Chapter 2
Amber soared through the cyan sky, looking for a certain red-bricked building. The red-bricked, brown slate roof building was Amber home. When using the word 'home' you usually think of a house with different rooms like the bathroom, bedroom and so on, but in Amber's case it was more of a...hideout ;a place where shape shifters lived.
She spotted the building from up in the air and swooped down while changing back into a sleek, slender teenager. Her purple streaked hair fell in her golden eyes which she quickly brushed away as she brushed herself off. The wooden door to the building opened as she approached it and, once inside, it quickly shut. The first place Amber saw was the hallway; it had cream wallpaper and oak wood floor with doors - similar to the entrance one - on either side leading to other doors. Amber always thought, growing up, that it was like a great maze with a different outcome for every door.
"Amber! You're home!" A familiar voice sounded. A woman, around the age of thirty, emerged from the second door on Amber's left.
"Hi mom," smiled Amber, hugging the woman. Amber's mom was actually a lot like her - more than an average mother and daughter. Their eyes shone liquid gold, (as all shape shifters have) they had the same pink tinted skin, the same platinum blonde hair and the same slender figure.
"So how was school?" Amber's mom - Teresa - asked looking directly into her daughters eyes.
"Like school always is mom, you should know that by now," Amber mumbled as she looked down.
"I know honey," there was a brief silence where the two ladies in the hall way said nothing, "so, did you see her?"
"Of course, would you ever doubt me? Her name's Ashley Smallwood - here's her file. I 'borrowed' it from the school," Amber grinned while pulling out a chunky, paper file from her black tote bag.
"Good, I'll get this to the elders. Why don't you come with me? I heard they want to talk to you," Teresa took the folder in her slender, pale fingers - flicking through the pages. Amber drew in a breath. The elders were the most powerful shape shifters in the world; they were in charge - whatever they say, goes. They lived in the lowest part of the 'house', in the most sacred part of the whole building. Amber had just noticed that her mother was heading towards the door she emerged from - nodding her to follow. Each room was different in its own way. There was a brightly coloured blue room, a serene magnolia one and finally a mauve chic room - this was Amber's favourite. Through the door they took two lefts and as they were about to enter a giant stone archway, a voice was hear.
"Amber, dear, is that you?" The old-sounding voice spoke.
"Grandma?" Amber raised a delicate eyebrow and peered through a small oak door on her right.
"Well who else would it be?" Amber's grandma smiled. Through the door was a large cream coloured room. It had little furnisher except for a chair at the back, a few pillows in the centre and other cupboards. There was a woman, however, in the chair with wrinkles embedded into her fair skin, mousy thin hair and dressed in a long brown dress with a lighter brown cardigan on top.
"Grandma, can we talk later please - it's just the elders want to talk to me," Amber stepped closer to her grandmother, a small smile spread across her face.
"I'm sure they'll be there after I'm finished. Now Amber, could you sit with your sister and her classmates for story time?" Her grandma beckoned her closer.
"Well," Amber began when she heard yet another familiar voice.
"Ambie! Ambie! You're home Ambie!" The shrill yet chime-like voice sounded.
As she turned around, Amber saw her sister - Tia - running towards her with her arms open wide. When she was little, Tia couldn't say Amber so she called her Ambie - although she was now eight, Tia liked the nickname. "Come here then Tia!" Amber bent over slightly and patted her thighs in a way which you would call a pet. At that moment the little, girl with slightly pale skin, light blonde curls changed, her hands and feet became delicate cat paws. Her head shape changed into a more feline shape as two white cat ears sprouted from her now furry head, her body became more streamline with white fur appearing as if from nowhere and finally a long, slender, white tail emerged from Tia's lower back. The fluffy, white kitten leapt into Ambers now open arms. She held the Tia-cat gently and stroked her head as she purred. "So will you Amber?" The voice of the two girls' grandma sounded in the background.
"Meow!" The Tia chimed in which to Amber meant 'please'
"Okay then...I suppose the elders can wait," Amber tickled the white cat in her arms.
"Oh and Tia," Teresa began, "please change back."
Swiftly, Amber set the kitten down on the floor, "see you later then mom."
When Amber looked down again the fluffy animal was no more, instead was Tia as a human dressed in a frilly pink dress with little white pumps. "Bye honey," Teresa quickly hugged the petite girl and left the three of them alone.
"Well, I think the rest of the class will be here soon so why don't you sit down?" The girls' grandma who, by now you should probably know is called Eleanor, asked. Amber and Tia nodded and sat quietly on the pillows playing with each other.
"Okay children, settle down. Today I'm going to tell the story about the first shape shifters," Eleanor shushed the children and began the story. Tia snuggled down with her head resting on Amber's legs.
"It was long ago and the people we now call the elders were once just as young as you. They all lived among each other in a small village where the houses were made of straw, they'd set up camp there for sometime now. One night there was a comet that flew across the sky - as the people of the village gazed at comet they began to feel different. It was like they had changed or shifted because of the comet.
The next morning all the people woke up to find that they had grown animal parts. Some had cats tails, some had wings, some had rabbit ears and some even had lion s manes. Everyone was worried about what they had become; they weren't sure what to do. But, a group of brave people - the elders - stood up and told everyone else to not be scared of what they were that they should embrace their animal instincts and not fight them. The people listened to them and began to use their animal parts to their advantage. Eventually, through time they began to turn to animals. They realised that they could change from animal to animal and still be a human after it all, they thanked the elders for helping them believe and rewarded them by making them the highest of them all.
After a few years of being able to shape shift they were contacted by the witches," Eleanor paused for a moment as she heard some children gasp and whisper in shock. After it was quiet, she continued, "you see the witches and shape shifters were once friends but...that's another story. So, the witches told them that there was a dark cloud which would take over the shape shifter lands. They said that an unpredictable enemy would approach. Like anybody, the shape shifters were shocked and unsure what would hold for them, they had no idea what would lie ahead.
After a few weeks of waiting, the enemy had come. They saw them with their transparent wings, their pointed ears and their weapons too. The elders knew that if a war started they would not win so they approached the leaders of the enemy and made a truce - that if they didn't attack the shape shifters then they could have the land. With that, the shape shifters left their homeland and settled here in Edwardsburg. And, children, do you know how I know all this - apart from it being basic knowledge? That's because I am a descendent of the elder Cassie. Now, story time is ov-"
Eleanor glanced around at all the children and realised they were asleep, some gently snoring.
"Great story grandma, it never seems to get old," Amber smiled at her grandma in the wooden chair. Her wrinkle embedded face grinned back, "oh and grandma?"
"Yes Amber dear," Eleanor almost whispered as not to wake the children.
"How am I supposed to get up?" Amber nodded towards her sleeping sister who was resting on her lap in her half form.
Eleanor chuckled and shrugged at her granddaughter. A few minutes had passed and Amber was still unable to move.
"Grandma?" She asked.
"Yes Amber?"
"Do you know what the elders want?" Amber tried to not make eye contact - something she did when she was nervous.
"Yes - but I'm not sure if I should say it now. Just in case idol ears are listening," Eleanor breathed almost too quiet for anyone to hear. Amber nodded as if to tell her grandmother that she understood what or who she meant by 'idol ears'.