Collision

Chapter Fourteen

I burst onto the shore of the main island, quickly changing back into my human self. The image of Sam haunted my thoughts, but I refused to stay still at all. I had to get my mind off him and onto something else. I looked around. The survivors were nowhere to be seen, so I went looking for them. I also had to find Jordan. And Phillip and his friends. The more I thought about them, the more I realized it made no sense. They'd known I would be freaked out when I saw the survivors eating that animal. A normal person would think that was good. But they knew that I would be horrified, and that I'd be hoping it wasn't Jordan.
I needed to find them first.
I ran a hand through my hair as I walked over to the cave where I had woken up yesterday. The main group of students were nowhere to be seen, so they must have been somewhere else, probably below the hill to my left. I quickly walked into the cave to see Phillip asleep on the ground.
"Phillip." I kicked him in the side. I needed him to wake up now.
"Mmm, yeah," he said sleepily. "Lemme just wake up."
I was in a strange mood. I didn't have time for this. "No. Now." I kicked him again, but he still didn't respond except for a weak swat with his hand.
"Yeah, man, I know, just hang on." He rolled over too face the same way.
Impatience won. I swiftly grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him up against the wall so he was facing me. "Where is Jordan?" I growled.
"Who?" He still seemed half asleep.
"You know who. Jordan. One of the boys here." I tightened my grip on his shirt as he tried subtly to remove my grip on him.
"No, I don't, man. There is no Jordan here." He went to move on but I slammed him against the wall again.
"Yes, you do," I smiled sarcastically. "You know I would be freaked out by them," I gestured outside, "when they were eating the animal. You know that some of us can turn into animals. So I'm betting that you know where Jordan is too. Is he with the main group of people?"
Phillip sighed and his mouth curved slightly into a smile, but he didn't say anything. I heard a faint click, probably a rock. He didn't say anything.
"Phil." As soon as the word came out my mouth, something struck in my head.

"Not many of us are alive, Cal. Only about fifteen survived," Sam spoke up.
"Crap." I didn't want to ask, but I had to. "Who-, who didn't make it?"
Tears formed in Violet's eyes. "Lee, Carl, Phil, Tim, Reece, Lillian, Kate, and a few more. We're still finding bodies."

I gasped. Violet had said Phil had died.
"Violet said you were dead, Phil, unless there was another Phil on that plane."
Phil's smile grew wider, and he chuckled. "No. I'm the only one."
"So why did Violet say you were dead?" I growled. Anger flared up inside of me. Something wasn't right.
Phil didn't say anything. He shrugged off my grip on him and threw a punch at my face. Instinctively I put up my arms. He went for another swing, this time at my stomach, but I moved to the side. I threw my hands out again and pinned him to the cave wall. He laughed.
"Why!?" I shouted. "Just answer the question!"
"Fine. She said I was dead because I faked it. I pretended to be dead, and I swam back by myself."
"That's crap, and you know it." I pushed him against the wall more, and his eyes told me it hurt. Good.
"Maybe it is."
"Argh!" I was furious now. I kneed him in the stomach, and he bent over, arm propped against the wall. "Why the hell would someone pass you without even thinking to check your pulse? Why in the first place would you fake being dead?"
He didn't answer, still clutching his stomach.
I'd had enough.
I dragged him out of the cave, and he didn't resist, his hands on his midsection. "Fine. You said you could swim. Let's see it in action." My eyes spotted the cliff that Jane and I had jumped off yesterday, and I dragged him towards it. His eyes grew wide as he saw the edge. He forgot his pain and struggled. He was surprisingly strong, and he twisted out of my grip. He began to stand up, but I pushed him, and he fell backwards, arms flailing. His body dropped down, and I walked away. I had a second to realize that I didn't hear a splash when he fell.
A huge object slammed me in the back. I fell forward and turned over to see a massive orange eagle, its talons pinning me down. It had clothes wrapped around its body. Phil's clothes.
Phil could turn into an animal.
The animal rested a claw on my chest. I didn't struggle. If I did, it's claws would rip my torso open. I watched in horror as one of the eagle's claws drew a line down my chest slowly, ever so lightly. The pressure was enough to split my shirt and my skin, and a tiny red line began to appear. This thing was going to rip me apart slowly.
Rage exploded in my mind, and I shoved the creature off me, ignoring the stab of pain in my chest. The eagle smacked its wing across my face, and I was blinded for a second. I reached out and grabbed one of its wings and held it. Enormous strength pushed against my hand, but I refused to let it win. I had to be more powerful. My mind went blank as I struggled to stay in control, my power against the eagle's. A wave of anger washed over me again, and i tightened my grip. The second wing flapped widely, and I reached out and grabbed it too. The bird let out a scream, a noise so deafening I nearly released my grip, but slowly I walked forward, pushing the animal towards the cliff. I was going to drown it.
Instantly my grip released on the bird.
Shocked, I looked down to see my body had turned into that of a leopard.
A white leopard.
In my confusion, the bird had flown behind me, and I saw it turn back into a human as I turned around.
Phil sneered at me.
"What a surprise," he said tauntingly. "It's a shame your time has run out."
I couldn't say anything back in my leopard form. Instead I let out a growl and stayed still. I was still getting used to this body, and I was worried that I would fall over if I tried to walk.
"Look," he said as he pointed out in the distance, left of the wreck out to sea.
My eyes widened.
A huge navy ship was on the horizon, steadily getting closer.