Rahne stalked into her room gloomily, with a face as dark as thunder, and flung her bag down with more violence than was really necessary. At that moment, she would have decidedly swept even Marian aside, had her friend tried to console her.
"My life is getting plain ridiculous!" she shouted angrily to the ceiling, in Gaelic. "Pure ridiculous! What's going to happen to me next, I turn into an ant?"
Storming over to her desk, she sunk down onto the chair and buried her face in her hands. Right in front of that hateful Roberto had her hands turned into paws. How was she ever going to face him again? In his eyes, she was already an enemy. What would he see her as now? A freaky wolfish enemy?
"If this occurs again, I am SERIOUSLY going to have to consult a psychiatrist!" she snarled. "Am I already losing my mind at this young age? Or is there really something wrong with my genes?"
She jerked her chair backwards angrily, her hands tugging insistently at her red hair. Onto her bed she sank, staring bleakly at the clean, pale blue ceiling.
Something was changing. Again. She could almost feel it in every inch of her slender body. Her already fair skin paled, and her heart seemed to beat twenty times its normal rate. Trembling convulsively, she leaped off the bed, not knowing how to react.
Reddish-brown fur sprouted all over her skin, covering every inch of it. Her fingers merged together, grew shorter and ended with short, sharp claws. Her nose extended forward, so that it was soon completely visible, now black and shiny. Her ears grew longer and pointed, moving upwards so they soon rested at the top of her head. Her whole body seemed to either shrink or bend, so that Rahne soon realized she was standing on fours.
As a finishing touch, a thick, furry tail sprouted behind.
A terrifying howl loud enough to bring down the ceiling echoed throughout every corner of the house, like that of a wailing banshee. There was just no stopping it. The howl tore through her throat until it burned like fire, yet Rahne still couldn't seem to stop. There was just doubting that this was reality, no longer a mere realistic nightmare.
She was, by then, more than frantic with fear. Like an insane wolf, she tore wildly around her room, not caring that she knocked over half the objects. All that ceased her wild, insane run was a collision with the wall – right next to her mirror.
And Rahne made the worst possible mistake of looking into it.
From the depths of the mirror, a large brown wolf stared back unwinking at Rahne.
Paralyzed with shock and horror, Rahne froze utterly. Not one bit of fur moved at all.
"Humph…I could have sworn I heard a dog howling in here."
Uh-oh. Not looking good at all.
Before Rahne could regain enough senses to react, the door swung open, and there stood Mrs. Sinclair, a slight frown on her usually calm and composed features. Rahne's heart and breathing ceased altogether, and she could only manage to stare stupidly at her mother.
"Aaahh!" Mrs. Sinclair let out a squeal of fright and surprise, and backed away, her features contorted with horror now. Retreating momentarily, she snatched up a broom which leaned on the wall outside, and brandished them ferociously.
"Get out!" she thundered. "Out! No wild animals are welcome in my daughter's room! OUT!"
Rahne whimpered slightly, and slunk backwards. Her mind at that moment, fortunately human enough, was over flooded with a whole tumult of emotions, yet she managed to keep one very vital thought clear.
I am a human! her mind bellowed. I am a human! This is not my body! I AM a human!!!
Looking fierce enough to bring an entire pack of wolves down, Mrs. Sinclair advanced with her makeshift weapons.
Rahne boldly held her ground this time. Mind over matter! she sternly ordered herself. You will be yourself again, no matter what! You will not give in!
"Rahne?"
The young Scottish girl was changing again. Right before Mrs. Sinclair's horrified eyes, the peculiar wolf begin to straighten up. The fur seemed to dissipate, forming fair, clear human skin. The tail gradually shorted and vanished, and the wolfish face change to that of a human. By the time Mrs. Sinclair had remembered to breath normally, the wolf was nowhere to be seen. Instead, where it had once stood, there stood Rahne now instead.
"Oh – my – goodness!" Mrs. Sinclair seemed to be on the verge of fainting there and then. Colour drained away from her face completely, making her as white as a sheet. "Rahne…is it possible you are a…mutant?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Everything sounded like gibberish to Rahne at that moment. Tears streamed down her face, but she made no attempt to wipe them away. "Mother, what is happening to me? Am I turning into a freak?" Even from more than a meter away, Mrs. Sinclair could feel the tension, the utter fear in her too-pale daughter.
"No!" Mrs. Sinclair cried. Allowing the broomstick to clatter onto the ground, Mrs. Sinclair ran forth and threw her arms around her distraught daughter. "Don't ever say that again! Being a little different will never make you one!"
"How much of this do you already know?"
"Enough to wholly understand your situation." Mrs. Sinclair drew in a deep breath and let it all out. "Rahne, will you care to hear an explanation? It will not exactly be something you want to hear."
"An explanation might calm my nerves a little."
"Right. But please, don't get too frightened. You're not the only person with this…difference."
"Difference?"
"In your genes. This mutancy causes a change in your normal genes. Giving rise to a whole variety of unique powers. Some can manipulate the weather. Some can walk through walls, or move objects simply by thinking about it. Others possess great mind powers. In your case, your mutated gene has clearly given you the ability to morph into a wolf."
"No way!" Rahne burst out. "How can I keep going to school if I'm going to turn into a wolf every moment? I'll earn an unwanted reputation as some sort of monster-girl who can turn into a wolf! Why on earth do I have to be cursed with such powers? I just want to be like any normal kid."
"Rahne, you did not choose your mutancy. It chose you. Your power is not something that can simply be undone. Besides, it's not the end of the world. You can still do everything you enjoy doing. You might even learn to like your power, once you've learned to master it instead of letting it master you."
"What?!" Rahne almost shrieked.
"Listen to me, Rahne. Your powers will only become a curse if you permit it. You currently call it so because your power is still untrained and new. But in time to come, you may come to find your power a blessing, something you can use to help others."
"You seem to have great knowledge on this topic," Rahne remarked. "Where did you learn so much of this?"
Mrs. Sinclair smiled, and did not give her daughter a direct answer. "Do not worry, Rahne. A source of aid already awaits you. If you will accept it, you'll find life much easier."
"Who, mother?" Despite herself, Rahne was obviously starting to open up, hope written all over her face.
"Ah, just you wait a little, Rahne, and you'll soon see!"
Now, please please please REVIEW!!!!! I'm still getting way too few reviews!!! Maybe I should carry out my threat after all, and hold back from updating the next chappie until I get at least FIVE reviews!!!!
Come on, readers….all you have to do is click on that little purple down there, south-west, and write a sentence or two!!! Go on!!!!! If I do get five reviews soon enough, then I'll make sure the next chappie comes up more quickly!!!!
