Wolf-Shifter

The Shapeshifter: Surviving the Secrets Part 2

'I still don't understand why you went all hoo-haa and fainted.'

'Gideon.'

'I mean, come on! You were as bad as Lisa then!'

'Gideon.'

' "Ooooh, Maddy, your Great Aunt Jemma wants to speak to you-she says to dig that homemade jumper she made for you years ago out of your closet. Whaaat? You threw it away? Oh, you hurt her feelings. She's going to go and turn into a poltergeist now and haunt youuuu….FOREVER!'

Gideon's last shriek made Maddy jump out of her seat, shocked. Of course, Gideon fell about laughing at her shocked face and despite his stern looks, eventually Dax had to join in. 'Your face,' Gideon chortled, doubling over in chuckles. Dax began to blush when he saw Maddy's embaressed face, and he coughed, straightened up, and unsuccessfully tried to keep a serious face. Gideon, however, was still cracking up.

'I've never seen that chocolate shop before,' Dax suddenly commented casually, pointing out of the window. Gideon was at it in an instant.

'Where?'

'Oh, you just missed it. Shame, that.' Glancing towards her, Dax shot Maddy a cheeky grin. She took this moment to subtly realize how…well. She couldn't really explain it. She didn't really want to, either.

Mrs. Satre had given her four hours to pack up her belongings and say goodbye to friends and family. 'It'll be hard,' she had said, 'But it is better to get this over and done with, yes?' With that she had called the bemused boys out of the house (from where they were still staring at her in concern and wonder after her faint). She had then phoned her friends to tell them where she was going.

'Aww, that sucks. Will you be back at holidays?' (Lucy. She sounded as if she didn't care, but Maddy knew that she was shocked. She had yet to convince her friend not to suffer in silence.)

'What? But…but you're no genius! That's my job!' (Katy. Egghead of her little circle of friends, but funny all the same. Also not at all modest, but Maddy managed to ignore that detail of personality.)

'Okay, okay, let me get this straight. You're going to this weird boarding school because you're a ….genius, and a hot boy is going to be there? With other boys? ALL YEAR? *excited gasp* You must phone me every night and tell me how many fit boys are there!' (No chance, was Maddy's words to Rebecca, but she wisely chose not to say this and instead halfheartedly agreed.)

'You can't go! What will I do without you! I'll like….die a tragic death! Don't go and leave me to this torturous fate!' (Opal, her best friend and budding author. Maddy had smiled for the first time during the last few hours then at her friends melodramatic act.)

She had then packed her bags whilst her father phoned relatives of the news. Her posters had been stuffed in, books, magazines and her toy cat, Muffins. She wasn't leaving him, no matter what. Mittens was a good shoulder to cry on-he never spoke, just listened.

'We're nearly here.' Mrs. Satre's voice brought her back to the present. She stared out of the rain splattered windscreen of the dismal old van. She wondered who she would meet there. As if on cue, Gideon spoke.

'Me and Luke are going out into the forest to collect conkers when we get back. Wanna come with us?' It was an invitation to both his best friend and the mysterious new girl.

'Sure,' Dax replied. 'Why do you want conkers though?'

Gideon shrugged. 'I read somewhere that they scare spiders away. The smell, or something.'

Dax stifled a laugh. 'I could always eat the scary hairy spiders,' he teased, giggling. Gideon snorted. 'That would be worse.'

Maddy spoke for the first time during their journey, swallowing down the tide of homesickness threatening to gobble her up. Her father used to collect conkers with her every Autumn. It was fun.