“Good,” I say, a little smugly, finally feeling like I’m getting a scrap of power back. I get to my feet, dusting the dirt and grime off my hands. God, I need a shower. “Then I guess we don’t have anything else to talk about.”
“Just a minute, Millie,” Samantha says. The women both stand up, their expressions unreadable. “I would advise you to think long and hard about this,” Samantha continues, staring at me with her big blue eyes. “It’s true that we can’t force you to come with us. But that doesn’t mean your life can just go back to normal now.”
My eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”
“For starters,” Josie chimes in, “your powers have been activated now. There’s no undoing that once it happens. Sooner or later, you’ll end up with your back against the wall again - and I’m guessing sooner, considering you seem to be living on the streets - and you’ll shift again. It’s a dangerous ability, and if you don’t learn how to control it, then you may end up hurting someone. Or yourself.”
“I’ll take my chances,” I snap, not liking the condescension in her tone.
“Second of all,” Samantha adds, crossing her arms over her chest, “you’re on the grid now, Millie, whether you like it or not. We detected your identity and your magic, and if we could do it, then others will be able to as well. Other shifters, for example, and eventually, humans, too. If our liaisons with the human community find out that there’s a rogue shifter out in the world, they’ll watch you. And if - when - your powers start to cause problems, because you’ve never been trained in using them, they will come after you.”
I swallow, feeling my confidence falter a little. “And then?” I ask, not sure if I really want to know the answer.
“And then they’ll deal with you as they see fit,” Josie finishes. “Humans may be our allies, but make no mistake: they’re not our friends. This school is a way of protecting you from their perception that shifters are a danger to the world. If you don’t accept our help, you’re taking on the risk of living your life as a rogue shifter. And trust me when I say that rogue shifters don’t last long.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “But that’s not fair,” I protest. “I didn’t ask for any of this! Now you’re saying that if I don’t give up everything I have here, they’ll never leave me alone?”
“No,” agrees Samantha. “It’s not fair. But it’s the reality of the world we live in.”
“Besides,” Josie says, her tone gentle but firm, “what’s left for you here, anyway?” I feel like her eyes are boring a hole into me, seeing more about my life than she has any right to know.
And why shouldn’t she? some part of me asks. Look at you. You’re dirty, you’re alone, you’re lost, and you have nowhere to go. It doesn’t take a genius to see that.
True enough. But I’m not about to give up my freedom so easily. I’ve spent my life being passed from one person to another, never getting a say in it and never being in charge of my own fate. I’d rather be alone than be a prisoner. “I don’t have much,” I agree, “but I’m not giving up any more of what I have to make other people happy.” I square my shoulders, looking from one woman to the other. “Thank you for the offer,” I say, “but I’ll take my chances.”
Josie bows her head, and Samantha gives me a curt nod. “Okay,” she says at last. “If that’s what you want. You’re making a mistake, though, and I think you know that.” I open my mouth to argue, but she holds up a hand. “Relax,” she says. “It’s all right. I’ll tell you what, though…” She turns to look at Josie, who nods, seemingly already knowing what she’s going to say. “We aren’t leaving the city until the morning,” Samantha tells me. “It’s a little past midnight now. We’re going to depart from the docks on the south side of the city--the pier down by the old marina. If you change your mind--and I strongly suggest you do--come meet us there at nine AM. We’ll be going whether you show up or not. Think hard about this, Millie.”
“Okay,” I say, nodding. “But I’m not going to change my mind.”
“If you say so,” Samantha says. “In that case, we’ll say goodbye now.” She motions to Josie, who nods to me before turning and heading in the direction of the door. “Be seeing you,” Samantha says, and follows her.
I’m left to watch them go, feeling more alone than I ever have before.
It takes me a long time to go back to sleep. After setting an alarm on my phone, and noticing that the battery is getting low--I’ll have to find a place to charge it before too long, I spend a long time back on the sheet of cardboard, staring at the ceiling. For a while I’m afraid to go to sleep, wondering if the thugs from earlier are going to return--this time with friends--but after more than an hour I let myself relax a little. If they were really going to come back, they probably would have done so already. Most likely they don’t want to take the risk, and I don’t blame them. I’m not under any illusions that these powers--whatever they are--aren’t dangerous.
The longer I lie there, trying to find sleep, the more I start to have second thoughts. Was I too hasty to send the women away? It was obvious they wanted to help me, and as shocking as this all is, wouldn’t it be better to have someone in my corner, someone who understands what’s happening to me? What if I transform again and hurt myself… or someone else? Then there’s what they said about humans coming
