Chapter 4
Shuvani learned fast. It was only a couple months before she was a loud to see her family, and a couple friends even. Chave screamed in happiness when she saw her mother, and ran into her arms. Shuvani picked her up and cried into her neck, wanting to squeeze her tightly but knowing she would crush her if she did. She hugged everyone in her family, and they all cried as she did. When they moved, she saw that a couple of her close friends, who knew about the family, were in the living room waiting. She had told her family ahead of time that she would be coming on this day, so she knew they had had her friends come over too.
Her best friend Drina looked into her now black eyes and said, "You are what you were meant to be." Then hugged her. Drina, though she had no connection to any of the creatures that Shuvani knew about, was pretty powerful in her own right, and often saw clips of the future. She was also very sensitive to auras, and Shuvani's was huge to her now. After they hugged, she hugged her other two friends, Maria and Bryhanna. She could sense something in Bryhanna that she hadn't noticed before, and when she thought about it she realized that Bryhanna felt like a shape shifter. It was a very weak strand for no one in the family to have felt it before, but it was there, and Shuvani was fairly certain it was some sort of avian.
"What?" Bryhanna asked her when she looked at her funny.
"Oh, nothing, don't worry." Shuvani turned to her other friends and family. "It's so good to get to see you all again. You wouldn't believe how tough it's been for me these last couple months, not even being able to check in on you guys. As it is I can't stay long. I have control now, but it's not great. I don't want to put any of you in danger." Shuvani said sadly, not wanting to have to leave again so soon. But she had no choice. She would never forgive herself if she hurt someone she loved. "So, while I'm able to stay, I need to hear updates from everyone. " She said, changing the subject and smiling. She took Chave out of her mothers arms and sat on a chair in the living room, holding her close while she listened to everyone tell her what had been happening. Chave fell asleep sucking her thumb, and Shuvani's heart nearly broke, knowing she would have to leave her precious girl here.
Her brother's both had new girlfriends. For some reason, there were a lot of Nyuesi here, and they had each found one. Kendric was dating a shape shifter, a sparrow to be exact. Their grandmother was a little hesitant about the idea, but she had met the girl and really liked her. Kendric seemed crazy about her, though they had only been together for a month and a half. Jerich was dating a witch. By heritage she was a Smoke witch, a healer, though she had never been trained. He was teaching her how to use her powers, as much as he could, and had been talking to a Smoke witch named Caryn to come teach her the rest. Caryn was about Shuvani's age, and the strongest of her line, so she was the best to teach the girl.
Her parents had just been taking care of Chave, and really didn't have nay news, other than that she missed her mommy.
"I miss her so much too, but I can't be around her for to long just yet." Shuvani said, and looked at her baby girl, asleep on her lap.
Bryhanna didn't really have anything to report. She had been feeling restless lately, not sleeping well. Shuvani realized that she would have to take her aside soon and explain that she was a shape shifter, and it seemed as if so much proximity to Shuvani's powerful family had awakened the previously dormant gene.
Maria had started school again, and was getting ready to move onto becoming a psychiatrist.
Drina had some of the most interesting news. She and her girlfriend of the past four years had broken up, and Drina was now seeing a guy name Derren. Shuvani was happy not to know the name, as if she did it would probably mean he was a vampire. Although when she talked about his dark brown eyes, and perfect beauty Shuvani resolved to meet him. She would not have her friends and family used as play things in vampiric games. As one of Siete's direct fledglings, she was already strong enough to fight most vampires, and win, and even if she couldn't, it was well known that she had Siete's protection, and so, by association, did anyone she was protecting.
She stayed with her family for a couple hours, then teleported into her daughters room and gently laid her down. She kissed her cheek and teleported back into the living room to say good bye. Though they all knew this wouldn't be permanent, there were still tears all around.
She made plans to hang out with all three of her friends separately, then teleported herself to India, where she had been staying, in one of Siete's numerous houses.
The hunger was back.
She needed to hunt.
It was late at night, but the streets were still full of people. As she wandered the streets, looking for her next meal, she drew many stares. It wasn't often in India that you saw a platinum blond, pale skinned girl walking the streets, completely alone. And it wasn't long before a group of men approached her with less than pure intentions. She purposefully walked into an alley, and waited at the end, making it look like she was lost. She felt the three men enter the alley and stop not far from her. Reaching out with her mind, she knocked two of them down, dead, leaving the leader staring in terror as she slowly turned, a predatory smile on her face.
You know, the law of the jungle is kill or be killed. You're either predator or prey. You're not a predator, you're just prey. A true predator would have sensed the viper hiding in the grass, waiting to strike. Now, you've walked into the viper's trap, and it's too late to turn back.
Shuvani whispered into his mind, knowing he understood her words. As he turned to run, she teleported in front of him and laughed in his face. A part of her cringed at how quickly she had accepted what she was. The other part relished in the game. A cat toying with the mouse before it bites deep into its neck.
She laid a veil over the alley. Anyone that looked in would see nothing. No one would hear the screams of the dying man. Or the laughter of the satiated predator as she sauntered out to enjoy the night, leaving the bodies for the police to find. She wasn't worried about being found out, her family's records were not available to the public, and were provided by SingleEarth. Although, if it became common knowledge that she killed when she hunted, she may be banned from that place, but her family never would, so she didn't really worry about it.
She didn't return home to sleep until dawn, falling happily into the large, soft bed and drifting quickly into a deep sleep
