Everything was going my way. I was eighteen years old and had a lot ahead of me. I had a boyfriend I loved and intended to marry someday, graduated top of my class in high school, earned a scholarship to a fancy college, and scored a Summer internship at a huge tech company. My first day at said internship was going well, and I was looking forward to a bright future. So, as you can imagine, that was the perfect time for an experimental device to explode in my face. 

At least, I think that’s what happened. It was all a bit fuzzy at the end there, if I’m honest. I don’t even remember my name or what I looked like. All I know is that I died that day in some kind of explosion and found myself floating above my body, which had been destroyed beyond recognition. I didn’t really have much time to contemplate my situation before I was sucked into a swirling vortex of bright lights. 

As my spirit rocketed along the rainbow tunnel, it curved and changed direction multiple times like a water slide. I began to slow down as I neared a bright, blinding light at the end of the tunnel, and once I passed through it, my mind went blank. 

It felt like I was fading in and out of consciousness. One minute, I was floating in warm liquid. Then a second later, I was being pulled out into a cold and bright room that made me start crying. People were standing around me talking, and although everything was blurry, I could tell I had been reborn as a baby.

But before my eyes focused and I could gather any more information about these people or my new surroundings, I blacked out again. When I came to, it felt like several days had passed and I was laying in a bassinet of some kind. The black outs kept happening for weeks, months, even. During that time, it was difficult to retain memories or establish any kind of continuity of thoughts. It was hazy like a long, unending dream. I imagine that was a result of my infant brain trying to accommodate my eighteen year old mind. 

Finally, around my first birthday in this new body, my thoughts began to stabilize. The foundations of movement, communication, and awareness were gradually returning to me as my brain developed. 

“How’s my little Zebby today?” came the warm, loving voice of my mother as she looked down at me. I began smiling and giggling uncontrollably, feeling a deep bond with her. She had peachy, sun-kissed skin, radiant blue eyes, and black hair pulled into a long braided ponytail. It was then that I realized for the first time that she also had pointed elf ears and was wearing a dress that looked like it came straight out of a fantasy movie.

What kind of world was I born into? I thought to myself. I began looking around to take in more of my environment: I was laying in a wooden crib with a silky white sheet over the mattress. Morning light was pouring in through an ornate circular window, illuminating the fancy green wallpaper in the room.

Mother reached down to pick me up, carrying me out of my room and down a long hall into a dining room. The wallpaper, windows, and wooden door frames throughout the large house were all of a similar design to my bedroom. Various books and knick-knacks sat on wooden shelves, and the walls were covered in portraits of various pointy-eared people. I reached a hand up to feel my own ears, which were pointed as well.

“There’s my little Zebby Boy!” said my father cheerfully as we entered the dining room, looking up from his newspaper. He was tall and muscular with green eyes and shoulder-length brown hair pulled into a half-up/half-down style. I noticed he was remarkably well-dressed, with a glittery cobalt robe over a dark suit and an elegant crimson necktie. And of course, he had pointed ears too. 

I glanced at the newspaper as best I could, trying to make out any words. Unfortunately, it seemed I would need to relearn to read with this new brain. But the style of the newspaper and my father’s attire showed me that this new world was at least somewhat modern. 

I couldn’t stop smiling as I looked back and forth between my parents, and before I realized what I was doing, I uttered my first words. “Mama… Dada…”

Suddenly, they both made the kinds of faces and noises one would expect from a cat owner when their cat did something cute. My father jumped up and ran over to stand next to my mother as they both looked at me and went, “Awwww!”

“He said Mama first, so I win,” my mother jested playfully.

“He just said it first because he didn’t want to hurt your feelings!” my father replied, smirking. He then winked at me. “Right, buddy?”

“Oh really?!” she responded back, then reached out one hand to tickle him while still holding me in the other arm. 

“Hey! No! Stop! Ahaha!” My father began squirming as she assaulted his sides and underarms. I loved how happy and playful they were. 

After a few minutes, my father regained his composure, finished his cup of coffee, kissed my mother and I goodbye, and then headed out the door. What really caught me off guard was seeing him manifest a pair of faerie wings from his back and fly away.

Okay, so maybe we’re faeries instead of elves? I pondered in my head. I then turned my attention to the open doorway and our front yard. I spotted palm trees and realized I could smell the moisture in the air like when I lived in Florida in my old life. Okay, so we live in a tropical environment. 

Then an older woman flying past outside spotted my mother holding me in the open doorway and waved.

“How is little Prince Zebastian this morning?” she asked. 

“Oh, just splendid!” my mother replied, waving back. “But you needn’t bother with the royal titles until he’s older - we wouldn’t want to give him a complex!”

My mother and the neighbor lady both laughed, and I just stared wide-eyed as I contemplated what I had just heard. Wait, am I royalty? Welp, guess this is my new life as a faerie prince! It’s bound to be interesting…