‘’Wait! Wait, did you just call me pretty elf? Can you see my ears?!’’ Alessandro interrupted her, he had to actually, just to comprehend why was she the only one to notice his obvious pointy ears. Unless his mind was still playing tricks to him and he was imagining the whole thing.

‘’Of course, I can see them! You are a changeling, just like me!’’

‘’What in the world is she talking about?!’’ Alessandro wonder. He knew about fantastic creatures but, what exactly was a changeling? He had no clue. Perhaps the cheerful doctor lady could explain, it was obvious she knew what she was talking about and most likely that she also noticed the young elf in front of her was new in all of this…. What should it be called? The supernatural world? Despite knowing nothing, Alessandro felt some type of energy source within him. A bright flame burning inside him, screaming with a soft echoing voice: You are not the only one.

Alessandro thought he was becoming uncapable of thinking things straight, the way it should be. But what was that way again? How could he know? It was a very vague concept. However, he knew doctor Kelly had some answers.

‘’A change… what?! I really don’t know what you are talking about, doctor.’’ Alessandro said with shrugging shoulders while his expression became more confused.

‘’A changeling! You see my pretty elf, the world will never be the same as you remember it to be. You are a changeling now living among humans!’’ She explained keeping her same cheerful voice.

‘’Living among humans? What?! I’m not a human anymore?!’’ the young elf asked incredulous.

‘’No, you are not. Look at your ears! And why do you think you haven’t age in…. how many years were you captured?’’ She asked while looking for some of her medical utensils she brought to examine Alessandro.

‘’Forty years….’’ The elf boy answered in a sad tone. Of course, he was not a human anymore, he knew that already. Why would he question that? It was not the piece of the puzzle he was looking for.

‘’So, I assume time in the human world doesn’t work the same as in Arcadia?’’ Alessandro asked while pulling his shirt up so Dr. Kelly could auscultate him.

‘’You assume correctly honey, forty years in Arcadia is like two weeks here, approximately.’’ If that was true then why Alessandro’s mom sounded calm in the phone? Shouldn’t she be worried about her son disappearing for two weeks? There was clearly something not adding up. With a serious look and squinting eyes, Alessandro leaned closer to the doctor’s face to look at her straight in the eye. He almost forgot what he was going to ask though, Dr. Kelly’s chocolate brown eyes were as beautiful as her and that somehow distracted the young elf. However, it was not the time to flirt or give compliments right now. He had to put those thoughts to the side so he could properly formulate the question and sound serious about it.

‘’Are you really telling the truth? I spoke with mom, she didn’t….’’

‘’I know you did!’’ The doctor interrupted Alessandro with a smile ‘’Officer Mariano told me about that and I know what you are thinking, there is an explanation for that my pretty elf!’’ She finished with another smile.

‘’Mind telling me, Dr. Kelly.’’ He said in a suggestive tone, still leaning closed to her face while his lips were slowly forming a small smirk. Alessandro was a flirty person by nature and the doctor was an attractive woman, he could not help but let out a little bit of his flirtatious self, even if he told himself it was not the time to do that right now but, when did he ever listen to his brain?! Only in occasional extreme cases and this was not one of those.

‘’Well of course, I’ll tell you honey! As long as you let me finish exanimating you and not being that close to my face!’’ She said yet again with that particular smile of hers.

Widening his grin, he leaned back again for her to continue. After a series of procedures, Dr. Kelly suspicions were correct. Alessandro was in perfect health condition with the only exception of a temporary amnesia she knew was normal in all changelings when they escape from Arcadia. Alessandro being in the human real again for barely a few hours, it was clear he did not remember anything of how he was taken away or what happened to him in those forty years. Dr. Kelly was not surprised he was confused and had that many questions. Despite not being the right person to explain things to Alessandro, she tried her best into explaining this new supernatural world to the young elf.

The creature who captured Alessandro was known as Fae. They did not have a specific appearance, they could literately look like anything or anyone. That characteristic of them was one of the scariest and dangerous. The were several of them, some were more psycho than others but all of them shared the same sick twisted mind. Their mission in life were to capture humans and take them away from their world to live with them in Arcadia, a magical but terrifying place no individual would willingly visit. Nobody knew the reason of why they capture humans and turn them into fantastic creatures known as changelings. The only good aspect of their kidnappings was that when changelings escape, they all develop some type of power during their time being captive. Alessandro did not remember what his powers were as of now, but he will soon discover them.

Alessandro was both fascinated and confused by all of this information all once. But he kept quiet listening to all of what Dr. Kelly was explaining, little by little, it was all making more sense. One of the biggest question he had was how nobody seem to notice his elven ears or the doctor’s skin full of flowers.

‘’The answer is simple my pretty elf, we have something call ‘’The mask’’. Basically, humans and non-changelings creatures cannot see us for what we truly are.’’ She responded.

‘’So, they see us as normal humans?’’ Alessandro asked coking an eyebrow.

‘’That is correct! In your case for example, they can only see your ears if you deep down want them to see them, otherwise, they are invisible to them.’’

‘’Well, that explains a lot!’’ Now he knew why the people who found him in the forest or Officer Mariano did not say anything about it. They simply could not see his supernatural features.

That of course did not explain how his parents and apparently his friends as well, did not noticed that Alessandro disappeared for two weeks. That was an important piece of the puzzle he was very interested in knowing.

‘’What?! You mean to tell me there is another person looking exactly like me living my life?!’’ Alessandro asked perplexed after the doctor told him that.

‘’I’m afraid so honey. It’s completely normal though, your keeper creates another version of you when you get captured, it’s like you never left, that’s why your mom did not sound exited or happy to hear your voice again. I’m sorry honey.’’ Dr. Kelly said before putting a hand on Alessandro’s shoulder to comfort him.

Meanwhile, he was angry and sad at the same time. This Fae took everything he cared about away from him. And when he finally returned to his home in the human world, there was another person who looked exactly like him living what he was supposed to live?! Alessandro asked himself several times why. Why did he do to deserve that?! It was not fair.

‘’Doctor, it can be like this! I want my life back! I didn’t escape hell for nothing!’’ He suddenly spoke to the woman who gave him the unfortunate news. His voice sounded desperate and a bit loud, though this last part he did not mean to. It was not his intention to raised his tone to the doctor but, if he was being frank with himself, he did not know how to react to all of this.

‘’I’m sorry, doctor, I…’’ he said before being interrupted.

‘’It’s ok, no need to apologize, I was once in your position so I know how you feel.’’ She said with a sympathetic smile.

‘’There is a way to live a normal life though….’’ At the sound of those words, Alessandro immediately looked again into the doctor’s brown eyes.

‘’Please, tell me!’’ He desperately said.

‘’Well, you can either get away from your family starting a completely new life changing your name and everything like I did or get rid of your double to get your old life back!’’ She responded with a tone of sadness in her voice, Alessandro could only assume it was difficult for her to abandon her family, friends, her whole life! But, how could she?! He would not be able nor did want to get away from the people he cared about. He spent more than enough time separated from them to just disappear again like that. Knowing this only made Alessandro hate more of what he was now, part of the supernatural world. Though, there was a second option and despite him not liking the sound of ‘’Get rid of your double’’ he had to ask just to make sure what the doctor was referring to.

‘’When you said get rid of my double, what do you mean exactly?’’ he asked with a calm voice trying to keep a neutral expression.

‘’I mean that you have to kill him!’’

‘’What?!’’