still stunned that Kaylee would actually be worried about me. It didn’t make any sense. She had been a monster to me for years now. Was it just her trying to get on my good side out of fear?
“Oh, and Wayne,” she said, looking at Mr. Harmon. “Forgive me for my rudeness. It’s nice to see you.”
“You as well,” he replied warmly. “I had her classmates make cards for her, and brought along these two to visit if she’s up for it.”
Elaine nodded. “Nolan is here speaking with her about what happened. But I think he may–” She paused when heavy footsteps came down the hallway.
My eyes widened when I realized it was the man with the lantern from last night who she was referring to.
Elaine immediately introduced us before anyone else could speak. “Ladies, this here is Mr. Nolan Burrows, the head of the Guard and Night Watch.” She turned to the man. “And this is Alyssa Dracul and Monica Lyman.”
Mr. Burrows immediately looked over at me. “Dracul? Are you Axel’s daughter?”
I nodded hesitantly.
He gave me a warm smile. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you,” he replied, holding out his hand for me to shake. He wasn’t an overly large man, but his hands were massive, swallowing up mine in his grasp. He continued. “Please remind your father he’s on duty tonight. After what happened, we decided to double the watch for a few weeks. Everyone will be doing four nights a month instead of two.”
I nodded silently again while he returned his gaze to Elaine.
Magicbound to a Snake Girl Page 8