The Samuels Household, Sunny’s room, Campbell River, 5:15pm present time
Sunny lay back on his bed, unhappy and feeling sick to his stomach. He was in so much shit right now, it wasn’t even funny. For what was probably the five-hundredth time in the last hour, Sunny covered his face with his hands and groaned loudly.
This noise caused Puck to pause in her antics which currently included attempting to burrow around in his bed. Thankfully it was ferret proofed as was everything else in his room. Too bad the rest of his life wasn’t as easy to protect against trouble and chaos the way his room was. It seemed like no matter what you did, life was determined to put you through hell. Sunny closed his eyes and groaned again. This time Puck not only paused but scampered her way onto his chest and pushed her little ferret head under his hands. The moment he felt her fuzzy little head, Sunny opened his eyes to see Puck staring at him in what seemed like a concerned manner. Smiling sadly, Sunny began scratching her head.
“Sorry girl but I’m not going to be much fun today. Everything in my life just went to shit today.” Sunny said as the memories from earlier that day came rushing back.
Timberline Secondary School, Room 419, Campbell River, 3:15pm, 2hrs prior
“So Sunny, you up for a game later?” Simon asked him as they waited for the bell to go. There were 15 minutes left and they had both finished their assignments so there was nothing left to do but wait out the remainder of class.
“Me? Play basketball? Dude, I think you need to moderate your marijuana intake or you would have thought about that idea a bit more.” He said chuckling as he gestured to himself. “It isn’t exactly the ideal game for people under 6ft. Besides, I’m meeting Dawn after school.”
“Fine, your loss man.” Simon said, rolling his eyes.
“I think you mean my gain.” Sunny said grinning.
“Heh yeah, I guess so. Why are you meeting up with Dawn?”
“Well first off, she is my girlfriend so I am going to spend a bit of time with her. And second, we are meeting up for a study date. We both have a chem test coming up.”
“So glad I did chem last semester right now.” Simon said with a fake dramatic sigh. “But seriously, I mean, come on man, we haven’t hung out in ages. It doesn’t have to be basketball, if you aren’t feeling like getting your ass kicked. I’m sure Dawn would understand. I mean, she kinda has to, seeing as she’s broken a ton of your guys’ dates before.” At this point, Simon was no longer looking at Sunny and was fiddling with his watch. This usually meant he was lying or hiding something but Sunny couldn’t see what Simon could possibly be hiding from him. Aside from Dawn, Simon was his best friend and one of his oldest friends.
“Which is why I want to keep it. Dawn and I need to spend some time together. That’s kind of how being boyfriend and girlfriend works Simon. How about we hangout tomorrow instead? You can kick my ass then.” Sunny said grinning.
“Yeah, sure, I guess.” Simon mumbled as he continued to fiddle around with his wristwatch.
Sunny frowned as he watched his friend. “Hey, you ok?” He asked, lightly touching Simon’s arm.
“Huh? Oh yeah, I’m good.” Simon grinned at him and stopped playing with his watch. “I’m telling you, it’s your loss man.”
Before Sunny could make his retort the bell rang, signaling the end of class and the end of the day. The two boys gathered the rest of their stuff and left the classroom. The hallway was a jumble of energy, sweaty body odors and teenagers making their way to their lockers in a frantic rush to leave their daily prison.
Sunny and Simon took a deep whiff together, as was their after school custom. “And that my friend, is the smell of freedom.” Simon said with a happy sigh.
“Really? And here I thought it was the smell of a hundred thousand jocks who didn’t bother to shower after gym class.” Sunny said with a smirky grin.
Simon gave him a withering glance. “I hope you are including yourself in that description.”
“Nah, I showered after gym class today so I’m exempt.”
“So that’s why you were late for English today. Dawn’s complaining finally got to you huh? She totally has you whipped.”
“Hey, at least I have a girlfriend. You would do well to learn from me, my young apprentice.”
Simon rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Anyways, I’ll see you later Sunny. Call me up if you change your mind about the game.” With a final wave, the two boys parted ways and headed for their separate lockers. Sunny felt his heart speed up a bit when he saw Dawn waiting for him at his locker. She was tall (well, tall compared to him), with the physique of a ballet dancer and short, blond hair. Good Lord, she was gorgeous. As he walked over to her, Sunny could feel his face spreading into a ridiculous grin but he didn’t care.
“Dawn!” He called out to her, speeding up a little. When she was him, Dawn’s face spread into a smile and she waved wildly in his direction.
“Sunny!” She said as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Oh I missed you!”
“We saw each other at lunch, Dawn.” Even as he said it, Sunny couldn’t help feel even happier when she said that she had missed him.
“I know but still!” She said giggling a bit. “How was your day after that?”
“Oh you know, not too good, not too bad.” Sunny shrugged as he put his things in his locker and put what he needed into his backpack after checking to see that Puck was still asleep inside. When he saw that she was, he carefully moved her to an outside pocket, making sure that she was comfortable and that the flap was open.
“Aww, she’s still sleeping?” Dawn cooed as she gently petted the ferret’s head, causing Puck to twitch in her sleep.
“At the moment anyways. She nearly got me busted in Math class. She woke up, climbed into my desk and started scratching at the sides. I had to give her one of her toys to chew on then sneak her back into my backpack. Thankfully, Simon was able to distract the teacher while I did it.” Sunny said smiling.
Dawn shook her head in an exasperated manner. “Really Sunny, I’m surprised you haven’t been caught yet. It’s been half a semester since you started taking Puck to school with you! Don’t your parents notice Puck isn’t at home?”
“Oh they notice. But they are okay with it. Sort of. And as for getting caught, well I never get caught!” He said with the sassy confidence that can only be found in teenage boys.
Dawn shook her head once more, “Oh Sunny.”
“Oh Dawn.” Sunny parroted back at her, causing her to smile.
“I’ll meet you out front okay?”
“We aren’t walking out together?” Sunny asked her with a confused tone.
Dawn shook her head, “I can’t. I have to pick up couple things from my locker and I have to deliver my news article to Roland.”
“Why didn’t you do that before you came to my locker?”
“I wanted to see you! Yesh, what kind of a question is that?!” Dawn said angrily, her face began scrunching up and going red whenever she got mad. It was kind of cute in a scary sweet kind of way.
“Woah, sorry! I only meant that if you had done it before, we would be able to walk out together that’s all. Really, I am glad to see you here and I like that you came to see me first before doing all of your errands. I’ll make it up to you, how about I walk with you to your locker?” Sunny asked her, desperate to make up for his idiotic question.
Dawn relaxed and giggled at him, “No it’s okay. I’ll meet you outside.” She said, once more giving a peck on the cheek before heading off toward her own locker. She turned back to wave at him once before getting lost in the crowd of incoming students.
Sunny smiled and waved back. Humming quietly to himself, Sunny finished getting his things and closed his locker. Dawn really was one in a million.
The Samuels Household, Sunny’s room, Campbell River, 5:35 pm, present time
“I say, hey, I be gone today
But I be back around the way
Seems like everywhere I go
The more I see, the less I know-“
Sunny jumped as his phone went off, startling both him and Puck from their thoughts. With a sigh, he picked up the phone. “I really need to change that ringtone.” Sunny said to Puck as he checked the caller I.D. It was Simon.
“Hey.” Sunny said, trying as best he could to keep his voice neutral.
“Hey. How are you? Are you okay? Dawn told me what happened. Ah man, it sucks. I’m so sorry. I mean, I thought it was just like, a onetime thing! I didn’t know was still going on! I mean, Dawn said that it was just that one time and I mean…..”
“Wait, hold on one second!” Sunny said, as he latched on to what Simon was saying. “Hold on, you…knew?”
For a moment Simon didn’t answer then Sunny could hear him swearing under his breath, “I, uh, I mean,” His best friend sighed, “Yeah, I knew. She begged me not to tell you and that she wanted to tell you herself. She swore it was a mistake, man! And I mean, I wanted to tell you but at the same time, I didn’t want to wreck your guy’s relationship! You are both my best friends! You guys were so happy! She swore she’d tell you and that it was a onetime thing!”
“So, this wasn’t the first time she….when did….how….why?!” Sunny could feel his voice cracking as all his emotions kept swirling around.
“It was at some party, man. She got drunk and made a stupid mistake. She felt really bad about it afterwards.” Simon said weakly.
“If she really was sorry she wouldn’t have kept seeing him. And you should have told me, I thought you guys were my friends.” Sunny said quietly.
“Sunny, come on. I’m really sorry! She begged me not to tell!”
“How did you even find out? Why did she tell you and not me? Actually, you know what? Fuck you guys. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Sunny, come on! Please, I really am-“
Whatever apologies Simon had left were stopped when Sunny hung up on him. Groaning, Sunny flopped back on his bed. Talk about adding insult to injury, it seemed like he was the only one who hadn’t seen what was happening, what had been really going on. “I am never going to transform into a cuckoo bird after this.” Sunny mumbled to himself.
Timberline High school, School Parking Lot, Campbell River, 3:45pm, 1 hr 25 minutes prior
Sunny checked the time on his cell phone once more then looked around the school parking lot for Dawn again. He had been waiting for 15 minutes and she still hadn’t showed up. He considered texting her again but decided not to. Dawn had a bit of a habit of keeping him waiting or running late, so he was used to it.
Inside of his backpack, Sunny could feel Puck twitching around restlessly. She was fully awake now and ready to play. “Alright girl, we can go for a quick walk while we wait for Dawn.” Sunny told her as he set down his backpack and gently took her out. Once Puck was wearing her harness and Sunny had her leash firmly secured in his hand, they went off on their walk.
They headed for the school track so that Puck would be able to play around in the grass and stalk what insects and other tiny creatures she could find. When she got bored or a bit tired, Sunny would pick her up and they would head for a new area before he set her down again. Whenever she found a new area, Puck would immediately shoot off and begin doing her crazy weasel war dance. It really was insane and Sunny often filmed Puck whenever she did it so that he could show it to Dawn and Simon later on. They were both big Puck fans and the videos were always a good laugh.
During one of these filming/AWOL Ferret sessions, Sunny heard the sounds of quiet giggling and whispering coming from under the bleachers. The bleachers were a hot spot for couples and normally Sunny would have ignored the sound in order to give the two some privacy if it weren’t for the fact that the giggling sounded a lot like Dawn.
Frowning slightly, Sunny put away his phone and put Puck back in his backpack, much to her discontent, and went to investigate the source. When he reached the bleachers, Sunny couldn’t speak for a second because there under the bleachers were Dawn and Roland kissing.
“DAWN?! Sunny yelled in shock and horror.
Samuels Household, Sunny’s Room, Campbell River, 5:45pm, present time
“Sunny?! What’s going on?! I just rushed home from work because of two frantic phone calls from Dawn’s mother and Roland’s father about you, a grizzly bear and their kids going on about how you TRANSFORMED into a bear! What in the world happened?!” His mother’s frantic and angry voice woke Sunny from his thoughts.
“I don’t want to talk about it mom!” Sunny called back to her.
“Oh no you don’t young man! Open this door right now! If you did transform in public, you are going to be in so much trouble young man! You have a lot of explaining to do so open this door this minute!”
Sunny could tell from her tone that unless he opened the door for her, she was going to come in anyways which meant she was really mad. His parents were usually understanding and they only came in his room if he was okay with it, unless they were really angry. With a sigh, Sunny got up and opened the door for his mom then walked back to his bed and sat down again. Once she was inside, Sunny’s mother quickly closed the door and stood facing him with her arms crossed, clearly displeased.
Alica Samuels was a petite black woman with what was usually a kindly face but right now she looked like she was struggling not to murder him, which Sunny could understand. His parents were always telling him that he needed to be careful and do his best to conceal that he had the family gift. Not everyone had been as accepting of supers as some people were now. His grandfather and his father had faced a lot of fear and suspicion because of their powers.
“So, mind explaining yourself?” She asked him, trying his best to keep calm.
Sunny nodded. “Dawn and I broke up.” He said bluntly, like ripping off a band aid.
His mom blinked, obviously shocked by this sudden reveal. “What? Why? I thought things were going really well between you two. Oh sweetie,
I’m so sorry.” She said as she sat down on his bed beside him.
“Yeah, I thought so too.” Sunny said, looking at his hands.
Timberline High School, The Bleachers, Campbell River, 4:00pm, 1hr 45 minutes prior
“DAWN?!”
“Sunny?!” The minute Dawn saw Sunny was there she tore herself away from Roland but it was too late. The damage had been done.
“Dawn….I don’t understand. I thought you were happy. I, why?” Sunny was too shocked to say anything else. He felt completely blindsided. How did this happen? Why did it happen? None of it made any sense to him.
“Sunny, look, I was….we were…it wasn’t…I’m sorry Sunny!” She buried her head in her hands and began crying softly which only made Sunny angry. Why was she crying? What gave Her that right? He was the one who had gotten royal fucked here.
“Aw don’t cry Dawn baby. It was just a bit of fun and no one can blame, seeing as you have a boyfriend the size of 5th grader.” Roland said with a sneer as he possessively wrapped an arm around Dawn.
“You get away from my girlfriend, jerk!” Sunny said, stomping over as Roland’s gesture spurred him into action.
“And what are you going to do about it, shrimp?” Roland said as he let go of Dawn and simply pushed Sunny to the ground. “You’re so small, it’s not even worth wasting my energy beating you up.” He said with a cruel laugh.
From his position on the ground, Sunny could feel himself getting angrier and angrier. Shrimp huh? He show Roland who was shrimp! He took a deep breath and focused on his breathing. He began thinking of the most ferocious and terrifying creatures of the Canadian Wilds, a fully grown male grizzly. As he focused on the bear, Sunny could feel his body changing. He could feel his spine getting longer and his back taking on the tell-tale hump. He could feel his limbs growing bigger and thicker, strong enough to uproot trees. His face began changing as it grew a muzzle and soon his skin was covered thick, blond-brown hair. When he was fully transformed, Sunny stood up on his hind legs and let out a fierce roar that shook the entire stands. Then he dropped back to all four feet and charged Roland.
The Samuels Household, Sunny’s Room, Campbell River, 6:00pm, present time
“I was just so hurt and angry, I didn’t really think about my actions.” Sunny said as he finished telling his mom what had happened. “It was weird and deep down it was scary for me too. Normally when I transform, I can still sense myself, I can still feel my subconscious mixed in with the animal’s subconscious quietly directing what happens. This time, I didn’t feel that. I just felt my anger and the grizzly’s instincts in charge. I didn’t regain control of myself until after Roland and Dawn had started running. I was within 1 meter of them and Dawn looked back at me, her face was a mix of horror and fear. It shocked me back into control and I stopped. I changed back but she didn’t look back again, neither of them did not. Not that I blame them or anything. I don’t know what would have happened if I caught them and I so glad I didn’t find out. No matter what Dawn’s done to me, I would never forgive myself if I hurt her.” Sunny finished as he stared at his hands.
“Oh baby,” his mom said softly as she pulled him towards her and into a hug. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. You didn’t deserve any of it. Dawn’s a fool if she can’t see what a wonderful, young man she is giving up.”
“Thanks but you’re my mom, you kind of have to say stuff like that.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s not true. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you are going to be okay.”
“Thanks mom.”
For a moment, she just held him the way she used to when he was little before Sunny gently pushed her away.
“I’m going to get supper started, are you going to be coming down for dinner or do you need some more time?”
“I think I’ll stay here. I’m not really hungry.”
His mom nodded and left his room, softly closing the door behind her. When she left, Sunny flopped back down on his bed and closed his eyes. He could feel Puck crawling on top of his chest and settling down for a nap, which didn’t seem like a bad idea. Maybe if he went to sleep he would wake up to find the day hadn’t even started yet. It all felt so unreal that it just had to be a bad dream.
Samuels Household, Sunny’s Room, Campbell River, 7:30pm, present time
When Sunny woke up, he was surprised to see his dad, Wilson Samuels Sr. sitting on his bed and holding what looked like a school pamphlet. His face was stony and cold the way it was whenever he was struggling with a difficult decision. However, it left quickly when his dad looked over at him.
“How you sleep?” Wilson Samuels Sr. was a quiet man with a big, stocky build that made him seem big and intimidating. But in reality he was understanding and always calm. And like Sunny, he had the Samuels' family gift.
“Okay, I guess.”
“Your mom told what happened. I’m sorry son.”
“Thanks dad. I’ll be okay though. What’s that pamphlet?” Sunny asked, desperate for a change of topic. He had just woken up and he wasn’t in the mood to rehash his break up with Dawn. Sunny’s father sighed and looked down at the pamphlet before handing to him.
“Why don’t you read it and see for yourself. There were some going around the office today and it’s no secret there about what I can do.” Sunny’s father said smiling. Sunny grinned back at him. It certainly wasn’t. Wilson Samuels Sr. was a highly decorated member of the British Columbia Coast Guard and he often used his own shape shifting powers to help patrol the coastline and save people from various boating accidents. “Anyways, give it a look.” His father said, gesturing to the pamphlet.
As Sunny read more and more, he found himself growing more intrigued. An Elite Training Center for people like him? People with powers? It sounded unreal, almost too good to be true. A chance to train and hone his powers without fear of being discovered and then when he grew up, he would have the chance to become an UN agent and go on missions! And he would get to meet people like him. Up until now, Sunny had only met people within his dad’s side of the family who had powers and it was always the same gift; shape shifting.
Sunny looked up at his dad, “Does mom know about this?”
His dad nodded, “She knows. We talked about it while you were asleep. She thinks it could be a good opportunity for you. You could end up doing some amazing things through this program.”
“What do you think?” Sunny asked his father. For a moment, Wilson Samuels Sr. didn’t speak. It was an good opportunity and he didn’t want to dissuade Sunny from taking it but at the same time, he had his doubts. He wasn’t exactly a fan of the idea that he might not see his only son for several years.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for you Sunny. It seems quite legit and the staff and trainers are all quite professional with extensive biographies and histories. I think you could really benefit from training under them. You have a chance to do some amazing things with your powers. Who knows, you might be the first Samuels shape shifter to achieve human shapeshifting.” His father said with a grin. Every Samuels to inherit the gift had only ever been able to transform into animals.
Sunny grinned back, “I’d be more interested in seeing if they can help figure out how turn into a dragon or something cool like that.” He said haft jokingly.
His dad smiled then turned serious again. “However, it is a big responsibility. You would be in charge of your own high school education and you would be expected to take an active role in your own training. And not to mention your mother and I would miss seeing you.”
“I’d miss you too. You could come to Dad. It says it’s open to all gifted people.” Sunny pointed out.
His dad smiled at him. “Sunny, my time for training and exploring my powers passed along time ago. Maybe if I was still around your age, I would go. But I’m not. I’m quite content with where I am in my life and my powers. I have a wonderful family, a good home and a fulfilling job where I am free to use my powers to help people which is all I ever wanted. But you son, you’re just beginning to really explore what you can do. This training center,” He pointed at the pamphlet, “Was made for young people like you. A place where you are free to be yourself and where you can train your abilities and skills in complete freedom and safety, without fear of what people might think. And you get the chance to do something good with those gifts.”
Sunny nodded and looked back at the pamphlet. What is dad says was true, it really did seem perfect for him. He wanted to be able to train his powers and explore then completely without always having to check if someone was watching or is he had been seen. Plus, he would be far away from Dawn. That made it even better.
“I think I would like to go. I mean, at the very least I’d like to sign up and see if I can get in.” Sunny said shrugging.
His dad nodded. “Alright son. We can get in touch with the headmistress tomorrow and see what happens from there.”
“Thanks Dad.”
“Your welcome son. And I want you to know, no matter what happens I’m proud of you.”
The Beginning
