Blood

Chapter Ten: Unmasking Emily

I poured over the book, determined to uncover Emily's true nature. She wasn't human, that was for sure so I decided to go through all the creatures in this book to see which one she was using the characteristics that I already noticed from her. I crossed off vampire - I would've sensed her if she was one of us. Werewolf was unlikely too; she didn't have the distinctive scent that came with the full moon besides werewolves are known for their super strength. If she was a werewolf, she would've been the one to save me when we were attacked by the changeling and not vice versa.

Changelings were also ruled out; if she were one of them, that other changeling wouldn't have tried to kill her. They wouldn't hurt one of their own. Demons were long gone from Earth, they found earth boring so they left, many years before human civilization grew, and elves... well, they emanated magic like a beacon, unable to hide it. Plus, they were too weak to resist mind-wiping. They were smart and full of magic but super strength was their weakness.

That left us with two possibilities: a Witch or a Shapeshifter. Both were elusive and rare, but I had to consider them. Witches were known for their cunning and magical prowess, while Shapeshifters could blend into any form. Either one could explain Emily's mysterious nature. Shape shifters and changelings are alike but not the same. Many people confuse them for each other, I fell into this category too. They have the same powers but one has more power than the other. Changelings powers are basic, they can change to any living thing they see. Their original form is monstrous, some having wings, some having only claws and some having all. They pick a human form and stay in that form to avoid being attacked by scared humans. That's their only power. Changelings are very loyal and will never attack one of their own no matter the cause. They punish their law offenders by imprisonment or banishment. They're a very intelligent species but also very mortal. Their life span is roughly a hundred to two hundred years. A shape shifter on the other hand were like the superior changelings. They hate being compared to changelings, they feel superior 'cause they are so if you ever mistook one for a changeling, they can literally tear you to pieces for that.
They are extremely aggressive creatures and have a lot of fights among themselves, they and changelings are never on good terms so they fight a lot most times about the most stupid things. They can change to anything they want, whether living things or non living things. They don't have to see something before they change, they can just draw a picture and change to it. They are very intelligent and very dangerous. They are not super strong but any injuries they inflict on a vampire can't be healed by our healing factor. It'll just stay there and rot unless treated by other vampires.

She could be a witch too. Basically witches are humans who have access to magic. Only few humans are born with the gift. They cast spells and stuff, you know, witch stuff. They'll be the most powerful beings in our universe if they reached their full potential that's why all supernatural beings try to kill any witch they find. If Emily was a witch then that would explain why the changeling was after her but something doesn't add up, witches, even at a young have a spell in them that don't allow them to be tracked so you could be standing next to a witch and not know it. Even the most powerful vampires can't detect a witch so how would the changeling had found her?

A shape shifter can't have their mind wiped because their mind changes as they change shape so the vampire trying to wipe their memory won't know which form's memory to wipe. A shape shifter is powerful enough to hide their presence from even vampires trying to track them. Witches too can't get their mind wiped because of the protective spell they have over their body. Spells that can block brain washing.

She could be one of the two, but which one?

"You think she's one of these?" Ava asked, distracting me from my thoughts.

I nodded. "It's possible. We need to keep digging."

We spent hours researching, comparing Emily's behavior to the characteristics of Witches and Shapeshifters. Ava pointed out that Emily's adaptability and quick thinking could be signs of a Shapeshifter, while I argued that her intuition and empathy hinted at Witchcraft. There were reasons why Emily could be any of the two creatures that we suspected her to be so we will stuck in a loop. Just going back and forth.

Then suddenly, I had an idea.

"All supernatural beings have a weakness." I started. "As well as shape shifters and witches..."

"I think I know what you're driving at."

"Just as vampires are scared of stakes and werewolves of wolfsbane..."

"And elves are scared of fire..."

"Shape shifters and witches will have what scares them too."

"Now we know exactly what to look for." Ava replied as she flipped the pages of the book. "Shapeshifters are scared of salt water, it burns their skin while witches are scared of ..."

"What?"

"It's a long list. You know witches are basically humans." Ava said. "Well humans with magic, they're vulnerable to everything a typical human is vulnerable to. Are you sure you want to use these weaknesses to see what Emily could be? She could really get hurt and besides even if these weaknesses were to weaken her it could also mean that she is a human. All humans are vulnerable to these things."

"We might still have to try."

"I have a better idea." Ava said. "Using her weaknesses on her could actually kill her. There's something else we could try."

"What do you have in mind?"