Midnight Rays

Chapter 17

  Samuel looked at the clock on the wall.
  "It's midnight."
  "What does that matter, come on, we have to go see what's wrong!"  Emily said as she ran towards the front door.
  Samuel met her at the porch and stopped her before she made it to the steps. 
  Jamal was standing over Emily, who was hunched over, clearly in pain as she moaned.
  "What have you done?!"  Emily screamed at him.
  "He's done nothing.  This is what we were suspectful of.  She's shifting."
  "She What?!"
  Jamal came up the steps and placed his hand on Emily's shoulder.
  "She's a shifter, like me.  Our first shift is at midnight, on our 25th birthday.  It is painful the first time, but never again after.  After tonight, she will be able to shift, at will, whenever she wants.  The very first one is out of our control, as it is our wolf coming to life.  This is something our parents teach us, but she never had that."
  "Why didn't y'all warn us?  Why have you never told her what would happen to her?!"
  "We felt it wasn't our place.  And in the off chance we were wrong we didn't want to worry her for something that might not happen," Samuel said.
  "I get that, but you still should have said Something!  Can I go to her?"
  "Of course.  She will not hurt you, she loves you, as she will in her wolf form."
  Emily approached Lena slowly.  She had now laid on the ground, curled up, and crying.
  "What's wrong with me?"  She sobbed, "my whole body is on fire, and I can feel my bones moving..."
  "You're shifting into a wolf...," she replied, not sure of what else to say.
  "Shifting?  As in a shifter?!  H-how is that p-possible?!"  Lena asked, between spasms of pain.
  "You're going to be ok, Lenes.  I'm not going anywhere."
  "Th-thank y-you..."
  Emily could see the muscles raise and fall across Lena's body.  Her bones made a loud crunching noise as they moved and changed form.  Her hair began falling from her head as white sprouts of it started to form everywhere else.  Then what seemed to be happening slowly, finished within an instant.  What once was her best friend's form as she knew before her was now a beautiful all white wolf staring back at her with the emerald green eyes Emily had loved seeing for years.
  "L-Lena?"  Emily asked, not sure of what was to come next.
  Lena got up, a bit wobbly at first.  Once she had figured out to work the four new legs she now had, she looked at Emily.  She stepped forward and put her nose to Emily's hand.  She breathed in her scent then licked her.  Emily laughed and then began stroking Lena's head.  She bent her head toward her, and whispered, "I wish you could see yourself right now.  You are even more beautiful than ever.  I've never seen a wolf like you girl, you even rock as an animal!"
  Lena huffed at her, then pranced in a circle.  She threw her head back and howled.
  Emily smiled at that and shook her head.  "How did we not know?!  You've always loved howling for absolutely no reason!  And I swear you've always had the attitude of a pissed off wolf!  HAHA!"
  Lena immediately stopped and turned toward the end of the driveway.  Jamal and Samuel stepped right beside Emily, then moved in front of her, staring at the same direction as Lena.
  "What's going on now?!"
  "We have company," Samuel said.  "Don't move from behind us.  At all."