Shape-Shifter

Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

The next day, I felt drained, and stayed in bed until Mum came up and pulled the sheets off me. She seemed happy about something. “Come on, Sammy, dear! Susan's waiting!”

I looked at her, feeling stupid, and asked, “Waiting for what? You can have breakfast without me, and you know that!”

“Yeah, we do, but it's Su's Birthday, remember? She's turning seventeen, and we wanted it to be really special for her...?”

Now I really felt stupid. How could I forget my only sister's birthday? I mean, Hunter's is on the same day as mine, Jack's is some other time and Jeffrey's also some other time of the year. Hey, I don't really know anyone's birthdays. Don't tell them. I decided to push it that little bit further, “What day is it today?”

“It's Sunday Honey, and it's also the 15th of June, and your school ends a week, in case you didn't know.”

I know she was just teasing me, but I had forgotten that school was over soon, and what's more, I had no idea about the time and date. I felt really disorientated.

Slowly, I climbed out of bed and walked over to my wardrobe, wondering what I should wear for Susan's seventeenth birthday. I decided to wear my normals jeans and some loose t-shirt, I mean, we're family, right?

I bent down and pulled Susan's present from under the bed. I hadn't wrapped it yet, so I quickly and quietly ran downstairs and got some wrapping-paper out of the cupboard under the stairs and ran back up again, only to realise that I'd forgotten the sticky-tape. So I ran back down again, preying Susan wouldn't see me, and ran back to my room and quickly wrapped her present. I have to say, it looked... acceptable.

I padded into the kitchen, not feeling happy with anybody and added my present to the pile. Susan wasn't there yet, so I needn't have hurried. There was a huge cake on the table with- how on earth had they all fit- seventeen candles stuck into it.

I waited, feeling groggy. Jeffrey arrived with his present, looking equally groggy. Dad cam bounding in moments later, looking pleased, followed closely by Hunter and Jack, who looked happy enough, but like they rather be in bed. All of them added their present to the pile.

Soon Mum came in, hugging Susan, who was blind-folded.

I hated being blind-folded, and I remembered my last Birthday. My mum had tried to blind-fold me, but I had gotten a fright and shifted into a lynx and run to the kitchen. Hunter came in later, blind-folded, and I could tell that Mum wasn't happy with me. I then had to shift back, but my Mum didn't let me go back up and dress, because she said it was my fault I had shifted. That wasn't a happy memory.

Everyone chorused, “Happy Birthday Susan,” and we started singing Happy Birthday.

As nice as it was, I hated birthdays. My own and everyone else's. It felt silly, having to get presents for people for that reason, I mean, why not get them presents when you feel like it, just to show you like them or something? I think the way it's done is silly and money-making, from the shops' point of view. For us, it was money-wasting, or, in my opinion it was.

Mum took off Susan's blind-fold and said, “Blow out the candles!”

“Make a wish!” one of the boys added, though I'm not sure who.

Susan did just that, closing her eyes for drama.

When she was done, she asked, “Which present should I open first?”

“Mine,” Jack said, so his was opened. I have to say, I was impressed. He had gotten her a new handbag, something that should please Susan tremendously.