Shifted

11.

Kalaya

"Who was your first kiss?" Josalena asked, "I'll answer first as the rules demand," she said in a funny voice, "When I was younger a boy named Timothy grabbed my cheeks and plopped a wet one right on my lips. It was pretty gross actually," she giggled and shook her head. "Ok you go," excitement danced in her eyes and laced into her voice.

"My first kiss was also a boy named Timothy, actually he was rather notorious for running around forcing his lips onto other unsuspecting ladies," I wiggled my eyebrows at her, teasing even as my heart pounded in my chest as the images of my real first kiss popped into my head. Like Josalena it was forced onto me, but it wasn't anyone my age, but a drunk guard who had to be stopped by his fellow guards.

I had been walking around late at night and he spotted me, leered at me as he told me how pretty I was. How he's never seen anyone so pretty, how he bruised my arms retraining me when I tried to get away. And then he shoved me against the wall and kissed me so hard I thought my face would break. He even bit my lip and when I started wailing like a baby, not even gotten to double digits in age yet, two other guard patrolling heard and came over to tell him to cut it out, their shift was nearly ending and they were tired and wanted to go home. While he was distracted talking to them, I kicked his shin and ran like the wind, heart pounding in my ears as I heard him calling profanities after me.

Josalena bursted out laughing, not suspecting I was hiding anything. "No way you liar!" She playfully smacked my arm but it caused me to want to hit her back. My body tensed as if to fight as I told myself relax it didn't hurt. I was way too used to humans hurting me, my body couldn't tell when it was in a friendly way. "Ok I'll let that pass since that idea is way funnier to picture, now you ask a question."

The question rushed out my mouth before I could fully form it or even think against asking it.

"Do you love your father? My answer is yes, I love my father very much. Even though he's dead, I still love him."

Josalena sat up straight, her carefree mood interrupted. Great, I took the smile off her face, something I didn't want to do. But I had to know what he meant to her. Maybe she would be on my side when it came time to kill the man. "I'm sorry about your father," she said looking down at her lap and chewing her lower lip. "I do love my father dearly," she finally answered and my heart sunk. "Or well I think I still do. After he became the general, after my mother left him, he became a different person. When I see the way he treats other people... I just don't know anymore..." she trailed off.

Josalena looked like she needed comfort and I wanted her to smile again. I stood up and her head snapped up to look at me as I trailed behind her, plopping down and hugging her from behind, laying my head on her shoulder and spreading my legs out around hers. Her body tensed and I could feel her holding her breath before she let out small labored breaths.

"Umm, you know I've realized something about you," she began, "you're very touchy feely. Like super comfortable with a stranger ya know?"

"Oh," I started to pull back realizing why she was so tense and probably hated every moment of this. "Sorry I -"

"No!" She whipped her head nearly all the way around to look me in the eyes. "I don't mind at all. Sorry I'm shy I guess. It's just humans we don't touch each other like this so easily unless we are romantically involved. On first dates holding hands is about as much as it gets. But I don't mind I like it actually."

"Oh. Sorry I broke the rules of the first date," I said seriously, humans had so many rules about everything, pulling away to sit next to her. "I would do this for any of my people who are sad."

"Oh," my words seemed to disappoint her as my mind thought back to her words. And my own. But I didn't understand what part disappointed her. Was she thinking bad about me now? Humans were taught it was a sin to do something as simple as hugging a stranger, stroking their arm or leg. Sex to humans was the most dirtiest act, it was a miracle they even reproduced. Sex was just about the most joy I had in life. It blew my mind because sex felt so good and it was so beautiful to be so connected to someone in that way. Their lose I guess. But now Josalena would see me as a beast like her people. Nothing more than an animal acting on impulse.

"I'm sorry if I have ruined this image you have of me," I sighed and looked away. "But theres no need to hide it. Shifted are touchy freely as you say, we don't have morals or fear some man in the sky or think of things as sins. To sum it up. Sex is beautiful. Murder is necessary sometimes. And my attraction to you is-"

Her eyes widened as she looked at me and it made me stop talking. She was human, I had to be careful what I said around her, I've probably offended her by talking against her human belief system.

"You are attracted to me?" Her smile returned full force that I was nearly blinded. "Good, because I think you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen, and the strongest person I've ever known," she confessed. "And don't tell anyone," she whispered, "but I don't believe a word the churches say, how can I? They preach love and light but their actions speak hate and misery. Hard to trust what they say," she giggled a little before shaking her head. "My people think they are above your people,Kalaya, but the truth is, we are all the same."

My heart froze in place, before it started pounding away. The same? I've never heard anyone admit that outloud before.

"You just have extra parts," she giggled again as she reached out to rub one of my ears. I nearly purred as I leaned into the touch, but all too soon she was pulling away. "Sorry, they are too cute to resist," she looked sheepish.

I couldn't stop staring at her, couldn't think of anything to say. She amazed me. Completely.

She was right, we bled the same, cried the same, got angry the same. We were all innocent as children, and all shaped by the world we grew up in. We were the same, but we were separated over outer appearances. I've always known this. My parents taught this to me. But I've never imaged a human speak this truth to me. There were so many shifted who either believed the humans or those who thought us better and were enslaved because of fear. Which was also true. But at the end of the day, it was outer appearances that were only different. And in a perfect world, it wouldn't matter if someone was green with scales or if someone was pale with dull teeth and no tail like their neighbor. We'd all live together, we'd all breed together. And eventually we'd all look as one nation. One people. Not humans vs shifted. And if genes mutated and new looking people popped up, we'd remember our history and remember it didn't matter what was on the outside, but the insides were what mattered.

"I think it's your turn," I whispered, feeling as if my heart had grown heavy.