A sudden strong current blows into the house, forcing my eyes shut from the intensity, my hair swirling around like crazy. 

The wind swirls and aims for the dark creature, surrounding it like a tornado. 

I crack open my eyes, watching in horror and fascination as the tornado closes in on the creature, cutting it apart like a million knives.

It bellows and roars in pain, making the house tremble at the intensity.

Its screams rise in volume as the tornado continues to close in on the creature, cutting it until nothing can be cut anymore.

Its remains rains down onto the floor, creating black puddles.

A man steps into the room, his hair an astonishing silvery white, like his equally pale skin.

His eyes are a brilliant emerald, piercing and cold when they meet mine.

He is wearing strange clothes—a style foreign to me: an elegant deep green cape, clipped around his shoulders with a silver chain, the fabric framed with soft patterns that swirls across it, and matching dress pants.

An emblem is pinned on his chest, resembling a bird. It seems to be clothing for some sort of nobility, from a different time period. Or a different world.

He makes his way to the black blob, face twisted in disgust—the man seems to know what it is.

“…Gale…” The black thing croaks, and the stranger’s lips curl into a terrifying smile.

“That’s right.” He leans closer to speak to the black thing. “Never forget it.”

The black thing wavers before it seems to lose whatever shape or life it has left and melts into the floorboards, disappearing. 

I stare, frozen, at the stranger as he straightens, turning towards me.

Time itself seems to have stopped around me and I can hardly feel myself breathing.

My mind is jumping from one thought to the next so quickly, but at the same time my mind is completely, utterly, devastatingly blank.

I can’t comprehend anything. What is happening?

I-I almost died.

And I don’t even know what it was that attacked us.

“Kay, Kay!” Dad comes over to me, his hands cupping my face as his worried eyes examines me. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.” I answer, a tremor in my soft voice, so I suppose I’m not very convincing. My eyes shift back to the stranger.

I force my lungs to inhale, taking large deep breaths.

My muscles are tense and ready to bolt. Keeping my eyes trained on the stranger, I ask, “Dad, what happened?”

“You have awakened.” The stranger speaks instead, his voice ringing out. “Your Faery side.”

My immediate response is, “What?” The ridiculousness of his words makes me want to laugh, but the tension makes me choke instead.

My mind can’t even process the man’s words, unable to piece together the individual words that form a coherent sentence.

Fairy…fairy? Did he just say fairy?

Fairy, as in those small little winged people I’ve read in fairytales, who live in flowers and trees? And I’m one of them?

I can’t wrap my head around the idea. What part of me looks like a fairy? What exactly is going on?

My instinct tells me to deny this whole thing; I want to believe it’s an incredibly vivid dream. I’ll wake up soon in bed as usual, with dad in the kitchen cooking up breakfast and the house filled with his humming.

This never happened—the black blob and this weird stranger doesn’t exist.

But what if it’s not a dream?

That would mean everything up until now is real, that it actually happened. That I was attacked by a black monster, saved by a silver-haired man with strange fashion taste who claims I am a fairy.

My body grows cold and I shiver at the revelation. No, it’s not possible. It’s just not…

I look at dad for guidance. For a laugh. For a sign that this is all a joke.

Instead, he looks down, as if ashamed.

“You are half Faery.” The stranger continues, taking a step towards me and my body tenses automatically, ready to bolt. “A Halfling.”

“What?” I repeat, my confusion and disbelief now stronger than ever as I hear the absurd words again. I force my body to stand, every muscle tense, glaring at the strange man, hissing, “I’m half fairy?”

“Faery.” He corrects, though I’m pretty sure he’s saying the exact same thing as I am. “It’s spelled with an A-E.”

Spelled with an A-E! Why do I care? What the heck is a…a ‘faery?’ No! This is absurd. This is crazy and ridiculous and I’m pretty sure I’m going to wake up to the sound of the alarm soon.

I shake my head, finding myself beginning to pace the living room in futile attempt to calm myself. “You must be crazy, sir.”

“No.” Dad says, standing as well, his voice a mere whisper but it makes me stop. He still refuses to meet my eyes, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip. “No, he’s not.”

I can’t believe this. Dad just agreed with the stranger! That can only mean I’m crazy, not them.

I’ve gone crazy and now I’m hallucinating. I manage a laugh, hand flying to hold my head as I feel myself waver. 

This is not happening. No, this is just a dream.

The stranger sighs, finally saying, “Your mother is a Faery. That makes you half Faery. Do you understand?”

My mom is a what? I manage a chuckle, “My mom is dead, actually.”

“Is she, now?” The man tilts his head at me, and I do not appreciate the mocking nature. “I doubt that. But that doesn’t change the fact she’s a Faery.”

I turn to dad, “Tell him, Dad. Mom died in a car crash and there’s no way she’s a faery. This is ridiculous.” He doesn’t say anything through his pursed lips.

I grow nervous. “Dad?” No way this is real. My mom was a faery the whole time? Possibly alive? I urge him, desperate for the reassurance. “Go on. Tell him, Dad.”

“Kay.” He sighs out my name. “I’m sorry.”

I begin to tremble. No, this is not happening.

The stranger clears his throat and continues, unfazed. “Halflings aren’t rare, but as you grow, your magic does too, and it makes your presence stronger to certain creatures. The state you’re in right now will attract many Shadows.” 

His eyes flicker towards the spot where the black thing—‘Shadow’—used to be. “They prey on weak Faeries. Halfings are easier to target since they don’t have full control over their Faery side.”

“Dad?” I ask, eyes trained on him who seems to shrink under my intense gaze. Now I’m not too sure I’m dreaming. There’s no way my fried-college-student-brain can come up with all this.

I wait for him to confirm. To deny. To say something.

“I’m so sorry, Kay.” He finally says, tears brimming his eyes. “I never told you because…because I didn’t want you to be burdened. I wanted you to have a happy, carefree and normal childhood. I thought I would deal with it later but—”

He takes a shaky breath. “It’s too late now.”

“Indeed.” The stranger agrees. “I’ll have to take you away from here.”