Shifting Shapes Part 3: Shrug

Go to a Doctor, Idiot

"Do you have any plans for after high school?"

"Um… not really. Well, I kind of have to stay with the pack, so I'll probably get a local job and figure something out from there." He said, shrugging several times as he spoke. The girl sipping on her milkshake rolled her eyes.

"Well that's specific, and lame for a seventeen year old." She scolded, and he shook his head.

"How old are you, anyway?"

"… none of your business."

"Uh-huh."

"… technically I'm twenty-two, but being the shapeshifter I am… I look like I'm about your age for quite a while. I might age a few more years by my thirties, though…" She answered awkwardly and avoiding his penetrating stare.

"So you've been seventeen for four years?"

"More or less. My family doesn't really pay attention to age as much as most, so we just kinda… I dunno. Go with the flow."

"Well then, Miss exciting seventeen year-old, what did you want to do when you graduated?" The tall male asked, poking at her arm while doing so. He watched her slim shoulders rise and fall, mimicking the shrug he did when he spoke.

"I didn't. Graduate, that is. My friend got me a nice paying job doing some internet marketing, and with my family moving so much, I didn't see the point in finishing high school." She said with excessive shrugging. Embry shrugged in return. She shrugged again.

"What did you want to be before you quit? What do you still want to do?"

Another shrug.

Shrug.

"I used to want to be a doctor, but when I realized that I actually had to study, I gave that up. I settled for traveling the world and becoming an awesome artist." She said with a small blush, and looked away.

"… you mentioned a while back that you love traveling… moving from one place to another is practically in your blood. Um…" He faltered slightly, and licked his lips as he thought about his wording. Cassie, usually impatient, now quietly licked at her ice cream cone and let her mind wander into its' own little world. "If you ever leave, I'll follow you. I mean, not in the creepy way, I mean, I'll travel anywhere and everywhere… if we're still together, that is. I don't care for traveling, but I'm sure that it wouldn't be too bad."

Cass took a second to look at the goofy teen, completely expressionless. After a moment of just staring, and making him progressively worried, a wide smile tugged at her lips. "All right." She said simply, and leaned back again to lick at her ice cream cone. Embry, sitting on the bench of the table while she sat on the actual table top, just stared at her.

"… Do you think we'll last?"

"As long as you don't get on my nerves, wolf boy." She said with a smirk, and barely contained her laughter when he made a face at her. A sudden squeal penetrated the air when the boy stood pushed her back onto the surface of the picnic table, both hands at her sides. He smirked down at her, hoping that that had gotten on her nerves to prove his point.

Ooooooh yes, he got on her nerves all right.

Eyes wide, she let out a half scream as she quickly tried to get the freezing cold ice cream out of her cleavage, and push him away simultaneously. "Sorry, sorry!" He tried to brush off the sticky substance from her chest, but only got a slap in the face and kicked off of the table.

Contrary to her size, she was strong, and kicked him a good ten yards before he slammed into the ground. "Embry Call!" He winced at her tone, and started running as she darted after him, sticky cleavage and all.


"I can't believe you got me grounded, jerk."

"You deserved it, freak." She replied, and giggled as she jumped onto the couch, phone set securely against her ear. "That shirt is probably ruined now."

"I already apologized! I'm sorry! I didn't think you were such a butter fingers that-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what did you say? You're trying to blame this on me?"

"You gloat about how strong and awesome you are- I thought you would have been able to avoid stuffing ice cream down your shirt."

"You bumped it with your chin!"

"…Can we just forget about this? Are you free to hang out after I get out from school tomorrow?" He asked, moving around as he spoke so that it was muffled on his end.

"Nah, I think I'm going to catch up on some work and whatnot. Besides, it would be better if it didn't end up like the other night when you stayed the night." She spoke, and reclined back on the couch to stare at the ceiling. "I can get in huge trouble for that shit, ya know."

"Yeah, yeah. Seth doesn't mind covering for me, though. And I can't sleep a good nights rest without you. You make me beautiful."

"Getting a little too fabulous there, Bry?"

"You can never be too fabulous~!" He said in the gayest voice he could muster, and she cracked up laughing. The male smiled to himself on the other end, relishing the sound of her laugh.

"You are coolest pet ever." She managed to say after a while, but then suddenly bit on her lip in pain. Her hand reached up and gripped her neck, rubbing the tender skin in circles. "So… um… what's going on with Quil and his girl?" The female asked as she got up off the couch and hurried to the bathroom.

"Quil is hanging out with her today… he's the official babysitter, now. Although…" He went on to talk about the situation, all the while Cass pulling off the scarf from around her neck to look at the wound. Before she looked in the mirror, she saw blood on her hand.

Her chest refused to heave air into her lungs.

Her eyes widened.

"Yeah and… are you still there? Hello?"

"… I… uh, let me, uh… call you back." She mumbled, and hung up the phone before tossing it onto the couch in the living room, which was connected to the bathroom and only a few yards away. She closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing.

One Mississippi…

Two Mississippi…

Three….

Four…

Five….

The leaky faucet spilled drop after drop of water.

One drop….

Two drops….

The almost white porcelain sink reflected and glowed from the lights above the mirror. The marble counter bent and crumpled like a candy wrapper under the grip of her right hand, and her talon like nails broke as they dug into the hard matter.

A burning fire like sensation emanated from the now open wound on the right side of her neck. It spread like someone had set off fireworks in her body. Little sparks of fire flew into her blood stream and pumped into her arm and chest.

Her eyes dared to look up, to look at the cracked mirror and see what was happening.

The vampire bite from two weeks ago had reopened.

"Mother fucker…" She muttered, and gasped for breath as more and more blood oozed from the wound.

"I am. Not. A whore. I. am not. A whore." The phone sang in the other room, causing her to cough and crack a smile. The burning feeling started to cease, and it looked like the wound was starting to heal. (she hoped, anyway) An ashy, dark color started to replace the puffy red color around the bite mark.

"Damn it, Bry…" She muttered, and looked in the mirror again, to find what looked like an entirely different person. "Yuck… I hate blood… why can't we be filled with chocolate or something?"


"… that's not good." The vampire muttered, frowning deeply as he looked at the wound. His fingers gently touched the sensitive skin, but recoiled when she hissed in pain.

"This has never happened before. I've been bitten by you blood suckers plenty of times, and this has never happened. Maybe your other ability is poisonous poison… venom… things in your teeth." She grimaced, and looked at him. His eyes stayed glued to her neck, eyebrows furrowed, and she could see her reflection in those glossy orbs.

Her hair looked like crap.

"… you said it feels like the bite is shooting fire into you?" He asked, and she nodded, closing her eyes as a throng of pain ebbed across her chest.

"Yeah…"

"It looks like physical fire burned your skin… maybe your body took on too much venom and is trying to dispel it the only way it can- through burning it? Or maybe there's a chemical reaction occurring."

"Well what 'chemical' makes your mouth explode in flames of fire?" She asked sarcastically, and sighed in relief when he stepped back and let her re-wrap the wound.

"Garlic."

"Tch, of course."

"Cass…" He started, actually staring into her eyes this time. She raised her eyebrows, not liking the tone in his voice, and waited for him to continue. "We need Carlisle to look at this."

"No."

"Cass-"

"No. Just having Edward know is bad enough, and if it gets to the werewolves that I'm visiting Carlisle-"

"We'll say you sprained your wrist."

"And what about when I go home with no brace?"

"You heal quickly."

"… we're not going to Carlisle. He freaks me out." At that, Jasper laughed, and walked to the other side of the room.

"You're not afraid of me, but you're-"

"I'm not afraid… just… he weirds me out, all right? Any vampire that comfortable with blood is creepy."