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Description
#2: pieces of the truth

“We are... different. People haven’t found out why, but something in our body isn’t exactly human. I don’t know how I can describe it, but we can change. Shift.

They gave us the name Shifters.

Children like you and me, we grow up like everybody else and at some point we show signs of being unlike them, unlike everything else. We are more in tune with nature; we understand some of her language. Some of us appear to be able to tell the future in the way they can forecast the weather or natural disasters without computers. Generally, we are just more focused on nature than other children are.

And then, sometime after we are ten years old, and before we reach the age of twenty, something will trigger us and we will Shift for the first time. Not all of us do though; some simply stay human and will, as time passes, lose their ties with nature.

That’s why we are on our way to whatever place they bring us to. There they will help us Shift, so we can finally show our true Shape. Every Shifter has one; some kind of animal that fits him or her perfectly, even though it sometimes doesn’t look that way. I’ve seen one of my grandfather’s friends, who fought in one of the old wars, simply Shift into a squirrel, just to show me.

There have always been Shifters, just so you know. We still don’t know if something has happened in our past to create them, but they’ve been around for many centuries. Only now, more people know about us. And some don’t like us. Our parents are scared that some of those people may get us, so they send us to some school for Shifters.

Forget about what... Jimmy said, alright? Your parents love you; they sent you away with everyone else on this train so we can be safe.”

The boy was still quiet when Riley stopped speaking. As he looked around he noticed that quite a few children had turned towards him during his story and had listened to the end. One or two had tears in their eyes, some others were smiling. There even was another category 4 with them, nodding at Riley with bright eyes, looking like she had only just swiped away a tear or two.

“Thanks” the young boy next to him said quietly. He too was looking at the other children, but he didn’t make a move to get out of the seat. Staying then. Riley was fine with that, to be honest.

“Hey!” the category 4 girl suddenly called out to him, to get his attention, “What’s your name? Or should we simply call you our storyteller?” Her voice sounded only slightly choked up. She hopefully wouldn’t cry, otherwise all hell would break loose. He didn’t want to be in a compartment with lots of crying children.

“I’m Riley. My grandpa always told me this story, so I know it by heart. But I’m a horrible storyteller, just so you know.”

Some laughed a little and the girl shook her head. Then, their attention was back to whatever they had been doing before.

Good. He was sick of looking friendly and happy and hopeful, now that he had started thinking about his grandpa again. About the man currently fighting a war they were running away from.

Description
#2: pieces of the truth

“We are... different. People haven’t found out why, but something in our body isn’t exactly human. I don’t know how I can describe it, but we can change. Shift.

They gave us the name Shifters.

Children like you and me, we grow up like everybody else and at some point we show signs of being unlike them, unlike everything else. We are more in tune with nature; we understand some of her language. Some of us appear to be able to tell the future in the way they can forecast the weather or natural disasters without computers. Generally, we are just more focused on nature than other children are.

And then, sometime after we are ten years old, and before we reach the age of twenty, something will trigger us and we will Shift for the first time. Not all of us do though; some simply stay human and will, as time passes, lose their ties with nature.

That’s why we are on our way to whatever place they bring us to. There they will help us Shift, so we can finally show our true Shape. Every Shifter has one; some kind of animal that fits him or her perfectly, even though it sometimes doesn’t look that way. I’ve seen one of my grandfather’s friends, who fought in one of the old wars, simply Shift into a squirrel, just to show me.

There have always been Shifters, just so you know. We still don’t know if something has happened in our past to create them, but they’ve been around for many centuries. Only now, more people know about us. And some don’t like us. Our parents are scared that some of those people may get us, so they send us to some school for Shifters.

Forget about what... Jimmy said, alright? Your parents love you; they sent you away with everyone else on this train so we can be safe.”

The boy was still quiet when Riley stopped speaking. As he looked around he noticed that quite a few children had turned towards him during his story and had listened to the end. One or two had tears in their eyes, some others were smiling. There even was another category 4 with them, nodding at Riley with bright eyes, looking like she had only just swiped away a tear or two.

“Thanks” the young boy next to him said quietly. He too was looking at the other children, but he didn’t make a move to get out of the seat. Staying then. Riley was fine with that, to be honest.

“Hey!” the category 4 girl suddenly called out to him, to get his attention, “What’s your name? Or should we simply call you our storyteller?” Her voice sounded only slightly choked up. She hopefully wouldn’t cry, otherwise all hell would break loose. He didn’t want to be in a compartment with lots of crying children.

“I’m Riley. My grandpa always told me this story, so I know it by heart. But I’m a horrible storyteller, just so you know.”

Some laughed a little and the girl shook her head. Then, their attention was back to whatever they had been doing before.

Good. He was sick of looking friendly and happy and hopeful, now that he had started thinking about his grandpa again. About the man currently fighting a war they were running away from.