Flying Blind Ch. 01

Anthony invited himself to sit at their table and despite her desire not to, Heda found herself liking the guy. It turned out that he made no secret about being a player, which actually made him fairly respectable in the eagle shifter's book. The guy was getting his masters in Linguistics and spoke eight languages besides English. He was also a skunk shifter, which left him open for a ton of jokes, all of which he had heard before.

'Hmm,' she thought, 'day one of college and I seem to be collecting friends already. My mother told me this would happen.'

Something, or rather someone, caught her eye shortly before the meeting was supposed to actually start. A girl slunk in, if slunk was really a word, and she looked mildly upset. It made Heda uncomfortable seeing the girl upset. She was beautiful, though not the most beautiful girl Heda had ever seen. But there was something about her that was . . . soft. She had amazing skin and the most inviting looking lips that Heda could remember looking at, and milk-chocolate brown hair that flowed perfectly to a firm little behind. She was svelte without being skinny, and was dressing in form-fitting black tights underneath a plain brown sheath dress. There was a brown halo to her, indicating another mammal-shifter, and she was wearing a pair of those silver Gargoyle sunglasses that they didn't even make anymore. She was holding some kind of long white stick --

"Madison's here," Joanna said softly, her voice holding something awkward. Pity?

"Our resident DM," Anthony replied, and that earned him a scowl from Heda that would have peeled paint. "Sorry," he muttered.

"You should be," Heda replied shortly. Her opinion of him had dropped a few notches. "DM" was a derogatory term in the shifter community that had been floating around for over a century. It meant "Darwin's Mistake," and was used in regards to shifters with conditions that would reduce their chances for personal survival. Changelings were closer to their wild animal counterparts than humans. Humans were a little more discreet than most shifters in their discomfort or outright contempt for those with handicaps. The girl was blind, a condition which would have led to her being abandoned or even killed in the animal kingdom. That made her weak according to the unspoken laws of the changelings. It made her prey. Heda's parents had always taught her tolerance, and her travels in Europe had given her a good perspective as to what was really important.

Another couple of changelings spotted her and stood up, intentionally standing in front of her. Heda couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was making the girl more upset. She tried to move around them, but one of them (another mammal shifter) got in her way.

"What are those ass-clowns doing?" Joanna said.

Heda concentrated and enacted her Gift. Her eyes flashed blue for a second, and she was able to see with the clarity of her predator counterpart. A Gift was a blessing for shifters. It occurred rarely, but it was a variation on the shifter virus that allowed that person to use certain aspects of their animal totem in their human form. For Heda, that meant outstanding eyesight as well as increased strength and speed, as well as a battle-cry that temporarily froze her enemies in place.

"Crap," Joanna said, "you're Gifted too? Sweet!" But when Heda stood up to go and intervene, Joanna grabbed her arm. "It's okay," she said. "Billy is here."

Another player entered the area, and he was impossible to miss. First, he was six-and-a-half feet tall and had a chest like a barrel. He was just so damn massive that it was actually scary. He was ruggedly handsome in a way, but nothing out of the ordinary. But his massive arms flexed slightly under his flannel shirt as he stepped forward, and the girl's . . . Madison's . . . persecutors backed up quickly. He turned to Madison and they started to chat. She looked noticeably more relaxed now.

"I think he's apologizing for being late, but that's all I can make out. Not good at reading lips."

"Want to practice?" Anthony said, leaning in.

"Even if I wasn't still pissed at you, the answer would be 'no.' Or 'hell no.' Depends on my mood." She glanced at Joanna. "Who were the creeps?"

"That would be Alvin Hannity, resident vampire bat shifter and complete a-hole. Madison's a bat shifter too, so Alvin's taken it upon himself to be offended on behalf of the whole bat community that Madison is one of them. And don't ever say 'blind as a bat' around her, because Billy might break you in half, no matter who your mother is."

"I wouldn't say something like that," she replied. Of course she'd been thinking it, but she had some control over her mouth. "You know them?"

"Not personally no, but they've apparently been harassing her for a couple of years. Billy keeps it from getting too bad, seeing as most people with sense don't screw with him."

"He's a reptile shifter. What kind?"

Joanna looked at Anthony, who said, "Alligator snapping turtle, or so I hear. Except that somehow he managed to score a miracle and get Sasha Baker as a girlfriend, I don't know much about him."

"Who's Sasha Baker?"

Joanna fielded that one. "She's the student council . . . the human student council president. She's also a sorceress, and she may very well be every man's naughty-librarian fantasy. And yes, she actually works at the library. You'll probably meet her at some point." Then the cobra shifter let out a pleasant little purr. "Now speaking of 'meat,' there's a big hunk of yummy meat I wouldn't mind chowing down on."

The crowd actually hushed and eyes went to the podium at the front of the room where Neil Reichert, King of the Reptiles, was preparing to speak. It was the business of every changeling to know the monarchs of the other animal families, and everyone knew about this one. Fifteen years early, he had been working as an paleontologist in Africa when they uncovered the remains of an ancient crocodile known as a Sarcosuchus Imperator, or the Flesh Emperor Crocodile. His Noah Strain had kicked in, and he had become the first changeling in history to have an extinct species as his totem animal. He was one of the most powerful kings of any of the families that anyone had ever known. And, in Joanna's words, he was yummy.

A studly cross between Harrison Ford as "Indiana Jones" and Viggo Mortensen in just about anything, Neil Reichert tended to make girls swoon and made the guys wonder why they couldn't be more like him. He was one of those eternal-five-o'clock-shadow kind of men who looked good in a tux or in a lumberjack outfit, and not the Monty Python kind of lumberjack. He was as alpha male as anyone could get. He had apparently decided to start teaching archeology, anthropology, and paleontology courses a few years ago, and they were always filled to capacity. Even humans, having no cerebral concept of what he was, were drawn to him. All the monarchs were like that to some degree, but Reichert was different.

"Let me be one of the first but not last members of the faculty here at Four Corners University to welcome the new shifters to our community and to say welcome back to our returning brethren." His voice were low and rumbling, but was still clearly heard across the room.

Heda was paying attention more than ever before. She might not be physically attracted to him, but she was a sucker for a sexy voice. She could listen to James Earl Jones or Barry White for days.

"Adjusting to life away from home can be difficult, and you all have issues above and beyond those of normal young people. Four Corners is a haven for those like us . . . a place of learning as well as peace of mind. There are some rules, but they're simple. There are many places to go and shift and unleash your animals, but be careful to avoid exposure to pure humans. If you feel your secrets have been compromised, do NOT take action yourself. Let me or one of the acceptable faculty know and we will look into it. And your parents have probably grilled this into your heads, but let me make it clear . . . shifters do NOT hunt other shifters. I shouldn't need to tell you what violating that rule means." Indeed he didn't. Shifters could identify each other, so there were no "But I didn't know" excuses. Hunt another shifter and it meant your death if you were caught. "You can participate in extra-circular activities such as sports, but cheating by using any powers or Gifts if you're lucky enough to have one will be grounds for immediate expulsion from this university and potential action by the Changeling Council. Protect each other and enjoy each others company. These should be some of the best years of your lives, so feel free to indulge your wild natures when you can. Thank you, and have a great night."

"You have any extra-curricular activities that you're interested in?" Anthony asked of Heda, innuendo permeating his voice.

She grinned a little. He certainly was persistent. "Oh yeah," she said, stroking his hand and biting seductively on her lower lip. "I like to put on these tight little shorts, a skintight top and --" She leaned in and whispered into Anthony's ear. "-- play volleyball." She sat back and continued, "I'm on an athletic scholarship. Outside hitter. Practice starts tomorrow."

He leaned back, a goofy smile on his face. "You, m'lady, are an incredible tease."

Joanna was trying not to smirk. The poor boy probably still thought he had a chance. Then she saw someone approaching the table and her eyes started to sparkle. "Mr. Reichert," she said.

Everyone at the table stood up when the monarch approached. He smiled at all of them, then turned his attention to Heda. "I've actually got to get home, but I wanted to stop by and say hello. I've heard a lot about you Miss Adler. Mostly through the extensive letter your mother wrote to encourage your admittance. As if there was any doubt."

Heda blushed. "She didn't really . . . please tell me she didn't!"

"Oh yes, but don't worry. It was all very professional and polite. She didn't include any baby pictures or anything."

She covered her face with both hands. "I love my mother, but I may actually have to kill her." She peeked between her fingers to see that he was still smiling.

"Good luck with the team this year. I hear you'll probably be starting, which is unusual for a freshmen. I make it habit to attend all the sports games that I can, so I'm looking forward to seeing you play." He nodded again at everyone else at the table and then left.

"You lucky bitch," Joanna said. "Let me see the hand that he shook. I want to see if I can smell his cologne."

"Oh good grief," Anthony said, annoyed that he was temporarily not the center of feminine attention. Not that he had anything against Dr. Reichert, but he had his pride.

As much fun as it might be to let Joanna feel her up, she saw that Madison girl standing up to leave. Her friend was shaking his head and giving her a sorrowful glare. "Be right back," she said, moving towards the entrance of the room. She got there just before the girl did.

"Hey . . . Madison is it?" she asked as the girl slowly navigated the crowd, most of whom were more than happy to avoid being near her.

"Yes?" the girl asked, "staring" straight forward. Her mouth parted slightly and she waited for a response.

"My name is Heda," she said quickly, then realized she wasn't sure what to say. 'Hey, I'd like to hang out with you because I feel sorry for the way you've been treated,' she thought. Yeah, that'd go over well. People really dig being pitied.

"And?" the girl asked her mouth pursing a bit. She looked irritated.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime or --"

Madison growled. "Oh, so they're starting already. You're the Trojan Horse hunh? Well go tell Alvin . . . never mind," she said, her anger quickly deflated. She looked tired. "It's not like anything I say is going to matter." She swatted at where she knew the other girl's legs would be with her cane.

"Hey!" Heda said, jumping out of the way as Madison cautiously stormed past. "Bitch!" she called after the bat girl. Madison kept going, and Heda headed back to her table. 'What the hell was that about?'

"What did you want to talk to Madison about?" Joanna asked.

"I just wanted to say hi and she was a total bitch to me!"

"Probably just a defense mechanism or something. She gets ragged on a lot. Now, let's talk about what we're going to do this weekend. It must involve dancing, might involve alcohol," she added giving Anthony a sexy look, "if we can find someone to buy, and it will definitely involve going up into the mountains to let our wild sides out!"

Heda smiled, caught up in her roommates enthusiasm and forgetting all about bitchy Madison.

Outside, Madison Sloan made her way back to her dorm room. She pretty much lived on campus year round due to her summer classes. She wanted out of this "shifter paradise" as quickly as possible. In many ways, it was worse than the changeling foster care system that she had grown up in. There, she at least had adults looking after her. Here, all she had were Billy and Sasha, and they couldn't be around all the time.

Once she was sure she was alone, she called her Gift again. Waves of sound well outside of the hearing range of humans or even other changelings emanated out, bouncing off objects for hundreds of yards in any direction. Her totem animal was a California Myotis bat, which was a small and nimble insect eater, but it's echolocation abilities were finely tuned. Madison's were a hyped up version of that. Even in human form, she could make out shapes, speeds, densities, and even directions of movement. In many ways, she could "see" better than most people, but she couldn't tell if someone was a shifter or not. Since the ability also required her throat muscles, she couldn't echolocate and talk at the same time. Only she and her two friends knew that she even had the ability. It was her secret weapon, and one of the only things that kept her from being more victimized than she already was.

She took off at a jog, still angry at Alvin and this Heda character, who had to be just another of Alvin's new stooges. 'Okay,' she thought, 'I get it. You don't like me, consider me a genetic failure, and think I should've been put to death. My existence isn't interfering with yours, so just leave me the hell alone.' At least being alone was something she knew how to do. Until she'd met Billy and through him Sasha, she hadn't had a real friend in . . . ever. In the changeling foster-care system, they had to protect her. They didn't have to like her.

Jogging felt good to her. Not as good as flying, but it was a start. She knew the campus like the back of her hand, and she could navigate it easily even without her echolocation. Assuming it wasn't filled with people. She was making good time, dodging around some objects and jumping over benches. She loved to move with this kind of freedom, and her sour mood quickly melted away. Then, she sensed something off.

She stopped in her tracks. Up ahead, there was a large box hanging from some kind of metal frame right outside Barber Hall, the main social sciences building. It hadn't been their earlier, and was oddly located.

'No,' she thought, 'it's not a box. Too circular. And there are openings and . . . and there's something inside.' There was something in there, and it was human shaped. Then Madison heard something sniffle. "Hello?"

More sniffling, and then the person whimpered. Madison could tell it was a girl, and she was naked and curled up in a fetal position inside the cage. There was something odd about her mouth. Madison's echolocation could actually pick up find detail at this close of range, and she thought it looked like tape over her mouth. Her hands were behind her where Madison couldn't detect them, but there were manacles of some kind on her feet.

"Oh my God!" Madison shouted. She reached out with her sonar but didn't find anyone else near by. "I'll get you out of there," she said, almost terrified out of her mind. The cage was suspended too high for her to reach in easily, but she was able to get a foot up on part of the frame and get a hand inside. She just barely reached the tape over the girls mouth. "I'm going to take this off quickly and it's probably going to hurt, okay?" She felt like an idiot for asking a question. The girl couldn't answer. But the girl did answer, nodding feverishly. Madison pulled the tape away, raking her arm across the flat bars of the cage and cutting it open.

"Please," the girl whispered, her voice filled with a dread that Madison could barely comprehend. "Please get me out of here before it comes back. Please?!"

"I'm going to call the cops, but don't worry," Madison said. "I won't leave you." She wouldn't be much good to the girl, kickboxing and self-defense lessons aside. But the girl was scared, so Madison would do whatever she could. She pulled out her phone and felt the numbers, quickly dialing 911. She let out a stream of panicked babble to the dispatcher who, bless her soul, helped calm Madison down. It took a minute, but soon there were campus cops converging on her location. The Four Corners Police Department actually had more rigorous standards than other police agencies because of the university's unique needs, so these cops were the epitome of professionalism.

"What the hell?!" a cop said, the first to arrive on the scene.

Madison had her hand in the cage, providing some comforting physical contact with the girl to let her know someone was still with her. She'd kept talking too as she waited for help to arrive.

"She was here," Madison practically sobbed, "and I couldn't get her out and --" She started babbling, but had enough presence of mind to not blow her secret. She said she'd bumped into the cage where it was supposed to be, heard the girl's muffled cries and then worked on feel after calling the cops. Everyone was so freaked out that the notion that a blind girl could have done what she had done didn't seem far fetched. She was genuinely scared and babbling, so their protective instincts took over.

"Shh," the man said, helping her down. He noticed her bloodied arm and sent her over to the arriving ambulance while he and the other officers tried to figure out how to get the girl down. They took a bunch of pictures while waiting to get some cutting tools and a crane to lower the cage. When they finally got her out, they found that her hands were manacled behind her back. The poor girl was traumatized, but she asked if the girl who had found her would go with her in the ambulance. She was afraid, and didn't want to be alone again.

"Please," the girl said as they put her on a gurney, "don't let it find me. So cold," she whispered. "It was so cold." Then, finally safe, she allowed herself to pass out. Madison didn't know what to do except hold her hand and wonder what the hell this all meant.

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That weekend . . .

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Heda really wasn't sure how she felt about making a trip into the woods after the weeks events. Word of what had happened . . . a girl being found in a hanging cage . . . had spread like wildfire the next day, and it was making play in the local media. The shifters generally liked to keep weird things under wraps, but there was no helping it this time. The girl, a horse shifter, was still traumatized and hadn't been able to tell the cops anything yet, or at least nothing that had not been officially released. The only thing that people knew was that she had been apparently held for several days before getting left in that hanging cage. It was the kind of thing that they had stuck thieves and other criminals in way back in the day. No one was sure why the perp had let the girl live, or how he or she had managed to put the cage there without anyone noticing.