"You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice"
-Bob Marley.
Robin curses viciously.
He snatches up his discarded pants from the floor and quickly puts them on.
I move to grab the duvet but my fingertips touch vines instead. I pull my hand back immediately and watch, stunned as a flower slowly blooms.
My heart starts racing as my reality dawns on me.
"No no. This can't be happening"
I lay back down on the bed, I close my eyes, curling into myself and start rocking my body.
"This isn't happening. I'm still human. This is just a dream" I mutter to myself.
Warmth slithers over my legs climbing towards my stomach. I open my eyes to see the vines climbing up my body. Panicked, I sit up with a loud scream. The vines retreat.
Mindless with panic I jump from the bed and start running towards the door. Escape the only thing on my mind.
Leave this room. Leave this place.
If I can just get out of Robin's room, I'll be human again. It's his room. It's his room.
The entire house is a blur as I run out.
Robin suddenly appears in front of me. I barely stop fast enough to prevent barreling into him.
He puts his hands up, palms out "Khloe, I need you to calm yourself" he says slowly.
My breath heaves faster and faster.
"Calm yourself and think! You're naked, outside in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night"
I glance around me and realize I can no longer see the house or any recognizable landmark. When did I get here?
Reading the question in my eyes he answers "The fae are incredibly fast. You could run over a thousand miles in 2 minutes. Right now we're over 20 miles away from the house. Come to me and I'll take us back"
I take a step away from him "I want to go back to being human. I need to go back to being human."
He lowers his right hand slowly, and stretches it towards me, as if I'm a wild animal he doesn't want to spook.
"Do you trust me?" he asks.
I hesitate, "Yes."
"Then take my hand. Let me take you back home. Please"
I take a step towards him and am suddenly holding his hand. I stare into his eyes dumbfounded.
"Like I said, fast," he squeezes my hand in his gently.
The ground disappears beneath my feet and a wave of vertigo hits me, and then we're standing inside the study at his house.
"How do you do that?" I ask.
He lets go of my hand and starts pacing "It's called sifting. Vampires and some demons have the ability to go to a place they've previously been to. All they have to do is picture the place they want to go"
"Oh"
He gestures towards me with a hand "Explain yourself. Why didn't you tell me you were a Halfling?"
I shrug wrapping my arms around myself "At the time I didn't want to acknowledge or even admit the fact that I might be anything other than human. You and my dad are the only people who knows"
He stops pacing and looks at me. Really look at me.
"Just a second" He says just before he disappears. Before I can register his odd means of travel he's back and tossing something at me.
I pull back the fabric from my face and realize it's his sweatshirt and boxer shorts.
I'd forgotten I'm still naked.
I put the clothes on without preamble, having to roll the waist of the shorts so it won't slip down. There is however, nothing I can do about the shirt which swallows me.
"Is your dad Fae?" He asks.
I shake my head "My mom was."
"Was?"
"She's gone."
His brows lowers "While Faes can be killed it's almost impossible for them to be murdered. The perpetrator would have to be as fast as the prey and like I said earlier Faes are the fastest creatures"
"You caught me," I point out.
"Because you just turned and don't know the expanse of your powers and how to wield them yet"
I shiver.
Not from cold but from the reminder that I am now in fact Fae. No longer human.
"My mom was killed by her brother" I say trying to shift the spotlight from my humanity. Or rather, lack of it.
He shakes his head muttering something under his breath.
"So what now?" I ask cautiously, watching him carefully.
He runs a hand down his face "You should've told me what you were when I asked you"
I laugh bitterly "I didn't even know I could be something other than human until a few months ago. I kept telling myself I could keep my hold on my humanity. I tried so hard to fight the transition. I didn't want anyone to know."
He sighs.
"What triggered it?" I murmur to myself.
I mean I had been slowly gaining inhuman abilities but I thought I still had time. I thought it would sneak up on me gradually.
Robin shoves his hand into his hair and starts pacing "To my knowledge some halflings simply transition when they're at the peak of their youth, nothing has to trigger it but the strength of their body and mind. But for most, their dormant genes get triggered when they meet their...mate"
Our eyes lock and my heart starts pounding. My palm sweats and my knees become wobbly. I sink into one of the couches inelegantly to avoid falling on my ass.
"Mate?" I ask faintly "As in buddy?"
"Soulmate. Every immortal has one. It's the one person created for each one so they don't spend their long lives miserable and lonely. The two are the missing piece of each other's soul and when they meet something just clicks into place."
Mates. Is that what happened? Did I meet mine? I steal a quick glance at Robin.
Is he my mate?
Now that I think about it, the issue started right after our dinner date at The Peninsula. Is that it?
"Is there someone in your life that could talk you through the changes you're going through?" He asks, interrupting my train of thoughts before it can go further off the rails.
I shake my head"No. I mean, maybe? Dad seems to know a lot about the Aethers"
"You're going to have to stop calling us that, since you're now one yourself." His voice is dry.
It gives me a little jolt to be reminded I'm no longer human. "I...um...what do you guys call yourselves?"
He contemplates me for a moment "You have your human race, which is just a single specie of beings. We have over two dozen species, but your government calls us The Arcane races. That's what we're identified as when we sign treaties with humans."
The Arcane races.
"Wait, you mean the government is aware of your presence?"
What. The. What?
Robin raises a brow, like duh. Wow.
My whole life has been a lie.
"When the plants sprouted up in your room? Why did that happen? Was it me?" I ask.
"Faes are connected to the earth and can make any surface fertile. You can grow anything within minutes, plants, vegetables, or even trees which takes years to grow"
"So now whatever surface I touch becomes fertile and things will grow?" I'm appalled.
Dad didn't mention this to me!
"Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not sure. What I do know is that when you transitioned, your body was infused with power and some of it just exploded out of you when you came.
You'll have to be careful with your hands when touching any surface, new powers can be quite volatile."
I swallow. Be careful. Got it, not.
"Is that all? Or do I have more powers that will sneak up on me when I least expect it?" I ask as I rub a hand over my forehead. There's a throbbing pounding there, the beginnings of a headache.
"Depends on which Fae you are. There are two courts, the Light Fae and the Dark Fae. Given how fair your hair is you're probably a light Fae. The light Faes have golden hair, a few have very light brown hair, with blue or green eyes. Your eyes are hazel though, which is rare for them."
I sigh. That throbbing seems to be steadily getting worse "What about the Dark Fae?"
"Pitch black or brown hair, and their eyes are either black or dark brown"
"So I guess I'm light Fae?"
"It's looking that way yes"
Not able to sit still any longer I stand up to pace.
"Whoa, slow down" Robin says, sifting to me and grabbing my arms.
"What?" I ask looking up at him.
"You have to control your speed. If you walk like that in public, you're going to give yourself away."
I glance around the room, not sure what he's getting at "I was just pacing."
"You were walking so fast, you were a blur. You're going to have to learn to walk slowly."
I exhale in exasperation "This has been a long night and I'm ready for it to be over"
He runs a hand through his hair "Yeah I understand. A little sleep will help you. Let me take you to your room" Before I can argue he grabs my hand and sifts me.
I turn to rage at him for sifting me without permission, but he's gone already.
Exhaustion crashes into me and I wobble to the bed where I fall into a deep sleep.