The No-winged One

I was just in the car with my mom, on my way to school. My mom looked stressed out and she hasn't been herself lately. I was starting to think something might be wrong with her and she might need to see someone. I was just staring at my phone the whole ride until I heard a loud screech of the car wheel in sudden motion, too fast of a turn. When I blinked in shock to open my eyes, I looked up to see a tree heading right toward us. And just like that, I panicked and just waited for it to all go away. The motion made me sick and I couldn't help just to keep my eyes closed. After a minute or two I opened them back and the car seemed to be upside down. I looked to see where my mom was and I saw her hooked in her seat belt, dead. I started to hear the ambulance as the police sirens came closer and closer. I almost dropped a tear from my eye when suddenly, the front mirror caught my eye. I looked more pale than usual and my eyes seemed to change color. 

I felt someone grab my arm and scoop me out of the car. 

What was wrong with me? What came to my surprise of the accident is what made me seem different--or did the sight of my dead mother hold me in shock? Everything happened way too quickly. I didn't feel human.

It was a Saturday morning and I was sitting at the dinner table with my foster parents, that I wasn't really comfortable calling them my actual parents yet, and with my two jerky older brothers, eating toast with butter and sticky maple syrup. My foster parents were well aware of what happened that day with my mom and also well aware of my explainable appearance that day. I didn't feel normal and not really human. I'm pretty sure that's not what normal people will look like during a car accident. Also I have my doubts about my foster parents. They say they don't know anything about why that happened to me that day but I'm starting to think they're not telling the truth. 

When I was young, I always liked the idea of supernatural mythology and I always wondered if all of that might be true; I might be a supernatural being. It didn't make sense for me to actually survive that car accident. I didn't have a scratch on my body other than that, my mom had 1000 scratches and bruises and cuts. It was all really crazy and I don’t really think I’m ‘human‘ anymore. I mean, not even the worlds’ best scientist can explain how my eyes turned to a yellowish color and how my skin was whiter than ever, and still call me human! 

I sat there, staring down at my legs and lost in my thoughts, thinking about that insane scene with my mom. “Are my foster parents keeping a secret from me?”

Walking through the hallways of my high school, I still couldn't take my mind off of the fact that I actually survived that car accident a year ago--and not my mom. As I got to my homeroom class, I sat at my normal assigned seat as I did everyday. After a couple of hours everyone stopped to listen to the random announcement, “Aziel Cohen, please come to the principal's office immediately. Thank you.” I didn't know why they needed me to come to the office because I know I didn't do anything wrong, but this was probably about my foster parents as always. I got up to head towards the classroom door, walking past other student’s desks and entering the hallway. When I got there I saw two strange-looking people, one girl and one a man. I stopped by the door and confusion started to boil inside of me. I became very nervous. 

“Who are they?” I asked the principal. They looked really weird like they came from a type of faraway place on an island or something. The girl had natural red hair with fake, pretty pink hair strands hanging from the ends, and wore blue jeans with a rose-colored crop top and a black jean jacket. The man looked very casual but he had a weird smolder facial expression. He looked like he was in his thirties while the girl looked like she was 16. 

“I'm the Headmaster of Fuuka Academy, a far away Supernatural School for beings like you!” the casual man explained. 

“And I, like no other, go by the name of Hope, a student at Fuuka Academy. I came along just in case you needed a friend,” she grinned. 

“Wait, I don't get it, I'm not Supernatural. Why are you guys here!?” I exclaimed. 

“Oh, but you are Supernatural! You don't know it yet, but you are a fairy,” said the Headmaster. 

“That's crazy! Why would I be a fairy? Do you have any proof before you come over to my school and tell me crazy things like this? Fairies aren't even real!” I know everything about supernatural mythology and that fairies were real. I just never thought I would end up being a fairy. I thought it was best to play dumb so my foster parents wouldn't get involved. 

“You don't know this yet, but it seems like your power protected you when you were in that car crash with your mother. You were so frightened that you opened your mind more into your undiscovered powers that you didn't even know you had,” The Headmaster explained. “Who knows if more of your powers could be discovered! In our school, we will protect you in your powers from the human world.” 

“Mhm.. Sure but can you at least give me some time to think about this? I mean, it might have been just a coincidence or some type of plague from my great grandma or something.”

“He could be right,” Hope agreed. “There have been people like this before; people that we’ve never been quite sure of. Maybe it was just a once-in-awhile thing?”

“True, but there's never been someone with these types of powers before and definitely not anyone with such a big coincidence!” said the Headmaster. “But we won't know that for sure until we figure his powers out.” 

Hope nodded, “I guess you're coming with us!”  

I had a difficult choice. Should I choose to start this new life off as a fairy, attending Fuuka Academy - or finish my life as an ordinary human like the beginning. It was just more depressing to think of.

 On my way home, I couldn't stop thinking of what the Headmaster said in the principal's office. Could I really be a fairy? At first I thought I was a type of goblin or human fish like a mermaid or human sized sea turtle. I guess being a fairy made more sense though. I’m really into plants and nature. Other than that, fire. Although, it was frustrating not being able to use my powers intentionally yet. But it was even more frustrating that I didn't really know what to do with my life now that I was completely convinced that I wasn't human. 

 Staring down at my pockets, I was really lost in thoughts. Eventually, I was at the end of the sidewalk and was about to cross the street. I was still looking down while crossing the street and suddenly, I felt a beam of light from someone's car catch my eyes. I stopped. The driver was speeding up uncontrollably and I soon realized I was probably going to get hit. Instead of running, I just froze. Before the car could approach me, I realized I was probably a fairy so this was a good chance to see what I could do. I held up my arm and started to move them around, hoping it would stop the car. It didn’t stop. It was Deja Vu except I was the tree at this moment. 

Suddenly, the car stopped and started to hover in the air. 

“I did it!” I jumped in excitement. 

Something tapped me from behind and I jumped at the sudden touch. 

“Not quite.” It was Hope. 

Headmaster followed from behind, “You really are a danger magnet!” 

“What the hell? Are you guys stalking me or something?” That was a rhetorical question. 

“You have to come with us,” Hope announced. She looked serious and impatient this time. 

“What's in it for me?” I asked.

“Either you come with us, or stay here and I make this car run you over like a flat pancake,” She snickered. I didn't have much of a choice. 

“Where are we going?” I asked, disappointed in myself. My foster mom could be worried if I don’t come home before curfew. 

“Oh and,” the Headmaster said, interrupting my thought, “don’t worry about your parents. They are aware of what’s going on.” 

“What are you, some mind-reader?” That was also a rhetorical question. 

“Actually yes--I am,” He answered with a smile, “which, unfortunately, is the only power I have.” 

“These people really can’t tell if I’m asking rhetorically or not,” I thought to myself.