Shifters (Shifters series Book 1) (24 page)

“So,” I say slowly, not sure if I want this to be true. “So I saw a real place?”

She shrugs. “
I don’
t know.”

“Don
’
t tell anyone,” I say, shuddering at the thought of that metal coffin encasing me, stinging me.

I leave her there thinking. I take a nice, warm shower so I can feel human again. We have too much to do. I can’t break down now. I need to be here, for Tanner, for Kai. They need me to be sane.

When I finally exit the bathroom in a pair of designer jeans so expensive I could never afford to look at them and a Coach t-shirt (I didn
’
t even know you could buy Coach t-shirts), I put on my new matching Coach tennis shoes, and I
’
m ready for my new day.

Everyone’s sitting together, staring at the television. I turn to see an image of Alice on it. She’s crying inconsolably into her father
’
s arms. Her father. Something’s wrong.

The reporter’s trying to talk to her calmly and reassuringly, but he’s not trained to handle teenage girls. He
’
s failing miserably. She turns toward the camera and says, “They were all abducted—Frederick, Chucky, Melinda.” She sobs even harder at that name. “They were abducted by the same cult that got to Ryland and Tanner, the cult that convinced them to blow up the school.”

“What do you mean?” The reporter is way too excited. He can
’
t believe how lucky he is to be getting this national news scoop. “Are you saying Ryland and Tanner Ascunse are involved in some sort of cult, and this cult has kidnapped your friends, Chucky, Frederick, and Melinda?”

She nods, then turns back to her father.

I stare at the screen. I
’
m in shock. This is a message. To us.

“What cult is responsible? How can we help you and the FBI find your friends?” the reporter continues.

She turns, and her face is hard and cold. “They call themselves Shifters.”

My heart stops. I can
’
t breathe. They have Melinda. They have Chucky and Frederick. They will kill them. If the Keepers are bad, the Shifters are a thousand times worse.

“How do we get them back?” Tanner asks.

I turn to see him staring hard at Kai.

Kai shrugs. “We
’
ll have to get their attention, draw them out.”

“Oh, we can do that,” I say.

Chapter 37

Ready to Play?

–TANNER–

Well, if our little break-in stunt didn
’
t get the Keepers
’
attention, then Alice flat-out saying it on national TV certainly did. I
’
m glad Alice is okay, but the Shifters have Chucky, Frederick, and Melinda. You would think the Keepers wouldn
’
t be stupid enough to think we are the problem. How can they not see the real enemy is here? The ones that will destroy this entire planet to protect their power.

“Kyle, did the Js
’
program work? Can they still find us with the game?” I ask.

Kyle runs into the bedroom and emerges with his iPod. “I need to turn on Location Services to know for sure,” he says warily.

I look at Devon. She nods and says, “The install finished but . . .”

“But what?” I ask her.

“It was all kind of . . . theoretical,” she says, sounding unsure. “I mean it worked on a small scale, but I don
’
t really have a good way to test at this size.”

“Turn it on,” Kai says flatly.

Kyle flips through the pages on his iPod and says, “Okay, it
’
s on.” He looks back at us and explains, “If it didn
’
t work, we
’
ll need to be ready to move fast. They know we
’
re in DC so . . .”

“Yeah, yeah. We get it. Just do it,” Ryland tells him.

Kyle opens the app and begins playing. “This is where it will happen,” he says as he continues through the game.

We all hold our breath as he works through the level. He plays for a few more minutes and says, “I can
’
t believe it.”

“What? Do we need to go?” I ask about to jump and grab our things.

“No,” he replies, finally smiling. “It worked. The game doesn
’
t see you anymore.”

We let out a collective sigh. For the first time in a long time, we have the upper hand. The Keepers don
’
t know it yet, but they’re completely blind.

“Check this out,” he says, pulling up a messaging screen with a big smile on his face. “There are complaints like crazy coming in about the game.”

“That
’
s a good thing?” Ryland asks.

“That
’
s a great thing,” he explains. “The complaints are about players not getting to join in multiplayer mode. They started last night.” He shakes his head and explains, “That
’
s when Shifters are detected.”

“Now it
’
s time for us to talk,” I tell them while pulling out my phone.

I call Heather and her friends Wendy and Sammy Dangerous. I ask them if they still want to help. They all say yes, so I tell them to go to the local Fox station and say they have a message from me and my sister. I ask them to say they’ll only talk if it
’
s on live national TV.

When I hang up the phone, Ryland looks at me and says, “Have you noticed you haven
’
t been fritzing things out lately?”

“Anyway,” I say, trying to get back to the subject, “Devon, do you still have all of the contacts from Twitter and stuff?”

“Of course,” she answers.

“Ask them all to post the same message everywhere,” I tell her.

She pulls up a screen and asks, “What do you want them to say?”

Have them say, “
Enforcers, meet at level twenty where the Tyro meet the Bane on the Day of Landing. The Bane are ready for battle. Come prepared or die.”

Devon enters the message and sends it. Both Solé and Kyle smile. Everybody else looks confused. Just then, my phone rings. It
’
s Heather already.

“Hi, Heather. Did you change your mind?” I ask her.

“No, of course not,” she says. “I called the station, and when I told them you had something to say, they put me right through to a reporter.”

“Seriously?” I ask. “So they’ll put you on? When?”

“They said they
’
ll be here in an hour.”

“Perfect,” I tell her.

“So, what do I say?” she asks.

“Tanner and Ryland Ascunse are ready to talk to the Tyro. We know who you are. You know who we are. We both know
what
we are. At level twenty, talk to The Young Bane. Ask for the truth, and you’ll understand,” I tell her.

“That doesn
’
t really make sense,” she says. “Anything else?”

“Yes, tell them to play the game,” I tell her. “That
’
s the most important part. Make sure you tell them to play the game.”

“We
’
ll all do it, Tanner,” I hear Wendy and Sammy say together.

I hang up the phone, and Ryland and Kai are staring at me.

“What was that all about?” Ryland asks.

“We have a date with the Keepers,” I tell them.

“What do you mean
a date
?” Ryland asks.

“It
’
s in the game,” Kyle says. “We celebrate the Day of Landing every year. It
’
s kind of like our Independence Day.”

“When is it?” Kai asks.

“Two days,” Kyle says.

“Where?” Kai inquires.

Kyle looks out the window and points. “In level twenty, the Tyro meet The Young Bane there.”

They both look out the window and see the Washington Monument in the distance.

“Are we the Bane?” Ryland asks, slightly offended.

“That
’
s what the younger keepers, the Tyro, call you,” Kyle says.

“Now how do we get the Shifters there?” I ask.

–RYLAND–

So Melinda, Chucky, and Frederick were taken. Somehow though, Alice escaped.

I remember less than two weeks ago when we were messing with my brother
’
s friends, Chucky was gawking over me, and after we left, Melinda wasn
’
t laughing with us. I had to pry it out of her, but she admitted she had a crush on Chucky.

He isn
’
t the cutest boy in school, but he may well be the smartest. Not only that, he’s nice to her. You know, when he has the ability to speak around us. When we were little, he actually crawled down into a drainage ditch to rescue her Barbie. I would’ve never remembered that, but Melinda did. I thought I was going to play matchmaker. Now, I wonder if I
’
ll ever see any of them again.

I know Tanner has moved on. He
’
s working on a plan. He
’
s going to figure out how to get the Keepers and Shifters to converge on their mutual enemy, us. He
’
s hoping once the Keepers see the true Shifters, they might join us in our fight against the real adversary.

It
’
s doubtful, I know, but that
’
s the plan. Maybe it’ll work. Three hundred Spartans did hold against ten thousand warriors. Impossible things do happen.

So, I know I should focus on that. There
’
s this little part of me, though—this tiny, bitter, frightened part of me—that is obsessing over Melinda
’
s capture, and Alice
’
s evasion.

What if . . . what if the Shifters let her go on purpose? What if they’re drawing us to them? What if this is a trap? What if Alice is in on it?

No. No, that can
’
t be. I can
’
t think like that. I have to trust her. She
’
s been my best friend since . . . since I can remember, really.

So, we need to go on with the plan, even if it’s a suicide mission or trap or whatever. We need to find some way to get the Tyros—
ridiculous Keeper slang
—on our side. If we don
’
t, we have no hope of survival. If we don
’
t, we’re doomed.

“I have an idea,” I say slowly, not truly sure if I have a fully developed idea or a madman
’
s half-baked delusion.

Tanner stares at me dumbfounded as if he can
’
t believe the idiot on the team is speaking up during nerd show-and-tell. Really? I
’
m not stupid. I can come up with ideas, too.

“The Shifters that are hunting us,” I venture, “aren’t really aware of the Keepers, right?”

Kai shrugs. “If they are, they don
’
t view them as a threat. They think Ordinaries are pests, only good for menial labor.”

“Okay, so if they hear a message to Enforcers or Tyros or whatever from us, who will they think we’re talking to?” I ask.

Kai frowns. “As arrogant as they are, they would probably think you’re talking to them.” He
’
s not sure where I
’
m going with this.

I
’
m grinning wickedly now. This might work. “They want us, so if they know where we are and when, they’ll come to us. In force, just like we asked.”

“They don
’
t think we can win, but they
’
ll bring enough forces to be sure we can
’
t.” Tanner nods slowly. “Which, with all the Keepers there, won
’
t be enough. They won
’
t assume they
’
ll need that many people to take down a few untrained Young.”

“Right,” I say. “So, we just need to make it clear to them where and when to meet us. They won
’
t understand level twenty or the Day of Landing. We need to make sure they know.”

“How do we do that?” Tanner asks, furrowing his brow. “We
’
ve already sent our messages.”

“We
’
ve sent subtle messages, code. We need to be more overt with this one.” I grin.

“What exactly are you planning?” Kai asks.

“I think we should uncode our message,” I say smugly.

“Decode,”
Tanner mumbles.
“How do we do that?”

“I think we should put on a little show. Some street art.” I’m becoming more and more convinced. This could work.

“What exactly does that mean?” Kai asks.

I grin. “Kai, you can turn off your techno invisibility thing, right?”

He furrows his brow at me.

Three hours later, we’re in the park, dressed up and ready to perform. Kyle and Tanner are still grumbling this is a stupid idea, but I know it isn
’
t. I’m dressed up like some sort of space-traveling superhero. I have on this weird white body suit that I
’
m pretty sure is drawing some looks.

Tanner and Kai are as well, but Solé, Kyle, and Devon are wearing Grecian costumes. Solé and Devon look beautiful, like Greek goddesses, but Kyle is uncomfortably squirming. He clearly doesn
’
t like wearing a skirt.

Chapter 38

The Play Is a Riot—No, Really—
A Riot

–TANNER–

I
’
m really not sure about this play thing. I feel like an idiot in this comic-book-spaceman outfit. Ryland did say I look good, and I do like the way Devon eyes me up and down before wrapping her arms around me. It kind of shows off my more mature body though. I swear I must have grown at least six inches in the last few weeks. But I feel like it may show off a little too much. You know, in the more private areas—which are almost public areas in this outfit.

People are starting to stare at us as we walk toward the Lincoln Memorial in front of the Reflecting Pool. It would be cool if we were just your average sightseers. The place is amazing with the Lincoln Memorial on one side and the Washington Monument in the distance, its reflection dancing and swaying in the water of the Reflecting Pool.

But we’re not sightseers today. Today, we’re a group of thespians ready to put on a show to try to draw aliens to this location for what we hope will be a battle to save the world. Alien rebels versus alien oppressive rulers. The Keepers, or Ordinaries, against the Shifters who don
’
t even know about each other.

This will either be epic or a complete disaster. We’re leading both of our sworn enemies to the same place where it’ll be just a small group of teenagers against the forces of this world and the universe, all of whom want nothing more than to kill us in the most heinous way. Maybe I didn
’
t think this all the way through? Seriously, this is crazy.

We’ve gone too far to stop now though. We watched Heather and her friends on a live TV stream on Devon
’
s laptop in the car on the way here. The reporter jumped at the chance to do a national feed, and the girls did great. The reporter took them totally seriously, trying to get them to answer question after question. The girls stuck to the script perfectly. They each looked into the camera emphasizing, “Play the game,” one after another.

After the interview, several commentators came on trying to decipher the code. None of them picked up on the game references despite the fact the girls mentioned a game at least fifteen times. Which was cool, but then I started second-guessing myself. Was it too cryptic? Will the Tyros get it? Oh, well. It
’
s too late to worry about that. We have a play to do.

I notice the people around us taking out their cellphones and video cameras to get a shot of the kids in crazy costumes. Maybe my sister was on to something with this. We haven
’
t even started, and people are already watching.

“I feel like an idiot,” Kyle says.

“I think you
’
re totally hot,” Solé says, wrapping her arm around Kyle
’
s waist. “I love seeing your sexy legs.”

“I
’
m wearing a dress,” Kyle says, still looking embarrassed.

Sole reaches up and kisses him. When she pulls back, she says, “It
’
s a toga, and I like it.”

That seems to make Kyle feel better. He eyes her up and down and says, “It definitely works on you. You look like a goddess.”

Solé beams.

Then Ryland starts shouting at the crowd as she lets go of Kai
’
s hand. They were holding hands? I’ve been so wrapped up in what’s going on with Devon and Solé and Kyle that I didn
’
t even notice. They must’ve been quite a pair walking hand-in-hand, dressed almost the same except for the color. Ryland and I are in white while Kai is in total black like a stereotypical villain.

All eyes and cameras focus on my sister. No big surprise since her outfit makes her look almost completely naked except for the fact it
’
s white. Big brother is displeased.

“Please gather around,” she says. “We’ll tell you a tale of the histories, the true account of the Enforcers and the Bane.”

I hear several people in the crowd talking.

“It
’
s them,” one says.

“It is them,” from another.

“The terrorists,” another says.

I hear several voices from a group of teenagers on the steps of the memorial say, “I love you, Ryland Ascunse.”

“Please marry me, Ryland.”

“Yeah, call me.”

Kai gives them a dirty look then tells them to shut up and pay attention. Is he jealous?

Ryland ignores it all and continues, “Thousands of years ago on a planet called Gaia there was an evil empire of Shifters and an oppressed people called the Ordinaries.”

A guy in the group of teenagers calls out, “You can tell me anything, gorgeous.”

Kai loses it and disappears in front of the crowd. Instantly, he’s holding the teenager by the collar while the crowd gasps and all cameras and phones focus on him.

Kai sneers at him and says, “I told you to be quiet. Now pay attention to the woman.”

The guy is dumbfounded and about to pee his pants. Kai pulls him closer and gives him a dirty look.

“Okay, okay, I
’
m sorry,” the now-whimpering kid pleads.

Kai Shifts and is back by Ryland
’
s side in an instant. I know I
’
m a Shifter too, but it’s still awesome to watch. Maybe it
’
s because I haven
’
t done it yet, but it really is amazing. Ryland’s completely unfazed.

The crowd grows quickly as more people come to watch.

Ryland continues, “On the Day of Landing, the colonists arrived on Earth intending to live among the people and advance their culture.”

At that, she motions for Kai and me to wrap our arms around her. She holds on to us, and in an instant, we’re a hundred feet above the crowd. They let out a collective gasp, pointing to us as we descend back to Earth.

Somehow Ryland’s able to land us without slamming into the ground. She must be getting better at this. Last time I flew with her, we both hit the surface at break neck speed. That landing was not so pleasant.

Anyway, now we have everyone
’
s undivided attention. Solé, Devon, and Kyle step out from the crowd and begin cowering, amazed at our arrival.

Kai steps out away from us and addresses the people of Earth, “We come in peace. We are the Shifters. With us, we bring enlightenment and technology beyond your wildest dreams. You shall be favored among the new rulers of your world.”

Devon slowly rises and says in her best acting voice, “Please, kind one. Do not harm us. We will do as you wish.”

Kai looks out at the wondering crowd. He gives his best evil smile and says, “Don
’
t you fret, beautiful Ordinary one. As long as you submit to my wishes, no harm will come to you.”

Kai walks up to her and takes her hand, attempting to lead her away from the group.

Kyle quickly runs up, grabbing her other hand. Stopping Kai from taking her, he says, “
You can
’
t come here and take what is ours for your own pleasure.”

Devon looks around, scared and confused, held by the powerful celestial being on one side and the Earthling on the other.

Kai slaps Kyle away from her. I mean he really slaps Kyle like he
’
s been holding something back for a long time. Solé lets out a shriek as Kyle falls to the ground. She runs to Kyle and grabs his hand. Kyle jumps back up like he’s about to rip Kai
’
s head off while Solé holds him back.

Kai Shifts in front of everybody and is instantly holding Kyle by the throat. Ryland runs over to them and grabs Kai. He backhands her, and she falls to the ground. Seriously, he’s either really mad or his acting is fantastic. I hope it
’
s the acting thing.

Kai has a look of evil hatred as he turns back to Kyle. I run over to Ryland and help her up.

I stand and yell at Kai, “No, you won
’
t. Not here. Not these people. You will not rule. We won
’
t let you. They,” I point out among the enraptured onlookers, “will not suffer as we have. They will have no need to submit to your oppression. They will have the power to live as they wish without you.”

Kai drops Kyle, and Kyle falls to the ground gasping for air. Kai turns to me and the crowd saying, “You dare to talk to me in such a way? Clearly, you do not know your place, Ordinary one. I believe I will teach you what becomes of those that disobey the Shifters.”

Kai Shifts once more and the crowd is awed. When he appears in front of me, Ryland grabs him from behind and wraps his hands in bindings. Kai Shifts around several times, but Kyle and the girls grab his feet and bind them also.

The crowd is now cheering them on as they capture the evil villain. Kai flashes as he Shifts several times. Unable to escape the bindings, he lays in defeat.

Ryland, Solé, Devon, Kyle, and I bow to the cheering crowd.

Just then, Solé begins trembling. Ryland and I are immediately by her side as she collapses into our arms. The crowd lets out a collective gasp. She vanishes and is suddenly standing directly in front of a group of cellphones and cameras. Everyone focuses on her and her white eyes.

In an ominous voice, she recites for the cameras,

“Ascunse sunt dezvăluite.

Tinerii au venit să împlinească profeția și a restabili ordinea în univers.

Ei vor conduce cu onoare și integritate.

Drumul va fi lung si multi vor suferi și muri.

Ea a ajuns să treacă așa va fi.”

–RYLAND–

So, the play is going really well. Our landing caught the attention of hundreds of people—and cameras. We
’
re essentially finished when Solé has another one of her episodes.

This time, she delivers her message in some language I
’
ve never heard before. I understood something about order in the universe and suffer and die. Whatever it was, I
’
m not super excited about it. It didn
’
t sound great.

I need to bring the focus back to the play. I need the Shifters to understand where and when to meet us. “To establish the new order in the universe, we will meet in two days on the anniversary of the landing.”

I feel my eyes burning and my legs trembling. I’ve just called out the most powerful force in the universe. I’ve announced myself as a threat. There
’
s a chance I won
’
t live long enough to regret it.

I know this message will reach them. There are cameras and phones and iPods all recording us. Terrorists putting on a play in the middle of the nation
’
s capital will intrigue everyone.

I hear sirens coming. Someone must’ve called the police. I can
’
t blame them. They don
’
t understand who or what we are.

Solé is slowly waking up, groggy and confused. We need to leave. Now. “Let
’
s go!” Kai calls, echoing my thoughts.

A burly man steps toward Tanner from the crowd, trying to play hero and apprehend the terrorists. Kai looks like he’s about to intercept him when a young woman from the crowd who’s been ogling Tanner leaps onto the man
’
s back and starts hitting him with her bag.

After that, chaos ensues. Some people are screaming at us to run; others want to stop us. Some just want to get away. There are people fighting. It’s so incredibly loud.

I think this may be a riot. We may have just started a riot in the middle of DC. It wasn
’
t our intention, but that may have been what we caused.

The police are running through the crowd now, but they’re being assaulted. They’re attacked by men, women, boys, and girls. Everyone’s screaming, “Run!” or “Halt!” or “Freeze!” or “I love you, Tanner!”

I
’
ve never seen anything like it. I don
’
t know what to do. I feel my heart beating so fast in my chest. It hurts. It aches.

Then everything is frozen. It
’
s not entirely frozen, just in slow motion. I don
’
t know what to do. I can
’
t leave. Tanner and Kyle can
’
t Shift. I can
’
t leave them here.

I turn back and forth in the midst of all this turmoil. What do I do?

Slowly, I see an officer raise his gun. I watch him, frozen. He aims his gun and fires. At Devon.

My panic is so complete, for a moment, I can
’
t move. I watch the bullet move slowly as though through molasses at Devon
’
s chest. It
’
s going to hit her. She
’
s going to die.

I see Tanner slowly screaming her name, and I jump into action. I fly toward her. When I reach her, time resumes. I grab her and fly into the air.

But I’m not quick enough. She’s bleeding, screaming. There’s so much blood.

We’re a hundred feet in the air, and I think Devon is dying in my arms. There’s so much blood. I flee with her to the street, where Kai is waiting with a car.

“Oh, my God!” he shouts.

The others are racing toward us; Tanner is screaming at me.

It
’
s all my fault.

I froze.

If she dies, it’s on me. Her blood is on my hands. I clamber into the seat, laying Devon gently in the back.

Tanner climbs in and cradles her head in his lap. “
Devon?
” Tanner is crying now. “Oh, my God, Devon?”

She
’
s not dead. Her eyes are open, and she’s groaning. She
’
s not dead.

Tanner speaks to her calmly through his tears. “
Devon, I
’
m going to look at your wound now; I
’
ve got to move your sleeve.”

He does it so gently, so awkwardly, realizing how close he is to her body even now. He’s careful to keep her covered. When he does, he breathes a sigh of relief.

“Oh, God,” he mutters.

“Am I going to die?” Devon asks meekly, tears springing from her eyes as they bore into his.

“No,” he says, wiping her tears away. “He only shot you in the shoulder. You
’
re gonna be all right. The bullet went straight through.”