“Mom?” was all I could say as I looked at the woman standing in the middle of the graveyard. There was no way that she was alive. I was told that their bodies were found in the crash. Slowly I walked towards the woman. It had to be an illusion conjured up by my grief.
“Oh, Michala, how I have missed you,” she said as she walked towards me. The closer she got, the more she really did look like my mom. I felt tears begin to build up in my eyes. It had to be a horrible trick, and I was falling for it.
“You can’t be my mom. She died in a plane crash.” I said, my voice trembling as I said the words. Everything in me told me that I should run, but I couldn’t. My body froze up as she got close enough to touch.
“Yes, I know what they said. I also know that it put you through so much pain. But you have to know, everything that your father and I did, we did to protect you,” she said as she slowly reached out to touch me. At first, I backed away. I didn’t want to have to relive the pain if it was all an illusion. I couldn’t fall for it.
“If you really are my mom, what happened on that beach in Florida when dad had to go to work?” I asked. Only my mom knew that because I never told anyone else. Not even dad knew.
She looked at me and smiled, then looked down at the ground. Then she looked back at me and said, “we were swimming just off the beach when your top came off in front of the girl you liked. You were so mad that you wouldn’t rest until I took you home because you were so embarrassed.” She said. At that moment, time stopped. Without another thought, I rushed into her arms and held her tight.
“My sweet daughter. The things that we had to do to keep you safe were the hardest decisions of our lives. Your dad is still grieving,” mom said, running her fingers through my hair. Then a thought came through my head, and I pulled away from her.
“Was this your plan all along? Fake your own death, only to find out from you that you and dad are still alive?” I asked, my stomach tied in knots as the anger welled up inside me.
“We had to fake our deaths. The people searching for us would stop at nothing to see us gone. But rather than allow ourselves to be killed, your father and I decided that when the plane crashed, we would make it look like we had died too,” mom said as she sat on the ground. I joined her, still keeping my distance
“So, where is dad then?” I asked as I looked around, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. If she really was still hiding, why would she risk being seen here without my dad? It didn’t make any sense. I waited for her to say something.
“He is somewhere else. I can’t say where, and I don’t want you to go looking for him. You need to focus on school. I promise you, when we figure out how to come out without being hunted, we will make this right,” mom said, as her face became saddened. Then she stood up. “I have to go now, my sweet girl. Please remember that I love you, and so does your dad,” she said, and then shifted into wolf form and disappeared into the woods.
I don’t know how long I sat there, trying to comprehend what had just happened. I still wanted to think that it was all an illusion, but mom felt so real. And if it wasn’t right, who would be so cruel as to impersonate my mom. And how would they know something that I had never told anyone? Slowly I got up and started heading back towards the academy. There wasn’t any more reason for me to be here.
When I finally made it back to the courtyard, Ariel and Keno were sitting on the bench from earlier. I did my best to smile as I walked over to them.
“Hey Michala, where have you been?” Ariel asked as she jumped up off the bench. I sighed as she wrapped her arms around me before I could reject it.
“I went to an old graveyard and ended up seeing someone I never would have expected,” I said as I sat down on the bench. Keno moved a little closer so that he could give me an awkward sideways hug.
“It is alright if you don’t want to tell us,” Keno said with a smile on his face. I just figured it was safer not to say anything. I didn’t want to do anything to tip off whoever was hunting us. I had already lost my parents once. I didn’t want to lose them for real this time. I wondered if I should tell my aunt, our if she already knew.
After dinner, Ariel and I went back to our room. We talked about where we were from and the differences in the cultures. It really felt like I was gaining a good friend. What’s more, I believe I was making three friends in total. Although, there was something about Keaira that I couldn’t get over. She had been in my mind since we sat at the dinner table.
The next morning was hectic. First was orientation, where my aunt gave this big speech to all the newcomers. I swear she took five hours. After orientation, I had to head to my first class, which was mystical history. It was what you would expect history to be about, only about the fae. After that, I had algebra with Keaira. She sat next to me in class, and we talked through half the class until Mrs. Ridenbough called us out.
By the third period, I was starting to feel drained. It was strange having classes in the middle of summer, but it was a special school, with its own rules. I had biology 1 with Ariel and Keno. He made it hard for the professor to teach, as he would shapeshift into whatever the professor was talking about. I swore the professor was going to flip his top.
Lunch came by fast, I decided to get some pork ribs. My appetite seemed to be increasing by the days since my transformation. I hoped that I didn’t end up having to eat a whole cow to get full. The thought of it caused me to have.
“What’s wrong, Michala?” Ariel asked with a concerned look on her face. I sighed and shook the image out of my mind.
“I was just thinking about the amount of food I have been eating lately. I’ve never been one to eat a lot growing up, and now it seems I’m always stuffing my face,” I said, covering my face. Ariel giggled and looked at me with her beautiful violet eyes.
“Dad says that’s normal but will eventually die down. Don’t think about it too much. Our body burns a lot more calories than humans. That’s why most werewolves are lean.” Ariel said as she smiled. It was nice to see her smile. It seemed to melt away my worries, if only for a moment.
Keaira walked over to the table, her thermos in hand. She looked like she was about to pass out. It must be hard for her, having to attend school during the day. She told me the other day that the whole catching fire was just a myth created by humans. What they felt from the sun was more like a stabbing headache and massive sunburn. I was lucky that I was a hybrid.
“So, how have your classes been?” Keaira said as she took a drink from her thermos. The smell from it was intoxicating. I did my best to ignore it as I ate my ribs.
“Classes have been crazy for me,” Keno said, his mind seemed to be somewhere else. I wondered what he was thinking about but didn’t want to press the matter.
“Well, mine has been incredible. There is a fairy who sits beside me in world literature. Her name is Calita. She is so funny. Although, it must be strange stretching yourself to be tall enough to sit at the table as the rest of us.
“Well, of course, it is strange. All fairies are strange and don’t belong going to such a prestigious school,” came a voice from behind us. Turning around, we saw Leanna and her troupe walking by. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when I saw her. I couldn’t stand someone who berated someone different.
“Leanna, spreading your venom around some more, I see. Your father would be proud,” Keaira said, rolling her eyes.
“And your father doesn’t even belong, calling himself a founder—a traitor to our race,” Leanna scoffed. Her followers all agreed simultaneously.
“Don’t you have anything better to do than talk down to people, Leanna? Perhaps I should contact your mother and tell her what you have been up to.” Came my aunts’ voice as she walked up behind her. Immediately Leanna turned on her heels.
“Headmistress Helsing, I didn’t see you there. We were just leaving,” Leanna said before walking away, her troupe following close behind her.
“It is people like her that make it hard to maintain the treaty. Luckily, her mother is on the council that governs the law. While her father is the founders’ descendant, his views on the treaty differ significantly from his ancestor,” aunt Brenda said as she watched them walk away. Then she turned back to us. “Now Michala, when you are done with lunch, I need you to come to my office. I have already informed your professor that you would be late.”
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Frankly this whole “plot twist” of her parents being alive makes me not really want to read this anymore. I’ll try though.