Shifter

Chapter 18

It takes me a couple seconds to adjust to the dim light coming from the corner of the room. Sitting up, I realize there are no restraints in this room. My first thought is that there's no pain from my shoulder and as I twist to see it, I realize there's no scar either. It's as if I never got shot.

The hell?

I get up from the chair and look around, realizing I'm not in Athanatos anymore. A sinking feeling rises in my gut as I realize that I'm back at my house all those years ago. The night my parents died. I walk towards the window, looking inside I see a small family.

"Reyna! Reyna! Up!" The small girl cries as she chases her, a wide smile on her face. The older girl laughs as she sends a small burst of cold air towards her sister, using the distraction to hide behind her father's legs.

"Mommy!" The younger girl runs to her mother, raising her arms to try to make a little wave of water.

"Not like that Kitty Cat. Feel the water, acknowledge its power and let it course through you." She flicks her wrist, sending small jets of water towards her husband and older daughter. A shriek of delight escapes the young girl's lips as she does the same, watching it hit their father. "See Kira? You got it!" She laugh again and runs off to chase her sister again. Leaving her parents alone.

"Thalia Finnegan. She needs to be found. She needs to protect Kira." The woman says quietly to he husband.

"We'll find her before The Sir does. He's behind it all, behind the Elxi, behind the War. If he finds her first, we're dead." He runs a hand through his this blonde hair, wrapping another arm around his wife. Their small moment of peace is cut short when the door slams open, guards quickly filling the small place.

"HANDS ON YOUR HEAD. ON YOUR KNEES NOW!" The main guard yells. A wave of water and dirt crash down onto the Elxi, drowning them but not before a shot is fired. The woman falls limply to the ground as she clutches her stomach in pain. Her daughters run out into the open, the younger one breaking free of her sister's grasp.

"Mommy!" Her voice is high, showing the terror inside.

"G-Go Kira... I love you, baby girl. I love you both s-so much." A sob escapes the woman as her bloody hands hold her daughter one last time.

"That's the girl. Take her out." Through the chaos of the dirt wall, the woman hears six so important words. She twists so she covers her daughter's body, shielding her from the bullets flying towards her. The small girl's screams get louder as her mother's body goes limp on top of her.

"Reyna! Get your sister!" The man's voice is strong, demanding something from his older daughter. She hesitates at first but runs to her sister, yanking her from their mother's dead body.

"Dad!" The older girl screams as his wall crashes down as he sees his wife's body.

"Go! Take care of her Reyna!" He turns to look at his beloved daughters and says something the younger one will always remember. "I love you both. Remember, emotions are weakness." He knows his older daughter already knows that, he was mostly talking to his youngest. Its crucial to keep your emotions in check as a Shifter.

The older girl pulls her sister out of their small house as the guard drops a small bomb near their parent's bodies. A scream escapes her as the power of the explosion throws them off the ground. When she lifts her head again, small burns cover her body, but her younger sister is clean. Her brown eyes are wide in terror as she looks up from the small ditch they were thrown into. Her screams are silenced by her older sister's hands on her mouth, desperately trying to calm her to keep them both safe.