The sound of children’s laughter out in the hallways made me groan. Doing my best to ignore it, I remained curled up in bed, not even bothering to check the time on my phone. My body told me it was still too early for me. The noise only increased as I heard them run past my door, and then back, and again…

After adding a new set of holes to my pillow, I stood up and dragged my feet to the entrance of my room. Opening the door revealed two big cats. No, two kids with very noticeable feline features.

The creaking of the door caught their attention, causing them to stop in their tracks when they saw me. “Woah!” The twins exclaimed in unison. We stared at each other, silently processing what was in front of us.

Their most distinct feature was, of course, their ears. They stood near the top of their heads, trained on me at all times. Both kids had large emerald eyes. Almost all iris and with a thin vertical pupil like my own.

Their cinnamon hair, freshly cut short on the boy and twin pigtails for the girl, continued as fur down their napes and into their backs and shoulders. It seemingly reached all the way to their long tails, which poked out of their gowns. The outer side of their arms were also hairy and with short dark stripes along the forearms, though the density decreased the closer it got to their fingers, which had short claw-like nails.

Unlike their arms, their legs were bare from what I could see, and while they retained their human shape, they were slightly longer than normal below the knees, increasing the kids’ height. Finally, their small feet were also equipped with claws, though much longer than on their hands. It looked like a single kick from these kids could inflict some serious damage, if they tried.

“So cool!” The boy yelled, revealing his fangs, which were also similar in length to my own. “I’m Oliver. What’s your name?”

“Nora,” I replied without thinking. I didn’t know what was stranger, their reaction towards my appearance, or how comfortable they looked in their own new bodies. A real contrast with Connor. “You’re Diana, right?” I asked the girl.

Her eyes widened, “How did you know?”

“Oh, I was here when they brought you in.” A yawn then reminded me of what led to the encounter. “Hey, could you both tone it down a little? I was trying to sleep just now.”

“But it’s already morning!” Oliver countered. It wasn’t comfortable having to look up at children who were so much younger than I was.

Diana nodded. “And Mommy says it’s not healthy to sleep too much!”

Rolling my eyes, I responded, “Yeah, well, that doesn’t apply to me. Just go play somewhere else, please.”

I stepped back into my room and was about to close the door when Oliver stopped it, stepping halfway inside and gripping the handle. My further attempts were futile. He was not only taller, but stronger too, which added to my humiliation.

“Come play with us.” He smiled confidently, keeping the door half open.

“Sorry, I'm not in the mood.” I felt so tired and annoyed, even my inner child agreed with me for once. “You know, there’s a huge playground outside. You should really tell your parents to take you there.”

I was hopeful that the suggestion would be enough of an incentive for them to leave, or at least for him to lower his guard so I could try pushing him out.

“Okay, but you have to come with us,” the boy insisted, still keeping the door in place.

Gods, he’s one of those kids.

“Do you think you can order me around just because you’re stronger than me?”

“He’s just asking you to come play with us,” the girl replied instead, to which he nodded.

“Yes, he’s made that very clear!” I gave out a long sigh and rubbed my eyes with one hand, no longer caring about the door. “I already gave you my answer, so please, just let me go back to sleep!”

“But it’s too late to sleep!” The boy parroted. It was clear the exchange was heading nowhere. They weren’t willing to listen. I suppressed a growl.

At this point, my instincts were begging me to dig my claws into the boy’s arm so he let go. I knew better, though. To begin with, I had no real intention of harming him, and even if I did, he could certainly return the favour.

My eyes then wandered back to the door’s handle on my side. I smiled as I reached for it, causing Oliver to tighten his grip. In an instant, he let go of it with a yelp. The kid took a step back, and I slammed my body against the door, successfully shutting it closed before placing the lock.

“Mommy!” he cried, running away. His sister followed suit.

I sighed and walked back to bed. I did feel somewhat guilty, but he asked for it. Sudden banging on the door finally got me growling. However, the strength behind the noise made it clear the boy wasn’t the culprit this time. I reluctantly stood back up and went to open it again, revealing the kids’ mother.

“What did you do to my son?” Megan asked firmly. She looked just like them, though her hair and fur had hints of brick red. The father was nowhere to be seen, and I didn’t know if it was out of fear or if he was simply busy at the time.

“Nothing ma’am,” I replied, closing the door again. Same as her son before her, she stopped it with one hand. She held it by the edge, rather than the handle, meaning I couldn’t pull the same trick on her. I wasn’t even sure it would work on her.

“What. Did you do. To my son.”

“All I did was ask them to make less noise.” I backed away, causing her to step further in. She was definitely more intimidating than Oliver had been. “I’m nocturnal, and I need to sleep.”

She glanced at him briefly before focusing back on me. “He told me you hurt him.”

My instincts took offence to the lie, quickly replacing my fear with anger. “I did not!” I yelled in a growly voice, then pointed at the twins. “They were the ones trying to force me into playing with them! I just made the handle a bit colder so he let go of it!”

Seeing my change in attitude, it was her turn to step back. She then paused, my words finally sinking in. “Colder?” She asked with a frown.

I nodded. “With magic.” Dr. Blake’s bad speech gave her enough of an explanation when they arrived, so that I didn’t need to. That much I knew.

“Magic?” Megan instantly turned around and grabbed her son’s right hand. “Was it this one?”

“Uh-huh,” the boy sniffled, wiping his tears with his free arm. She examined his hand carefully, though I knew she wouldn’t find anything.

“An ice cube would’ve been colder, I swear.” It was the truth, and I could tell she believed it after not finding anything.

Megan sighed and let go of the boy’s hand. “Is what she said true?” She stood back up to address her children, placing both hands on her hips. “Did you keep on bothering her after she said no?”

“It was Olvier!” Diana shouted without delay. “I didn’t do anything!”

The boy’s eyes widened at his sister’s betrayal. “Don’t listen to her! Megan did too!”

“Did not!” The girl countered, crossed armed.

“Did too!”

As the kids’ bickering continued, Megan looked back at me with pleading eyes.

Hoping this would be the last of it, I explained. “Both of them refused to listen, but he was the only one who used force to stop me from-” Another yawn interrupted me. “Closing the door. Sorry about that.”

“No.” She shook her head and smiled gently at me. “Sorry for the trouble these two caused. You can go back to sleep.”

I nodded and closed the door. Anna’s offer to transfer me to an upper floor room had just become a lot more appealing.

---<>----------<>----------<>---

Despite the interruptions, I felt well rested by lunch time. The cafeteria had become quite crowded as of late. Gone were the days when we, the patients, would all just pull up every table and sit as a single group.

Ever since Jack returned with Keith, Rex would now sit at a table with them to talk about his blacksmithing project. Gary often joined the conversation, too. I suspected that Dr. Blake put him in charge of helping the dwarf with his passion project.

Meanwhile, the doctor and Anna sat with Lily to review her studies. Since Anna was still injured, Clarice was also there to feed her. Viken, too, was part of that group, surprisingly enough. Though, it made sense since he still had to look after his patient.

Belaury, on the other hand, still refused to enter the building. While the recent events succeeded in mellowing her down a fair amount, most humans still rubbed her the wrong way. At least she was fine with my family after she had a talk with them. And yes, that included Mary. For now. I did wonder why my teacher was around so early. Perhaps she felt lonely in the forest and was simply waiting for her husband.

She wasn’t the only loner, though. While it was still inside, Connor kept choosing the farthest, darkest table to eat at, and he would only allow Lucy to keep him company. He also refused to take off the ring Keith gave him. At this point, I had my doubts he would get over his appearance even with the virus’s help.

In contrast, the wildling family seemed to be doing quite well. Given our previous interactions, I feared that Thomas would abandon his family the same way Sylvia’s Ex did, so it was nice to see he was still around.

“Did you do something to that cat-kid, Nora?” Mary asked, looking at the said table. “Boy’s been staring daggers at you from the moment you walked in.”

I smirked without looking his way. “I may have given him a bit of a scare earlier.”

Allison subtly glanced his way before putting her fork down. She then patted my back, or rather, my wings. “Are you holding up okay?”

I frowned, not quite catching her meaning. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t you hate it when people fear you?” Sylvia clarified.

“Ah, that.” I chuckled. “No, this time it was intentional. The brat was being too annoying, and I needed sleep.”

“He’s just a kid, though,” Dad commented. His tone wasn’t scolding, yet it lacked his usual verve. “Surely, there was a better way to tell him what he did was wrong.”

I raised an eyebrow at his comment. “I appreciate that you still see me as an adult, Dad. Though, it’s hard to act like one when an eight-year-old can overpower me and refuses to listen.”

“He what!?” Mom yelled, standing up. She didn’t bother to hide the object of her anger. The kid quickly looked away.

“Calm down, Mom!” I said, pulling at her sleeve. I finally turned around and gave an apologetic bow to Megan and Thomas before facing my parents again. As Mom sat back down, I explained. “We already solved it. No reason to make a ruckus out of it.”

“So what happened?” Allen inquired after finishing his meal.

I sighed and began playing with my own food. “They just really wanted me to play with them. When I refused, he grabbed at the door to stop me. I made the handle colder so he let go.” I coughed and added, “Don’t worry, I was extra careful not to hurt him. Anyway, he got scared and ran away. His mother showed up later, but I explained what happened, and she scolded them.” I finally picked up a forkful of pasta. “He probably hates me because of that.”

The sound of steps coming our way made me look behind me. It was none other than the twins. They reached our table, only facing up to look back at their mother, who remained in her seat.

Not getting any support from her, they continued staring at the floor and fidgeted for a bit before voicing a very faint “Sorry”.

I looked at their parents, then back at them and smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Sorry for scaring you like that, Oliver.”

After a silent nod from him, they both made haste on their way back to their seats.

---<>----------<>----------<>---

Seeing us exiting the building, Belaury eagerly beckoned me to join her at her table.

She wants to start our lesson now?

I looked behind me, but my family and friends had already taken a seat nearby and made themselves comfortable. My teacher had agreed to let them watch as long as they didn’t interrupt us. I could only wonder how long it would take Mary to get banned from spectating the class.

“Interesting outfit you’re wearing today,” she commented as I got closer.

“Right?” I smiled, flaunting my Mom’s work. “Momm… made this ‘flysuit’ for me to have an easier time when flying.”

It was a two-piece skinsuit. The upper half was a black and pink tank top with a big opening at the back for my wings. The bottom consisted of a black mini skirt with built in shorts. Both had a hole for my tail to go through. Together, the two pieces of clothing looked like a combination of a tennis outfit and a cyclist’s triathlon suit.

“It certainly looks more aerodynamic than your normal clothes,” my teacher said, examining it from top to bottom. She frowned and brought up a hand to her chin. “The skirt will still create some drag, though.”

“Yes, I took that into consideration for my design,” Mom intervened, getting up from her seat and then kneeling next to me for a demonstration of her design. “I added some snap fasteners here, near the bottom, and the fabric can stretch well enough so that she can join the front and back together to convert it into a second pair of shorts, like this…” Once she was done showcasing it, she returned the skirt to its original form and stood up. “I’ll admit sports clothing is not my specialty, but I see no reason style and efficiency can’t find a middle ground.”

“Hey, as long as it works. I’ve seen my fair share of bizarre clothing in the last few days, and this outfit certainly beats them all.” Belaury winced and laughed nervously. “I meant it in a positive way, of course.” Her smile suddenly morphed into a grimace. “I’m sorry, I’m not good at this whole ‘being nice’ thing.”

“I understant what you mean.” Mom replied, already back on her seat. “No offence taken.”

“Thank you.” My teacher relaxed, and looked at me. “Well, I’d say it’s about time we started today’s lesson, don’t you think?”

I nodded and sat in front of her. “Isn’t this a lot earlier than usual?”

She shrugged. “I’m bored. Vik is too busy with his morning class, as well as supervising your friend’s healing. I ran out of chores for today. I’ve got nothing to do, and no one to talk to.”

“How did you endure living like this for so long?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

It was something I had been wondering for a while. I wasn’t precisely what one would call a social person. In fact, I did spend a decent amount of time at home, playing games or doing chores. That said, as much as I enjoyed that lifestyle, I still needed a change of pace every now and then. I couldn’t imagine spending literal centuries having only one person to talk to and nowhere to go.

Belaury smiled. “That’s easy. I have my husband. He has been my pillar this entire time. Six hundred years is a very long time, even for us, elves. I can’t even fathom how anyone could survive this long on their own. In complete solitude. I know I wouldn’t have made it this far without him. Especially not after what happened to Lurein and her children.”

She paused and took a deep breath. “Of course, it’s not like we spent our entire lives just talking. We’re scientists at heart. We used that time to learn and experiment all sorts of things. I was already a great elementarist before the war, but I only became the master I am now by increasing my knowledge and understanding of nature. Vik had a harder time with his craft, though. It’s not easy to test new potions and healing techniques when you have no patients nor ingredients, you see.

“Instead he focused on tools, furniture, traps, art, even gardening. Pretty much anything he could think of to make our lives even the tiniest bit more comfortable. I did help dig our home, of course. We’re quite proud of what we have accomplished.”

“Huh.” Belaury looked at me and chuckled. “I just realised I’ve never invited you over to our home. The thought never crossed my mind. It wouldn’t be now, but is that something you’d like?”

“Of course we’d love to!” Mary immediately shouted, standing on top of the table. “That is, like, my dream come true!”

My teacher stared at her, mouth agape. After a couple of blinks, she recovered. “And what makes you think I’m inviting you as well!?”

“Can’t she?” I asked with pleading eyes. She was used to their appearance. Surely, they would work this time. “Is it because she’s human?”

“As surprising as it may sound, no, it’s not that,” she explained, rubbing her temples. “But if I invite her, it’s only fair that I also invite everyone else here. Your giant friend can’t fit through the entrance, and Sylvia won’t even make it there because of the terrain. That’s assuming we get enough food for everyone, which is not exactly easy to accomplish.”

“We don’t mind it, right?” Allison responded, looking at Sylvia, who merely shook her head in response.

“And we can bring the food!” Mary added walking closer. “Nora’s parents are great cooks. I promise! We can either prepare everything here and take it with us, or cook over there!”

“Is she always like this?” Belaury asked me in clear concern.

I laughed and nodded at her.

“Oh gods…”

We spent nearly half an hour planning the visit. It was decided that, other than me, only Mary and my family were invited to the elven couple’s home. My parents would bring the ingredients and cooking tools with them, and we would prepare everything once there. Belaury assured us that their stove would work just fine.

There was no clear date for it, other than it needing to be a weekend, since my parents needed some time to think about what to make and get all they needed, but once they had everything settled, they would let me know, and I would inform my teacher.

Once we reached a decision, the conversation quickly strayed from the main topic and it eventually led to Belaury learning about what happened with the twins. Apparently, she found it quite funny.

“Oh, I would’ve loved to see that!” She said, wiping the tears from her face. “I’m so proud of you!”

I smiled wryly at her. “I mean, he definitely deserved it, but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. I agree with my Dad, he’s just a kid. Plus, they did apologise afterwards.”

“To be fair, you’re all kids to me,” my teacher replied. “And yes, I’m glad that you defended yourself, but that’s not my point.”

“It isn’t?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Oh? Perhaps I spoke too soon.” She brought one hand up to cover her mouth. “Could it be that you’ve already forgotten our first lesson, my dear apprentice?”

Our first lesson?

“Right!” I nodded, finally remembering. “Do not fight on equal terms!”

“Good job,” she said, patting my head. “Yes, that’s what I’m talking about. One’s mana pool and magic knowledge are certainly important, however, a mage’s biggest strength is their imagination.” She brought a hand to her chin and hummed. “I’ve got an idea for today’s lesson. How about a friendly sparring session?”