Here's where the action starts to pick up!
---
Chapter Three
"Will, would you make dinner tonight?" Her mother's voice was muffled through the closed door.
"Mom, I told you this morning - I'm going to see the new VMJ movie right after school!" Will shouted. "I'm just home to change clothes!"
"Oh, sorry. I remember now. You'll be home by seven?"
"Yeah, sure." Will was standing in her room, dressed in cargos and a bra, surveying a bed covered with shirts.
The tank top? Seth said, front feet on the edge of the bed. No, not that one, the other one.
"Are you serious? It'd clash horribly." She lifted two shirts and held them up, one after another, peering at her reflection in the full-length mirror borrowed from her mom's room, then tossed both on the floor. She groaned.
"How are you going to help, anyway? You're color-blind." She snorted and grabbed a peasant top.
Is the door locked?
"Yeah. Why?" Will dropped the top and looked at him warily in the mirror.
I'm going to shift to a form that can see color.
"Oh, that's fine. Go ahead."
Will waited a few seconds, then turned around and burst into laughter.
"A baboon?" she managed to say through her giggles.
Yes. What's wrong with that? He said defensively, hopping onto a chair and from there to her desk.
Will managed to stop laughing, but her sides still shook. "N-nothing. Forget about it."
Wow. I forgot there were so many colors. Seth said, eyes flicking around the room. Will considered and rejected two other shirts before he spoke again.
The pink one with the stars?
In no time at all Will had chosen a shirt, Seth was a dog again, and both were out the door.
---
"Matt, come on. You agreed at lunch today, and besides, you hate VMJ!" Will pleaded with her boyfriend outside the movie theater.
"Yeah, but then Caleb offered to help me work on my fencing." Matt said, grimacing and bringing his hand to the back of his head.
"You promised." Will let her bottom lip hang out in a pout, a trick she had discovered about a week ago.
"I did, but-" His words trailed off.
"Why don't we just take Seth with us to Elyon's house?" Caleb spoke up. Matt glared at him.
"Great idea! Thanks, bye!" Will ran to join the girls in the theater with a quick wave.
Will and her familiar had grown more and more relaxed over the two weeks spent together. Seth wasn't obsessed with staying with her every moment of the day, and Will was as comfortable around him as any of the Guardians.
Matt hadn't come as far.
The two eyed each other warily until Caleb grabbed Seth's leash and started walking away. Matt followed, hands shoved deep into his pockets.
He brightened considerably when he saw Elyon's backyard.
"Where did you get all this stuff?" He exclaimed, rushing to a broadsword lying on a table. It was more heavy than he'd expected, and he nearly fell over picking it up. He ignored Seth's laughter as he struggled to keep it steady, holding the handle with both hands.
"I folded into Meridian and Elyon let me borrow some things from the castle armory," Caleb said, taking the sword from Matt with one hand and holding it aloft.
"Man. I'm too weak as Matt. Can't I do this as Shagon?" Matt looked up hopefully.
"Uh-uh. The mask ruins your peripheral vision. Besides, your wings will get in the way." Caleb grinned at Matt's sigh and handed him a wooden training sword.
Elyon no longer lived in her old Victorian house, but her "parents" still owned the property, even though they supposedly lived in Australia. They had hired a housekeeper to keep it from falling into disrepair, and assured Caleb that she only came on the weekends.
Seth pawed the collar from his neck, leaving the chains in a pile on the grass. While Caleb and Matt parried, he wandered over to a tree and lay down in the shade. After a few minutes, he grew bored and got up. He shook himself off, then shifted to a golden eagle and took off with an almost musical shriek.
The swordplay halted as both boys watched the magnificent bird wing up to the roof of the house.
"Wow," Caleb breathed softly.
Matt wasn't impressed. "He's just a shapeshifter. Not even human," he said tersely, not voicing his other thought: What does Will see in him?
Caleb looked at him sharply. "He's just as human as you and me." To prove his point, he tilted his head back and called to the eagle watching from above. "Seth, want to join us?"
"As what, a gorilla?" Matt snorted.
"All shifters have a human form." Caleb said. Matt's eyes widened in surprise. "You didn't know that?" Matt silently shook his head.
I don't want to intrude on your training, came Seth's reply.
"You'd only be helping Matt! He needs more practice," Caleb said.
I'm not in the mood to be human right now.
Caleb shrugged, but was obviously disappointed. Matt only felt glee. He had feared that Seth's swordplay was better than his own. His ego would survive intact.
But Caleb had other plans. "You don't have to be in human form. It will be good practice for Matt to fight with creatures other than humans." He called, ignoring Matt's alarmed protests.
They couldn't see Seth's grin as the eagle spread his wings, but the hard edge to his yellow eyes was very visible. Seth swooped down, then shifted to something much bigger before he even reached the ground.
Matt took a step back, wooden training sword limp in his hand and dragging on the ground, but Caleb just chuckled. "Nice," he said appreciatively, looking over the enormous golden cat standing before them.
Thank you. Seth stood taller, preening.
"Are you INSANE?" Matt shouted, gesturing uselessly with the wooden sword. "I can't fight a freaking tiger!"
"We fought shapeshifters all the time in Meridian for practice." Caleb said easily. "They can go easy on us and heal fast."
"But we're not in Meridian! We're on Earth! And on Earth we don't fight tigers!" Matt said, eyes hard as he glared at Seth.
"Not with that sword, anyway." Caleb took the wooden one from Matt's shaking hands and threw it aside. He walked to a table and came back with a gleaming rapier – razor sharp and quivering with excitement.
Matt's fears were drowned by exhilaration. "I can finally use a real sword?" he said, slashing the air with the lighter piece of metal.
"You're going to need it against a tiger." Caleb walked a fair distance away and sat down on the grass to watch.
"Hold on. I still haven't agreed to this." Matt looked into Seth's gold eyes and shuddered slightly.
Relax. Seth held up a paw. It was like a kitten's: soft and furry. Retractable claws, remember?
"You won't attack me with them?" Matt said suspiciously, his brows drawn together. The tiger shook his enormous head. "Or your teeth?" Another no.
"Well then." he said, relieved but still apprehensive.
Matt moved his feet carefully into a fighting stance – apart, one slightly in front of the other. He held the rapier carefully before him, the shield close to his chest.
There was no preparation for Seth except to crouch.
"On three," Caleb called. "One... two... three!"
Matt sprang into action, slicing the air furiously. Seth dodged every attack, moving gracefully, each movement fluid and rippling. A growl rumbled in his throat.
Matt stepped closer and slashed again, then made a stabbing move at Seth's flank.
The tiger leapt out of the way seconds before the sword fell.
"Stay... still..." Matt muttered through clenched teeth as he tried and failed again and again to land a blow on the ever-moving tiger. A drop of sweat dripped into his eye and he shook his head furiously to get it off, never once glancing away from the growling tiger before him.
In a move faster than either human could see, Seth lunged and caught the flat of the sword in his teeth. Matt yanked on it, but the tiger's iron jaws held. He tried for another minute to wrench the sword out of Seth's mouth, but nothing worked.
Finally, he unclenched his hand from the rapier's handle. Seth bent his head to let it fall from his mouth.
But while Seth's head was lowered, Matt raised the hard metal shield in both hands, and with a battle cry slammed the sharp edge into the tiger's shoulder.
Seth roared, a ferocious wild sound that made clouds of birds erupt from nearby trees. He ignored the blood pouring from the open wound and leapt. Matt gave a panicked yell as his vision went striped.
Caleb stood up and ran to the pair, heart beating adrenaline-fast, sure that he would find a bloody and very dead Matt lying on the ground. But instead, he saw a four hundred pound tiger standing calmly on the boy, front paws on his shoulders and back on his thighs.
"Uh, I think he beat you." Caleb said to Matt. He gathered his courage and ran a hand down the tiger's back. The great cat shivered in obvious pleasure.
"Can you just get the stupid thing off me?!" Matt yelled, face contorting in pain. If Seth was distributing his weight evenly – which he clearly wasn't because of his injured shoulder – Matt would have about one hundred pounds pressing into each limb.
Seth flashed his fangs at Matt, then shifted into his dog form and limped away. Matt glared at the waving tail before sitting up and rubbing his shoulder.
"Bad idea, man." Matt said, accepting a hand and letting Caleb pull him to his feet. He groaned and rotated his arm, wincing in pain.
"Whatever you feel is nothing compared to Seth," Caleb said sternly before walking away and kneeling beside the dog.
Anger and humiliation rolled off Matt in waves. Hatred etched into every line of his face as he watched Caleb tending to his girlfriend's familiar.
No wonder I was the Angel of Malice. The thought came unbidden, but Matt was immediately ashamed. What had Seth really done? It wasn't even his choice to be Will's familiar, and so far all he'd done was his job. He had convoluted himself into thinking of this practice fight as a battle over Will.
There was no battle, he realized suddenly. Will wanted him, he wanted her. It was that simple. Seth was just a friend. Who happened to live with her and see more of her than he did, he added.
He was just going to have to accept and adapt.
---
"Ohmygosh, that part when he kissed her while fighting off the aliens – totally epic." Hay Lin chattered as they exited the theater.
"I dunno, those aliens looked pretty fake." Taranee bit a nail. The other girls replied right away that of course they looked fake, they spent all the budget on making VMJ look good and didn't have any for special effects, because the whole point of the movie was him.
The conversation paused as each girl pictured the star with a dreamy smile.
"The line in the poem about her long blonde hair – you could tell that was a reference to his love for me." Cornelia said, flipping said hair and striking a pose.
Irma snickered. "Don't say that around Caleb – he'll run off to challenge his competition to a duel."
"Forget the rest of the movie. The scene where Vee Em Jay" Irma pronounced each letter of his nickname as a separate word, "sang the song to her before going to battle. That was the best part." She clutched her heart and pretended to swoon. The girls laughed and settled into fangirl conversation, quoting favorite lines every minute or two.
"I don't know where Matt and Seth are," Will said during a lull in the conversation, biting her lip.
"Relax, the movie just got out." Hay Lin said. "We've got plenty of time before we should worry."
"Exactly eleven minutes and forty-two seconds." Irma said under her breath, looking at her watch. Will stared at her in horror before pulling out her cell to check the time.
"C'mon, Will." Taranee said. "We'll stay with you until they get back, okay?"
Will nodded mutely, staring at the empty sidewalk.
Twenty minutes later, all of them were worried.
Irma was pacing. Taranee was figuring out exactly how long it took to walk from Elyon's to the theater. Hay Lin was playing with a pigeon feather. Cornelia was braiding her hair before someone reminded her that Caleb was with them, then she bit her nails and made threats to no one.
And Will just sat there, staring into space.
"Should we unite?" Hay Lin whispered.
Will simultaneously shrugged and shook her head, then breathed a heavy sigh and got to her feet. The other girls looked at her, waiting for a verdict.
"Let's go to Elyon's house."
---
They met the guys halfway there. Cornelia rushed into Caleb's arms, then pulled away and berated him for making her worry. Taranee, Hay Lin, and Irma began reassuring Will that there was never anything to be scared about and that they all overreacted.
While Will stared at the blood on Seth's fur.
She stood there stupidly for half a minute, not even noticing Matt's attempts to greet her, then gave a strangled cry and rushed to her familiar's side.
"Will!"
"What's wrong?"
"Everything's okay, what're you-?"
"The blood, why so much blood," she said brokenly, gently touching the matted fur on Seth's side.
Everyone stopped talking.
"Will, there's no blood there." Taranee said finally.
"It's right there, look, can't you see it?" Will said, gesturing at the dog who had yet to say anything.
"No," came the reply from all four girls. They glanced at each other, each wondering if Will had gone mad.
"I'll show you." Will said, before gazing into Seth's eyes. "Can you shift to a polar bear for me, pup?"
Instantly there was no room on the sidewalk; the immense bear took up a whole two squares.
But it was as clear as red paint on white canvas. The girls gasped, then wondered why the guys didn't. It wasn't long before they started accusing them. Seth, unnoticed, shifted back into his dog form. Only Will saw his wince.
Caleb halted the angry questions with a hand, then started speaking.
"It was my idea." This started another horde of questions, but he shook his head and continued. "I wanted Matt to get some practice fighting animals, so I asked Seth to fight him. Seth ended up getting hurt." He paused, gauging the girls' reactions. "I did let Matt use a real sword," he admitted. "He probably wasn't ready."
"Is- is Seth going to be-" Will paused to draw in a rattling breath. "okay?" She finished in a whisper.
Caleb smiled down at her, not at all condescending. "He'll be just fine. Shapeshifters heal fast, so the wound should be gone by morning."
Will's face broke into a relieved smile. Her knees suddenly felt weak; she put a hand on the side of a building to steady herself.
"Oh no!" Taranee's voice broke the happy silence. "I was supposed to be home ten minutes ago!" This made the others remember their curfews, and the group broke up quickly.
Nobody noticed Caleb walking beside Cornelia.
Finally only Will, Matt, and Seth stood on the sidewalk.
Her smile had since melted away, and anger burned hard in her eyes. "Matt, how could you?"
"I'm so sorry." He pleaded, taking her hands. "I was jealous and I lost control-" Confusion swept through Will.
"Why?" she interrupted. "What's there to be jealous of?" But a cold feeling settled in her chest. She had feared Seth would stand between Matt and herself. What would happen if Matt couldn't deal with him and left her? Her breath came in gasps.
"Nothing." He sighed and brushed a lock of hair from Will's face. She looked up and met his eyes. "I don't know why, but Seth being here made me, I dunno, angry, jealous. But it's over now." His dark eyes were impossible to resist, and Will pressed her lips to his in a surge of emotion. He kissed back twice as hard, clutching her to his chest.
They broke apart, both gasping for air. Will smiled sheepishly and mumbled something about the time. Matt smiled and ambled away.
Will remembered Seth and looked around. She spotted him a few yards from her, lying down and looking pointedly away.
"Are you really okay, puppy?" Will picked up his leash and tried not to wince when she saw him struggle to stand.
Caleb wasn't lying, you know. This'll be gone in a few hours. He looked down at the gaping wound and licked it half-heartedly.
"I'm already late," Will said, checking her watch for the fifth time. "I need to run to get home before dark. I'll carry you so you don't have to strain your leg." Seth nodded his agreement and in a second was the tiny rabbit.
Will scooped him up, then paused before placing him in her purse to kiss the top of his furry head. She sprinted towards home, chains jangling as they hung from her fist.
It didn't take long to get to Will's building, and even less time for Seth to shift. Will slid the collar over his head, being careful not to touch his shoulder.
In a lucky coincidence, Will's mother was asleep on the couch when they entered the apartment, the TV still blaring. Will silently turned it off (ignoring its greeting) and followed Seth to her room.
Will collapsed into her desk chair with a small groan. She remembered the reason for going out at all, and tried to picture VMJ's face. She failed.
The back of the chair was uncomfortable after sitting in the movie theater for so long, so she got up and lay spread-eagled on her bed. The mattress springs protested loudly.
Your mom just woke up, Seth informed her, and just after the words entered her mind, the door opened. Her mother stood there, hands on hips and looking deadly.
"Will, what time did you get home?" She asked.
"Uh, six forty-five?" Will said weakly, sitting up.
"Wrong answer." With that, her mom left the room, ignoring her daughter's protests.
"You're grounded," she called back, before switching tones and announcing that dinner was ready.
Will didn't bother to argue with her mom's verdict. When her mom used that tone, she knew her case was hopeless.
She picked at her broccoli casserole, only managing to eat a few bites.
"What's wrong, hon? Not feeling well?" her mom asked, sounding concerned.
"Just ate too much popcorn." Will lied. The truth was she couldn't get her mind off that first sight of the blood on Seth's coat.
The meal was over quickly. Will helped her mom clear the dishes and retreated to her room. Seth was already there, licking his injured shoulder.
"Are you sure I shouldn't get some antiseptic or at least bandage it?" Will asked.
Positive. But we might have to do something about the blood. Seth's voice was almost wry.
"Oh, right." Will bit her lip. "I'll give you a bath," she offered. "It wouldn't take more than ten minutes." Seth shook his head.
I'll take a shower, he said after a second, pawing off his collar.
"D'you want me to help-?"
No. It's about time I shifted to human form anyway.
Will snapped her mouth shut, feeling excited. She realized that she had been unconsciously looking forward to seeing him as her own species. She couldn't really compare him to Matt or Caleb if all she saw of him was a dog or rabbit. Not that she would compare them, she hastily corrected herself.
"Great. I'll tell my mom I'm taking a shower. Go in the bathroom now," she said. Seth nodded and limped out the door. Will waited a full minute before sticking her head around her door and saying "Mom, I'm gonna shower now, okay?" overly loud.
Susan nodded, intent on her magazine. Will walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Immediately she saw a pile of Meridian clothes on the floor. Seth's clothes.
Through the shower curtain, she saw a very human silhouette. It was plain that Seth was both taller and more muscular than Caleb. Will stopped, suddenly shy around her familiar. How old did Yan Lin say he was? Just a few years older than her, she remembered. Then why did his figure remind her of her dad?
How do you work this thing? Seth asked. Will saw him struggle with the hot and cold water control. She told him how it worked, then realized she was whispering.
"Why aren't you talking normally?" Will asked once the water was on. She was sitting on the floor, staring at the opposite wall. Watching Seth shower felt like intruding somehow.
What do you think your mom would do if she heard a male voice from your bathroom? He asked with an emotion somewhere between exasperation and amusement.
"Oh, right. She'd freak out." Will added unnecessarily.
After minutes that felt much longer than sixty seconds, the rhythmic sound of water hitting ceramic stopped. Will's ears rang, adjusting to the change.
She got up slowly, and took a towel from the rack. After a second of just standing there, she threw it over the curtain. She saw Seth catch it and begin to dry off.
"I'm going to run the blow dryer for a few minutes." She whispered. At Seth's puzzled feeling, she continued, "So mom won't be suspicious of my dry-" Her words died in her throat as Seth shoved the curtain aside. He wore the towel around his waist, but that couldn't hide the rest of him, which was more than plenty to look at.
Suddenly, "pup" seemed a very foolish nickname.
She had yet to see Matt with his shirt off, but she knew the sight would be nothing like this. Even if her boyfriend worked out for hours every day, he would never achieve what Seth already had.
After getting over the initial shock of his rather, ahem, muscular form, Will took in his other features. He had a square jaw and a face that was built to complement it. He was old enough that all the baby fat in his cheeks had been gone a long time. His eyes were a muddy mix of blue and green – it was disorienting when Will was used to the puppyish chocolate. The harsh fluorescent light gave his chestnut hair red and gold tones.
Seth, to her surprise, was even more self-conscious than Will. Want me to shift back? he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Will couldn't answer – the simple motion made his arm muscles ripple like nothing she'd seen before.
"You should wear this form more often," she managed after a minute. Seth raised an eyebrow.
"No, seriously. Caleb can get Earth clothes for you – it has to be more comfortable than being a dog all the time." It was Will's turn to cross her arms and raise her eyebrows. Cornelia wouldn't be near as proud of Caleb if she saw who Will's familiar was as a human.
It's not horrible, Seth said with a shrug. Will saw him wince at the movement. She stepped closer to inspect his wound. She hadn't even noticed it before she looked for it – the lack of streaming blood made it look far less life threatening.
Before Will could say otherwise, he shifted back. The towel fell from the dog's rump, landing in a heap on the floor.
Will relaxed instantly. Next to Seth's human form, Will felt vastly inferior. Irma's question, "Are you sure he belongs to you and not the other way around?" suddenly had more merit. How could she hope to be master of someone who could kill her as easily as squashing a bug?