Cam knocked on Hunter’s door. He was a bit surprised to find Blake standing there.

“Hey, Cam. Sorry about my haziness the other day.”

“Hey, Blake. You mean yesterday?”

“It was only yesterday? My bad.”

Cam snorted and stepped into the room. Blake shut the door behind him. Blake had made himself at home in Hunter’s office. He had set up a portable TV and game system and had frozen a moto racing game to answer the door. Just like his brother. Ace bandages, pillows, and ice packs were strewn here and there, Cam had guessed for quick response if needed. Well, it wasn’t neat, but just like Hunter, it was functional. Cam shifted a few pillows and sat on a chair.

“How are you doing?”

“Better. Still sore. Doc says he’s surprised at my quick healing and that I should be able to ease back into racing next week, if the swelling stays down. No one can figure out how I didn’t break anything. Just pulled some muscles, and knocked myself out. I’ll still have to pass Factory Blue’s physical. But I’m not too worried.”

“Good. Good to hear.” Cam gazed around the room again. “Will Hunter be back soon? I brought take out.”

“Yeah, he’ll be back any minute. I just assumed he told you to meet him here. He was going to call you.” Blake plopped down and unfroze the race.

Cam closed his eyes. “I didn’t check my messages after meditation class this morning.”

“Meditation class? Are you a student now?”

“Sort of, my grandfather is visiting. He’s a samurai. He’s giving me pointers.”

“Ah, and he decided to point out how to meditate, to you? You out of all of us, have better grips on meditation.”

“We can always learn more.”

“Did you?” Blake chuckled as he swerved wildly. Cam wasn’t sure if the chuckle was at the race, or more likely at his own question.

Cam pondered his answer, “I don’t think I did.”

“Aw, that’s rich!” Blake made a few turns and ran across the path of a few riders, tossing them from the field.

“Well, that explains your accident.” Cam smirked.

“Aw… no… this is cheap to do in a race… I only do it on the vid because it’s expected and the only way to win. The accident was totally different.”

“What happened?”

Blake froze the game. Cam watched, as his eyes seemed to relive the whole experience, frame by frame. Cam suddenly regretted asking. Of course, this had to be paramount on the minds of both Hunter and Blake. What happened? It’s as if it was a puzzle, because no one has said yet exactly what did happen.

After a long silence, Blake unfroze the game, “I don’t know,” and he shook his head to emphasize his confusion… and then his train of thought switched, Cam knew it because Blake’s face went from analytical to pissed off. “Hey! By the way, you shouldn’t leave messages like that!”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m going to Japan with my grandfather, and all.”

Cam chuckled… and then suddenly was struck with the thought that Blake had to hear it first and then tell Hunter. He had only meant to get Hunter’s goat… and now he had upset Blake. “Well, it’s true, except the part where I’m actually leaving. He wants me to return to Japan with him. I just can’t decide how to say ‘no’.”

“Well, you spooked Hunter. And he even had to play it for me, saying ‘what do you make of this.’ Of course, I hadn’t caught the facts from yesterday about your grandfather was actually visiting… thanks to the drugs. So I told him it was one of your attempts at humor that failed miserably.”

“Well, I guess you were right there.”

The door opened and Hunter dodged in, back to the wall, glanced out again, and shut the door.

“Problems?”

“Evading more questions and responsibility,” he whispered, and then as his face showed recognition of who he was talking to, he turned to Cam. “YOU!”

“Hello, Hunter. Wanna have lunch? I brought take out. Enough for you, Blake, and me.”

“You should not leave messages, ever.” Hunter was, by all means, pissed.

“Now, would I leave town like that?” Cam looked up from the take out bag he was emptying. “For that matter, would I leave town at all, for any length of time?”

Hunter’s stare warmed into a smirk. “You’re not as funny as you think you are.” Hunter pulled the half-empty bag away from Cam. “So what did you bring?”

“Sweet and Sour fish, rice, and cucumber salad.”

“Where’s the meat?”

“Fish is meat.”

“Fish is fish, I want Mongolian beef or Kung Pao chicken.”

Cam smirked and yanked the bag back from Hunter just as he was tipping boxes to see what sauce dripped out. “Here. 1 Kung Pao Chicken,” he tossed it to Hunter. “and a Mongolian beef,” which he in turn tossed to Blake.

“That’s more like it.” Hunter growled as he tore into the lid of the container and poured its contents onto a box of rice he had snagged. “So did he tell you?” Hunter motioned casually to Blake, who suddenly looked flustered.

“Tell me what?”

“Factory Blue contacted us. I’ve been calling almost hourly to find out what’s the sitch on the race. He’s one of their best riders, you know.”

“Yeah, and?”

“They are having a board review what happened with the race. All they can say is someone got past security the night before and that’s why they didn’t let any of Factory Blue race, except Blake since he was able to prove he’d been with his bike all night. And then the accident happened. They won’t tell me how! They won’t tell me who was involved!”

Cam watched Hunter chomp into a few bites of chicken and peanuts. He ground his teeth as he bit. He was frustrated. He was upset. He was worried about his brother.

“They won’t tell me anything.” Hunter stopped. He lowered his voice, “and he can’t tell me anything more… but I don’t blame him… he’s not the one who should answer to this, they are… You can’t tell me that out of the hundreds of riders, mechanics, fans, and judges, as well as cameras, that were watching that race, they wouldn’t have something for me right now.”

Cam looked from Hunter over to Blake. Blake was quietly and almost nervously eating his food. Cam wasn’t sure that Blake knew anything, but he was sure that Blake didn’t like having Hunter all upset.

Hunter drew in a deep breath. “So, you’re not going to Japan?”

“No. Grandfather said he wants me to go, but I don’t want to. I just don’t know how to say it.”

“You walk up to him and say ‘Grandfather, I don’t want to go to Japan. Why don’t we stay here? I’m needed here. People are counting on me. My presence would be missed.’ And if he’s a reasonable man, like he seemed to be last night, he’ll say ‘You have a point.’”

Cam smiled. Hunter was almost always predictable.

It was 1:30 when Cam shot through the compound heading toward his room. Most of the ninja were gathering for a joint session class. Again, no one noticed him pass through. It struck him that one of the faces was missing this time. Or maybe it was again. One of the Earth ninja was missing. Must be ill. No matter. Cam darted into his domicile and toward his room. Five steps into the living room he stalled. The image was too much for his mind to comprehend. Skritches sat at the keyboard of his computer, staring at the screen. Cam turned and walked over to the console.

“Skritches? What are we doing?” He looked at the screen as it flashed blank.

There was the sound of tapping keys. “Help me,” appeared on the screen.

Cam looked down and then back at the screen. Had the cat just typed? “Help you what?”

“I’m … fading… I … words… can’t exp- tell now… not sure … how.”

Cam looked at the cat. Her eyes gazed at him. And yet, there was a hint of concern in them… which seemed to be fading.

“Skritches is not what she appears to be. We need to act fast. But I’m not sure how to help her.” Hiro whispered as he walked up behind Cam. He pressed a few keys, scrolling back to a conversation from Skritches’ side that apparently she had been having with his grandfather. A quick glance gave him the gist of the situation.

“You are a ninja, who is now a cat?” Cam turned to Skritches. First his dad, now a student. What was it with Wind Academy and its attraction to getting stuck as animals? Cam read more. “The scroll? The scroll of Transmutation? But that’s only for the most advanced of ninja?”

The cat nodded in response. Cam couldn’t help but think the whole thing surreal. His mind began to surf through all that he had plotted and tried when his father had been stuck as a guinea pig. All of it had not worked with him, but might with her, since the situation had to be different. Lothor didn’t blast her. He would have known if Lothor had been out to blast her, right? But what if Lothor was out without him knowing? He’d have to check later if he could, but it seemed impossible. No this was something else. So, maybe he should try something that failed last time.

“Stay here.” Cam looked at both his grandfather and Skritches and then raced to Ninja Ops.

Moments later, he raced back in. The Scroll of Transmutation was gone. He set up a portable scanning device, aiming it at the cat. He hooked it into the computer console and began setting up his components. He had used this on his father once before, but instead of bringing his father back, it had switched his father with Shane, and then later with Dustin. But that had been versus Lothor’s magic. This might not be as strong, or corrupted. He placed a large crystal in the power cell where he had used his amulet once before. He really missed his amulet now. He would have liked to have shown he still had it to his grandfather, but then if he still had it, his grandfather would not have come.

“This might work. Grandfather, what ever you do, do not interrupt the flow of energy. Bad things will happen if you do. Skritches, hold still, try and concentrate, focus on whatever you were focusing on at the time of the shift.”

The cat closed her eyes. Cam inhaled and held his breath as he turned on the system. A glow surrounded Skritches… it grew too bright to define any shapes, and then it resided. Where Skritches had been, now sat a young girl of Asian descent, around the age of 19. She wore a Wind Academy uniform, Earth was her element.

“So, you want to fill me in?” Cam smirked.

She gasped. “Oh, thank God! I thought for sure I was going to be a cat forever. Sensei Cam, I am so sorry. If I thought studying the scroll was going to launch me into cat form haphazardly, I would never have taken it away from safe grounds.”

“Li Mei Lien, isn’t it? Aren’t you one of the ones who were held on Lothor’s ship?”

“Yes,” She blushed at the mention of her name. “When I returned and after the Battle of the Abyss, I had spoken to Sensei, your father, about my desires to learn the art of shifting to animal form. He had told me that I was not experienced enough to try, and I readily agreed. So he lent me the Scroll of Transmutation to study. He thought if I could learn its components, I might be one step closer to mastering the ability. I chose to go off academy grounds, because I felt that I might be disturbed. I asked for a day to meditate on the scroll, and Sensei had told me he would inform Sensei Dustin of my absence and reasons.”

“So you took the scroll out into the woods?”

“Yes, not far from where you saw my encounter with the logging truck. I knew of an old Indian mound. I thought it would be a peaceful place to meditate on the answers inside the scroll.”

“Indian mounds tend to be a place of power.”

“I didn’t think of that.” Mei Lien looked down. “I began to meditate after reading and deciphering the scroll. Then I started to glow, I think I was shifting. But I knew I wasn’t ready. I was afraid of meeting my inner tiger. So I panicked, and tried to stop. The next thing I know, I’m a cat. I immediately decided to run back to the academy for help. While crossing the road… well… you saw. Then, when you found me, I kept trying to tell you what was going on… but I couldn’t speak… I couldn’t remember how to say the words, to make the sounds, though I could still barely understand you… It wasn’t until your grandfather carried me out here, that I was inspired.”

Cam looked quizzical. “How so?”

“I’m a code monkey, too. Just like you. I was able to remember enough to type what you saw.”

Cam had the sudden urge to drag Copernicus out to the console, just to make sure that he wasn’t a missing water ninja. Smiling at the thought, Cam nodded at Mei Lien, and then shook his head. “What do you mean, like me? Do all of the students know my past times?”

“Only the ones that pay attention. All of the girls like to talk about the guys. Especially this year, when some of the teachers are young and cute.” Mei Lien looked down, and blushed again, “But I have always looked up to you,” she whispered.