Shape-Shifter

Chapter 5

The door-bell rang.

“I'll get it!” I said and ran to the door. It was Alex, and he was alone, which made me happy.

“Come in. It's Su's Birthday, so say happy birthday. They're in the kitchen, so I'll just get your shirt,” I said letting him in.

He nodded quickly and headed for the kitchen.

I ran up to my room to find his shirt that I had dumped on my floor the day before. I picked it up and ran back downstairs again. I heard my mum interrogating Alex. “Why did you come?”

“Oh, I had forgotten something,” he explained.

I burst into the kitchen before anything wrong could be said. I hadn't told anyone about the incident in the woods, and didn't plan to.

“Okay, Lex, I'll bring you to the door,” I said, making sure the t-shirt stayed hidden behind my back so that my parents didn't see.

“What did Alex forget Sam?” my mum asked me.

“Something,” I replied, obviously hiding something.

My mum looked at me expectantly.

“Just, you know...” I tried to avoid giving the answer, because I knew that they would either think the wrong thing, or come to the conclusion, both of which I couldn't stand.

“No, that's the thing, we don't know,” my dad said, joining in the conversation.

I looked at them pleadingly, but they seemed determined to get the answer. I brought the t-shirt out from behind my back.

My mum gaped at it, then said, “How can you forget a t-shirt?”

“I think I'll bring Lex home,” I tried to get out of saying anything else, but Dad wouldn't have any of it.

“No, actually, both of you can stay here for a minute. We'll just finish opening the presents, and then the four of us will talk,” he indicated at Mum, Alex, him and me.

I nodded, giving in.

Everyone's attention turned back to Susan, so I leaned over to Alex and whispered, “I hope you were more successful in keeping what happened yesterday in the woods a secret?”

I nodded, and I saw him wince a bit at the movement.

“Are you okay?” I asked him.

He nodded again, and I could see he was clenching his jaw. He obviously wasn't okay, but if he didn't want to tell me, then he didn't have to.

I felt myself drifting off. I started thinking about what a good day it would be to go riding. Night and I could have had a great time at the stream. We could have had a water fight. I might have even brought the other horses for some exercise. They needed it. I could almost feel the wind in my hair, trying to pull my clothes off. I suddenly had the urge to shift. I have no clue where it came from, I mean, I was thinking about riding, where does shifting play a role in riding?

“Okay, Susan, you can start on the cake with everyone else, just remember to leave us some,” my mum said, then indicated for me and Alex to go into the living room. We did.

“Sit,” Dad said.

We sat.

“So, why did Alex forget his t-shirt here?”

“Well... um... he didn't actually forget it here,” I started.

“Then why did you tell us he had?” my mum asked. As much as I love her, she can really ask mean questions sometimes.