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Talia
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Mom had ordered all of the others out of my room. She was going to help me get back into my human form because I didn't know how to. I think I remembered that she had done the same thing to Rika when she was about seventeen and shifted for the first time. And Dad had been the one to help Reagan when he shifted for the first time. I could understand the need for them to have their specific children to help with. When we shift back, we were going to be naked, that was just how it was. And I knew that my dad, as helpful and loving as he was, would never be the one to help me shift back to my human form. He would die first. And I think I would too.
Rika probably couldn't help me either. She had only shifted last year, and she was not the most expert at all of this stuff herself. She could shift and all that, but I highly doubted that she would be able to guide someone out of a shift.
I wanted to sigh. I was so overwhelmed with emotions right now. I was scared, excited and happy all at the same time. I wasn't used to having all of these things happening to me all at once. And I was still reeling from that vision that I had had. That was what had caused all of this.
To be honest, I was really happy that my mom was still in here with me. I didn't want her to leave me alone right now. She had died in my vision and, honestly, I just couldn't handle that right now. It was going to be so hard to tell her and Dad about that dream that I had just had. I didn't want them to know that I had seen it and that it nearly drove me insane. However, I needed them to know so that they could protect themselves. I didn't want to lose my parents. I loved them too much for that. I still needed them here with me. I was advanced in school, but I was still just a kid, especially in their eyes. I wasn't ready for them to leave me. I wouldn't be able to handle that at all.
.....
“What is the matter?” Mom asked me as she came walking back into the bathroom. I hadn't even realized that she had left the room in the first place. I guess I have been really distracted lately. I wasn't able to tell what was going on around me.
“I..I was just thinking about something. That was all.” That wasn't a lie, but it was so vague that it might as well have been one.
“You had another vision, right? Do you want to tell me about it?”
“C..can I change back first?” I asked her as she set a pair of my pajamas on the counter next to the sink. I recognized them right away. They were purple and consisted of a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. They also had little koalas all over the shorts and one big one on the shirt. They were a little childish looking, but I didn't care. She had also included a new set of undergarments, top and bottom, and a pair of socks. She hadn't picked out my clothes since I was nine, so this was something that was sort of special for me. I guess I hadn't realized how much I missed her being there and babying me when I got too old for it. Or when I said I was too old for it. I had a feeling that I would let her do this, at least once in a while, even as I got older. I wouldn't want it all the time, but to know she loves me enough to pick out my underwear when needed, that was enough to make my heart swell with happiness. And I was just happy that she was here with me right now.
“Come here, Talia.” She called to me and stood in the middle of the room. Then she seemed to think about something and turned the water in the shower back on. I hadn't even realized that someone had turned it off. That was how little attention I was paying to things right now. This time though, when Mom turned the water on in the shower, it was running hot and not cold. This was for me to relax, not to wake me up.
“Thank you.” I knew that she did that so that I could hop straight into the water when I was done changing back into a human.
“You're welcome.” She nodded as she reached out to put her hand on my head. With me in my wolf form and her standing in her human form, I was almost as tall as she was. If I stood on my hind legs I would tower over her.
I would guess that my wolf form was about as big as hers was, and just as slight in the frame as well. I had seen hers enough to know what it looked like, and I would never forget it with my perfect memory.
“This is going to be quick, but remember the feeling of changing back, sweetheart. You will need it in the future to shift on your own.”
“OK.” I nodded at her as I listened to what she was telling me.
“By the way, Talia, your wolf is gorgeous.” She was smiling at me. “I knew you would have a unique coloring, but I didn't expect purple.”
“Yeah, neither did I.” I laughed. “I guess it suits the whole underworld theme though.” I laughed as I thought about it.
“Yeah, it does.” She chuckled.
I felt my body changing then, going from wolf to human again. And I watched as my mom's arms moved steadily lower. As I shifted back and got smaller, my head was in a different position, and she had needed to adjust the position to accommodate.
“There you go.” Mom smiled at me. “And I see that you are still covered in quite a bit of blood. I am guessing that it came from the vision as well? Like that bruise from the last one.”
“Yes. I don't know how it happened, but this is from the vision that I had.”
“Well, hop in the shower, Talia, we will talk about it when you get out.”
“I..I..I think that Daddy should be there too.” She noticed the childish way that I had spoken and looked at me with worry in her eyes. She didn't comment on it though, she just nodded.
“Very well then.” She started to leave the room, but I stopped her.
“Stay.” I called out as I stepped into the shower. “I..I..I know that I am showering and all, Mommy, b..b..but I don't want to be alone yet.”
“Alright, sweetheart.” She gave me a calm smile. “I will be right over here.” She pulled a chair toward the bathroom and sat just inside of the door. I saw that she was contemplating what had happened to me, and that she was likely scared by it all.
I made sure that the shower went by really quick. I washed my hair first, needing to get the blood out of it in a hurry. Then, while I let the conditioner sit for a couple of minutes, I scrubbed my body. I didn't know if this was really my parents' blood or not, but I knew that I didn't want it on me at all. I knew that it was scaring me to think about, and that I needed to have it gone. If it was their blood, then I wondered how it had come back to the past with me. If it wasn't their blood, then whose was it, and where did it come from? Those were questions that I needed to have answered.
Now that I had scrubbed every inch of my body as thoroughly, yet quickly, as I possibly could, I rinsed myself, twice. I needed to make sure that there was no trace of that blood on me anymore. I couldn't stand the thought of that.
Now that I was clean, I got out of the shower and started to dry off as quickly as I could. I wanted to blow dry my hair, but there was no time for that. I just toweled it as best as I could and braided it loosely. I needed to make sure that it was out of my way, but not so tight of a braid that it broke the hairs when they dried. I also got dressed quickly and then brushed my teeth. I was ready for bed and the day at the same time. As odd as that seemed.
I didn't leave it at that, despite the hurry that I was in. I needed to add some lotion to my face, arms, legs and a few other places that I could get to. I didn't want to be naked for too long though, so I didn't do this before I got dressed. I needed the cream though, I hated the feeling of my face being dry after a shower.
“There, I am ready.” I turned to look at her.
“Good. We can go and talk to the others.”
“Sh..should I go and get Lex?” I asked her, knowing that he would want to talk with me as well.
“No need. He has been glued to the wall outside your room since you shifted back. He is waiting for you.” She laughed and led the way out of my room. Sure enough, he was standing right there and waiting for me, dressed in his typical black clothes and ready for the day.
