Humans And Foes

Chapter 10

** This is my first novel. If you have any tips on how to make the chapter better or make more sense, please leave a comment**

Sorry, this chapter is really short. I promise the book will get more exciting very soon, I just needed a bit more worldbuilding first.

The next week was spent getting back into a routine. We had normal class with Agent Phelps every weekday before lunch and science with Agent Williams on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. At L'agence, we had French class on Mondays and Fridays.

Two weeks after I joined The Agency, Luke, Isadora, and I stepped into my first shapeshifting class. The teacher was a man I only vaguely recognized from passing in hallways or seeing in the dining room. He greeted me and introduced himself as Agent Marsh.

"Students, please practice what we learned last class while I work with Millie," he instructed.

Agent Marsh pulled a chair up to my desk and sat down.

"Before the war, I worked closely with the anthane. They taught me about their way of life. I, of course, can't shapeshift, but I know how to. I'm probably the most qualified human to teach about shapeshifting," he told me. "Have you seen anyone shapeshift?"

I nodded, "Luke showed me."

He turned and waved Luke over to us, gesturing for him to bring his chair.

"What's your favorite color?" Agent Marsh asked me.

"Burgundy," I said, without much thought. Burgundy had been my favorite color for years.

"Luke, can you turn your hand burgundy for Millie?" he requested.

Luke obeyed, raising his right hand and staring at it. After a moment, his hand started to change colors, until it was a dark red. In a flash, it was back to its normal color.

Luke sighed, "It never stays for very long."

"That's why we practice," Agent Marsh said, sending Luke back to his own desk. "Now it's your turn."

I raised my hand in front of my face and waited for my next instruction.

"Close your eyes and picture your hand in your mind. You have to focus really hard," he continued. "Remember to breathe. Now, picture your hand slowly turning burgundy, like Luke's did."

I did as he said and concentrated all of my energy into that picture in my mind.

Agent Marsh's claps brought me back to the present. I opened my eyes to see that my skin had a slight pink hue to it. I let out my breath as my hand returned to normal.

"That was wonderful Millie!" he exclaimed. "It takes some of you weeks to do even that."

I heard Luke grumble under his breath at this.

"Why does it take different times for different people?" I wondered.

"It has a lot to do with how much focus you have." Agent Marsh replied. "Did you have a hobby that required a lot of focus?"

I nodded, "I used to paint. I wasn't very good, but I did it a lot. Does that count?"

"Yes, that counts. Painting requires lots of concentration. Keep practicing your shifting, and maybe later today you can do it with your eyes open," Agent Marsh said, as he walked away to help someone else.

I glanced over my shoulder at Isadora, who had her foot up on her desk staring at its blue surface so hard it looked like she might explode. When nothing happened, she sighed in frustration and looked away.

"You're doing great," Agent Marsh told her when he passed her desk. "It looks three shades lighter than it was last class."

I returned my focus to my hand and closed my eyes. I pictured it turning burgundy again, and when I opened my eyes, my hand was a darker shade of pink than it was last time.

I practiced that for the better part of an hour, each time, my hand getting darker. When I was comfortable, I tried it with my eyes open. It was a lot harder that way, with so many things to distract me. When class was over, I had only been able to slightly change the color of my hand with my eyes open.

At dinner, Luke didn't talk much. He wouldn't look up from his plate and would only answer questions with one or two words.

"Is he okay?" I asked Zach in a whisper.

"He's fine," Zach reassured me, laughing. "He's mad that you're learning to shapeshift a lot quicker than he did. He can't show off something that you're better at."

** This is my first novel. If you have any tips on how to make the chapter better or make more sense, please leave a comment**