The Homeless Shapeshifter

[Jake Orson]

Jake Orson, an English boy, newly arrived to Veneficium, walked around the lawns. He wore a pair of noticable secondhand fading, threadbare jeans and a long-sleeve dark red shirt with gray sleeves and a gray neckline his mother got for him at the Salvation Army.

Jake was very short for his age, for a boy even. He was barely 5 feet. He was this way because he was Homeless and always had been. He never got as much food as he was supposed to because of his family income, despute their Hunting Shapeshifters. He was also ill. As much as his parents could tell it was something about his heart. They were very worried, but didn't have the money to pay for treatment. Jake sighed and sat under the shade of a willow, hugging his knees to his chest, his arms draped over his legs.

[Selene]

Selene twirled around the lawns, gaily humming to herself. She wore a long black skirt that reached to her ankles, and a long sleeved lavender turtle neck to help keep her warm against the November chill. Her black hair swing around her shoulders as she spinned, giggling to herself. She was quite a short girl since she had a heart deficiency since she was born. It wasn't life threatening, but it did affect her height so she looked more like she was nine instead of thirteen.

She stopped spinning long enough to get her bearings and look around. Her amethyst eyes glinted with mischeviousness she didn't feel, mainly because it was close to the full moon. She noticed a small boy sitting under a willow tree, hugging his knees close. Curious, she skipped over and plopped down a couple feet away. "Hi!" she greeted cheerfully. "I'm Selene Chandra, third year werewolf, you?"

[Jake Orson]

Jake turned around. The serenity, he thought, was not to be disturbed. ''Hi.'' he said, no where near as enthusiastically. ''I'm Jake Orson. I'm a Fourth year and a Wolf Shapeshifter. Pleased to meet you.'' he held out his hand and noticed how rich the girl's clothes were. He swallowed, and glanced at his secondhands.

[Selene]

Selene shook his hand, and didn't seem to notice his conciousness that her clothes were a little more expensive than his. "Really? You're fourteen? You seem kind of short... Not that I have any room to talk," she added, looking down at her meager height. "Heart deficiency?" She asked curiously.

[Jake Orson]

''Yeah, least that's what my mum and dad say.'' Jake said, his head hung. ''But we really don't have the- I mean- we can't afford to- Also, I-er-live-my living acomadations are-well-not very good, so I-er-haven't been eating what I should all my life and well-since my parents can't afford it. They can barley afford clothing for us or anything. We live in a Homeless Shelter in London.'' Jake admitted.

[Selene]

"Hmm, interesting," she said thoughtfully. "There's really not much you can do to cure the deficiency according to my parents... They're Healers at St. Ignacio Hospital down in Alba Circeii. They said that all it really does is cause your growth to be stunted, and then in very rare cases might lead to Heart disease later on in life." She rolled onto her stomach and rested her head on her arms, looking up at him. "Do you have any siblings?" she asked randomly, thinking of something to talk about.

[Jake Orson]

''Yeah.'' Jake said, rolling onto his stomach too. ''Eight. We're all wolf Shapeshifters, 'cept my mum. She's a Fox Shapeshifter. My brother Nicholas, he's twenty-five and working with dragons in Russia. Then there's Ariel, my brother who's twenty-three, he's working in Transylvania for the Vampire and Werewolf Relations Relief Program, then there's Michael, he's seventeen, then there's Anthony, he's sixteen, Damian, Bryan, and Godric, they're triplets, fifteen years old, then there's me and my twin sister, Maris. You got any siblings?'' Jake asked, balancing on his elbows.

[Selene]

"Hmm-mm," she murmured softly, nodding her head a little. "I only have five though. There's my older brother, Conner, he's eighteen, then there's me, then Hannah and Helen, they're identical twins and ten years old, then there's Conan and he's seven years old, and finally there's Lowell, and he just turned one a couple weeks ago. We're all werewolves, it's been in our family for generations." She looked at him thoughtfully. "Did you say one of your older brothers was in the Vampire and Werewolf Relations Relief Program? That's really interesting, I plan to join as soon as I graduate."

[Jake Orson]

''Ariel would be pleased.'' said Jake. ''He says he really needs help with the Program. When he owls me next I'll tell him about you.''

[Selene]

"Yay!" she said excitedly.

[Mistress Lucenta Nefas]

Mistress Nefas walked out of the school and looked around the grounds, sighing. She hated being the bearer of bad news, but someone had to be. Her dark hair had been pulled into a bun that day as she looked around for a certain wolf shapeshifter. As she peered around she noticed a small looking boy sitting under a willow tree with an even more petite girl. She could instantly sense that the boy was the wolf shapeshifter she was looking for, and that the girl was a werewolf. Twirling a silver ring on her right ring finger around a couple times, she took a deep breath and walked over.

"Jacob Orson?" she asked questioningly. "May I see you in my office for a moment?" She glanced at the girl for a scant second before focusing on the boy again. "Your not in trouble, I just need to relay a message onto you from your parents."

[Jake Orson]

Jake stood up, despite the Mistress' words, his blood ran cold. ''Yes ma'am.'' he then followed her to her Office, swallowing numerous times.