Part-Time Griffin

Suspecting

"There are assumptions that the mysterious girl is the one who may have started the fire." The news-reporter broadcasts smartly.

I choke on the mashed potatoes and rasp, "No, I did not!"

The five o'clock news is on and the only thing I've learned is that someone likely started the house fire last night. It definitely wasn't me! You believe me, right? Griffins can't lie by the way. That's what I say.

My sister, Felicity, happily skips into the room, "Maybe your horse friend started it."

I whip around and shush her. I stop shushing her as I realize that there's still food in my mouth.

She raises an eyebrow at me, "You didn't tell Mom or Dad yet?"

"Nope." I shovel more food into my mouth.

"Why?"

I shrug and mumble, "I don't know."

"You think they'll take away your night privileges."

I nod without another word as I drink more milk.

My parents aren't home yet. They get home at five thirty. Felicity and I go to the same school so that means I can easily drive us here and there. Also, that means when I get home I only have leftovers from the night before. That can either be good or bad thing.

"Please, don't tell them. Seriously." I plead my sister.

Felicity nods carelessly. She's easy to get along with compared to my friends' siblings. Maybe that's a sign that she'll be special like me, but she has one more week if she is. My parents narrowed it down to how many days it will be until she turns into something like me. She has a week's time left, but that doesn't mean she'll turn then. Felicity might change later in life.

To tell you the truth, I really don't think she'll become something like me. I'm not being negative. I just don't think she is.

But then again, we never suspected that I would turn into a griffin. The same may go for Felicity.

By the time I finish my homework, Mom and Dad are home. As usual, they're tired and they both just want to rest as they watch the news.

Right now I'm inside my room devising a plan on how I am going to find the unicorn/pegasus dude. Maybe he goes out at night like I do. Maybe I can track him down or... something.

"Olivia, we need to talk to you.", My mom calls me from the living room.

I tense up when I hear those words. The conversation that follows those words usually don't turn out in my favor. I guess I'll go meet my fate.

"What's up?" I ask my parents as I sit down on the recliner.

My dad speaks first, "We don't want you to go out at night for a while."

"Huh?"

My mom shakes her head worriedly, "The police suspect that someone started last night's fire. They'll be on the look-out for unusual activity in this area. It's just not good to be roaming around right now."

I give them a 'taken-back' look and ask them, "When can I start going out again?"

If a stranger was listening to us right now, they might assume that we were arguing about me dating.

We're not you're average family though. I'm the prize jewel that makes this unusual family so peculiar.

"You can do as you please once everything settles down, but till then we want you to stay here at nighttime," My dad tells me.

I'm not the type of person who argues with parents. It's as if there isn't one single thread of rebellion in my system. I just except whatever they tell me. Usually, my attitude is pretty relaxed and responsible.

That's how it is now.

I just nod and return to my room. My feelings are bound inside me like a tight bundle. Other than Felicity and my parents, I have no one else who knows of my secret. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins do not know. They have no living idea of what a weird creature I am.

'Hey, Uncle Joe, did you know that I can change my form and make myself look like this hybrid creature? Yeah, I'm a bird and a cat!'

There is no one who I can talk about my griffin problems with. Wonona, Cellcy, and Roxanne are my closest friends, best friends in fact. We spend the night at each other's houses, we talk about all the drama at school, and sometimes talk about boys.

But I could never tell them what I am. Believe it or not, I enjoy being a normal human with them. I wouldn't want them to carry this secret of mine anyway.

So I sit on my bed. My thoughts drift back to the other person out there who is like me. The unicorn/pegasus person. I want to find him. I want to share my pent-up emotions with him. I want to feel like I'm not the only one who has a freakish side. Maybe I would then have an idea on how I fit in this wild world.

How am I going to find him if I'm stuck here at home for who knows how many nights?

Any attempts at leaving will be noticed by my parents. They'll likely have the security alarm set during the next few nights. The windows are also attached to that system too. Forget about sliding out the windows.

Yes, my house sounds like a prison, but it's just my parents making sure that a thief, or worse, doesn't come into our home. Parents do what they do because they love you, and they want the best for their children. I wish more teens realized that.

Looks like your going to have to hold off on your mystery, Olivia.

For most of the night I hang around in the living room. Mainly, I just stalk people on Instagram, and watch more episodes of The Flash⚡️.

Staying inside is extremely boring. I don't sleep much in the first place, and it's like my body is begging for me to turn into a griffin.

Eventually, I morph into a griffin for no particular reason. As I walk by my room, I glance inside to see my lonely sketchbook and pencil lying on my desk. A great thought comes to mind.

I quickly close my bedroom door, turn on the lights, and grab the pencil and sketch pad. Then I sit behind the closed door.

On the back of my bedroom door is a tall mirror. I mostly use it for putting makeup on, but tonight I'm going to do a self portrait. My talons are almost like hands anyway. All I have to do is draw myself out.

No one, other than my family, will ever guess that this little griffin sketch is actually a self portrait.