Shifters (Shifters series Book 1) (9 page)

Chapter 12

Gamers, Keepers, and Groupies

–TANNER–

So, we
’
re way too excited and looking for my sister. We see the girls walking out of the Subway. Kai is at the end of the street looking around the corner. They finally see him and walk toward him. A couple of guys wearing aprons step out of the Subway and watch my sister and her friends walking away from the shop. Typical. Well, maybe it
’
s typical. Lord knows our day hasn
’
t been so far.

We catch up with them right when they get to Kai. I
’
m just about to tell them what happened when he shushes Ryland and they talk about this kid playing some game on his iPod at the bus stop. He looks like an average fourteen-year-old waiting for a bus.

“That game is rad,” Frederick whispers. “They say it is anyway. I couldn
’
t get it on my phone. When I had a phone, you know, before Tanner—”

“I told you I
’
m sorry,” I say again, for the millionth time. I was playing Angry Birds, I couldn
’
t get through this one level, and the screen started flashing. Then it went dark. Frederick
’
s dad said he broke it and he wasn
’
t old enough to take care of one yet, so he didn
’
t give him another. Frederick has been phone-less ever since.

“What game?” Melinda asks.

“Enforcers,” Chucky and Frederick whisper together.

“Shh!” Kai hisses again. “I need to know if he sees anything yet.”

“I still don
’
t get it,” Ryland whispers again.

Kai pulls the iPod out of his pocket.

“Oh, yeah,” Ryland whispers with a nod.

“Oh, yeah what?” Alice asks.

“Shh, I need to know if the boss is telling him to get to a Wi-Fi zone,” Kai whispers, still staring at the kid. “I
’
m not sure if he
’
s one of them, but it will still tell them where we are.”

“What do you mean?” Chucky quietly asks.

“It detects people . . . like us,”
Kai explains.

“We can go see,” Chucky suggests.

“Yeah, it won
’
t see us, right?” Frederick says.

Kai stands up and looks at both of them. He nods and whispers quickly, “Tell me if the screen flashes as the aliens are attacking. I need to know if the commander is calling in reinforcements. It will be flashing Wi-Fi on the top left. That means it’s detected one of us.”

“Whoa! That
’
s messed up,” Chucky whispers.

Chucky and Frederick start to leave when Melinda says, “
Wait! I’
m coming too.”

Melinda? Okay.

They walk out and go to the bus stop. Chucky and Frederick walk right up to the kid and start talking to him. He looks kind of annoyed until Melinda starts looking really interested in what he
’
s doing. He smiles at her and becomes much more animated. I don
’
t know what they
’
re saying, but he
’
s talking to them now.

Alice and Ryland look at each other and smile, clearly impressed with their usually shy and awkward friend. Melinda is brilliant. Chucky looks at us and shakes his head.

“How about another cookie, beautiful?” a voice from behind startles me.

Ryland screams, and both of us jump about five feet. It
’
s one of the Subway guys. Kai spins around and stares the guy down. He looks back at Ryland and me who are now standing only a few feet from the iPod guy.

The Subway guy steps toward her saying, “I just thought—”

Ryland takes a step back and screams, “What are you doing?”

I look back to see the other guy laughing and taking a video of his friend getting shot down by the “hot blonde.”

Kai yells, “Ry!” pointing to the iPod kid.

I turn and look at the kid, who is now white as a sheet, as Chucky yells, “Reinforcements!” pointing at the game. The kid looks at Ryland, Kai, and me. He turns around like he
’
s looking for something. He apparently spots what he
’
s looking for and runs right into traffic. Ryland and Kai give each other a look and run into the street after him.

–RYLAND–

Okay, Tanner did a rubbish job of telling that part of the story. He didn
’
t bother to really explain this “game”
to you. See, it
’
s in the App Store, like for iPhones and iPods and stuff.

It
’
s supposed to be this really fun game where you fight these mutant aliens who are invading your planet. What most people don
’
t know is it was actually designed by the Keepers and it
’
s not really a game at all.

It
’
s actually a system where you can detect Shifters—you know, with our weird electrical system and all—and alert their presence to the proper authorities. Apparently, that part only works on iPods because the cell phone stuff interferes, but you can play the regular game on both.

So, this kid is playing. Kai, rather than assuming this is any normal kid playing an extremely popular game, wants to spy on him. But we can
’
t go because—other than our faces being plastered all over the news—we might be recognized as Shifters by the device.

So, who does he send? Chucky, Frederick, and Melinda. This is the most ridiculous team of misfits I have ever seen.

After they fail to keep his attention with the creepy Subway guys causing a disruption, Kai and I chase this kid out into the street. I don
’
t really understand how this kid has anything to do with a secret government organization designed and trained to destroy us, but he sure flees from us like he knows something.

Kai almost gets hit by a car and then, yet again, the world slows down. I realize with the two Subway guys videoing, this is probably not the best time, so I tackle the guy, take his iPod, and try to calm down.

When the world catches up with me, I’m sitting on Keeper gamer kid
’
s stomach canceling reinforcements. He starts screaming like I
’
m pouring bleach in his eye or something. Yes, I know that
’
s graphic. You
’
ll live.

Kai and the others catch up with me. “What did you just do?” Frederick asks, wide-eyed.

I shrug.

Kai snatches the iPod from my hand to see if it
’
s too late to stop us from being flagged. He smiles gratefully at me, “I think you got it in time.”

Tanner tries to speak calmly to the kid. “Hey, we
’
re not going to hurt you or anything.”

This, of course, doesn
’
t work. He
’
s still screaming his bloody head off, so Alice—being Alice—kicks him in the head.

Surprisingly, this is effective. He stops screaming and stares up at us defiantly.

“
Hello,
” I chime in. “My name is Ryland. You are who, exactly?”

He looks mad enough to spit, but he
’
s small with round glasses. He
’
s not exactly the fighting type, certainly not seven on one.

“Let
’
s get off the street,” Kai says.

I notice the Subway guys are still filming, looking concerned. I see a car has pulled over near us, and the driver is getting out. He
’
s right; we need to move.

We grab the kid and drag him away from the street. We sneak down a side street, Kai and I gripping his arms as though our lives depended on it. Likely, they do.

“We can add another kidnapping charge then,” Alice says blankly.

“Oh,” Melinda squeaks fearfully.

“It
’
ll be okay,” Chucky tells her, awkwardly patting her arm.

“Your parents are Keepers,” Kai says, suddenly shoving the kid against the wall.

It isn
’
t a question, and the kid’s clearly not going to answer. He just stares hard back at Kai.

“That was my neighbor,” he says flatly.

“What?” Tanner asks, confused. “Who?”

“The kid from Subway. He
’
s my neighbor. He
’
ll tell my parents about this.”

Kai looks like he
’
s going to explode. He punches the kid right in the stomach, and Tanner yanks him back. “What the heck are you doing?” he demands.

“This kid most likely just got us killed,” Kai spits back.

“
I don’
t care!” Tanner snaps. “He
’
s just a kid!”

We
’
re all so stunned by this encounter that we stand silent for a moment. That
’
s when we hear sirens. Please, let there be a fire, I think.

The kid smiles. “My parents’ll come get me,” he says confidently.

“Please,” I say. “Please, just tell us what’s going on.” I let my lower lip tremble, and my eyes fill with tears.

The kid softens just a little. Then, he immediately straightens up again. “You
’
re not going to trick me. I know what you do.”

“Look,” I say, being totally real. I mean, what could possibly make this worse? “Yesterday, I woke up, went to school, was attacked by like crazy
Men in Black
people, had to go on the run, and barely got any sleep. I don
’
t even really understand why.”

“You know exactly what you are,
Shifter
!” he snaps, spittle flying from his lips.

“So what if I can Shift or whatever? Why are people trying to kill me?”

He stops for a minute, like my argument is making perfect sense.

“I mean,” I begin again, “A few hundred years ago, we discriminated against African Americans or Native Americans and treated them badly, and now we regret it.”

“No,” he says, unsure. “You
’
re trying to steal our planet, take over.”

“Steal your planet?” Tanner scoffs. “We live here! We were raised by regular people, just like you!”

“Maybe . . .” he starts to say when the police cruiser slides around the corner, sirens blaring and lights flashing. “Dad!” he shouts.

Chapter 13

Flying Is Fun

–TANNER–

Okay, I have to tell this part because, honestly, you would have to see it, and Ryland definitely couldn
’
t see it. Well, she couldn
’
t see it the way we did.

This cop car comes screeching around the corner with his lights flashing, which would normally be really cool, but not so much this time. Not when they are coming for us.

The kid yells, “Dad!” as he starts running toward the cop, who’s now only about a block away.

You
’
ve got to be kidding me! Not only is this kid a Keeper, but his dad’s a cop? This just keeps getting worse.

Kai dives for the now running Keeper kid, shouting, “No, you don
’
t!”

He manages to grab him by one of his ankles, sending the kid face first to the ground. The iPod flies out of his hands and skids down the pavement right to my feet. I snatch it up as the kid kicks at Kai, desperately trying to get away with his eyes wide as baseballs and a look of horror like I
’
ve never seen.

The cop car spinning into position causes the other drivers on the road to skid to a stop in the middle of the street like a strip mall parking lot.

“
Shifters!
” the kid yells.

The cop jumps out of the car, shielding himself with his open door like we
’
re going to shoot or something, and yells, “Shut up, Kyle!”

The kid, obviously named Kyle, freezes in shock.

“Weapons down!” the cop roars, pointing his gun at the scuffle.

Weapons? Frederick, Chucky, Melinda, Alice, and I look at each other not knowing what to think. Kai wrestles Kyle to his feet, holding the kid in front of him like a human shield.

“Put the iPod on the ground!” the cop yells intensely, now pointing his weapon at me.

What? Am I going to attack someone with an iPod? I seriously don
’
t think there
’
s an app for that.

“On the ground!” he repeats.

I look at Kai, not knowing what to do. Kai pulls the kid toward us and yells, “Get behind me.” We immediately duck behind him.

The kid smirks and says, “You
’
re not getting away this time, Shifter.”

“Shut up!” Kai says, sternly forcing the kid
’
s arm far up his back while tightening his grip around the kid
’
s neck.

The cop starts to look nervous and turns his head around like he
’
s sizing up the would-be witnesses. There
’
s the Subway guys, the people from the KFC and Denny
’
s, a couple of workers from the nearby shops, and the people in their cars that stopped when they saw the flashing lights. The streets around us seem unaffected as traffic continues on like there isn
’
t some kind of life or death struggle going on right next to them.

The cop shifts his focus between us and some kid—apparently named Kyle—and Ryland, who has taken cover behind one of the stopped cars in the street. The lady, who had been driving, left her car door open and abandoned the Toyota Corolla when the standoff began.

The cop regains his composure, gets a resolved look on his face, and aims his weapon directly at the Keeper kid. The kid
’
s, Kyle
’
s, eyes widen like he knows what
’
s about to happen. I can
’
t believe what I
’
m seeing. This kid called him Dad. This cop, his dad, wants to kill us so badly he
’
s going to go through his son to do it.

Ryland freaks out and stands up, screaming, drawing his attention away from us, “You want to kill someone? Here I am, you jerk!”

She starts waving her arms around, taunting him. The cop gets an intense look on his face and starts to reposition his aim. Just then, the bus the kid was waiting for turns the corner. Ryland’s standing right in front of it, trapped between the abandoned car and the screeching bus. The bus closes the distance in a millisecond and smashes into the car, sending debris scattering into the street. People scream in horror.

“Ryland!” I scream in agony. I can
’
t believe it. Just like that, she
’
s gone. I really don
’
t want to, but I start scanning through the twisted remains of the car to find her.

It takes me a minute to see her. I can
’
t believe what I see. She isn
’
t a bloody mess compacted between the wreckage. She’s just above the bus still rising like Supergirl or something. The cop is frozen in shock. Well, who wouldn
’
t be? She goes up about a hundred feet then lands right behind him.

He turns around in amazement, holding his gun toward the ground. She reaches down with her left hand, deftly snatches the gun out of his hand, and swings her right fist through his jaw. He spins and collapses to the ground.

Ryland looks at us with her eyes wide and slowly starts to smile. She puts one foot forward, bends at the knees and waist, and launches herself once more—soaring into the air and landing right in front of the Keeper kid. Kai is beaming. The kid’s in total shock. I look around and see all of the people staring at what just unfolded in front of them.

“It
’
s no secret now,” Kai says. “Come on.”

–RYLAND–

Can I just stop for a minute here and say flying is fun? It
’
s totally incredible. Imagine you go to run or jump, and instead of your normal movement, you just push yourself thirty yards into the air.

So, somehow I manage to jump out of the way of this bus, neutralize the Keeper cop, and get back to my friends. All in a matter of seconds. I know, I sound like a superhero. Maybe I sort of am one. X-Men are mutants, aren
’
t they? I know Superman is an orphaned alien.

I suppose the cat’s out of the bag, so to speak. I think those kids from Subway are still recording all this on their phones. I also realize Kai knew I could do this. He knew I could fly.

All of these thoughts are dashing through my brain at a hundred miles an hour as we flee the scene. Did I just assault a police officer? What are we going to do with the Keeper kid? Where are we going to go now?

We sprint, dragging the kid with us, to our van parked on the next block. We jump in. Kai takes off like he
’
s flying a fighter jet rather than driving an old hippie van.

“Where are you taking me?” the sulking Kyle pipes up from the back between Alice and Melinda.

“Your dad just tried to kill you,” Alice says flatly. “Why are you worrying about us?”

“My dad did not try to kill me,” Kyle whines from the backseat.

“No,” Tanner agrees. “He was just willing to kill you. You know, so he could kill us.”

Tanner
’
s attempt at a joke did not lighten Kyle
’
s mood. I
’
m not sure why he thought it would. It wasn
’
t exactly funny. I wouldn
’
t want anyone joking about my parents trying to kill me.

“We couldn
’
t just leave you there,” I say determinedly. “Your dad was acting like a psycho!”

Okay, so it didn’t come out nearly as comforting as I’d expected. It didn’t come out comforting at all. It came out accusatory.

“My dad’s not a psycho! My dad’s trying to keep the planet safe!” he shouts. His pale skin is taught, and his child-like face is quivering. His dark brown hair flops in his face, and he pushes it back with a huff.

“Your dad and the people he works with are no better than serial killers!” Kai shouts. “All my family ever tried to do was find a home here! And they slaughtered them! Right in front of me!” Tears are streaming down his face faster than the trees outside are flashing past the car.

I stare blankly at him, in shock. The whole car goes completely silent. Melinda looks like she could cry out of empathy. Kyle stares hard out the window, trying to process everything.

“You have to understand,” Kai says after almost an hour of silence. “You have to understand why we
’
re even here. We aren
’
t KGB here to secretly and subversively take over your planet. We
’
re refugees.”

Kyle looks confused and slightly suspicious. “What do you mean refugees? Aren
’
t you guys like the ruling class on your planet? Making Ordinaries your slaves?”

Kai shakes his head, still staring out the windshield. “You have to understand something about our planet. The leaders, they
’
re paranoid,” he explains. “They fear the loss of their power.”

I nod, knowing some of this. “There was a prophecy,”
I continue.
“They said a young Shifter would bring an end to Shifter rule and make all equal or something, right?”

Kai nods. “Shifter leaders wouldn’t let that stand, so they . . . they killed the young. Some managed to escape.”

Kyle shakes his head. “You mean, you had to flee from your own monstrous people?”

“As if that
’
s any different than you
’
re dad being willing to kill you for his cause,”
Alice mumbles.

Kyle looks like he
’
s about to cry at that.

“I
’
m sorry,” I say. “Alice has some daddy issues.”

She gives me a dirty look. She would probably flay me alive right now if she could.

“So,” Frederick asks, “you
’
re being hunted by Shifters and Keepers? Is there anyone who doesn
’
t want you dead?”

“Thanks,” Tanner mumbles.

“Only people who don
’
t know about us,” Kai says bitterly.

“Okay,” Kyle finally says. “Say I believe you. What do you want from me?”

No one says anything for a moment. “Nothing,” I say. “
We don’
t want anything from you. I don
’
t expect you to turn on your family or anything. Just stop actively trying to hurt us.”

Kyle nods.
“Are you going to let me go?”

Tanner shrugs. “Sure, when we get away from here.”

“Before we get too far, we need to change,” Kai says, the leader again.

He finds a rest stop and pulls over. Alice grabs her backpack. “I got a few things while Ry over here was being bipolar.”

Okay, so she
’
s mad at me for the dad comment. Even if it is true, I probably shouldn
’
t have said it. It wasn
’
t very nice.

Alice pulls out hair dye, clothes, shoes, and sunglasses for every single one of us. It
’
s insane.

“Do I have to dye my hair?” Chucky and Frederick both ask.

“No,” Alice says. “That
’
s mostly for Ry. She
’
s all over the internet now.”

“I
’
m what?” I say.

“Yeah, they had Wi-Fi, so I was messing around on Kyle
’
s iPod,” she shrugs. “Your flying video has over 2 million hits already.”

I shake my head. “I like my blond hair.”

“
Well,
” she says, “now you
’
re going to have dark brown hair and green color contacts.”

We all freshen up, finally smelling human again. The new clothes are completely different than our previous styles. Melinda is wearing a low cut, V-neck sweater and expensive Miss Me jeans. I’m wearing a brown leather jacket with emerald green skinny jeans.

The boys even look less nerdy. Kai looks great in his vintage bomber jacket and army boots. I mean, all the boys look great.

We steal the minivan of this poor unsuspecting family and take off again. Everything’s going well until we notice that the van’s almost out of gas. I know Kai didn
’
t want to stop so close to the rest stop.

The gas station we pull off at looks half-decomposed. Next to it is this crazy looking little hut with pictures of crystal balls on it and a sign that reads “Palm Reader.”

A young girl runs out, thin, ash blonde hair flying out behind her. Her dress wraps around her, colors and patterns swirling strangely. I can
’
t tell if she looks like a hippie or an Arabian princess. Whatever she is, she
’
s beautiful with eyes the color of liquid moonlight.

“Mom! Dad!” she yells behind her. “They
’
re finally here!” She beams at us. “We’ve been waiting for you for oh so long.”