Paige Byrne needs a vacation

Day 1: Neighbors

Our turn against the gods wasn't accidental. It is only so long one can be seen as simply desirable. An object for entertainment. Make a tree. Pleasure the higher beings. Hide from humans. It was exhausting, and I didn't know how much until the day I met him. — Excerpt from a long-forgotten diary

***

I sigh when I walk into my room in building 14 on the first floor. So this is 1402, a 635-square-foot room including the balcony or patio. Mine would be considered modest. It can partially see the waves while mostly staring at the adults mulling around the pool. There is nothing like watching pale, rich people and elves burn from the seat of luxury.

The room looks exactly like the pictures. It has a queen-sized bed with a small couch next to it. The TV I will never use faces the bed. Straight ahead, two glass sliding doors lead out onto a small table and two lounge chairs. I turn to see a bathroom with a shower and bathtub. A small door to the right opens to the toilet.

So, this is how rich creatures live. It isn't that bad.

I walk to the closet and open the doors to find my luggage waiting. This lazy living is beginning to speak to my soul, but then those swirling eyes.

"No, no," I chide myself. "This is vacationing. I am paying myself to relax using PTO. I cannot waste my own time and money by finding a project. Just download a book. Put on a bikini. Order a cocktail. Go find flowers for rejuvenation since Mister Attention Seeker made me use my magic."

To feel better, I walk over to the paper pad on the side table and write down my list. I need a clear idea of what is to come, a way to balance my human and nymph blood. Thankfully, my nymph blood is diluted with human blood. So, I just need time with flowers to be at peace. Not to actually become a flower like some of the other Anthousai require.

"Oh," I sigh. "Almost forgot."

I added hydration and sunscreen to my list, but it was out of order. I removed the paper and wrote a new list with the correct order. There is no need for someone to think I'm a complete idiot who doesn't know how to order events properly.

"Right?" I chuckle to myself.

The room's emptiness echoes my failed attempt at humor in my ears. I hang my head in shame and drag my feet to the bed, falling face down into its softness.

"Why is it so hard for me to be human?" I scream into the covers, banging fists into the soft duvet cover. The thread count had to be at least 350.

I groan and roll over. "I can do this. My mother balanced her time and had an even stronger draw to her calling."

So much of a calling, she now lives half of her life as a tree in the mountains. It could also be her way of dealing with the trauma of my father's abrupt passing.

I unconsciously finger one of the petals on my lei. A tingling starts at my scalp.

"Shit," I mutter to myself and look in the mirror.

One of my brown curls is now a white and purple petal to match my lei. The strand of flowers drops to the floor on instinct. Walking to the doors, I open them widely and breathe in the sea air.

It isn't that I hate my nymph blood. I just don't like randomly turning into a flower, tree, or puddle of water when emotionally rattled. That loss of myself as nature overwhelmed me. A long-forgotten magical bond brought about by those who made us. Taunted us. Played with us. It first seeped from my blood when I was four years old. My dad told me I couldn't have ice cream for dessert. I built myself into such a fit that my arms became stems. Through my continued sobs, my parents gushed. Through my helplessness to the breeze, they called me beautiful. Through some untold bond, I saw the silver strands vanish beyond a veil.