for.”
Matt was right, I realized with a start. Shifters were still largely unaccepted in a lot of ways, but out of all of them, sports were the worst. They were able to keep shifters out by claiming that they had unfair advantages, like unnatural strength and speed. It was a lie, of course. When we were in our human form, we didn’t have the same abilities we had when we were in our second form. It’s not like avian shifters were flying around in their human forms. What was hiding at the heart of those claims? Prejudice. And as I looked into his face, I could see that he was thinking the same thing.
“Well, you could always just be a geek, like me,” I smiled up at him.
“A gorgeous geek,” he said, and he kissed me.
Lyssa, who had followed us, groaned out loud. “Hey, enough with the PDA. You make me want to gouge my eyes out already.”
I hadn’t planned it, but somehow when I got home, I just didn’t feel like taking my ponytail out. After my first day of school as a shifter, I just didn’t want to hide who I was anymore. Besides, at that point, I had other worries to think about. I still had no idea what the deal was with that weird vision I’d had. What was going on? I had never heard of shifters developing other abilities. And I wasn’t sure who to talk to about it either. My first thought was Grandma. Or maybe Victrixa? No. She seemed nice enough, but she’d only been my mentor for, what, two weeks?
“When did you get home, honey? I didn’t even hear you come in,” Dad said, looking up from his work.
“Um, just a few minutes ago. Could we, uh, talk about something before I start dinner?”
“Sure. What’s up?” He opened the fridge and took out a seltzer.
“It’s...well...it’s more something I need to show you.” I took a deep breath, picked up my ponytail, and turned around.
“What the hell? Did you get a tattoo? Maya, come on, what were you thinking!”
“No, Dad, it’s not what you think.” I took another deep breath. “I’m, I’m a shifter.”
“You’re—you’re what? ”
“A shape-shifter.”
He looked at my mark again. “But, that doesn’t make any sense. Your mark, it’s the Tree of Life, isn’t it? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know it doesn’t. It’s a ceiba tree. We’ve been trying to figure that out. Why I’ve got a tree.”
“We?”
Crap. “Grandma and I.”
“Your grandmother? How long have you known about this? Have you phased already? I mean this is...it’s crazy. You’re not even eighteen.”
“I know. I phased early somehow.” I could see the next question in his eyes, but I didn’t know if he could ask it. It would make the whole thing too real for him. Maybe I had waited too long to tell him? Was I totally messing this up? Balam, please help me make him understand.
“My second form is Jaguar.” I heard him gasp and then suck in his breath. Balam, make me strong , give me the right words. “Dad,” I said as calmly as I could, “I’m still me. I’m still Maya.”
He shook his head like he was trying to shake something out, then he kissed me on the cheek. “I know that, honey. This is...well, it’s just going to take some getting used to. Can you be patient with your old man?”
I smiled at him. “Sure I can.”
After dinner I decided to call Grandma to see if she knew anything that could help me figure out the weird vision I’d had. I walked into my bedroom and plopped down on the bed and dialed. She answered right away.
“Hi, honey, how is everything? Victrixa called and told me how beautifully you phased!”
“Yeah, I guess I did. Something really amazing happened to me last night, Grandma. I found my mate!”
“That’s wonderful, ts’unu’un . Is it Matt? Has he phased?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he loves you! If a Mayan Elder phases, oftentimes the one that is meant for her will phase as well.”
“Whoa, what are you saying? That Matt phased because of me ? He wouldn’t have
Matt was right, I realized with a start. Shifters were still largely unaccepted in a lot of ways, but out of all of them, sports were the worst. They were able to keep shifters out by claiming that they had unfair advantages, like unnatural strength and speed. It was a lie, of course. When we were in our human form, we didn’t have the same abilities we had when we were in our second form. It’s not like avian shifters were flying around in their human forms. What was hiding at the heart of those claims? Prejudice. And as I looked into his face, I could see that he was thinking the same thing.
“Well, you could always just be a geek, like me,” I smiled up at him.
“A gorgeous geek,” he said, and he kissed me.
Lyssa, who had followed us, groaned out loud. “Hey, enough with the PDA. You make me want to gouge my eyes out already.”
I hadn’t planned it, but somehow when I got home, I just didn’t feel like taking my ponytail out. After my first day of school as a shifter, I just didn’t want to hide who I was anymore. Besides, at that point, I had other worries to think about. I still had no idea what the deal was with that weird vision I’d had. What was going on? I had never heard of shifters developing other abilities. And I wasn’t sure who to talk to about it either. My first thought was Grandma. Or maybe Victrixa? No. She seemed nice enough, but she’d only been my mentor for, what, two weeks?
“When did you get home, honey? I didn’t even hear you come in,” Dad said, looking up from his work.
“Um, just a few minutes ago. Could we, uh, talk about something before I start dinner?”
“Sure. What’s up?” He opened the fridge and took out a seltzer.
“It’s...well...it’s more something I need to show you.” I took a deep breath, picked up my ponytail, and turned around.
“What the hell? Did you get a tattoo? Maya, come on, what were you thinking!”
“No, Dad, it’s not what you think.” I took another deep breath. “I’m, I’m a shifter.”
“You’re—you’re what? ”
“A shape-shifter.”
He looked at my mark again. “But, that doesn’t make any sense. Your mark, it’s the Tree of Life, isn’t it? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know it doesn’t. It’s a ceiba tree. We’ve been trying to figure that out. Why I’ve got a tree.”
“We?”
Crap. “Grandma and I.”
“Your grandmother? How long have you known about this? Have you phased already? I mean this is...it’s crazy. You’re not even eighteen.”
“I know. I phased early somehow.” I could see the next question in his eyes, but I didn’t know if he could ask it. It would make the whole thing too real for him. Maybe I had waited too long to tell him? Was I totally messing this up? Balam, please help me make him understand.
“My second form is Jaguar.” I heard him gasp and then suck in his breath. Balam, make me strong , give me the right words. “Dad,” I said as calmly as I could, “I’m still me. I’m still Maya.”
He shook his head like he was trying to shake something out, then he kissed me on the cheek. “I know that, honey. This is...well, it’s just going to take some getting used to. Can you be patient with your old man?”
I smiled at him. “Sure I can.”
After dinner I decided to call Grandma to see if she knew anything that could help me figure out the weird vision I’d had. I walked into my bedroom and plopped down on the bed and dialed. She answered right away.
“Hi, honey, how is everything? Victrixa called and told me how beautifully you phased!”
“Yeah, I guess I did. Something really amazing happened to me last night, Grandma. I found my mate!”
“That’s wonderful, ts’unu’un . Is it Matt? Has he phased?”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because he loves you! If a Mayan Elder phases, oftentimes the one that is meant for her will phase as well.”
“Whoa, what are you saying? That Matt phased because of me ? He wouldn’t have
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