Free Shifting (Swans Landing) by Shana Norris Page A

than before. The water was too cold for her, and she’d need to go back to shore soon.
    “I thought if I could get close to you, get to know you, then maybe you could help me fix the people on this island,” she said. “Maybe we could convince Lake and my daddy to work together instead of fighting each other.”
    She spoke with that same Elizabeth Connors confidence I had always known. Beneath the girl who kissed me and looked at me as if she wanted nothing except me, she was still the same scheming, lying, manipulative person she’d always been.
    And I was still just a pawn in her game. Something to help her get what she wanted.
    “You need to get back to shore,” I told her. I turned toward the beach, pulling her along beside me.
    “Dylan,” Elizabeth started, but a wave splashed water into her mouth and she coughed.
    I changed back to my human form as we drew close to shore, rising up on my legs to walk through the crashing surf. I let my arm drop from Elizabeth’s waist. She struggled through the current next to me, but I didn’t look her way.
    “Dylan, listen to me—”
    I grabbed my clothes from the beach and pulled them on, ignoring the sand that clung to them. “I’m done playing your game, Elizabeth. If that was all you ever wanted, all you had to do was talk to me. Not...” I gestured between us. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
    “How else was I supposed to get close to you?”
    “I’m a pretty reasonable guy, once you get to know me.” I glanced at her. “If you ever bother getting to know me.”
    My feet slipped across the sand as I marched toward the tree line.
    “Dylan, wait. It’s not like that.”
    I didn’t want to hear her lies. “You don’t have to pretend anymore,” I told her. “Go back to your friends and forget any of this happened.”
    She stopped, looking at me with glassy eyes. I resisted the urge to go to her and press my lips to hers one last time.
    “What am I supposed to do now?” she asked. “My daddy is serious about leaving. This is my home.”
    “I don’t care what you do. It’s not my problem, is it?”
    Elizabeth flinched, taking a step back.
    “You don’t even realize how lucky you are,” I said, spitting the words with as much venom in my tone as I could. “You think I would choose a life stuck on a dying island? Do you think it’s fun always choosing between the land and the water? Do you think I enjoy beatings from your boyfriends because of who I am?” I stalked away, putting distance between us. “Do us both a favor and get out of here. Don’t be forgotten. Be human.”
    I left her as I slipped into the trees, my body aching from the effects of the water and her touch.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Twelve
     
     
    My mom freaked out when she saw the aftermath of Kyle’s fists on my face. She demanded to know who had done it, but I wouldn’t tell. What was the point? She would either call his parents and cause even more problems, or she’d ignore it because of the strained human-finfolk relationship.
    But this was Swans Landing, and nothing stayed secret for long. By the next morning, everyone knew. They stared as I walked across the lawn of the school. They whispered behind my back when I passed in the hall. I wasn’t invisible anymore and I could feel all the stares burning holes into my skin. I sat in the back of all my classes, ignoring everyone else around me. At lunch, I went to the library so I wouldn’t have to deal with them.
    “Hey.”
    I looked up from the calculus homework I was working on to find Mara standing at the end of the table.
    “Hey,” I said.
    “You look terrible,” she told me.
    I gave her a half-smile.
    “Can I sit down?” she asked.
    I shrugged. “If you want.”
    She slid into the seat across from me, dropping her backpack at her feet. “I’m really sorry about yesterday.”
    “It’s fine,” I told her, looking down at my paper. The numbers weren’t making much sense and I hadn’t