If I Were Allowed To Love You

One

Listen. Throw. Strike.

A gift. A curse, perhaps. Melissa didn't care which. Since she was born, just as all the other ladies in her lineage, she had been able to aim at whatever she set her heart on. It didn't matter if it was around the corner or hidden in plain sight, she could listen to the wind as it guided her aim, taking the knife she threw as it flew through the air. Her target was always struck. It didn't matter if she was aiming for the goal or not, she knew where she wanted her knife to land, and it always did.

She stood outside her father's trailer. A stabbed piece of wood with a painted target on it stood a few feet away. She closed her eyes as she threw another knife, aiming for slightly left to the knife she just threw. Opening her eyes, she saw she made a precise target.

"When are you going to miss?" her father asked as he walked outside to the backyard and sat in a plastic beach chair. He held a cup of coffee in his hand and took a sip. "Have you ever missed?"

"No, sir."

"I remember the day your mother missed." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back over the top of the chair. "That was when I knew something was wrong with her. She collapsed days later. It's sad to think that her last shot was a miss."

"But think about all the shots she did make." Melissa faced her father and threw the knife to her right, striking the center of the target surrounded by several other knives that made a complete circle around the inner lines. "At least she made more than she didn't."

"I guess that is true," he chuckled. He stared at the target and winced. "Oh, she would be so proud of you. Remind me to never get on your bad side."

"Sir, you know I would never aim at someone on purpose."

"One day you might. With all these weird...creatures coming out."

"Who cares about them. Be thankful vampires aren't a real thing."

"Yes, but there are others. Who would have believed mermaids were real?"

"I had a feeling when I saw Sally Rhymes swim at a competition. I saw her swimming and the way her legs moved, and I looked over my shoulder at Theo and said 'mermaid.' Who knew I would be right?"

"Her tail came out?"

"No, its retractable. Her legs do have to move like a mermaid's tail in order for her to swim, but I noticed a glimmer of something on her skin as she swam. I thought it was weird, but I didn't care. And no one even does. In fact, the only thing that changed about her coming out as a mermaid is the fact that there are more mermaids on the swim team."

"Stay away from the swim team, then," her father demanded.

"In all due respect, sir, I don't think I can. I share a lot of classes with other creatures. There are even fairies in-"

"I thought we weren't supposed to use that word anymore?"

She groaned. "Fairies. Like with wings. They shrink in size."

"I don't understand why all these creatures are coming out now. Society was perfectly content without knowing they existed."

"On the contraire, they always have been around. There are more species than we realized. I bet they don't feel so alone now that they know they're not the only creatures that exist. I find it to be refreshing."

"It's scary to think about them in this world."

"It's not like they're hurting anyone. They just exist and are living their lives the same way everyone else is. Why not just let them be?" she questioned as she retrieved her knives.

"Oh, I'll let them be. I don't want to get anywhere close to them." He stared directly into her eyes. "It's a good thing you have your gift. If someone tries to attack you, you can stab them."

"I'd do that whether they're a creature or not. If someone tries to hurt me, I have no problem with stabbing. But I refuse to throw unless there is an actual threat. I am not going to throw at anyone if I think they're going to attack me. Thinking is different from acting. Don't forget that either."

"Why would I?"

"Because based on the way you talk about them, I know you fear them. There are many non-creatures to fear as well. Just because these people are different, that does not mean they are dangerous. Please do not categorize them, because all that does is tear people apart."

She walked past her father to enter the trailer, and he followed her in. "I understand we're not supposed to be worried or anything about them coming out, but why else would they all come out at once?"

"Because fisherman caught a mermaid and they put her on display like a freak," she stated. "All the other mermaids came out in protest of setting her free. And when they began to feel isolated, the fairies came out with them. I bet that somewhere there's giants and werewolves. Imagine meeting a werewolf."

"I'd rather not."

"You've heard the tales. If their eyes are yellow, they're a friend of a fellow. If their eyes are red, you're good as dead. At least with them you'll know who to actually be wary of." She snapped her fingers. "And nymphs. If they're real, you're dead, you just won't know it."

"See, there are bad creatures."

"That does not mean that all of them are!" she snapped. Dropping the knives onto the kitchen table, she sighed. "I'm sorry for yelling, sir-"

"Forgiven."

"-but just because there are bad creatures out there, that does not mean all of them are. Anyone can be a wolf in sheep's clothing." She placed her hands on her father's shoulders and kissed his cheek. "I understand that this new world is scary. Creatures we thought were fake are now real, and we don't know how to take it. But fear only hurts people in the end. We have to stand strong and be an ally for them. They need as much support as they can get. It's not like they asked to be what they are. They were just born that way."

"Like you," he stated. "Like your mother."

"Do you think I could be a creature of some sort?"

"Don't ever say that again."

"But what if it's true? No matter what, I cannot miss my aim. Even if I try to, I aim for where I'm missing. It's not possible for me to ever miss. Mom only did because she fell as she was throwing. There might be something tied to me that makes me something otherworldly."

"Then use one of those knives to cut it off," he gruffed. Slamming the mug on the table, he stood up and towered over her. "Melissa, you are a human, and don't forget it. Even if something were tied to you, you have to remember that you were born a human and you will die a human."

"I know, sir."

"Do you? Because I don't think you do."

"It was just a thought, sir. I won't think like that again."

"Good." He grabbed her cheeks and kissed the top of her head. "Get dressed. I'm driving you to school before I head into work."

"Yes, sir."

Melissa grabbed one of her knives from the kitchen table and walked into her bedroom in the back of the trailer. One bedroom on each side, one with a master bathroom and one with a small bathroom next to it. The living room connected to the kitchen. It wasn't a big trailer, but it comfortably fit the two.

She threw the knife into its spot on the board nailed into the wall as she stepped up to her closet. She felt the wind guide her aim, just as she did any other time she threw her knives. There was something special about her aim when it came to knives and daggers. Sports were not her forte, but she could throw knives like it was no one's business. A juvenile champion knife thrower. Throwing was her pride and joy, and the moment she could figure out how to make a living career from it, she would. The power of her aim could lead her to big things.

I hope you all enjoy my new werewolf novel. It's going to be a hell of a ride, so I hope you stay tuned. Glam on!