Seeking Shapeshifters Page 4

  “I love you, Dad,” I said a bit too loud. Then I turned and gave Matt a hug. More kids gawked at me. I almost touched my forehead to see if I’d grown a third eye or something. “I love you too, Dad,” I said to Matt. “I’m so lucky to have two dads.”

  Did I mention I like paybacks? The eavesdroppers’ faces went flame red when they heard what I said. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Their reactions made my eyes water.

  “You know I’m gonna get you back, right?” Matt whispered in my ear.

  Dad frowned at me then shook his head in disbelief. “Ima Blue.”

  “What? I just wanted to get a rise from the gawkers—and look, it worked,” I said with a grin. “Besides I owed you for this morning.”

  “Don’t worry Lou, we’ll get her back when she least expects it,” Matt said.

  I saw the challenge in his eyes and knew he’d keep his word. Okay, maybe I’d taken it a bit too far, but soon enough people would realize it was a joke. Or at least, I hoped they did.

  “I’ll pick you up after school.” Dad hopped back into the truck and waved goodbye.

  I stood in front of the school until they disappeared around the corner, then closed my eyes and attempted to control my breathing. I can do this. When I opened my lids, my steps faltered. Well, maybe.

  Walking into the school, I followed the throng of kids until I found my locker. After double checking the combination, I tugged it open. Just stay calm. I dug through my backpack and pulled out some pictures, which I taped on the door. At least it looked more “homey”. Having put the inevitable off long enough, I slammed the door shut.

  Everyone milled past laughing with their friends, and leaning in to whisper about the new girl. I even heard one of them say something about me having two dads, which proved people would believe anything. I chuckled under my breath. I’d have a lot to share tonight when I got home.

  “Sociology, here I come.”

  With my notebooks tucked under my arm, I made my way down the hall in search of my classroom. Room 45. I found it with little trouble, and walked in right as the bell sounded. The teacher peered at me.

  “You must be our new student,” he said. “I’m Mr. Cavanaugh.” He held his hand out to shake, reminding me of my dad, with his wire rimmed glasses, thinning hair, and warm smile.

  He took my schedule and signed it.

  “Okay class. We have a new student joining us. Her name’s…” He stopped and stared down at the sheet of paper then back at me. I knew he didn’t want to read my name out loud so I saved him the trouble. Besides, after sixteen years with a name like Ima, I’d heard every possible variation, joke, and comment one could possibly come up with.

  “My name’s Ima Berry,” I said with a smile. “And before you ask, yes that really is my name. I blame it on my hippie Dad.”

  The teacher blew out a sigh of relief. A couple snickers sounded at the back of the room, but for the most part, no one said anything.

  “Well Ima, why don’t you take a seat right there in front of Mr. Shinew,” he said.

  He pointed to a tall boy at the back of the class. My mouth gaped open, and I snapped it shut. He was one of the boys I’d seen the previous day while touring the town. The grin was familiar to me, but I guess I didn’t realize he was this gorgeous. He had the traditional dark hair, styled in messy tufts, but his eyes blazed like a blue flame. His slanted eyes met mine, and his smile widened. I shifted my glance from his face, staring instead at his basketball t-shirt and the hemp and whalebone necklace, which hung around his neck,

  Okay, the plan was not to appear overeager as I walked to my desk, and I almost made it before I noticed the other boy at the back of the room.

  The word yes whispered through my mind like a distant echo. A tingle worked its way from my toes to my head. What was wrong with me? This guy turned his dark gaze to me. At first, his brows rose and he reached his hand toward me, as if even at that distance he could touch me. My blood pounded like waves hitting the shore. For a brief moment, I wanted to go to him. Then something shifted and his face scrunched. He dropped his hand, eyes narrowed as he glared. It was enough to snap me out of my stalker like state.

  I slumped into my seat in front of the blue-eyed boy and stared at the teacher. He went over to a shelf and pulled off an extra book then brought it to me.

  “I hope you’ll welcome Ima to our school. It’s not everyday we get someone new.”

  “More like ever,” a girl said with a laugh. “No one wants to come to Point Hope.”

  Some other kids laughed, too, but the teacher put a quick stop to it by starting the next chapter in the textbook.

  “Psst, hey.” The boy behind me tapped my shoulder. “My name’s Carsen.”

  I turned around and gave him a smile. “Hi.”

  “So you’ve got two dads?” he asked.

  I snickered. News sure traveled fast.

  “No, you shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”

  He kicked the girl beside him in the shoe. She shrugged, so I assumed she’d been his informant. I picked up my pen, and doodled on my folder while the teacher assigned us some reading and the five questions at the end of the chapter. At least I wouldn’t have to stand in front of the class and explain my whole life history, Luck was on my side.

  Carsen scooted his desk closer to mine. “Then you don’t have two dads?”

  “No.”

  He chuckled, eyes crinkling at the corners. “So why did you and your family move to Point Hope?”

  “Because of my dad’s job.”

  “Which is?”

  “He’s a pilot,” I whispered.

  Carsen arched an eyebrow, and I fanned my face with my paper. Holy crap, he was cute. Not only did I have a thing for dark-haired guys, but he seemed so nice. Well there was that, and his awesome biceps.

  “There are pilot jobs everywhere, why would he choose to come to one of the coldest places in the U.S.”

  “It’s not because of this job but his second one,” I said.

  My cheeks grew hot. I didn’t want to tell him my dad was a paranormal investigator. He’d automatically put me on the kook list. People always wanted to know why we moved all the time. Why we had a house full of books on the paranormal, fairytales, and myths. But here’s the thing, once they found out what Dad did, they stopped talking to me.

  “It can’t be that bad.” Carsen grinned.

  “Let’s just say we move around a lot.” Great, now I sounded like a mega witch. All I needed was a broom and a black cat.

  I struggled to pay attention to my reading. Not because I cared about Sociology, but it was hard to focus around Carsen. The stunning smiles he sent my way made my stomach fluttery, and every time he moved closer to talk, I got a whiff of his cologne. He smelled yummy.

  “I get it. You want to be mysterious,” Carsen said. “Entice the locals. In that case, let’s see if I can guess what he does. Man, it’s got to be pretty messed up if you don’t want to talk about it.”

  His eyes glinted with humor, and a sigh escaped my lips. I tried not to stare at him and instead attempted to focus on my textbook.

  “You’ll never guess so you might as well give up now and save yourself the embarrassment,” I said.

  “You’re cute when you smile.” He leaned closer to whisper in my ear. “Maybe you could swing by the Kalgi Center tonight. They’re supposed to have some card games going on.”

  “Sorry, I’ll be helping my dad.”

  “Are you just trying to avoid me?” He frowned, tapping a pencil on his desk as if he didn’t really believe me. It’s not like I told him I had to wash my hair or anything lame like that.

  “No, he leaves tomorrow, so I’ve got to help him pack.”

  “I bet I know what he does.”

  I rolled my eyes and waited for him to continue. “Let’s hear it.”

  “He’s an international pimp and you’re his love child.”

  Stifling a giggle, I slid down in my seat as the teache
r scanned the room to see where the interruption came from.

  “Carsen Shinew, I suggest you concentrate on the assignment or you’ll sit with me in detention,” Mr. Cavanaugh said.

  Carsen remained quiet for the rest of class, although he did throw me a note or two suggesting several possible jobs. The bell rang and everyone filtered toward the door.

  “I hope you have a great rest of the day, Ima. I’ll see you 5th hour for math,” Mr. Cavanaugh said.

  Carsen ended up being in all my classes and continued his guessing game. When we got to fourth hour, he went so far as asking someone else to trade seats with him so he could sit next to me. Throughout class, Carsen talked my ear off. I found out he’s currently girlfriendless, half Inuit, and the star player on the varsity basketball team. And a total flirt. It seemed he enjoyed complimenting me just to watch me blush. And, I really liked him. I mean he was funny, talkative, and totally cute! Which, was why I was bummed when the bell sounded the end of Physical Science.

  “Hey, I’ll catch up with you in a minute,” Carsen said as we headed out of class.

  “Okay, see ya.” I hurried to my locker to find a petite girl blocking it.

  “Hi, I’m Cassiday,” she said.

  “Hi?” I said in confusion.

  She flung her hand out and let it rest on my arm then came closer. “Listen, I just wanted to warn you about Carsen. He’s kind of a player. And I don’t want to see you get hurt. Being the new girl and all.”

  I stepped back from her, caught off guard. “Thanks, I’ll be careful.”

  She gave me a smile. “If we have any other classes together you can sit by me.”

  “Uh—sure.” How was I supposed to react to something like this?

  She scurried off, and I turned to see Carsen heading my way.

  “So, do you want to sit with me and my friends for lunch?” he asked.

  “You don’t mind?”

  “No, I like you, you’re funny, and I think you’ll fit in with my crowd.”

  Oh my gosh, he wanted to sit with me! He peered into my locker as I put my stuff away. I grabbed my lunch and saw Carsen eyeing my pictures.

  “Who are they?” he asked, his voice suddenly deeper.

  My gaze shifted to the photos of Brady and Matt. “Brady’s my best friend. He and I grew up together. Matt works for my dad and is one of my friends too.”

  “So you’re not serious about either of them?”

  “No—just friends.”My heart did a hop, skip, and jump into my throat as a look of relief washed over Carsen’s face.

  “Good to know,” he said.

  I followed him to the cafeteria. Kids were already taking up tables, so I was glad to have somewhere to sit. He headed for a spot toward the back of the room where a tall, gorgeous girl stood. Talk about perfect. Her long dark hair was silky and fell about her shoulders like a cape, while her smile brightened the entire room. She was thin, but not too thin, and had legs that went on forever. Everything about her screamed runway model. Please don’t let him be interested in her, I thought. But it would make sense for Carsen to want to date someone like her.

  “Ima, this is my cousin Ferren.” Carsen introduced me to the girl.

  My smile widened—Cousin? I could handle that.

  “And this is my best friend, Talon,” he said.

  I peered around Carsen to see the brooding boy from class. His name seemed to fit him as his mouth turned down in a frown. For a brief moment, my mind flashed with strange humming, and whispers. The sounds of drums echoed, but no one seemed to notice them. My legs wobbled, my hands shaking at my sides. I fought to regain my composure. Everything in me stirred, and I didn’t know why.

  Yes.

  “Pardon me?” I stared at him and shook my head to clear it.

  Talon appeared startled as he focused on me. “We didn’t say anything,” he said.

  “Er, sorry.”

  Ferren glanced around the group then started talking. “You’re Ima, right?”

  “Yeah, hi.” I waved then sat down, hoping not to embarrass myself further.

  “Don’t worry, Ima’s all right.” Carsen gave me a grin. “Keep all the guys away while I get my lunch,” he said.

  Blushing, I pulled out my turkey sandwich. Ferren slid in the seat across from me and stared.

  “So you like my cousin?” she asked.

  “He seems nice,” I answered not meeting her gaze. Geez, talk about acting like I was in elementary school.

  “He is, but—well, just watch yourself,” she said.

  Okay, was she warning me off to protect her cousin or did she think he was bad for me? I chewed on my carrots to avoid answering.

  “I’m not trying to offend you, in fact I think you and I will be pretty good friends,” she said.

  “I can definitely use friends,” I said.

  Carsen came back with a tray filled with food. The smell of his pizza made my mouth water, and I stared at my carrots with a vengeance.

  “I see no one dared enter my territory.” Carsen plopped down beside me. “Guess I scared all the boys away. What a shame?”

  Talon slammed his tray down on the table. “I don’t know why you’re trying to get involved with this girl. She’s an outsider. Besides you never keep a chick around for more than a week or two.”

  Carsen’s face twisted in fury. “How about you mind your own business? If I want your opinion, I’ll ask.”

  Ferren caught my startled look and hopped up. “You know Ima, why don’t I show you where the library is?”

  I stood in confusion and then followed her. “What’s going on?”

  “Don’t worry about it, those two fight all the time. It’s amazing they’re still friends.” She rolled her eyes. “I love my cousin, but he goes through girls like sheets of toilet paper. We just hate to see another one get hurt. I mean, because you seem nice and all.”

  “Thanks, but I can take care of myself,” I said.

  “Yeah, well we’ll see won’t we?” She gave me a smile.

  The rest of the day flew by, and I had all but my final class with Carsen. When the last bell rang, I flung my homework into my bag and rushed out to where my dad waited in his truck.

  “Bye Ima,” Carsen called.

  I turned to see him, Ferren, and Talon coming out of the school. I waved to them.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” Dad said as I climbed into the truck. “Looks like you made some new friends.”

  “Well at least two.”

  “Yeah, well I had an interesting day today. I went into the store and one of the employees who worked there cornered me for a minute. He wanted to let me know it didn’t bother him that you had two dads. He said everyone would be quite accepting.”

  I burst out laughing. “You’re kidding?”

  “No, I had to explain Matt is really your boyfriend and my wife passed away when you were a child.”

  This made me laugh harder. “Well, Matt isn’t my boyfriend and now you’ll have rumors flying around about you letting your high school daughter shack up with an older guy.”

  “I didn’t know how else to explain him away.”

  I chuckled as we drove home.

  “So, how was your first day?” Matt asked when we came in the door.

  “A little odd, but good.” I didn’t mention the weird voices or buzzing feeling I got when I saw Talon again though. I needed more time to process everything before I spilled to anyone. Keetah bounded into the room and nudged my leg with his head. “Hey boy, did you miss me?” He licked my hand. “I’m not mad at you anymore.”

  “Why don’t we get some dinner started,” Dad suggested.

  The three of us crowded into the kitchen, where we fought over use of the stove, sink, and paring knife. I peeled the potatoes while Dad broiled steak. Matt got off easy by throwing on a can of green beans. We talked about my first day of school while scarfing down food, and I could tell Dad was pleased I’d made friends.

  Once done, we cleared away our
plates and I went in to start my homework. Keetah laid at the foot of my bed while I tried to figure out my Geometry assignment. The sound of scraping came from outside my window, and I about leapt through the ceiling. When a growl echoed in the darkness, I scrambled from my bed. Slowly, I inched closer to the glass, my eyes scanning the ground below my window. Nothing was there. I swallowed hard as my lights flickered. Backing up, I pulled my curtains shut. Keetah jumped off my bed and tugged on my shirt to get me away from the window.

  “What the heck was that?” I whispered.

  Chills raked my body like greedy claws. The sensation of being watched made my hair stand on end. But only darkness stared back at me. Something was out there. Who or what I didn’t know. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out what.

  Chapter Four

  The Gift

  Tears lingered on my lashes when Dad carried his duffel bag into the living room. Even though he’d only be gone for two days, I dreaded it.

  “I won’t be gone long,” he said, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Matt will take good care of you.”

  “I know.” I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.

  “After I drop your dad off I’ll be back to get you for school,” Matt said before shutting the door.

  Quietness resounded through the house, unsettling me to the point I had to turn the TV on for noise. I made some toast, and sat at the dining room table with Keetah curled up at my feet. Right when I was about to take a bite, a knock sounded at the door.

  Keetah gave a low growl and I jumped, staring at the door.

  “Okay, quit being paranoid,” I said as I made my way to the living room. Taking a deep breath, I flung the door open, nearly jerking it from its hinges.

  No one was there.

  “Hello?” I called, peering around the yard and over the side of the porch.

  Weird. I had heard the knock and so had Keetah. I rubbed my arms in an effort to warm them when I noticed a small basket on the top step of the porch.

  I crouched down and picked it up. It was a brown baleen basket about the size of my hand, with a carved, ivory polar bear adorning the top of it like a handle. When I touched the bear, a strange flash enveloped the whole room. Stringy like tendrils, grazed my skin and ensnared me. My mind became foggy, as if I was lost in a vision. Unfamiliar voices filtered into my ears, speaking a language I didn’t recognize. I blinked, trying to bring my reality back into focus but it didn’t work. Instead, I watched an Eskimo man dressed in animal furs give a basket, my basket, to an Eskimo woman. She reached out a hand to touch his face, and he bowed to kiss her.