Nephilim Children

Chapter 6

School was boring the next day, but I had my new book with me and I was reading up on legends of trolls and Fae and vampires. The coolest part of the book, I discovered, was that the pictures moved, and I was the only one that could see them. To May the pictures were nearly boring and definitely lifeless- to me they were awesome. Some of them even spoke, and I conducted a conversation with one about how it was made. He said that and ancient wizard had created him, and that he was cursed to be within the book forever, but that his curse was not as bad as the others- he still had the freedom to talk. The book was his jail, and my freedom. Reading it helped me understand both the good and the bad sides of all the mythical creatures that inhabited the earth. Vampires, contrary to popular belief, do not die from holy items, garlic, or sunlight- but they don’t sparkle either. The only things that can kill them are fire and other vampires or creatures strong enough to take them on, like a colony of Fae or a flock of Phoenixes. Werewolves do not have to have a full moon to change- even though they do change then- as rage or any other strong emotions can trigger the change. Fae are wise folk, often mistaken for Nymphs, Elves, or Pixies, and live like humans, with humans.  Nymphs are a near extinct race, as they are infertile from poisoning. Pixies are about3 inchestall and they bite if you threaten them, or lead unsuspecting humans into trouble for the fun of it. Phoenixes are a dwindling race too, like the Nymphs, because there are only ever five of them at a time anymore, though when one dies it is reborn from flames again.

Knowing the good and bad sides of this stopped my nightmares, and made me seriously think about my life. My father was a Fallen Angel, my mother a human… did I have any siblings out there? Did Grandma and Grandpa know about me? Did I have to Turnover one day? I was sober as I fell into dreams.

The next morning was the weekend, so I had to find something puffy enough to hide my wings, yet casual enough not to draw attention. I settled on a summer dress- it was going to be a hot day- that puffed up around my chest and back. I had kept the bandage on from last night, so I didn’t have to spend time redoing it. I had found showering interesting- it was hard to keep my wings in the tiny shower and wash myself at the same time. I got so annoyed I hopped out halfway through and bandaged them up. I was seriously considering telling Mum about them so I didn’t have to hide them anymore, but, considering the way she acted about the school play, I didn’t really want to push my luck.

Since my party was tonight, I decided I would help my Mum set up all the decorations and back the cake- a two tiered thing covered with white wedding icing and swirls of purple frosting, with silver dragees sprinkled here and there. I had it all planned out. All my friends were coming, including May, who was hardly ever allowed to go to parties- her parents were very strict. May and I had both begged them to let her go, and they reluctantly agreed, saying, “If it was anybody else, we wouldn’t have let her go, so take care of her, okay?” I grinned and nodded and discreetly high-fived May.

Mum was in the media room, setting up streamers and blowing up balloons in purple, silver, and white. A banner on the wall screamed ‘Happy 15th Birthday Nicole!’, and a lace-cloaked table underneath had food platters and cups set up. Coincidentally, Mum had themed my birthday party, against my wishes, and everybody was coming as angels. I sat down and started blowing up balloons with Mum. When we had finished, we hung the last of the streamers and went into the kitchen.

“Do you want a square cake or a circular cake?” Mum asked.

“I like the circular one. We can do a sort of ruffled look around the edges, like a tablecloth, and then put the swirls on when we stack them.” Mum nodded and put the cake mix into the circular tins.

“Can you roll that icing out for me while I get the cakes ready? And then mix the frosting up too please? You can get ready after that.” I nodded and set off to hunt for a rolling pin. A few minutes later I was rhythmically rolling the icing back and forth, trying not to break it or soften it too much.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Mum said. I nodded absentmindedly, not really caring. I was thinking about my party.I heard the toilet flush and the tap turn on and off. But Mum didn’t come back. I walked quietly down the hallway to the bathroom. I peeped in and could see Mum standing at the sink.

“Mum, what are you-” I stopped, seeing Mum’s face in the mirror.

Her eyes were blank, and she held something sharp and red in her hand.