Shifter

AN: I figure since I'm getting some hits and votes on this story, someone likes it so here's the second chapter. Seeing as I have no review questions to answer, I'll just get onto the story.

“What new guy?” I asked.

“Kyle Sandle” Maddy said. “Or something like that.” She pointed towards the teacher's desk.

“Sandulf” I said. “He's in my gym class. I'm pretty sure he's looking for a wife to take back to his cult family.”

“I'm not opposed to being brainwashed by something that hot” Maddy said.

“I'm pretty sure he's as straight as an arrow” I said.

“Well that sucks” Maddy said with a pout. That didn't stop him from watching Kyle the rest of class as he sat surrounded by the cheerleaders in the class.

“How was your first day at school?” his mom asked as he dropped his back pack on the kitchen table.

“About what I expecting. Girls fawning over me. Guys threatening to beat me up.”

“Any signs of strays?” his dad asked as the bear of a man walked into the room.

“I saw one or two that might be strays” Kyle said. “But I'm no expert on finding strays seeing as this is my first time out.”

“Take James with you tomorrow. He knows what to look for. Besides, the dragon prince should be maturing soon and none here are it.”

“So some of the families did leave” Kyle said.

“One or two made journeys and never came back” his mom said. “If they had a son around your age, he might be the dragon prince. Maximus won't live forever.”

“The dragon prince must be found” his father growled.

Kyle just nodded as he took the sandwich his mom made for him and headed to his room with his back pack to work on his home work.

“What's that supposed to be?” I asked as I stopped on the front steps next to Kyle, who had a large dog laying next to him.

“A friend” Kyle said. “He followed me to school today.” He grinned at me.

“You should probably send him home before school starts” I said. “The school's likely to call the pound if he hangs around.”

“I'll be sure to do that” Kyle said.

Kyle appeared in three more of my classes, including math where my daily headache had me doing stupid things once more, answering what the teacher thought a tricky problem like it was simple math.

“He didn't look happy” Kyle said as he sat right behind me on the bleachers. I was sitting on the gym floor stretching.

“Our math teacher?” I asked. “Sure. That's twice in as many days he's tried to catch me distracted. When he doesn't throw complete gibberish at me.”

“What do you mean?” Kyle asked.

“I'm generally average at math” I said. “He's just managed to throw some problems that were easy to solve.”

Kyle shrugged. “What are your parents like?” he asked.

“Thinking of taking me home to mom and dad?” I asked looking over my shoulder at him.

“Maybe. If you seem like good breeding stock.” He gave me a joking grin though so I was pretty sure he was mostly kidding.

“I don't think I'd make a very good brood mare” I said. “I'm too strong willed to be a docile house wife for some overbearing male.”

“Some guys like that” Kyle said. “So what are your parents like?”

“Mom does the typical stay at home thing. Dad's a white collar business man.  The farthest I've ever been from home is the apple orchard just outside the city for a class trip in the sixth grade. We don't do family vacations. Don't do the weekend camping thing like most families. Just a regular, boring, white collar, upper middle class family.”

“Sounds absolutely boring” Kyle said.

“That's why I spend my free time running or lost in books.”

“Alright everyone!” Mr. Grays called out. “To the track for the mile run!”

“Good hustle out there Thompson!” Mr. Grays called as I slowed to a walk and did my post-mile lap to cool down.

“You are fast” Kyle said as he came up next to me.

“I usually do a five-mile run” I said. “One is nothing.”

Kyle laughed. “You sound like my brothers. We think nothing of a mile run either. Though we usually do cross country runs.”

“They have cross country tracks around your place?” I asked. It always seemed like a fun run to do but they didn't have anything like that in any of the parks I usually ran in.

“Natural game trails” Kyle said as he stretched his arms over his head. “Come over some time and we can go running together.”

“I just might do that” I said. “Some time this weekend?”

“Sure. Just tell me when and where to pick you up.”

“Tomorrow at my place around eleven” I said heading towards the gate closest to the school.

Mr. Grays was rounding everyone up to go back to the school where we'd have free gym for the rest of the period.

“The new kid at school invited me out to his place to go running” I said at dinner that night.

“What's his name?” my dad asked.

“Kyle Sandulf” I said.

“Don't let him start any funny business with you” my mom said. “All teenage boys think about with pretty girls like you is how to get into their pants.”

“I'll kick his butt if he tries anything” I promised. 'that I don't want him to' I added silently.