Splendid Fall

Ch.4 Golden heart

Chapter 4

"I feel like dinner was a disaster," Adan said as he walked Birdie out of the portal and to the front steps of the house.

"No, it wasn't," Birdie shook her head.

"I like the way you lie," the boy gave a short laugh as he paused and looked at the girl.

"You know you can lie too," Birdie turned to look back. "You're part merman."

"I don't like to lie," Adan shrugged.

"Why not?" Birdie asked.

"Don't you feel weird?" Adan pushed his hands into his pockets. "When you lie...don't you feel like you're going against your nature?"

"What is our nature?" Birdie wondered. "We're both half jinns and half something else."

"But our jinn blood will always be stronger," Adan said. "I don't know. Maybe it's just me. But I feel weird when I lie."

"Maybe you're more jinn then me," Birdie teased.

"I believe it," Adan laughed once more. "I mean look at you."

As soon as the words left his lips, he gregreated his poor choice of words. He watched the smile slip from Birdie's lips as she shifted her weight and spun a strand of silver hair around her finger.

"I didn't mean it like that," Adan began.

"I know," Birdie nodded and smiled. But it did not reach her eyes.

"You're beautiful," Adan said. "Very beautiful."

The boy's words seemed to have an opposite reaction. Birdie's face twisted as if she tasted something disgusting in her mouth. Her insides churned and her skin suddenly felt icky and sticky.

"What?" Adan asked, seeing the way her face soured.

"Nothing," Birdie shook her head.

"I said something wrong," Adan proceeded with caution.

"No, you didn't," Birdie sighed, not knowing how to explain to him that she didn't want to be beautiful.

Being called beautiful was like a slap in the face. It was a reminder of how different she looked from everyone in her family and the rest of the world. She wasn't beautiful like her mother for her dirty blonde hair. She wasn't beautiful like Nora for her warm chocolate eyes. She wasn't beautiful like Annabelle for her perfect button nose. No, not Birdie.

Birdie stuck out like a sore thumb wherever she went. People were always taken back when they saw her and stared as if she was unreal. They squint their eyes and tilted their head, trying to figure out what was wrong with her....what was she? And when they could find no answer, she could only say one thing.

You're so beautiful...

"Thank you for dinner," Birdie sighed and smiled.

"Thank you for showing up," the corner of Adan's lips curved up.

"I said I would," Birdie rolled her eyes playfully. "I don't lie that much."

"Thank god," Adan took a small step forward.

Birdie felt her heart start to hum as the boy slipped his hand around her waist and leaned forward. She could feel his warm breath over her nose and lips as he paused and looked down at her lowered gaze.

"I think I see Heyder peeking at us from upstairs," Adan whispered.

"Of course he is," Birdie muttered. "You should g-