The Shift

Prolog

10 Rules for Being Human by Dr Chérie Carter-Scott and Dan Millman

1. You will receive a body.

You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours the entire period.

2. You will learn lessons.

You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school, you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons.

Growth is a process of trial and error: experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately “work.”

4. A lesson is repeated until learned.

A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end.

There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

6. “There” is no better than “here.”

When your “there” has become a “here”, you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.”

7. Others are merely mirrors of you.

You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.

8. What you make of your life is up to you.

You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Life is exactly what you think it is.

You create a life that matches your beliefs and expectations.

10. Your answers lie inside you.

The answers to life’s questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

“I have always told people that nature always corrects itself. Little did I know how that phrase was so true to the core. It has been three years since the earth completely turned-on humanity. No, it was not because of a nuclear war, global warming, or machines taking over the planet. One minute I was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and most of all human. The next I am running on all four legs, bearing my jaws wide, releasing a growl from deep in my chest, and preparing to rip the throat out of the bastard that did me wrong.”

Chapter 1

The end…And new beginning

It was nice warm June morning; the kids were screaming running back and forth from the hallway to the kitchen. My son, Jastyn, was a typical 12-year-old boy terrorizing his little sister Gentry. He was tall, thick boned, and has a mouth I am not so proud of at times. All he must do is give me that little smirk and those big brown eyes win me over every time. His hair dark brown hair was shaggy in a desperate need of a haircut and right now his skin was dark Charmel. He turned so dark in the summertime.

“Mom!” Gentry shrieked. Instantly jolting me out of my thoughts, God that kid had a set of lungs on her, “He dumped my doll in the toilet!”

“She bedazzled my hat!” Jastyn hollered back.

There was a thump on the door, and Jastyn was wailing, “What the hell!? Ge…ahhh!”

Taking a deep breath, I make my way towards the bathroom. Once I reach the doorway, I witness Gentry throwing the whole contents of the top drawer at Jastyn. He is doing his best to dodge each item with fear in his eyes.

“Stop it right now!” I holler snatching my curling iron out of Gentry’s grasp.

“Ha!” Jastyn scoffed, pointing at her. With one quick movement Gentry grabbed a tube of toothpaste and chucked it right at him, nailing him right in the middle of the forehead.

“You bit…” he started to spit out, but I had already started yelling, “You watch your mouth!” Feeling outnumbered I scream for their father, “Vance!” I have my arms wrapped around Gentry, preventing her from throwing any other items. Jastyn is now angerly spitting names at her. Realizing I am on my own I finally start losing my temper.

“THAT IS ENOUGH!” I roar at the top of my lungs. Both kids freeze. Huffing and puffing I keep a hold of Gentry who is not struggling any longer.

“I have had enough of this! Jastyn get your butt to your bedroom, NOW!” Still using my deep voice, I threaten him. “I swear to god if I hear you curse again, I am taking your dads hot sauce and I will give you something to swear about Jastyn!” He keeps his head down glaring at the floor as he shuffles by us. He was mumbling all the way to his room. Taking a slow deep breath, I grab Gentry’s shoulders and turn her around to face me. She is clearly upset looks up at me her big sea blue eyes. Her strawberry blond hair was tangled and matted to her normally white porcelain face, but now had red blotches on it from crying.

“Clean this up,” I threaten in a whisper tone. Tears started welling up in her eyes and she dramatically stomped her foot, whipped around, and started to pick up items strung across the bathroom.

Her soul was soft and beautiful, and could be as graceful as swan, but she can manipulate any situation to go her way with a dramatic twist. When she was angry, everyone in her way was a target. Her fuse was short. Gentry’s angry and dramatics was inherited by her father. She was thin, long legged, with angel like features. It is a good thing her brother was only two years older than her because she defiantly needs a watchful eye once she reached the teen years. Which to be honest I dreaded every day thinking about it. Walking out of the bathroom I could hear the news blaring on the tv downstairs where their father hiding. The news anchor was going on about the eclipse and the projected path to get the best view. I shake my head I swear that man could toon out an army outside, watching that crap.

Vance and I were high school sweethearts. I got pregnant at sixteen, we made the most of it and stayed together. After my high school graduation, we got married encouraged by my grandparents. It was not a big wedding; in fact, it wasn’t a wedding at all. My best friend Sam was with me, my grandparents, Vance, and his best friend Mic. It was quick, Reign do you take Vance to be your husband. I remembered looking at Vance Wearing a black button up shirt, jeans, and nervous look crossing his cloudy blue eyes. At least he combed his hair I had thought. His dirty blond hair was combed to the front. Vance was my escape when I was sixteen and he was twenty. Covered in tattoos with his bad-boy attitude I knew he trouble, but I felt alive with him. At that point in my life, it was all I needed. My older brother Tate was not impressed, but he was too wrapped up in his sorrows to be concerned with my choices at the time. Our parents had died in a shooting at a mall when I was fifteen and it tore us both apart.

My grumbling stomach brought me back to reality. What has this world came too I think to myself. I lean over the balcony and holler down the stairs.

“Vance over easy or scrambled.” I wait about thirty seconds and yell again “Hello! Over easy or scrambled!”

“I don’t care! I’m watching my TV! I never get a single damn chance to watch my show!” He hollers back at me. Rolling my eyes, I walk away grumbling, “Starve! You jerk...” I mumble to myself. Our relationship has always been rocky. He resents me for trapping him “settling down,” is what term he used. Vance is somewhat of a good father, and does pay for all the bills, so whatever issues we have I keep my mouth shut. If I could give my kids half the childhood that I had with my mother and father; then keeping the peace is something I would deal with. It did cross my mind I could probably do better. I was short but had an hourglass-shaped body. My eyes were a deep honey brown, almost gold in a certain light. I had long dark brown hair, and with my fair skin everyone seemed to be always in awe over. I don’t think I would have a problem finding a different significant other.

I sigh heading to the fridge for the eggs then back to the stove. I had just cracked the first egg when I heard an agonizing piercing scream from Gentry. I froze for a quick second as fear shot through me. Snapping myself out of my frozen state I start to run out of the kitchen. Jastyn’s screams then started to bounce off the walls as soon as I hit the living room. Panic and adrenalin are pulsing through my body, when a heating pain exploded through me. I was soon crumpled on my hands and knees from radiating pain. I cry out in agony still trying to craw towards the sounds of my kids screaming. My bones felt like they were breaking, my vision started to blur, my head was spinning, and drool was pouring out of my mouth. Vance’s cries then started to flow from the stairs. I kept crawling until I felt and heard a snap and popping from my legs and my arms. The pain made me slam my head on the hardwood floor, and extreme nausea swept over my body. Everything was swirling in my brain, the screams, the pain, the ripping. Soon it felt like nails were being dragged across me, and my skin was being ripped off. I could hear my skin being ripped away, I lifted my head up towards the celling and let out what started to be scream and turned into a howl. I let my head and body crash back on my floor, and without realizing it the pain had stopped. My eyes were still closed, and I was panting…my body felt tingly and sore. The whole house was quiet. I wanted to open my eyes and move but I felt like I had been ran over multiple times by a truck. After about a minute I finally got the courage to open my eyes. I had to get to my kids. Liftin my head up I went to put one of my hands forward to crawl, but it was not my arm. It was a paw. A paw covered in white fur.