Ethan

Chapter Three

Laughter bubbled out of my mouth. I couldn't help it. She used finger guns. I haven't seen anyone use those in several years. 

Once my laughter died down, I saw her chuckling at me. "Okay, okay, I'm calm now. But are you really a genie? They all exist?"

"Yeah, and we're awesome! Every species has it's ups and downs, but it's better than being human."

I frowned at that. "What do you think I am?"

She eyed me once more. "You're taking this surprisingly well."

"I don't know why. I should be freaking out, it's what the rational side of me wants to do, but it just- I don't know. I guess it just feels right, like this is what I've been missing my entire life."

Lottie shrugged then wound her arm with mine and continued our walk. "I wouldn't know that feeling. I've always known what I am. As for you, the light blue eyes suggest siren, but it's rare for a siren to have brown hair, unless they are a hybrid. Oh my god! Are you a hybrid?"

"Jane had said something about hybrids earlier but I was in too much shock over the fire balls to pay much attention."

The girl next to me squealed and gripped my arm tightly. "Hybrids are so rare! There's only one other in this school! You must be really powerful!"

"I highly doubt that. How powerful can I be if I've thought I was human my entire life? I don't know the first thing about anything here."

"Oh, don't you worry. I'll teach you everything that you need to know. Ooh, we're going to be the best of friends, I just know it!"

I laughed at her enthusiasm. She still had her arm linked with mine, except now she was using it to tow me along as she bounced down the hall. We came to a stop in front of a set of double doors. 

"I figured that you would be hungry, so I decided we should take a pit stop in the Dining Hall," she told me.

The doors opened and I was assaulted with multiple scents, all of them food. She dragged me along to a table that had one other girl sitting at it. I was sat down in a seat across from the girl and Lottie sat next to me. 

"Hey Ilisa! This is Maya. Guess what?"

The girl looked up, and tucked her brown hair behind her ear, gazing at me with kind brown eyes. "Hi, Lottie. Nice to meet you, Maya."

"Nice to meet you too," I responded, smiling brightly at her. A small smile played at her lips before she turned to the bouncing girl next to me.

"What, Lottie?"

"Maya's a hybrid!" Lottie whisper-shouted.

Ilisa's eyes got wide and shot back over to me. The chatter in the hall seemed to dim as multiple people turned to look at our table. I felt many pairs of eyes on me and raised a brow. They must all have really good hearing to have caught what Lottie had said.

"No way," Ilisa leaned forward in awe. "What of?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I grew up thinking I was human."

Gasps were heard around the room and I realized that the entire student body had their eyes on me. I frowned and crossed my arms.

"Don't you have something better to do than listen to my conversation?" I said loud enough for everyone to hear. 

There was a scoff behind me and I sighed. Why did I get the feeling that that could only be one person?

"Hybrid? Puh-lease. The only thing you're a hybrid of is trash and vermin."