The New Zodiac: Arisen Anew

Chapter 13: I grow a whole lot of extra hair

(Hello, it's me, Nia! It's finally my turn to write, and I hope you all enjoy!)
Sergio and I wait at a bus stop for April, both of us anxiously watching the road. The bus comes any time soon, and if April doesn't hurry up, we'll miss it!
Both of us had changed out of our uniforms into something a bit more casual. Sergio now wears a plain black hoodie and jeans, while I had changed into a top with Pusheen the cat on it, a skirt and long stripy socks.
"She's taking her time," Sergio mumbles, anxiously peering around the corner.
"She'll make it, I'm sure," I reassure him. I check the time on my phone. 3 minutes until the bus comes.
Another 2 minutes pass, and just as the bus is about to pull up, April dashes around the corner, out of breath.
"Took you long enough," Sergio remarks.
"You have no idea how long it takes me to get here," she retorts, punching him in the arm. I sigh and shake my head. Those two have some cute little rivalry going on, and while it can be a pain, it's funny how alike they are in some aspects. We get on the bus- our second for the day- and sit down as it drives off towards Eagle Heights.

We pass the time by playing a stupid game Sergio made up called "Compare or Dare", where one of us picks a random passerby and the other two have to name a person they look like, and the loser has to do some stupid dare. It sounds moronic, but it's actually kind of fun.
"Nia, your turn," April points out. I size up the passengers on the bus.
"That woman over there, in the suit," I say, jerking my thumb in her direction. Sergio and April stare at her for a while.
"I've got it!" April slams her fist into her palm triumphantly, "it's that woman from the Spray-n-Wipe commercial!"
We all crack up laughing, while the passengers glare at us.
"And for Sergio's punishment," I pause for a dramatic effect, "he has to flirt with her."
"What?!" Sergio exclaims, a look of horror on his face. April laughs maniacally.
"Fine," he grumbles, getting up and walking over to her.
"Hey baby, my love for you is like diarrhoea, I just can't hold it in!" Sergio says, winking. I groan internally. 
"Are you out of your mind? Get away from me!" the woman yells, outraged and a little shocked, before slapping him. I try to hold in my laughter as he walks back, rubbing the side of his face.
"You are so dead," he hisses at me. I grin innocently at him.
"This is payback for the time you made me dye my hair blue."
"And she HAS the karma!" April whoops.

After a few more rounds of Compare and Dare, the bus pulls up right near Tori's house. We get off the bus and walk down Lazuli Place, counting the house numbers until we stop in front of a large, modern-looking house with large windows and a well-kept lawn. Walking up to the door, April rings the doorbell and we wait.
The door opens, and Tori, now dressed in a t-shirt depicting what looks like a neuron and shorts, grins and invites us in. We follow her inside, marvelling at the numerous artworks lining the walls of the entrance hall.
"Nice place you've got," I remark.
"Thanks! My mum's an artist, and she's pretty big on home design," Tori replies, before turning down a side corridor and opening up a door.
"This is my room," she explains. "The others are in here."

We step into Tori's room, taking in our surroundings. The walls are covered with sketches, poetry and various photographs of trees, flowers and animals. The other eight are seated both on the floor and Tori's bed, which is large enough to fit 3 people. They stop talking and look up at us, and an awkward silence fills the room.
"Sorry we're late," I say, trying to break the silence.
"Took you long enough," Meg scoffs tossing her long black hair.
"Not my fault you guys live so far away," April retorts.
"Haha, let's get on with the meeting!" Tori laughs a little forcefully, before motioning for us to sit. April glares at Meg before sitting down with us on the floor.
"So, what is there to discuss?" Serena asks.
"Well, maybe we should tell those three what happened on the bus," Sergio suggests.
"Wait, what happened on the bus?" Arus asks, worried.
"Yeah. Ms Marlon almost strangled Terran and transformed into some form of demonic hag," I explain.
"No freaking way," Zephyr gasps. "I knew she was evil!"
"No, you didn't," Terran sighs, exasperated.
"Anyway, back on track," Serena says hurriedly. "She said some strange things."
"Yeah," April nods. "She called me 'Daughter of Aries', so we can assume she know who we are."
"And she mentioned something about a master," Charlie adds.
"So she must be working for someone!" Arus exclaims.
"But who? And why is she after us?" Fern asks.
Everyone starts talking at once, convoluted theories flying through the air.
"Maybe she's working for the FBI!"
"Seriously Zephyr, why would the FBI have monsters working for them?!"
"Probably made in some lab..."
"Or what if she's a demon sent to punish us?"
"I swear to god, you're all idiots!"
"Guys, guys, settle down," Tori says, trying to placate the arguments just as April and Meg launch at each other.
"This is all your fault!" Meg shouts.
"My fault? Why the hell is it my fault this all happened?!" April yells back.
"She called you a Daughter of Aries! She was obviously looking for you, and not the rest of us!!"
"THEN EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED TO TERRAN!"
"SHE WAS JUST USING HIM AS BAIT TO RILE YOU UP, I BET!"
They keep yelling and beating up each other, a frenzied ball of black hair and insults. Sergio and Fern attempt to break up the fight, but leap back as April and Meg begin to glow. They hover in the air, looking like a possessed person in horror movies, and then, they begin to change.

Huge, curly ram's horns burst out of April's head. Her legs become covered in fur, and her feet become hooves. Meg suddenly develops a rigid, segmented midsection. Her hands become pincers, and a scorpion's stinger appears where her tailbone would be.
"WHAT THE FUDGE?!" Charlie and Arus yell in unison.
"Hybrid form," Flint mutters.
April and Meg turn to face each other, before launching at each other again. April thrusts her palm forward, and Meg is suddenly thrown out Tori's bedroom window by an invisible force. A blue glow envelops her body, and she lands on the lawn with surprising force, but gets up as if nothing happened. April leaps through the window and the fight continues.
As I continue to watch them brawl, an angry feeling builds inside me. Here we are, supposed to be working together, and these two are flat out trying to kill each other!
"STOP IT!" I scream at the both of them. A hot feeling envelopes my body, and I feel myself begin to change. My hair grows longer and bushier. My hands and feet become large paws, with a wicked set of claws extending from where my fingers were. I feel something prickly pushing through my skin, and something extends out out of my tailbone. My teeth begin to ache, and I can feel them elongating. I run my tongue over them, and they feel sharp. Everyone stops and stares at me, including April and Meg.
"N-Nia," Fern stammers. "Y-you're..."
"A lion," Flint finishes. "Well, half a lion."
"Wait, what?" I gasp, turning to look in the remains of a busted mirror. Sure enough, my arms and legs were covered with fur and I had a mane and a tail.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" I yell, shocked. The words that Leo spoke to me in my front yard come back to me.
"I have planted the seed of wall-crawling within you, as well as awakening your hybrid form. Do not be alarmed if you suddenly shift into your hybrid form when angry or upset. Your body will take a while to adapt to it."
Realising I'd shifted into my hybrid form, I turn to face April and Meg.
"Why the hell are you two fighting?! We're supposed to be working together, to fulfil the duty the ancestors have given us! And here you are, squabbling like five-year olds! Pull yourselves together, and let's figure this out in a civilised manner!!" I yell at them. Flames leap from my body, scorching the grass around me. The two of them stare at me, stunned.
"Nia..." April mutters, "I'm sorry. I-I just lost control and- this happened."
"Yeah..." Meg looks at the ground, tapping her hands- well, pincers- together. They both begin glowing, and morph back into their regular forms. I feel a hot, prickling feeling creep over my body, and a feeling sharp things retreating into my body.
"Um... Guys?" Tori says nervously. "What about my bedroom?"
We all peer inside. Shards of broken glass are scattered over the floor. The bed is a mess, and various sketches, poems and photos john the glass on the floor.
"We'd better get going," Terran mutters. We all nod in unison and run across the lawn and out onto the street.
"Where to now?" Serena asks, a look of worry on her face.
"Somewhere far away. We need to learn how to master these powers," Flint replies. "I know an abandoned warehouse not far from where I live. Let's head there."
We all not and follow Flint eastward, back towards school and the Greenville Gardens.