CHAPTER ONE

Saturday, September 17th

LANCE HAD AGREED TO SHOW KANDICE how to use the seals to shift, but he had yet to do anything besides lecture and train her to fight to his standards. After four days of back-to-back training sessions, he insisted they go to a remote location.

They drove to a state park that was an hour outside of Austin. He hadn't spoken the whole drive, and wouldn't answer any of her questions. They had been at the park for almost an hour, and she was fed up.

She stopped him mid explanation.

"I know the risks," she said. "Telling me it's dangerous at this point is moot. You've gone over how aware I need to be of my surroundings and to only shift if there is no other way to win. So how about we get to the damn shifting already?"

Lance's brows tightened, "I agreed to teach you. Which means you agreed to learn. Slava spent almost a year teaching me before I shifted for the first time. If it wasn't so important that we kill the mayor, I'd not be showing you how to shift now."

"Well," she said. "He's dangerous, and you need my help. So, here we are."

"What are the three costs when shifting?"

"My energy will drain at three to four times its normal rate," she said. "Which is why I have to build up endurance. Second, my vision will blur, and I'll only be able to see what's in front of me, though it will seem that everything is standing still, or moving in slow motion."

She stopped—her mind blanked on the third cost.

"Third, your body temperature will drop," he said. "This is the most dangerous cost, because every time you shift back, your body might go into a state of hypothermia, which is why you might lose consciousness, and some even die."

"I know the danger," she said. "I just forgot what caused it. Will it hurt?"

"Extremely. It's one reason we drink so much."

Kandice steadied herself. She'd been swimming in a lake during winter and hoped it would be a similar experience.

"I'm ready," she said. "How do I activate the seals?"

"That's the easiest, and hardest part," he said. "All you have to do is put it against your skin, but first, you have to find your symbol."

He pulled out a stack of seals carved into what Kandice realized was tanned animal skin. She looked through the pile, they were all the same. Lance pulled another seal from his pants and showed her.

The seal looked the exact same, except there was a small mark in the top right of the circle. It looked like an X, with a circle at the top right, and a star at the bottom left.

"This is my mark," he said pointing, to the extra symbol. "You have to find a shape, or combination of shapes, that resonates with you, and can represent you on the seal."

"How do I do that?"

Lance tossed a pocket knife at her, which she almost missed.

"Practice. It took me about ten tries. I've given you twenty seals. Let's see how you do."

He reached into his pack and pulled out a bottle of vodka. He poured himself a glass and offered to pour her one, but she refused.

"I'm going for a walk," he said. "Think about the mark inside your mind first. When you feel confident, carve it without thinking."

Lance turned back around.

"Do not put the seal on until I'm here," he said. "Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good," he said mostly to himself, and walked down the trail.

Once he was out of sight, Kandice tried to focus on what mark would represent her. The pentagram came to mind first, but that seemed cliché. Though it was part of Lance's, there was the simple X, it would be an Iron-cross if she turned it, but that didn't seem right either.

The sun was high in the sky, and the trees were no longer shading her. Kandice took her top shirt off. Her tank-top was sticking to the small of her back. She pulled it away from her body repetitively to cool herself off.

It had been at least thirty minutes since Lance left. She couldn't remember last time she had sat in one place, outside of school, focusing on a single problem. The way it made her brain hurt was refreshing.

She wiped the sweat from her brow and stood up to stretch. Maybe a moon would fit, like a crescent moon. That had to be part of it. A tentacle crossing the moon, maybe? No. That wasn't it. A knife? No. A spear? No... a staff!

It made sense, while her staff form in Taekwondo competitions was weak, she was brilliant at sparring with a staff. She'd been able to defeat her fellow team members, despite them using swords or spears.

Lance hadn't come back yet.

Kandice called out for him, "Lance?"

There was no reply. She picked up the knife, and was about to draw the symbols onto the seal, when she realized there was no guarantee that her mark belonged in the top right like Lance's.

Fuck.

She stared at the seal. There were infinite amounts of places to put her mark. It might make a huge difference if she placed the mark in the wrong spot.

She carved the mark four times. One in each corner. The concentration it took to keep the knife from slipping as she carved made her sweat. She kept wiping her hands on her pants to keep them dry.

Lance showed up just as she was about to carve the symbol in other random places out of boredom.

"I think this is it," she said. "I didn't know where to put it."

"Luckily, for this seal, placement of your mark doesn't matter," Lance said. "Are you sure this is your symbol?"

"Well, no. You said not to put it on without you here."

"Try it."

Kandice's heart raced. The tension grew inside her chest as the complete seal came closer to her stomach. There had to be a way to clear her mind for what was about to happen. Every hair was standing on end, so she regulated her breathing as she held her shirt up by the hand not holding the seal.

Lance was looking around, not paying the slightest attention to her.

She slapped the seal against her skin...

Nothing.

She was standing under the sun holding a tanned skin against her, but nothing was happening. She flipped the seal over and tried again, but still nothing.

"What the fuck?" she yelled at Lance.

"I told you, it took me ten tries to come up with the right combination of symbols," he laughed a little. "I was considered a quick learner. There was no way you would get it the first time."

"So, what now?" she asked.

"That's up to you," he said. "This is all about you finding what represents you. It's a personal journey. I can't really help you. You might be on the right track, and just need to add to it. Or, you could be completely wrong, and need to start over."

Kandice threw the seal to the pile and crossed her arms. It had taken her the better part of an hour to come up with that design.

How did it not represent me?

"Think about it some more and carve several options. I like the trails here. I'll come back in an hour or so."

"Remember," he said. "Don't try the seal without me here."

"Okay!"

Fucking a, I heard him the first time.