‘A pleasant light breeze and I can breathe?’ I opened my eyes that I didn’t even realise I had closed and I was lying beside the lake, the colour changed from a slight brown tint to crystal clear blue.

Let’s try changing my eye colours, a slight breeze blew past me along with a golden aura surrounding my head. The light aura and breeze soon dissipated and I looked at my reflection in the lake.

‘I did it… it’s red, I should change my hair colour too. Emerald green hair stands out too much.’

- - - 

“Rein, it’s already getting dark again. Do you think that weird girl found a way out?” I whispered to avoid lurking ears.

“How would I know and why would I care? I just hope the director doesn’t find out…” Rein was always like this, he didn’t care about anything other than staying alive and out of trouble.

“Hey stop thinking about useless things and start eating, you’ve only got 5 more minutes to eat dinner before we’re kicked out back to our rooms.” He replied while scraping the last drops of food into his mouth.

“Okay okay I’m eating, I hate this gruel it always tastes the same…” I complained while lifting it up on a spoon only for it to plodge back down into the bowl and splatter everywhere. 

“Ugh, stop being gross and just eat it. It’s that or tree bark and I'd say this is 100 times better than grass.” Rein was right, I shouldn’t complain about Gruel… sometimes he could be so mature and other times such a dumbass.

When I was almost done with the gruel, I could hear the director making her way towards the dining hall. 

‘Why is she coming this way? Is someone leaving?’

When the door finally opened my eyes widened in surprise at what or who I was seeing.

“Either we’re royally screwed or that girl is really a damn monster” Rein made another stupid comment but I couldn’t help but think the same as him this time… 

‘How is this even possible?’

- - - 

If the only way into this forest is through a medallion then that coachman must’ve had one. ‘What are the possibilities that he knew the director? Hmmm maybe I could use that’

Let’s try to make a replica of the carriage and the coachman, this time a stronger breeze swept up dirt and water around the lake and the bright light collapsed with the muddy concoction, making the carriage and the coachman, it wasn’t perfect but it would have to do.

“Hey, can you talk?” I asked the figure.

“Yes,” it said while it turned its head slowly to meet my eyes. Something about it looked so Unnatural. Before I could even think to begin fixing it I heard a giggle or the giggles of little girls.

“Hello? Is someone here?” I half shouted not expecting a reply.

“Oh? So you’ve awakened?”

“Where are you? Show yourself.” I demanded while scanning around waiting in case of an ambush, but what I was met with were tiny little fairies.

“We didn’t mean to startle you, you just looked like you were struggling…”

“Yh, we mean no harm…”

“Uhuh we just wanna helppp”

“Exactly… You're trying to make a..”

“Chimera aren’t you?”

“Hey, I was talking…”

“Shh who cares, we got our point across”

“...” Why am I always surrounded by so much headache… I blinked at them a couple of times, not sure what I should even say to them.

“Well…?”

“Are you making a…”

“Chimera or not?....”

“Yh are you?”

“Stop, talk one at a time, my brain hurts… What is a damn Chimera anyway?” I said while holding my head. The fairies looked at each other and the one with pink hair decided to explain.

“A Chimera is what you’ve made over there, although since you’re young it’s not very good.” the fairy spoke while pointing at the coachman replica I had made a minute ago.

“I didn’t realise this had a name but Yeah, I guess I am making a Chimera then.”

“Oh oh oh we can help.”

“Yh we can totally help…”

“You want it to act and look more human right.”

“Right?” 

“Yh… Do you guys know how I can do that?” I gave up trying to rule in these unruly fairies. When I looked back at them, they looked towards each other and nodded at each other.

“Of course we do…”

“In fact, we’ll do it for you…”

“There’s just one thing you need to…”

“Do for us…”

“Yh one thing”

“Okay, what do you need?” I asked tilting my head to the left slightly, intrigued at what a fairy could need from a human. 

“We need…”

“No, we want..”

“A tiny bit of your power.”

“Yh a fairies gotta eat too”

“Yh we’re starving…”

“It’s been too long.”

“Okay… It's not gonna hurt me is it?” I asked, concerned slightly at their twinkling eyes.

“Of course, it won’t.”

“Yh we’d never hurt..”

“Levern’s friend…”

“Yh Levern’s friend”

“Levern? Who’s Levern?” ‘Never in my life have I heard of the name Levern…’

“Oh, Levern is…”

“Shhh she doesn’t know yet”

“Oh Yh I almost forgot…”

“Don’t worry about it…”

“Yh we just want to eat our fill of…”

“Your powers!”

“Well… I guess it doesn’t really matter anyways here’s my powers. Hope you like it?” I let my mana flow and the fairies rushed towards me. The fairies seemed to simply breathe in the mana but their wings perked up and their hair colours became more vibrant.

“Oh wow weee”

“Oh my oh my”

“I’ve waited so long for this”

“I feel alive” 

The fairies started flying around wildly as if they had a bit too much sugar, then once they seemed to have their fill they created a circle around the Coachman Chimera as they dusted him with their magic which seemed to twinkle brighter than a star in the night sky.

“Look look look”

“Do you see it”

“It moves and…”

“It’ll talk better too”

I stared at the Chimera that was now standing a little hunched and his chest heaving in and outwards as if he had a heartbeat.

“Does he have a heartbeat?” I asked

“Of course, he has a heartbeat”

“Yh he’s a Chimera…”

“Not a monster”

“He just expires when…”

“Whenever you want him to”

Good, now if the director were to be suspicious and check he’d have a beating heart at the very least.

“Well it was nice meeting you all, but I must be on my way now… the sun's setting and I have many things to do,” I said while getting onto the carriage and the Chimera got himself onto the driver's side when he was commanded to through telepathy.

“Oh what a pity”

“Yes truly a pity”

“If you stayed longer…”

“We’d have held a party”

“Oh nevermind, just promise to visit us again”

“Farewell”

Each of the fairies said their farewells while watching the carriage drive away.

- - -

When the carriage arrived at the entrance of the orphanage I got out with the Chimera and had him knock on the front door. It took a few minutes for someone to open the door.

“Mr John? What are you doing here?” asked the woman in a maid outfit. ‘My hypothesis was correct, they know each other.’

“Where is the director? I have to speak to her about something.” Spoke the Chimera. A voice more hoarse than I had imagined.

“The director is currently in her office, should I go bring her?”

“No, take me to her.” the Chimera said while it led me into the orphanage.

“Alright follow me” We walked around a corner and up the stairs that were hidden from sight, the air felt as though it was getting thicker the higher we walked up the stairs.

The maid knocked on the big double doors.

“Come in,” said a cold calm voice. The Chimera pulled me into the room roughly.

“I need you to do me a favour.” said the Chimera.

“What kind of favour?” asked who I assumed was the director.

“A noble I work for paid me a handsome amount to get this girl out of their sight, I simply need you to keep her here till I come back to collect her.” 

“Would it not be easier to simply kill her? Why keep her alive especially after she’s heard this conversation” asked the director while pointing towards me with the back of her quill.

“No, the lord apparently has some use for this thing, you don’t have to worry about her talking, she knows if she wishes to live it’ll be better to keep quiet. Go on girl, say hello to the director.” said the Chimera while pushing me towards the desk of the director, to keep up the act I pretended to almost trip over myself.

“He… Hello madam, my name is Vee… uhh umm” I stammered while hiding behind the Chimera.

“She’s a bit of a shy one… anyway here’s the payment for keeping her here, she hasn’t had the chance to eat yet. You know what, here are 3 extra gold pieces to feed all the children some good food.” The Chimera threw a bag of coins that the fairies helped me create.

“When did you, Mr John, turn so generous? Enough to feed children whom you don’t like?” asked the director.

“Guess I'm in a good mood today, you got a spare room? I’m too tired to go back to my home today, surely I can spend one night here.” 

“Sure, here let me take you to your room after taking the girl to the dining hall.” the director said while getting up and opening the door.

Once we got down the stairs and around the corner the director led us through the corridor and towards the big room where all the children were. As soon as the door opened my eyes landed on the two blonde boys that had helped me just this morning. 

Before either the two boys or I could even begin to think the director clapped to get everyone's attention and made an announcement.

“Everyone we have a new child, make sure to welcome her and help her adjust to life at Devil’s heart orphanage. Miss Dandy, please come here for a moment." When the director called for Miss Dandy a woman with light blue hair came toward us.

“Dandy, Mr John has made a donation for the children to have a feast today, make sure to give out plenty of meat and juice for the children and prepare the finest wine and food for Mr John in the spare room at the end of the 3rd corridor.” with that Miss Dandy left after a slight nod followed by the Chimera and the Director.

I watched as the doors shut and when I turned my attention back towards the middle of the room all the kids had gathered around me except for the two blonde boys from earlier in the day. ‘I Guess they’re still in shock'

“Did you get dropped off by your dad?” a little girl asked, with no malice, just pure curiosity.

“No…” I answered

“Pfft, as if she would admit to it. Clearly, she was dropped off by her dad, look at her, she’s got no clue as to where she is.” a boy with red hair and freckles spoke out.

“The man who dropped me off here is friends with the director that’s all but even if he was my father, quite frankly that’s none of your concern,” I replied.

When I tried to walk past the crowd and towards where the 2 blonde boys were sitting, the boy with red hair stopped me in my tracks.

“Where do you think you’re going, this is our turf and you can’t just waltz in here like you own the place. Hey boys, let's show her what it means to be abandoned, I think she’s a bit slow.” Had I been a real 4-year-old, those words would’ve cut me like a knife on butter but I was now used to being abandoned. 

I pushed him away from me lightly as a warning, my usually childlike innocent eyes now boring holes soullessly having lost its prior glint.

“This is my first and last warning to you and your lackeys, don’t ever lay your hands on me without my permission again.” There was a hint of hesitation from the boy but when his friends started egging him on he picked up his hands as if to punch me.

“I’ll teach you a lesson today.” I blinked at his fist a few times, unfazed.

As I didn’t seem to pay much attention, the boy looked as though he had no choice but to go through with his actions without thinking about the consequences or the results.

‘Haaa… I still don’t like kids.’