It was the day before school started. One last day where I could put my all into learning about Shaping, yet I found myself already perseverating over the coming school year. I eyed the large biology textbook that was missing its front cover. I’d bought it like that, second hand. Sighing, I grabbed it from the shelf and flipped to a random page.
Why had I chosen to study Biology? People always asked what my career plan was. I liked animals, so maybe this would lead to a career in research or becoming a vet. But I knew deep down I had made that choice half-heartedly. I had no dream of doing field research and becoming a vet would mean being around suffering animals often, which was something I didn’t know if I could stomach. That sentiment had only been amplified by the events in the barn at Cathrow.
The textbook page had a large diagram of the morphology of a beetle. Exoskeletons contain chitin, the description read. Ingrowths of the arthropod exoskeleton serve as attachment sites for muscles. Similar to tendons, these apodemes can stretch to store elastic energy for jumping, notably in locusts.
I idly spun little shapes out of antler from my wrist, snapping them off with my other hand and tossing them at my garbage can. One of the shapes became the approximation of a bug as I reread the passage. I wonder if I could make something similar…
What was my future going to look like? I wondered if I could somehow make a job out of Shaping. Something I could do subtly. I didn’t want to just be strong. Shaping was fascinating, I wanted to find interesting applications of it. But remaining invisible to the public eye made the possibilities diminish.
My thoughts returned to school and my stomach turned a little at the thought of going back into those classrooms. I had been unsuccessful in making more than fleeting acquaintances last year. There was always that nagging feeling that I was to blame for that, that there was something off about me that others could sniff out.
My mom’s face came to mind. She smiled warmly. She had always espoused the value of post-secondary education, she had wanted to finish hers but the divorce had made that more difficult. What would she think if I gave up on school? A sinister thought crept up right behind the last. What would she think if she knew you were a monster?
My chest felt cold. My mother’s face turned to confusion, then she turned away from me.
“Nick?”
I snapped out of my thoughts. Mom was calling for me. “Kay and Janelle are here to see you!”
Janelle?
My thoughts were not my own. I suddenly recognized the effects of Nell’s presence. I’d been so caught up in my worries that I hadn’t noticed when it started. Is our sight linking as well? Or was it just that our shared memories were growing? A more immediate worry overwhelmed that train of thought.
“Coming!” I called and hastily made my way to the front door. Kay was chatting with my mother. Next to her was Nell, showing that she was feeling my anxiety on her face.
“Howdy, Nick,” Kay said, flashing me a grin. “This is my niece. I was just introducing us to your mom.”
I kept my expression blank. “Uhuh.”
My mom beamed. “You didn’t tell me you made friends, Nick. How did you meet?”
“Uni,” Kay said. “We caught up this summer when he stumbled out of the woods like a fae.”
Mom hesitantly laughed, unsure if it was a joke. “Oh! I have muffins in the oven. Let me go fetch them and you can have a bite to eat before you go.”
I watched her go to the kitchen and when I was sure she was out of earshot I spoke in low tones. “We have to leave.”
“It’s okay, Nick. There’s no chance that my actual niece is in Sillwood. She lives in Rotterdam.”
I ushered the two of them out the door and down the driveway. “That’s not what I’m concerned about.” My voice got a little more strained. “My dad is here right now-”
“Hello,” my Dad said. He’d just come around the side of the house. He waved cheerfully at Kay and Nell. “Nick, you should help your mother weed more often. The garden is a mess.” His eyes came to a rest on Nell. “Have we met before?”
Nell stared at him coldly. “I dunno, have you?
Dad scratched his head, looking uncomfortable. “Hmm. I can’t put my finger on it, just something familiar.”
I cleared my throat. “We should get going.”
“Are you sure you should be here, Mr. Harte?” Nell asked. My dad looked dumbfounded as I dragged Nell away.
Once we had gotten around a corner, I let Nell feel my displeasure. “Not cool, Nell.”
“What?” Nell said defensively. “I remember what he did too. He doesn’t deserve to still have you and your mom in his life.”
“Thanks for the input but you don’t get to make that decision,” I said firmly. “In fact, I’d prefer if you wouldn’t weigh in on my family matters.”
Nell looked away angrily.
“Sorry we showed up so suddenly,” Kay said apologetically. “But I needed to make sure you didn’t see Alek again.” She paused, waiting until we weren’t next to any houses before continuing. “Nell mentioned those tattoos that Alek has. I guess I’d been too worked up to notice them when I brought you to him, but he didn’t have those before. So I did some searching of the police databases.” Kay pulled out her phone and showed me a screenshot. There was a grainy image of a man with tattoos that looked a whole lot like Alek. “He’s suspected of being a high-ranking Ring member. Weapon trafficking, assault, drug trade, they have a lot on him, it doesn’t seem like he’s been that careful.”
My heart sank. I couldn’t catch a break. “Shit,” I muttered. “I should have assumed he was lying.” Every time I gained contact with the world of Shaping, I found out too late that my guide was a psychopath. Or perhaps I just chose to ignore the signs, drawn in by that enticing mystery.
“What about his girlfriend?” Nell asked.
“I- uh…” I trailed off. My thoughts felt like they were being yanked in two directions at once. Alek’s deception was dangerous. Yet at the same time, a memory was funnelled into my head almost forcibly. A leafy green plant, so close to my face, I could almost feel it tickling my nose.
“Whatever he wants, it’s bad news to get involved,” Kay said. “It was stupid of me to bring you guys to him.”
Nell watched me closely. The leaf in my mind moved, revealing itself to be a stick insect, perfectly camouflaged. What are you trying to tell me Nell? Why aren’t you just saying it out loud?
“If he tries anything, I’ll keep us safe,” Nell said. “Unless it involves running.”
I glanced around. There wasn’t anything suspicious. Just a small field of grass, lined on either side by fences. There were voices of children playing in a nearby yard, but no one was close enough to hear our conversation.
“Okayyyyy,” Kay said, cluing in to how strange the two of us were acting. “I could just call the cops, leave an anonymous tip to his apartment.”
“No,” Nell said suddenly. “You said it yourself, we should leave him alone.”
“Mm. It’s likely that he would fight his way out and just find a new place,” Kay mused. “How are you supposed to beat a super-strong guy with regeneration powers?”
“Bullets might work just fine,” I said meekly, thinking about how debilitating pain was, even with the ability to heal it.
Kay’s response became muted as another memory bubbled up, this time of a snake in a zoo enclosure. It winded across a sandy terrain that it neatly blended into.
Okay, camouflaged critters. I get it.
Trying to remain casual, I snuck glances at the field, looking for any hint of something hiding.
“Moving on from that, Nell,” Kay said, “what do you think of Sillwood?”
Nell pondered the question for a moment. “It’s nice. Even in the city centre, there’s some plants around. There’s also way too many people.”
There. I saw something strange. A divot in the tall grass, where the blades were bending around something invisible, forming a small tunnel.
I felt Nell ‘pumping me up’, adrenaline kicking my heart into high gear. Her intentions were clear. Catch whatever this thing was and make sure we were safe. I prepared myself mentally for a fight. This is what we were preparing for.
Just then, the grass moved, as whatever the thing was shot off through the grass, leaving a brief trail of movement.
I swore and started after it.
“Nick?!” Kay called out, alarmed.
“Someone was eavesdropping!” I shouted, not taking my eyes off my target. And we would make sure that information didn’t get back to them.