Shatter

When I got home, I went straight into the kitchen. Out of all the rooms in the house, she'd most likely be in here.

Or else in the backyard gathering herbs. She has a strange hobby of gardening. I say strange because she's a doctor, and most doctors work all the time, and don't have time for a hobby.

But anyway.

Yeah, she was in the kitchen, boiling something that smelled like garlic on the stove top.

"Oh, hey, you're home! How's school?"

I ignored her and went around the kitchen, closing windows and blinds.

"It's going to smell worse if you do that." She warned.

When I was finished, I sat down at the kitchen table and stared at her.

She sighed, then came over to the table and sat down across from me. "Okay, what is it?"

"What are the sects?" I asked bluntly.

"Peridot," She scolded, "you know this! Tell me what you remember offhand."

"Light, Dark, Human, Life/Tele, Element." I replied.

Mom flicked my nose. "Lycan," She recited, "Vampire, Demon," she shuddered at the word, "Fey, Fauna."

I frowned. "Fauna? Like animals?"

She hesitated, and returned to her garlic brew.

"Yes. The Fauna are...unpredictable. People who can change into an animal at will. But not like Lycan. Lycans can change when sick, angered or at the full moon. They experience pain when they change, and it takes time, like five minutes or so, for the transformation to be complete. Some even suffer from schizophrenia." Her voice was calm and steady, her back was to me, but I could feel her sadness for these people.

"Fauna can change in the blink of an eye, or let their transformation last long enough to let you see it. The longer it takes, the more gruesome it gets."

She shuddered again. "Their animal is chosen upon the age of sixteen. From until they are twenty years of age, they are trained vigorously; in martial arts, the 'art' of transforming, languages, cultures. Many other things as well, but that is all their sect will reveal at council."

One last thing. Two highly respected members of a sect are sent to a local (like, citywide) council once a year, to review activities, problems, concerns, discoveries, and lots more I won't bore you with. Most problems are sects clashing with each other over where to settle down and not cross boundary lines.

For example, Vampires and Lycans are very territorial. So are the Fey, for that matter. Lights and Darks clash all the time, simply because they're bored and looking for a fight.

It gets annoying.

"You're just lucky our sect doesn't make us do the same thing. Otherwise, you'd be in hardcore training right now." Dad walked in, shaking his finger at me.

Just then, my cell phone chose to ring.