Today Will Be Different

Sweat dripped from my forehead as I pushed myself to pedal harder. My legs hurt and once again I asked myself why I always came to school by bike when the dark gray old Daisy was parked in the garage just waiting for me to ride her into the sunshine.

But no, of course Sarina absolutely had to do something for her physical fitness.

Next to me on the street, a red convertible overtook me, the driver gave me a malicious grin, stepped on the gas, and left me coughing in a cloud of dust.

Such a show-off !

I gritted my teeth and finally turned onto my street.

Sudden silence surrounded me and I could only faintly hear the distant engines of the cars on the main street.

I sighed with relief.

To my left and right were now the richer people's properties.

Well-kept front gardens teeming with finely trimmed hedges, stone statues, rose bushes and symmetrically arranged flower beds. I never really considered myself rich. Why? You only get jealous anyway and once it was discovered that I was living in a villa with my parents, the fake friend requests with suggestions to throw a party would just pile up.

And I could do without the attention.

At number 23 I slowed down a little and called out, "Day Mr. Jenks!"

Mr. Jenks was a statue.

Yes, you heard that right. When I was thirteen, I named him that name because it always reminded me of my elementary school gym teacher. The muscular build, the waves in the hair, the straight nose, the pronounced cheekbones. . .

Except he never came to class with a cloth that barely covered his abdomen.

I had to hold back a laugh at the thought.

As I drove on, grinning, I only noticed the black cat following me out of the corner of my eye.

A gentle wind blew into my face and cooled my overheated skin a little. I took my hands off the handlebars and spread my arms like wings, put my head back, closed my eyes and for a moment gave myself over to the feeling of freedom.

Still freehand, I guided my bike around the left-hand bend.

Without taking my eyes off the road, I reached back with my right hand and fumbled for my keys. With the other I held on to the handlebars again.

I fished it out of my pocket just in time to put my hand back on the handlebars and apply the brake. Otherwise I would have crashed at full speed into the wrought iron gate that marked the property's grounds.

Contrary to the whining of neighbors, our garden didn't look like it was being prepared for a jury from the gardening competition to show up at any moment to evaluate the millimeter-perfect lawn clippings and the pale pink blossoms on the apple tree.

It looked more like a mix of jungle and oasis.

From fragrant hollyhocks to plump raspberry bushes to yellow forsythia, you could actually find everything in our sanctuary.

Even the fountain that sparkled between the tall cherry trees seemed to belong here.

My mother loved gardening.

She could sit in her beds and pull weeds for hours without getting bored.

There was no place where you could say Mum had put less heart and soul into it.

I unlocked the gate and it opened with a squeak.

I groaned internally.

It really can't get any louder, can it?

I could already hear the voice of Mrs. Wagner - our neighbor - who always found fault with everything. She was the typical type of person who, as soon as it was a minute after 10 p.m. and you heard a peep, immediately called the police for disturbing the peace.

The same, of course, also applied to the afternoon rest.

I decided to tell my father that he should oil the gate again.

Exhausted, I got off the bike. I didn't notice the black cat that snaked its way through the bars of the gate.

As the large front door closed behind me, I was immediately enveloped in coolness. I leaned against her and closed my eyes.

First, showering, eating ice cream and then lying on the terrace in the sun with a book , I completed my plan for the first afternoon of the holiday. "I'm here!" I shouted, kicking my shoes off.

No Answer.

I frowned and continued into the entrance hall. There was no one here either. Normally my parents were already there at this time.

I shrugged and went into the kitchen. There I slammed my certificate on the table - all A's - and grabbed a glass of water. I drank it greedily.

Then I made my way to my room.

Upstairs I stuffed my bag into a corner and ran into the bathroom that adjoined my room. I took off my clothes and got into the shower.

I gratefully accepted the cold water.

I stood there for a few minutes, too lazy to move. When I finished showering, I ran back to my room wrapped in a towel.

I chose comfortable shorts and a tank top. Suddenly I heard a squeak from below and froze. A burglar?

Oh no, oh no, oh no.

Why does this always have to happen to me?

I put on my socks and crept towards the stairs. I have always been a master at being quiet.

I was slowly approaching the last step.

I heard a dull bang and a hiss.

A cat?

It seemed to come from the living room. I detoured to the kitchen and grabbed an iron skillet from the counter. Then I ran further into the living room.

Oh God, what am I doing here?

I feel like Rapunzel with her frying pan. All that's missing is the chameleon .

My heart was pounding as I quietly approached the living room. I peeked around the corner and almost laughed out loud, which ended in a whimper. The moment I looked around the corner, almost everything was normal. The living room looked the same as usual, except for the black cat standing in the middle of the room between the couch and the side table, and one of the windows was open.

But two seconds later the scene changed. The cat grew.

I would have had no problem caring for a huge cat, but instead of an oversized giant cat standing there, there was now a human sitting there.

A man to be precise.

A big man.

I knew I had no chance against him. I looked doubtfully at the frying pan in my hand. From the looks of the guy, the only thing that would get damaged if I attacked him with it was the pan. He was dressed in black.

Black sweater (who wears a sweater in the summer?), black pants, black shoes. I assumed that he was wearing black socks and black underpants himself. He had tanned skin and a build like a closet, plus black (surprise) hair that stuck wildly off his head.

The man got to his feet and brushed the missing dust from his pants. Then he spotted me with the pan in my hand.

He smiled and laugh lines appeared around his eyes, showing that he liked to laugh despite his bodyguard appearance. If his eyes had been black too, I wouldn't have been surprised.

But the irises were a strange blue. Not ice blue that can stare anyone into the ground and make you wish you were never born. No, his eyes radiated tremendous power and wisdom, even though I only thought he was in his early thirties.

I stumbled back a step, my eyes wide open. "Who are you?" I asked with a shaky voice.

I tried to clear my throat without making a sound, but couldn't and made the situation a bit embarrassing.

Really, embarrassing? I just saw one hell of a cute cat turn into one hell of a wannabe bodyguard! And all I can think of is that the situation is embarrassing ?

"Hello, I'm Mr. Collins, but feel free to call me Tyler." He said in a deep voice and held out his hand to me.

I just stared at him idiotically (with my mouth open, by the way) and ignored the hand.

He lowered them again and sat on our sofa. "You have a nice place here." He said cheerfully and grinned.

I approached slowly, all too aware of the frying pan in my hand.

As if reading my mind, the Tyler closet said, "I'd rather not." and pointed his chin at the pan.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, clinging to my only object of defense. Tyler raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't your parents tell you that?"

Stupid question. No of course not! Maybe I look like that?!

"No." I said slowly, trying to control my anger.

Suddenly I heard the door in the entrance hall being unlocked.

"Sarina?" my mother shouted.

"In the living room, Mom." I called back, not taking my eyes off Tyler, who was busy studying the fabric structure of our sofa cushion.

"Oh, all A's again, Sarina?" I heard her now in the kitchen. Apparently she had found my certificate.

"Mum, please come here immediately!" I shouted a little louder now because my patience was threatening to break.

"That's okay. What's so important?" my mother said laughing and came around the corner.

Her laughter stopped immediately when she saw Tyler (who, by the way, was running his finger across the side table and muttering something about flowers). "Hello, Celine." he said.

I turned to Mum, who looked like she had seen a ghost, and said, "I think you need to explain something to me."

"Uh, well . . . " Mum stammered, blushing, which was a good change from the pale color before, otherwise I would have thought she was half dead.

"Mom, I just saw a cat turn into a human! Could you explain that to me? You look like you know it." I said in a panic (okay, I admit that was a lie , she looked more like she was about to fall over) because Tyler was still scaring me.

While my mother continued to stammer, he also began to talk.

"I thought you had already told her, Celine. Last time I visited..."

Bla bla bla. I tuned them both out and tried to concentrate. But it just wasn't possible with all the noise here.

"Quiet!" I said exhausted.

My voice hadn't even been loud, but it echoed twice as loudly in the now quiet room. Both had stopped talking in an instant.

After a few seconds of silence, Tyler whispered, "She's already too strong. I can hardly resist her. Please!" he looked at Mum pleadingly, "Let me take her with me. She'll learn to deal with it. We'll teach her ."

Hello?

I'm still here too?

Deal with what? Who will teach me what?

I looked at my mom again and jumped in shock, her face was contorted in pain. Her eyes radiated pure desperation.

"Please, you can't hide her here any longer. Eventually they'll find Sarina," Tyler continued.

Mum just shook her head weakly. I knew what was coming next, I knew it from books.

"I just want to protect her. I want to have her close to me. Who knows what you'll do to her?" she raised her chin defiantly. "I'm powerful too."

Wait a moment! Stop! Short break!

What had she said?

She is powerful?

Are we talking about a computer game or something?

No, not really. But from what then?

Am I dreaming, or is this reality?

Maybe I should pinch myself.

I resisted the temptation to physically hurt myself and Tyler sighed in exasperation.

"Celine, you're in middle school. I don't even know why Mrs. Roberts let herself get this far. We'll protect her. Plus, she has a lot of undiscovered talents inside her. We'll help her discover and develop herself. But to leave them completely ignorant..." He shook his head in shock.

I cleared my throat.

"Could someone please explain to me what's going on here?" I asked.

Tyler turned to me and looked at me with a sad smile.

"Sarina." he said.

I grimaced.

He said my name like someone who worshiped a god. Full of admiration and hopes.

"It's shocking to see how much you've changed."

Oh dear, that could be fun.

I gave Mom a panicked look.

"I'm a little disappointed in," he looked at Mum briefly, "your parents."

"Why?" I asked stupidly.

"What do you know about mythical creatures? Do you know some?"

Huh?

I looked at him confused.

"I don't know, werewolves that transform under the full moon and, vampires that drink blood? " I tried.

"Hmm, do you know any others," he grimaced, "kinds? Some that you might know from old fables?"

I thought hard.

In seventh grade I went through a phase where I was constantly on I searched Wikipedia for myths and the like. Of course, including werewolves and vampires.

"Witches, fairies" I kept trying. "and..."

Now the lever flipped.

But that can't be the case.

"Shapeshifter," I said tonelessly. My mother groaned.

Tyler nodded slowly.

"Yes, we prefer to call ourselves metamorphs."

My expression didn't move.

"Yes, good for you," I replied indifferently, "but what does that have to do with me now?"

Actually, I already knew the answer.

I always knew that something was wrong with me. I thought sarcastically and almost laughed out loud.

"You're special." Tyler said. I grimaced.

"Even by our standards."

Great, that just kept getting better.

"I'm sure you know what I'm about to say. You're a shapeshifter. You can transform into an animal. We'll find out which one if you're allowed to go with me." As he said this, he gave my mother a sharp look.

He's totally crazy!

The only thing I can do is do fractions, write commas correctly, eat Skittles and apart from that I'm also very good at not making friends.

That's why I've developed a protective mechanism over the last few years to protect myself from prying eyes. Just don't show any emotions. I now put this poker face to use.

As if this little sentence could change anything .

Just what I was still passionate about. . .

"Mum and Dad?" I asked expressionlessly.

Tyler nodded.

I turned to Mom.

"What are you?"

Even if I hate to admit it to myself. . . It's still cool somehow.

My mother woke up from the paralysis she had fallen into while Tyler was talking and looked me in the eye.

Trying not to look withdrawn, I now looked at Mum with (hopefully) curiosity.

She closed her eyes and suddenly I felt that her clothes were flickering.

It grew brighter and brighter and suddenly Mum seemed to shrink.

Less than two seconds later, a beautiful swan sat in front of me and looked at me shyly.

Her feathers were as white as snow and when I gently ran my fingers over her back, it felt like the finest silk.

"That is wonderful." I breathed, fascinated.

Tyler looked at me with a smile.

I straightened up and looked at Tyler.

"And now?"

"If your parents decide soon, we can leave tomorrow."

"And where to, if I may ask?"

"Phoenix Academy." He said with a hint of pride in his voice and I think he sat up a little straighter.

"Well." said Mum, now back on her feet.

"I'll talk to my husband about it. But, Tyler?" she said admonishingly. "I can't promise anything."

With that she turned around and rushed out of the room.

I stared at the spot where she had stood before.

"All right." Tyler said and sighed. "Maybe we'll see each other again tomorrow. And maybe you can talk to your mother about it. Besides, I think Marco sees it the same way I do, and not like Celine."

With these words he rose from the sofa and a short time later a black flash flashed past me, out the window and out into the approaching dusk.

There was another white feather from Mum on the floor. She had probably lost it.

I bent down and looked at her. Without question, the feather was truly beautiful.

I wondered why my parents, my mother according to Tyler, would want to keep something like this from me.

As I thought about it, I turned the keel over and over in my hand.

It was dark.

I waited.

Waited for Dad to come home.

22:17

22:45

23:13

23:56

00:34

Had I missed him?

He can't be gone for that long.

My mother had told me that it would be a little later for him today.

But not so late?

I quietly got up and crept out of my room.

Oh, actually, my father was already there.

Oh man.

This matter confused me more than I thought.

Now I don't even notice when my father comes home.

I slowly lowered myself to the top step and listened intently.

"...not sure anymore," Dad was saying.

He and Mum had probably been arguing for a while because he sounded annoyed, tired and his voice was hoarse.

"We can..." Mum started but he interrupted her.

"Celine! Listen to me!

Sarina is no longer the little girl you would like. It's time for her to live with her peers. With teenagers her age...

She has no friends here." This sentence gave me a pang.

He's right.

I wasn't liked at school.

I was respected, yes, but I had the feeling that most people didn't feel comfortable in my presence.

At first I convinced myself that it wasn't my fault. But that was ages ago.

"We have to give her the chance to find some. She can also teach herself the 10th grade material if she really wants to... We've already gone over the topic so many times... Maybe we should give her the

decision left."

-Silence-

"You know which one that is, don't you?

"Yes, I saw it in her eyes." Mum said, her voice cracking.

I took a mental leap into the air. Tyler really knew my father felt differently about it.

Mum, on the other hand, made a strangled sound.

Does she really find it so terrible there?

"Honey," Dad said lovingly.

"Nothing will happen to her.

At the academy she will be given a normal life. Well, as normal as possible. She will be happy there. Just like we were back then."

So not after all.

"Promised!"

Wait, they went to school there!?

Why didn't anyone feel the need to tell me about it?

It occurred to me that I actually knew absolutely nothing about my parents' youth.

When asked about it, they always wrote it off like this: "When you're older, I'll tell you." or "Do you want a muffin?

That's what Mum always said.

But the older I got, the less the muffin trick helped. Eventually I was told not to ask for it anymore.

My mother probably nodded now, because my father sighed with relief.

"Good. I'll let you know." With these words he ran towards the stairs where I was still crouching.

I quickly sprinted back to my room and threw myself on the bed.

My breathing was ragged and my heart was pounding as fast as if I had taken part in a 100-kilometer race.

I couldn't help but giggle hysterically and bit my pillow.

I would actually go to Pheonix Academy.

But what if I couldn't keep up with the others.

I mean, surely they grew up knowing what they really are, right?

As I thought about it, doubts began to arise in me. No, I shouldn't worry about it yet.

It was already 1:43 a.m. when I finally fell into a restless sleep.

There was a knock.

Rays of sunlight fell on my face as I rolled over and snuggled further into my pillow.

Then it clicked .

"Oh."

I sat up with a start and suddenly felt dizzy. I stayed in the sitting position for a few seconds until nothing turned anymore. Then I groped sleepily to the door to open it.

I paused.

Standing outside my door was a beaming Mum.

She had elegantly pinned her sandy-colored hair up. She wore a blouse and matching pants.

She had makeup on and was smiling at me as if I had competed in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and won. Her brown eyes exploded with excitement.

I looked at my mother suspiciously.

"Mum, if you keep laughing like that you'll get cramps in the corners of your mouth." I pointed it out to her.

"Oh darling, I'm so happy." she now piped and scurried past me into my room, where she began to drag a suitcase out of my walk-in closet.

Okay.

Everything was terrible yesterday, but now the sun is shining again?

I hesitantly closed my door, but then decided to leave it ajar. Just in case her mood was contagious and I needed an escape route.

"Are you perhaps having mood swings?" I asked her cautiously.

"No, no. I realize I overreacted a bit yesterday.

Oh yes?

She looked at me embarrassed. "I had a conversation with your father last night."

I tried not to let it show.

"He said I should leave the decision up to you. I...I can still remember how terribly excited I was when I got the invitation. I didn't sleep a wink that night."

Her gaze was directed into the distance.

"Mom,..." I wanted to ask her something, but didn't know how to phrase it.

"Hmm?" she turned back to me.

"Wh-why did you keep this from me? I mean..." I hesitated. My mother seemed to know what I meant. She sat on my bed and motioned for me to sit down.

"Life as a metamorph is quite dangerous.

If you know that we exist, then of course there must be other mythical creatures too. It's very dangerous for us. Werewolves, vampires, fairies. All these creatures. These are actually our natural ones enemies."

"Werewolves?" I asked skeptically. "But they also turn into an animal."

"The werewolves don't understand why we are allowed to transform whenever we want. They blame us for their suffering and are therefore not very disposed to speak to us. But you will learn all that. "

"Isn't that unfair?" I asked.

"Since when has life been fair? We have to be constantly on guard. Eat and be eaten. That's reality." Mum said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"And the others?"

There was another knock and my father opened the door.

"Good morning." he said and smiled.

"So, again to be clear, am I allowed to drive or not?"

My parents glanced at each other. Mum nodded almost imperceptibly and my father said, "Yes, Tyler will take you to the train station today."

I let out a cry of joy and hugged first my father, then my mother.

"You are the best parents in the world. Even if I can't really forgive you yet. Now if I get a delicious breakfast, we can negotiate it." I said sternly. My parents looked away contritely.

I started to chuckle and then burst out laughing.

"You should see your faces.

After my parents watched me cringe with laughter for a few seconds, my father said with a grin, "Well, let's leave the chickpea alone."

And ran a hand through his dark brown hair.

My mother stood up and said, "When you're done, will you come down to eat?"

I nodded, still gasping for air.

After they both left, I took my clothes into the bathroom and got in the shower.

Today would be a very interesting day. . .