Page 20 of Poison Ivy
11
IVY
Hurryingto get away from Bram as fast as I can, I can’t believe my luck. I have successfully avoided the Kings of Thornfield for three years as Ivy, and now, suddenly, I run into two of them on the same day. What is this? What is going on? Crossing the quad, with my Meditations textbook thumping in my bag behind me, I curse myself. I’d been more concerned with getting to Vex this morning that I forgot it and had to race home for it. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have nearly been run over by Bram in his penis-mobile.
“Jerk,” I hiss and slow down as I come across a crowd of students all milling about between lectures. I scan the area, half-expecting Torin to jump out at me as well, but luckily for both of us, he doesn’t. So, I slip through the throngs and make my way into the main building where the Meditations lecture hall is situated.
As I approach the lecture hall, Josh is waiting forme with a sour look on his handsome face. He runs a hand through his light brown hair, his hazel eyes narrowed. “Where were you?”
“I had to rush back for my textbook,” I pant, and leave out the part about kneeing Bram Sinclair in the balls. That is going to come back and bite me on the arse, but it was the quickest way I knew how to get away from him.
He purses his lips. “Well, come on. We’re late.”
We enter the lecture hall, and I bump him with my shoulder. “Everything okay with you and Rams?”
“Yeah, why?” he asks.
“Just making sure my two fave guys are good.”
He grins. “We’re good. Hey, should we sit at the back and flick balled up pieces of paper at Cora?”
“Fuck, yes. Shehatesthat!”
We giggle and take our seats, turning our attention to Professor Ulstead, a shifter like all of us in this class, quite mousey looking, but she is the best.
“Right, guys,” Ulstead says, clapping her hands for us to settle. “Today, we are doing something out of the ordinary. All of you here are in this class for one very specific reason. I’m sure you’ve all wondered why you’re all shifters and why this class. What purpose does it have for you? Well, today, you will find out! We are going to be doing some practicals. You have all been chosen specifically for this class to see where your talents lie. You are all general shifters. This means you can change your appearance to that ofanother person or possibly a common bird or maybe a cat. But just because you can become a bird doesn’t mean you know how to fly. So, I think many of you shy away from stretching your limits. However, this is also a stumbling block. Youhavelimits. You aren’t able to turn into a bear or a dragon; these things are above your DNA, but that’s fine. What we want to do is expand your range through meditation to push those boundaries and see if your limitations are set or if you are merely not using your full potential. Okay?”
A murmur of excitement goes through the lecture hall. Ulstead is right in everything she says. I’ve only ever shifted to become someone else, always fearing going beyond that. We are taught as children that we have these limitations, so no one ever tests them. This is exciting on many levels, but also daunting. What if none of us can do what Ulstead is asking? What if we all fail or worse, what if I’m the only one who fails and everyone else manages to achieve the unachievable?
Gulping back my panic, I refocus on Ulstead.
“You are going to pair off?—”
Josh and I look at each other and grin.
“—and you will fall into a deep meditative state to see if you can open your mind and our abilities to see if there is anything else locked away.”
“Like what, though?” Cora asks. “Can we try to become anything?”
“Yeah, can we become inanimate objects?” Jakeasks, and then snickers to his mates under his breath, “Like Cora’s dildo.”
She overhears him and hisses, but Ulstead seems to be oblivious. “Who knows?” Ulstead says. “This is what we are here to discover. Pair off and go outside through the side door. Find a relaxing spot and see where your mind takes you.”
Josh and I head outside, finding a quiet spot under a large oak tree away from the other students. We settle onto the grass, sitting cross-legged and facing each other.
“So, how exactly are we supposed to do this?” Josh asks, looking sceptical.
I shrug. “I guess we just meditate and see what happens? Maybe try to imagine ourselves as something different?”
“Right,” he says doubtfully. “Well, ladies first. You give it a go, and I’ll watch to see if anything happens.”
Rolling my eyes, I close them and take a deep breath, trying to clear my mind. I focus on my breathing, in and out, letting the sounds of the campus fade away. As I sink deeper into meditation, I start to imagine myself changing shape. At first, I picture simple shifts - changing my hair colour, my height, my facial features, all things I know how to do already. Then I push further, visualising more drastic changes.
Fur sprouting from my skin. My face elongatinginto a muzzle. Paws instead of hands. A tail swishing behind me.
I concentrate hard on that image, willing my body to transform. For a moment, I feel a tingling sensation all over, like pins and needles. But then it fades, and I’m left feeling disappointingly normal.
Opening my eyes, I look at Josh expectantly. “Well? Did anything happen?”
