I passed Linda in the hallway as I approached Karen’s door.
“Thanks for taking the heat off,” she said hastily.
Before I could say, you’re welcome, she was gone causing me some concern. But I was not going to be intimidated. If Karen is mad, she will not be mad at me, I thought.
Entering her office, I readied myself. “Karen, whatever beef you have with Linda is not going to be taken out on me.”
“Shut up and get over here.”
“Did you not hear what I said?”
“Babe, we’ve got a problem. Robert found the answer to my question as to why some tribes were asked while others were not asked to join the outliers.”
“And?”
“All excluded tribes have chiefs with a pedigree.”
“And?”
“Pedigree chiefs know our true history. A history the outliers want to rewrite.”
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.
Shapeshift with me, she said. You’ll love it, she said.
Jeff was right; I was losing it. And my old life was starting to look pretty good right now.
This underground labyrinth, the killing room, worldwide tribes ready to go to war with one anoth––
“Christian!” yelled Karen over the corridor speaker. “That’s enough. There will be no war.”
“Fuck! How did you do that without touching me? You promised not to read me. Remember?”
“You’re thinking out loud over the hallway security system, idiot. Now come to my office so we can talk.”
I lifted my finger toward the camera in preparation for my response, shook it a few times, then awkwardly twisted it around in a slow swirl until it was by my side again. I had nothing.
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.
“So let me get this straight. In the coming weeks, I’m getting married, going on a honeymoon, and attending a shifters LARP with my pregnant wife. Carrying a weapon not made of foam?”
“Yep.”
“That’s all you’ve got to say?”
“Christian, I’d be losing my shit, too, if I were you.”
“You know, I liked your one-word answer better.”
“Doc, this boy needs a bachelor party soon, or he’s not going to make it to the wedding. Look at him. He’s a mess.
“Got it all set up for next Friday if he can hold it together until then.”
“I can hold it together.”
Nicky looked at the three of us, shaking her head. “Christian’s character profile. Fool. Jeff’s character profile. Fool. Doc’s character pro––.”
“Don’t say it if you want to keep your job.”
“FOOL.
“You can’t function without me, Doc.”
She was right, and he knew it as she walked by him on her way out.
“I thought someone was bringing breakfast?” he bellowed.
“Me too. Christian, call that wife of yours and see what the hold up is.”
“Sure thing.”
As I closed the door behind me, I overheard them both.
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.
“She’s taken possession of the Walker Road property, But her house is still in the planning stages.”
“Where’s she living?”
“Mick Turner offered up a room in his house.”
“He did, did he,” she replied with a smile and gentle touch to my leg.
Robert smiled back. “He did.”
“Maybe we should hold off on that house for a while.
“Jeff, have we reached capacity?”
“Yes, Mame. Food, medical, weapons, comms, you name it; we’ve got it.”
“Linda, how are things on your end?”
“Weddings covered.”
“Thank you. But I was referring to The Gathering of Chiefs.”
“Every tribe agreed. The meeting will take place four weeks from today, on the 11th, under the guise of our yearly invitation-only LARP.”
“And this year’s name?”
“You’re not going to like it, but Ghost said they would not attend otherwise.”
“Did they agree to the location?”
“Yes.”
“And the name is?”
“Dark Night.”
You could have heard a pin drop as we waited for her response.
“Not all chiefs agreed.”
“Who are you referring to?”
“I’m referring to me.”
“Chief, we’ll leave the room so you and Linda can discuss this privately?”
“Sit down, Robert.
“Let me make this clear to all. If discretion is given in the future, I hope you will use that discretion to inform me of anything out of the norm.”
“They would have not come otherwise, Chief.”
“Thank you all for coming this morning. Nicky, if you will, please put together a list of all those attending this year’s Dark Night event. Along with character details.
“Linda, come with me. The rest of you are free to stay. Breakfast should be here, shortly.”
As they left the room I asked, “Jeff, what the hell is a LARP?”
“Live Action Role Play. You know, foam swords and magic spells.”
I raised my palm to forehead.
“LARP is bigger than you think, Christian. It’s played worldwide and the perfect cover for a large gathering of shifters.”
Sliding my hand down, I looked through fingers and replied, “I’m sure it is.”
“One thing you should remember, though.”
“What’s that?”
“The weapons at our LARP will not be made of foam.”
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.
When I arrived home later that day, dinner was ready, and Karen sat across from me, her lips accentuated in red.
“How did your day go?”
“Fine.” I answered cautiously.
“Just fine?”
“Yep.”
“Baby, what’s wrong.”
“What’s wrong with you? A black dress, red lipstick, dinner. What’s the catch?”
“No catch. I just wanted to make up for the way I acted last night. That’s all.”
“No need; like I said, I’m fine.”
“Don’t be like that. Talk to me.”
“We kissed when I walked through the door, so you already know. Now, if you will excuse me. Billy Jenkins wore my man brain down this afternoon. And I need a nap.”
“I did not read you.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you say I did?”
“I wanted to hear you say it.”
“Why?”
“Because I prefer your voice over your thoughts, the mystery of your smile, and unknown whispers from beautiful red lips.”
She blushed silently.
“Karen, I will never read you from this point on, and I do not want to be read. Understand?”
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.
They’re all comedians, I thought. Horace, Karen, Jeff, Olivia, Billy, the whole lot of them. But the innocents of laughter had been lost by me. The lights would go out soon; I saw no way around it. And the melancholy of it all was beginning to take its toll.
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 truth is, I didn’t want to practice. I wanted to do whatever without learning the specifics.
When I was younger, I built an ultralight airplane, and my flight instructor told me to fly a few feet off the runway, then land. But I was having none of that and took to the skies. It was awesome and so easy; until I had to land. Turns out those specifics would have saved my landing gear.
But practice, I must according to Olivia. So there I sat, a few hours later, across from billy Jenkins playing brain games and thinking I would rather be flying.
Jenkins seemed amused with this and held out his arms like wings. Then abruptly crashed onto the floor, laughing.
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.
“Oh,she’s a funny one, that girl of mine. The Jenkins’s boy just turned seven,” I said to myself on the way over to Olivia’s.
“Good morning, Christian. How are we feeling today?”
“I’m not in the mood. Can we just get started?”
“I suppose. Today’s lesson will be on thoughts and memories. So follow me into the kitchen.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have any orange juice, would you?”
“Have a seat, she said, brushing me on her way to the refrigerator. “You know, when we touch, our brains are bombarded with a wealth of information which can be overwhelming if not processed correctly.
“You’re experiencing this as we speak, but somehow, you already know I’m out of orange juice. Even though I walked toward the refrigerator as if I did. Why do you think that is?”
“I was focused on orange juice, I guess.”
“Why guess? You could have scanned me for the right answer. But you are correct. Sometimes, we overlook another person’s thoughts because we are so consumed with our own. In this case, you were focused on juice instead of today’s lesson. In Borya’s case, he was focused on a way out of the situation. And that, along with being startled, is why you’re alive today. If he had remained calm, you would be dead, not him.
“For some reason, he took you at your word. And this is why I can not stress enough how important it is to stay focused on your goal when reading someone. Understand?”
I nodded with a dry mouth.
“Alright, then let’s move on to memories. Carol will be here around noon, and I want you ready to go head to head with her son.”
“Oh, we got two comedians in the tribe.”
“Now, don’t be like that; little Billy needs some practice too.”
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.
By morning I was feeling a little pissed. Jeff thinks he has a trusting wife, but she’s not. And Karen scanned my memories without a second thought. Was privacy a thing of the past?
Don’t trust me. I don’t trust you, wasmy conclusion.
“Good morning Babe,” said Karen as she walked past, with a glancing kiss.
“Good Morning,” I replied, my brain quickly scanning hers.
Don’t trust me. I don’t trust you, my words flowing right back at me. She knows.
“Sweetie, I’ve been playing this game my entire life.
“Dammit, Karen, we have to trust one another.”
“I trust you.”
“I’ve heard that before. But you scanned my memories as soon as I walked through the door last night.”
“And you had your friends lie for you.”
“You wouldn’t have known without a scan.”
“Doc’s a terrible liar. Remember?” I had probable cause.
“Coffee?”
“Sure, my head is beginning to hurt.”
“Don’t drink so much next time.”
“It’s not the booze?”
“Christian, I’m a complicated woman. Maybe you should tackle someone else’s thoughts for a while. The Jenkins boy just turned seven.”
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.
I must admit I felt a little nervous walking through the front door alone. Olivia left when Doc called, and Jeff refused to come in and run cover for me. So my plan was to play the drunk card hard in the hopes I could just go to bed. But It didn’t work. Karen grabbed my arm as soon as I walked across the threshold.
“So let me be clear, Olivia has known about Jeff’s little bar for quite some time. She pretends not to so he can have his space, and I will not tell him otherwise. The same for Doc, who’s a terrible liar.
“I’m a gullible female who’s easily fooled for all they know. But you know that’s not true. Don’t you?”
Before I could answer, she retreated to the bedroom, pointing to the couch along the way.
But you will, I thought. Jeff’s words were coming true, and my buzz was wearing off. Sleep was not going to come as quickly as I had hoped.
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.
Timothy French 