Chapter 1- Nymph

  Neo

  "Control the magic, Neo! Concentrate! You must cast your thoughts beyond yourself."

  I grit my teeth, staring harder at the potted snake pnt, Professor Sycheski, and Jax standing in front of me. Jax's got a bored look on his smug face and his arms are crossed in front of his bck jacket. He's staring at me with one dark eyebrow arched and I know he's just mocking me in his head. His look is practically screaming 'Come on you moron, why can't you just create this damn illusion already?'. And the answer is probably because I can't block out that stupid, condescending look he's wearing.

  I release whatever little magic I had and drop my shoulders, looking away. I could probably manage to make them both think that I was nothing but a pnt if Jax was anyone else but...well but Jax. It's not like I enjoy using my damn powers in front of my biggest enemy.

  Cuz that's what he is. My enemy. He's got to be everyone's enemy, really. He's so rude and evil and always trying to maim or kill me. Not that anyone's ever believed that but Rosa and I.

  Anyways.

  Professor Sycheski (he's the psychic magic teacher here) is giving me a disappointed look like I just kicked a dog. I would never kick a dog. That's just unforgivable. Jax though....

  "Jax, why don't you give it a try?" He says, clearly having given up on me for the moment.

  Jax rolls his eyes but straightens and does as he is asked. Moments ter, it feels like a hazy sheet is covering my eyes and then all I can see where Jax was standing, is a cactus.

  Show off, I think, frowning. Leave it to him to not only fulfill Sycheski's request, but to also get points for creativity. Sycheski appuds, beaming and Jax lets the magic go, staring pointedly at me. As if he's saying 'It's really not that hard, Cameron.'

  It's just the three of us in here. That's how most of my special csses go. Either I'm alone, or with Jax. And all because we share some of the same gifts. As if. I don't see him changing into a fucking dragon or faerie or anything else. He's just him.

  Sycheski drags me out of my thoughts with a cough and a pointed look. I sigh and shake out my shoulders, readying to try again. I look at the pnt carefully, studying it's long green leaves, the pattern of yellowish white stripes stretched across each one as it reaches towards the ceiling. I dip into that psychic part of my mind and imagine becoming the pnt.

  My body itches. My mind blinks.

  And then-

  Well I can't see a damn thing. Only hear the whoosh of air escaping the professor's mouth. My mind is still there...but my body...

  Oh for god's sake. I didn't want to actually turn into the pnt.

  "Neo! Can you hear me?" Sycheski is asking loudly. Like I couldn't hear him from a mile away. I can also hear Jax, snorting. Of course he's witnessing this. He'll probably spread the damn story to the whole school by tomorrow, knowing him. As if turning into other creatures wasn't enough, now I'm a fucking flower.

  I think hard about not being a pnt anymore. And I didn't think things could get worse. I really need to start lowering my expectations.

  Instead of turning back into my normal - well, normal for me - self, I look down to see-

  I'm a nymph.

  A fucking small, wrinkled, completely naked semi humanoid creature. Standing in front of. My. Worst. Enemy.

  I'm absolutely horrified.

  This can not be happening.

  Jax is howling now and Sycheski looks like he was spped across the face before he starts beaming in delight. What the hell is such a delight about this?

  I quickly use my (hands?) to hide my more...sensitive areas. They're twig like with leaves and branches for fingers. I can feel myself blushing profusely. Can pnts blush? I'm so fucking embarrassed and angry that I think about becoming a pnt again.

  And I do.

  A massive, stories high redwood tree.

  I can feel my trunk growing, my branches and leaves pushing through the stone walls and ceilings, I can hear the screams from the other students as I burst through cssrooms above and to the sides. And I try to stop it, really, but my emotions have always gotten the better of me.

  Laugh at me now, you stupid jerk, I think bitterly.

  Jax

  Neo's naked. And this is not how I expected this moment to go.

  Obviously I can't help ughing. Of all his changes, he gets the ability to become a nymph.

  Oh how this moment will stay with me forever.

  Neo

  I don't know how long I'm a tree for. I do know they evacuate the cssrooms I've disturbed. And now I can hear Professor Kai, our magical pnts teacher, talking in a hushed voice to some of the other adults who must be here to get me all sorted.

  Well, that's okay then. I like Kai. She's decent. And doesn't treat me like a fool.

  I hear her stepping closer to me, she's near the top of my foliage. And then she comes to a stop.

  "Neo, if you can hear me, I need you to change back. Change back into nymph form. There's no one down there right now. It's okay."

  She speaks so gently and calmly that I can feel the heat and anger from earlier melting away. And it's with that that I'm able to calm myself enough to shrink, to release.

  I don't just change from a tree but this time I actually turn back into me. And I'm wearing clothes thank Circe. There's a knock on the door and I clear my throat before muttering "Come in."

  Staring at me from the hallway are my professors. And I know exactly what they're going to want.

  ******

  I'm sitting on the roof.

  Again.

  It must be the third time this week. I wouldn't be up here at all if the boys (the other's here in Borgnines Orphanage) weren't being such fucking dicks, being idiotic and teasing me and what's not. Things like hiding my school bag so I can't get any work done. Or talking about the girls in their normal schools that they've "had". Just disgusting. So I'm out here on the roof and they're in there being a folly of fools.

  I really just can't handle being around people right now. Not after the day I had.

  Fucking nymphs.

  The worst is their ring leader, Mike. We're tied for oldest (only cuz no one knows how old I am exactly) but he's a human and goes to the same school as them, the Prescott High School. And when I say Mike is a ring leader, I mean it. He's the bully of bullies. Guess that's what growing up in an orphanage does to you.

  Though I don't think I turned out that bad.

  Mike is constantly making jabs at me, about how weird I am. All cuz of my "fancy" uniform and "special" school. I've gotten my fair share of bck eyes from him. He's gotten his fair share from me.

  What. An. Asshole.

  You know, Mike and Jax would get along so perfectly. I shudder at that thought. One of them at a time is enough to deal with. And I really don't want to think about Jax anymore. Not after....

  Anyways.

  I don't actually mind it out here. The snow is cold but I don't feel it, not really. And secretly, I like having a pce to myself. No one else in the orphanage has a secret pce to go. And none of the others will come out here with me.

  But I guess that's what happens when you're the odd one out, even at a damn home for kids.

  Even at a school for magical creatures.

  At the Dempsey Private School, (that's the school for creatures and all things weird) everyone's a specific thing. Werewolf. Merperson. Pixie. So on. And there are multiples of them. They have their own groups, their own csses. You get the idea.

  But me? Not a chance.

  That's because I'm not just one creature. I'm everything. Or at least, I can turn into anything.

  But I'm not the only one who's especially different. Because there's Jax, and no one knows what he is (well I do. He's an evil prick that's what he is). I don't even think he knows. He just showed up one day spewing magic that no one could expin. So they let him in.

  And what happens when there's no one else like you?

  You get put together, that's what.

  As in all of my csses are with him. Can you believe that? Stuck spending your day with your enemy.

  I sigh and brush some of the falling snow off my pajama bottoms, looking over the Borgnines wn and driveway, out to the road and houses beyond, and wishing that Rosa was here.

  Rosa (that's my best friend. She's a fairy with this crazy blue hair and sparkles all over her creamy skin) is probably tucked in nice and warm at home, with her family. And I'm not jealous, not really, but it'd be nice to have someone to talk to right now. I was bullied by all the professors today. Lots of "Neo, control your change" and "Neo, you have to be faster". Always be faster, be better, stop sucking. They make it sound easy. Like they know what it's like to be able to do EVERYTHING.

  Yeah. Right.

  I try to breathe and not think about disappearing. I do not need to burst into a tree again.

  No one knows what this is like. I am quite literally the only one of my kind. And I know that because no one even knows where the bloody hell I came from. I was just dropped off at the Borgnines Orphanage one day as a screaming baby and then when I turned 13 and started turning into weird crap, the Headmistress came to expin everything and invite me to Dempsey. Everything's been different since then. Except I'm still stuck in this stupid home when I'm not at school.

  Sometimes, though, I go to Rosa's family house. Or I'm out battling dark creatures and hunters. And occasionally Rosa and I sneak into Chicago.

  So while I'm stuck returning to this stupid building every night, at least I still have Rosa. And Professor Kai. Even Jax.

  Scratch that. I could definitely live without Jax. I'm pretty sure he's evil, you know. He's tried to kill me so many times. No one ever believes me though. Of course. One look from those crystalline blue eyes and everyone is on his side. Which means I'm pretty sure he can control minds. Which is evil.

  I sigh, shaking the thoughts like sprites from my head. Too much thinking. I need to stop thinking. Especially about Jax, that jerk.

  I look up at the sky, wrapping my arms around my legs. My fading gray bottoms are starting to get wet. But I don't mind. The sky is beautiful. An empty ebony pit dotted with silvers and golds. Sometimes I wonder if the stars aren't actually creatures themselves, like fire sprites just wandering around the sky. Even after all this time, I still love looking at these stars.