Everlasting Souls
Prologue
I remember my lives. I faced the unknown and the results were wonderful. That was the way I had lived my lives; recklessly, stupidly. But I believe something so strongly the risks seemed tiny compared to the regrets. And that was: Some people are so afraid of dying, that, they never start living. Amazingly, that had not led me to my destruction. But it had been the idiocy of man and shifter' kind alike. And now I'm here in some void in the universe with my reason for being. And that was far more then enough.
Chapter 1- Zera
I rose from my bed after another sleepless night. I walked to the window by my bed. Normal Cleveland weather; always hot and sunny. I brushed my hair as I stared out the window overlooking a forest. But it was 2097, and everyone knew our planet was reaching its end. And with it, us. But no one talked about it. Human kind continued with their schedules like nothing was happening, like zombies. Most non-beneficial plants slowly withered away as our time has. Any non-domesticated animals have died out. Except, of course, the shape shifters. They amaze me. I have always wished to be one, but my grandparents think it's was stupid to want to be an animal. The shape shifters are humans that can transform to an animal at will. The animal in which they transform to is based on their personality.
I desired this fate the most when my last surviving parent died while on a late night work call. I set my hand on the pendent hanging from a chain around my neck. I always did that when I felt sad. It was like the necklace gave me strength. I still don't remember where I got it from. Anyways, child services shipped me to my grandparents because I'm under age at 17 to live on my own. But not for long, in a couple of days, I would be 18. Another thing that was beyond strange was that, my entire life, I had near-death experiences every few years. And miraculously escaped with no more then some bruises and no memory of how I escaped.
As I stared out the window, I saw a reflection of myself in the glass. I saw my hair that was naturally different shades of brown. My eyes which were dark brown. And my tall, mid-weight figure staring back at me. When I finished dressing, I ran down the steps to see my grandparents drinking coffee and looking through the paper.
"Morning, Zera" My grandmother, Susan, said.
"Morning, Gran." I replied
Susan just turned 71 and my grandfather, Nick, just turned 73. I didn't feel any connection with them. It had just been a few weeks ago that my mother died. I grabbed a Pop Tart, and my book bag. Then I strode out of the door to face the unknown at my new school.
Chapter 2 – Connor
Isn't it funny how running for you're life snaps you're existence in order? I thought I had dodged a lot of bullets in the past. Well, now I'm dodging real bullets. I rapidly moved my four paws in unison as I swerved and tried to push my legs faster. That's right, four paws. I'm a shape shifting black wolf. My legs shrieked in protest as they grew tired.
"Connor! Let's end this now!" Said my dad. Another bullet flew just inches from my muzzle. "You're a monster. You shouldn't be allowed to live!"
As I sprinted across the forest which held almost no cover anymore, I realized that this might be the end of my existence. I wasn't just any shifter', I was one with multiple life cycles. I had had 23 full cycles, and with the world ending, this would be my last. Amazingly, I had remembered them all. None had been this dramatic. The reason why my parents were hunting me was simple. They were crazy religious and their religion stated that I was unholy because when I turned 18 today, I shifted to a wolf for the first time in this life. It always happens at 18.
"You won't win, Connor! Give up and we'll make it quick!" my mother yelled, not to far away. And with that, my paw snagged on a tree root and I fell. I tried to get up, but my paw was tangled in the root. Damn these paws! As I laid there, struggling against the roots, my lives flashed before my eyes and I came to a realization. I had only been loved by someone once. Especially after my "parents" found out what I really was. I had only loved once. A brown-haired beauty. She also had several life cycles. In most of them, I had found her and we spent our last few months together. But she never remembered her past lives. Every cycle, it got harder and harder to convince her of our past lives lived together. This is how my existence would end, at the hands of crazy religious shifter-haters, without ever once being able to spend a life with my one true love.
And within seconds, my "mother" approached me with a rifle and stared into my green eyes as my "father" came from behind me with a shiny object in his hand. And he was rapidly approaching.
Chapter 3 – Zera
As I drove to the school, I felt my skin tingle. This has been happening a lot since I turned 17. I turned the AC up to max. I heard the weather was much different back before 2024. Now its 80 plus everywhere except the Artic where its 40 plus. I only see pictures of animals. Except an occasional shape shifter. Shifters are still mostly mysteries to us. We just found out they exist. I pulled up to the school building. It had three floors made out of brick and a large, browning campus. I parked my Chevy in the giant parking lot. I walked in the school building to see countless students walking through out the halls. I immediately spotted some of the various cliques. Goths, preps, nerds, skaters, drama club, tomboys, jocks, cheerleaders, christens, and wannabes. But I never cared about cliques. I hurried past the groups to the main office.
"Uhhh…Hello? I need my class schedule." I spoke in a hushed tone.
"Yes, here Ms. Sandalio. I'm Mrs. Kellerman, you're secretary." Said the dark-haired, middle-age woman from behind a wooden desk.
"Thank you." I replied nervously.
I walked out of the office to see a girl my age looking hopped up on something.
"Hi, New Girl, I'm Emma. Wanna be friends? Huh? Huh?" said Emma. She was shorter then me with blonde hair had had brown streaks. She also had deep sapphire eyes that sparkled at me.
"Umm…it's Zera. And sure…I guess. And what are you smoking?" I replied, serious.
"YAY!" She screeched in my ear. I jumped back. "Sorry. Not smoking anything. I had coffee." She answered. "We are going to be great friends!"
God help us all.
Chapter 4 – Connor
Turns out, my "parents" wanted to prolong my death. They had managed, even with my super-human strength, to get a dog muzzle on me and drag me home. And then they had to force me to change back. After throwing a blanket over my waist, my parents approached me with one knife each.
"We told you to cooperate. But you didn't. So now we must make this painful." My dad sneered.
I had many sarcastic remarks, but instead, I peered through my black curls and waited for a moment's mistake to take advantage of. That moment came when my father loosened the belt going around my arm and the arm of the chair. That was enough to break the belt with my amazing strength. I leaped up from the chair, breaking my restraints. As soon as I could, I shifted from man to beast as swiftly as I could. Within seconds, I was standing in attack mode, hackles raised, on four paws, baring teeth, snarling. I leaped on my "father" and bit on his neck, crushing his spine and windpipe. As soon as I was sure he was dead, I left his rag doll- like body on the cold basement floor.
My "mother" stared at her soul mate's lifeless carcass. Guilt began eating me alive. But I had done this deed to save my life, I should feel no remorse. Before I could react, my "mother" had grabbed the rifle from the table and fired. I yelped in angst as the bullet imbedded itself into my front right leg. I pushed the pain away as I sprang on my mother. The rifle slid out of her reach. I looked into her blue eyes.
"Please. Spare my life" She pleaded weakly.
Why should I? You didn't hesitate a second to take mine. I sent into her thoughts; another shifter' trick.
"I don't know. Please. I thought I raised you to respect life" She whispered under my weight.
I respect life. Just not you're life. But I will let you live. Do not come anywhere near me for the rest of you're existence. I thought harshly to her. I got off of her and strode out of the door. I finally felt the full pain of my wounds, the guilt, and the bullet in my leg.
Chapter 5 - Zera
As I ran out the door of the school, I sprinted into my car, hoping that I had missed the rush of students and their cars. Luckily, I had. I stopped at a little restaurant on the way home. By the time I finished at the restaurant, it had gotten dark. When I was almost "home" I noticed a pair of emerald green eyes staring at me through the forest bushes. As I slowed to get a better look, I saw that the eyes belonged to a massive, jet black, dog. And then as I pulled over to see if it was lost, I saw that it had blood running down its front right leg. I grabbed the leash that I kept in the back of my car for my own dog and hurried to the dog.
He gave out a little growl as I approached, but limped over to me as understanding lit his emerald eyes. I slipped the leash around his neck and, with no hope of carrying the massive dog, slowly walked him to the car. When we reached the car, I helped him jump into the back and made him lay down. I sped a little the rest of the way home. I didn't take him to the vet's because I studied with a veterinarian for a while and knew how to handle this.
When we reached my house, I rushed him in where I rested him on my other dog's bed. After retrieving my mini veterinarian's kit, I disinfected the wound. Then I removed the bullet, stitched up the wound, and finally wrapped it up in gauze, medical tape, and vet wrap.
"It's okay, doggie, my grandparents are out traveling for a month. I'll find a way to keep you."
And after washing the blood off his leg, I lay next to the large dog and stroked his head. I stared into his gem-like, almost hypnotic eyes.
And then, a voice that was not like my in-head voice, said Finally
Chapter 6 – Connor
It was her, my soul mate. The reason I keep coming back. After she had picked me up from the side of the road, I wanted so badly to shift back to start explaining the tingling of her skin, that she would soon turn into a wolf as well. But I didn't have the strength. And I was probably better that I wait until her 18th birthday when she could help me protect her from all the hell she would break loose. I savored the precious moments I spent staring into her chocolate brown eyes after she had patched up my leg. Even though she didn't know who I was yet, she seemed to, deep down, remember my eyes.
I wanted so badly to pull her lips to mine in celebration of our love reuniting us again. But all I could do right now was to give her a little lick on her cheek. She had never seemed grossed out by that before, and that still holds true due to her love of all things furry and feathered.
After mustering up enough strength, I explored the house. And soon I met a giant Great Dane with "Konnor" on his tag. Wonderful, she named her Great Dane after me. Feeling offended, I limped into the kitchen where my love, Zera, was making something in her beautiful hands. Then she placed a bowl of dog food in front of me. Oh, God, just remember me, already! My soul mate just fed my dog food. Reluctantly, I took a few kibbles of food and swallowed them; for her. When she left, I carried the bowl of food to "Konnor" to trick Zera.
That morning, I awoke from my dreams of Zera to see her hurriedly packing books and school supplies. I whimpered a wolfy whimper then I realized that her going to school meant 7 hours without Zera. She looked at me in surprise to see I was up.
"Morning doggie! You need a name. What about Snickers?" She said calmly.
Yeah, name the Great Dane after me and name you're soul mate after a candy bar. I flattened my ears and looked her in the eyes to look like a sarcastic expression.
"Guess not. See you later, doggie." She said and hurried out the door.
The next 7 hours passed very slowly and I decided that it would be okay to tell her now. Soon I got enough strength to shift back. After I did, I searched through the house for some decent clothes. Unfortunately, clothes didn't just pop back on after I shifted back from wolf form. Eventually, I found a shirt and pair of pants that belonged to her grandfather. They almost fit well and didn't look to old for me. When she came home, I hoped not to scare her, but she stared hyperventilating at the sight of a boy in her grandfather's clothes sitting on her couch.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" She gasped, out of breath.
"I know this is all very strange to you, but I'll explain every detail." I said, slowly and calmly.
"Explain what? Take my money, just please leave me and my dog." She said nervously.
"I'm not here to take you're money or you. Sit down, please." I replied.
Trustingly, she sat on the recliner.
"I will give you five minutes to explain." She said strongly.
"Okay. It's all very strange, just hear me out." I said slowly.
I told her everything.
Chapter 7 – Zera
"You're crazy. That's not possible." I said, looking as his black mini-curls that hung to his shoulders. But it was all true, I knew it, he knew it. I remember those beautiful eyes. And I remember things that I never did. And people too; people I loved. And the feeling of running through the woods, but I never had, not like that.
"Are you okay? You look pale." He, Connor, said.
"Uh yeah, Sorry. And," I looked to Konnor "sorry about that."
"Yeah, thanks for that." He said with a laugh.
I walked over to the couch Connor was on.
"I'm starting to remember things…and people." I said, looking into his emerald eyes.
"So you remember me now?" He asked, excited.
"Yes. Most of the things I remember are of you." I said in a low voice.
He leaned down to kiss me. I pulled away.
"Nope. I don't care how long you claim you've known me. We get to start over." I said cheerfully.
"Fine." He laughed. "You've always been like this. Then can I take you out on a date so I don't come across as a total creep to you?" He said, still smiling.
I debated that. "What did you have in mind?" I asked.
"Well, you loved poker in you're past lives. I know this really cool casino. Its 21 and up, but we can sneak in." He shrugged.
"Okay." I said , getting up.
"Uh…Zera?" He asked.
"Yeah?" I replied.
He stepped closer to me and leaned down to peck me on the cheek.
"Eeeeeek!" I squealed and slapped him. As I ran to the car, he smiled a triumphant smile with a red hand print on his cheek.
Chapter 8 – Connor
"Wow, you were right, I do love poker." She said excitedly.
"I'm always right" I said as we drove to her house in her Chevy.
She ignored me, thinking now. "So, where do you live?" She asked. I'd managed to avoid the question until now. But I had to tell her the truth.
"Well, nowhere now. Since my parents found out about me." I looked down, remembering the crunch of my father's neck in my powerful jaws.
"Well, you can stay with me. And what happened to you're dad? You never told me." She replied.
"Thank you, Zera." I said "And I…I… killed my dad." I shuddered at the word. She now looked frightened and angry.
"Connor…you…how?." She said edging away from me.
"He was about to kill me. I feel so…there aren't words to describe this. I'm so, so, so so, sorry, my love." I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed it.
"I know. I'm sorry, sweetie." She said, understandingly.
"You did nothing wrong. I'm the killer." I said, forcing the words out.
" You are not a killer!" She snapped at me. And pulled her hand away, "You had to do that. It's okay."
"No, it's not okay. I don't want to talk about this right now." I said. My knuckles were turning white from taking my guilt out on the unfortunate steering wheel.
"That's okay." She said as we arrived at her house. We got out and walked into the house.
Chapter 9 – Zera
After discovering Connor's massive appetite, I had to run out to the store. Connor insisted to go himself but I told him no. And with me no means no. I used some of our winnings from poker to pay for everything.
I loaded everything into the trunk of my Chevy then hopped in the front. I was a few miles from my house and Connor when three big, black SUVs boxed me in on the side of the road. I tried escaping, but it was not possible. Then eventually I had to stop because escape was impossible. Then a few big men and one woman emerged from the SUVs.
A man grabbed me and forced me into the truck. I noticed an emblem on the other side of the trucks. It was the government's shape shifter control unit. They hire people to live in certain places to find shifters' so they can be quarantined until the government is sure that we are not a threat to them. They have facilities full of shifters' to do cruel tests on. Now I was doomed to the same fate.
Chapter 10 – Connor
After realizing Zera had been gone much longer then she should have been I shifted and ran along the street in the forest. That's when I saw Zera's black Chevy on the side of the road with the door open. I ran over and breathed in the scent of Zera. And then the pungent stench of about three men. I raced forward, toward the scent of Zera. As I raced past the miles of deadening forest, the sweet smell of my Zera got stronger and stronger. Soon, I reached a bridge where Zera's scent was extremely strong. I looked off the bridge to see 3 black SUVs speeding along the freeway. The SUVs had the Shape Shifter Control emblem on the side. They were taking her to the shifter' control unit were they would do many cruel tests on my love.
The ground was easily six stories below the bridge I stood on. I weighted the chances of me becoming road pizza. With my being a shifter', I could probably survive this. Probably.
Leading with my heart, I leaped with my hind legs and began to drop the six stories, eyes set the SUV I was sure Zera was in. I preyed that I would survive long enough to save her. I landed unsteadily on the top of a truck and toppled over. I got up instantly. My paws ached, but I leaped off the truck and started sprinting toward the SUVs, ignoring the excruciating pain in my bullet leg. My other legs screamed in protest, but I ignored it as well and persisted across the concrete freeway. I was about 4 times bigger then a normal wolf and 15 times stronger and faster. I pushed my legs faster and faster until I reached the side of the SUV. I barely saw her beautiful face as it lit with hope through the tinted windows. And then, I switched sides and sprung through that window so I wouldn't hurt Zera. In the car, I saw 2 thugs in the back with Zera, one in the front, and my mom in the passenger seat.
I quickly yanked the first thug out of the car, onto his concrete grave. Meanwhile, the thug next to him was frozen in shock. I killed him in seconds. I grabbed Zera by the back of her shirt and leaped from the car, landing perfectly on my paws. But, mid-air, I lost grip of her and she went flying toward the grass, and I wasn't sure where exactly.
While I searched franticly for Zera, I saw my "mother" holding up my bloody Zera with a knife at her neck in the other hand.
"Move and I stab her." She said calmly.
Why are you so intent on killing me and Zera now? I thought to her.
"Because you killed you're father, my soul mate. Now I'm killing yours."
He was not my father and you are not my mother. I thought as she prepared to slice Zera's throat. I sprang with super-human speed onto her, knocking the knife out of her hands. Haven't we gone over this before? I gave you a second chance. No more. I thought as she plunged a second knife into my wolf chest.
I saw Zera passed out a few feet away from me. That was when the world went black.
Chapter 11 – Zera
I awoke to the feeling of grass beneath me. My eyes fluttered open to see Connor in wolf form, surrounded by people. I was surrounded also. We were on the side of a freeway still. It was still dark. The woman had fled with her remaining thug. Connor was bleeding, but he was walking. Now I could see that his bullet wound was now a pink round mark in his leg. But now, he had a stab wound in his chest that kept oozing blood. It wouldn't kill him, but he needed help immediately.
He came by me and motioned to his wolfs back. He wanted me to get on his back. In a few seconds, I realized I was in great pain. I couldn't feel half of my body. Seeing my struggle, he knelt on his front legs to help me. With my remaining strength, I climbed onto his back. He was enormous and strong so I was easy to carry. I grabbed a handful of fur and held on. And then he sped toward my house with his amazing speed.
My hair whipped in my face as we sped down the road. Connor's paws were a blur under me. I had a death grip on his jet black fur. People stared wide-eyed at Connor as we passed.
Beep…Beep…Beep…
My eyes fluttered open. My body ached.
"Oh, your awake." Said a stout woman in a lab coat.
"Where am I? What happened?" I groaned.
"You're at a hospital. Your boyfriend came here bleeding and hurt." She explained slowly.
Oh God, Connor. I tried to jump out of bed, as I pulled out needles and tubes . But the nurse called security. I felt a pinch and the room went black.
Chapter 12- Connor
I laid in a bed of leaves and moss in the forest, deep in thought. I don't know why I just laid there. I had no idea if Zera was alive. She was hurt so badly from everything. So, to pass time, I though about the girl I once loved. I don't think she ever loved me, so I don't count her. This was right after I became a wolf in my second life.
After a perfect day with her, Lilly took me back to her apartment.
"So…this is my apartment." She said cheerfully, but her voice faltered.
"I like it. Beautiful. Like you." I leaned down to peck her on her cheek.
Then, I cooked for us. I cooked chicken parmesan for the both of us. After dinner, I told her I had to leave. So I went and she closed the door behind me. When I was half way down the steps, I heard the door open, voices, and then the door closed. I went back up to check on her, but when I tried to open the door, I found it was locked. I summoned all of my super-human strength and slammed into the door.
What I saw took a minute of complete stillness to sink in. I didn't believe it. I saw Lilly, half shifted to her panther, over the bloody corpse of a TV repair guy. She had human hands, and was holding the man's bloody heart in a pool of his blood. She was drinking his blood. She held the man's heart mere inches from her face, mouth open, receiving the blood dripping from the corpse.
"Lily! What are you doing?" I asked, even though I knew the answer. Her head shot toward me in shock. I shifted, and quickly put an end to her.
I sprung up, grabbed a pile of spare clothes, and bolted toward the hospital. I soon reached the large building. I slipped the clothes on, and walked into the building. As I stalked in, a receptionist lifted her head at me and smiled.
"Well, hello. How may I help you?" Becky, according to her name tag, asked me.
"I'm here to visit someone. Zera Sandalio." I replied sweetly.
"Room 281" She said simply.
I jogged to her room, unable to control myself. When I arrived at her room door, I saw she was awake, reading a People magazine.
"Well, hello beautiful." I said softly.
She sprang from her bed, "Connor!" her casted leg faltering beneath her, causing her to trip. I sprang and caught her before she hit the ground. I helped her reluctantly sit back on the hospital bed. I sat next to her and turned to face her. To my great surprise, she leaned toward me, and kissed me. And not just any kiss, but one that held so many centuries of longing. I felt the brush of her lips, and mine parted automatically beneath the pressure. The kiss began gentle, but became fierce and powerful. She moaned, wanted more. My hands held the small of her back, pulling her closer with an animal longing. Before I lost my purpose for coming here, I broke off the kiss.
"Connor, I remember everything!" She exclaimed softly.
"Really? Never mind that for now. We need to get you out of here. I can heal your leg now." I whispered.
I scooped her up into my arms gently and began jogging down the hall, managing to escape the building without alerting anyone. Knowing that it was 11:56p.m. on the day before her birthday, I took her to a clearing in the middle of the woods.
" Zera, it will be your birthday in a few minutes. The change will be much less painful under the moonlight. When you turn, your leg will be healed." I explained to her slowly.