Shift – The Hiding Place

Chapter Six

“Mrs. Wilcox tells me I won’t get to go trick-or-treating this year. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“I’m afraid so, Jeff, and send my apologies to Olivia.”

“Are you kidding? She lives for weddings. I’m not sure if you know it, but she’s president of the Elysian Woman’s Club. On top of that, she bakes and apparently, has plans for a colossal cake with a Halloween theme.”

“I’m sure it’ll be beautiful, so send her a big thank you.”

“I’ll do it, now climb on. We’ve got a tour to complete.”

“I haven’t ridden on a tractor fender in quite some time.”

“Well, hold on, so you don’t fall off. I’d hate to tell the Chief I ran over her fiance.

Our first stop was the old farmhouse where Jeff hurt his foot. Once inside, we descended steps into the basement, where I stopped halfway, expecting them to move like the ones in Doc’s house. Who, by the way, has taken to his new nickname quite nicely, as most everyone has started to refer to him in that way.

“Were not fancy over here, son. You’re going to have to keep walking,” said Jeff as he continued to the floor below.

“Who’s place is this?”

“Mine now. It came with the land. Been here a long time, I imagine.”

As he dug through a can of rusty screws, he continued. “Some say the place is haunted.”

“Is it?”

“It is if I’m a ghost. Now, put some pressure right there, Christian, while I maneuver this screw in between the blocks.”

As he did, it clicked, causing a wall section to swing wide open, revealing a ten-by-ten room. Along the back, shelves of liquor bottles overlooked two shot glasses standing ready at the bar. While an old jukebox full of vinyl stood quietly in the corner. A round card table finished out the decor.

“This is your labyrinth?”

He chuckled. “Nonsense, this is where I come to get away from Olivia.”

“You old drunk, no wonder you hurt your foot.”

“A connoisseur, my friend. Now let us drink to privacy and secrecy as we continue on our journey.”

Stepping out into the basement, we once again made our way across fallen boards from the collapsed floor above to another wall. And just as before, he worked a small hole, revealing another doorway.

Continue to scene twenty-eight

Shift is an online work of fiction.

This is the first draft of my manuscript Shift – Don’t judge a book by its cover. I am writing it online in sections as I go. So feel free to comment, good or bad. If you see mistakes, point them out.

The story centers around shapeshifting.

I’m currently working on chapter Ten.

Shift – The Window

Continued from scene twenty-five

“Why did you choose Isabella?”

“She was my friend, and we had a pact stating the other could use our body as a verifiable should we die at home. It’s not uncommon. Shifters do it all the time, and it’s the only way to get a verifiable body as the death is never reported. In other words, there is no doppelgänger problem.

“What happened?”

“Pneumonia, three years ago. It caught us all off guard. She was the picture of health, as you can see.”

I grinned at that.

“Do her parents know?”

“Horace does. Her mother Nelly was killed in a car accident.”

“His name sounds familiar.”

“It should. Remember the laughs he got from his reptilian joke the night you fainted.”

“Horace Turbeville, the old jokester himself.”

“He meant no harm, and he thinks the world of you. Laughter helps him cope. He fell into a deep depression after Isabella died. It was over a year before I saw him smile. I can’t say as I smiled much either that year.”

“It must be weird for him to see you in her body.”

“On the contrary, our families were very close. And Horace and I are the only ones left. Mom, Dad, and Ethan Wright, Isabella’s husband, were also in the car the night Nelly died. Ethan volunteered to take them home after an Elysian meeting while Horace, Isabella, and I cleaned up. Dad was Chief back then.

“Thanks for telling me. It means a lot to have you finally open up.”

“You’re welcome. Now we need to get off this emotional roller coaster. I have a wedding to plan.”

I took her place by the window as she picked up the phone.

“Linda, we’ve moved the wedding up to Halloween. Can my maid of honor pull off a miracle?”

I don’t know what Linda said, but the laughter coming from Karen was music to my ears. As they talked, I looked out the window and I saw two white crosses nestled inside the tree line. I’m not sure how I missed seeing them before.

Continue to sene twenty-seven

Shift is an online work of fiction.

The story centers around shapeshifting.

I’m currently working on chapter Ten.

Shift – The Tractor Path

Continued from scene nineteen

The directions she gave to Decker’s house followed a tractor path between fields of various crops. In one stood an abanded farmhouse where I saw Mr. Wilcox waving.

“Thought you were going to pass me by for a minute there. Can you give me a lift to Doc’s? I stepped on a nail.”

“Sure, hop in. What were you doing in there anyway? Looks like the place is about to fall down.”

“Looks are deceiving around here, friend. What you see and don’t see are equally important. And I reckon it’s okay for me to tell you about it, seeing as you’re one of us now.

“Underneath this land of ours is a labyrinth of hidden tunnels connecting rooms filled with supplies and weapons. And that old house is one of many secret entrances.; as time goes by, I’ll show you around the place. But right now, I have a foot that needs tending.”

“I’d appreciate it. Karen has set my training aside for the time being. So I’m feeling a little lost.”

“Don’t you worry, Mrs. Wilcox, and I will fill you in on everything you need to know.”

Continue to scene twenty-one

Shift is an online work of fiction.

The story centers around shapeshifting.

I’m currently working on chapter Ten.

Shift – A Happy Home

Continued from scene eighteen

The couch made my back hurt overnight, but she got the point. Seven years older or not, things were going to change.

“Get up; we’ve got some decisions to make.”

Apparently, the argument wasn’t over.

“It’s six o’clock in the morning. It can wait.”

“No, it can’t. Every decision I make involves our family. So get your ass up off the couch. After all, you’ve been a shifter for well over a week now. So you should be capable of making decisions about our family and the lives of shifters you barely know. And the dynamics of tribal politics should be a breeze for someone with your fortitude and knowledge. I don’t know what I was thinking when I made those DECISIONS without you.”

“You knew what I meant yesterday, so come down off your high horse. I get it; I’m not there yet as a shifter. But I’m going to be your husband and the father of our child. So a little respect on your end isn’t too much to ask.”

I waited for a harsh reply, but she stumbled over her words.

“You’re––well, I guess….”

Her phone rang saving her from having to say more.

Hanging up, she turned, arms crossed. “Looks like your man brain is needed after all. Decker wants help with Kate’s therapy.”

“They already have her?”

“That’s right, Elysians wast no time when their families lives are at stake. Now come into the kitchen and eat the breakfast I cooked for you.”

After breakfast, she smiled and led me to the front door, where she said, “Don’t work too hard today. I’ll be sure to clean the house and have dinner ready when you get home.”

Her sarcasm was not lost on me as I drove off in her old pickup truck. Looking back through the rearview mirror, I saw her blow a kiss, and I could not help thinking I should have kept my big mouth shut.

Continue to scene twenty

Shift is an online work of fiction.

The story centers around shapeshifting.

I’m currently working on chapter Ten.

Shift – The Call

Continued from scene fifteen

Chapter four

“Hello, everyone, I’m Susan Cross; thanks for joining us. Tonight the mystery continues as the number of faked doppelganger videos surge to over one thousand. But some can not be explained away so easily. Our own Derick Miller is in Atlanta with the story.”

“Susan, I’m here with Donna Taylor, who saw herself in the Texas video after returning home from a seven-night cruise to the Bahamas. Debbie, how did it feel to see your doppelganger for the first time?”

“Honestly, I was in Shock. I thought my mom was joking when she said I was in the background of a local news report. But you can clearly see the date and temperature on the sign proving it was not me––I’m kind of freaked out by the whole thing, to tell you the truth.”

“Derick, have they been able to identify the girl in the video?”

“They have not, Susan. The video clearly shows the unknown woman getting into an Uber around ten o’clock, and a police spokesperson confirmed she was dropped off at 410 Danby Ave. But no one living at 410 Danby fits her description. For that matter, no one in the entire neighborhood fits her description. To top it off, the card used to pay for the ride belongs to the owner of the house.”

“Thanks, Derick; let us know if there are any further developments. In other news….”

“I’m I correct in saying a shifter lives at 410 Danby?”

“You are; now turn it down while I make a call.”

I could hear the phone ringing on the other end as I walked into the kitchen to pour a glass of ice tea.

“Hello”

“Robert, this is Karen. I heard you got a black eye last night.”

“Yep, got my blocked knocked off.”

“Well, have Kate take you to the doctor.”

“Yes, mam.”

It took Karen several days to make up her mind, but there was no going back once made. The black eye comment gives Robert permission to blackout an entire city block using the silencer while his team kidnaps Kate from a homeless camp. After which, they are to make several vehicle changes before dropping her off at the Decker Farm.

During the Elysian meeting, Keith promised Karen he could restore Kate’s ability to shift with a new hypnosis technic he had been working on. She was hesitant about kidnapping a shifter, lost or not, but decided it would be better for her to have a chance, than no chance at all if she got picked up by the NSC.

“It must have been hard for you to make that call, but we couldn’t leave her out there to disintegrate into madness. Decker is an intelligent man. It might work,” I said hoping to ease her mind.

“And what do we do if he fails. Throw Kate back to the wolves? She knew the dangers and chose to ignore them. Her life was her’s to screw up, and she did. What happened to her was of her own doing, and I was fine with that. But now, her life is in my hands. And you don’t want to know what some tribes do to their lost shifters. Remember when I said we are human, and all humans are shapeshifters?”

“I do.”

“Every human on this planet has a good and bad side. Which one they choose is up to them, and shifters are no different. Their leaders are no different. And some see lost shifters as a threat and treat them as such.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning they kill them.”

Continue to scene seventeen

Shift is an online work of fiction.

The story centers around shapeshifting.

I’m currently working on chapter Ten.

Shift – Jovial

Continued from scene fourteen

The rest of the night was jovial, with most staying late singing, dancing, and catching up. Maggie Reid caught the attention of Mick Turner, who seemed to be enjoying the slow songs as much as I did with Karen when we met.

Horace Turbeville kept a group near the stage amused with his one-liners, while a boy named Lex, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox, sat in the corner looking at his phone even though it had been turned off by his parents. All our devices were off. Had they remained on upon entering the building, they would have been destroyed by what head of security, Robert Ness, referred to as an electronic silencer.

Karen and I spent most of the night apart while she made her rounds. Decker seemed to take up most of her time while Linda Wilson prodded me for wedding info, for which I had none.

On the way home, I asked Karen about her conversation with Decker, which made the ride home as talkative as the ride there. It seems he and a few others are concerned about Kate Addison for two reasons. One, she was sinking deeper into her drug addiction. And two, they’re afraid Wilmington surveillance cameras will eventually match her up with an original; subjecting her to testing, if caught. This, in turn, would show her to be a perfect match down to her fingerprints, a doppelganger if you will. Giving the NSC all the proof they need to go on a proverbial witch hunt.

We continued our discussion after we got home, with a bottle of wine on the balcony.

“What you will do with her?” I asked while leaning back in my chair.

“I have not decided,” she replied, glass pressed against lips, her eyes shifting momentarily.

Continue to scene sixteen

Shift is an online work of fiction.

The story centers around shapeshifting.

I’m currently working on chapter Ten.

Shift – The Eyes

Continued from scene twelve

“Here, son, let me help you up,” said Kieth, referred to by most as Dr. Decker in Wilmington. “You took a hit to the head, so let’s step down off the stage and have a seat while I look you over.”

“My eyes do feel a little weird.”

A crowd formed around us as we sat at a nearby table. “Look straight ahead as I move my pin light back a forth,” said Decker.

“Karen, did you see that?”

“See what?” I asked before she could respond.

“Your eyes made a quick involuntary shift before turning back to normal. This is not unusual for someone under a lot of stress; you’re going to be okay. But in the future, be aware of this and cover them if you feel it coming on. You don’t want to accidentally expose yourself to a non-shifter.”

“You’ll get pinned as one of them reptilians if you get caught on camera,” said Horace Turbeville with a snort.

Everyone laughed and eventually made their way over to the banquet table, leaving me to my embarrassment.

Continue to scene fourteen

Shift is an online work of fiction.

The story centers around shapeshifting.

I’m currently working on chapter Ten.

Shift – Leadership

Continued from scene eleven

We made the hour-long drive to the tribes Southport Meeting Hall three days later, giving Karen plenty of time to go over her speech. She was all business and wasted no time getting started upon our arrival.

“May I have your attention, everyone. I’m sure you’re all aware of Jill’s mishaps by now, so I will get straight to the point and then introduce our new students.

“Last week, Jill Hanson was arrested after the body she was using triggered a facial recognition scanner. And this has become problematic due to the arrest of the real Becky White in Fairbanks, Alaska. In turn, Jill’s arrest video was leaked online, and similar instances are being posted to Youtube from around the world. Our cyber team has been uploading fake ones to discredit them and removing the real ones when possible.

“I have talked with all the tribal leaders, and we agreed to have everyone shift and stay in their originals until further notice unless your life is in danger. The only exceptions being those who have new verifiable identities, such as myself.

“So, If there are no questions, I would like to ask all of you to shift now.”

Seeing Karen in her leadership role was impressive. You could tell she had the full respect of every tribe member.

“Come on, Adam, I think you’ve been in your girly girl bod long enough. If you stay much longer, she’s going to trap you. Remember Kate? She’s still walking around Wilmington, talking to herself. Do you want to end up like that?”

“You sure know how to ruin a girl’s night,” he said, as red hair changed to brown.

“Everyone, if I can have your attention again, I would like to introduce our new students. First, we have Maggie Ried. Scott Bell is her teacher, and I believe most of you have already met with her.

“Maggie, do you want to come up and say a few words?”

Everyone watched as she confidently made her way on stage. “I just want to thank everyone for making me feel like family. I’ve never been happier than I am right now.

“We are family,” Karen interjected as others applauded.

And with that, Maggie stepped down from the podium, and Karen called me up. It felt like my heart was going to jump out of my body as I stood beside her. I hated being in front of a crowd.

“Many of you may also know of my own student, Christain Lore,” she said glowingly. “You may also know of our engagement. But I bet you didn’t know we are having a baby.”

“A Baby,” screamed Linda Wilson as the crowd broke out in cheers. “Our royal line continues. I’m so happy for you Karen.”

“Lets hear the lucky man say something,” yelled Keith Decker from the back.

Karen smiled and pulled me to the mic as three hundred and sixty eyes watched me fall to the floor.

“Baby, wake up. You fainted.”

“Place this wet cloth on his head,” came another voice as my eyes opened to those staring down at me.

Continue to scene thirteen

Shift is an online work of fiction.

The story centers around shapeshifting.

I’m currently working on chapter Ten.

Shift – The News

Continued from scene ten

Chapter Three

A week passed before I could wrap my head around it all. I was 28, a shifter, soon-to-be husband, and father. A good life, I suppose, but there was a sad side. Both of my parents died when I was five, and I have no one to share it with. But Karen assured me my mind’s eye will one day present them to me. And last night, I could have sworn I felt the touch of my father’s hand and the lips of a mother’s kiss on my cheek as I fell asleep.

“Baby! turn up the volume, their talking about Jill’s arrest.”

“That’s right, Susan, Becky White has pleaded not guilty to the assault and battery charges. And you’re not going to believe this. She claims her doppelganger did it.”

“A doppelganger!”

“That’s right, a look-alike and her lawyers have video of her doppelganger being arrested right there in North Myrtle Beach minutes before her own arrest here in Fairbanks.”

“You can turn it off now.”

“Do you think it’ll all blow over?”

“I’m not sure at this point. It may, but I need to call a tribal meeting to set some new rules to live by until it does.”

Continue to scene twelve.

Shift is an online work of fiction.

The story centers around shapeshifting.

I’m currently working on chapter Ten.

Shift – Our Tribe

Continued from scene eight

She returned around three o’clock to find me asleep on the balcony, my eyes opening when she laid her head on my shoulder.

“Where have you been?”

“One of our tribe members had an issue.”

I’ll have to admit it felt good to hear her say ‘our tribe.’

“Are they okay?”

“For now. A shifter named Jill Hansen got arrested for a warrant after a facial recognition scan. The damn things are everywhere these days and causing a lot of problems for us. Seems the body she was using got into some kind of trouble.

I bailed her out, and she switched to her original. So there’s no chance of her getting picked up again. But the cyber team will have to monitor the situation.”

“We have a cyber team?”

“At some point, they’re going to find out the original body of Becky White was in Alaska at the time of her arrest. And that’s going to be hard for the North Myrtle Beach Police Department to explain. In the past, they would cover up such a thing. But there has been a re-awaking over the last few years. And people are starting to believe in the supernatural again, causing some to ask questions.”

“Isn’t shifting supernatural?”

“No, it’s as natural as breathing. Every human used their shifting ability in the past as a means of survival. But the plague changed all that. There was an attempt to re-engage the others during the reign of Atlantis, but the Great Flood put an end to it.”

“ATLANTIS WAS REAL?”

Continue to scene ten.

Shift is an online work of fiction.

The story centers around shapeshifting.

I’m currently working on chapter Ten.