“Elena?” Far within the depths of the maze of corridors that made up the school’s admin building, the three of us gathered just outside Elena’s office. The door was slightly ajar, so Zoey gingerly knocked, peeking around it inside the room. “We’re here.”

“Come in.” Elena's response came soon after, and we filed inside at her direction. She seemed a little preoccupied, not turning away from her computer as we made ourselves comfortable behind her.

Zoey flopped down into the chair closest to the wall, running her hands across the armrests lovingly as she sighed and sunk further into the cushion. She lifted herself back upright soon after, however, her gaze focused on the vase sitting on the end of Elena’s desk.

“Did you only just get those flowers? Or am I just blind?”

Coming out of the top of the tall, skinny vase was a thin stem, with white flowers dotted along it. Though the patch of sunlight shining in through the window was getting smaller, and had moved away from the vase, they still bloomed brilliantly. 

“Oh, these?” Elena pushed her wheeled office chair across in the direction of the vase, reaching out and moving it so that it lay in what little sunlight still shone in through the single window. “Yeah–the daffodils were wilting, so I picked up these orchids last period.”

“They’re pretty…” Relaxing back into her comfy chair, Zoey sighed, leaning back and closing her eyes.

Orchids… I didn’t notice last time, but it’s actually really nice in here. Not too hot, there’s comfy chairs, and flowers…

“Flora?”

“Huh–um–yes?” I flinched as Elena suddenly addressed me, quickly finding a seat before I got distracted further by how comfortable her office was.

“How are you finding school so far?”

“Umm…” I blanked for a moment, my mind still stuck on what had happened during PE. “Fine… I guess…”

 

As we were making our way to Elena’s office, I had been lagging behind the other two girls, almost stumbling along because of how distracted I was. Every time I had glanced up at Emily, seeing her ears twitch or her tail peek out of the bottom of her uniform as it swished from side to side, that moment when we were at the taps outside the gym returned to the forefront of my mind.

I feel weird… Why am I thinking about that so much? I need to ask Zoey…

 

“-ora? Earth to Flora?” Emily’s voice snapped me out of my reminiscence, and I turned to find her sitting in the chair beside me, staring at me. “What is up with you?”

“W-what do you mean?” I stammered back, my heart racing a little. You’re too close!

“You’ve been spacy ever since the start of PE.” She leaned towards me, her eyes boring into mine as if she was interrogating me. “I thought you might be coming down with something, or–”

“I-I’m fine!” My voice shook as I cut her off, and I reeled back as I felt my cheeks become somewhat flushed. Averting eye contact, I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm my heart as it thumped in my chest. “I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“It’s clearly not, but… okay.”

I don’t get it. Ever since Amelia asked if we were… d-dating, I’ve…

As Elena turned her attention towards Emily, asking how she was coping with her own issues, I sunk back in my chair, my eyes unfocusing as I blankly looked at an empty spot on the wall in front of me. Their discussion faded into the background, all blurring into a continuous drone while I tried to shove aside any thoughts about the previous class.

It’s too much. I can’t–We still haven’t settled back into school, yet. I don’t want to even… why did you have to make me think about that? I can’t get it out of my head!

A lump seemed to form in the middle of my chest, aching as I attempted to distract myself. I did everything I could to focus my thoughts away from it, instead trying to figure out what was going on with Amelia, but my mind kept wandering back to the middle of PE. I found myself peeking to my side, watching as Emily gestured while she spoke to Elena.

“-tually, Flora’s been a massive help to me.” I quickly jumped back into alertness as Emily mentioned my name, giving me a brief glance before she continued. “Since my hearing went… it’s a lot more sensitive now, so I’ve had a bit of trouble with the bell, but Flora’s been keeping track of the time for me, and letting me know when it's about to ring.”

“Ah, that’s good.” Elena had a gentle smile as she replied, her gaze roving between Emily and I. “All three of you need to look out for each other.”

Emily lowered her head slightly, her ears folding back as her cheeks turned slightly pink. “Yeah, I’m… actually really thankful that she’s in my classes.”

Instantly, the lump in my chest disappeared, replaced by a strangely warm sensation. It was similar to the way that spirit energy felt, as it slowly spread throughout my body, and yet it was somehow different. As it reached my face, I felt my cheeks begin to heat up a little, and my arms and legs began to tingle slightly when the feeling washed through them.

Elena’s eyes widened as she looked over at me, her gaze focused on my hair. “You’re… glowing.”

“Your hair’s floating, too…” Emily spoke breathlessly from my side, and I turned to find her staring at me. The sunlight beaming in through the window dimmed for a moment, and her eyes seemed to shine somewhat, a few stray colours mixed in with the amber of her irises. My heart began to thump in my chest again as I sat, becoming slightly flustered under her gaze. The colours reflected in her eyes seemed to grow stronger, and the walls of the room brightened up ever so slightly…

The sun began to shine through the window again, and the colours disappeared from Emily’s eyes. She blinked, leaning back in her chair as she stared worriedly at me. “Are you… okay?”

I shook my head, sighing in relief as the strange feeling dissipated. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

It’s not… unpleasant or anything–it’s just so overwhelming…

 

“Oh,” Emily suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hands. “Actually, there’s something I forgot to mention.”

“Oh?” Instantly, Elena sat upright in her chair, alert. “What is it?”

“We ran into–well, Flora ran into someone else who transformed, yesterday.”

“Who was it?”

“Umm…” Emily turned to me, scratching the back of her left ear awkwardly. “What was her name, again? I forgot.”

“Oh, Layla?”

A look of recognition flashed across Elena’s face, and she quickly spun around to face her computer, switching the monitor back on.

“Layla… she’s in year 9, isn’t she?” she asked, deftly moving her mouse around as she spoke. “I think I’ve talked to her once before.”

“She turned into a wolf spirit,” I continued, glad to have a distraction. “Miss Daisy knows she transformed, though.”

“Miss Daisy knows we transformed, too,” Emily added.

“In that case…” Switching her monitor off again, Elena spun around to face us. “If you run into her again, can you tell her to come and see me?”

Wait… is it fine with her that Miss Daisy knows about us?

“Umm… sure.”

 

*****

 

As we were leaving Elena’s office, Zoey let out a deep, exasperated sigh. Slumping her shoulders, she plodded along behind Emily, her eyes downcast.

“How are things going on your end?” Emily asked, her ears upright and alert. “I feel like I haven’t checked in with you for ages.”

“I’m fine–it’s just…” Zoey ran a hand through her hair, letting out another sigh before she continued.

“This whole thing is weird. I didn’t want to tell Elena this, because she’d get on my case about needing to find friends or allies again, but… you know how I’m just meant to like, blend in or something, right? It’s just…”

Her voice trailed off as a teacher turned the corner ahead of us, hurrying past with a stack of papers in his hands. As soon as he was out of earshot, she continued.

“I can’t–it’s difficult to explain, but… Emily, you know how you hide your ears and tail with illusions?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t have anything like that.” As she spoke, a slight gust kicked up inside the corridor, blowing against our uniforms. “I just have to hope that I’m actually… blending in, or whatever it is.”

“Has anything happened yet?” I asked, thinking back to what she had said about telling her parents that she was a fairy.

She said that she had to actually draw attention to herself, for them to actually realise… is that what’s it’s like for everyone?

“That’s the thing!” she exclaimed, before looking around nervously as a few students that were lingering inside stared at us, surprised at her sudden shout. Her voice was much quieter as she went on. “...That’s the thing. Nothing’s happened yet. I keep worrying that someone will point out that I’m literally sitting in class with green hair and wings and just… nothing. No one picks up on it. I…”

She slowed to a halt as we got close to the lockers, awkwardly glancing back the way we came.

“Uh… I’m gonna go find somewhere quiet to have lunch.”

“You sure?” Emily asked, spinning around on her feet to face her. “You’re welcome to eat with us, if you want.”

“Thanks, but… I’ll think about it.”

With nary a word more, she ran back down the corridor, disappearing into the admin wing again.

...What’s up with her?

 

“Hey, you two.” Caitlyn waved as we approached, a half-eaten sandwich still in her hand. “How’d your–whatever it was–go?”

She and Amelia had made themselves comfortable in the same spot as recess, in a grassy patch near the corner of the courtyard, just outside the building our lockers were in. While Caitlyn sat just on the edge of the shade, in the shadow of the building, Amelia was sprawled out with her back against the tree, fully in the sunlight. A filled lunch box sat in her lap, though she made no movement to actually take anything from it.

“It… went well…” Emily hesitated slightly as she made herself comfortable across from Caitlyn, adjusting her tail out of the way so that she didn’t sit on it.

Amelia drowsily waved as I flopped down next to Emily, before resting her head back against the tree and staring off into the distance. Absentmindedly pulling my small sandwich out of my pocket, I slowly began the process of working my way through it, blankly listening to Emily and Caitlyn’s chatter.

“What are we doing in English, today?”

Though a few other thoughts bounced around inside my head while I ate, such as why Amelia seemed so tired, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing at Emily as she spoke.

“Oh, right, you missed the last few classes, didn’t you? Umm…” Caitlyn rested her chin in her left hand as she thought, rubbing her index finger along her cheek. “I think we’re about to finish off Foxspell.”

“Ah, I’ll need to catch up, then. I’m only about a third of the way through.” The end of Emily's tail waved back and forth slightly, peeking out from the end of her uniform.

“Our class is super slow, though, so you’ll have plenty of time.”

“Yeah, I’ll probably read it after school, so I’m up to date.” Her ears seemed like they were constantly on the move, always twitching in reaction to any nearby noise. They looked so… fluffy.

“Flora, do you have a copy of Foxspell yet?”

Her eyes really did seem like gemstones, too. The way they reflected the light made them almost glow, when her face was cast in shadow. The colour felt unreal, an almost fantastical amber that captured your gaze and locked it within them.

“...Flora?”

She always tilted her head slightly when she was confused, too. Her mouth would hang open just a tiny bit, as well, and you could just barely catch a glimpse of her fangs, hiding behind her pink lips.

“Flora!” Emily shouted, startling me. She leaned forward as I recoiled, narrowing her eyes as she interrogated me. “Seriously, what’s going on with you? You’ve been so out of it all day. Are you sure you’re not sick?”

“I-I’m fine!” I yelped, my face beginning to flush. Watching her place a hand against her own forehead, I shrunk back, recalling what had happened before our first day back at school, when she thought I was sick before.

“Hold still a sec–” She reached her hand out, the same way she had before. I tried to duck away from it, falling onto my back as she kept leaning forward. Then, she overbalanced.

“Eep!” I squeaked and closed my eyes as she almost fell on top of me, seeing a flash in my peripheral vision. My heart felt like it was beating a million miles a minute, and my cheeks immediately became boiling hot. I flinched as I felt her breath on my forehead, the strange warm sensation from earlier returning.

Timidly opening my eyes, I found Emily leaning her entire body over me, her hands on the ground just above my shoulders. Her hair draped down the sides of her head, casting her face in shadow, and her eyes shone slightly as they caught the reflections of the sunlight from my hair, a few stray colours mixed in. I gasped as I realised that her cheeks had gone ever so slightly pink, and my own cheeks felt like they heated up further still.

A slight swishing sound emerged from the end of her dress, and her ears, which had been folded back, suddenly flipped upright. She quickly backed away, lifting herself off of me with a mumbled “s-sorry” as she sat back down, pressing her hand against the end of her uniform where her twitching tail was as if trying to stop it from moving.

“...Are you two okay?” Caitlyn asked, glancing back and forth between us as if she didn’t quite know where to look.

Gingerly lifting myself upright, I placed a hand against my cheek, blinking in surprise at just how hot they were. My fingers seemed icy cold in comparison, and I pulled my hand away, placing it on my chest in an attempt to feel my heartbeat, which was still going just as fast as it was before.

“I’m… okay.” Remembering that Caitlyn had asked me a question, I tried to reply, my voice barely louder than a whisper. It felt like a million thoughts were bouncing around inside my head, but I couldn’t focus on a single one. 

Emily was averting eye contact as I peeked to the side, her gaze focused on the end of her tail. I could only see the edges of her cheeks, which were still just as pink as they were before. She murmured a subdued “I’m fine…” in response to Caitlyn, scratching at the base of her right ear with her free hand.

"O-okay."

All of us grew quiet, unsure of what to say.

 

“Um–on a different note, what’s been up with you, Amelia?” Caitlyn was the first to break the silence, turning towards Amelia, who was still basking in the sunlight. She perked up at the mention of her name, leaning forward away from the tree she was resting on and brushing the bark out of her hair.

“W-what do you mean?” Her own face was flushed, though not to the same degree as mine, and she kept glancing towards Emily and I.

“You’ve were sleepy at recess, too, but you were hyper during PE. And you haven’t even touched your lunch!”

She looked down, a hint of surprise flashing across her face as if she only just remembered that her lunch box was there. “I-I’m just… not that hungry.”

“You haven’t eaten all day!” Caitlyn exclaimed, causing her to wilt slightly under her loud voice. “And you were sleepy yesterday, too!”

“I-I don’t know–I just…” she stammered, averting her eyes. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

As Amelia leaned back against the tree again, something strange caught my eye. What’s going on with her hair?

“I-I’m fine.” Her voice shook as she began to blabber, growing increasingly nervous under Caitlyn’s gaze. “I…”

Suddenly, a gust of wind picked up around us, causing the nearby trees to sway. Amelia winced as it swirled around her, pressing down on the end of her dress so that it wouldn’t get caught in the wind. Her hair fluttered behind her against the tree, almost seeming to curl and intertwine with the bark.

“I’m just not that hungry…” 

All previous thoughts about what had happened just earlier disappeared from my mind as we watched on in shock, seeing her hair take on a life of its own as it wrapped around the tree trunk behind her.

“A-and the sun is warm, so…”

From the edges of her short sleeves, thin green lines began to trace their way along her arms, slowing to a halt just before her wrists. The same lines also began curling their way down her legs, weaving around each other like vines.

“I haven’t slept well recently, too...”

A small purple bud suddenly appeared on the side of her head, growing slightly as it caught the sunlight. The outside layers of it began to spiral out, opening to reveal a purple and white orchid, the same shape as the ones in Elena’s office.

“Umm… w-what’s going on?” Amelia looked between us, her expression becoming increasingly worried. “W-why are you all staring at me?”