Page 23 of Radiant Shadows

I recognized the man as Mr. Sharp, the world history teacher. It was one of my normal classes, the ones that helped me feel a little less like a fish out of water. What was he doing here?

“Ah, Henry. Thanks for coming.” Ms. Heather stood as Mr. Sharp came in. “Arya, Mr. Sharp here is the Ursa Transformation teacher. I asked him to come talk to you about what you’ll be going through in the coming days.”

I straightened the sheet draped over my legs. If Mr. Sharp knew, how many others did, too? “Um, where’d Ashlyn go?”

Ms. Heather smiled. “I sent her to her classes.”

“You didn’t tell her anything, did you?”

Realization lit her angelic features, and she shook her head. “Oh no, dear. Caesar and Mr. Sharp are the only people I’ve told.”

“Do you mind if we...keep it that way? Just for now?” I asked, twisting a corner of the blanket around my finger.

She nodded slowly. “You want to tell others in your own time.”

I gave her a hopeful smile.

“Mum’s the word.” She winked, then closed the door leading to the rest of the school before returning to her desk.

Mr. Sharp took the chair she had been sitting in and turned it around before taking a seat and resting his arms on the backrest. He appraised me for a long moment. “Feeling a little lost, are we?”

I nodded.

“I’ve always maintained that being a were shifter is the most difficult of shifter types. Not only does getting bitten suck, but the change from being a regular human to a magical shifter is a bit like going through puberty. You may have skipped the bite, but I’m afraid you’ll still have to go through that ugly, awkward phase.” Mr. Sharp chuckled, the sound very much like a bear’s growl.

My face reddened. This was not a conversation I wanted to have with anyone, let alone a male of any age. The thought of telling my friends—or Tobias—was enough to make me cringe. They’d understand, I was sure of it, but this part of me felt so muchmore personal—not to mention embarrassing. It didn’t help that the weres carried an obvious stigma as the only non-born shifters. I’d never thought of myself as prejudiced, but now?

And things were just starting to get comfortable at this school.

“So, you’ll be experiencing some mood swings, some cravings, and surges of strength and sensory input as your body adjusts to the shift,” Mr. Sharp continued. “It’s one heck of a ride.”

I sighed. “And the were juice?”

Mr. Sharp laughed. “Never took the stuff myself, having been unlucky enough to stumble into being a shifter by accident, but the sick bit only lasts a day or so.”

“Which is all the remedy really addresses, I’m afraid,” Ms. Heather cut in from her perch at her desk. “And with your rate of progression, it might be a few days before you’re past those symptoms.”

“Of course,” I grumbled.

“But hey, better a few seconds of that gunk than a day of the shakes.” Mr. Sharp laughed, but I didn’t see the humor.

“And if you ever want to talk, I and the other were instructors are happy to help.”

I tried to conjure a smile, but it fell flat. “Thanks.”

“Man, a mermaid, a harpy, and an ursa. What do you call something like that, a harmursa? A mersapy? Dang, kid. I think you’ve got the whole shifter kingdom covered in that one body of yours.”

I could tell that he was trying to lighten the mood, but tears still sprang to my eyes. I held my knuckles to my lips as I tried to keep the flood of emotions at bay.

“Oh, man, I’m sorry. Bad time to make a joke,” Mr. Sharp said, grimacing.

I shook my head as I began to weep. “It’s okay. I’m sorry, I just—”

“Feel like a pile of emotional goo? Yeah, I get it. It’s been a while since my first shift, but the power of that transformation...” He shook his head, a faraway look in his eyes. “I know you want to keep this to yourself for now, but you should probably tell your friends, at least. It’ll be hard trying to keep the shift under wraps now that it’s started. And this really isn’t something you shouldbearalone. Catch my drift?” He smiled.

I tried—and once more failed—to smile at his corny joke.

“Well, is there anything you want to ask? Anything else I can do for you?” he asked.

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