Yeji POV

"Again."

Ma's voice echoed through my ears repeatedly. We had been up since six this morning training. Well, it was more like trying not to die from exhaustion or a broken neck.

"Can we take a break?" I panted from the ground. Ma was not going easy on me and she was getting on my deepest of nerves.

"No. Do it again." Ma said from over me.

We were in our backyard, trying to teach me how to do a certain acrobatics and land on my feet. But, of course Ma would go farther than that and into some complicated sequences.

"There's no point of doing it again. It's no even what I'm supposed to learn for next week's dance show."

"It's for next week?" Ma asked surprised, "Wow, you definitely won't make it for then."

"Shut up," I told her and got up onto my shaking legs, "I don't get it; everybody else got the move but me." I was much stronger and better than them in fighting and yet I couldn't do a simple dance move.

"I'm not surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I yelled tired of her insults. I could particularly hear Mom say that Ma was not being rude, just too blunt and awkward. 'Whatever Mom', I thought.

"What I mean Chameleon, is that shapeshifters have the worst coordination in all the species. You change your body too often to understand what the body you chose to use is trying to do. Strength, weaknesses, senses, muscles; it all changes per shift." Ma explained, "For example: a mouse's bones are not solid because the body needs to squeeze in smaller holes than its size. A rabbit's power is in his back legs but a bird is in his wings.

As a shapeshifter, you must know what the body can provide. The middle point of their bodies and their balance automatically changes. You have to teach your brain to figure out those differences so that you could use your chosen body to its full potential. You haven't learned your own body yet and that is what I have been teaching you." Ma said. She then continued to say.

"How do you think I always know who you are? People forget that smell is a very powerful sense. You always smell like yourself. You have to learn to smell like someone else." I opened my mouth but closed it after. I didn't know what to say. What Ma said had actually made sense.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" I asked her quietly as my anger diminished.

"Now, I need to go to a meeting. Things have been shifting and no one, not the Underground nor do the Council like these new rules."

"What kind of changes?" I asked knowing full well Ma wouldn't answer.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Yet," Ma said. Well, it was worth a try, "As for you, you should do balance exercises. Do that as often as possible and you may be ready for your dance next week."

After that, Ma walked away leaving me alone in the backyard. I had extra time to spare since she woke me up so early. I had to admit, I was glad she woke me up this morning. She was a tough trainer but she did netter then than with the coach at school I thought that maybe our raining could probably go without remarks.

"Oh, and do take a shower. I can smell you from here." Ma finished before she walked back inside. There goes my thought. Goodness, I could never understand why Ma always had to finish a conversationwith an unnecessary remark.

I rolled my eyes and went back inside to the bathroom I shared with my brother. Now, that was a hard thing to juggle with. I don't know who said that women take forever in a shower because men are not any better. My brother took so long and he didn't even have long hair. We never mentioned it, but everyone knows what men do in a shower that takes the entire hot water. I always made sure I was the first one in, so that I had time to do my routine stuff before school.

Luckily Hyunjin was still in bed when I came in. We were now the weekend and Hyunjin came home late from the party last night. I took my time to get ready before I made my way downstairs where Mom was preparing the coffee machine. Naeun was sitting on her high seat, yawning with her closed eyes.

"Wow that was a huge yawn. Had a rough night, Berry?" I asked Naeun.

"Sit down Yeji and don't put things in her head. She had pleny of time to be innocent before you get to infect her mind with adult things."

"Don't worry Mommy, my night was not as rough as Unjin. He was ion last night," Naeun said all too innocently.

I almost chocked on my coffee at the remark. We both looked at her in astonishment. I put my hand over my mouth to prevent me from laughing hard but it didn't do much. I started to giggle uncontrollably as Mom stood frozen in place.

"Honey, why whould you say that?" Mom asked her and Naeun shrugged.

"It's true. I heard it on TV and I heard Unjin say things out loud."

Mom looked at her with opened, then looked at me with a questioning glare. I raised my hands in surrender but couldn't stop my grin from forming. At least I had stopped laughing. When Naeun is going to be all grown up, she is going to be one hell of a lady.

"Don't look at me, I didn't do anything!"

"Oh your brother is in so much trouble," Mom growled, almost sounding like Ma. Sometimes, my mother's sounded so much alike, I would think they were connected in some ways.

"Is Unjin gonna have babies with the boy upstairs?" Naeun asked truthfully.

"HYUNJIN!" Mom screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran upstairs to his room as I started laughing again. What a morning. I grabbed Naeun into my arms and kissed her forehead.

"You are the best sister in the world," I coaxed as I spun her around. Naeun giggled and held on tightly with her little arms around my neck, "But Hyunjin is not going to be a daddy anytime soon. Not after what Mom is going to do to him."

"What is mommy gonna do to Unjin?" Naeun asked curiously.

"She is going to castrate him."

"What is castrate?"

"Ask me when you're older,"

Naeun nodded and I dropped her back on her chair and she finished eating. I heard the commotion upstairs as Mom yelled at Hyunjin to get up and get dressed. A boy walked down the stairs with a huge blush in his cheeks. His hair was all over the place. His clothes were all crumbled up and glas