The Gathering Storm (4 page)

“Now that I have your full attention,” she said, “I'll proceed. Sit down, Fiona.”

Darren glanced over at Fiona out of the corner of his eye. She was so shocked that she didn't sit until Mack tugged her arm.

“That was my Changer form,” Ms. Therian explained. “You all look so alarmed. I assure you that you're not in any danger. . . . Not from me, at least. I know what I have to tell you is difficult to comprehend. But as they say, seeing is believing.

“Like I was saying, you are all Changers,” Ms. Therian continued. “What does that mean? Well, it's a lot more than what they tell you in comic books.”

Darren flushed as Ms. Therian looked at him.

“Each one of you can change into a unique animal, animals that humans today believe only exist in myths and folktales. With your other form comes incredible
powers—powers that ordinary humans can only dream of.”

Powers?
Darren thought. Now he
knew
that Ms. Therian was full of crazy talk. The only power he had was the ability to sleep in past lunch.

“You are not the first of your kind, not by far. You are the next generation. In ancient times we lived openly among ordinary humans, who were grateful to us for our protection and aid. But as most things go, the humans eventually turned on us, frightened of our power. Many Changers died, but some went into hiding and survive today, through you.”

Ms. Therian stopped speaking and gazed upon the students. Darren stared back, but it was impossible to even think that what she was saying could be true.

“But we can talk more about history later. For now, all you need to know is that your identity as a Changer must be kept secret at all times—not just for your own safety, but for the safety of all of us—”

“Wait.”

No one was more shocked by the sound of Darren's voice than Darren himself. But he had so many questions. To be honest, he couldn't believe the others weren't
speaking up. No matter what the class, Fiona always had something to say, and Gabriella wasn't exactly shy. Even Mack was kind of a chatterbox. You'd never know any of that, though, from the way they were all sitting in silence.

Darren expected Ms. Therian to scold him after he'd spoken out so rudely. But to his surprise she simply nodded and said, “Go ahead.”

“How do you
know
we're . . . What? Changers?” he said. “I mean, we have
nothing
in common. Why us? How can you be so sure?”

“We've known since the day you were born,” she said. “It runs in families. Sometimes it skips a generation, or even several generations. Sometimes a girl will have the ability, but her sister will not. The point is, there are so few Changer families left that it's not hard for us to track them. Of course, every so often there's an aberration and a spontaneous new line of Changers emerges. They are a bit more challenging to track, but we do our best.”

Fiona raised her hand. Ms. Therian nodded at her.

“My brain says this isn't possible,” Fiona began. “It defies every law of science ever written. But I saw . . . I
saw
 . . .”

Fiona's voice began to falter, but Ms. Therian waited patiently for her to continue.

“I can't do that,” Fiona said finally, gesturing to Ms. Therian. “Whatever this ability is, I don't have it.”

“You do,” Ms. Therian replied. “It may not have shown itself yet, but I assure you that it's there. We find that most Changers experience their first full transformation at some point between their twelfth and thirteenth years. Of course, there will probably be signs you'll notice before a full transformation occurs, such as—”

Darren suddenly whirled around to face Gabriella. “Your eyes!” he exclaimed. “I saw them—”

Darren stopped abruptly when he realized Gabriella's eyes were an ordinary shade of brown.

“You didn't see anything,” she snapped as she bent over her backpack. A small mirror glinted in her palm. “My eyes are normal.”

“Gabriella, it's nothing to be ashamed of,” Ms. Therian said firmly. “It's a
gift
. It won't always feel like this—changing bit by bit, out of control. You
will
learn how to master it in this class. I promise you.”

Gabriella didn't say anything, but Darren saw her
return the mirror to her backpack.

Fiona raised her hand again. “So . . . what kind of Changer are you?” she asked.

For the first time since the start of class, a smile flickered across Ms. Therian's face. “You couldn't tell?” she asked. “I'm sure Makoto knows.”

“Werewolf, right?” Mack guessed. “Also, could you call me Mack?”

Ms. Therian nodded. “Your grandfather used to say those comics of yours were a waste of time, but I told him he was dead wrong,” she said.

“Are we all werewolves?” Darren asked, forgetting to raise his hand again. It seemed like a reasonable question, but Ms. Therian smiled.

“Of course not,” she said. Then Ms. Therian reached for a leather satchel on the floor. “Would you like to find out which kind of Changer you are?”

Despite their doubts, an excited clamor arose from the kids.

With extreme care Ms. Therian reached into the satchel and pulled out an exquisitely carved box made of silver maple.

As Ms. Therian gracefully lowered herself to the floor, the students gathered around her in a circle. There was total silence as she carefully lifted the box's lid and placed it off to the side. Darren craned his neck to get a better look at what was in the box. Nestled within folds of midnight-blue silk was a large, round stone, the size of a dinner plate. It was an opaque, milky white, but as Darren gazed at it, he thought he could see brief swirls of muted colors—gray and silver and dusky lavender. He realized in that moment that this was no ordinary stone; it almost seemed to pulse with life beneath its hard, cold surface.

“It's a moonstone,” Ms. Therian explained, answering the unasked question on everyone's mind, “a
true
moonstone, forged by Changer magic beneath the light of the full Eternity Moon, which comes once every thousand years. There are only two of these Changing Stones in the whole world. Here—Hold it and gaze into its depths, and your true form will be revealed.”

No one moved. Darren glanced at the others. He could only imagine that his face was a mirror of theirs—a mix of trepidation, eagerness, and intrigue.
He was about to volunteer when Mack stepped forward.

“Me first!” he announced. There was a bit of a swagger in his walk as he approached the Changing Stone.

“Be careful,” Ms. Therian warned. “Whatever the Changing Stone reveals, don't be afraid.”

“No chance,” Mack scoffed, but Darren had to wonder if Mack really felt so brave.

Mack sat down, holding the Changing Stone in his upturned palms. After several long seconds the Changing Stone began to emit a shimmering light that pulsed and quivered as the shape of a fox appeared above Mack. It was a fearsome beast, with unnaturally bright eyes and a long, plush tail. The fox's red fur bristled as it growled. But the most remarkable thing about the fox was its paws: They blazed with fire.

“
Kitsune
,” Ms. Therian announced. “The
kitsune
comes from Japan, where it was renowned for the ability to fly, create illusions, and control fire . . . among other things.”

Mack whispered something—something that sounded like “my dream”—but Darren couldn't be sure that he'd heard him correctly.

“Gabriella next,” Ms. Therian said.

This time the image appeared the moment Gabriella's long fingers grasped the Changing Stone: a sleek and powerful jaguar with fur as dark as a moonless night. It prowled on velvety paws, staring at the kids with glittering gold eyes. The eyes, at least, were familiar to Darren; he'd seen them in Gabriella's face just moments ago.

“
Nahual
,” Ms. Therian announced. “Hailing from Central America, mainly Mexico, many
nahual
take the form of the dog. A jaguar form is more rare. The black jaguar rarest of all.”

Ms. Therian paused, as if to let that information sink in. “
Nahuals
are renowned for their strength, speed, and powerful healing skills,” she explained. “That, and the ability to spirit walk into the dreams and thoughts of others.”

At last Gabriella looked up from the Changing Stone. Darren noticed right away that her eyes were flashing gold light—and he wasn't the only one.

“Your eyes!” Mack exclaimed.

A quick look of panic crossed Gabriella's face as she thrust the Changing Stone at Fiona.

“It's all right, Gabriella,” Ms. Therian reminded her. But Gabriella's eyes had already turned back to brown.

Fiona took a deep breath as she grasped the sides of the Changing Stone and peered into it. This time, the light that shone from the Changing Stone was different: watery, almost, like the reflection of the sun on the ocean.

There was the sound of a sudden splash, and for a moment Darren thought he could feel salt spray on his face; it was that real. The animal that appeared before them was clever and quick, darting in and out of the water with such speed that it was just a streak of gray. It paused at one point, staring directly at Darren with dark, glittering eyes filled with wisdom.

“The
selkie
; a seal,” Ms. Therian said. “From the coasts of Ireland and Scotland, the
selkie
has a unique magical connection; it can sense when other Changers or magical beings are nearby. Their powers are concealed within their songs, which they can use to control tides, summon weather, and even bind the magic of others.”

Fiona's eyes were strangely shiny when she passed the Changing Stone to Darren. It was heavier than he'd expected. Darren felt so awkward, sitting there with a
polished rock in his hands. “Uh . . . what now?” he asked.

“Just look,” Ms. Therian said. “The Changing Stone will do the work.”

Darren bent his head over the Changing Stone and gazed into its milky depths. At first nothing happened. As the seconds ticked away, Darren could feel the back of his neck prickle with apprehension, like he'd forgotten to study for a quiz or had blown off his chores.
They made a mistake,
Darren worried.
I'm not a Changer after all.

He was about to push the Changing Stone away when, all of a sudden, his hands felt fused to it: Darren couldn't let go. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was too dry.

Darren stared into the shimmering light and watched as a shape began to take form. The light shook, stretched wide, and then contracted into a tight ball. Just when Darren didn't think he could stand another moment of suspense, a bird burst from the Changing Stone. It was no ordinary bird, though: its eyes pulsed with otherworldly power from beneath a crest of sharp feathers that led down to a pointed beak. White feathers sat sleekly against the bird's body, darkening into shades
of gray and black along its massive wings. But Darren scarcely noticed them. All he could register was the bird's claws: razor-sharp talons, glinting like platinum.

The bird flapped its massive wings as it spiraled toward the ceiling. Then it threw back its head and shrieked so loudly that everyone covered their ears—except for Darren, whose hands were still stuck to the Changing Stone. Then it happened: crackling bolts of white-hot lightning burst from the bird's claws and ripped through the air. They were about to make contact with the Changing Stone—and Darren. Even in that moment—that overwhelming, terrifying moment—Darren knew what would happen to him if lightning hit the Changing Stone while it was still in his hands: instant electrocution.

No,
he thought, and just like that his fingers went limp, and the Changing Stone slipped from his grasp.

Everything happened at once.

Fiona gasped, turning her head away.

Ms. Therian cried out, a harsh word in a strange language, and dove across the floor to catch the Changing Stone before it crashed to the floor.

And the bird vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

Total silence filled the gym, pressing down on Darren and everyone else. An uncomfortable warmth crept up his neck as everyone stared at him—everyone except Ms. Therian, who was frantically examining the Changing Stone.
I didn't mean to drop it,
he thought defensively.
It just happened.

“No harm,” Ms. Therian said at last. “Thankfully.”

“Sorry,” Darren mumbled all the same.

Ms. Therian continued as if she hadn't heard him. “The
impundulu
,” she announced. “Or lightning bird, from the tribes of South Africa. Among the
impundulu
's many powers, perhaps the most important is the ability to impact the weather,” Ms. Therian said. “The
impundulu
can generate thunder from a clap of its wings and—as we all saw—shoot lightning from its claws.”

Darren held up his hands, staring at them in wonder. His fingernails were ragged from where he chewed them, a bad habit he just couldn't shake. It was hard to believe he'd be able to shoot
lightning bolts
from them.

“And so the first secrets have been revealed to us,” continued Ms. Therian. “A
kitsune
, a
nahual
, a
selkie
, and
an
impundulu
. Starting tomorrow, we will begin your training. In time—yes, Mack?”

Darren glanced over to see Mack waving his hand urgently. “Can we transform today?” he asked.

“I'm afraid not,” Ms. Therian replied. “Transformation is different for each of us. There's no rule book; no set of instructions to follow.”

The hint of a frown flickered across Mack's face. “But couldn't you just
tell
us how to do it?” he pressed.