Shifted (Book 1 in the Legacy Born Series)

CHAPTER ONE

She flashed her grin—only for her favorite patients—and winked at me before she turned and left the room. I couldn't stop staring at her flailing tail.

Colby wasn't the only one with a tail. There were others, too.

Some had cat ears, others owned a mean pair of ram horns. One guy even had an eagle beak, but they were scarce. The animalistic features became a common thing after my first headache eased. These human-creatures walked among the ordinary folk of Tacoma, Washington.

The dreams and the headaches were the reason for the wild, crazy beaks and tails roaming around us. Not a single word escaped my lips about what I could see, especially to Francis and Daniel Emerson, my adoptive parents.

Faint bells chimed. A sigh escaped my lips. Oh, yeah, I forgot the orbs of silver bright light that appeared with the tails and ears. I swatted at a ball of light dangling above my head. The faint ringing of the bells followed whenever these specks of lights soared above me. Their brightness enhanced the headaches, so I made it my mission to ignore them. But one thing was for sure, they liked the little swatting attention I sent their way—meaning; I was the only one that could see them.

I used to think the orbs were spirits. I entertained the idea of opening an agency to help the departed find the light. Spirits Go Inc. and Follow the Light were names I conjured for this agency. According to the internet, they were way too bright to be ghostly orbs.

The tiny speck flew past Dr. Bryanston when he entered the room. "You ready, Sophie?"

I nodded. Dr. Bryanston's golden eyes penetrated my soul. They used to freak me out, but I got used to them. The color made me forget about the operation laying ahead.

He whispered to Mom. Her hand covered her collarbone and her thin, shapely eyebrows knitted together as she listened to the words leaving the doctor's mouth.

Colby entered the room, her tail flicking behind her, and lifted the side rails of the cot. She rolled my bed toward the door and stopped.

Mom leaned over and pressed her lips against my forehead. Her hand clasped mine as she lifted her head. Her smile didn't reach her tear-filled eyes. "I'll be here, waiting for you, baby?"

"You can try out that crochet pattern you tore out earlier from the magazine," I said in a flat tone. Mom closed her eyes as red dusted her cheeks. I loved teasing her.

The nurses and Dr. Bryanston laughed as my eyes closed before entering the hallway with its sharp, headache inducing lights.

Colby pushed me out of the room.

"Love you, Sophie Emerson," Mom yelled.

"Love you too, you crazy woman."

Dr. Bryanston followed us on our long trek to the operation room. My heart hammered with every step and jostle of the bed. Please, God, let this be a success.

I despised hospitals, as this was my life for the past 183 days.

Goosebumps spread across my skin and my body shivered as they rolled me into the room. I opened my eyes. White tiles covered the walls. Shelves and steel tables lined the one wall with a computer on a desk and a stool with wheels. The room caused more turning and knotting inside my stomach. A heart monitor and a ventilator stood out among other machines.

Two giant round lights—still off—hung from the ceiling. My bed came to a halt next to the operating table and the medical staff transferred me from the bed onto the table. My heart thumped inside my chest and a sadness mixed with anxiety gnawed at my core.