"Okay, spill it. Tell me what's been bothering you," Isabella urged, sitting next to me on her living room couch.
I leaped into my story, telling her about all of the thoughts and feelings I've had about my father maybe knowing more than he's letting on, or maybe he was checking on me to see if I was shifting or not. My father did start acting much more overprotective when I hit age fourteen, around the age when I would've normally started shifting. I made all these points to Isabella, then asked her, "Do you think I'm being paranoid?"
"A week ago, I would've said yes, but now... I just don't know."
I sighed. "I didn't want to lay my problem on you, but I didn't want to keep it from you, as I know you've got your own inconveniences inside your own family."
"You mean my parents, and how it's been, sharing the secret with Austin?"
I nodded, biting my bottom lip.
"It's been better around here, but it is nice to have Austin and me on the same page again."
"Good, because I'm not getting off it," a voice called out from the back hallway.
I jumped, Austin's voice startling me.
Isabella glanced at me. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, releasing my death grip on my lungs. "I've been really jumpy lately," I responded as Austin walked into the room, sitting down on a chair.
"Any reason?" Isabella asked.
"I think it's my animal senses coming to the surface. I was looking it up, and regular owls have really good hearing, so I thought my ears were changing, and becoming a bit more, heightened."
Isabella nodded. "Cool."
I smiled.
After that, we talked for a little bit more, Austin pestering me on more information, me exclaiming that I didn't have any, Isabella shushing him, telling him to scram, and Austin would be mock-insulted, sauntering off to the kitchen. It was fun.
But I had to leave, head back to my house before too long. I left through her back door, waving as I went, deciding to cut through the woods. I took the shortcut again, quickly and quietly maneuvered my way through the trees. I passed the same spot I'd shapeshifted in last night, images and feeling rushing back to my head. I shook them out of my head the best I could and continued on my way.
I picked my way through the last of the thicket, separating me from my backyard. I stepped out, brushing burrs and leaves from my clothes. Entering my house from my back door, lugging my backpack with me as I did so, I settled onto my couch with an after-school session of T.V. I watched a few different channels, scrolling through a few.
After I'd been sitting for about a half an hour, my phone beeped, Sakura's texting tone. I fished my phone out from my jacket pocket, laying beside me. Unlocking my phone, I saw she had been texting everyone in our group chat.
It read: Hey guys. My house will be clear tonight. My step-brother and sister are out for a change. We can check my house out tonight. Come by around seven if you can.
I responded with, Sure. I'll see you all there.
The others in our group chat responded as well, saying similar responses as mine. Setting my phone down, I decided I was done with T.V. for now. I clicked it off, collected my things, and headed up to my bedroom to get a head start on my homework, seeing I'd be home late.
While I was thinking of it, I texted my father, telling him where I'd be later that night. He responded a few minutes later, telling me that was fine. After that, I played a song playlist on my phone out loud as I worked on my homework. I liked having background sounds as I worked. I found it relaxing.
Sitting at my desk for what felt like hours, I straightened my back and stretched, bones cracking. I was finished with all my work, and it was nearly five-forty-five. I still had about an hour to kill before I needed to head over to Sakura's. After mulling over what to make, I decided to make dinner for myself, so my stomach wasn't growling while I was searching.
I made two wraps from leftovers in the fridge. I sat at the island as I ate, only coming up for air to take a drink from my glass of milk. The food was delicious and refreshing, tasting so good. I hadn't had one in a while, and I hadn't realized I'd been missing them.
When I was done eating and all of my dishes were placed in the dishwasher, I checked the time again. It was around six-forty, nearly time for me to leave. Since I had nothing better to do, I headed out to Sakura's house a little early.
I zipped my tall brown boots on over my dark wash jeans, and tugged my thicker fall jacket on, the color of blood, with zippered pockets and lined with soft fabric, over my white tee from school that day.
It was much colder at night than during the day, so I bundled up a bit, not wanting to freeze my face off as I walked over to Sakura's house, along the bayou's path.
It wasn't as cold as I'd anticipated it being when I stepped out of my back door, but I didn't change my clothes. I was already halfway through my yard, not in the mood to turn back. Cutting through the woods, I wrapped my cold hand around a rough tree branch, pushing it out of my path, ducking below it.
I worked my way through the trees, and found a rivulet from the bayou, and followed it as it widened and lengthened. It curved to the left and I followed, knowing this fed into the water's outside Sakura's house. I just had to remember to stay to the left of it, or I'd end up on the other side of the bayou.
While I followed the small stream, my mind wandered up into the sky and far away from me. And on my walk to Sakura's, I realized something: They screwed up. Our parents. They should've told us the truth. Then I thought of why they didn't. They thought we couldn't handle it. Sure, when we were younger, we couldn't. But now? I couldn't speak for my friends, but I could say without a shadow of a doubt that if my father had told me, I could've handled it. And that shows how much he really doesn't know me. How much he may never know.
I didn't want to tell him that I knew. That I was shapeshifting. That I'd figured it out. Not that it would change anything. My father was still distant, and I didn't think anything would change that.
Curving around a bend in the stream, I emerged from a pocket of trees and ran right into someone. I stepped back with a small yelp, throwing my hands out. The other person started laughing.
They stepped into the moonlight and I saw it was Shawn, amusement glinting in his brown eyes.
"Sorry, Vera. Didn't mean to scare you."
I breathed out my held breath, letting my hands fall to my sides. "No, I'm sorry. I guess I'm just tense."
"With good reason."
I nodded. "Anyway, should we keep going?"
Shawn and I fell in step, still trailing the rivulet up to Sakura's house. I thought I could see it through the trees, but I wasn't sure.
We lapsed into silence, lost in thought.
I banged on Sakura's back door, waiting impatiently in the cold outdoors while she came to the door. She came jogging up, swinging it open in a flourish. Shawn and I came inside, shrugging off our jackets as we did so.
Sakura told us we could just set them on a chair in her living room, so that's what Shawn did, draping them over the arm.
She led us down the small hallway to the right by the back staircase, where Autumn already sat on the stairs, hands wrapped around her knees. I called out a greeting to her as we walked up the hall. Autumn straightened and said hello back, a tenseness in her back.
I sensed it, her anxiety, but didn't address it. Shawn and I sat next to Autumn on the staircase. Sakura joined us as well, perching on a stair lower than ours.
Then Sakura told her plan as we waited for Isabella and Austin. "I was thinking we should start with the study. There's a lot room there, and places to be hiding something, and plenty of shelf space."
My mind traveled back to when we found the letters at Autumn's house, as I'm sure Sakura's and Autumn's minds' did too.
Sakura continued. "Then my parents room, and maybe the attic?"
I nodded. "And no basement?"
Sakura shook her head. "There;s just a crawl space under my house, incase of storms. If we had a basement, I'm sure it would be flooded all the time, considering where my house is."
I nodded, my gaze distant. "Right, I kinda forgot."
Autumn laughed, the tightness in her shoulders relaxing a fraction.
I smiled, glad to see Autumn grin; it's been a while since I'd really seen her laugh.
Then one final knock sounded at the back door. Sakura groaned and jogged back down the hall, muttering about just leaving it open, and letting the cold in.
We couldn't hide our smiles as she left.
Moments later, Sakura returned, Isabella and Austin in tow. Sakura filled them in on her plan, and they nodded in approval. Then Sakura led us to her mother's study, which took up a large portion of their first level. It was open concept flooring, combining the living room, dining room, and kitchen at the back of the house, but on the other side of the wall the kitchen was on, was where the study lay. The door was behind the dining room table, to the left of the kitchen.
Sakura slid it open and the door slotted itself inside the wall. We stepped inside, and Sakura slid the door closed again, thudding against the other side in a loud echo, the room now feeling a bit like a tomb, sealing us inside.
I felt a cold chill run down my spine. I tried to ignore it, but it felt like ice was seeping into my bloodstream, chilling me from the inside out. It felt like my bones had turned to ice, a cold fog filling my insides, my breath now feeling cold instead of hot. I gasped, my spine arching.
"Bella? Are you okay?" Austin's voice rang out, concern etched in every word.
I spun and saw goosebumps had flared up all over Isabella's skin. I looked over at Autumn and saw she had them too. She was hugging herself, as if to keep herself warm. The cold chill slid its icy fingers down my spine again. I arched it, and saw my skin was covered in goosebumps too. I rubbed it, but it did no good.
Shawn and Sakura whirled in circles, eyes flitting from Autumn to me, then back to Autumn, then me again.
"What's happening to you guys?" Sakura asked, a note of dread in her voice.
I was the first to speak, Autumn still hugging herself and Isabella using Austin to hold her up. "I-It's so cold. You guys don't f-feel it?"
Sakura shook her head.
Autumn shivered, then whispered, "Something b-bad happened here."
Isabella nodded. "I can feel it, in my blood, down my spine... it's s-so cold."
I shivered, hugging my arms over my chest. What was happening to us? And why were only half of us affected? I looked down at my hands and saw the tips of my fingers were tinged blue.
Sakura spoke again. "You guys leave. See if you feel better while we start searching." While she spoke, she walked back over to the door and slid it open for us. We left, and as I crossed the doors threshold, my goosebumps vanished.
I saw Isabella's and Autumn's had too. I let my arms drop to my sides, no longer needing them for warmth.
"What was that?" Isabella questioned.
Autumn and I both shrugged.
"And why did it only affect us?" I said aloud, voicing my earlier thought.
Autumn took on a baffled look. "I would say it's just our Supernatural type, but none of us are the same thing. We have on necromancer, one shapeshifter, and one we-don't-know-what-you-are-yet-person."
Isabella smiled. "Well, I'm not a nec-cro-m-manc-oh, whatever you said-"
"Necromancer," Autumn and I corrected simultaneously.
Isabella waved a hand, saying whatever. "And I'm not a shapeshifter. I think I'd have shifted by now if I was, seeing as both you and Shawn already have."
I nodded, seeing her point.
"So what was it then?" Autumn asked.
"I wish I knew," I answered. "Maybe they'll figure it out in there," I said, gesturing back towards the study.
"Yeah, I'm not going back in there anytime soon. Or ever," Isabella immediately responded to my unasked question.
"I was going to-" I began.
"Yes, you were, I can see it in your face."
I sighed. "Well, don't you want to test-" Again, I was cut off.
"No, I don't."
"Okay," Autumn started. "You don't have to go back in, but Vera and I will. If you want to come with us, it's your choice."
Isabella nodded.
Autumn and I exchanged a look, one that said, "Do we really know what we're doing?" And I honestly didn't know. But were doing it anyway.
Autumn saw the determination glinting in my eyes, and she nodded, answering my unspoken answer with one of her own determined stares. Her mouth set in a determined line, eyes wide and ready to do what needed to be done. That was the thing about Autumn. She had her moments, where she never wanted to do anything remotely scary. But then she had these other ones, where she would throw herself in the line of fire to protect what she loved. It was something I deeply admired about her.
We headed back into the room, and were both immediately hit with another cold wave. Sakura stopped her search and asked us why we came back in.
I answered. "We wanted to know what it was. It went away the second I was out the door, and came rushing back the moment I had my foot through the door."
"We wanted to know why only us three were affected," Autumn jumped in.
Austin walked over to us, stopping his search as well. "I'll admit it's strange. But there's really no way to figure it out unless we talk to our parents."
I nodded, taking in his words.
"Well," Shawn called out walking up to us, "There's nothing in here that shouldn't be. At least nothing I could tell."
"Where to next?" Autumn asked.
We would search her parents bedroom next. But Isabella still felt really out of it, so Austin sat with her while she drank warm tea Austin had made for her.
While we were searching, I was still trying to shake off the last of the uncanny chills from the other room.
As I was poking my head under their king-sized bed, Shawn asked, "What do you guys think that was?" He didn't have to specify what he was talking about. It's all that had been on everyone's minds throughout the whole search.
Autumn and I shook our heads. "We really don't know."
"Maybe we'll figure it out after we find our answers," Sakura added.
If. There was a huge possibility that we wouldn't find anything. But I wasn't going to be the one to say it. And apparently Autumn and Shawn felt the same way, for they stayed quiet too.
Eventually we saw there was nothing to be found in here, either. If Sakura' parents were one thing, it was as neat as a pin.
Sakura went downstairs to check on Isabella while the rest of us continued our search, moving to the attic. She gave us directions, then turned down the stairs, shoes scuffing on the gleaming hardwood floor as she retreated.
We continued down the long hallway, Autumn, Shawn, and I, and opened the last door. We were met by a tall staircase. I climbed it first, and when I reached the top, flicked the lightswitch on. The lights flickered for a second, then burned full brightness.
The attic wasn't very big, much like Shawn's. It was only half of the house, not a full attic. We fanned out, searching through bins and cardboard boxes.
When we had searched about half of the attic, Shawn stopped and turned to Autumn and I. We stopped searching and gave him our attention, all without uttering a single word.
"I have to ask you both something. Can you give me a straight answer?"
I nodded, the serious look on his face shaking my already shuddering core from the room below.
Autumn nodded after me, seeming a bit wary of how strange Shawn was acting.
"Look, we know all of us are Supernatural, but we don't really have any proof about the others. Do we want to drag them into something they may actually have nothing to do with?"
I thought about that for a minute. Shawn had a point. None of them were confirmed Supernaturals. So it didn't technically involve them. He had a point there too. But they were involved. They were our friends. They were here to help us through a difficult time, and rough transition. Even if they weren't one of us, that didn't mean they weren't helping. So that's what I told Shawn. That's kind of how I was; I had an opinion and wasn't afraid to share it.
When I finished speaking, Autumn spoke up. "I agree with Vera. On all of it."
We exchanged small smiles.
I looked back to Shawn. "We're your friends. And everyone downstairs. We all can help each other. We all need each other."
With that, Shawn nodded, and we quickly finished searching the attic, but it became clear we weren't going to find anything up here either. So I voiced my opinion about that.
Autumn nodded. "You're right. We should head back down." Autumn headed for the door first. Shawn was behind her. I was the last one down. I gave the attic one last look, then clicked the lightswitch off, closing the door behind myself.
When we descended the stairs, Sakura asked us if we found anything. We shook our heads. Sakura tried to hide her disappointment, but failed. I finished walking down the stairs and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
I pulled out my phone after Autumn took over on Sakura-comfort-duty. I checked the time. It was nearly nine thirty. I cleared my throat. "Not to be that girl, but it's getting late. It's almost nine thirty. I should be heading home now."
The others nodded. Sakura led everyone out after we grabbed our coats, waving goodnight as she did. There was a tiredness to her movements, like she was keeping herself upright until we left, then would collapse into sleep.
As I past her on my way out, I whispered, "Make sure you get some sleep. You look like you need it."
She nodded. I left the house, the faint chill that was making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up finally went away. I realized they'd been up as soon as I'd entered the study. The rest of my body had settled down its reaction, but I guess I' been on edge the whole time in there. I really wanted to know what that was...
My thoughts drifted back that way as Autumn laid a hand on my shoulder. I spun around to meet her, my freezing hands curled up in my pockets.
She whispered to me. "We need to figure out this... business with our chills. I know the others said it wasn't a pressing matter, but-"
"But they didn't feel what we felt."
Autumn nodded. "It felt like I'd never be warm again."
"Like your insides would be ice for eternity. That my spine would forever be stuck stick-straight."
Autumn sighed. "They really don't get it, then?"
I shook my head, my movement slow, deliberate.
I blew out a frigid breath, then whispered goodbye to Autumn. She returned it and we parted ways in the forest, our houses on opposite sides.
The cold made my walk back fell even longer than it actually was. But to be fair it still wasn't that cold outside. Heavy jacket weather, but no need for hats and gloves. It was just me, like I was a cold ball of ice, the blood in my veins to longer warm.
I felt more like myself when I got back to my house. It looked, smelled, felt familiar. Comfortable. Warm. And I needed to those things at that moment. I curled up in my bed that night, my hands and feet still cold to the touch. I felt like the cold would always be a part of me now. Like it would never leave. I tried to sleep, and it soon came, a warm blanket over my mind. For a short while.
I was asleep. Or, I thought I was. Opening my eyes, all I saw was darkness. Then I felt it. The cold. The water. The ice.
It wasn't completely dark after all. The moonlight penetrated the ice enclosing me above, but only slightly. It must've been thick ice. I held my breath, stuck under a frozen lake. I started banging on the ice above me, knowing it was doing little to help me escape.
But to my surprise, Pieces of it broke off and floated away when I smacked it with both hands. I did it again, repeating and repeating the motion until it felt like my hands were bleeding. But It eventually cracked enough for me to escape. I threw myself out of the bitterly cold water, out into a howling wind that was just as fierce, biting and scratching at my face.
But I braced against it and kept crawling forward over the ice, heading towards the shore of the lake. I made it, my hands feeling numb. I crawled past the shore and to the trees for cover from the wind. I huttled there, soaking wet, numb hands clutching each other, wet pajamas heavy and felt like subzero dead weights around my body.
But as I watched from my hideout, the sun came out from behind the cloud cover, night shifting into day. When the sun's warm rays hit the snow, It immediately started to melt, watering away until it was all gone, seeping into the ground. The lake was no longer frozen, and animals now scampered through the undergrowth, the seasons switching, from winter to summer.
I was warm now, my hands no longer numb, my sleep camisole and sweatpants no longer wet, along with my hair. I stood up and basked in the sunlight, my body filling with warmth.