The Familiar Read Online Free Page A

ever want to do again.”
    Mom helps herself to some pie, and picks at the crust with her fingers. “Your body is going through some changes right now, just like when a human goes through puberty; there will be some things you’ll be able to manage and some you won’t. Blacking out, and transforming uncontrollably while awake and asleep are things that normally happen when a shape-shifter is developing. When you woke-up in that strange house, it was because your body’s desire to transform was too strong for you to handle. That’s why you don’t remember anything... With some help, you’ll learn how to deal with it all.”
    I am relieved and at the same time distressed. “How can I make sure nothing happens while I’m at school?
    She meets my questioning gaze. “I can give you something, so you won’t have any accidents. But you’ll have to make sure to take it everyday. In a few weeks, when summer vacation starts, you’ll go to a place where you can learn how to use and control your powers.”
    I can sense a note of sadness in her voice. It’s then that I realize we have never been apart, except for school and the occasional sleepover at Andy’s. It will be the first time I’ll be away from her watchful eye. “What kind of place is this?”
    Her face lights up and she bites her lip while contemplating her response. “Hmmm… I guess it’s part school, part camp. Lots of kids your age from around the country will go there… People like us try to blend into regular society, live unassumingly, go to regular schools, and hold jobs. It’s part of the role we play so that our world remains secret from humans. But at the camp you’ll be free to be who you are, and you will love being around people who accept you openly.”
    “So, the other kids… Will they be like me?”
    “Yes, for the most part, except most of them will be of pure shape-shifter lineage. It means that both their parents and their ancestors were all shape-shifters,” she explains.
    I sit back, my stomach and mind both full. “Hmmm… So, I’m still going to be a freak in freak school?” I say, half joking.
    “No, sweetie, you are not a freak. In fact, it’s considered to be pretty special, and you should hold your head up high no matter what.”
    I sigh and grumble, “Is it really necessary that I go to this camp though? Can’t you just teach me what I need to learn? I mean this town is practically my whole world Mom… I don’t want to leave.”
    She holds my hand reassuringly. “Hazel, I can only teach you so much… You need to learn from your people. Only they can help you reach your full potential.”
    I put on a brave face, swallowing to get the lump out of my throat. “I just can’t help but be nervous about this whole thing. It’s just too sudden, having to leave everything I know, accept a new reality, and be fine with it? I’m trying to be open-minded, because I want to believe you. I want to trust you, but this is crazy…”
    “Hazel, I would never lie to you about something like this, you know that.”
    “I know. It’s just that…”
    “Trust me Hazel .”
    I give it a moment to sink in. She’s right. She would never insist on something unless it was totally necessary. In an instant I decide: trust my mom. My mom, who has never hurt me, only loved and cared for me. If she’s vouching for this place, then I’ll go.
    I nod my head.
    She squeezes my hand, soothing me with gentle hushes before replying, “Don’t worry, Hazel, everything is going to be fine… Tonight, I want to give you a little gift, something I have wanted to give you for a long time.” She stands up and places both of her hands on the sides of my head.
    “Mom? What are you doing?”
    “Don’t worry. It’s not going to hurt. I’m going to hold your head between my hands for a few minutes. You will feel warmth and some mild vibrations on your temples… I’m going to give you the gift of memory, when you go to sleep tonight and on