“Do you know anything about a man in a glowing red cloak?”

Elena’s voice was shaky as she tried to stand upright, panting heavily. Her eyes shifted back and forth between me, and the path we were currently taking.

Those mages in my dream, at the start of this week… they were wearing cloaks, weren’t they?

“What happened?” I asked, offering my shoulder for Elena to lean on so that she could lift herself upright.

“I saw… I don’t know, it was–” Her breath was ragged as she placed a hand on her chest, trying to feel her heartbeat. “There was someone wearing a cloak… and he was glowing red..”

That mage I saw on Monday, when I was out shopping... I'm pretty sure he was glowing red.

“We need to go.” Elena reached out to grab Zoey’s and my hand. She quickly pulled us down a side street, away from the main road we were travelling down.

“What–what’s going on?” Zoey asked, stumbling as Elena dragged her along.

“I don’t know, I just…” Elena continued pulling us, ducking down another street that ran parallel to the main road. “We need to go… I don’t know how I know, but…”

The sound of ripping tape began to emerge from her back again, and the lab coat she was wearing was thrown off by her wings. I pulled my hand away from hers, slowing down and jumping as high as I could to try and catch the lab coat as it fluttered in the air.

Woah… too high!

The world seemed to slow down as I reached the top of my jump, and I looked down to see Zoey staring up at me in wonder, still holding Elena’s hand. Elena’s tank top that she was wearing under her lab coat had been lifted up somewhat by her wings as they extended to their full breadth, exposing two red marks where the tape had ripped off her back. The tape in question flapped about in the wind, stuck to the ends of her wings.

“Waah!” I flailed my arms around as my perception of time returned to normal speed, and I began falling down to the ground alarmingly fast. Elena flinched as I collided with one of her spread-out wings, landing on the ground shortly after in a rather undignified manner.

Ow… what was that?! I jumped, like… way over their heads!

I scrambled upright, dusting off the lab coat which had brushed against the ground when I fell.

“You okay?” Zoey asked, glancing back and forth between Elena and I. I nodded in response as I regained my footing, trying to smooth out the lab coat I was holding.

Elena was arching her back, wincing in pain as she rubbed the sore spots where the tape had ripped off before. Her wings flapped slightly as she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She held her hand up, refusing the lab coat as I offered it back to her, pointing at her wings.

“Um, could you… help me tape my wings again?”

 

Zoey stood behind Elena as she crouched down, fiddling around underneath her tank top. I was stationed nearby with the lab coat, ready to shield them from the vision of any passing bystanders.

We don’t want any curious onlookers investigating what we’re doing and finding out about her wings!

Zoey grabbed the tip of Elena’s left wing, feeding it down through the inside of her tank top and pulling it down until the tape was hovering over the red marks it had left previously when it had been ripped off. Evidently the spot was a little sore, as Elena flinched when Zoey pressed the tape down over it.

After she repeated the process for the other wing, I draped the lab coat over a thankful Elena, who quickly slipped her arms through the sleeves and stood upright.

“S-sorry about that,” she said timidly, quickly walking down the street as if to try and escape her embarrassment.

“What happened?” I asked, running as I tried to catch up. What did she see?

 

“I… think I had a vision. I dreamt last night that I would be late to your place, and then… it felt like my eyes were burning when I woke up. Thanks to that, I couldn’t leave as early as I’d hoped, and my dream ended up coming true.”

Is that why she seemed so out of breath when she arrived?

“And then–it just started today, but–whenever I space out, it feels like something’s trying to… appear in my mind or something. I… don’t know what happened before, but… I spaced out while we were walking, and dreamt–or had a vision, or something–that we ran into someone wearing a cloak. They started glowing red, and then… attacked you.”

“That’s definitely one of the mages I saw in my dream.” I shivered as I recalled the time I saw one of the mages on Monday, and the primal fear I had felt.

“Because of its black plumage, the raven is often associated with loss and ill omen.” Zoey’s voice cut through my rising anxiety, and I turned to see her reading something off her phone. “As a talking bird, the raven also represents prophecy and insight.”

“What’s that?” I asked, curious.

“I just did a search for ‘raven folklore’. I know all the like, animal spirits and fairies and such are all from that other world that Mira and Aeriel come from, but… I thought that some of the legends might be similar.”

Legends?

“You know how Emily, as a fox spirit, is meant to be able to make illusions using magic, or something? A lot of the legends around the world regarding foxes refer to them as tricksters, and illusions are a big part of that. So… maybe there’s some overlap between the legends we have, and the abilities of the animal spirits.”

She awkwardly scratched her head as we walked, slipping her phone back into her pocket.

“I-it’s probably just a coincidence, though. The legends we have regarding fairies are quite different compared to what Aeriel told us, and I can’t find anything about spirits that even remotely resembles them… or you.”

“That’s probably the case, yes,” Elena added. “A lot of different cultures here have quite similar legends and folklore, even with little to no communication between them. It makes sense that, if this other world has similar animals to Earth, then they’d end up with somewhat similar legends and stories. More so if it’s exacerbated by there actually being animal spirits, like Emily and I.”

I guess that makes sense… I think I’m still stuck on the idea of us being something out of a fantasy story, though, rather than out of folklore.

“Come to think of it, the thing about the mages reminded me… Elena.”

“Yes?” Though she turned to me as we walked along, she periodically glanced away at the nearby street signs.

“You had a dream before you first transformed, right? What happened in it?”

“Hmm…” She looked up at the sky for a moment.

It was a while ago, so she might not remember…

“Ah, that’s right.” She suddenly snapped her fingers, making me jump. “I think I was flying… somewhere above your house. There was a portal open in your backyard, and some kind of magic–or energy–was pouring out of it. Emily was sitting on your roof, and someone was floating just above the portal.”

I think that was me…

“Whatever was coming out of the portal… most of it was pulled towards whoever was floating there, and there was this bright flash, and–” Her voice cut off as she looked forward, a smile appearing on her face. “We’re here.”

Just in front of us was a fairly nondescript house, in the middle of a side street in a residential area. The only thing that made it distinct from the surrounding houses was a sign out front, in the middle of the garden, that read “Psychology & Therapy” in fancy lettering.

“She should be on break now.” Elena briefly pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time, slipping it back in as she patted down her back. “I look fine… right? You can’t tell that I have wings, or anything?”

Zoey reached forward to smooth her lab coat out a little, before giving her a thumbs up.

“You’re fine.”

 

*****

 

“Miriam!”

The woman with fluffy, light brown hair that Elena called out to looked rather annoyed at getting distracted from her lunch. She glanced up towards her for a moment, before silently returning to her meal, a microwavable tub of instant rice.

Elena sighed, picking herself back up shortly after and sidling towards her.

“Heeeeey Miriam… I need a favour,” she said in a somewhat sly voice. Zoey and I both looked towards each other.

Isn’t her personality kind of different from usual?

“What is it?” She gulped down the rest of her rice, grabbing the tub and throwing it like a frisbee into a nearby bin.

“You know how a while ago, you wrote that doctor’s note for Jess?”

“Yeah?” She hopped up out of her chair, walking over to a nearby sink with Elena in tow.

“I need one of those notes, too.” Elena hovered around behind her, a sneaky smile creeping up on her face.

“Can’t you write it?” She seemed unimpressed as she washed her cutlery, not even bothering to turn around and look at Elena.

“Not for one of my own students. The school’s policy doesn’t let me.”

“Right…” Elena’s friend swiped a dishcloth that was sitting nearby, turning towards us as she dried the cutlery in her hands. “So which one of them is it?”

“The short girl on the right.”

I slumped forward, once again reminded of how much shorter I was compared to Zoey.

“Fine… bring her to my office. I’ll be there once I’ve cleaned up.”

“Thanks, Miriam!”

 

Elena led us to a nearby room that closely resembled the one we were in previously, at the police station. The walls were adorned with similar medical posters, and a computer sat on the nearby desk, along with a printer. She noticed my worried expression as I glanced around the room, and waved a hand dismissively as she slumped into one of the chairs near the back.

“Don’t worry about Miriam, she’s just like this because we interrupted her lunch. She only acts this way with the people she cares about.”

That’s not exactly reassuring… and besides–

“What was with you, anyway?” Zoey asked, sitting down in roughly the same spot as she had when we were at the police station. “You act way different with her than when you’re with us.”

“Ah, yeah.” Elena’s face turned slightly red as she stammered, looking embarrassed. “She’s… a close friend of mine.”

“I’m not doing this for free, you know.” The person in question burst through the door, stopping and carefully closing it behind her. “You owe me dinner for this.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I can do that.”

She took a deep breath, sitting down at her desk next to the computer. Swivelling her chair around, she turned to face me.

“My name is Miriam. Elena told me that… you need a doctor’s note so that you can go back to school?”

“Y-yes.” I stammered. Is that the only thing she told her?

“Do you have any form of ID on you?” Miriam asked, looking back at her computer and clicking her mouse a few times. I pulled my backpack off, sitting it on my lap.

I forgot about my backpack… I think I squished it a bit on the chair at the police station. Hopefully my birth certificate isn’t too crumpled.

Luckily, my fears were unfounded, and I handed my undamaged birth certificate to Miriam. She took it, glancing back and forth between it and I for a few moments.

“I see… yeah, that would be a problem. I’ll get a doctor’s note ready for you.”

She placed it down next to her keyboard and began typing, muttering all the while.

“I can confirm that the person in question…” She twisted her head around towards me. “What’s your name? Like, your preferred name.”

“Flora,” I replied. That should be fine, right?

“The person in question… would greatly benefit from… the individual described in this letter is transgender, and her name in unofficial documentation should be changed to Flora Caldwell, and registered gender with the school be changed to female…”

She turned to me again, handing my birth certificate back to me.

“This won’t change your official documentation, like your graduation certificate, since you haven’t legally changed your name. Once you’ve done that, I should be able to write another note for you.”

“...Huh? Oh, yeah… thanks…” I absentmindedly stuffed my birth certificate into my backpack.

She said I was trans… is that accurate? Should I call myself that? I’m fine with being a girl, but…

The printer whirred into life, and a page soon popped out of it. Miriam grabbed it and neatly folded it up, before handing it to Elena.

“Here. This should be enough, right?”

“Yep, that’s all I need. Thanks!” Elena stood up, taking the page and sticking it in the pocket of her lab coat. She started walking towards the door, gesturing for us to follow her. “Alright, let’s go.”

“Don’t forget about that dinner you owe me,” Miriam called out, waving to her.

Wait, that’s it?!

 

*****

 

As we walked back to Elena’s car, I slowed down slightly, grabbing Zoey’s hand and pulling her with me.

“What’s up?” she asked quietly, so that Elena couldn’t hear.

“Um, back there, Miriam said…” How do I phrase this? “In the letter she wrote, she said that I was trans. Is that… okay?” Something about it seems… I feel like I’m intruding on her territory, or something.

Zoey tilted her head, confused. “I don’t see why not. I mean… you pretty much are trans.”

“Huh?”

“Like, think about it.” She put her hands together behind her back as we walked along, staring up at the sky. “There’s probably a better way to put it, but… you used to be a guy, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you still unsure of whether you want to stay as a girl or not?”

“No, it’s not that.” I waved my hands in front of me frantically. “I’m fine with it–I’m used to it now.”

“And do you want to go back to being a guy?”

“...not really, honestly.”

“Then for all intents and purposes, you’re trans.”

Is that it?

Elena slowed her pace down until she was matching ours, glancing back briefly. “You alright?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” I said defensively. “It’s nothing.”

Is that… all there is to it?

Zoey leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Honestly, you’re way overthinking it.”

 

We spent the rest of the car ride back to Emily’s house in silence, save for the sound of me pressing buttons on my phone as I texted Emily to let her know that we were on our way back.

I need to get Melissa’s number at some point… actually, I still need to buy a new SIM card.

As Elena parked just outside the house, she twisted her head around to look at me, sitting in the back seat.

“Do you have a uniform, Flora?”

“I should be able to borrow one of Emily’s uniforms,” I replied. Failing that, as long as I can get a good look at hers, I should be able to make one myself using spirit energy.

“Come and see me during recess on Monday. If all goes well, I’ll be able to get you into classes for the rest of the day.” She fidgeted with the letter in her pocket as she spoke. “Oh, and bring Emily with you. I’ll try and put you in her classes.”

“Thanks.” That’s good… I don’t think I’d be able to handle going back to school otherwise.

 

Emily came out to greet us as Zoey and I made our way back inside the house. She gestured for us to hurry up and follow her, her tail wagging back and forth excitedly.

“We’re about to have lunch. You’re just in time.”

As we made our way to the kitchen, Emily swerved off to the side, pulling me along with her.

“What’s up?” I asked. Did something happen while we were out?

She led me to the corner of the room, glancing around to make sure everyone else had left. “You know how I said yesterday that I thought my body was changing, somehow?”

I nodded, thinking back to what happened last night.

She seems much chirpier today… I’m glad.

“I was right, because… look at this.” Reaching a hand up to her mouth, she lifted her top lip, exposing her teeth.

Fangs?

Her canines were sharp, and much longer than usual. They showed through as she grinned, giving her a somewhat ferocious look.

“I'm pretty sure I didn't have these fangs until like, yesterday."

We're all still changing... Elena's having visions now, and Emily's senses are way sharper. Am I going to keep changing, too?

"And that’s not all,” she continued. “I figured something out about my abilities.”

“Oh, your setting yourself on fire thing?”

She slumped forward. “...Not that–well, I guess it is related.”

Taking a deep breath, she stepped back towards the middle of the room.

“While you were getting changed before you left, I talked to Zoey about how her abilities worked. Thanks to that, I think I’ve figured out how to properly use mine.”

Oh, did she learn how to hide her ears and tail?

“Check this out.” Emily closed her eyes, lifting her hands up and pressing them together in front of her as she concentrated.

Suddenly, her entire body was engulfed in a giant blue flame.

“Wait, not that!” she screamed, flailing her arms around and sending wisps of fire around the room. The flames died down soon after, revealing a very frazzled Emily. A small trail of smoke erupted from her disheveled hair. She groaned and shook her head vigorously, messing her hair up further.

“I got it before… why can’t I do it again?! Right,” She turned to me, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the kitchen, “after lunch, you’re coming with me and helping me practice!”

...practice what?