Secrets

Chapter 10

I stare at myself in the mirror, my eyes as open and wide as plates. Without thinking, my hand goes up to stroke one of the silky wings. I trace my finger from the top of the wing to the bottom-- the spot where they connect with my back. Without turning around from the mirror I trace my finger on the wings again. So it's true, I think to myself, I really am a Shifter!

I stare at my dragonfly wings. Can I move them? Well, it's worth a shot. I concentrate on my wings again, forcing them to move like I do with my arms. Apparently, moving a wing takes way more effort than moving an arm or a leg. I close my eyes and concentrate harder and, after what I thought is an eternity, I feel a wing twitch ever so slightly. I take some time to breathe and try again, sweat beading down my brow. Why did it seem so easy in the vision? Suddenly I feel as if I have gotten lighter and air is moving fast around me, encasing me in a protective bubble. I open my eyes and look down to see that my feet aren't touching the floor. I am probably three to four feet off the floor. I'm flying! A person that is slightly afraid of heights is flying!

I stare down at the floor and close my eyes as tightly as I can. I have to get down! It's not that far off the floor but the sensation of my feet dangling beneath me, the sensation of the air wrapping around me while I'm suspended in the air, I can't take it. I will my wings to stop flapping and now I'm falling. I fall flat on my face with both of my arms stretched out on the floor. Majestic as always, Rayne!

I lie on the floor for a while, thinking of what my life has just become. I have to keep this a secret, obviously. Luckily, it won't be that bad since I have kept my natural eye color a secret, but still, something else to add into my list of freakiness.

Still on the floor, one of my hands stretches out to feel my wings again but they're not there anymore. Wasn't changing back painful, too? Why didn't I feel my wings morph back into my body?

I stand and turn to the mirror again, I'm pale and sweaty. My hands move to my face, trembling. My eyes aren't purple anymore, they are yellow, just like Haiden's were when he was shifting. I guess that's normal, then. I close my eyes tightly and open them again, they're purple, back to their normal color.

My face, though, is a completely different story. It's still pale and sweaty because of the effort I made, or maybe because I was flying and I got scared. I wipe the sweat from my face and get up to sit down on the couch, my back touching the soft material since my blouse has holes from where my wings were protruding. My wings, it feels weird to think that I have wings -- and probably many other things -- now. I wonder how other Shifters felt when they realized what they are. Did they feel just like this? Probably not since I've always been known to overreact to any type of circumstances. Honestly, though, how are you supposed to react when your life turns completely around? I just found out that I am not human, I'm a Shifter, I'm something I know nothing about yet it sounds so appealing. It sounds so weird yet so right, but I don't know why. Maybe because it gives me an explanation to why my eyes are purple and not brown, hazel, blue or green. I smile at this thought but then more doubts surface at the back of my mind. Haiden's eyes aren't purple, they're green. More questions to ask Haiden, I guess.

Now, another vision, huh? I wonder what triggered it since nobody touched my wrist. Maybe they are just triggered by strong emotions or by other Shifters. Haiden triggered one because he's a Shifter and the one where I was flying could have been triggered because I was feeling a strong sense of excitement. That could be a possible explanation.

I still have two hours until Mom and Dad come home so, what if...? I've been known to make stupid decisions and this might be one of them, but I don't seem to care. My curious nature, again, getting the better of me. I go to my room and change my blouse for a shirt with an open back and long sleeves and some black hiking boots. I already have a pair of black jeans on so I don't feel the need to change them. I put my contacts back on and think about what I'm going to do. I stare at myself in the mirror and walk to the bedroom window. It's probably five or six o'clock so I still have time before it gets too dark. I sigh and label myself insane for what I'm about to do, but I leave my bedroom anyway. I leave the house and walk to where the forest meets my backyard. Finally there, I weigh my options again. I can leave and go back to my room or I can walk straight into the heart of the forest and find some answers to my questions. I go for the second option and start walking into the forest. Immediately I want to go back to my room but I still walk forward, stepping over tree roots and listening to the songs the birds have to offer. It's darker here than it is in my backyard. I keep walking and walking and walking, more to keep myself from leaving.