Shapeshifters: The Skinwalker

By Melissa Favata

A dead parakeet. A murdered rat. A cat missing its head...

Aurora and her twin brothers, Kyle and Ian, know something strange is going on in their town. But as they search for the animal killer in their midst, they have their own secret to hide—one that makes them especially vulnerable to this vicious murderer. Together, they must put an end to the havoc this evil being is wrecking throughout their town. But it won’t be an easy task when Aurora is reluctantly drawn to the mysterious boy who she believes is the monster that they must kill.

As the bodies—both animal and human—continue to pile up, Aurora, Kyle and Ian learn they’re not the only ones with secrets to conceal. Their task soon becomes a race against time as they must hurry to uncover the true killer—before they become its next victims.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melissa Favata
• Release date: Oct 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370598823

Book preview

SHAPESHIFTERS:

THE SKINWALKER

By: Melissa Favata

Copyright © 2016 by Melissa Favata

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Cover illustrated by Edward Calhoun

Editing by Philip Newey

Formatting by Polgarus Studio

Proofread by Stephanie Parent, Polgarus Studio

Author photograph by Frank Connelly

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE: CARCASSES

CHAPTER TWO: THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

CHAPTER THREE: KING OF THE JUNGLE

CHAPTER FOUR: PET CEMETERY-ISH

CHAPTER FIVE: THE QUITTER

CHAPTER SIX: CRICKETS

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE FOOTBALL GAME

CHAPTER EIGHT: BIRDWATCHER

CHAPTER NINE: HALLOWEEN MASSACRE

CHAPTER TEN: SNAKEBITE

CHAPTER ELEVEN: REVENGE

CHAPTER TWELVE: JUST A TOAD

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: SERIAL KILLER

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: LOVEBIRDS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER ONE: CARCASSES

An army of ants swarmed the blue parakeet as it lay dead on the sidewalk. Ants piled on top of each other at the bird’s eyes as they ate away its flesh, like tiny, six-legged zombies. The warm October sun shone down and a robin sang cheerily in the background. The happy, caroled whistle of the robin was eerily in tune with the fast pace of the ravenous ants. They continued to crowd over the dead parakeet as they chomped away at its carcass. Kyle poked at the lifeless parakeet with a stick. Its stiff body rocked back as the little scavenger insects scurried off their feathery meal.

Kyle! Have some sympathy! his older sister Aurora cried while his twin brother, Ian, just shook his head.

Although Kyle and Ian were twins, they were complete opposites. They were fraternal twins who didn’t even look related. Kyle was tall and strong, with bleach-blond hair and bright blue eyes. Ian, on the other hand, was average height and average build with dark brown hair and chestnut-brown eyes. His olive complexion made Kyle’s pale skin look almost ghostly.

Their older sister, Aurora, was a mixture of the two. She had Kyle’s blond hair and Ian’s darker skin and eyes. She was two years older than them, their fourteenth birthday coming up next week.

What do you think happened to it? Kyle asked.

Their thoughts were interrupted as the door to the house in front of which they stood slammed open and a little girl ran out. She looked up toward the trees and screamed, Billy! Billy! Where are you?

Is this who you’re looking for? Kyle asked, shoving the parakeet with his foot. Aurora jabbed him with her elbow. The little girl ran over to the sidewalk, looked down at her parakeet and sobbed uncontrollably. An older woman with short white hair, presumably her nanny, ran out of the house to the girl’s side.

What happened to her bird? the nanny asked.

We were walking to school when we just found it here, like this, Ian said sympathetically, pointing down at the dead bird.

I don’t understand! He was in his cage on the back porch when I went to sleep! the little girl cried.

Okay, let’s take him inside, the nanny said softly to the little girl as she scooped up dead Billy into her hands.

I don’t get it, Aurora said as the nanny and the little girl disappeared into their house.

You don’t get what? Kyle asked.

The parakeet didn’t have a scratch on him. How did he just die, right here, in front of their house? It’s not like an animal attacked him. He didn’t have any injuries or anything—

Rora, Kyle interrupted in his nonchalant tone, you’re always overanalyzing everything. It’s dead. Whatever.

Ever since their father, veterinarian Jack Reed, DVM, had passed away, Kyle’s poor attitude had gotten even worse. Under his rough exterior, he was a very caring and loving person, but he had a way of appearing the exact opposite. Their father was the only vet in the town of Chesterson who also did wildlife rehabilitation. He was one of only three vets who also took care of exotic pets. Chesterson had many winding roads and was surrounded by deep woods and lush forests. Jack was always bombarded with injured and sick wildlife. And he loved every minute of it . . . as did Aurora.

We’re gonna be late, Ian said.

The siblings walked to school together as they always did, even when the twins were in elementary school and Aurora was in middle school. Now that they were all in high school together their routine hadn’t changed, though Aurora now had her driver’s license. She knew her mother would never be able to afford to buy her a car now that their father was gone. The elementary school, middle school and high school were side by side. They even shared one big football field, which backed up to a large wooded area where the bad kids hung out. The bad kids were four high school kids: Matt and Steve, who were brothers (and juniors like Aurora) and their girlfriends, Angie and Lil, who were best friends (and freshmen, like the twins). Matt and Steve were only eleven months apart, what some would call Irish twins. Matt, the older one, stayed behind a year in the sixth grade and was now the oldest junior in his grade. They were adopted together when they were infants by a quiet, wealthy couple. Their past was mysterious. No one knew much about them. Except that they were rich and bad. And adopted.

Matt and Steve had been troubled for as long as Aurora could remember. They had been expelled and suspended numerous times for fighting with other students. Now everyone stayed away from them. Most of the kids were afraid of them. They fought dirty, carrying pocketknives and brass knuckles. Matt was big. Not as big as Kyle, but tall and muscular. His hair was buzzed so short that he was almost bald. Steve looked like a member of a rock band, with his long, wavy brown hair and slim figure. They wore the same black leather jackets and ripped jeans every day.

Angie and Lil used to be normal teenage girls until they began hanging out with Matt and Steve. They had been inseparable since kindergarten. They were both on the girls’ softball team and had plenty of friends . . . until they started high school last month. During the first week of school they accepted a ride home from Matt and Steve. Matt owned the car. He drove a black Mustang with blacked-out windows and loud exhaust pipes. The next day, Angie and Lil arrived at school in the loud, black Mustang. And they were different. They weren’t wearing their usual designer-brand outfits and big smiles. They were dressed in dark, oversized clothing and they looked detached. They had even dyed their hair black. Aurora waved to them as they walked by her in the hallway that day, but, for the first time ever, they didn’t wave back.

***

Aurora, Kyle and Ian walked through the front door to the high school and went their separate ways. Their lockers were not close together and they didn’t have any classes together, except for literature, which Kyle and Ian shared. They did, however, all have lunch period together.

Aurora walked down the hall toward her locker. She was late for first period because of the parakeet incident. The halls were mostly empty, except for a few kids running to their classes. She wasn’t going to run; she was already late, so it wasn’t going to make a difference. Mr. T would be livid regardless. She was going to get yelled at whether she was one minute late, or ten minutes late. She took her time opening her locker and getting out her morning textbooks and binders. As she was shoving them into her oversized purple book bag, she heard crying coming from the girls’ bathroom across the hall. Aurora zipped up her book bag and hurried into the bathroom. Cristina, one of her classmates and closest friends, was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest as she cried.

What’s wrong, Cristina?

Crowley died last night. Cristina sobbed.

I’m so sorry. What happened to him? Aurora kneeled down beside her.

I woke up this morning, and he was dead in my driveway.

It sounds like he got hit by a car, Aurora said gently.

Cristina began sobbing uncontrollably.

Are you going to be okay? Aurora asked, rubbing Cristina’s shoulder.

It’s just that . . . Rora . . . you had to see him. It was like a scene from a horror movie. His whole body seemed completely intact. Not squished or anything. But his head . . . It was gone! Cristina buried her head into her knees and cried again.

Aurora couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Who would behead a cat? The bathroom door flung open, crashing loudly into the wall, and in stormed Angie and Lil. Angie looked straight ahead as though she were in a daze. Her long black hair hung lifelessly around her slim face. She went into a bathroom stall and slammed the door behind her. Lil looked at Cristina as she walked over to a sink and propped herself up onto it, crossing her legs as she waited for Angie. She wore a smirk on her face. Her once long blonde hair was now a short black bob. There was something about that look that gave Aurora the creeps. Cristina looked at Aurora, and Aurora knew she felt the same way. Cristina got up from the floor and ran out of the bathroom.

Aurora walked into Mr. T’s class twenty minutes late. It was quiet and all the students had their heads down, frenziedly writing on the piece of paper in front of them. Aurora had the dreadful feeling they were all working on a pop quiz, and math was her least favorite subject. She looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. She would never be able to finish a pop quiz with only twenty-five minutes left of class. Everyone looked up and watched as she took her seat at the back of the classroom.

Ms. Reed, class started twenty minutes ago, Mr. T said calmly as he walked over to her desk.

I’m sorry . . .Aurora began. She looked up at him, straining her neck to meet his eyes. He was a huge man, at least six and a half feet tall, and stocky and rock solid. He reminded Aurora of a professional wrestler. His cleanly shaved head made him even scarier.

Oh, I’m sure you will be . . . when you fail this pop quiz. Mr. T flashed a sinister grin.

But I . . . Aurora started, but before she could finish her sentence, Mr. T slammed a blank quiz on her desk and walked briskly back to his desk. The chair creaked as he sat, as if it was crying from the weight it had to bear. He made the chair look as though it was made for children. He barely fit in it. Just as Aurora began to write her name on the top of her paper, Mr. T exclaimed, Time’s up! Everyone pass your quiz up to the front!

Aurora sighed and passed her paper to the girl in front of her. If she failed one more quiz or test in Mr. T’s math class, she was not going to pass. She was dreading summer school. Mostly because she was an A student in every other subject. She wanted to be a vet. There was no way she was going to get into a good college with her math grades dragging her GPA down.

The bell rang and everyone rushed out of class. Aurora thought about asking Mr. T if he would give her a chance to retake the quiz, but she changed her mind when she saw Ian and Kyle waiting for her in the hall. Occasionally they walked each other to their classes. Usually only when they had something to talk about. Aurora ran out to meet them.

Something strange is going on— Aurora began, but was quickly interrupted.

Thumper is dead, Kyle declared. Thumper was their literature teacher Ms. Chu’s class pet rat.

Not just dead, Ian explained. He was killed. Purposely.

"What do you mean, purposely?" Aurora demanded.

Someone put dozens of Hershey bars in his cage, Ian said.

Aurora was speechless.

Chocolate is poison for rats, Rora! Kyle exclaimed.

Yes, I know that, Kyle! Aurora shouted back at him.

So why do you look so confused? Kyle’s eyebrows drew together.

Because who would do something so evil? And what’s even stranger is that someone killed Cristina’s cat. Someone beheaded him. And the parakeet. . . Three pets killed in one day. Something strange is happening. If Dad were here, he’d know what to do . . . Aurora trailed off as she remembered how great her father was with sick animals. He was the best vet in the county. He always did what was in the best interest of the animals, unlike most other vets, who mostly cared about making money.

I feel . . . horrible. Ian moaned as he pressed his hands against his head.

What’s wrong, Ian? Aurora was worried.

Ian continued to moan as he crouched on the floor, closing his eyes tightly. Kyle looked just as worried as she was. He kneeled beside Ian and grabbed his wrists, but they were pressed so tightly against the sides of his head that Kyle couldn’t pull them away.

Ian, are you okay? Kyle drew his face close to Ian’s.

I think . . . it’s a migraine. I don’t know . . . Ian moaned again in pain.

A migraine? You don’t even know what a migraine is! Kyle was beginning to panic.

Aurora had been dreading this moment. She had gone through this herself, but in a different way. The sun shined through the large glass doors, lighting the dull hallway. She took Ian by the arm and pulled him to his feet. She dragged him down the hallway out of the sunlight. Suddenly, he seemed much better. Just as Aurora thought . . . He was nocturnal.

***

Aurora tossed her bag onto her bed and paced around her bedroom. She was running out of time and had no idea how to handle the situation without her father. Once a shapeshifter begins to experience puberty, their abilities are no longer dormant. Ian was going to find out very soon what kind of animal he really was. And it was going to be something that only comes out at night. She sat on her bed and closed her eyes. She could hear her father’s voice speaking in her memories.

You’re faster than a Bugatti, Little Eagle. Jack laughed. Jack had begun calling Aurora Little Eagle ever since her first change. Her vision problems and skin condition started two weeks after her twelfth birthday. Every time she became nervous or excited, her vision would change. Everything became much bigger, almost as if she were looking into a magnifying glass, and then smaller again. The vision changes were so drastic that she became dizzy and confused. Her skin started to itch like crazy, but there was never any rash.

Jack knew what was happening. She was shapeshifting into an animal with excellent vision and fur or feathers. Her mother, Marge, was a nervous wreck during that time, taking Aurora to eye doctors, dermatologists and even neurologists, but nothing seemed to be wrong with her. Then, one night, Jack took Aurora into the woods and told her everything. That he could change into a black bear and that she was a shapeshifter too. He told her to focus all her energy into changing . . . into whatever she thought she was. Aurora knew immediately that she was some kind of a bird. She always felt the urge to fly when her vision changed. She closed her eyes and imagined flying, and she didn’t resist when her vision changed and her skin began to itch. That night she changed into the largest of all hawk species, the ferruginous hawk. She took off into the sky, with her huge wings spread wide, and soared with lightning-fast speed. As she was flying, she spotted a little rabbit hopping along the trails. She couldn’t fight the urge to catch it. She dove and grabbed the rabbit with her sharp talons and then flew back toward the trees, where she could eat her prey.

As she flew with the rabbit, she never looked behind her. Most birds of prey look over their shoulder before striking prey or shortly thereafter. All hawks seem to have this habit, even the ferruginous hawk. But eagles do not. Eagles, the true kings of the sky, do not look back.

Aurora did not kill the rabbit. Guilt came over her and she flew back to her father, the bear. They changed back into their human forms and rushed the rabbit to the animal clinic, where they treated the puncture wounds in his back from Aurora’s claws. Within a few days, the rabbit was released back into the wild, good as new.

A loud knock on Aurora’s door interrupted her thoughts and she jumped to her feet. Come in.

Kyle and Ian busted through her door, wearing hiking boots and their fishing vests. What are you doing? Kyle asked.

Um . . . I’m just . . . sitting, Aurora replied.

Uh . . . why? Kyle’s eyebrows drew together.

What do you mean? She was too worried about Ian changing into some kind of creepy nocturnal animal to notice Kyle and Ian staring at her in confusion.

Rora, it’s like seventy degrees out, Ian said matter-of-factly.

Oh.

What do you mean, ‘Oh’? Since when do you stay indoors in this kind of weather? Kyle asked suspiciously.

Oh! Right! I was just thinking . . . about all the homework I have. I’ll grab the fishing pole.

Aurora pulled her shoes on and walked out of her room. Her brothers looked at each other curiously and then followed.

CHAPTER TWO: THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

Marge was hanging up the big birthday banner above the kitchen table when Aurora came down the stairs in her pajamas.

Hey, Mom.

Good morning, Rora. The boys still sleeping?

Yup. Aurora pulled out a chair and sat at the decorated kitchen table. It was covered by a birthday tablecloth. Bags of chips, pretzels and candy were scattered about.

Mom, the party isn’t for another six hours. It’s only nine o’clock. Aurora rubbed her sleepy eyes.

Yeah, well, I have nothing better to do on a Saturday. Marge placed plastic cups in the middle of the table.

Their mother had been their father’s receptionist and bookkeeper at his animal clinic. She even helped with the animals. She was basically a veterinary technician, without the title. After he