The Elemental Warriors: Chapter 14

## Chapter 14- Addison

When Sky conjured up
that tiny tornado, I passed out.  I had
already been drugged and I was really sleepy.

And the shock did not help one
bit.

Seeing that tornado conjured up too
many memories of everything.

Why I was here.

What I could do.

Who my mother was.

The rush was so strong, I passed
out.

Before I could hear myself thump
to the ground, I was dreaming.

*Yesterday, in the kitchen.  Dad*
was off somewhere, and I didn’t have a clue where.  We were off on winter break, which made it
even stranger; Why was my father gone on December 23rd?  It made no sense.

*When*
I was off stewing and stress eating about where he could be, my mom walked into
the room.  Something was off about her,
but I couldn’t put a finger on it.  Was
she paler than usual?  Maybe she was-

*“I*
feel something powerful in you,” she whispered.
What was she talking about?  “Addison,
I need to show you something,” Mom told me.
I was suspicious, but I let her pull me to my room.

*Winds*
swirled around the room and gathered into a tiny tornado in my mom’s palm.  I jumped back.  Tornadoes were dangerous!  And why-

*“I*
know what you’re thinking,” Mom told me. “And no, I’m creating this.  I was given this power when I was your age, and
you may have received some part of it.”

*“What*
about Dad?” I asked. Mom snorted. “He doesn’t have a clue that I was once a
Warrior.  But that’s not the point; you
need to focus on yourself.”

*Well,*
*that* seemed
selfish.  But I didn’t argue.  Instead, I asked, “How can I use… whatever
you’re telling me about?”

*Mom*
sighed.  “I was going to try that  in a couple of hours, but fine.  It doesn’t make much of a difference.  All you have to do is focus on the tingle in
your bones, the blood coursing through your veins.  The power might emerge.”

*I*
did as she asked.  It took ten minutes,
but after a while, there was a flash of blinding energy and-

*“Hmm,*
interesting,” my mom said as she surveyed me.
Why was everything suddenly slightly bigger? “I thought maybe
invisibility or telekinesis, but shapeshifting?
That’s unexpected.” Shapeshifting?
Was I actually-

*I*
looked down at my body.  Instead of pants
and sneakers, I found snow-white fur with gray spots and paws.

*Darn!  I had the body of… something.  Something furry.  Whatever it was, it wasn’t me.*

*“I*
did use my shapeshifting forms a lot-especially my leopard form.  Maybe you can shapeshift into something
else?” Mom wondered.

*Well,*
how was I supposed to do that?!  Hmmm…

*I*
focused on one thought I was having: *Turn me into a lion.*

*I’m*
not sure why I picked lions.  I like
them.

*Well,*
anyways, another flash appeared, and I was staring at the body of a
lioness.  Awesome!

*I*
tried a couple of other kinds of cats (*puma, lynx, tabby)* when I decided it was time to do something
else.  Maybe a reptile. *Okay,* I
thought. *Now turn me into a lizard.*

*Nothing*
happened.

*“You*
tried something else, didn’t you,” Mom said as I shifted into human form and
nodded.  “Then that must be the extent of
your ability.  I bet you can only turn
into… cats.  Not particularly fierce, but
I bet you could do something with the ability.

*“I*
need you to go to an old friend of mine.
Well, not really a friend, but an acquaintance.  He’s very skilled at shapeshifting, and he can
teach you how to use your power.  You can
find him with directions, but I haven’t prepared those- I expected you to have
a power other than what you apparently have.
I’ll have them in a few days, but you need to sit tight from now
on.  And practice- just don’t let your
power take over you.”

*I*
gave her a thumbs up.  That was a lot of
information to get in five minutes, but I wasn’t complaining.  Having a magical power given to you by your
mom was pretty cool.  “What’s this guy’s
name?” I asked. “Figuranado,” Mom told me.
I nodded, but inside I was wondering who the heck had a name like
that.  His parents must have been
jerks.

*“He’s*
working with me on… a project.” Mom told me. “You’re part of it, but you don’t
need to know how right now.  Just give
him this note from me”-she handed me a Post-it with something on it- “and tell
him that Laura sent you.  You might want
to bring someone you trust with you, but some people *he* won’t
trust.  Be careful.”

*She*
walked out of my room right then and there, like my life hadn’t just changed
forever.

“*Dar*
una buena acogida*, Sleeping Beauty,” Sky said as I sat up with a*
jolt.

“I need to go
back,” I told her, remembering why I was in this elevator.  I needed to get back to Figuranado.

But how…

Oh.  Duh.

*A*
kitten.  Any kitten except a hairless
one.

I crawled out a
crack in the elevator.  Sky yelled
something, but what she said was inaudible to my small Siamese ears.

I needed to get
out, fast.