It's been over a week since the last time I talked to or saw Shay. I'm not really sure what I did to spook her so much. She said she'd be around but I haven't seen her since that night in my room.
Clearly something spooked her, but what?
"I think I'm gonna head up to the mountains to do a little hunting this weekend." I tell my parents, trying to act as casual as possible as I grab an apple from the bowl on the island.
"Not alone you aren't." My mother says quickly.
"You guys let Drake go off by himself all the time." I point out as I take a bite of my apple. I take in the scent of the apple, getting the full effect of its taste. It tastes different than it normally does. I close my eyes letting the juices of the crisp red fruit run down my throat. My lips curl up into a smile as I open my eyes to see both my parents staring at me. "What?"I question.
"That apple good huh?" My dad questions with a wry smile. I shrug and take a seat on a stool across from them. My dad is reading the newspaper and my mom is drinking coffee.
"Why can't I go hunting alone?" I ask after a moment.
My dad looks over his newspaper to me. "Because it's dangerous." Is all he says, lifting the paper back up over his face; my mom nods in agreement.
"Um... hello, immortal here." I'm sure they didn't forget seeing as though the both of them share the same curse as me.
My dad sighs and folds the paper up, placing it down on laminate countertop. "What if there are humans camping Colby? What if you get so into the hunt that you forget to be careful of that? You could harm, even kill an innocent person. It's not always your safety we're worried about sweetheart, we don't want innocent people getting hurt either." He explains.
I sigh.
He's right; we should never hunt alone because of those exact reasons. Drake only gets to go alone because he's been practicing for centuries how to control himself on a hunt; me and Jack—not so much.
But how do I tell them I'm not actually going to the mountains to hunt, but to find a girl I barely know so I can see her again.
Shay fascinated me, more than anyone else I've ever met in my life. There is something about her that makes me want to get to know her better, to know more about her, to just be around her. It's hard to explain but I feel like Shay and I running into each other was no accident; it was something that was meant to happen; something that had to happen.
"What if I took Drake with me?" I pop a brow and wait for an answer. When my mother sighs and glances at my father I know I've won them over.
"Fine." My dad says, his lips trying to fight a smile as he picks up his paper again.
"But make sure you're back by Sunday night, we're going to look at colleges on—"
"Yeah, yeah; I know." I cut mom off.
"We've let you go too long without going to college Colby. It's 2015; you're going to college this year."
"Alright woman, I've only graduated high school about a billion times. It'll be nice to upgrade to a higher level of education." I say sarcastically. I toss what's left of my apple in the trash and fake a smile to my parents as I try to make a clean getaway.
"And Colby," My mother stops me dead in my tracks. I turn around and put on my best smile. I'm pretty sure I already know what this is about. I've been dodging my mom for a bit to pretty much avoid having this conversation. "How'd you get that girl out of your room the other night?" She asks and my dad drops the paper from his face.
"What girl?" My dad asks. Really mom, you just had to go there?
"I don't know what girl you're talking about mom." I shrug and shake my head.
"I heard you talking to her Colby," My mom places a hand behind her ear and says, "Super hearing remember." I roll my eyes. See why being in a family full of vampires kind of really sucks.
"She went out the window." I sigh out. My mom and dad both give me a confused look.
"Your room is on the third floor." My mom points out.
"She's tall." I reply blandly, shrug and try to walk away but my parents aren't having it. My dad is in front of me in a flash and I have to brush my hair back into place. "Jeez dad what's wrong with you?"
"This wouldn't have anything to do with that question you asked me the last time we went hunting would it?"
"What question?" My mom asks from the island but my dad isn't listening, his eyes are focused on mine."
"Colby?" He pulls my attention back to him. I gulp and I shake my head. I'm not entirely sure why I feel the need to lie to him, but the look he's giving me right now... I figured if I said 'yeah Shay's a shape shifter dad', he would have forbid me to see her or something.
"Okay good." He lets out a sigh of relief. Why is he relieved?
"What's going on honey?" My mother questions; my dad shakes his head and smiles.
"Nothing honey." He says as he takes a seat next to her again.
"She just climbed down the vine outside my window." I speak up, adding to the lie.
"Well next time just tell her to use the front door." My mom says and I nod. I give them a small smile before heading out the kitchen and up the stairs to Drakes room. The fact that my dad reacted that way makes me only want to know more about her. Why would my dad not want me to hang out with a shape shifter?
I get to Drakes room and knock on his door. "Come in Colby." He says and I can't help but smile. The tone of his voice tells me he was listening to the conversation I'd just had with our parents. "So..." He starts, sitting up on the bed. "When were you planning to ask me about this little hunting trip?" I walk in his room and take a seat on his bed.
"It's the only way mom and dad would let me go." I give him my best puppy dog eyes.
"You're ridiculous." He smiles and shakes his head at me. "Lucky for you, I'm not busy this weekend."
"So you'll take me?" I pop up from the bed with a big smile on my face.
He rolls his eyes and nods. "What are big brothers for?"
"Yay!" I clap my hands together and he chuckles at me.
"But we're gonna do some serious hunting Colby. If you couldn't even catch a wolf you definitely won't catch a mountain lion or panther and they're the most fun to pursue." He gives me a devilish grin and shoos me out. "Go pack up, we'll leave in an hour." I nod and hurry out of his room to mine to pack up.
I have so many questions to ask Shay. I just hope I can get away from my brother long enough to get her alone.
–
"Now close your eyes." My brother tells me as we stand in the middle of nowhere. We're surrounded by trees, far away from the camp site and all the humans. We're deep in the woods; Drake says that it's better if we get really far from the humans so I'm not distracted by human blood while we hunt. I focus my senses, taking in my surroundings. My eyes are closed and I'm relying on my hearing and sense of smell to figure out what direction the mountain lion is traveling. This is my first time hunting one and I want to impress my brother. Although hunting has never really been of interest to me, I figure that if I impress him enough he'll allow us to be done for the day so I can go off to search for Shay.
She has to been around here somewhere.
"That way." I snap my eyes open and point to my right. I take off and hear my brother take off after me. I take a deep breath, taking in the scent of the animal. Its blood smells sweet, so different than any other animal I've attempted to hunt. The scent is alluring. I can hear it's footsteps as it attempts to escape me; but I'm faster, stronger, smarter. Shay flashes through my mind and I slide to a stop.
"Colby what are you doing, we're gonna lose it." My brother shouts from ahead of me.
I grab my chest. "I need a moment." I tell him and he's next to me in a flash.
"What's the matter?"
What if the animal we're chasing is Shay...? I don't want to take that chance.
"I don't know." I shake my head. Make up a lie Colby. "Um, can we finish this tomorrow, I just...I suddenly don't feel all that well." I lie and my brother believes me, I can tell because his face softens.
"Yeah, sure." He nods and places a hand on my shoulder. "Let's head back to camp."
"I'm just gonna go for a walk for a while if that's okay. Clear my head and prepare myself for tomorrow."
"Okay." He gives me a small smile then takes off back towards camp. Even with the sun beaming down on us draining us slowly my brother is still the fastest.
I look around the dense forest... where do I even begin? I need to find Shay; I need to see her again. And when I say need I really mean it.
I turn and start walking in no particular direction. Maybe I'll just run into her.
–
"Shay!" I call out into the woods. I've been looking for hours now, if I don't head back soon Drake will come looking for me. I look around the forest, through trees hoping for...I'm not entirely sure. Shay never really stays her human self so there are only so many things she can be. Is she limited to animals? Maybe she can be trees or like a bush, or maybe she's that Sasquatch thing that everyone always spots. I'll have to ask, I start to examine my surroundings trying to guess what Shay might be.
"Shay if you're around and you can hear me, please come out!" I shout a little louder than before. "Are you Shay?" I bend down and ask a squirrel. It holds very still and I stare at it wondering if it's my mystery girl preparing to shift. I think it may have stage fright. I take a step closer and I catch eyes with the squirrel. Oh now it's a stare off. I see how it is. Fine Shay want me to work for you attention, I don't need to blink any way. "Ha! You lose!" I mock as the squirrel goes about its business. I quickly come to my senses realizing that the squirrel is just a squirrel as it scurries away. I sigh and shake my head. I'm talking to animals right now, I feel ridiculous. I move further into the woods as I continue my search for her."Shay?" I question a deer as it stops directly in front of me, staring me down. Usually animals have a better sense of what I am and take off running. The fact that this deer isn't bolting makes me think it's the girl I've been looking for. I whisper Shay's name signaling her that it's okay to change if in fact she is the deer. I reach my hand out and the deer touches my fingers with its nose. I smile softly and my head whips to the side as I hear a rustle in a nearby bush. The deer, also known as not Shay, scampers off. The rustling picks up again and I cautiously walk towards it.
"Shay?" I call out sternly. I'm getting a little upset now. I know she's probably somewhere in a tree enjoying the one woman nut job show I'm putting on for her. "Shay is that you?" My voice quivers a little, and I furrow my brows at myself, don't be a baby Colby. Why am I the tiniest bit nervous right now? I bend down once I reach the bush to unveil hopefully the damn shape shifter I've been looking for—for forever it seems. It's getting dark and I'm close to giving up. "Shay enough games!" I warn as I push open the bush hoping to scare her. It is I who ends up getting scared as I see a long white face and beady yellow eyes pop out from the bush. It hisses and I scamper backwards sliding back on my hands and feet.
"Ew, ew, ew, that's a possum! That's a possum!" I shout as I get to my feet and contort my body to display my displeasure of the animal. I see it slowly come out of the bush and take a millennia to leave the area. I hear laughing and grit my teeth. "Shay! It's not funny! You got me looking like a deranged Disney princess talking to animals!" I shout up into the trees as the birds chirp all around me.
"What's a Disney princess?" She asks still hiding among the woodland creatures.
Gotdamnit! I kick up some leaves and dirt, growing more and more frustrated by the second. I whimper petulantly and stomp my foot on the ground.
"Alright, alright you big baby." It goes quiet for a minute and I wonder if my antics made her leave. "You're getting better at hunting." I turn around and see Shay standing there laughing at me; fully clothed and oddly... as much as it bothered me before, I'm kind of disappointed. "Finding me..." She stops laughing and smiles. "Not so much."
"Oh hardy har har." I roll my eyes and smile as I walk closer to her. "You can shift into anything you want; it kind of gives you an unfair advantage." I shrug. "You're wearing clothes." I point out.
"I figured you'd appreciate that." She flashes me a smile and I swear for a second it felt like my heart skipped a beat, but that's impossible because well... my heart doesn't beat.
"Thank you for thinking of my feelings." I reply as we reach each other. "Hi." I breathe out.
"Hi." She smiles. "So, why exactly are you shouting my name into the woods and asking random forest creatures if they're me?" She quirks a brow and puts a hand on her hip as she tries to hold back a fit of giggles.
I shrug and fight the urge to hit her for picking at me. "I didn't know how else to find you; you didn't give me your number after all and like I said, being a shifter gives you a bit of an advantage in the hide and seek game." I add as we take a seat on a nearby rock.
"Oh! We're playing a game huh? Well if I would have known that I wouldn't have revealed myself so easily." She smiles. "And I don't have a phone." She shakes her head. What kind of teenager doesn't have a phone? "The kind that doesn't need one because everyone she wants to talk to is within walking or flying distance of her." She adds and I stare at her wide eyed.
I'm starting to think she can really read my mind.
"I can't read your mind Colby." She chuckles and shakes her head. "You're not the first person to think I'm crazy for not having a cell phone."
"Where have you been?"
"Straight to the point I see." She smiles and moves closer to me.
"I just... I'm trying to figure out what I did to make you—"
"You didn't do anything Colby." She shakes her head. "I swear it's not you... you're not... I just can't come around your house anymore." She settles on.
"But why? My family is like me, we don't feed on people we—"
"It's not really about that." She purses her lips and shakes her head again. "There are some things that I can't explain to you right now. I just..." She pauses with a sigh and stands up.
"Okay." I nod and stand up with her. "We don't have to talk about it right now." I shrug and smile, shaking my head. I don't want her to run off again and I feel like if I push her too much for information that's exactly what will happen. "Where do you live?" I ask after a moment, looking around at the endless trees surrounding us.
"Around." She shrugs and smiles. This girl is so cryptic, but oddly it's what I like about her the most.
"I'm starting to think that these trees may be your home." I narrow my eyes at her as she bursts into laughter.
"Come on." She grabs my hand and starts pulling me to our right.
"Where are we going?" I ask her. She smiles and starts to take off her clothes.
"Just try to keep up." She shifts into a wolf and takes off. I grin and chase after her.
Oh I'll keep up alright.