Part-Time Pegacorn

Home

My sister tosses her duffle bag into the trunk. A second later, I shut the trunk of my Toyota Camry. A soft thump resounds as it closes.

I turn back to Mr. Wilks and Syraj, standing side by side. Syraj has chosen an appearance that makes him look as if he was the professor's grandson. If I was a stranger, I would assume that they were be related.

"This is it." I say softly.

The other three boys stand near Diesel's Camaro. They all wear solemn expressions.

Mr. Wilks smiles, "Don't look so depressed everyone. This isn't a goodbye. We'll see you again."

Felicity sighs, "True, but it sure feels that way."

Diesel asks, "What do you plan on doing once we leave?"

The professor chuckles, "Good question. First, I'll clean up my house from when those men came in and destroyed the place. Afterward, I'll have roughly two months till college starts again. I haven't been on an expedition in two years. The yacht needs to see the world again."

"You've been everywhere though. Where would you even go?" Garret jokes.

The professor nods, "India. I've heard some rumors of a shifter there for many years."

This catches my curiousity. Before he can further explain, Ash asks Syraj what he plan on doing. My attention turns to the synthetic shifter.

Where can someone like him fit in? He isn't human, nor is he a shifter. Syraj is in between those two worlds. He is neither and both.

Syraj shows a large and uncommon smile, "I'm going with Mr. Wilks to the far away land. When we come back, I will have decided what to do. Maybe I'll try finding my family. I might have forgotten their names and faces, but they're out there."

"That's good, Syraj. You deserve something after all this- this craziness." I tell my friend.

Syraj lost his memories when he went through the process of becoming a false shifter. I can only imagine how difficult it is to try remembering your loved ones and recollecting nothing.

We all stay quiet for moment. Then without thinking I find myself walking forward and giving Mr. Wilks and Syraj a hug.

I wonder how these two are going to get along.

I have a strange feeling that the two are going to become really close.

Everyone says their individual goodbyes and farewells. While everyone has their attention focused on Syraj, Mr.Wilks pulls me aside.

"Is there something I can do for you?" I offer, confused as to why he is directly confronting me.

Out of nowhere, the professor hands me a chocolate brown leather satchel. Speechless, I take it. To my surprise, it is heavy.

He looks me in the eye, "I could tell that you and Diesel had been in that dusty storage closet with all my catalogs. Don't say anything. It's fine that you were looking at them."

The professor pauses, "Old books aren't a good parting gift. I regret not telling you more about shifters, because that was your ultimate purpose for coming all this way to meet me. This bag has some of my journals from when I used to travel the globe. Unfortunately, I couldn't fit all of them. You can get the rest when I see you again one day."

I'm speechless as I stutter, "Th- Thank you, Mr.Wilks. I'm honored to have these."

He smiles, "They were written for a reason. It was time that someone got some use out of them. Just promise me something?"

"Yes?"

The respected man becomes dead serious, "Guard these books as if your life depended on it. The information in these books would have been something Torgny would've killed for. No one, beside shifters, can know about these."

"I promise, Mr. Wilks. Nothing will happen to your journals."

____________________________

Five minutes later the group of us start towards our own vehicles. Right as I open the driver's door to my car, Syraj comes up to me.

"Olivia, you don't realize it, but you helped me change a lot in these past days."

"How?"

Syraj hesitates, "It's... hard to explain, but I guess I saw something in you. You're more human than some people in this world. People like Torgny. There's a lot of good in you. Your intentions are good, but I guess that's why destiny chose you to be a shapeshifting griffin."

I laugh, "Thank you, Suraj. I know you're still getting used to all of this. When you come back with Mr. Wilks, I hope you find your family. I truly mean that."

"What if I don't get a second chance?"

"Syraj, everyone deserves a second chance. Especially, you." I give him one last hug and wonder what his future will bring him.

"Bye, Olivia."

"Goodbye, Syraj."

_________________________

Hours and hours of driving. We stop at random convenient stores in the middle of the boons and then get right back on the interstate. Various weather, slow traffic, two misleading GPS directions, and four replays of a new album gets us home.

Felicity has spoken every word in her mind about our wild beach trip, and all the other little things we should accomplish this summer. Her motormouth does not cease for hours.

After my sister is quiet for a grand total of twenty minutes, she turns to me saying, "I'm really glad we still have a whole summer left. I would not want it to end with us leaving the beach after fighting men on a yacht."

My smile can't be contained, "I could not agree more."

Two hours later, we pull into our home's driveway. The lake behind our house sparkles in the light of the setting sun. My house looks like a welcoming environment. I am overjoyed to be home again.

Mellark, Missouri. I'm here at last. This is the safest place in the world to me, and I'm thankful that I can call this home.