𝓞𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝓗𝐮𝗺𝐚𝐧

Chapter #1 - Talia

Chapter #1 - Talia

"Recently, discoveries have shown what new information about the lambeosaurus?"

About a quarter of Mr. Alenefar's 7th grade class raised their hands, but Talia made sure to keep hers down. Last time she had gotten called on, she got the answer so wrong practically the whole world could hear the other kids snickering.

For Talia, it was easier to just pretend she wasn't there. Especially on school field trips— like this one, at the San Diego Natural History Museum— where strangers walking by could also overhear your failures.

"Talia?" inquired Mr. Alenefar, as if the teacher knew what she was thinking.

Talia sighed.

It was her lucky day!

"Um..." she mumbled, mussing her deep brown bangs so they covered her hazel eyes. The stares of the other students pierced at her face like daggers. Even the dinosaur models around them seemed to be staring. "I... I'm not sure."

Mr. Alenefar nodded, with a look on his olive-toned face that seemed equal parts stern and kind. When he had become the new 7th grade science teacher, there had been something about him that seemed... off.

He told the class, "The answer is that the lambeosaurus actually have feathers— bright yellow ones to be exact." Huh, Talia thought, he used the word "have." As if the lambeosaurus was still alive. She smiled at the prospect.

As the class dove deeper into dinosaur discussions, Talia caught somebody's gaze. This wasn't unusual; she tended to stare out into space, and when you do that at a crowded museum, you're bound to catch someone's eyes. But something was different about this person. A girl— around twelve— with chin-length blonde hair and icy blue eyes that were previously fixed on the albertosaurus exhibit (recently, it had been updated to include feathers as well) like it brought back fond memories. But now, they were staring at Talia's class.

Talia stared back.

"...our knowledge of dinosaurs is ever changing..." Mr. Alenefar suddenly locked eyes with the girl, then gave her a small nod— one you wouldn't notice unless you were paying extremely close attention. "...as with other extinct animals," he continued as if she wasn't there.

The girl began scanning the class, and Talia observed that she had little gold flecks in her eyes— but what really threw her off was the choker around her neck. It was a small, clear crystal that to most just looked like nice jewelry. But not to Talia.

And without thinking about it, she was running. She knew she couldn't just ditch her class, but she had to get away from the strange girl.

Because her necklace was the same as the ones on the people the day her dad was taken.

"Wait!" the girl called, then paused in realization. "You're Talia Valencia, aren't you?"

Talia stopped running and turned around.

"Yeah."

"I... I'm so sorry about your dad." The girl stepped closer, and everything and everyone around Talia seemed to melt away, leaving only a muddled mess of fear and confusion. She tried to run again, but her feet felt glued to the ground.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Joley. And I can help you."

"With what, exactly?" Talia challenged, though her voice definitely cracked at the end. But it was hard not to let it crack after meeting a stranger who somehow knew her name, and the fact that her father had passed.

Finally managing to move, she started running again...

...only to trip and fall flat on her face.

Then everything blacked out, and the last thing she remembered was the clasping of something on her wrist and a strange feathery sensation.