Changeling: The Daughter of Fire (GxBxNB)

Changeling 6

I got up and turned to face the strange woman. Part of me was terrified, another part of me was curious, and a third was ready to fight.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"A friend." She said, coming closer with a gentle purposeful stride. "One with answers, but you can call me Tiana. We have a lot to talk about."

"Talk about what?"

"What you are; an orphan."

"Unless you just killed my parents in the five minutes, I'm really not," I answered almost reflexively.

"Ah, typically teenage snark." She laughed softly. "What I mean is an orphan Changeling."

"No idea what you're going on about."

"Of course not, if you did, you wouldn't be an orphan." She smirked. "There are beings in this world, we call them the Entities, with a capital 'E' that is, they aren't humans or animals even, they're living legends. Think about your angels, your demons, your werewolves. They exist hidden away from humanity by ancient magic."

"This is crazy..."

"And sometimes, they interbreed with humanity. Such as in our case. You, my dear, are part Djinn."

"But what about my parents?"

"We've investigated them, they're normal. So is the rest of your family."

"If they're normal, how can I be a djinn?"

"When changelings breed with mundanes the power will become dormant and sometimes it will manifest again generations later. These unlucky changelings who have nobody to guide them are called Orphans. You're one of them, I'm sure you've noticed strange happenings, but why don't we get more comfortable?"

She turned around and left the prayer room, holding the door open for me. "Come on."

I carefully followed her into the main room and saw Uncle Mo had his face lying down against the table. "What did you do to him?" I rushed to his side, he was breathing softly, snoring even.

"He's only sleeping," Tiana said. She came forward and grabbed a cup from a cupboard, going for the table and pouring herself some tea. "It's what I do. Let me guess, you do fire and wishes?"

"How did you know?"

"We've already identified you as a djinn."

"Who's we?"

"I work with a group who take care of people like you, orphaned changelings who have nobody to guide them."

"Take care?" My body stiffened at the words.

"Oh, I can just see what you're thinking and I assure you, it's nothing so crass." She took a sip of tea. "This is quite delightful," she said, pleasantly surprised.

"It's cardamom tea," I said, it smelled amazing and I decided to pour myself a cup. "What do you do then?"

"We educate you and protect you. We have a facility up in Seattle where we shelter those like you. It's a boarding house of a sort."

"Protect me?"

"Changelings are living legends, we are born of human thoughts and dreams. And then there are Hollows. They're everything we're not; empty shells devoid of life and passion. They are drawn to us like sharks to blood."

I shuddered at the thought. She could be lying, but what if she wasn't?

"But how exactly do you plan on getting me to a different state?"

"Art scholarship, maybe a little mental influence."

"Art scholarship?"

"What's your thing? Wait no, let me guess. Drawing or painting?"

I blinked. "How do you know?"

"There's something about changelings, something that drives us to be creative people. I was always one for theater, you have the hands of an artist," She said. What that meant I had no freaking clue. "You'll be selected for a special scholarship up north at a prestigious private school, I'm sure your parents won't object much, if they do, we have ways."

"You're not making it sound like I have much of a choice."

"Oh you do, although if you decline, I can't promise your safety. This is a small town, you might stay hidden long enough to master your powers and have a chance. It's all up to you, but I'd rather hope you join us."

With that said, she finished her cup, got up, washed it and put it back in the cupboard. "I'll give you a week to make your choice, I'll be in touch. Don't worry, we'll make sure you're safe for now."

She walked out the door and only a moment later uncle mo woke up.

"Nadia?"

"Hey, uncle. You fell asleep, you must have been tired. I wasn't sure if I should wake you up."

"Yes, I must have been." He rubbed his eyes. "How were your prayers?"

"Enlightening, I received the answers I needed, guess I just need to think about what to do with them."

He got up and pulled me into a hug. "I'm glad to hear that."

"I have work to do, mind if I take some tea for the road?"

"Of course not." He got a thermos and filled with his trademarked cardamom tea. It was just the thing I needed. I had a long day of monotonous labor ahead of me, perfect to ruminate on everything that had happened...