Gemoira

prologue

Today was a good day. Mum and Dad told me so. I wasn't sure why, but their smiling faces and giggles made me believe it.

Our house was warm and smelt of the sugary food Mum was baking. We hardly had sugar, our monies never covering the expense every week. Mum worked in the bakery and Dad worked in the markets. I wasn't sure what he did, but he rarely came home with much money. Perhaps he sold Mum's food?

We lived in a small house, with everything on one floor. The front door lead to the sofa area, which led into the kitchen. We had a small wooden table with chairs for the four of us. My sister was hardly around. Being four years older than me, she had more freedom.

I was always jealous of how Mum and Dad let her go around the town with no worries. She left late mornings and came back after dinner, and today was no different.

Sitting on the chair, my legs swung from the tall stool I sat on. My chin fell onto my hand as I grinned, watching Mum dance around the kitchen. Her brown hair tumbled down her back in soft curls, her blue eyes lit up with glee.

"Mum, why are you so happy?" I wondered.

"It's a good day, Ziana!"

"Is it?"

"Yes, Ana!"

"Oh." My head tilted as she sang.

The sun was going to sleep in the sky, filling the kitchen with so many orange colours. My fingers danced through the sunlight's rays, a soft glow on my pale skin. I giggled softly, staring at all the little white spots. I wondered if there were tiny people living on them, swirling around my house with wonder.

"Mum, do you think there are other people in this world?"

"What do you mean, Ziana?" She stopped in front of me, smiling.

I shrugged when she tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Well, we live in fairy land, right?"

"We do." She nodded.

"So, what if there are other lands?"

She laughed softly. "There are more than fae, Ziana."

"There are?" My eyes widened.

"Yes! There are shape shifters!"

"Shape shifters?" I gasped.

"Yes, Ana!" She laughed. "There are so many creatures out there! Fae, elf, wolf, bear, cat, even dragons!"

"Unicorns?"

"I've never heard of a unicorn, Ana." She smiled sadly. "But the dragons are very much real."

"Can we go see one?" My eyes widened. "What do they eat?"

Dad laughed from across the room. "You cannot feed them."

"Why not?" I frowned.

"They are half-human, Ana." Mum cooed. "Shifter types all are both animal and human. Feeding a shifter like we do the ducklings will not make them very happy. They may appear animal, but they have human emotions too."

"Oh." I frowned. "Maybe some flowers?"

She laughed softly, running her hand through my hair. "Maybe one day."

I smiled in return, watching her as she pulled the cookies from the cooling rack and placed them before me.

Suddenly, the front door slammed open. I didn't turn right away, too busy looking into my mum's eyes to notice. But they widened and her lips fell with a gasp. She looked... scared?

Her hands darted out to grab me before I could turn, pulling me right from my stool and into her arms. I huffed, about to complain about being handled up when I was twelve-years-old, but she shushed me.