He sighed as he grabbed his backpack from the passenger seat of his care, and then got out of the vehicle. Closing and locking the door, he looked around at the other students who were going into the school. He ran his fingers through his long black hair, his silver eyes dull and lifeless.
I grinned and marched towards him, finally deciding on a hair color: dark red, short and straight. I added a black streak at the last moment and then changed my eyes to dark green.
Just in time too. Just as he started walking, he saw me. He stopped and stared. But only for a moment. He shouldered his backpack and started walking towards the building. I walked a little fast, keeping my own backpack in place. “Hey! Um…excuse me…” I said, stuttering a little on purpose.
He turned back around and took another look at me. “Yes?” He asked, and I noticed with satisfaction that he was looking at my red hair.
“I don’t mean to bother you but, see, this is my first day at this school and I was wondering if you could, you know, show me around a little?”
He looked surprised but then smiled a little. “Sure. What class do you have first?”
I looked at the schedule in my hand, although I had already memorized it. “Hmm…English. English eleven, that is.”He smiled more now. “Hey, I have that now too! We can go together, uh-”
"Katkin.” I supplied. “Katkin Sharpeyes.”
Once again, he looked surprised, but only for a moment.
* * * * *
His name was Eric. He was chief editor of the school newspaper and wrote the poetry column as well. He also played soccer, but only in his spare time: he thought the school team was a sham. He had just turned seventeen last week and was currently single.
Interesting.“So what about you…Katkin, right?”
I nodded encouragingly. “That’s right. Umm, well…I’m not quite sure what to say. I guess I like history. All history, from any time. And…well, I love to paint. And read.”
He grinned. “I love reading.” He reached into his backpack, which rested on the floor next to his desk, and pulled out a shiny, new looking novel.
“This is what I’m reading right now.” He passed it to me and took it with my thin, spindly fingers. I traced the spine and then stroked the cover.
Share your secrets, new friend.
After a moment, I handed it back to him. “Yes, I’ve read this one. I really liked it.”
“Is the ending any good?” He asked, putting the book back into his bag. I nodded. “I think you’ll like it.”
The bell rang and everyone else found their seats. The teacher came in and began the lesson. I sat back, not really listening. Instead, I studied the other students, picking up on their personality types. It was such fun and the class went by quickly.
I waited for Eric as he put his things into his bag. Then we walked out together. “So, what did you think of the lesson?” He asked.
I shrugged. “I’ve learnt all that already, so it wasn’t that exciting.
He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve learnt it already?”
I nodded. “From a book.”
We walked down the hall, both of us in the next class together as well. As we came to the door, he said “I thought it was a little strange that the teacher didn’t introduce you or anything. I mean, she didn’t even talk to you. It’s like she didn’t notice you.”
I gave him a little grin. “Maybe she didn’t.”
Before he could reply, I went through the door and into the next class.
* * * * *
We ate lunch together and then met up again after school. “I was planning on going to the coffee shop to work on my poetry column, if you want to come along.” He said, running his fingers through his hair.
Coffee shop….hmmm…“Alright. Sounds fun.” I said, tucking a loose strand of my hair back behind my ear. We walked out to his car and he opened the door for me.
“Thanks.” I said and got in. He closed the door and then got in on his side.
As we started driving down the road, he asked me “Do you need to call anyone, to tell them where you’re going?”
I looked at him, confused. “Call? Call who?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, parents? Guardians? I have a cell phone, if you need it, that’s all.”
I frowned a little, trying to place his question. Then it clicked. “Oh, you mean like, home or something. No, I don’t, thanks.”
“No one will worry?” He asked, eyes focused on the road. I grinned to myself.
"No…not here, anyway.”
He didn’t hear.
* * * * *
The entire afternoon went by in the coffee shop, and nothing strange happened. I had been so sure that the coffee shop was the place…but maybe I had been wrong.
At around five, I said that I had to go and could walk there. He said that he had had a great time and would see me tomorrow.I now meandered down the road, waiting for dark. A slight wind blew, but I didn’t feel it. I finally found the entrance of a park and went in, the sunlight slowly fading away.
Once I was no longer visible from the road, I found a park bench and sat down. I opened up my backpack and rummaged through it, wondering what exactly was in there. Finally, I found the object that I had been looking for. Pulling it out, I looked around, to make sure I was alone. Satisfied, I then examined the thing in my hands.
It was a perfect sphere of solid glass. At least, you’d assume it was glass. It reflected the little bit of light left and shone brightly. Inside were lots of little sparkles, all suspended as if frozen in time. The surface was cold and I shivered a little.
“Now then…if not the coffee shop…then where? I was so sure it was the coffee shop.”The sphere remained silent and dark, much to my irritation. “Oh, nothing to say?” I asked mockingly.
Apparently not.
“Come now…tell me where! Why am I here? What’s the place where I’ll be needed?”
Nothing at all. I bared my teeth, which were now pointed like a cats, and suppressed the urge to throw it somewhere. Instead, I put it back in my bag and stood up.
Now where to sleep… I poked at a sturdy looking tree and then climbed up, my hands turning into nice big bear claws.
Once I was at the top, I switched back to human hands and took off my backpack. I quickly secured the strap to some branches and then changed my entire body into the body of a squirrel. Curling my bushy tail around myself like a blanket, I sighed and closed my eyes.
* * * * *
The next day, Eric and I hung out together during all our classes. Every new class we went to, I wondered if that was where I was needed. But nothing happened.
We went to the coffee shop again after school. He didn’t have any work to do this time, so we drank coffee and talked for a while. “So did your family just move here?” He asked at one point. I looked down at my coffee and blew on it gently.
“Sort of, I guess. Actually, I don’t think I’ll…we’ll be staying for that long. We’re kind of just…passing through, you know?”
I looked up at him and was surprised to see a sad look in his eyes. “Really?” He asked, gazing at me intently.
I nodded. “I don’t really know, but we’ll probably be leaving soon.”
"Oh.” He said and looked away.
“Why?” I asked, tracing the rim of my cup with one finger. He looked back at me.
“Well, I just…I was just wondering if…you’d want to go out with me sometime.”
We stared each other in the eyes, neither of us moving.
So that was it….
“Listen, Eric…I’d love to but…well, I don’t know how much longer I have, you know?”
He was about to reply when I held up a hand, motioning him to be silent. All my senses were screaming danger at me and I had heard something odd.
The door to the coffee shop had been opened and someone had come in. I glanced around and saw that no one else was around, besides us. “Eric…stay still and don’t make a sound, alright? Please, trust me.” I whispered as he tried to protest. He closed his mouth and watched me, waiting. I got up, a large chair blocking my view of the door. Crouching low around it, I saw the source of danger and went cold.
A man wearing a mask, holding a gun. He looked around, clearly disappointed by the lack of people. But he must have smelled the fresh coffee and thought someone was still there. Which, of course, there was.
Stepping over my backpack, I kept my eyes on him as I crept behind the counter, where I’d have a better chance of sneaking up on him. Changing my eyes to eagle eyes, I waited for the right moment. He turned, looking around and then turned a little bit more, so that his back was to me. Checking the position of the gun, I bunched up onto my feet and got ready to spring. All my senses were heightened. The time had come.
I leapt at him, hands changed into claws, and hit the gun out of his hand. He yelled and punched at me, but I dodged it and tore at his face, claws sinking deep. We fell over and he tried to pin me to the ground.
I screamed out wildly and managed to roll away, landing on the gun as I did. Before I could react, he pushed me off and grabbed the gun again. I froze, not even breathing. The man grinned but didn’t fire. Glancing around, he called out, “Whoever else is in here can come out now.”
Biting my lip, I quickly changed my hands back to human. Eric, please stay there! Please!
“Hurry up or I’ll shoot her!” The man said. Eric appeared from behind the chair and I groaned, though already I was thinking of a new plan of attack.
Eric walked over to us and the man let go of me, pushing me towards Eric. He looked at me worriedly. The man was looking at Eric with a look of puzzlement, but then his eyes lit up. “You! I know you!” He said, and I shivered, sensing something bad.
Eric twitched. “Well, I don’t know you, so…I don’t see, uh, how you know me…”
The man laughed. “You think I’m an idiot? You’re that billionaires kid! The only child, right?”
I heard Eric swallow nervously and knew that it must be true. Which only made this situation more clear.
“I bet your dad would pay a lot of money for you…of course, he’ll need convincing that I actually will hurt you if he doesn’t pay, so I’ll just shoot your hand, take a picture, and send it to him, with a ransom note.”
I glanced at Eric. He was pale and seemed unable to move. “Against the wall, both of you.” The man said, pointing the gun. I tugged at Eric and we walked over to the wall, waiting. As we did, I changed my hands to bear claws, keeping the, behind me.
“Ready for pain?” The man said with a grin as he undid the safety on the gun.
Now! A split second before he pulled the trigger, I lunged at him, reaching for his face. I tore at his eyes and nose, and then his throat…
…but suddenly it felt like I was on fire. I reeled away from him, bear claws dripping red. I realized that I couldn’t hear anything and that I was bleeding too. The gun…
There was blood coming from my stomach, spurting as my heart beat. I collapsed, holding my now human hands over my wound. I saw that the man had fallen over, his face an unrecognizable mess. I grinned a little, despite the raging pain.
Eric had rushed over to me and was saying something. I shook my head a little, trying to hear him. “What?” I gasped, a little bit of blood running out of my mouth. He took one of my hands and held it tightly. “It’s going to be okay! I’ll go call an ambulance!”
“No!” I said, my breath becoming erratic. “Eric, don’t worry. It’s too late now.”
His eyes went wide and then he started to shake his head. “No, it’s not! It’ll be okay!”
I smiled gently. “Eric…listen…it’s time for me to leave now.”
He looked at me, frowning. “No…you can’t die because of me.”
“I came here to save you, Eric. And now I’ve done just that. So I have to move on.”
His eyes were full of tears and confusion. “But…I don’t understand…”
I pulled my hand away from my bullet wound. There wasn’t blood anymore. Instead, light was flowing from it, spreading all around me. The pain started to fade.
“I’m going now, Eric. Thanks for…for being here.”
As I healed, I lost control of my shape shifting. My hair turned blue, and then purple, the length alternating. And then I had cat ears.
Eric let go of my hand. “Katkin…” he whispered, staring at me. I stood up and smiled. Then I leaned forward and kissed him. “Goodbye.” I whispered, and then I disintegrate into a thousand particles of light, my backpack fading as well.
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