Shapeshifter Academy

Chapter eight: A Surprising Encounter

If anything intimidated me more than the freaking school itself, it was walking side by side by a tawny colored wolf. Sawyer and my parents barely flinched when the animal came over signaling us to follow him in the school.

At least I was assuming it was a him.

"Dad." I whispered.

Dad didn't acknowledge me as his eyes roamed about the long wooden hallways, pausing at every inch of detail. I wondered if his sharp eyesight could currently be present in his human form.

I shrieked when I almost collapsed on top of the giant beast's back. The creature had suddenly stopped in it's tracks for some unknown reason.

The wolf met my eyes.

I gasped when I saw the striking, shining grey eyes it possessed.

I realized then that my family was staring, so I pet the wolf's head and scurried behind Sawyer and dad.

I didn't miss the unmistakable purr and the glint of contempt in the beast's eyes.

***********

The wolf led Sawyer and I to a surprisingly small office. I had expected some grand room with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Boy was I wrong, since I was suddenly faced with the most cozy office I had ever seen.

The office held an air of warmth and welcome with the various pictures of what I assumed was the principle's family. My eyes landed on a cute picture of a little boy with shaggy brown hair, grinning from ear to ear holding up a giant bass in his small hands.

"You must be the Renni family." I snapped back to reality, facing a not so old looking guy. He looked to be only in his early thirties.

My dad smiled. "Yes. We just came to drop our kids off for enrollment."

The man smiled and nodded. I noticed that he too, inherited the same steely grey eyes as the wolf.

As if sensing my gaze, he made eye contact with me.

He took his hand out, signaling me to shake it.

"I'm Sean, the school's headmaster. You must be Chelsea?"

Nodding, I took his hand and shook it.

He did the same to Sawyer.

"So are you guys excited?" A beautiful woman who looked about the same age as Sean came walking in the office. Her brown hair cascaded in bouncy curls and her ice blue eyes emphasized her beauty.

Immediately, Sean's eyes brightened.

"This is my wife, Eliza." He smiled a crooked grin.

"Nice to meet you." Mom and dad happily chirped.

She kindly nodded. "Your kids are going to love it here!"

I held in my bark of argument.

Sean excitedly nodded, making his caramel brown hair bounce up and down in the process.

"Our son will show you around. Chris!" She shouted.

Chris?

The same tawny wolf entered the room.

"Would you be a dear and show Chelsea around? Sean and I will show Sawyer here around." Eliza nudged me towards the frowning wolf.

The wolf seemed to have sighed and nodded.

"Great honey!" She ushered us out of the room.

**********

"So...uh...Chris is it?"

The wolf gave me an exasperated glance and nodded.

"I have a best friend named Chris." I randomly commented. The comment hung awkwardly in the air as I followed the wolf through the winding corridors.

"Look." I sighed. "This is a nice tour and all, but it doesn't really count as a tour if you don't talk to me. Just shift back to your human form and inform me?!"

It rolled its grey eyes at me.

My mouth shot open.

"Listen here Mr. Wolf," I jumped infront of it. "Shift back so I can get an actual tour!"

The wolf narrowed its eyes at me and stepped back. He growled menacingly at me.

I gulped nervously.

Oh you really messed up this time Chelsea. Blabs accused.

I watched in horror as the animal made a lunge at me.

I shrieked and ran forward. I heard its pounding footsteps behind me as it got closer and closer.

I braced myself when I felt the wolf impossibly close behind me.

I yelped in surprise when two strong arms encircled my waist instead of paws. The both of us tumbled on the ground, the other guy laughing.

The laugh sounded familiar. Too familiar.

Groaning, I rolled off of him and into the cold marble floor.

I focused my eyesight at the git that nearly killed me.

"Geez Chels you weigh a ton." He goofily smirked at me.

It was Chris. All of his brown haired and grey eyed glory.

I blinked again, making sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"Chris?"

He laughed. "Your face is priceless right now."

I narrowed my eyes at him. I tackled him and started hitting his chest.

"You idiot! You could have killed me! What the heck were you thinking?!" I screeched. I pounded him yet again on his chest.

Which was bare.

I felt my cheeks flare up in flames. He thankfully had a pair of shorts on.

How he had shifted with clothes, I had no idea.

I slid off of him in a hurry.

He chuckled. "What's wrong Chels?"

I glowered at him. "You never told me you were a shifter!"

He frowned. "You didn't either."

I sighed. "I know." I looked back at him. "How long have you known about all this shifting business?"

"Close to four months now."

There was one more thing that was bothering me.

"Chris, those weren't your parents."

His eyes darkened to a stormy grey. Almost black.

"I know."