Pain.

  That was the only thing left. It never stopped. I would grow exhausted, drift toward sleep—and then another wave of energy would slam through my body and rip me awake again. My muscles burned. My bones felt like they were stretching. Like something inside me was trying to tear its way out. I heard screaming. Wailing. Voices that sounded human but wrong. Flames surrounded me. Bodies twisted in the fire, blackened and broken. Massive fanged shapes formed the walls around me, closing in like the room itself had teeth. Hell. That was the only word that made sense.

  But I couldn’t sleep.

  Stay awake.

  That’s what Mom told me.

  So I stayed awake.

  The air tasted like blood and rot. I smelled garbage, roadkill, sewage. My stomach churned. I tried to move. My arms jerked against restraints. My hands—no, my paws—scraped against something metal. Long claws dragged across the surface with a horrible screech. Panic surged through me. I thrashed harder. The restraints held. Time stopped meaning anything. Minutes felt like hours. Hours felt like days.

  Then I saw it.

  A white light above me.

  It was small at first, barely visible through the smoke and flames. I reached for it. My arm wouldn’t move. But something told me to keep trying. So I tried holding up my hand higher.

  Waiting.

  Slowly, the light descended. When it finally touched me, the fire vanished.The pain faded. And I passed out.

  I woke to someone shaking me.

  My body felt heavy. Weak.

  When I opened my eyes, I realized why I couldn’t move.

  My mother was holding me in a crushing hug.

  Like I was a little kid again.

  I wriggled free and looked around.

  A hospital room.

  Aunt Shelia stood beside the bed, her usually light-brown skin darker from exhaustion. Behind her, Uncle Lloyd sat on a couch with my little sister asleep across his lap.

  Shelia smiled softly.

  “Hi, Cubbo. How are you feeling?”

  I stared at the ceiling for a moment before answering.

  “I… think I’m okay.”

  Shelia tilted her head.

  “Do you remember what happened last night?”

  I frowned.

  “Pain. A lot of it. My hands turned into monster claws and I thought I got sent to hell.”

  Shelia chuckled lightly.

  “Well, at least you still have a sense of humor.”

  “I’m serious,” I said, irritation creeping into my voice. “I saw bodies. Flames. Everything felt like it was burning apart.”

  Her smile faded.

  For a moment she looked at Lloyd.

  Lloyd crossed his arms.

  “Told you.”

  Mom slowly sat up beside me.

  Her movements were careful. Too careful.

  That alone made me nervous.

  She pulled a chair close to the bed and sat in front of me.

  “Jacob,” she said gently, “you remember learning about irregulars in school, right?”

  I nodded.

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  “And you remember those stories I used to read you? About people who could turn into animals?”

  Something clicked in my head.

  “We’re meta-humans.”

  Mom blinked.

  “...What? No.”

  Then she lightly knocked my head.

  “Jacob, sometimes you really are dense.”

  She took a breath.

  “We’re morphers.”

  I stared at her.

  “A morpher’s body can change. Animals, claws, teeth, senses. Sometimes whole forms, sometimes just parts.”

  My mind went blank.

  “When morphers awaken,” she continued, “it usually happens in stages. First is shifting—your body begins adjusting. Then the teething phase, when bones and teeth change. Finally comes morphosis, when everything stabilizes.”

  She hesitated.

  “You didn’t get that.”

  I frowned.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You experienced everything at once.”

  The room went quiet.

  “That almost never happens.”

  Shelia stepped in gently.

  “Nadya, don’t blame yourself. None of us expected this.”

  Mom looked down.

  I sat there trying to process everything.

  Morphers.

  Claws.

  Hell.

  My brain eventually landed on the most important question.

  “Is Ania a morpher too?”

  Mom nodded.

  “Yes. When we found her, she had already awakened. Much younger than you.”

  She smiled softly.

  “But I knew you and your dad would love her.”

  I glanced over at my sleeping sister.

  Then another thought hit me.

  “How do morphers… use their abilities?”

  Lloyd spoke up.

  “Usually there’s a trigger. Something instinctive that starts the transformation.”

  He studied me carefully.

  “But your case is different.”

  Different never sounded good.

  “You’re dormant.”

  Shelia sighed quietly.

  “Dormant morphers are extremely rare. Your awakening started—but it never fully finished.”

  Lloyd continued.

  “You still get some benefits. Stronger senses, better physical ability. But you can’t fully transform.”

  I leaned back into the pillow.

  “So I’m… stuck halfway?”

  “More like paused,” Lloyd said.

  I sat quietly for a long time.

  Then I asked the obvious question.

  “What if I want to fully awaken?”

  The room tensed.

  Lloyd rubbed his chin.

  “No one knows what triggers dormant awakenings. It’s different for everyone.”

  Shelia stepped forward.

  “There are two safe ways to manage it.”

  Mom looked uneasy.

  “First is conditioning training. It helps morphers strengthen control and instincts.”

  “That takes time,” Lloyd added. “Months.”

  Shelia continued.

  “The second option is medication. It raises your trigger threshold.”

  I frowned.

  “What’s the downside?”

  “It dampens emotions,” she admitted. “And can cause mental fog.”

  Mom spoke immediately.

  “Take the pill.”

  Shelia glanced at her.

  “Nadya—”

  “No conditioning,” Mom said firmly. “Not right now.”

  Shelia studied her for a moment.

  Then she nodded.

  “We’ll leave you two to talk.”

  She and Lloyd quietly left the room.

  The silence that followed felt heavier than anything before.

  Finally Mom spoke.

  “How do you feel, cub?”

  I stared at the floor.

  “Blindsided.”

  My voice cracked.

  “Why me? Why any of this?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “I just want my life back.”

  Mom’s shoulders trembled.

  “Cubby… I’m trying to protect you.”

  “You’re hiding everything!” I snapped.

  Suddenly a small voice yawned beside us.

  “Big bro… why are you yelling?”

  Ania rubbed her eyes sleepily.

  “You’re gonna make Mom cry.”

  I froze.

  Only then did I notice Mom’s condition.

  Her hair was messy. Her nails broken. Her eyes red.

  She looked… exhausted.

  Not like the strong woman I knew.

  Guilt hit me instantly.

  I got out of the bed and hugged her.

  “I’m sorry.”

  She broke down quietly in my arms.

  “I’m sorry too, cub.”

  Ania joined the hug.

  We stayed like that for a long time.

  Eventually Mom regained her composure.

  “Ania,” she said softly, “could you go find your aunt and uncle?”

  “Okay.”

  She padded out of the room.

  Mom looked back at me.

  “Your dad doesn’t know.”

  That surprised me.

  “He doesn’t know about you, your sister, or me being morphers.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want to risk losing the life we built.”

  Her voice softened.

  “So please… keep this secret.”

  Then she placed a small pill in my hand.

  “Take this. Just for now.”

  I stared at it.

  One pill.

  One choice.

  I swallowed it.

  For my mom.

  For my family.

  And maybe… for myself.