Chapter One

What's that smell?

Chapter One

 

No one hated power more than I did.  I hated knowing that I had complete power over someone, even when I would never use that power.  Just the thought of it made me feel sick to my stomach.  Taking away someone’s free will was worse than killing them, in a way.

 

But it was also the knowledge that, if I were to take that power, I would somehow become responsible for that person.  I hated being responsible for my actions, how could I stand being responsible for anyone else’s?

 

But my job came with that power, that responsibility.  I had no choice but to accept it, even if I never did use it.  I still had to be responsible for people, but the responsibility was lessened because of my refusal to take away my friends’ free will, even if they were willing to let me do it.

 

My friends, my gang as they called themselves, didn’t seem to mind so much that I had that power.  They did not hold it against me, nor did they bug me about it.  Even Cole, the one who had the most problems with authority, didn’t hold a grudge over me because of my never used ‘gift’. They were too kind to me, my friends.  I didn’t deserve them.

 

“Scarlette, get your butt over here!”  Cole called to me.  His voice wasn’t angry, just panicked, and it made me go to him faster.  We were just messing around outside the city limits, in a thick grove of trees, testing our powers and learning how to better control our animal instincts when we were our ‘other selves’ as we called it.  We had a lot of nicknames for things normal people could never know about.

 

All of us were there, but Cole called me over first, acknowledging me as the leader.

 

I went over to him nervously, wondering why he seemed so worried.  He was kneeling next to a small stump, his back to me.  His face was upturned though, like he was sniffing the air.  What was he doing?  Why was he looking for a trail?  Whose trail?  What was going on?

 

“What is it?”  I asked as soon as I was crouched down next to him.  He pointed wordlessly at the stump, where three identical, perfectly spaced claw marks ran down the side of it.  I was holding my breath, but let it out then, so I could smell the air around the stump.  It smelled like a wild animal, but the scent also had an undertone to it, one I couldn’t have missed anywhere.  A Blood Changer had been here.

 

(What is a Blood Changer, you ask?  Well, it’s sort of like a shape shifter, except instead of being alone; you have a group, a pack.  And your pack may not necessarily be the same animal as you.  And your whole life changes the moment you discover you’re one.  It meant secrecy, lies, stress, sleep deprivation, the power to control your own element, and a whole new set of friends that you may or may have not have ever thought about hanging out with before. 

 

But you got stuck with whomever, and you were stuck for life.  But not all of that was bad, because every person in a Blood Changer pack had a soul mate, someone who was their other half.  Everyone but me.  But more on that later.)

 

The Blood Changer who had passed through here was obviously not part of our gang; Cole and I would have recognized that scent anywhere.  No, this was a stranger, someone who may or may not know we were here.  I didn’t know how many other Blood Changers there were out there, and I didn’t really care so long as they kept their distance.  But now, with them so close, it had me worried.  What if it led to a fight?

 

“What do we do?”  Isobel asked, coming over to put a comforting hand on Cole’s shoulders, which were so tense I thought his muscles would snap any minute.  He loosened a bit under her touch, which was good.  Isobel always had that affect on him, bonded as they were.

 

“We could track the scent, but I don’t know where it’ll take you, and someone this close to home worries me.  I don’t want to send some of us to go after the scent, just in case they attack.  We don’t want our resources too far spread, just in case.”  I said.  I saw Cole nod from the corner of my eye, but I was paying more attention to Astor, who was the best at organizing things like this.

 

“Yes, that’s very true.  But still, I’m dying to find out where that scent came from.  Would you mind if I went off alone, just to do a little scouting?  I promise you, I’ll be back before sunset.”  Cole said, looking at me pleadingly.  He was asking permission to go after the weird scent, something that could be dangerous, especially if he went alone. 

 

He was the fastest one though, and if anyone went with him, that person would just slow him down.  And the longer they were gone the longer I’d be worried for them.  I know that he’d be safe, since there probably wasn’t anyone alive who could keep up with Cole when he was really trying to run.  Of course he’d be safe…

 

“Alright, go.  But if you’re not back within two days, we’re coming after you.  All of us, no exceptions, and no amount of convincing will change my mind.  Now get going, before I change my mind.”  I told him, nodding my chin towards the scent trail.

 

“Thank you, honey!”  Cole said, coming over and kissing my cheek.  Then he went over to Isobel, pulling her into his arms and kissing her in ways that should be illegal in front of other people. 

 

“Come on guys, not now!  Cole, I thought Lettie told you to get out of here.  And I’m pretty sure no one wants to see you two eat each other’s faces.”  Calen said, glancing over at me and rolling his eyes.

 

Cole let go of his soul mate and smiled at me sheepishly.  He looked a little embarrassed, but put it behind him as he took off down the scent trail, gone before humanly possible.  But we weren’t human, so seeing Cole seemingly disappear was nothing new for us. 

 

“Well, no sense continuing when one of our own has gone.  Let’s call it a night.”  I said, looking around the group for any protesting.  There was none, of course.  Everyone was pretty good about not pushing my boundaries, knowing how tender I was.  Calen, my cousin, was especially kind to me over this.  This and other things, like the fact that I didn’t have a mate, like the rest of them had.

 

“Sounds good to me, but when Cole comes back, we’re going through a double work-out session.  So don’t think that you’re getting out of anything.”  Astor said, looking around at us all.  He had this weird look in his eyes, as if he was judging us all in his stare.  It was kind of creepy, but I had gotten used to the weird things Astor did.  It was just he being normal.  Well, normal for him.  I don’t think that kid could ever be called normal, but then again, neither could the rest of us.  Shape-changing teenagers were definitely not normal.

 

We all went our separate ways then, most of us running home.  We liked the freedom of it, the raw power of actually feeling the miles disappear beneath our feet.  Well, I did at least.  Though my gang and I didn’t have any written boundaries about what we talked about, when half of them were guys, feelings weren’t really something you talked about.  It was kind of an unspoken rule I guess.

 

 

“There you are! Where do you go when you disappear through the whole day, dear?” My aunt, Lilly, asked. I shrugged and washed my hands in the kitchen sink before going to help Aunt Lilly with dinner.

 

My real parents had died a while back, but at didn’t really faze me anymore, because it was done and over with. I missed them though, more than anything. Sometimes I would get angry with them for leaving me, but that wasn’t really fair, and those furious fits didn’t usually last long. It wasn’t truly their fault.

 

“I really wish you’d at least tell us where you go, Scarlette. You know how much it worries your aunt and me.” My uncle, Andrew, said, never looking up from his newspaper that he was reading at the kitchen table.

 

“I’m sorry, Uncle Andrew. I was just out in the woods with my friends.” I said, grabbing a knife from one of the drawers so that I could chop up some carrots to go into the soup Aunt Lilly was stirring on the stove. It smelled really good, and I realized I was starving. Being out all day, practicing, had made me ravenous.

 

“It’s alright, just don’t do it again.” He said, turning another page in his newspaper. I finished up cutting the carrots and added them to the pot, taking the celery from Aunt Lilly’s hands before she started cutting it. “Go sit down, I got this.” I told her, motioning towards the living room, and toward her favorite chair.

 

“Oh, no darling, I still have to cut the meat, and finish cooking the rice…” She said, though her eyes were glued to that chair. I knew her feet must be killing her, and that she really needed to sit down and relax. I also knew that I could easily convince her,

 

“Yeah, Aunt Lilly, Scarlette and I have this.” My younger brother, Aaron, said, coming down the stairs and into the kitchen, coming to take the knife from our aunt. She smiled fondly at us both before going to her chair, a romance novel in her hand.

 

“So, you finish up with those vegetables, and I’ll get the rice done.” I said, handing Aaron my knife. He took it without complaint and did as I told while I made sure the rice didn’t burn to the bottom of the pan. Aaron added the vegetables to the pan and started on the meat while I finished off the rice, and soon the meal was done, cooled off, and dished up, and all of us were sitting around the kitchen table, eating contently.

 

“This is really good, Aunt Lilly!” Aaron and my little sister, Marina, said, eating another spoonful of rice. Aunt Lilly smiled and blushed with pride as everyone else, me included, also complimented her. It was her recipe after all, even if Aaron and I had helped. We had just been kitchen hands, she was the mastermind behind the flavorful dish, and we told her so. Our aunt was amazing in the kitchen.

 

“Oh, you guys. Trying to flatter an old lady so you’ll get extra dessert!” Aunt Lilly said, as if it were a big scandal. Marina and Uncle Andrew laughed while Aaron and I just rolled our eyes. Of course, we always had to have some secret agenda. It was a long joke with our family.

 

“Oh, you’re not old, Lilly. Ripened with age, now that is what you are.” Uncle Andrew said, patting her hand. She smiled, and the corners of her eyes creased. She was getting old, though not that old.

 

Age was one big thing in my life that I hated, because, ever since my sixteenth birthday, a year ago, I hadn’t aged a whole lot. I knew I wasn’t supposed to age too much between a year, but some sign of growing older should have shown up now, but there had been nothing. If that kept up, it’d mean I’d have to leave, to protect my family from my secret.

 

 My family…or what was left of it. 

 

“Lettie, where’d you go earlier? I wanted to go with you, today. See the gang, you know.” Aaron said, and I glared at him. Lettie was my oldest nickname, but I hated it. It just sounded so…old fashioned. But I dealt with it, because that was what my parents had called me that.

 

“Ripened? Thank you, Andy, you’ve now made me sound like a fruit.” Aunt Lilly said, and Aaron and I laughed while Marina oooed. Uncle Andrew was just digging himself deeper into the hole.

 

“No, not like a fruit! More like a…perfectly aged wine!” He said, and she smiled and patted his hand lovingly. He finally got himself out of the hole. I was impressed, it usually took him a couple of days to get back out of the hole after an accidental rockslide into it.

 

“Bravo, Uncle Andrew!” Aaron said, clapping his hands theatrically. I grinned and turned to my little brother, a satanic smile on my face.

 

“Are you trying to get tips for when you make mistakes, Er? Wait, my bad, you don’t have a girlfriend yet. I’m sorry brother, I’m sure you’ll find someone soon. Or eventually.” I said, and Marina held a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing. Aaron mock-glared at me, and I smiled sweetly, going back to my food.

 

“Alright, you two, enough. Enjoy your dinner and stop giving me grief.” Aunt Lilly said, though I knew we weren’t in trouble. She knew that siblings fought, since her and my mother used to do it all the time, my mom had told me once. Though, mainly, it was my mom and Aunt Lilly picking on my Uncle James when they were younger.

 

We ate in silence for most of the meal, and Marina and Aaron drifted off before I was finished, saying something about homework, as did Uncle Andrew. He gave no explanation, but everyone knew he was going to watch the news.

 

“So, how are you? And where do you disappear to all the time?” Aunt Lilly said. I just shrugged my shoulders, hoping I wouldn’t have to answer.

 

I was saved by the bell, literally, as the doorbell rang. I jumped up to answer it. Aunt Lilly followed me halfway there, but went to join Uncle Andrew in the living room instead.

 

I had no idea who it was, but, for some reason, I was very nervous when I opened the door. Something just didn’t feel right, and as soon as I saw who was on the front porch I figured out why.

 

Cole was standing there, a nasty cut on his cheek that was bleeding. He smiled when he saw me, but it pulled against the cut, and he winced. I gasped and hugged him tight, hoping he was fine. Everyone who was part of the gang was like family, and Cole was super-dedicated to Isobel, so I didn’t feel guilty hugging him.

 

“What happened to you?” I asked, and he laughed, then hissed in pain. I pulled away to inspect him again, to make sure there wasn’t any other injuries. There wasn’t any that I could see, which was good.

 

“I found the scent. There’s another pack out in our woods, though I don’t think they mean us any harm.  They weren’t the ones who attacked me, I don’t think.” He said, and I pulled him into the house. I was freaked, to say in the least. None of us had ever been attacked, nor heard of another group like us being out there.

 

“Are you sure? And are you alright? And who else have you seen?” I asked, sitting him down at the kitchen table. I quickly made him a plate of food and set it down in front of him, motioning for him to eat.

 

Cole laughed and looked at me, raising an eyebrow. “Well, do you want me to eat, or do you want me to answer your questions?” He asked, still chuckling. I bit my lip and stared down at the table.

 

“I want you to do whatever you need to so I can get the information I want, and so you can get better. Your cut is mainly healed, but I’m guessing you have bruises and cuts you’re not telling me about.” I said evasively. I’d never actually ordered my friends to do something on purpose, but I have done it on accident a few times, so I was always very careful on how I said things; just in case they came out as a command, my friends wouldn’t have to feel like they had to do exactly what I had told them.

 

Cole stared at me for a minute before diving into his food, shoving it down only as a starving teenage boy could. I swear, within 5 minutes it was all gone. I picked up his plate and went to get him some more, and Marina and Aaron came in, an eager smile on both their faces.

 

“Cole!” Marina shouted, launching herself at him, wrapping her small arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. He hugged her back gently before setting her back down, smiling broadly at the little girl.

 

“Hey there, Mari, how’re you?” He asked her as Aaron went to sit by him, pulling Marina into his lap. I set Cole’s plate in front of him again and watched in amazement as he downed it while listening to Marina go on about how second grade was going, and how her imaginary friend, Corin, was. All the while, Cole was adding his little inputs at exactly the right times, and she was just eating it up. No wonder she loved him.

 

“Was Corin based off of someone you know, or did she just pop up in your head?” He asked after swallowing another bite. Marina blushed, and I smiled, though I managed to catch Cole’s eye and nod once, sending a silent message that we’d talk later about his journey, and injuries.

 

“Oh, Corin is…he’s a boy.” Marina said shyly, and Cole chuckled, finally realizing he had been the model for her imaginary friend. Well, more like imaginary boyfriend. I found it adorable, but had no time to dwell on it, for I had more pressing matters.

 

“Oh, Mari, that’s so cute! Honey, will you do me a favor and tell Aunt Lilly that I’m here? Your sister and I have some uh…things we need to talk about.” Cole said with a chuckle, and Marina nodded, jumping off Aaron’s lap before turning back to him suspiciously.

 

“You two were together all day, what could you need to talk about?” She asked, and I intervened before Cole could come up with some random story.

 

“It’s a surprise for Isobel. We couldn’t talk about it today, because she was there, but now we can. Now please, Marina, go tell Aunt Lilly? And we won’t tell you the secret because you’re horrible at keeping them.” I told her, and she nodded reluctantly, hugging Cole one last time before going into the living room with Aunt Lilly and Uncle Andrew.

 

I smiled at her before looking to Cole, who had finished his second helping of food. He smiled and shook his head before his face turned serious. He looked questioningly at Aaron, and I nodded.

 

“Is this about the…uh…thing?” Aaron asked, and I nodded. He was not yet a Blood Changer, but he knew about us, since he was 14, and was due to Change any time now. Normally, they would have been left to discover things on their own, like all of us, but he discovered me before he Changed. I guess I sometimes transformed in my sleep, and he came in and found me. Thank god he hadn’t screamed, or done something else like that, he just waited until something happened, and when I changed back, he demanded to know everything, so I told him. And the others knew.

 

That was about 2 months ago, and I had only told him who was in the pack, and what it was like, being a Blood Changer. He didn’t know what the others could Change into, or what element they controlled, because that was not my information to give, even if he one day would be one of us. I only hoped that day would never come. 

 

“Yes, it does have to do with it. We found…another pack, outside our forest. I went to investigate, but something attacked me, and I was delayed. But now, we must think on a course of action.” Cole said, and I nodded. It was my responsibility to pick a course of action, part of my place as leader.

 

Aaron raised his hand nervously, and I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but he was staring at Cole. Cole nodded curiously, and my brother cleared his throat before speaking shyly. “Ah…what do…you turn into?”

 

Cole stared at him for a minute before laughing heartily, throwing his head back and everything. I chuckled a few times myself before Cole took pity on my brother and motioned with a finger for him to get closer. Aaron did so, and I saw his face pale slightly. He was freaking out, I knew he was, but determined as he was; he wasn’t about to shirk away because of his fear.

 

“I’m a panther, kid. An animal of the hunt, so you best look out.” Cole stated, putting on a serious and frightening face. I saw Aaron gulp as he sat back in his chair, his face now turning a delicate shade of green. I rolled my eyes and slapped Cole lightly on the chest.

 

“Don’t do that, he’ll believe you!” I exclaimed harshly before turning to Aaron, a comforting smile on my face, my tone softer, more reassuring. “He won’t hurt you, I promise.” I told him before shooting Cole a dirty look.

 

“Yeah, I won’t hurt you, kid. Your sister would have my neck, and she’s truly frightening when angry.” Cole added, shooting a dirty look of his own at me. I rolled my eyes again.

 

“Wait, I don’t get it. Lettie’s a…” Aaron paused, leaning closer before whispering, “Wolf, and you are a panther, how does it all work? If you’re different animals, how can you be in a pack?”

 

“We don’t know, kid. Some things just can’t be explained. Now, I hate to break up this little chat fest, but I need to get home, and call Isobel before her blond hair turns gray with worry.” Cole said, getting to his feet. He deposited his plate in the sink before giving me a lazy salute and heading to the front door. I followed with a sigh.

 

“Cole, wait! Is that...all? Nothing happened that I should know about? I mean, do you think they mean us harm? The other pack?” I asked quietly, pulling Cole to a stop by his wrist. He turned to me and shook his head, smiling.

 

“You worry too much, Scarlette. Don’t worry; it’ll all be fine. Just breathe, relax, and we’ll talk more in the morning, with the others.” Cole said comfortingly, but I just shook my head.

 

“School. And you’re not ditching again!” I scolded, and he chuckled, wrapping his arms around me as he pulled me into a hug, kissing my forehead.

 

“You sound like my mother. Like I said, don’t worry about it. Sleep well, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He said before releasing me. He ducked into the living room to give my aunt and uncle a greeting, and to say goodbye to Marina, who hugged him firmly again, then, with a final wave to me, was gone.

 

I remained standing in the doorway for a while, enjoying the cold wind from outside. My mind was going a thousand directions at once, unable to focus on one thing for more than a few seconds. Who attacked Cole? Was it the other pack? And who were these newcomers? What did they want with us? What did that mean for us? Were we not as alone as we thought? Those questions and more were running rampant through my head as I stood there as if in a trance.    

 

It was Aaron’s voice calling me inside that made me turn from my daze and come indoors. I hadn’t realized, but I was shivering slightly from the cold. I joined my family in the living room, where we watched TV in silence until I went up to bed, where I fell into a fitful sleep, full of dreams of horrid beasts, not quite animals, not quite men.

Author's Note

And if I made any grammar errors, please let me know? I'd like to change them. Also, this story needs extreme help!