The Forest of Aisling: Dream of the Shapeshifter (The Willow Series Book 1) (40 page)

She shrugged and began laughing, “Yeah, well, this
time I mean it!”

Sam and I looked at each other and fought back the
urge to laugh again or to say anything that might set Leah off.

“All righty then!”  Sam said, obviously ready
to change the subject. “Oooh, there is something good to tell you!  For
one thing, we’re going to a party tonight; in fact, we should get ready to
leave here in about twenty.”

“What?”  I demanded. “Not really dressed for
a party, I mean, look at me!”

“You look fine, just change your shirt,” offered
Leah as she walked over to my closet and opened the door.  She pulled out
a pale blue sweater and threw it at me.  “This looks awesome with your
hair.”

I gave in and pulled the sweater over my
head.  While I brushed my hair and teeth Sam filled me in on where we were
going and who would be there.

“Oh, yeah, and remember that new guy who had just
transferred to SFA before you left for Ireland?”

I remembered him; Hawk.  He wasn’t the kind
of guy you’d forget easily. “Sure, I remember,” I said, checking myself over in
the mirror.

“Well, Jennifer told me that he was asking her
about you.  He wondered where you were and why you weren’t at school.”

Leah joined Sam and I at the mirror and began
applying her pink lipstick.  “Yeah, Jen got the feeling that he’s
really
interested in you!” 

I felt a twinge of excitement that Hawk had asked
about me.  I wasn’t really interested in him but I had to admit I felt
flattered.

After we primped in the bathroom for fifteen
minutes we grabbed our things and headed for the door.  I said goodbye to
Mom and Dad who sat snuggled together on the couch watching T.V.  Leah and
Sam had cleared the party idea with them earlier, so all we had to do now was
get there. 

We piled into Leah’s jeep and arrived at a boy
named Andrew’s house just before nine.  Lots of kids from school were there,
as well as other kids I’d never seen before.  Even though it was a big
party it seemed pretty calm, which was good because I wasn’t really up for a
lot of craziness.

Sam, Leah, and I went in and said hi to
Andrew.  Different kids approached me and welcomed me home which made me
feel great and missed.  They wanted to hear about Ireland and I enjoyed
talking about it.  After we’d been there for about an hour I felt a hand
on my shoulder and turned to see Hawk.  His jet black hair was pulled back
into a braid and he was wearing a long black leather jacket.  He
definitely had the
bad boy
thing going on.

He had more Native blood than I did and his
features reflected it: high cheekbones, broad nose, dark skin, and haunting
eyes.  He was probably one of the most attractive Indians I had ever seen.

“Hello, Willow,” he said in a deep, rich voice,
sounding much older than a teenager.

“Hi, Hawk,” I answered, becoming aware of the
people around us staring and growing quiet.

“Welcome home.”  His hand still rested on my
shoulder.

“Thank you.”

Thank God Leah broke the awkward moment by handing
me a soda. “Pepsi?” she asked, staring at Hawk with adoring eyes.  I took
hold of the Pepsi can and almost laughed at the moonstruck look on Leah’s
face.  She barely blinked and kept her hand held out even after I took the
soda.

“Thanks, Leah,” I said loudly, shaking her out of
her stupor.

She blinked her eyes and shook her head, then
looked at me and smiled, “Oh sure…” she mumbled, then turned and walked away.

Weird
, I thought as I turned back to
Hawk.  He had removed his hand by this time but stayed standing in front
of me, his eyes focused on mine.

“How are you doing?”  I asked, uncomfortably
unsure of what to say to him.

“Good,” he replied then looked over his shoulder.
“Care to join me out on the deck?” he motioned to the area outside with a nod.

I looked over to the deck and saw only one other
kid standing out there.  One great thing since my time in Ireland was, now
I didn’t really feel fearful or worried about things.  I had some mad
skills and knew how to use them, so being alone with him didn’t intimidate me
at all. “Sure, ok,” I said to him and headed towards the deck.

The air was nice and cool, a typical Santé Fe
autumn evening and it felt good after the closed in feel of the house.  I
took in a long breath and found myself lost for a split second in the thought
of shifting wolf and running free in the night air.  I quickly came around
and faced Hawk as he joined me at the railing.

There was an intense look about him and I got the
very real impression he had something to say, like he needed to tell me
something.  I resisted the urge to start talking and instead decided to
wait and let him speak his mind.  He looked out into the darkness and
fidgeted back and forth on his feet.  I waited patiently.  Finally he
turned and faced me square on.

“I’m not good at small talk,” he mumbled.

I raised my eyebrows and nodded.  “Well, you
look like you have something to say.”

He glanced down at the floor for a few seconds
then directed his stare to the only other person on the deck.  The boy
looked over at us then turned and walked inside the house, almost as if Hawk
had ordered him to do so.
Weird again
, I thought.

“I’m glad you’re back,” he stammered, reaching his
hand up and smoothing back his hair.

“Thanks,” I answered, feeling quite uncomfortable
again and unsure of where he was going with this.  My mind flashed on Bram
and just the thought of him immediately calmed my nerves.

“Don’t think I’m some kind of freak,” he said
leaning in closer, “it’s just… I feel comfortable with you.”

I found myself backing up as he drew closer. 
“That’s nice,” was all I could think to say.

He shook his head and patted the side of it in
frustration.  “I’m coming off like an idiot,” he said.

“Look, Hawk, if you’ve got something to say, go
ahead and say it; I’m not gonna bite,” I said, trying to encourage him to
complete his thought.

“Ok, well…” he began, and then looked back toward
the house.  He leaned in close to my left ear and whispered, “I know what you
can do.” 

I pulled my head back and stepped away from
him.  He held his position.

“Excuse me?” 

“Willow…I know what you can do.” His dark eyes
reflected the quarter moon that peeked out from behind some fast moving clouds.

“Meaning?” My throat began to feel tight, like I
needed some water.  A huge roar of laughter from inside the house drew our
attention to the door.

Hawk stepped over and closed it. I didn’t feel
intimated or anything, just irritated and more than a little anxious for him to
explain himself.  He looked back at me and stayed by the door.

“Meaning, I know you can shapeshift,” he answered
in a low voice.  His eyes darted towards the yard.  When he did that
I noticed that they took on a strange glow.  It reminded me of how my cat
Max’s eyes would sometimes glow at night.  When he looked back my way the
glow was gone.

I raised my hand to my mouth and tapped my index
finger over my lips while I studied him standing there.  “What do you know
about shifting?”

He grinned as he stepped closer to me.  “I
know there’s not many of us who can do it.  I know those of us who can
usually have some other skills along with shifting, and I know that, for some
reason, I can spot a shifter a mile away…and you’re one.  I just can’t
pinpoint what your animal is,” he said, looking me up and down.

I felt strangely calm and amused by his
disclosure.  “So, you’re telling me that you can shift?”  I asked
skeptically.

He folded his arms across his chest and cocked his
head to one side.  “You don’t believe me?” he asked, his whole demeanor
changing from timid to bold.

I shrugged and started to speak when the door to
the deck opened.  Sam stood there looking back and forth between me and
Hawk.  “You ready to go, Willow?  I need to be home before midnight,”
she said, concern in her voice.

“Sure,” I answered and joined her at the
door.  I turned back to Hawk, “Nice to see you again Hawk, catch you at
school,” I said, meeting his stare.

Sam grabbed hold of my arm as we inched our way
through the crowd of kids. I reassured her that everything was ok.  We
found Leah and made the rounds, saying our good-byes.  Leah left to go
bring the jeep around while I waited outside for Sam, who was hunting for her
purse. 

I stood at the end of the walkway facing the
neighboring park.  I watched as the wind flipped the swings on the
playground back and forth.  The breeze made the branches of the trees look
like alien arms reaching out into the darkness.  I pulled my sweater
tighter around myself, then caught a flash of movement out of the corner of my
right eye.  It was a shadowy burst making its way from one end of the park
to the other.  I quickly spun just in time to catch the outline of some
low, moving creature.
What the heck
, I thought,
this better not be
more mist.

 I squinted my eyes in an effort to focus on
whatever had just run by but was unable to pinpoint anything.  While I
stood there looking around the area, Leah pulled up in her jeep and Sam came
bouncing out of the house.  She jumped in the back seat and I took my
place in front.  Leah backed up her car and was waiting for the traffic to
clear.  I looked back to the park area where I had seen the movement and
noticed a figure stepping out from behind the bushes.  The dark shadow was
hunched at first but then lifted itself as it began to cross the road.  I
held my breath when I saw a greenish glow emanating from the face, directly
from where the eyes would be.  Just like the glow I’d seen in Hawk’s eyes
when we spoke on the deck.

Leah began pulling away but I turned myself,
keeping watch on the figure as it moved into the light shining from the
lamppost.  The long black coat flapped as he walked and I immediately
recognized the person. It was Hawk.  He stood still in the middle of the
street and kept his focus on me as we drove away.  A smile crossed his
lips as I stared at him.  I blinked my eyes rapidly and within seconds, he
was gone.

I let myself in the front door of our house and
was happy to see Mom was still awake.  I joined her on the couch and we
talked about the party.   I then told her about my conversation with
Hawk.

“He claims that he’s a shapeshifter and that
somehow he instinctively knew I was one.  He said he has the ability to
pick out shifters, just by looking at them.  It was bugging him that he
couldn’t figure out what ‘my animal’ was.”

“What did you tell him?” Mom asked.

“Nothing, really.  Sam came out and
interrupted our conversation right after he told me.  I just said I’d see
him at school.  Thank God Sam had a curfew tonight.  I’m glad I
didn’t have to go into anything with him.  Now I have a chance to think
about it all before I see him again.  I’m just not sure what I should
share with him, you know?”  I laid my head back against the couch.

Mom was quiet for a while then reached over and
touched my knee.  “Willow, I’m not sure you should share anything with
him.  At least not until he’s clear himself about who and what he
is.  Let me ask around and see if anyone here knows anything about him or
his family.”

I nodded.  I didn’t know how I would avoid
him at school, but decided not to worry about it.

“I’m pretty sure I saw him shift.”

“Oh?” Mom said, a serious look taking over her
face.

“Yeah, I was outside waiting for Leah and Sam,
just staring across the street at the park.  Andrew lives near Duck Park.
Anyway, I was watching the wind blow the swings all around when I saw movement
in the bushes.  I couldn’t really make out a shape, just a flash of
movement.  Just then Leah pulled up and Sam came out of the house. 
We jumped into the jeep and started to pull away.  I kept staring at the
area where I’d seen the flash and this low shadow rose up and stepped
out.  As it got taller I realized…it was Hawk.”  I rubbed the back of
my neck, easing the ache that had started building there.

Mom knit her eyebrows together, looking worried.

“But that’s not the weirdest thing, Mom.  As
he was standing up, taking a more human shape, I saw a greenish glow coming off
his face, right where his eyes would be.  His eyes were glowing, like an
animal’s do at night, you know?”

Mom sat up straight now and turned to face
me.  “His eyes were glowing?” she asked; the worry seemed to be replaced
with a deeper sense of dread.

Fear started rising in me in response to Mom’s
reaction.  Why was she getting so freaked out?

“Yeah, his eyes were glowing, just like Max’s
do.”  I reached down and pulled my gray tabby up on my lap, staring into
his lime-green eyes.

“You said this boy has been at the school a short
time?”

“Yeah, he’d only been there for a few days when I
left for Ireland.  He said he moved here from Taos.  Why, why are you
asking that?”  My heart started racing.  Mom didn’t get rattled
easily, so the fact that she was now set me off as well.

 “If he is what I think he is, then I don’t
want you to have anything to do with him.  I need to check around. 
I’ll ask your Uncle Itan.  He knows much more about this than I do.” 
Mom stood up and went into the kitchen, then came back with the phone.

“Wait, you’re calling him now?” I asked as I took
hold of her wrist.

“Willow, he’ll want to know about this right
away.” She began making her call when I grabbed her hand.

“Mom!  What the heck.  What is so bad
that you have to call Uncle Itan at this hour?  What do think Hawk
is?” 

She bit the side of her lower lip then took hold
of my hand. “Willow, if what you saw was Hawk, I don’t think he’s…” she said
nervously.