What if every magical creature you'd ever heard of was real, driven into hiding by an army of violent zealots? This is reality for Sarah Heisen and Porter Collins. Sarah is a sphinx living a life of luxury in her family's mansion. Hidden from all da...
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Chapter Two
(Sarah)
Morning dawned on the Heisen manor, bathing the lush green lawns with light. A few statues in the yard watched over a family of ducks as they waddled towards the nearby pond. A cool breeze wafted over the property, making the cottonwood trees at the southern edge rustle. As the sun rose higher, it eventually found a window on the east side, four stories above the ground. The curtain had been drawn tight, but it still managed to find a single, tiny crack and let itself into the house through it— right onto the face of a sleeping sphinx.
Sarah squirmed, trying to ignore the sudden light that interrupted her dreams, but found it to be a losing battle. Finally, she raised her head, yawned, and then stood up. Her sheets had been wadded up around her into a nest, and she kicked them lethargically away and leaped down onto the floor.
"Good morning, sunshine," she murmured, stretching her forepaws out in front of herself. A thick rug hung from the nearby wall, and she stood up on her back legs and ran her claws through it. Glancing at the mirror, she took a moment to groom the feathers on her wings back into place before pushing open her door and padding into the hallway.
The sweet smell of bacon and eggs wafted down the hall, making her mouth water. Mrs. Rasta must already be awake, then. She quickened her pace, her stomach already growling at the promise of breakfast.
"Good morning, dear," the old banshee greeted her as she came into the kitchen. She hovered in front of the stove, her toes dangling exactly six inches above the floor.
"Morning, Mrs. R.," Sarah replied. "Is breakfast almost ready?"
"Just a few more minutes, dear." Mrs. Rasta turned to face her. "You should go speak to your parents, though. They'll be ready to leave any minute now."
"Leave?" Sarah echoed, looking at the maid in surprise. "Where are they going?"
"Oh dear," the banshee said, turning back to her cooking, "they forgot to tell you again? If you hurry, you can catch them before they go out the door. I'm sure they'd like to give you a proper goodbye instead of leaving a note like last time."
"Yeah, right," Sarah growled, but turned and ran from the kitchen anyway. She knew her parents had a reason for wanting to leave without her noticing.
The young sphinx ran into the marble floored entryway, her claws scraping against the stone as she skidded to a halt. Her parents were already there, their hands loaded with suitcases and bags.
"Wait!" she called, halting them. They may have wanted to leave unnoticed, but they'd never just ignore her when she called to them.
"Sarah, honey," her mother said, setting her bags down on the floor. "We were worried you wouldn't be up in time to say goodbye again!"
Both of her parents were in their human forms, dressed in their best human clothes. That could only mean one thing...
"You're going on another business trip, aren't you?" Sarah demanded, stepping back to avoid her mother's hug. "Can I come this time?"
