The Takeover

“Happy birthday to me.” Lana sighed and lifted her bangs to stare at her mark. “Why haven’t you changed?” She grumbled. “I want to know…”

“In time, Lana.” Rudy stood at the door, his grey hair reminded her that he too had aged. It pained her to think that she would have to leave him soon. Maybe he could come with her, be a part of her adventure.

“In time?” She scoffed and continued to poke at her forehead. “You said that last year. What if I’m not a sire? What if it was some kind of fluke?”

“It’s not a fluke.” He chuckled. “Some people’s power take longer to awaken than others.”

“I better have a great gift.” She mumbled. Then she sighed and fell on her bed. Nineteen years old, and still no magic. Some sires get their powers at sixteen. It’s so unfair. She buried her head in her pillows and muffled a scream of frustration.

“Lana.” Rudy said gently as he sat on her bed and patted her back. “I know you’re anxious to start your life, and as your mentor I am anxious for you as well. But as your caretaker I don’t mind you staying. But, you must understand that your magik may lay dormant for a long time. There’s no way to tell when it will happen. It’s like puberty.”

“Let’s not compare the best thing that has yet to happen to me, to the worse thing that already has.” She sat up and leaned her head on his shoulder, while heaving another sigh. Rudy chuckled and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“Don’t worry kiddo, it will come soon enough.” Just as he uttered the sentence a cool chill ran down Lana’s spine and then pooled in her stomach. She shivered.

“What was that?” She shuddered once again and wrapped her arms around her torso. The feeling of ice pooled stayed pooled in her stomach and it wouldn’t go away.

“Make it stop Rudy?” She whimpered as the cold grew stronger. It reached it’s frozen tendrils around her heart and into her limbs. Panic knotted her stomach as she worried what would happen when it reached her head. Rudy held her tight, silently. Her breath turned to mist, as if she were breathing in the snow. Her eyes squeezed tightly closed as one last shiver rocked her body, and it was over. She cracked one eye open warily and investigated the room.

“I’m not dead?” She questioned as she removed herself from Rudy’s embrace. She tiptoed towards the mirror; she didn’t want to startle her magic, it could run away. She pushed her bags up to reveal her glittery mark shining a bright green, like her eyes. But it had also spread. I ran around her hairline across her temples and around to the back of her neck in the same swirly pattern it’s always had.

“You’re a shifter.” Rudy breathed in awe.

“Why does it go all the way around my head?” She tried to stay composed and hide her excitement. Shifters were rare, not as rare as the dormant dragons, but shifter was the best you could get and still have a chance at befriending other sires.

“It’s a sub-class.” Rudy leaned in to examine it further. “I haven’t seen one in a while. But that’s definitely a sub-class.”

“What is that?” She questioned. He had never taught her about sub-classes… What else had he kept from her?

“It’s the guardian sub-class.” He mumbled. “Eventually your sense will heighten further than an normal sire. And when you’re protecting someone you will be able to shift faster.” Rudy bore an ecstatic smile. He was so proud of her gift. Being a shifter would keep her safe, hunters don’t expect animals to be sires. If she becomes powerful enough she might be able to shift into objects.

“So what happens to my clothes when I shift?” Lana asked suddenly. Rudy gave her a strange look, but couldn’t hold back his explosive laughter.

“Hey!” Lana said defensively. “It is a relevant question. I don’t want to have to leave my pack and clothes behind if I have to change.”

“I can’t answer that.” He said, sobering from his laughter. “It hasn’t been studied that thoroughly. I’m sure you can test it, and figure something out.” There was a note of sorrow in his voice, as he had not quite accepted the leaving of, essentially, his daughter. He sniffed and turned away trying to hide the salty tears, threatening to spill over.

“Rudy.” Lana was unsure how to continue, and simply reached for him. “I… Can you… Isn’t there anyway you can accompany me?”

“I wish.” He leaned against the doorframe and wiped away the tears. He heaved a sigh and turned back to her, the red rims around his eyes nearly glowing. “But I’m much too old for travel. And it isn’t my fight anymore, you must find the other sires and fight with them, protect our race from extinction. You are the new generation, while I am simply a mentor. You must travel alone. But, don’t be afraid to check in on me, if you ever end up in this area.” He smiled grimly.

“I’ll just miss you so much. It will be so lonely out there.” Lana made no effort to hold back, and sobbed freely. She knew she was supposed to be strong but she was losing her parental figure all over again.

“It will be worth it. Once you find the land of the sires, you will feel at home.” He pulled her into one last hug, and kissed the top of her head. “Your pack is by the door, get changed and ready to leave.” He released her and walked out the door, allowing it to softly close behind him.

Lana sighed and walked toward her full length mirror, examining the face she’d seen for so many years. It was different today, more solemn. Her eyes looked tired, but alive. She has a great destiny laid out before her. She would get to meet new people and explore the vast expanse of land she called home. But it meant leaving the only person she’d ever really known, and come to love as a father behind. Why did being a sire have to cause so much trouble? So she has a unique ability, why is it so much different than a human being exceptionally gifted in art or baking? She didn’t choose this life.

She looked away from the mirror and grabbed her warmest clothes. A pair of skintight cotton pants, with more cotton on the inside for insulation. They were made to stretch and move with her body, as not to hold her back when she had to run or climb. Her green long sleeved shirt and dark brown leather jacket matched the pants, and were made to keep her warm, yet nimble.

She braided her hair down her left shoulder to hide the black running down the side of her neck, and trimmed her bangs so they properly covered her sires’ crown and stayed out of her eyes. She took one last breath and opened the door.

Rudy was sitting on the small couch by the fireplace, he was looking over something, a letter maybe? She could hear his quiet sobs from the hall, they must be infectious because she also began to tear up.

Hearing her approach, Rudy jumped up and clumsily tucked the letter back in its envelope. He briskly walked over to Lana and pulled her into a bear hug. They stayed in that hug for a little while. Neither were ready for Lana to leave, they didn’t want to be separated. It was Rudy who ended the hug, once he accepted that she really must leave. He wiped the tears from his face and grabbed her bag.

“You have enough food for two weeks of travel. After that you will have to start scavenging like I taught you.” He handed her the bag. “Here is your bag and… Here are two letters. I wrote one and the other I've been holding on to for nineteen years, per your parents request. They really did love you. That’s why they sent for me. They knew if they kept you, you would be killed, along with them.” As he mentioned them she played with the coin that hung around her neck.

Lana put the bag on her back and started down at the two letters. One was in a brand new envelope with her name in Rudy’s handwriting and one in a yellowing letter, written in a script she had never seen before. There was also a ring it was a relatively small band with a purple pearl delicately grasped in it’s tendrils. It had a small engraving on the inside Don’t you dare forget me. -Rudy. She slipped it on her finger and put the letters in her pack.

“Now go, before we both manage to talk you out of it.” Lana could tell he was choking back tears as he pushed her out the doors. “Stay safe, kiddo. Find the others and make this world a better place for others like us.” He shouted as he waved goodbye. She simply smiled and waved back.