After cleaning and assessing the wound, the doctor gave me a few stitches and a script for an antibiotic, declaring that I was fit and would live to see another day.
"It's not the worst graze from a bullet I have seen in my time. Just keep it clean and dry, take the antibiotic, and check back in two weeks for a reassessment."
"But, if it's the same bullet lodged in Kyle, why is he so sick and I am fine? That doesn't make any sense."
"Well, whatever that substance is, it appears to not effect shifters the same as it does werewolves."
"Is that normal?"
"It depends on the substance. In most cases, yes, in some cases, no." He stood and gathered up his tools and the used cotton and packaging, putting the tools in one plastic bag and the rest in another. The second one he threw in a garbage along with his gloves.
As he washed his hands in the sink he said, "Well, I have to move on to others. You are good to go now."
I stood up quickly, despite the pain in my side. As I hurried out the door, I called "Thanks!" over my shoulder.
I made my way back towards the entrance of the hospital. I needed to find out where Kyle was. As I walked past the waiting room area, the news playing on the T.V.s caught my eye. I took two more steps before my brain processed what I just saw. I did a double- take.
There on the screen, was a picture of my Mom in a orange jail jumpsuit. I felt my jaw go slack. 'What?' I thought, 'Am I actually seeing this?'
I automatically moved towards the nearest T.V as if in a trance. I paid close attention to what the announcer was saying. The words 'News Update' flashed across the bottom of the screen.
"Breaking news. Although in jail for more than a year, the woman who kidnapped a daughter of royal shifter blood over 16 years ago, claims she did not kill the girl and that she is still alive. Experts believe this may be a lie and that the scheming woman may be holding the story of the location of an alive young woman in exchange for a lesser sentence for her crimes, or as a bargaining chip for her freedom…"
I zoned out of what the man on the T.V. said.
'Is this true? Is this really happening?' I wondered. I glanced up at the picture of my 'Mom' again. There was never anyone but the two of us my whole life. 'There can't be some mistake can there? If…if she is what they say she is…then, then she isn't my biological mom.'
Suddenly, I had a different perspective on all my memories and my past. All the times we moved during the summer between school years to 'keep me safe'. How 'Mom' always warned me against telling the few friends I had much about myself. She had made me promise not to tell or let anyone know I was a shifter. No matter where we lived, there were never any other shifters there. The fact that the first shifter I met besides the two of us was Mike. She developed in me a fear of werewolves and used them as an excuse to get me to obey everything she said.
"Turns out, the werewolves weren't the real danger." I muttered darkly to myself.
'But was this all really true? Surely, it was too outlandish to be possible!' I thought.
"…authorities also say the missing young woman only has one known identifying birth mark. She should have, near the top of her left breast a birthmark shaped like a three- petaled tulip, just below the collar bone. Any information that leads to her whereabouts will be rewarded by a large sum from the royal family…"
'What!?'I suddenly thought, 'No. No way…'
I walked automatically to the nearest empty chair and sat down. I was so tired physically, mentally and emotionally. So much happened in the past little while. Kyle was shot, he is now in a coma, my 'mom' wasn't actually my mom, she is currently in jail and there was a chance that I am the missing royal girl. I placed my left hand above my heart, but below my collar bone, where I had a unique birth mark.
'This is just so much today! I feel so confused and overwhelmed.', I thought.
I sighed and placed my palms over my eyes. I didn't know what to think or feel.
'I don't understand why life is getting so complicated! Could I really be of royal shifter blood? What was the royal family like? If I wasn't sure if I was the missing girl, and really didn't have solid proof, would they know if I was or not? They seemed to want, very badly to find her…'
'Hey, hey Sam!'
It was Mike's voice. I shook my previous thoughts from my head. As Mike continued to mind-link me, I decided I had better answer him.
'Hi Mike.'
'What's going on? Why are you not answering your cell phone? I called five or six times, finally I decided to mind-link you.'
'Oh. I don't have my phone on me, it's in my evening bag, which is…somewhere. I don't know. But I don't have it with me.'
'You're ok then?'
'Well, not really.'
I then proceeded to tell him that I was at the hospital. I told him about how Kyle was shot and was not doing well. Then I told him about the incident from the beginning, not leaving out any details. I told him about my wound and what the doctor said. But I said absolutely nothing about my 'mom' in jail or the royal family or a missing daughter. I was not in a place to share that with anyone, even though my mind kept circling back to it.
'I have something to tell you.', Mike thought. 'After much research and experimentation, I found nothing useful. I used every possible method to analyse it. The only thing I found was a hidden poem, an odd hidden poem.'