She watched from the shadows as the elf descended, hovering a bit to let an avian get off before dropping down himself. Odd. Couldn't avians fly?
She'd been watching the house for a while now. No one seemed to live there except for a purple-haired man who turned out to be an elf, apparently, and his younger, cyan-haired brother whom she hadn't seen that day.
Oftentimes, two blonds came to visit, one green-eyed and the other brown. The place seemed like just another household. Sure, its residents have high chances of being orphans but so, what? There were plenty of orphan children.
She used to wonder why her boyfriend had suggested this house in particular. He said it would help her... condition. She couldn't see how two orphaned brothers could help her case.
That was until she saw the elf.
He entered the house along with the one who rode on his back. She shifted her position to see through one of the upstairs bedrooms, immediately regretting it. It looked like a murder and a half and while she usually enjoyed murder mysteries, seeing them in real life sent shivers down her spine.
"What happened here?" she muttered with growing concern for the brothers and the two boys and one girl who had entered. Sure, they entered through the window but one of them did that often, the other probably a friend of the first.
She'd seen enough. The girl seemed familiar. She went to the same school as her. Maybe then the interrogation could begin. Not interrogation, Lauren, friendly talk, she reminded herself.
"Alright, elf. Let's see if your brother is who I think he is."
~~~~
Scott's eyes fluttered open, taking in his surroundings. "Hey, Gem! He's awake!" Jimmy! He'd gotten the message. Scott felt slightly guilty, calling him just after coming home from the hospital. Gem, who'd also been there stalked over.
"Oh, good," she said with an obvious sigh of relief. With a jolt, Scott realised he was in a different attire, wearing a black crop hoodie with sweatpants to match. "Here," said Gem, handing Scott a pink, sweet liquid.
After drinking it the pain in his head which he didn't know existed was gone. "Thanks," he whispered, not caring whether the liquid was harmful or not. "Who changed...?" He didn't need to finish his question before Jimmy raised a sheepish hand, growing a bright red.
Scott smiled, "Thanks, but next time, if I'm conscious, please ask." Jimmy nodded, still blushing. Scott pushed himself up, his eyes widening as the rest of his face slowly contorted into surprise behind its lead.
A weight on his back made him turn around to see large, fluffy, white wings protruding from his back. As though by instinct, he wrapped one of his wings around him, receiving the expected warmth they gave. "Wow..." was the only thing he could utter.
The wings were marvelous past speech and no amount of words or pictures could capture their serene, gilded, glory. He stretched them, feeling an unexpected relief as though he'd stretched his arm after a long, restful sleep. "How...?"
"And look!" Jimmy spun around, and when he was done, a tail and fins were there where they weren't before. Slits in his neck indicated gills and he looked like he was choking. In a flash, he went back to being human. "I'm a fish!"
"Was the spin necessary?" asked Gem, with a raised eyebrow. "Dramatic effect," said Jimmy and Scott in unison before looking at each other and bursting into giggles. Gem pinched the bridge of her nose as Xornoth walked in, relief flooding his face as he saw Scott sitting up on the bed.
He practically ran towards his little brother, flinging his arms around Scott's shoulders. "You idiot," he muttered affectionately, "You didn't think to call me?" Scott winced at the thought. "I didn't wanna disturb..." Xornoth let out a disbelieving laugh, "My date? While you were bleeding dry on your bedroom floor?" He shook his head, repeating the word 'idiot' before thanking Gem and Jimmy. As Xornoth backed up, Scott got a good look at him.
Gilded, white wings fell from his back, hovering above the floor like a regal cloak. Antlers sprouted out of his purple hair, swooping perfectly into ivory coloured branches, crowning his already perfect face.
Experimentally, Scott reached up and felt for a sign of similar antlers on his head. He wasn't disappointed. They felt big but not as big as Xornoth's were. He got up and checked his reflection in the mirror. A gasp couldn't stop itself from leaving his mouth.
Instead of the royal ivory, they were a shimmering gold, seeming even more like a crown than Xornoth's had. "Now, you're even prettier," said Jimmy, coming up behind Scott and admiring the parts that made him inhuman. "I've always been pretty. What do you mean?" asked Scott with a laugh.
Jimmy played with Scott's hair, "I know. The gods have found a way to perfect perfection." As Scott saw the elf ears that replaced his boring old ones, he had to agree.
"If you're done fawning over Scott's elven features, I'd like to propose an issue. Humans exist and will hunt you down with stupid beliefs about your antlers having healing powers and your feathers with luck." Scott gaped at Gem. "They would?" asked Jimmy.
"How do you think they took down magic all those years ago?" Gem had a point. The realisation hit Scott like a brick as he thought of something he'd read in one of his books from the forbidden library.
"Slaughter."
•~•~•~•
Word count: 935
Lauren!
<RubyBlueWrites left the game>
YOU ARE READING
Hidden Worlds (EmpiresSMP)
Fanfiction"So show it to me," The people said their kind was gone, lost to the sands of time. Never to return. They said these magic-users were evil. They said all that lay in their chest was a heart of stone. They said not to worry - their kind was now nothi...
