• CHAPTER 1

    Let go. Fall. Breathe. Live. Screams. To many screams, echoing in my head, ringing in my ears, making a slash in my heart. I smelled the slow, sluggish blood around me, and the air was wet and sticky. Maybe it was just the blood I was coughing up, splattering the front of my shirt. It seemed like the blue sky was like a river; it went by, fast, loud, and powerful. I closed my eyes. I couldn't think, I couldn't see, I couldn't breathe. I couldn't save her. I never saved Carrie.

    ********



    6 YEARS LATER

    I awoke in searing pain. I carefully touched my hand to my stomach. Without opening my eyes I felt the uneven, burnt skin and one long, angry red scar. It felt like hands were raking across the tender skin, over and over. Sweat drenched my forehead and I saw everything clearly. My father sliding the flaring hot sword across my stomach, flames erupting from the wound as well as blood.

    And Carrie's screams. I could almost smell the smoke and see my father smiling as he tossed the match onto the roof of our little house. The flames caught instantly, and I heard Carrie's futile attempts to open the door and get out of the burning building. “Help me! Alexia!" She screamed and screamed. And I was too weak. Weak weak weak. Blood everywhere. My blood. I remember trying stand. The pain was unbearable. It lanced through me, cutting me, making everything go black. I vomited freely. It doesn’t matter now. Suddenly I pitched forward, and when I hit the ground I didn’t get up. The screams were gone. I couldn't see, couldn't breathe, and couldn’t hear. Couldn't save her. Couldn't save Carrie.

    I sat up and removed the sweat drenched blankets from my body. Now that the dream was over, I was angry that I had even had the dream. Carrie is dead. Nothing I do is ever going to bring that little girl back. She was one person, of little significance. I immediately regretted my thoughts. Carrie was many things, but she wasn’t insignificant. I tossed those thoughts aside like the blanket; I couldn’t afford to live in the past. No training today, I reflected. I relaxed a little, and then scolded myself inwardly. I would much rather train than go on the mission.

    My thoughts drifted to the other day when a letter had arrived by way of pigeon. It was from Clair, my mother and ‘superior’.

    “I will be by at your “headquarters” on August second.” I had read, and snorted. She could even mock me in a letter. “I want you and your team present at your preferred meeting place for a briefing. I will find you.” Of course the letter had infuriated me, and Emit now sported a broken toe for asking when we were going to have dinner. Today was August second. I was ripped to the present. It was two o’clock, but Clair’s idea of fun would probably be waking us up. I sniffed the air and wrinkled my nose. I didn’t need a tiger’s nose to smell the stench of me and my team.

    Quietly I stood. As soon as my toe touched the ground my team leapt up. Shane, my half-brother and right hand man stood fast and languid, eyes and other senses roaming the room swiftly. Dominic and Emit stayed put, looking at Shane for orders, but listening and smelling intently. Kelly, who slept on her mattress under the actual bed, stood up quickly, causing the bed to fly into the air and stick into the ceiling. By then Dominic, Shane and Emit had seen it was only me. Emit snarled and threw a spare shoe at Kelly’s sleepy face.

    “You dolt Kelly! Now we’re gonna have to…” Emit’s raspy voice trailed off, and he looked at me angrily. “What? You gonna make us run or swim?” He asked, already resigned to his fate.

    “This isn’t a test, Emit, though Kelly would have failed if it was.” I snapped. Kelly was wide awake now and stalking Emit with a scary intensity. I had everyone’s attention now, and they stood tensely, battle cloths shimmering onto their strong frames. “Clair is visiting us, and conveniently didn’t tell us when she would be dropping by.” Shane nodded. It made sense. But Emit, Kelly, and Dominic groaned. I hissed in their direction and they shut up, though they glared.

    “So why has the beautiful Clair decided to honor us with her presence?” Shane asked with a grimace. His voice is unusually soft for being an 8 foot seventeen year old and I couldn’t help but smile a bit. She was his mother too. It was something we shared and hated. A perfect brother sister bonding thing.

    “I am guessing that she is going to give us a mission.” I said airily.

    “And she didn’t tell you anything?” Dominic asked with a yawn. I shot him an annoyed look. Deer, lazy creatures.

    “Please. We’re talking about Clair. She wants to draw it out as much as she can. It’s her way of mocking us.” I grumbled. Shane leaned against the wall, folding his bulging arms over an equally as muscular stomach. His black spiky hair was shaved close to his scalp, and that was pretty much all the hair he had. His eyelashes are short and almost nonexistent, framing squinted Chinese eyes. The eyes themselves are absolutely beautiful. They are a bright, hypnotic emerald green like his python’s scales. They glittered and flashed when he was angry, but no matter how hard you look, they betray no emotion. His skin is tanned golden naturally, and his teeth are so white and straight movie stars would be jealous. Though muscular, he is thin and wavy. His skill almost matches my own, and we are famous and feared for it.

    Emit slammed a fist against the wall. “Yeah and she is right! We’re sittin here like friggin, well I don’t know, carrots!” Shane guffawed and Emit whipped to look at him. “What? We are the best fighters in the world and we are still training! How more prepared can we be? And we can’t take our time anymore because we are losing this war! We are like twenty people together! We should be on the front lines!” He was breathing hard and talons had grown were his finger nails used to be.

    “Why the hell do you think we’re going on a mission, Emit? Our training is over.” I said calmly. His eyes almost bulged out of his head.

    “After thousands have died!” He screeched, looking absolutely livid. Shane raised a thin eyebrow.

    “Now is the right time Emit. We would be dead if we had already gone to the front lines. Wars are not won by strength only. The War will be won by brains and spies, secrets and undercover missions.” Shane explained in his soft voice. Emit looked down, angry and ashamed.

    “Whatever. So do you think she’s gonna make us spies?”

    “Enough. We need to bathe, we smell awful.” I said sharply. Shane grinned mischievously.

    “Dominic first, I think?” He said slyly. Clair was well known for using her feminine charms to get what she wanted. She was beautiful and sly, and she was often used to get information from unsuspecting men. Dominic flushed and aimed a punch at Shane’s arm. It was halfhearted, and Shane dodged it easily. “The ladies are falling for you man. We’re gonna have to get a padlock for the guys bathroom.” Shane said with one of those grins. He tried to catch my eye and I pursed my lips.

    “Shane, shut up. Dominic and Emit, you can have the bathroom. C’mon Kelly.” I immediately headed out the door, the rest on my heels. Emit had already flung his shirt onto his bed. He and Dominic were in a desperate race for the bathroom on the other end of the camp. Large eagle wings sprouted from Emit’s back and he took to the air with ease. Dominic snarled and bent his spine to run on all fours. Me and Kelly exchanged glances and rolled our eyes simultaneously.

    Shane veered off the path towards the river and I grabbed his arm. “Where do you think you’re going?” I said with a wicked grin. His eyebrows twitched and he said,

    “The river.”

    “I get the river. You’re going to the girl’s bathroom.” I said, smiling now. He looked at me in horror.

    “I can’t go in there! C’mon Alexia. You know that’s not fair.” He pleaded, a dangerous look coming to his eye.

    “Oh but apparently Dominic is in trouble with the ‘ladies’. So you can stop Kelly from bursting into the guy’s bathroom, and I will stay far enough away that I won’t be a threat.” I said sweetly. He narrowed his eyes and hissed,

    “Yes, maybe it is a good idea. You should be the farthest away.” He stalked off with Kelly, and she winked at me. I winked back. Ah, payback. I followed a slight path in the grass. I was careful to make little noise, in case Clair was here and masking her energy. I had learned to hide mine easily, and only uncovered when I was particularly emotional. Only people of my kind who had snake spirit animals could sense the heat energy of another living creature, though it was hard to control. Trying to recognize and separate different life forms was no easy feat, and normally took concentration. However, like everything else, I had mastered this skill, and can easily pick out different energies.

    I reached the river and slipped out of my cloths. I sank into the freezing water gratefully, feeling some tense muscles in my back loosen. The deep water bubbled and gurgled around me, slowly creeping downriver. I looked down at the water and saw my reflection. A narrow oval shaped face with narrow, icey grey eyes and long lashes stared back at me. Thin dark eyebrows, full lips, high cheekbones, and a petit nose complemented the whole look. Thick, neon red hair framed my face, more orange than red in the front. It reached my waist, totally against regulations, but when I transformed into my war cloths, it appeared tightly braided and slicked with burning chemical to discourage anyone from grabbing hold. Long, strong fingers hovered just below the surface of the clear water, scars on them as well as the rest of my body. My feet are small and oddly flexible, connected to long, powerful legs. My arms, legs, stomach, and back are covered in lithe muscle, barely visible, making me look strong and athletic. The one scar and burns across my stomach are clearly visible through the water, and the liquid felt good against the constant burning. I tipped my head back, not closing my eyes but letting them search the river bank.

    When I was sure no one was around, I dove under water. The cool bliss was amazing, and the water wasn’t so cold. The water felt like a blanket, wrapping around me, keeping me warm. I couldn’t hear anything, but my eyes were open and searching. Fish darted in and out of the streams of moonlight cutting through the water, but my eagle eyes could see them all clearly. I wouldn’t run out of air for a while, so I dove deeper. It was now, in the midst of all the fish that I thought of what Emit had said.

    The war had probably started about eighteen years ago. My own father had created the rebellion, asking our kind to question The Law. He was sly, strong, terrifying and inspirational. He soon had many followers, and humans were being slaughtered all over the planet. It was quiet and discreet. The humans passed the murders off as wild animal attacks and moved on. However, others of our kind, those who lived to make sure The Law was uplifted, realized who it was. They began fighting the rebellion. It wasn’t open warfare, just small squrmishes, easily covered up. But my father became more and more devious, getting more followers and steadily becoming bolder. The Law is a simple one: do not hunt humans. He said it was time to fight back. The humans hurt us, why not hurt them?

    As things became more serious, Our Side started recruiting spies. My mother was one of them, and it was soon apparent that she was powerful. She and my father were the most powerful of our kind, and she was told to gain his trust. She pretended she was on his side, playing her part well. He knew who her loyalty really was too, and she knew that he did. But they kept up the façade for one reason only. Me.

    I surfaced, and sensed Dominic nearby. I stayed low in the water, carefully swimming towards the bank. War cloths appeared on my thin frame. They were brown leather, hugging me close. It was the parent’s choice as to what their child’s war cloths would look like. Many a warrior had been throttled by their own cloths because of a bad choice on their mothers part. My shorts were short, cutting off mid-thigh. The shirt cut off mid-riff, showing my scared belly. Two sword sheaths crisscrossed my back, holding half moon swords. A dagger was at my belt, as well as a small healing pack.

    I narrowed my eyes and listened closely. I didn’t have to. Dominic was making a ton of noise. I relaxed and leaned back against a tree. He came into view, in war cloths as well. They were only a pair of shorts; Shane and Emit wore the same thing.

    “Yes?” I asked smoothly. He smiled, always easy going, and said,

    “Clair is at the Mess Hall. She said she has important things to attend to, so hurry it up.” He said, making his voice high at the end. I groaned.

    “Alright, let’s go.” We took off running, weaving through trees gracefully. When we reached the clearing where we lived, we took to the air. I reached to my eagle Guide Animal and asked for his wings. He gave them to me, and I felt wings rip through my back. I leapt fifteen feet into the air, wings catching the breeze and lifting me up.

    The camp looked even worse from a bird’s eye view. The roofs of buildings were thatched and had holes in them, the frail wood frames visible. The buildings themselves were small and wood, faded white paint peeling from the constantly wet wood. Grass had grown wild in between the buildings, and only four of the houses were even usable; the bathrooms, Mess Hall, and our living quarters. It only took a second to get to the Mess Hall, and we alighted on the roof lightly. The whole thing creaked. I rolled my eyes at Dominic and let the wings slide back into my body, then jumped through a large hole on the roof.

    We landed as lightly as ghosts, bending our legs slightly on impact. I quickly took in the scene. An extremely disgruntled Emit was holding Clair’s huge backpack, and looked relieved when he saw me. Kelly was standing next to Shane, eyes shooting daggars at Clair. Shane’s face was impassive, but the muscles in his arms were strained. I turned my attention to Clair, who looked smug. She has a petit body, only about 5’4. Her face is small and oval, much like mine but fuller, less animal. Her silvery blonde hair shimmered down her back gohstly, and she wore black leather war cloths, almost the excact same as mine. She smiled at me cruely.

    “So, daughter, you have finally decided to join us. Don’t worry though, I forgive you. I assume you are used to not having anything to do.” Her tiny mouth twisted into a smirk.

    “Of course mother. I was being rude.” She smiled triumphantly. Clair’s games were won by subtle insults, and she had set me up perfectly. “I expect that at your age time is a treat.” Her smile faded and she hissed. I had hit a sore spot.

    “ To business then.” She said crisply. “ We want you to go to a highschool here in Colorado. We need to keep up with the times, and the humans are rapidly changing their schooling programs.” Emit bristled and said,

    “We are warriors, Clair! Not scouts!” Shane and Kelly shot him a glance. I kept my narrowed eyes on Clair.

    “He is right. You have plently of scouts. Send some of them.” I said with a frown. She turned her frustrated gaze to me.

    “Do not interrupt.” She scolded, as if we were children. Kelly opened her mouth and Shane deftly slid an elbow into her ribs. She looked up at him furiously, but he was studying Clair. “You have been virtually silent for thirteen years, Alexia. Many of our people think you are now working for Their Side-“ She was cut off by Emit yet again.

    “ Its not our fault! You guys havn’t given us any missions!” Emit yelled, dropping the backpack and leaping forward. Fast and angry, she swiped at his face. He slid back just in time, the knife sliding back into the sheath in an instant.

    “ Quiet, boy!” She snarled. “ We have offered you many missions, but Alexia has delclined every offer, insisting you are not ready, and now I understand why. Control yourself! As I was saying. We want you to go to the high school. We will give you more police jobs, so you will be more active. We will spread rumurs of your apparent return. Plus, these children will be the leaders of the human race! We can understand them better. We have also heard from informants in the area that a slave trade may be forming.” She finished, looking at me intently. I glanced at Shane and he nodded. He thought it made sense. Emit was seething in a corner, eyes down and lips pushed into a frown. I looked at my hands, considering. What she said was true. I had wanted to wait until we were perfect. I looked up at Kelly, Emit, and Dominic. Shane and I were pefect for the job. The others had some issues, and there is doubt where they are concerned.

    I raised my eyes to glare at Clair.

    “I agree with you. We will take the job. But on a condition.” I said cooly. Her eyes tightened. She wanted to be the one to make the rules, not her daughter. She didn’t speak, and I began again. “I will choose the jobs, and I will have my own informants.” Her eyebrows raised and her eyes widened in surprise.

    “What is this? You do not trust us, the very people who made you who you are?” She said, leaning forward.

    “Those are my conditions.” I said, unfased. She looked at me now carefully. I sensed a spider crawling up the leg of the table, and a second later, so did she. Clair struck, fast and hard, a blur of motion. Shane hissed in surprise, and Dominic was by my side in an instant. But she pulled back up, holding the spider in her hand. The spider crawled along her hand, then onto her arm.

    "We are more alike than you think, child. We are quick." She snatched the creature from her shoulder and held it in a long nailed fist. "We are ruthless." She quickly pulled off the two front legs. Shane was solid and unyeilding, but the tendons in his thin neck stood out. Kelly looked simply repulsed, and Emit looked on with a bored look. "We are both efficient." At that last word, she pierced the spiders abdomen with her nail cleanly, coming through the other side with the tiny, pulsing, slick heart on the very tip of her sharp nail.

    " Enough, Clair. Leave. Now." I puncuated each word with a step forward, until we were nose to nose. A faint sent of smoke lingered on her cloths. Her pretty face was fierce now, and she hissed into my ear quietly,

    " You are weak. That is what killed Carrie, and I will watch as it kills you." She slipped past, and I watched her go with a blank expression on my face. Pain speared my heart, and I felt like the dead spider on the floor. I will let nothing step in my way this time. Not love, not humans. I will complete my mission. And if any slave traders get in my way, they won't be there for long.

    *********************************************************************************************************************

    Our kind. We have no name, we have no purpose. We walk and talk as humans, but something stops us from becoming totally human. We feel pratically no emotion, and no mental weakness. Their is one small shard, the part of our brain that is pure animal. It allows us to be stronger, to be faster, to be more ruthless than any human could be.

    Sometimes that little shard is visible. When a photo is taken, or a mirror is held to our faces, you can see the fearsome outline. Some of my kind are bears. Others could be snakes, cats, frogs, wolves, or anything else. We draw power from these phenomenons that we call Spirit Animals. But that is not all we can take from them. Spirit Animals' can give their sight, claws, scales, teeth, wings, hearing; anything they have, they will give willingly.

    But something is different about me and my team. Shane, the powerful python. Kelly, the strong tiger. Emit, the ferocious eagle. Dominic, the gentle deer. And me. The swift, subtle, leader, the cobra. At birth, we found we were all connected by what we have named Guide Animals. There are five copies of each of our Spirit Animals, and one resides in each of us. Though I am not an eagel, I can fly. I am not a tiger, but I can roar.

    Shane, Kelly, Dominic, Emit and I have trained for years, smothering our human emotions and feelings, learning how to listen and use our Spirit and Guide Animals, mastering every kind of martial arts, doing surviving courses in the woods, meditating, forging weapons, learning about the planet, math, reading and writing. We have learned to heal. We made codes and signals, perfected every last skill we had, and are experts on cell phones and computers. We are ready for every scenario.

    Shane can fight on his hands as well as his feet. Emit can fly through a hurricane (trust me we checked). Kelly can benchpress a ton. Dominic can outrun every creature on earth (except for me). I am the most skilled and feared warrior in the world. We are going to highschool. Yeah, right.