Metamorphosis (Breaking Free, book 2)

Chapter 19-Milo

"Are you ready?" Raijin asked, his green-tinted lips curling into a smirk. He changed the way he presented himself so much in the last few weeks, he no longer looked nothing like Cooper. He resembled a woodland pixie more than my athletic best friend.

A couple of weeks ago, boxes started arriving with Raijin's name on them. He complained the entire time that he hated the Greenie clan T-shirt and joggers. And in the next shipment of food, blankets, and medical supplies, there were boxes of sparkling makeup and sheer clothing that left nothing to the imagination. I wasn't sure how he'd managed to piss someone off enough they'd buy the entire Justice store for him, but he'd done it.

I crossed my arms, frowning; He didn't actually care about my answer. His eyes were too dark and much too happy to care one way or another about if I was 'ready' or not.

We stopped just around the corner from where he claimed Rosie was. He looked like a pixie underneath the blue lights now more than ever. They reflected off his sparkling silver eyeliner and darkened the shadows on his face. He looked gaunt and mischievous, and The angles of his cheekbones looked sharper underneath the light than they actually were. And when he smiled at me-if, it could be called that, it looked more like he was baring his teeth, defending his kill-I could've sworn one of his canines was sharpened to a needle-point.

I shivered, unnerved by his freakish behavior. Clenching my fists in my pockets and leaning against the wall behind me, I replied,

"Yes. Of course, I am." Raijin searched my face, his eyes narrowed to pin-point slits, and I bit my lip glaring at a stain on the cave floor.

He blinked, taking a step back, his eyebrows rising to his hairline, and his eyes blown wide. Had I...Surprised him? How many people could say they surprised a God? I'd be willing to bet my (meager) life's savings that it wasn't a lot. Raijin shook his head, then, as if nothing had happened, swept his arm out in front of him and winked, back to his usual, unphased, devious attitude. "Right this way." He bowed, his eyes never leaving mine. "My liege." He flashed a pointy smile at me, and I suppressed a shiver, refusing to look away from him. He narrowed his eyes, snapped to a stand, and started down the hall, whistling an eerie, lilting tune.

Every step forwards felt heavy. I swallowed, fighting off a knot of dread that was steadily settling into my stomach. I remember the day everything seemed to change like it was yesterday. Probably because it was only four months ago, but that's beside the point. Owen watched me the entire day at school as a set of three, fat birds, and Rosie insisted I come to another one of her rager-esque parties. I was irritated and confused over the rapid changes in my body ( spoiler alert: not something a regular doctor could fix). So, naturally, I snapped at my teacher. She was a heinous old woman, and she definitely deserved it, but I'd been sent to the principal's office all the same.

I felt that same dread, walking into his office. I thought that getting called to the principal's office was the worst possible thing that could happen to me. What I wouldn't give to go back to that day. Everything was so simple then, so mundane and peaceful. Cooper was goofy and athletic, but still himself and not some pain in my ass God with a questionable fashion sense. Rosie was care-free and lived for parties, unburdened by literally anything anyone could throw at her. I just wanted to pass AP Chemistry and ask my long-time crush and next-door neighbor out.

Now I had the fate of the world on my shoulders, my friends were traumatized and possessed, and I could turn into an over-glorified house cat. Because that makes everything better.

Raijin stopped, turning to face me, his lips pursed. He looked me up and down, then snorted.

"We're here. Have fun," He sang, disappearing in a cloud of grey smoke. I coughed, waving away the smoke, and breathing through my mouth to avoid the awful smell of smoke. When the smoke dispersed, I opened my eyes. A red, tribal-patterned curtain swayed in the breeze, settling after several minutes over the infirmary's rough-hewn entrance.

I fiddled with a piece of lint in my pocket. Rosie could be behind it, shivering and terrified and in desperate need of a friend. I swallowed back the urge to cry at what she might've gone through to get here. I blinked back tears, guilt curling in my gut. I wasn't sure she'd want to see me if she wanted a friend. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't even be in this situation, to begin with.

Shouts rang out from the room. Metal clanged against the stone floor, glass shattered, and a girl screamed. I tore past the curtain, shaking and cold. Mari and a miniature army of shifters swarmed around her, holding her down by the arms.

She was screaming. Blood was gushing down her arm from an open wound. She bit and scratched at anyone who came near her, thrashing underneath their hold. And her usually perfectly curled hair was matted into messy dreadlocks woven with dead leaves and broken twigs.

"Rosie," I whispered, rooted to the spot. Mari lurched forward, a blanket in one hand and a needle in the other. Rosie's eyes blew open, and she shrieked, a wild gleam in her eye. I rushed forward, yanking Mari away from her and grabbed Rosie by her shoulders. "Rosie, calm down. It's me." She paused, shaking, and barely meeting my eyes. "It's Milo," I whispered resolutely, never breaking eye contact. Recognition flickered in her eyes, and she stilled, searching my face for a couple of seconds. The shifters loosened their hold, taking a cautious step back, glancing between us.

"Milo?" She tilted her head, pinching her arm and blinking twice. I hesitated, then nodded, biting the inside of my cheek. Her big eyes welled with tears, and a grin split her face from ear-to-ear.

"Milo!" She shouted, throwing herself into my arms. I was so, so relieved to have her here in my arms. She was here, and she was safe. I squeezed her against me as tight as possible, and hot tears rolled down my cheeks. I didn't know what I would do if I'd lost her. She was here in my arms, she was safe. I sobbed, choked on my tears, and stroked her hair until the sun went down, and we'd both stopped crying. Not long after, Rosie's breathing shallowed, and her arms slipped from my side.

And it was then that the nightmares came for the both of us. Rosie tossed and turned, screaming in the silence of the night and clutching my shirt like a life-line. Gently, I shook her by the shoulder until she woke up, her eyes blown wide with fear. She mumbled a few unintelligible words, then drifted back to sleep. I wasn't so lucky. My nightmares followed me into the waking world.

It was half-past one in the morning when I decided to get up. The dread of what I had done settled somewhere between Rosie's first nightmare and the relentless memories of how our lives had gotten this messed up. I'd made a deal with the devil, and sooner or later I would have to pay up.

He could ask for my life or the life of someone I loved. The thought of what he might do to Rosie, my dad, or Owen made me shiver. No, he couldn't have them. I'd give him anything else. I'd give him my sanity, or my firstborn child ( I wish, it would be fun to explain the exact nature of my sexuality). Whatever he wanted, besides my family, he could have it. I couldn't really stop him if he did go after my family, but I wouldn't go down without a fight. He was a god, and I was...something else. I hadn't yet come to terms with my own strange being in the months since this nightmare started, but I had to be some kind of mortal, right? I was pretty sure I could die, and just as sure that Raijin, the crafty bastard, couldn't.

He was a permanent issue, much like children or a particularly nasty toe fungus. But all children turn eighteen and move out, and there are medications for toe fungus, so if I could get rid of those...Maybe I could be free of him, too. If I moved fast enough, quietly enough, and careful enough that he didn't notice any of it, maybe it could be done.

Rosie snored softly next to me. She looked peaceful as if the terrible things that happened to us hadn't happened at all. For a moment, we were just two teenagers having a sleepover again, without trauma or the burden of war on our shoulders. The moon shone over her pale skin, and the shadows of her face stood out in the dark. She would wake up in a couple hours, and this fantasy would end for her. But I didn't have the luxury of a few more hours. Leaving a pillow behind in my place, I slipped out from underneath the covers.

Hesitating, I turned and got one last look at her. She really was beautiful, she didn't deserve what happened to her. I brought this on her, and if I didn't do something about it, the rest of the human world would be left in the disastrous aftermath of a war that they had no idea existed. If I was going to end it, I had questions that needed answers. Answers that nobody could give me and no one could know I was looking for them, especially not Raijin.

I gritted my teeth, shaking, and dropping to the floor. Shaking out my fur, I slipped away in the dead of night.

It's time I found out the truth for myself.