Page 66 of Psycho Shifters
Cobra didn’t reply, just turned his head and looked away from her. Apparently, him talking to Sadie was the only exception. He still didn’t talk to women.
“Ascher?” Auntie asked after she finally realized Cobra was not going to respond.
Ascher replied in a monotone voice, “I would charge them and knock them out with my horns, then alert the oligarchy of their location so they could deal with them as they saw fit.”
“Hm,” Auntie said vaguely, like she wasn’t happy with his answer.
“How about you, Sadie? What would you do?” Auntie looked at a three-hundred-pound male beta shifter with a mohawk and smiled expectantly.
The class turned to look back at Sadie. She hadn’t been called on yet by Auntie.
This was a defining moment for her.
Would she be a favorite student like Ascher, or one of the disliked ones like Cobra? Or would Auntie be indifferent to her like she was to me?
The little alpha’s expression was stony, and she looked at Auntie with disinterest. When she spoke, even her raspy voice seemed sharper.
Her entire persona was frigid.
“I’d tackle one defector in my beast form and knock him unconscious. Then I’d transform back, and since he was ready for battle, I’d steal his gun. Quickly, I’d shoot one of the other traitors perfectly in the head, and I’d spray the other with multiple bullets in his thighs and chest so it looked haphazard,” Sadie said casually.
The room was dead silent as she spoke.
“Then I’d shoot the incapacitated beta through the heart and stomach. Carefully, I’d place the gun in the first beta’s hand. I’d take out all the weapons and place them in the betas’ hands to make it look like they’d killed one another and empty the cartridges to match the number of bullets sprayed.”
Her eyes didn’t so much as twitch. She held herself completely still and kept talking, like she was discussing something mundane, such as the weather.
My mouth dropped open. Like every person in the classroom, I gawked at the little alpha.
“Then I’d cover my hands with blood and track footsteps around each beta, so when the search party arrived, I’d have a plausible reason for my presence at the scene. I’d be administering CPR and crying. I’d tell them I did everything I could to save them, but when I found them, they were already dead.”
She paused to take a breath, and everyone in the room held theirs.
“I’d say I’d heard them argue over defecting and shots fired as they’d killed themselves. The oligarchy would no longer have to punish these three defectors or deal with an investigation into their death. The problem would be eliminated. Situation de-escalated.”
She finished talking, and there were audible gulps around the classroom.
Sadie’s long white hair and bright-red eyes practically glowed in the small room’s candlelight.
At that moment, she reminded me of descriptions of devils and angels, rumored mythical beings from faraway realms. She was a mix of both.
Auntie stared directly at Sadie like she was a creature she had never encountered before.
Cobra raised his eyebrow at her like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve. Ascher just looked confused. I could relate.
“That is fantastic problem-solving.” Auntie broke the tense silence and clapped her hands.
Now everyone gaped at Auntie. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat; while I appreciated the little alpha’s creativity, her attitude was not conducive to beta morale.
“However, I also must order you to attend a weekly psychological meeting with me to work on homicidal impulses. As a war general, you must curb them if you are to be successful.” Auntie’s exuberant smile said she wasn’t actually concerned about curbing any impulses.
I was half-worried that Sadie would become more intense if she met with Auntie.
The little alpha said nothing, just glared back at the woman with a stony expression.
“I have to disagree. It wasn’t homicidal. It seemed logical,” Aran said loudly from beside Sadie.
The blue-haired boy put a serious expression on his face, but it was clear what he was doing.