Learning
The questions were basic, but they cut Kela to the bone. She was desperate to get out of the situation, to retreat back to her little shell, her little world. She kept her eyes down; for fear that she might have another outburst. She could smell the fear radiating off of the registrar, and a quick glance showed that the pen was shaking in his hand. The beast inside her smirked, and settled down to wait.
He took fingerprints, and a DNA sample. With a quick nod, he scuttled out of the room, relieved to be out of the sight of the Shifter girl. Kela remained in the chair, her back straight, soaking in the recent encounter.
She's alive. Somewhere, if only I could hear her, feel her presence. She is alive I can't believe it. Liam could help me find her.
Kela, I recommend staying away from Liam. I sense that he is not what he seems…Kela, why is it that you never told me of what happened?
You read my thoughts! You said you would never do that. There are things that…are better left unsaid. Charles, what am I going to do? Kela twisted her head, in an attempt to remove the force on her mind. The Primeval was thrashing against its cage, desperate to unleash this pent up anger, the anxiety in her emotions. She rose from the chair, and made to leave, to be alone with her thoughts and try to calm the beast within. Logan was blocking the entrance.
"Kid, what was that? What was the doctor talking about? You are dangerous? Please, you won't even fight back when I try to help you. What the hell is going on?"
"If it wasn't for you, I would be safe somewhere in the jungle, not here, trapped like some animal! Just leave me alone!" Kela had stomped up to him, inches away from his face. She shoved him out of the way, and he flew back against the other wall. Kela stared at her hands, amazed at her own strength, as if she had forgotten her skills. She bolted down the hallway, and ran up to her room.
Luckily, Kitty wasn't inside. She slammed shut the door vaguely hearing the cracking of the varnished wood as it hit the doorframe. She sunk to the floor, yelling out all of her anger. There was something that snapped inside her, and she felt something not entirely unfamiliar.
Kela! You need to calm down. Listen to my voice and focus. Remember, you are not an animal like they make you out to be. Focus! The voice told her. Kela's mind was a jumble, like the beast inside her was scattering all thought. Kela grabbed at her temples, desperately trying to listen. She stumbled to the vanity, knuckles turning white as she gripped the sides of the wooden dresser. Slowly, she looked up at herself, and was terrified at what she saw.
Instead of the eyes she had seen all her life, the sinister yellow-green iris of a Primeval replaced her dark green orbs. The pupil was slit like a cat's, and it glared at her like some deadly animal. She immediately shut her eyes in an attempt to remove the Primeval. She collapsed on the ground and curled into a ball, focusing on what the voice had said.
Slowly, she felt herself locking the Primeval back in its cage dooming the creature to wait even longer to feel freedom.
"Kela?" she heard a voice, this one in reality, behind her. She unfurled herself and sat up. She turned to see Pete opening the door, which had a large crack that ran jagged from the top left corner down to the middle of the right side. Pete stared at her, looking concerned. As he opened the door, Logan and McCoy were behind him. Kela brought herself to her feet, glancing in the mirror to check her eyes. Her dark-green ones, filled with fright, stared at her.
"Start from the beginning" McCoy said.
Before I was in Costa Rica, I was in Mexico, then Texas, Alabama, Florida, well, you get it. I think I was born in the woods, outside Toronto. My parents were like me, and they taught me everything. We stayed out of the way, and everything was fine. I was nine when they came. I don't remember much, just the sight of my mother's body falling to the ground. The next thing I remember I was in some part of the woods, and I was covered in blood.
I ran. The next time I looked at a map, I was in Pennsylvania. There was a Camp of Shifters like me, and I stayed there for a while, until they found us again. We disbanded, and I kept moving. I lived in an old building in Virginia for about eight months, and then I followed someone to North Carolina. That is were I met Maria. She was older than me, and helped me learn to trust people again. She was a natural leader, helping set up a huge Camp with over 30 Shifters. We lived peacefully, and soon moved to South Carolina, somewhere warmer. I was so happy, and Maria was my best friend. It was almost a year later, around February, I think, about six months after the MRA was set up, that I learned what was inside me.
One of us in the Camp had gone to the company and told them where we were. It had snowed, and was snowing again when they came. Maria and I were putting down the younger ones when we heard the gunshots. We ran outside the tent and saw dozens of men in black swarming the camp. Maria told someone to get the children and get them to a safer place. I was going to help him, but she grabbed me, and told me to Shift. We changed into wolves and started running. It was so cold, but we never stopped. I remember slipping on the ground, and realized we were on a frozen lake.
I fell through, and it was so cold, I couldn't move. I tried to get to the surface, but the water froze around me. Maria punched through the ice and pulled me out, and we ran until I saw a cave. I shifted back but I couldn't warm up. We found some old clothes stashed in a box, and tried to warm up. I didn't want her to start the fire, but it was so cold.
I wasn't warmed up when they came. I heard a gunshot, and saw the blood on the snow. Maria held her arm, but the blood soaked through. They grabbed her, and she struggled.
'Run! Just keep on running!' she told me, but I didn't listen, I changed into a mountain lion and attacked. I felt something unleash inside me, and I started killing, but they kept coming. I felt a pain, and saw her. She aimed a gun at me, and there was blackness.
Everyone told me that once I was captured, I would never be seen again. I escaped before they took me to wherever it was. They made me run impossible distances, and injected me with some kind of serum that made me feel like I was on fire. They wanted me to open what was inside me.
Every Shifter is gifted, but it is also a curse. There is a…being inside us that is all raw power. And rage. Only the most advanced Shifters can get rid of the Primeval, and all others have died or been taken over by it. It means death, and I would rather face a hundred years in that place than be caged underneath that thing. I live every day hoping I can keep it under control.
Once I escaped, I kept moving, until I was in Mexico, and then Costa Rica. I guess you know the rest.
Kela stared ahead, feeling like she had removed about 80 pounds and eight years off her life.
"Well, that certainly is…interesting." Logan quipped.
"I will go crazy if I can't leave. There is only so much of the same thing I can take."
"You have no choice. Let us help you, see if we can't tame this thing inside you. Logan and I both have experience taming the beast. Now, I guess you—" McCoy began.
"I've done it! Kela, you don't ever need to worry about showing off more than you want to, I've created the miracle fabric!" Lex burst in the room, waving around a black piece of clothing. Lex felt the tension, and scratched his head.
"What'd I miss?"