Chapter 21

She slipped into an empty room and thought about her red hair, the way it was as wild as a jungle. She thought about her appearance, her heart shaped face with her now expressive green eyes. She felt it, the tingle and then she was herself.
She felt triumph. It was a feeling that gave her hope. Jenna backtracked through the halls and went to the reception desk. The old lady sat stiffly in her starched blouse, smoothing out the lace ruffle that ran the length of her opal buttons with one hand. Her eyes darted to Jenna, with her face harder than cerement she asked, “What can I do for you?” her tone was harsh, no hint of friendliness.
“I am looking for Mason Jenson,”
The receptionist blinked slowly than began to type in his name on her computer.
“Room seventy-two,” she said without looking up.
As she walked further into the hospital she entered the private ward, the atmosphere was completely different. The air had a perfume scent and there were plush seating areas.
Jenna paused outside room seventy-two. She didn’t know what to expect. Her heart hammered against her rib cage as she opened the door. The first thing she saw was Claire’s back. She was staring out of the window. As she turned, her mum was sat in a chair holding her dad’s hand.
Mason lay on the crisp but thinning sheets, his body mostly bandaged. He looked like a mummy, just his eyes and lips could be seen. His eyes were closed, and the machine beeped in a deathly rhyme.
“What happened” she asked from the doorway, she was too afraid to move.
“He was attacked,” her mum choked.
Jenna’s knees became weak. Attacked?
She didn’t wait for her mum to say anything else. She had to go to the lab quickly she left the room. Seeing her father’s body severely damaged gave her a new inner strength to find out the truth.

***
“What the hell?” Paige asked as the Sherman left.
“Things are going to get worse,” Kobe placed his head in his hands.
“What is going on?” Paige was becoming impatient.
“Paige, without the protector then we have no way of stopping the queen. The only thing we can do now is head to the forest. Make sure no one enters,” Kobe looked at his children and family.
“We may be part animal but there is no way I am going to be made to live like one. It was their mistake. They pushed the girl.
They are the ones that have caused the problem, yet they want to send us into the woods, while they drink champagne in their cozy homes. If they want the queen to stay asleep then they can guard that cave themselves,” Sam ranted.
“Are you forgetting the reason we what we are? We took an oath in exchange for this gift of immortality,” Paige’s grandmother said.
“Gift, what we are is no gift,” Sam snapped.
Paige, stood back and watched as her family argued about what they should do. She didn’t see the big deal. Jenna a protector, blessed with the power to be able to match the queens. She almost scoffed.
Jenna just didn’t seem the type.
Their voices rose above the scared silence. A passer-by would be convinced they were a family of nut jobs.
A glance, touch and one small comment stirred a hurricane of harsh and horse insults.
There was no logic to the argument, none that Paige could tell.
“I don’t get it. The queen hasn’t risen she has been sleeping for centuries why all the fuss now?” Paige asked cutting of their heated words.
“Jenna. She is the replica of Edina. The curse was placed with the clause that if the queen should awake Edina would return. There is no mistaking with Edina’s return the queen is close to rising. Why else would she be back?”
“Are you saying that Jenna is this Edina girl?” Josh asked.
“Not yet but soon she will be, Jenna is just a vessel,” The new knowledge installed fear into Paige. She stepped back as her family commenced their row.
Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Josh slink from the room. Her parents, grandparents and uncle were too busy to notice. Paige followed him out. She kept her distance. Josh shifted and headed into the forest. Paige was curios. Where could he be going? She had two choices, stay in the house, and listen to the nonsense or follow Josh.
She picked the latter. In the sensory overload Paige walked quietly. Her limbs tingled and her brain raced in the most unhelpful way. There was deer’s close by. Her inner animal could smell them, hear their hearts pumping. It wanted to play; it wanted the chase.
She was glad when Josh made it to the edge of the forest and shifted back into human form. She found it harder than the others to suppress her inner animal and didn’t like to shift as often as the others, which was one of the reason’s she chose to stay behind in New York City. There she didn’t get the opportunity to let her animal out.
Josh turned into the industrial estate. Paige knew she should have stopped him. But she couldn’t. Her feet rooted to the ground and her stomach felt like lead. She just watched him enter the building.
Paige had to do something. Anything. She bounded forward following Josh. Yet she had a feeling she was running to her death. After the information they had found out about that place, she wouldn’t allow Josh to go in alone.
***
Jenna reached the building and pulled in a deep breath. She willed her body to shift, give her more advantage while she snooped.
After all cats were known for their ability to be agile and stealthy, to creep and stalk their prey.
She entered the building, as the door was already ajar.
Inside, sirens were ringing, they pierced her skull. It took her a few moments to compose herself and block out the ringing noise.
Shouts and screams came from every direction. Growls and the snapping of jaws sent a chill down Jenna’s back.
Followed by the cold steel hands of fear that made her limbs become dead weights.
Then the waiting room exploded in a flurry of people all desperately trying to escape. Animals, bears, tigers, wolves were hot on their heels. It was enough to get Jenna’s brain to send signals to the rest of her body to move. Jenna hid under a chair and watched the horror unfold. The scientist didn’t stand a chance. They were ripped apart. It all happened so fast that it was a blur. Jenna’s brain couldn’t keep up.
Jenna squeezed her eyes shut. But even behind her closed lids she could still smell and see the blood. A voice prompted her to open her eyes. When she did, the shock caused her body to shift. Paige stood with a smile on her face then dashed forward as Josh transformed from a Tiger to himself.
All eyes turned to her. She had shifted to human form. Paige tutted while another Tiger shifted and headed in her direction. It also was josh. There were two off him.
Jenna slowly stood, her legs were shaking, and she was finding it hard to stand. Her body swayed from side to side.
Josh took a step towards her, well one of the Josh’s did.
On impulse she stepped back. A bright light took the place of Josh.
She had to close her eyes, as she feared she would become blind. Jenna opened her eyes just a little. The entire room was silent. Not a sound could be heard. She opened her eyes more, until they were fully open.