Chapter III: Running

A Chapter by Minki

What the heck is up with Christina tonight? Not even she knows. It's like her new body's trying to tell her something important . . .

Tonight, I decided to fly most of the way to the pool, then land in a clearing and walk the rest. I could think of nothing more amazing than passing silently through the forest like a shadow, the only sound the leaves of the great oaks rustling in the same breeze that tickled my face, catching glimpses of the shimmering water through the brush as I crept closer. I sighed now, pacing back and forth on the bank. The air here felt too heavy, almost oppressive, and it seemed as though I could scent restlessness in it.

Couldn’t dogs and other animals smell things like that too? Perhaps I was turning into a werewolf. I snarled a bit at the thought, and then rebuked myself for it. Maybe I’d been more animalistic in my thoughts and movements since the change because of my heightened instincts, but I certainly wasn’t . . . wolfish. No, that was ridiculous. I was more of a fierce leopard than a slavering, mangy, overgrown dog. I imagined turning into a leopard at the full moon, scanning the sky for a perfect milky-white orb but finding only a sliver of crescent. Smiling and rolling my eyes at myself for being so juvenile, I let dreams of golden fur and lethal claws carry me away for a while.

Eventually I'd calmed down enough to sit by the edge of the water again, but my constant thoughts and fantasies kept me from slipping into the trance. Usually I like the trance, even craved it and needed it, however, I was still a little nervous from the episode last night. The trance and I had an ever-changing relationship. When I was a danger to myself, it was my straitjacket. When I was a modern-day, stressed out teenager, it was my time for meditation. And when I was crying disconsolately, it was my best friend, giving me a hug.

I sighed. Why was I thinking so much tonight? I felt like I was running out of time for some reason, like an expiration date was about to show up on the bottom of my foot. Wondering why I insisted on being so childish, I removed my tennies and socks to check each one. Nothing. They were fine. I thought I was losing it. And ever since I'd thought about my relationship with the trance, I wanted to be hugged for real.

I could dream about it all day . . . His strong but gentle arms wrapped around me, pulling me tightly against him as if he'd never let me go. He leans down so his lips softly brush my forehead, and I feel myself blush with the knowledge that he wants me beside him more than anyone else. Never before have I felt so"

What was I thinking? I didn't even like human boys! I couldn't stand them! I wasn't even human! The restless feeling was back, and I felt like I was being watched.

Snap. A twig broke in the woods on the far side of the pool. I leapt to my feet, fully prepared to either run or fight whatever it was. A brief gust of wind blew the scent of it towards me, and I froze in shock. I was the same odd cocktail of human and coppery metal that I gave off. The person was male, and we were roughly the same age. I filed away all that information in my mind before I was struck by a powerful emotion.

How dare he intrude on me! I hadn't even seen him yet, and already I was boiling with anger. I let out a menacing snarl.

"Show yourself!" I called into the night. I searched the opposite bank for signs of movement.

"Right here," came a voice from less than a yard behind me. I jumped in the air, whirling around and landing a bit to the side, then hooking the back of his knee with my foot before he had time to react. His knee buckled and he fell. Once he was back on his feet, I was sprinting through the woods to my jetpack.

I'd never actually sprinted in this new body before, and I felt like a rocket shooting through the trees. Each step was powerful, propelling me forward at inhuman speed. Well, of course they did. I wasn't human.

I hadn't thought that the guy back there would stand a chance against me. I doubted he'd even try. That's why I was shocked to hear his steps not far behind me. He was gaining on me! I put on a burst of speed.

"Stop!" he yelled. "You need to listen to me! It isn't safe! We're going to get caught!"

I refused to heed his warning, pushing myself faster through the forest. I thought I was now moving at upwards of thirty miles an hour. A big, unbelievably strong hand closed around my wrist, yanking me to an abrupt halt. A sharp pain shot through my shoulder. I checked to see if it was dislocated. Finding that it was alright, I then proceeded to freak out.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked in my most scary, intimidating, no-nonsense voice.

"Listen to me! There are people after us, chasing us. They've got jetpacks. I was on the run from them when I spotted you back there. We need to"

"Let. Go." I snarled at him, showing off my too-pointed canine teeth and glaring. He released me, but he looked ready to grab me again if I tried to run off.

"Which direction are they coming from?" I asked.

"East," he said, pointing to the right, "but they could have spotted us back there in the clearing, so we need to be on guard."

"What do they want you for?"

"You know being able to run like that isn't normal, right? I think that's what it is. Ever since a couple weeks ago, I've been . . ." He trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"Getting stronger and faster, with sharper senses and instincts, not being able to connect with normal humans," I finished for him.

"Exactly."

We took a moment to assess each other in silence. He had kind, dark eyes that sparkled with intelligence and his skin tone suggested that one of his parents was an African native. He was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes.

S**t. I'd left my shoes back in the clearing. The thought shook me out of it, and I broke the silence.

"I need to get my jetpack. It's this way."

He looked surprised for a moment, then disappointed.

"No!" I said. "I'm not going to leave you on your own. There's a device in it I can use to call my aunt, tell her to send help. If we're both the same kind of weird mutant human species, we need to stick together."

"Alright." He smiled, and I noticed how it lit up his face quite nicely.

We ran off together in perfect synchronization, racing to the north where my jetpack lay ahead. Never had I felt so at ease with another person before. If I wasn't taking his word that we were in mortal danger and we weren't running for our lives, I might have actually enjoyed it.

When we were nearing the clearing where I had left my Hawk, I signaled to him to slow down and be silent. Sensing no danger, we crept from the cover of the trees. A couple more paces, and I was leaning down to grap the jetpack's strap.

A slight breeze wafted a fully human scent towards me. My reflexes acted at lightning speed, poising me for attack, but I wasn't quick enough. A high-pitched, crippling whistle sounded, and it was all I could do not to wail in agony as my ears begged for mercy. My knees buckled under me. I caught a glimpse of the nice guy who had come to warn me collapsing to the ground too before both of us lost consciousness.

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