Okay, I'm leveling out, not so sad, and I'm SO FREAKING GRATEFUL for Gale_Fairytail13 so I'm dedicating this chapter to her. She told everyone about my issue, and I'm getting my followers back! Please follow her as a surprise! I owe her one! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!

I could Shapeshift. I didn't want to use my powers when I was running from the Creepy Guy because then it would confirm what I assume he wanted in the first place. I knew they were going to use me in some way, like a weapon. The only people that knew were my family. Everyone in my family on my mother's side plus me and my brother had these powers. I had used them before, but my mother said I needed training. I would train with my brother every day, and it was kind of draining. Shapeshifting was no easy feat.

I heard the doorbell ring. My mother was coming home at this hour, so I unlocked the door to my room and ran downstairs. I let my mother in and blurted out everything that had recently happened. She urgently told me to go upstairs so that we could practice doing some of her "harder" shapeshifting forms. She said that I would need them very much if anything like that were to ever happen again. She said she would also explain who the people who wanted me were. I ran upstairs with my mother following suit.

Once in my room, we stood facing each other. Then she transformed into (to my horror) a tiger. The tiger growled and circled me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and to my embarrassment, turned into a kitten. Let me explain something to you. When you turn into an animal, you also inherit some of their traits. For instance, now I was furiously bouncing around the room, trying to catch a fly. It was irresistible. My mother was watching me intently. She transformed back into a human, picked me up, and put me on the bed. Then she told me to turn back into a human so we could try something more simple. It is easier to transform when you are calm. You have to focus on the animal you want to turn into and keep a picture of a human in your head so it is easier to transform back. She asked me to try a wolf. That was more complex, so she asked me to breathe. I did so. Soon enough, I was a wolf, baring my fangs at my mother. I have learned that it is harder to shapeshift into larger carnivores than any herbivore. I turned into a deer with no problem, but still had trouble with the tiger. Now she wanted to focus on the really easy animals, like mice and sparrows. I had already learned those a while ago, so they were no problem, but Mom wanted me to refresh my memory. She said, "Let's do three more complicated animals, then you can rest." She asked for two herbivores and one carnivore. I chose a Horse (because . . . ), a baby giraffe (because I wanted to mind my head), and a hyena (why?).

I was so exhausted after all of this that as we waited for my little brother to come home, my mother and I shared a snack of cookies and milk.

My mother started talking. "The man who chased you today was part of The Hunters, who hunt Shapeshifters like you and me. They've been doing it for centuries, and our kind has to live in fear. I had thought this place was safe, but now they have discovered us. We will have to move if we are faced with a further threat."

I responded, "What about my friends? I'll miss them If I move."

My mother explained, "This is also for the safety of your friends because The Hunters can and will use them as bait, or a way to get to you." At that moment the doorbell rang and Eros came busting in.

My little brother's name was Eros, and he was still learning smaller animals, such as cats and dogs. "Mom," Eros exclaimed as he threw down his backpack and jumped onto the couch. "The weirdest thing happened to me at school! This guy in black with a cool cape thingy came and said that I needed to come with him and--."

He immediately stopped talking at the looks on our faces. Mom muttered darkly, "Going after a child," and asked Eros to go with her upstairs.

After about 10 minutes of silence, I heard barking, a large thump, the sound of china shattering, and mom's shrill voice cutting through the air. "EROS!" she shouted. "THAT WAS MY FAVORITE VASE!" Eros, from what I heard, was very proud of himself for successfully turning into a dog. Mom came down the stairs a few moments later, holding a white terrier in hand and a frown on her face. She set Eros down, told him to change back into a human and do his homework as his session for shapeshifting was done for the day. I, on the other hand, had several questions for my mom about The Hunters, so I let the tidal wave flow. "What do The Hunters do to you?" "How long have you been running from them?" "What is so important about shapeshifting that I have to learn so many forms?" and so on. She told me to slow down and go sit on the couch, that she would answer each of my questions in turn.

"The Hunters take away your powers by using a crystal, a jar, and sunlight." She paused."Yes, I have been running from them ever since I was your age. And as you're finally now learning, you will need your shapeshifting powers to be able to escape, to survive." I asked her one more question, tentatively. "Well if we have so much power, why can't we just gather every shapeshifter you know and attack the Hunters together? Are there many of us? Are there many of them? If we have these special powers and can turn into almost anything, why do we have to live in fear of them? r."

She sighed. " It is a valid plan, but most are too scared to act and instead let themselves be preyed upon. The Hunters have their powers, too, and most prefer to hide in hopes they will never be found."