A Missing Shadow

“Do you mind if I borrow your daughter for a few minutes, Marie?” Grandma asks my mother.

“Of coarse not, Mother.” She replies frowning.

Grandma grabs my hand and leads me to the back patio.

“How are you feeling?” She asks.

“Achy.”

“Well, that’s to be expected.”

I frowned. What is, to be achy??

“Do you remember what I told you last year?” She asked.

“Yes.” I said, remembering.

October 31, 2011.

It is my fifteenth birthday and I am exited. Today is the day I’m counted as a real teenager. Yes technically I was one when I was thirteen, but no one takes that seriously. All my friends and family will be at the party tonight. My Mom and Dad only let me because they will be at work. They don’t like to go all out don’t ask me why. Now, I sit on a hill in my grand parent’s back yard looking at the full moon. I heard the back door open but pay no attention to it.“I need to talk to you Sadie-Ray.” My grandma states using my full first name, what did I do now? “Okay,” I say patting the grass next to me.

“You have power, Sadie. So much power, it’s hidden inside you. I can see it.”

I shook my head. Here she goes again with her whole future talk. She clams she can see what other people can’t. She claims she can see the future.

“What power?” I ask warily.

“The power of Lunar Curautair”

Huh? Is that Latin?

“What is that?” I ask.

“Hush now, child. Let me talk. You have great power among your kind. Other Lunar’s will want that power, some will fear it. I warn you now, you will encounter countless dangers. Constant changes and challenges, this will all start on your sixteenth birthday around midnight. You will change. When you change you have to  go to Ryan. Tell him and he will help. He is also Lunar Curautair. Understand?”

I shook my head. Grandma was nuts, I learned long ago not to challenge her. She gets…mad and sad. I didn’t want to hurt her so I nodded.

“Yes.”

“Good, now get some sleep.”

“Have you prepared yourself?” She asks frowning at me.

“No, I totally forgot. I am sorry, Grandma.”

She rolled her eyes. “I suppose it’s alright. It will be hard though. I have arranged for you to go to a wildlife reserve with Ryan and Sabrina.”

Now it was me who rolled her eyes. She was only doing this to get me away from Mom and Dad, who knew about her crazy ideas. But I loved wild life and she knew that. So I smiled.

“Thanks, when?”

“After you guys finish the cake.”

After the talk with Grandma I went in to eat cake with the family. I had to sit down carefully, the aching was getting worse. I blew out the candles when it was time and then Dad cut the cake. I took a slice and smirked at my brother. I threw the piece of cake at him, it splattered on his shirt and jeans. He laughed and cut me another piece of cake. He knew he deserved that because of last year.

When we all finished the cake Ryan went upstairs to change. He came back wearing a pair of black cargo shorts and a blue Bullet for my Valentine shirt.

“Lets go.” He said looking at his watch. I looked at mine. It was nine PM. I sighed and got into the car with Sabrina and Ryan.

We drove to Rocky Mountain Reserve it took an hour and a half.

“This is going to be amazing!” Sabrina exclaimed.

“Yup!” I said jumping on her then wincing.

“Is it getting worse?” Asked Ryan.

“Yeah, it feels like my bones are moving back and forth.” I moaned. It was all I could do to not sit down and cry. The pain was so bad.

“Come on, walk it off.” Sabrina said grabbing my hand.

We walked through the park after getting passes. For some reason Ryan counted as our guide. Has he worked here before?

He took us straight to the Cheetah’s enclosure.

“I don’t like how they keep them caged.” Said Sabrina to by brother.

“Me either.” He replied.

I watched the cheetahs, memorized by there beauty. There were four of them at the moment. One was a little bigger than the others. A male, him and one of the females were looking at me. The black streaks that went down there face made them look sad. It took me a minute to realize it wasn’t the steaks, but there eyes. They seemed to be frowning. I sighed and they started chirping and growling. They paced the fence.

“It’s time.” My brother said.

That’s when the world’s worst pain hit my body. It felt like my bones were breaking and then reforming. I screamed, or at least I think I did. I was to distracted by the pain.

It seemed like it went on forever before it stopped. Ryan and Sabrina crouched in front of me. I must have fallen down. I went to tell them I was okay now but… but just a chirping and a growling came out. I jolted up and they jumped up. Standing up, they were taller than I. What happened? I looked down to see golden paws…that was scattered with black and brown spots.

“WHAT THE FREEKING HELL IS GOING ON!” I screamed, or tried to anyway. All that came out was a hiss and growls.

I looked at them again. They were looking at me with wide eyes.

“Wow.” Sabrina said. “She’s three times as big as she should be. Beautiful.”

“What do you expect Sabrina, she is descended from the old ones. The ORIGANAL Luna Curautair.”

What were they talking about? They were just as crazy as Grandma, oh god help me! I felt my heat race with panic, was what she said true? What’s going to happen? Without thinking I ran into the mountains. Faster than any human, any cheetah could run. What was I? I stopped by a big, glistening lake and sit down. I look behind me to see a tale…and my back coved in golden fir, black and brown spots. I quickly look at my reflection. To see a cheetah with red eyes, a BIG cheetah. Three times the size of a regular one.

Grandma, where are you now?