The Fillmore Ch 3

Hey there! First of all, thank you for taking the time to read my work. This is my first attempt at a novel, and it is proving to be a challenge! I welcome encourage any and all feedback. Tell me what you think, good, bad, or otherwise. I try to always return the favor with a review or gp's, so don't hold back! Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy...
NM
(And thanks Travis for your encouragement!)

Chapter 3
         Zoey met with Claire again the next day. Claire informed her that she would be scheduling therapy sessions for Zoey five days a week, beginning immediately. She was to meet and socialize with other residents, starting with the ones on her floor, in her spare time.          Today, the girl in the room next to hers, Sarah, was giving her a tour of the building. The girl was younger than Zoey, around 16, and annoyingly perky. The girl seemed to think everything was happy and fluffy, and it was slowly rubbing off on Zoey. She found it easy to be comfortable around Sarah.
         “You’ll probably be staying at the Fillmore for several months, so pay attention. There is a bathroom with a shower in every bedroom, including yours. There is also a public toilet on every floor for guests and residents, you know, if you can‘t make it to your room in time.” She giggled and went on, “we are on the ground floor now, where the counseling room is. Your room is number nine, there are ten on each floor…Um… The common room is on the second floor, do you wanna go up and see it?”
         “Uh sure, what’s in there?” Zoey asked.
         “Oh you’ll find some books, TVs, computers, and most of the other residents of this building.” Zoey’s eyes went wide at that, this girl was okay but she wasn’t ready to face a crowd!
         “It’s ok!” Sarah exclaimed, seeing the look on Zoey’s face, “No one’s going to mess with you. Besides, most of the girls are in classes right now, there wont be very many hanging out in the common room.” She gave Zoey a reassuring smile and tugged her by the hand until they were standing in front of…an elevator? She’d been thinking of this place like a school, but it kept surprising her!
         “I know,” Sarah said, seeing the look on Zoey’s face, “I pictured this place like a high school when I first got here, but it’s way better, trust me!” They stepped into the elevator and Sarah pressed the glowing number two, and soon they were on the second floor. Zoey noticed the buttons went all the way up to ten, meaning there could be a hundred people living here!
         The doors opened to reveal what appeared to be a giant living room. Overstuffed couches were scattered about the room, most facing one of the large TVs, but some were in quiet corners, likely for reading. One corner of the room was sectioned off with several shelves of books, labeled poetry and fiction. Near it, there were a few desks with computers sitting atop them, and cubbies in the wall behind it with what looked like lap tops.
         “What are the other floors for?” Zoey asked.
         “Oh mostly resident rooms, we’re actually an emergency center too. We’ll house other shifters in case of a crisis or whatever. There’s a hospital on the other side of campus too, plus one more dorm. That’s what this building is, a dorm. The other one is for the boys.”
         “What else is there?” Zoey asked, this place was turning out to be very interesting!
         “The Academic Building is where your classes will be, if you decide to take any. Plus the Rec Center, which is kind of like a high school gym. There’s work out stuff there most of the time, but we use it for parties, celebrations, assemblies, stuff like that. Oh and the dining hall is directly between the boys dorm and this one. There’s also a storage building, but they don’t tell us what’s in there, probably just food. That’s about it. Ready to meet my friends?”
         There were around ten girls in the room, all absorbed in something. Sarah began introducing her to everyone, one person at a time. Mostly she just smiled and nodded, sometimes she actually said “nice to meet you”. Most of the girls wanted to know what her totem animal was, so Zoey explained that she hadn‘t shifted yet and didn‘t know. This seemed to get her a lot of perplexed looks, so she decided to ask Claire about it later.
         As Sarah was about to lead her out of the room, Zoey noticed they hadn’t talked to one girl. She sat alone, in one of the chairs in the reading corner, with a book in her lap. She looked like one of the ‘goth’ girls from Zoey’s high school, but less dirty. Her short black hair hid her eyes from their view, and her lips were stained cherry red. She was dressed in a long black sweater dress, with black leggings. Her feet were clad in high heeled, black leather boots. She looked like an adult among pre-teens, sitting in that room.
         “Sarah, who’s that other girl?” Zoey inquired.
         “That? Oh that’s Alyssa.”
         “Why didn’t we talk to her?” She asked, making a move towards the lone girl.
         Sarah reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. “I don’t really know her…she doesn’t really, um, like people.” Sarah whispered.
         “Oh… well I have to get to Claire‘s office anyway, I have an appointment.” she said, changing the subject. As Sarah led her back out into the hall, she sent one last look back and found Alyssa’s ice blue eyes staring right at her.
*****
         After a light lunch in her room, Zoey headed back to Claire’s office for their first official session. It turned out that Zoey was right, Claire smiled the whole time as Zoey related her afternoon with Sarah and the girls she had met. She was pleased that Zoey was opening up and becoming comfortable around others so quickly. As Claire told her this, Zoey’s mind was elsewhere.
         “Zoey? Please tell me what you are thinking about.” Claire said.
         “Hm? Oh, nothing, I was just thinking about some things the other girls said today.”
         “Always feel free to ask me any question you might have, that’s what I am here for.”
         “How did you know I was thinking about something else?” she asked curiously.
         “I can see your aura, remember? And you looked like you were off on another planet,” she added with a playful smile.
         “Oh,“ Zoey replied, slightly embarrassed as being caught not paying paying attention, “Well…some of the girls asked me what my totem is, and I’m not sure what that means?” She replied.
         “Your totem is the animal your spirit connects with. In short, the animal form you take on when you shift.”
         “How do I find out what mine is? How do I shift?” Zoey asked eagerly.
         “Slow down! Let’s take a step back, so I can explain this thoroughly.” Zoey took a deep breath and nodded. When she was little, she sometimes thought that she was special, somehow different from other people. Some Prince would come take her away, or she would discover her faerie ancestors. The desire to find magic in her lonely, frightening life was so strong, she sometimes cried at night, while praying to who ever was listening to come make things better. When she was eight, she figured out her fairy godmother was never coming, and accepted her normality. The person who could bring her childhood dreams to life was sitting right in front of her.
         “The entire process is brought on by extreme trauma, both physical and psychological. In each person’s transformation from human to shifter there are two parts, and each have certain triggers. The first part involves the human body being brought entirely to the breaking point. When the human dies, the transformation takes place. This is essentially when the human body becomes that of a shifter.
         “The body is almost instantly reanimated, but usually stays unconscious for awhile. Sometimes for as little as a few hours, other times as much as several days. During this time, and for about a week following, metabolic changes take place, the immune system strengthens considerably, and the body becomes very tough. The result is a human who is immune to all diseases, is up to fifty times stronger than before, heals extremely fast, has very refined senses, and increased mental capacities. That is what happened when you died Zoey. You have not yet reached the second transformation.”
         “And when does that happen?” Zoey asked.
         “Of that, we’re not entirely sure. Evidence seems to point at extreme emotions, such as anger or fear. We think shifting is a sort of defense mechanism, when a human is traumatized enough, the mind will do amazing things to protect itself. The circumstances of a person‘s death are usually enough to trigger the extreme emotion necessary for the first shift. Shifting also heals injuries rapidly, ensuring survival of the whole process. After the emotions have been dealt with, the shifter usually loses consciousness and sleeps for up to three days while all the changes take place in their bodies.”
         Claire paused at that, allowing Zoey a moment to process it all. Once it seemed to have sunk in, she went on.
         “The difference is that most shifters complete the second transformation during the process of the first transformation. For instance, Our Lady became so enraged that she shifted and was able to take her revenge. I have thought about this extensively, and I feel that your past life may be holding you back from shifting somehow. I think once you have faced your human life, you will experience the second transformation. This is not going to be an easy thing, Zoey. It involves truly accepting the things that have happened to you, letting them go, and committing to moving on. It is probably going to be a painful experience. It is never easy. But, if it helps, you are not the only person that hasn‘t shifted immediately, it happens once in awhile.”
         Zoey nodded, thinking it over. She had hoped things would be better from now on, but she supposed Claire was right. She needed to face the past sooner or later.
         “I’m really tired, Claire. Can I go now?” Zoey asked quietly.
         “Yes, you may, but please think about what I said Zoey? I was going to wait awhile to bring it up, but I feel you may be ready sooner than I had thought.” Zoey said goodbye to Claire and headed back to her room, thinking back to a girl she once knew…”Oh, Sissy…”