Paul the Shape Shifter by Catherine Burton (reading rainbow books .TXT) 📕

Chapter 1

Hi, my name is Paul and I am no ordinary seventeen year old guy. I am a shape shifter, I shape shift into a cheetah. I love being the fastest land animal. My family is the rarest because we are the big cats and we are being hunted as well as the real big cats of our world. When the animal is extinct no one can be born to turn into the animal.
Everyone thinks that I am emo because I have black hair and dress in dark cloths. I was born with black hair and I just happen to like to wear dark clothes. I have no friends because I don’t want anyone to get hurt. I would be reviled to all the humans and I would have to move. I am immortal and I can choose the age I look just by thinking of it. It has come to be useful and is a rare power that only my family can use; the big cats.
Well I kind of lied about having no friends. I have one and his name is Tyler, he is more of a basketball player type of guy. He has been my friend for a long time and we hang out a lot. He is a shape shifter, too. Tyler can shape shift into a domestic black cat. I know that that does not sound scary but he is very skilled in what he does. Domestic cats can be overlooked and not seen so he is very good at that. He is also good at getting into a house not looking suspicious. He has the power that all big cats have, small cats like that evolved from larger cats, like me.
I also have an enemy. His name is Aaron, he is a shape shifter. He can shape shift into a large brown bear. In his human form he has a football player build, which he does play. He is the quarterback and, of course, all the girls love him. I hate how they obsess over him. He has no muscles, it is all fat. He is the rudest thing on this earth and I am not kidding. He bullies me and it has gotten worse since we entered high school.
“Hay dude are you ready to go?” Tyler asks.
“Ya man. I just wish this year would end. I know that we have, like, five months left of this hellhole till the beginning of June. I hope no one even dares to ask me to prom,” I answer as I get out of bed. Tyler stayed the night at my place for the last night of Christmas break and we played video games all night. I was not thinking when I invited him over to stay on a Sunday night.
I go in to the bathroom and brush my hair a little. I look like shit. I open the bathroom door, head back to my room, and get dressed. Tyler leaves the room and he heads downstairs for breakfast. I put on jeans and a t-shirt. I also put on a hoodie and my black Converse high tops. I head downstairs for food and my stuff for school.
“Hay bed head, what do you want?” my mother asks.
“I brushed my hair. And, I would just like some cereal,” I reply.
“Sure, I will get that for you,” my mother replies. I sit down and she gets my breakfast for me. Tyler is already eating and I realize how hungry I am. My mother arrives with my food and I pour my cereal and add the milk. I grab my spoon and dig in.
“Are you ready yet?” Tyler asks a minute later.
“Ya and make sure that you grab your backpack,” I reply as I put the empty bowl in the sink. I grab my bag and wait for Tyler. He comes out of my room and throws his bag at me, I catch it. Tyler shape shifts into a cat and jumps down with a little thud. I say, “Show off.” He smiles at me and sticks out his tongue. I stick my tongue out too and he grabs it. He puts his face to me and lightly bites my tongue.
“I got you!” Tyler exclaims when he let go of my tongue. “You should look at your face,” he says laughing. Did I forget to mention the Tyler is gay? He is single right now and he is fine with that. He likes me as a friend and nothing more.
I say as I hit him, “What the heck man. Anyone would have that reaction. That was so not necessary.”
“Then why are you blushing?” Tyler asks.
“Let’s go or we will miss the bus and have to walk,” I say.
“Okay and I call the same seat as you,” he says.
“Fine just don’t almost kiss me, like you just did, at school,” I say. He nods his head and we head out. I am glad that my stop is my driveway. The bus arrives and I get on first.
“Hey, Polly, come sit with me,” Aaron says to me with a laugh. I sit down behind the driver and Tyler sits next to me. We would normally sit next to me because he lives only across the street from me. The bus ride takes ten minutes, including stops, and we are at school.

Chapter 2

All day I just want to just sleep and leave. Now I am on the bus home and can’t wait to get my homework done. The bus driver stops at my house so Tyler and I get off. I head for the door and get my key out. I put it in and turn it to open the door, shut, and lock it. My house is very quiet so I go over to the fridge. My mom left a note on it saying,
Dear Paul,
I am going on a business trip for a few days and I wanted you to know. I was told on such a short notice. Your father is also coming. There is five hundred dollars for emergency purposes only. Please don’t do anything reckless while we are gone. I hope that you are well and see you soon.
Love,
Mom
(P.S. Tyler’s mom can help you if you need anything just let her know.)
I just look at the note. I go and sit at the counter to do my homework. I finish quickly so that I can rest. I open my door and there is some hot nude girl on my bed with this cool rock necklace on. I ask, “Who the hell are you?”
“I am Dawn and I am your cousin, so to speak,” she replies.
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
Dawn replies, “I am the one of the two Chosen Ones that is talked about in history. The Chosen Ones are supposed to have a child that will destroy all the evil shape shifters, with help from its parents. You are the other Chosen One Paul.” She gets up and I notice another necklace in her hand. “Just put this on and you will understand,” she says. She holds it up and I grab it. I place it over my head and it feels like a title wave of knowledge hits me. I see all these images of a lot of different animals and words, it stops. I am staring at Dawn and I understand. I really look at her and I notice that she has black hair like me but hers is longer, much longer.
“I have one question for you. Where are your clothes?” I ask.
“I don’t own any. I just flew over a thousand miles to get here and I did not think that clothes would be necessary for this,” she answers.
“Well then I guess that I will have to get some for you. What size are you?”
“I do not know.”
“Whatever, I guess that you can wear some of my old cloths.”
“Sure but why?”
“When you are seventeen you go to school and you are seventeen, right?”
“Yes I am.”
“Please just stay here, I will be right back.” I go to the laundry room to get to the attic. I pull down the steps and head up. I reach the top and I look for the pole with the light switch on it. I find it and switch it on. I look around and I find a tub that says Paul’s Old Clothes. I pull it out and I walk to the ladder. I turn off the light and I slowly make my way down the steps. I am down so I close the latter and head for my room.
I enter and I see a panther cub sleeping on my bed. I go in and place the tub down quietly on the floor. I go over to the cub and I shake it a little to wake it. The cub shifts into Dawn. She yawns and stretches.
She looks over at the tub and says, “Oh, you got that quicker than I thought you would.”
“Look through it and see if anything will fit,” I say as the door bell rings. “I’ll be right back.” I head down and open the door and I see Tyler standing there.
“Hay can I come in?” he asks. Before I can answer he shifts and runs in. I see him starting to go upstairs. I quickly shut and lock the door. I start to go upstairs but I am too late. “Who is she?” he asks. Dawn is already dressed in an old pair of jeans, a black shirt, and an old hoodie.
I reply, “This is Dawn, my cousin.”
“Pleasure to meet you, my name is Tyler,” Tyler says.
“I am glad I did shape shifter Tyler,” she replies with a smile. I notice that I can see a black cat next to him but I feel like it is some new thing that I can now do to tell humans from shape shifters.
“How do you know that?”
“I just do.”
“So, what are you?”
“I am not sure what to call myself but the first animal I shifted into was a cheetah.”
“Paul is a cheetah too.”
“Ya, I already know that and he is like me.”
“How is he like you?”
“He can tell what you are just by looking at you and can shift into many things, like me. We look at each other and can only see a golden rim around the other, not an animal.” I look and what she said is true.
“So you can see that I am gay right?”
“No I can’t.”
“Oh, well then I guess that that is not much of a secret anymore.”
“I just want you to know that Paul and I are not even related or never have been.”
“That makes since, you look too cute to be related to him.”
“Hay!” I exclaim.
“Sorry man but its true,” he replies.
“I am tired and I would like to sleep now,” Dawn says. She shifts into a bear cub, curls into a ball on the floor, and she starts to sleep.
“Dude, we should get Dawn enrolled so that she can go to school tomorrow,” I whisper to Tyler.
“Ya and lets hurry,” he replies.
“No man could you do this for me because the teachers would know that it was me and they would not guess that it was you.”
“Okay, you owe me one though.”
“I got