The next day in History, Mr. White called each student up to read their introductions. Most of them talked about going to beaches or malls. My brothers had mentioned some new video games they had gotten as well as playing their instruments, and before I knew it, it was my turn. Walking to the front of the class with my paper, I breathed a heavy sigh. I hated having to talk in front of crowds. Looking at my classmates, I began talking.
"My full name is Andrew Arcanum Umbra Slate, and this summer was spent mostly at home. Just because I didn't go to beaches or malls doesn't mean that I didn't do anything." I added the last part when some students started laughing quietly. Mr. White told them to settle down before I continued.
"For me, summer was spent with my godfathers. I learned new moves in Muay Thai, Krav Maga/MMA, and I spent time perfecting my skills with blades. When I wasn't doing that, I was either drawing or playing music with my brothers." As I finished, a hand was raised and Mr. White gave them permission to ask their question.
"What color belts do you have for both Muay Thai and Krav Maga? And what does your middle name mean?" The student who spoke was a guy that looked like he had skipped a few grades.
"I've been doing both since I was about six years old, so I have black belts in both. And my middle name is Latin for 'a mysterious shadow.' My parents thought it fitting since I'm a Dark Dragon shifter." This question surprised me since I didn't expect anyone to actually take an interest. Thy guy's name was Jacob and he seemed to have taken an interest in me that I couldn't explain. After I sat back down, I noticed that Jacob and his sister, Amber, kept trying to look at me.
"We might have an issue with Jacob and Amber. They seem awfully curious about me." I told my brothers telepathically. Josh gave a slight nod, but didn't answer verbally. The nod was all I needed to see to know that he had gotten the message. By the time the bell rang, everyone had read their introductions and put them on Mr. White's desk.
In Biology, we started learning about human anatomy. The lesson was about all 206 bones in the skeleton as well as the muscles. Ms. Harris said that we would spend two weeks on this topic and that there would be a quiz on it at the end. Everyone groaned at the news of the quiz, but how else were the teachers going to assess our knowledge? Even when I spent weeks at a time in the hospital, I could still confidently take the tests for my classes.
Algebra was a headache. We learned Algebraic Functions and Polynomial Long Division. I didn't have an issue with math classes as a whole, but it wasn't my favorite class. Whoever thought math classes should be taught could have had a side job as a torture expert. After what felt like forever, the bell rang signaling the end of the class. Since my Art class took place during lunch, I packed my own. My brothers followed me to my locker and we talked about Jacob and Amber.
"Do you really think they'll be an issue?" Adam asked as we walked.
"The only time anyone had shown an interest like that, they had always caused problems." I reminded Adam about this fact.
"Couldn't they just be curious? I mean, it's possible that the other students hadn't gotten to them with the rumors about you." Damian suggested, trying to think positively about the situation.
Shaking my head, I responded. I remember every scent I smell, with the only issue coming from twins, since they share such similar scents. They're scents are strange and not
human. Ones that I've never smelled before. It's safe to say that they're new to this area and mix that with their interest? It's not normal." At this point, we got to my locker. While I took out my sketchbook, pencil pouch, and lunchbox, Josh added to the conversation.
"Andrew has a point. It's always good to be careful. We'll keep an eye on them for a while, which shouldn't be hard. Afterall, they share all our classes, except for Andrew's Art class. If they're not a threat, then we'll leave them alone. And if they are threats, then we'll talk to mom and dad." Josh has always been the calmest out of the five of us. Adam and the twins, Damian and Dominic, liked to try and find the good in most people, Josh was the calm voice of reason most of the time, and I was the 'wild card,' My temperament could change in seconds.
After we all agreed to keep an eye on the siblings, I went to the empty Art room while my brothers went to lunch. Walking into the room, I saw Mrs. Lovelace at a table. Setting my stuff down, I sat beside her while I waited for the lesson to begin.
"I want to apologize that these lessons are during lunch. It's the only time this room is empty. Now, I have some themes that I want you to look at. I want you to pick one and draw a picture that fits the theme." Looking at the list, it seemed easy enough. The themes were birds, plants, animals, Beasts, and environmental settings (day/night, weather, etc.).
"Hm." I thought about it for a few minutes before picking birds as my theme.
"All right, you can choose what kind of bird you draw, but you need to incorporate my one requirement. It needs to include a natural habitat." After Mrs. Lovelace gave me these instructions, she left me to eat and to think. Opening my lunchbox, I took out the sushi that I brought and, after eating a piece, I went to the internet to look for a reference photo. It didn't take long before I found one.
Getting a pencil from my pouch, I opened the sketchbook. The bird that I decided to draw was an eagle with a fish in its talons. It would be flying over a river to a nest in the trees. Since I wouldn't have a lot of time to work, I decided to start with the trees and river. While I worked, I was aware of Mrs. Lovelace's stare, but I stayed focused. By the time the bell rang, I was almost done with the outlines of the trees.
"Alright, Andrew. That'll be it for today. You'll continue working on it tomorrow." As she spoke, she walked up to me. Looking at my paper, she was surprised. Even though it was just outlines, it was more progress than what she was expecting. Packing up my stuff, I said goodbye and went back to my locker.
By the time I got to it, my brothers were already there with their gym bags. Putting my stuff away, I grabbed my bag as well, and we headed to the gym for PE. The mandatory change of clothes included basketball shorts, short sleeve shirts, and tennis shoes. We could choose the colors for them, so we didn't have to look like everyone else. The teacher was Coach Hill and she was a woman in her mid-forties with brown hair and brown eyes. Today she said that we would be doing the mile run for non-shifters and a two-mile run for the shifter students.
"This should be interesting. Do you think she'll keep the shifters separated for the entire year?" Adam asked. I couldn't answer the question, but he was right about it being interesting. Everyone had a scent unique to them with the exception being twins. Their scents were almost identical with very slight differences. Shifters were different in the fact that they shared a special quality: the ability to smell the 'power' of other shifters. That's how we could tell if there were others around. It get tricky telling if they're actually a shifter or if they were just in contact with one, so we had to determine that based on the strength of the sense of 'power' coming from them.
Coach Hill had us put on wristbands to tell the two groups apart. Humans had red bands while shifters wore yellow. Jacob and Amber were one of the last ones to get sorted. I was already standing with the yellow group, waiting to see where they would go. They walked up to Coach Hill and were given yellow bands as well. Now that I knew they were shifters, I could work on figuring out which kind they were.
Walking outside to the track, I waited for the whistle to be blown. The track was the typical quarter-mile oval, but it was near the top of a steep slope that was covered with trees on one side. At the sound of the whistle, we all started at our own pace. Keeping my breathing even and my strides smooth and steady was second nature for me. After thirty minutes, I was already on my fourth lap. Bill was also in this class, but he hadn't tried anything since yesterday. His pace slowed to a stop and it looked like he was catching his breath, so I just ignored him.
As I passed him, I felt someone grab the back of my shirt and they pulled me back. The force of the pull caused me to lose my footing and I ended up falling down the tree covered slope. When I stopped falling and rolling, I lost count of how many trees I had hit. Groaning, I tried to sit up, but searing pain in my sides made it almost impossible. My vision was beginning to blur, but I forced them to stay open. I couldn't stay down here, I had to get back to the top of the hill. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to stand and, using the trees as support, I slowly made my way back to the track.
My ribs and vision weren't the only issues I was having, my left leg didn't want to support my weight at all. Slowly, I hobbled my way back up, and by the time I got there, all the students had gathered. Seeing me leaning against the last tree, Josh and Adam came to help me the rest of the way. My vision was quickly fading, and before I blacked out, I faintly heard someone say to call for an ambulance.