Shifted (Book 1 in the Legacy Born Series)

CHAPTER ONE

Nobody knew when their last day would arrive, well unless you were like me. Then every day could be your last, and today did not differ from yesterday.

Something was wrong with the vision sensors in my brain. The doctors could only fix the crazy with invasive surgery. I never loved the idea of someone poking inside my head—literally. Fear of waking, finding my life wasn't the same anymore, tugged at the walls of my stomach.

"I love you, Sophie, and you're going to ace this." Dad's tender smile and glistening eyes stared back at me through the other side of the video-call. His messy hair tried to hide the wrinkle of his brows.

He had dark circles under his eyes. When was the last time he slept?

A tired chuckle escaped my lips as the tears lingered in my father's eyes. He struggled hard not to show me how he felt—scared shitless.

My fingers brushed the screen of my tablet. "Love you, Dad."

"Love you more, don't let your mom yell at the doctors too much."

"Hey," Mom barked. "I only yell when they deserve it."

We chuckled. I drew an x with my finger over my chest and touched my lips before our chat ended.

Dark blinds covered the window, and the pale walls of my room carried a cold and impersonal aura. I laid my head back on the soft pillow while an interview with Taylor Swift murmured on the TV.

Doctors getting paged over the intercom, the constant whooshing of slippers, and rattling IVs attached to walking patients depraved me from sleeping during the day.

My stomach twisted into knots as a tightness clasped around my chest. The anxiety became a constant companion, even if Dr. Bryanston mentioned daily he had my back.

Mom shifted around in the uncomfortable worn-out visitor's chair next to the bed, reading a magazine. She was stunning with an oval face, blonde wavy hair—the complete opposite of mine—and green, feline-shaped eyes with silken eyelashes escaping punishment when she'd fluttered them.

Mom ripped a page from the magazine.

I raised an eyebrow at her. A tired curve pulled at the corner of my lips.

"What?" Mom shrugged and showed me a crochet pattern on the torn page.

I huffed. I couldn't wait to be a normal eighteen-year-old girl again.

Today marked a year since my entire life changed for the worst.

Vivid dreams plagued me. In one dream, a flaming bird summoned me close with a melody. When I reached the phoenix, I burned. A quick search of 'dream meanings' on the internet had told me a change was coming.

Well, the change came.

A logo of a two-dimensional drawing of a diamond, rectangular shapes in symmetrical alignment filled the inside, appeared vividly in the second dream. No matter how many google searches I did, I couldn't find the logo.

After the dreams, my first skull-splitting migraine introduced itself, with the entire little migraine family's regular visits. I ended up in the hospital many times because of the pain. The headaches killed my personality and the 'non compos mentis' ruined my life. I used to be snarky and quick to speak my mind, but now I only wanted quiet. Anything to soothe the pain.

The last part of the change...

The door swung open and Colby, the nurse, strolled into my room. Her curvy hips moved side to side with each step and her furious red hair almost glowed. Her sleek, black tail swayed behind her butt. She'd become a dear friend the past four days. Colby grabbed the chart in front of my bed and attached the result of my latest MRI for Dr. Bryanston.