The Shapeshifter

Book 1

The Fox

Chapter 2

I woke up as a human. Or rather, Lucy the girl-who-was-the-fox-but-not-now. Panic overtook me as I stared at the clocks on my hand. It was five o'clock and Beth and Alicia would be coming back anytime now, and I hadn't picked a single weed! To convince them that I couldn't, I had to get back into the shed.

I ran to the shed, noticing the crack which I'd struggled through as a fox. Oh no! It wouldn't be big enough for me to squeeze in! Just then, I heard Beth's car pulling up. Groaning, I leapt, and to my surprise, landed squarely inside the shed. I dusted some grass off me and huddled in a corner, putting on a miserable look on my face, as if I'd been shut in the shed for a long time.

Just in time. I heard Beth's enormous feet trampling around the garden, yelling, "LUCY HEARTFILIA! WHERE ARE YOU? NOT A SINGLE WEED IS PLUCKED!"

"I'm here, Be – Mom!" I shouted. "The shed!"

I heard Beth swearing under her breath, finally unlocking the shed doors. She glared at me angrily.

"And why, miss, are you here? Not in the garden pulling out all the weeds?"

"Mom, maybe – maybe she got stuck or something," Alicia stuttered.

"Yeah, Alicia's correct. The wind slammed the shed door shut."

"Even so, you could've called out to Jacky Williams, Benjamin or Ilicia," Beth argued.

"I didn't because do you think they can hear from the house?" I pointed to the mansion at least half a kilo away. Yes, that was how big our house was.

Beth looked stumped. "Okay, then," she replied, with a tone of suspicion. Then she stalked off, Alicia giving me an apologetic look. I followed after them, glaring holes into Beth's head. I knew that Beth couldn't feel it because she was smiling. Weird, because Alicia noticed it. She turned back and gave me a grin.

That night, we had chicken takeaway. It was delicious, but Beth didn't give me a lot. I went to bed with a half-full stomach, but Alicia came up a few minutes later with her share of chicken. I stared at her in surprise.

"Alicia?" I exclaimed. "You aren't going to eat it? But it's delicious!"

"I have too much, really," Alicia replied, blushing. "Plus I'm not even hungry. So here's the chicken for you."

Although I knew Alicia was lying ( and she knew that I knew that she was lying because she's sensitive like that ), I decided to accept the chicken, because it would hurt her feelings if I didn't. I patted the carpet in my room ( which was the size of a storeroom ). "Sit, Alicia," I said. "Why don't you and I eat half each? That way neither of us will be hungry."

"I suppose that's okay," Alicia answered. She quietly sat down next to me, leaning on my bed.

"I wonder why Mom treats you so badly?" she wondered aloud.

"No surprise," I said. "After all, I'm Dad's child with another woman."

"Yes, b-but, Mom shouldn't be so bad!" Alicia protested.

I looked at Alicia strangely. "You're the only Wildarts that thinks so, except maybe Benjamin, but thanks."

Alicia smiled warmly at me. "Let's go to the balcony," she said. "I know a nice place."

So I let Alicia lead me to the balcony. Together, we stared out at a night full of stars. It was beautiful.

Alicia pointed to a constellation. "See that, Lucy? That looks like Gemini. The Twins. And that is Taurus."

I apologised, saying that I didn't really learn constellations. Alicia wasn't surprised one bit. "Remembering constellations take a lot of work," she said. "I'm not surprised that you don't remember them. After all, you're more like an action person than a sit-and-memorise person." I grinned at her.

We fell asleep unknowingly, but in the morning I saw Benjamin looking at us. 'You're in trouble' was his only statement. Alicia blushed. She looked very worried. "Mom's probably going to scold you," she said.

"What about you? She's not going to punish you?" I asked. "Not that I want her to," I added quickly, seeing the hurt look on Alicia's face.

"Well, no," she replied. "She doesn't punish Wildarts. I hate the way she shows favouritism. We're all equals, Lucy."

I commented that her mom could learn from her, before stalking off to the dining room. Sure enough, I found Beth elegantly eating her omelette breakfast, not looking worried in the least. I found that infuriating. Didn't she worry about Alicia, never mind me? How much of a cold-blooded creature was she? Fury boiled inside me and my vision turned red again. No! Not now! I suspected that I had a very high chance of turning into a fox then, and it was the last thing I wanted to do, because Beth would probably report me and send me to some asylum or junior school. It was the perfect opportunity she was waiting for. I zoned out as Beth chided about going out alone, and acting caring and all that, because I knew that it was fake.

"Anyway, you may go to school now," she concluded.

I went to my room, put on my school uniform, and carried my bag. I go to St. Mark's Academy together with the Wildarts children. It was the only luxury I got, because the food they served there … it was heaven. And you should see the St. Mark's uniform. The girl's one consists of a yellow short-sleeved t-shirt, and a blue singlet over it. There was also a skirt ( whichever length you want ), a pink skirt collared by bright blue, which was really nice. The boy's uniform has a yellow long-sleeved t-shirt, and no singlet please. It would be revolting. Their pants were long, and absolutely not pink. It was actually grey instead, also lined with bright blue. You could also wear the optional blue and green hat or tie if you wanted to.

"Ilicia and Benjamin's already left," Beth called out as I stormed into my room.

A few minutes later, I and Alicia were walking towards St. Mark's Academy. We separated as we started our classes, because we had different schedules.

"Hey, Lucy," Levy McGarden, my best friend in my class, greeted me.

"Hey, Levy," I replied. Levy had short spiky blue hair and was really smart. However, the two school bullies, Mark Sprik, and Dax Jones, liked to pick on her. I was usually the one who prevented Mark and Dax from shoving Levy's head into the toilet and flushing it, or them hitting Levy. The result? I got tons of scars from fighting with them.

"It's my fight," Levy usually said. "This is school life for me. Don't worry, you don't have to fight Mark and Dax for me. I just have to get over it." I really liked Levy because she was kind and smart and didn't look down on me, unlike the other students who were always sneering, Oh! It's that Wildarts outcast, or Hey, it's the Heartfilia person.

"I would like to commend Levy for the working paper clock that she made," our teacher, Ms. Mazie, said. Ms. Mazie doted on Levy and me. She was also my favourite teacher. "Levy, go and bring the paper clock to Mr. Zachi."

The recess bell rang. Everyone poured out of the classroom but I knew that Mark and Dax were following Levy. I got stuck in the crowd, but, I smelled Mark, Dax and Levy really strongly. Fear was coming out from Levy, and Mark and Dax were radiating violence and menace. I had to get to Levy quickly.

Following my senses, I somehow ended up at the basement. I hid behind a block of wood and saw Mark and Dax cornering Levy.

"Well, well, there's our favourite girl, skipping off to Mr. Zachi, huh?" Mark sneered. "Looking for a little prize?"

"Give it back!" Levy shouted bravely.

"Oh, you mean this?" Dax asked innocently. He threw the paper clock onto the ground and crumpled it, snickering at Levy.

In that instant, tears poured from Levy's eyes and my vision instantly became red. I felt myself shifting … and sure enough, after a while, I raised my tail, and welcomed the fact that Lucy the Fox was back.

Just as Mark was about to hit Levy, I jumped out and snarled.

"Oh, a wild animal wants to protect you, Levy!" Dax exclaimed. "How touching! Then we shall eliminate it first!"

I howled, a shrill sound that surprised even me. The scream emanated from my throat, and I lunged at Dax. My sharp claws raked his cheek and soon I realised that I wasn't the only one shouting. As I clawed and bit and kicked, Mark and Dax looked horrified. They had multiple scars and were bleeding profusely. Mark tried to push me away, but with no avail. I snarled in triumph and circled around Levy. I'm not sure what the boys saw, but it must've been terrible.

I chased Mark and Dax out of the basement, howling for their mommies. Then when they were far off, I went back to check on Levy. From a distance, I saw that she was okay. Then, I quickly went into a bush and slept.

When I woke up, I was a girl again. I quickly walked into class. Ms. Mazie took one look at me and asked, "Where have you been, Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Lucy, didn't you say that you were sick?" Levy asked.

I sent a grateful look at her and said, "Yeah."

"Oh gods, what is wrong with this school today? Wild animal sightings, long-lasting nausea…" Ms Mazie shook her head in desperation. It was only then that I noticed that Mark and Dax weren't in class.

At the end of that day, I and Alicia and Ilicia and Benjamin went home. As we were about to have dinner that night, the doorbell rang.

"Who could it possibly be?" I grumbled, heading for the door, knowing that it was my duty to entertain any guests.

To my surprise, I saw a man with a beard outside. "Who are you?"

"I'm Owéné de Ulténé," he replied. "May I see Mrs. Wildarts?"

"She's in the dining room," I answered, leading him in.

I didn't listen to anything Owéné – weird name by the way – said to Beth. I just ate my dinner hungrily, because being a fox had really made me hungry.

It was only after we had all finished dinner that Beth walked in, beaming. "Mr. de Ulténé has already left," she said, smiling at me. Then I realised it couldn't be true. This was a dream, because, Beth, smiling at me? It just wasn't possible.

"Lucy, you're a genius! I'm going to send you to this school in California. It's called Mountain High Academy. It's a place for geniuses." Beth held my hands, giving them a big squeeze. "I'm so happy for you!" Then she went upstairs and helped me pack my bag.

I should have felt excited, but I felt dull instead. Leaving Alicia? And maybe being laughed at again? I couldn't deal with that. Not without Alicia.

As if sensing my thoughts, Alicia grasped my hand.

"You can do it, Lucy," she encouraged. "I can write letters to you. It'll be great! I only wish that I could go."

I gave her a brave smile, but I felt sadness at leaving this house, even if it treated me as an outsider. "I'll try to persuade them to let you come, Alicia."

"That isn't necessary. But thanks. Do you want me to stay with you again?"

"I don't think so, Alicia. If I'm going there, I need to practice staying by myself, right?"

"That's it, Lucy. That's the spirit."

That night, I slept soundly. But one strange thing – before I fell asleep, I had a strong scent of someone wishing me harm – real harm. And it was connected with the man who had come to our house.

Owéné de Ulténé.