Even in a world full of magic and wonder, no one can escape dealing with very human problems.
Claire, the outspoken witty new kid mermaid is fearful of being alone and separated, and just wants a group of friends to call her own. Elora, the wild on...
"Hey, you're good at baking right? I found this, but can't read it. I think it's a recipe of some kind." He handed her the book. The words gibbered on the page. "You know, maybe it might help get your mind off of whatever it is you're upset about?" He pulled out the chair next to him offering it to her.
Mystic wasn't usually the type to hang out with Thomas. He was a year older than her and they were nothing more than just acquaintances. She never failed to listen to Lily's stories of unrequited admiration for her brother. And Mystic knew how Thomas never stopped to give Lily the time of day. The fact that he knew who she was, let alone her name, baffled her. But, she took the seat anyways. Maybe deciphering a recipe was just what she needed to get her mind off of the events from the morning.
She looked at the book with Thomas. The scrambled gibberish-ordered letters started to shift and rearrange themselves into literate words. The words danced on the page before taking their final form. They stopped. On the page, the instructions to bake "Easygoing Caramel Fudge."
"I thought you said this wasn't readable?" Mystic asked. "Seems perfectly readable to me"
"It isn't! Or at least, it wasn't" Thomas rubbed his eyes and grabbed the book. "How'd you—? Some sort of pixie-wixie magic stuff?"
"I didn't do anything"
Thomas looked at her and then down at the recipe. He didn't know how long whatever Mystic did to the book would last so he rummaged in his bag for a spare pencil and paper.
Mystic got up from the table, pushed in her chair, and walked out of the lobby hall heading back towards the open staircase. Despite the lack of effort on her part, the distraction did help her get her mind off the morning. She took one more glance at Thomas, who furiously copied every detail down onto a separate sheet of paper, and waved goodbye.
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Mystic walked up the staircase and entered her dorm room on the second floor. Her back back thumped onto the floor as she flopped onto her bed.
The faint patter of tiny legs skittered across her dresser. The lizard creature stood at twenty centimeters long and screeched at Mystic. Something was wrong. Mystic wasn't her usual self walking into the room. She didn't run up to give the lizard a pet like she did every time she entered the room. There was no smiled and her face didn't sport it's typical optimistic glow.
"Not now, Poori," She said. Her head buried in her pillow.
The thing whimpered. It scattered back to get a running start and ran off the dresser leaping into the air. The lizard reached out its arms and revealed its elongated orange and red-spotted wings as it glided over to Mystic's bed. Once landed, it skittered over to Mystic's side, leaving tiny foot imprints on her bedsheet. It grunted.
"Poori, not now. I don't want to talk about it."
Following Mystic, it walked over to face her. It grunted again. With one quick exhale, the lizard breathed out a small ember. It scorched a small section of Mystic's bedsheet.
"POORI!" Mystic shouted at the thing. Her fingers patted the newborn flame out. "You can't do that here!" She exclaimed. She stuck her hands for to the thing to climb.
The lizard happily pranced its way into Mystic's open hand. It folded its wings back up into its rough scales and circled in the palm before settling in a comfortable position.
Her hands pulled back to eye level and looked at the thing. Its yellowish-brown scaly head nudged itself against her nose.
"Thanks," she giggled. She looked into Poori's eyes. This was her lizard, her flying dragon-lizard to be exact. She named it after the fact that it had landed on the poori bread her mom made for her snack in fifth grade. Five years later, Poori still stood by her. The lizard's prance made Mystic smile even on the gloomiest of days. It was her unofficial emotional support animal and official companion.
Poori nodded. It circled around and found a position to lay down and buried its face in its tail, ready to take a nap with Mystic.
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-------- Author's Note-------
Thank you so much for reading Venefica: Stories From Your Memories up to this point! Venefica means a lot to me on a personal level. In this chapter we are introduced to Thomas, Lily's older brother. The Reed siblings hold a different kind of siblingship than that of the Quires and that will be explained later on in future chapters. This chapter also introduces us to Mystic's personal problem; the fear of getting hurt (both herself and others) brought upon by Rita's psychic attack. Mystic is a character wich such a rich amount of hidden emotions tied to her actions, I hope you keep reading to get to know more about the story of this brave pixie. (and of course, Poori is there to help her along the way)
This chapter's question: If you could have any emotional support magical creature, what kind of creature would that be?
