Chapter 5 - The mess hall

Mya felt good, like really good. It must have been a week now since the attack, but she felt stronger, fitter, she had more energy. Maybe it was all the fry ups Beth had been bringing her every morning? She was bored of being in this room now. Normally she was out and training every day. Training, training for what? Before she had time to continue her train of thought Remus walked through the door.

“Have you never heard of knocking?” she sneered at him.

He smiled at her. God he was creepy. “Come” he turned and walked back out of the room without another word, leaving the door open behind him. What was she, a dog? Come, who did he think he was? She stood there for a moment arms folded across her chest. She thought about being stubborn and staying put but her curiosity got the better of her. She ran down the hall to catch up with him her braided hair flying wildly behind her. They walked out into the gardens. Formal hedges planted in swirling designs with immaculate lawns rolling out for as far as she could see. She’d only ever seen these in passing on her way to the arena. Everything looked so lush, a stark contrast to the sterile living conditions inside the manor. They walked across the lawns and in the distance, she saw a building emerge from between the Maple trees. The building was a large barn with a corrugated roof and concrete walls. Dotted around the outside of the barn were ten small stone cottages. Those must be the cottages that the shifters live in she thought. She started to feel uneasy. Her eyes darted left and right taking in everything as they carried on walking towards the barn.

Remus opened the grey door and ushered her inside. She scowled at him, what was going on? She walked through the door into a large open plan building. She gawped at the sight in front of her. To her right was a beautiful kitchen with black granite work tops and grey cupboard doors, the large table in the middle strewn with different meats and fruits. Eight grey painted wooden chairs all pushed underneath it. It looked like someone was in the middle of cooking with pans on the hob ready to go, a grey kettle starting to boil in the corner with six mugs waiting beside it. Her shoulders tightened, she could sense them here. She turned to look at the rest of her surroundings. There was a small room next to the kitchen with the door closed, so no knowing what lay in there.

To the left of the front door was a sitting area. Grey leather sofas with silver studding were arranged around a black marble coffee table. A stack of newspapers lay in a messy pile on the table. Mya made to step towards the papers, thinking of the news that she could learn from them of what was happening in the outside world. She held herself back; she’d get to that soon enough. For now, she needed to focus on where the other shifters were.

Her eyes wandered towards the middle of the barn. A large area filled with top of the range gym equipment. Everything you could possibly imagine stood in the middle of that large building, gleaming and immaculate. Next to this was a large open area with a padded floor. It almost looked like the areas where gymnasts would perform their dance pieces like she had seen on tv.

At the very back of the building Mya could make out large bookshelves filled with books. The shelves were so high that a rolling ladder was propped up against them. You could wheel yourself around all the shelves without having to get down off the ladder. Now that could be fun! But what really drew Mya’s attention was the large cage in the back-left corner of the room. Its thick gleaming bars shone. A large padlock on the door at the front. Even the top of the cage was enclosed. Now that looked like it could hold the strongest of wolves in there and never give way.

A toilet flushed to Mya’s right. She tensed, Storm appeared wiping her wet hands on her black jeans. She looked up at Mya and Remus “so, you’ve finally decided to bring the pup down for a visit Remus. Or can I still call her a pup?”. She turned her back on them and started to pour the boiled water into one of the tea cups.

Mya snarled at her “The pup has a name!”

Storms shoulders tensed. She turned and looked at Mya “My apologies Mya. For a long time, you have been the enemy. Looks like that may no longer be the case?” She looked at Remus questioningly.

Remus nodded at Storm. “You are correct. Mya will be moving into one of the cottages. I believe that a bit of space will do her some good. She will eat with you and the others, train with you and learn from you. Training in the arena is over for now. I expect for the six of you to teach her well, she’s going to need it.” He looked Mya over, “You will be in the cottage next to Storm. Your things have been moved over already.” With that he turned and left the building, closing the door quietly behind him.

Storm turned back to the tea and poured a second cup. “Milk, sugar?” she asked over her shoulder.

“Milk and two please” Might as well be polite as it seemed that was how it was going to be for the time being.

Storm put the cup of tea in front of Mya on the table. “Take a seat Mya, I won’t bite!” she smiled as she picked up her own cup and sat in the chair opposite. Mya sat down and clasped her tea. All the while watching the door out of the corner of her eye. She had to be prepared for another attack. Storm was quiet, she sat there studying Mya in a bird like way. Probably deciding whether she’d make a good snack or not.

“You said that up until now I have been the enemy. Why?” Mya asked. He eyebrows drawn in a scowl.

Storm sat back in her chair. “Since you arrived here and started training in the arena with us our sole purpose was to keep you on your toes. Build up your fighting ability. We were not to talk to you and if we did not fulfil these tasks we were punished. That made you the enemy.”

Mya’s eyebrows drew closer together, she was getting a headache. “But why did I need to build up my fighting ability?”

“So that you were strong enough to become who you are now” Storm said in a matter of fact way.

Mya was getting angry. “Don’t talk in riddles to me I do not have the patience for it. All week my brain has been filled with new information from Remus and Beth since you lot attacked me for no good reason. I want some answers!” She had started to raise her voice. She was sick and tired of having so many years knowing nothing, then all of this information within the last week but still she did not know why she was here and what was going on.

Storm looked shocked “You’ve been talking to Beth, you know Beth?”

“Of course, I know Beth!” Mya rolled her eyes “she brings me breakfast every morning in my room. She’s the only person I see except you six lunatics, Darren, Victor and Remus. She looks after me”.

“Does Finley know?” Storm asked,

“Does Finley know what?” a deep voice with an accent Mya assumed must be Russian having never met someone from Russia before. Mya tensed, she hadn’t noticed the other shifters stood in the doorway she was so caught up in her conversation with Storm. She Started to rise slowly from her chair.

“Sit down Mya, they won’t harm you again” Storm said scowling at the others. She rose and clicked the kettle back on. “Sorry guys, I know it’s my turn to cook breakfast. As you can see, I got a little distracted”. She started grabbing the bacon and sausages from the table and piled them into the frying pans. “Grab the eggs would you Raina”. Raina tilted her head, looking Mya over and opened her mouth as if to say something and then shut it again. She had clearly decided against saying what she was going to say and instead grabbed the eggs and started to crack them into a bowl.

The other shifters came and sat at the table, all keeping their distance from Mya. Clearly, they had no idea how to handle this situation, neither did Mya. “Mya is to move into the cottage next to me” Storm called over her shoulder towards the table. “She’s to join us for training and we are to teach her, help her learn the ropes”.

The group of shifters around the table visibly relaxed. Was she really that scary? Finley looked at her from across the table a question in his eyes. “So, what have I not been told young Mya?” his accent making it difficult for Mya to understand.

“Err, well. I was living in the Manor house”. The group straightened in their seats, listening intently to what she had to say. Mya thought carefully of how to approach this. Sensing the tension around the table she knew she had to handle this carefully. Knowing that their mates were in the house with her they would be desperate for news. “Beth brings breakfast to me in my room every day, we’re friends”. Finley’s eyes widened at the mention of his mate’s name. Mya looked around the table. “I only found out this week about your situation and that all of your mates are in the manor house. I am sorry, I did not know any of this before. Beth hadn’t even told me anything, they must have told her not to. I didn’t even know there were other shifters before I was brought here! I’ve learnt so much and I honestly can’t keep up with all this new information”. She was babbling, she often babbled when nervous.

Jason held up one of his dinner plate sized hands and she stopped. “have you met any other people in the manor house?” he asked in a deep gruff voice. His voice was so deep it reverberated through her chest.

She looked at the giant man sat at the end of the table and shook her head. “No, I am sorry. I’ve only ever met Beth. I never get let out of my room. Only to be brought to the arena for training”. She grimaced, remembering the last training session. She looked around the table. Now look at her, sat drinking tea with them. What was going on? Jason looked disappointed at her response and looked down at the table.

He looked back at Mya then “I apologise for my part in our last training session Mya, it is not something that I wanted to do”. His big brown eyes showed his sincerity. The other shifters all nodded in agreement.

Mya sighed “I understand that you have to do as you are told, what I don’t understand is why Darren instructed you to attack me?” They all shared looks across the table. Storm and Raina began bringing plates over piled high with bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, tomatoes and beans. Raina placed a plate in front of Mya and gave her a small smile.

“You don’t know do you?” Storm looked stunned while cutting through a sausage.

“Know what?” Mya was getting irritated now.

Storm put her knife and fork down “Mya, have you not noticed an increase in appetite, feeling stronger, more energy?”

“Well yea, I just thought that was my body healing itself. I only got turned when I was kidnapped and brought here. I was 19, my parents were teaching me about being a wolf before I was turned. They burnt our house down. I don’t even know if my parents and pack are still alive.” She stared playing with the beans on her plate, distracting herself from the pain in her chest.

A ripple of anger spread around the table. Storm placed her hand on Mya’s arm. “Mya, you’re not a wolf anymore” Mya looked up, confusion spreading through her. “Remus cast a spell while we attacked you. We turned you”.

“What do you mean?” she started to shake with fear.

“Remus spell meant that you were more susceptible to infection. You’re a Pan-were Mya! You can shift into multiple forms, all of our forms combined along with your wolf” Storm said calmly.

Mya was stunned. Questions zooming through her brain at a million miles an hour. Her chest felt like she’d been hit with a sledgehammer. Would she ever be accepted back by her pack if they were alive? Would she ever find a mate? How can she change from one animal form to another? That’s why she was here, so that the other shifters could teach her about their animal forms and train her in their skills. She looked around the table at the other shifters. A fire burning in her gut. She would take all they could give and use it against her enemy; Darren would pay for what he had done!