"Fly away!" shouted Ashlea "Fly away!"

But another voice spoke to me. "Are you a shifter?" I realized that it was coming from the falcon.

"Did it just speak to me? And why is it asking if I'm a shifter?"

"Like I said earlier, I don't know how many bird shifters are in this area. It might be one."

As I flew away, I asked in a yell "Are you a shifter?"

"Well, I'm talking to you. No normal bird could do that. I know you're a shifter, and you know I'm one now. But I've never seen you around here."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Trinity. Trinity Alis."

That was the name of my friend.

"Do you happen to have a friend named Madelyn Ruth?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"That's me," I answered.

"You're a shifter?"

"Yes. How come you never told me that you're a shifter?"

"You have to be careful who you tell. If you're sure that the person you're telling is a shifter, then that's usually okay because telling their secret increases the chances of themselves getting caught."

"So, you know her?"

"She's my best friend," I answered "Of course I know her!"

"Why weren't you at school today?" asked Trinity "Because I know that you didn't just faint. Something else is up."

"Should I tell her?"

"She's your friend. If you can trust her, go for it."

"I did faint. I just became a shifter today." I replied "Long story short, I found a spirit in physical form, she had a broken wing, she went to spirit form. She went inside me, I became a shifter. When she went in me, I fainted, and my parents didn't want me to go to school."

"But only spirits part of the council can assume a physical shape... oh. So, you can change into other species of bird? That's so cool!"

"To be honest, I haven't done that yet. Just shifted today, remember?"

"Oh, right. Sorry if I scared you when I flew up to you. Probably looked intimidating."

"You did. Say, what time is it?"

"It was four when school got out and I shifted, and I've only been flying for like ten minutes. Why do you ask?"

"Dad gets back at around five thirty."

"Did you tell your parents?" Trinity questioned.

"No. Should I?"

"No. You shouldn't. Not until you're good at fleeing, then you can if you really want. I've heard from my mom that sometimes, parents go insane and try to capture their own child and use their power. And then there's the chance of the parents being monster hunters, but that's rare."

"Monster hunters?"

"They hunt shifters, vampires, and other supernatural beings. I've heard that they're extremely dangerous. The ones that are captured are either used as slaves or killed. But there aren't any here. If there were, traps would've been seen."

I let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. I had to worry about keeping the secret from my parents, and I didn't want to think about the possibility of being captured.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

"Wanna hang out?" I asked.

"Sure!" replied Trinity "Where do you wanna go?"

"You choose - you probably know the best places."

Trinity flew off, and I followed. Eventually, we reached where she wanted me to go. A giant tree seemed to welcome me, and it's leaves rustled in the wind loudly.

"This is it?" I asked.

"Yes. Mom showed it to me a little while back. It's cool, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Wanna see my little area?"

"Sure." I replied. Trinity flew to a thick, leafless branch. There was a hollow inside of it, which contained a bag. What the bag contained, I didn't know.

"I hang out here sometimes. Camped out here once, mom got mad and I was grounded for a week. But it's relaxing. Especially when you get to see the sunset."

After a brief pause, I heard Trinity start to talk again. "This is so nice, getting to tell you about all the fun things I do when I'm shifted. The barrier that I felt before I knew you were a shifter has been broken down, you know?"

"I just became a shifter today." I reminded. "But you're right. This is nice."

"I almost forgot that this happened just today. That must be weird, having all of this happen in a day. First becoming a shifter, and then finding out that I'm one too. If you need anyone to talk to about this, just come and see me. Okay?"

"Okay."

Suddenly I remembered that Dad was coming home at five thirty.

"Hey Trin," I began, shortening her name "What time is it? Do you happen to have a watch in your bag?"

Trin glanced at her bag before responding with "No." I sighed.

"But I do have a spare phone. Mom told me to keep a cheap phone. She is a shifter, after all. It tells time and makes calls. That's it. But I can check the time for you."

After Trinity managed to open the bag with her talons, she checked the time.

"It's four forty-nine." I heard Trinity inform "Wanna stay here for a little, until five fifteen? That should leave you enough time to get home."

"It should," I replied. "So, what type of bird do you shift into? I know it's a falcon of some sort. I've just been wondering."

"Peregrine falcon," Trinity answered "Same type as my parents."

"Peregrine, peregrine," I muttered. I had heard the name that bird species of before. "Isn't that the bird that can fly two-hundred miles per hour?"

"At most, yep."

"Dang. That's fast."

We chatted, hung out, and laughed until it was five fifteen. Then, I (sadly) had to leave.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow." I told Trinity.

"I'll see you then. Bye!"

"Bye."

I flew back, still a little shaky in flight. I was like, remember to flap! It was weird, and I figured it would take many flights to get used to it. I dove behind a bush, landing.

"Just so you know, once you first shift, it affects your human self. Rarely is it something as drastic as wings, it's often just a change in eye color. Nothing colored contacts can't solve."

I was reassured in that. Being the cosplayer I am, I kept colored contacts for cosplay usage. I shifted back, human features returning. I felt lighter and felt something behind me. I looked and felt fear fill me.

Large, yellow feathered wings were the sight that I saw.

A/N- Did anyone catch the foreshadowing in chapter one? Anyone? No?

Okay. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. New chapter in 2 days, keep your eyes out for it. I have to go, but please comment, vote, and share GWSTB with your friends! I'll see you in the comments! Bye for now.