Dragonfly

Chapter Eleven

With great care and difficulty, I placed two bandages over the thorns so that they were no longer visible before I put my dressing gown on. My back ached with discomfort from the bandages and I couldn’t help but feel as though I had limited my movement to some degree though I had no idea as to why I felt like that.

I wanted to claw at my skin and remove the thorns from my body so that I could return to my life with no problems but I couldn’t. I knew that I couldn’t.

This, all of it, was a part of who I was.

Why should I deny what I am because of what they’re doing to my people? I thought as I glanced out the window and witnessed a small group of youths spray painting something on the wall of my neighbours home. Their hoods were up to hide their faces as they laughed and joked.

Without thinking, I leant over my kitchen sink to get a better look before I felt the sudden urge to walk outside and stop them as they completed the first word in bright red writing.

“Fae”

“Oh no you don’t!” I blurted angrily as I stormed towards the door with determination in every step I took. I unlocked the door and ran down my back garden. Though my feet were bare and I wore nothing but my night gown and my dressing gown, I couldn’t feel the cold of winter as it touched my skin. “Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I shouted at the top of my lungs; rage clear in my voice.

The youths turned and looked to me, the shadows cast by their hoods, covered their faces, hiding them from me.

“This old git is a Fae banger!” Shouted one of them, clearly a young male.

“Yea! We’re just labelling him by what he is!” Shouted another, clearly female. It was obvious that they all believed that they were being clever by what they were doing.

“I don’t care what you think he is! You shouldn’t be doing that!” I shouted as I clenched my hands into fists.

“Look! She’s clearly a Fae banger too!” Shouted a third.

“No! I am not!” I growled as I felt my anger boil over. “You think that because you’re all humans, that you have the right to do this,” I continued as I closed my eyes and my voice grew into a deep growl that seemed to emanate from my throat. My jaw clenched tight so that the words had to hiss passed my teeth.

The temperature around me seemed to drop dramatically as I stood firmly in front of them, feeling the unusual thorns move from beneath my skin. It felt almost as though they were fluttering.

“I am not a Fae banger because in order to be labelled such a thing, you must be human,” I continued angrily. My eyes remained closed for a moment longer before I spoke the final words, “and I am not human. I am Fae and I am proud to be!” I allowed the pain and anger to flow through my body as the ice spread from where I stood and towards the human teens.

It crawled like long, bony fingers before it lifted from the ground and turned into large spikes directed at each of the teens.

“Now, I suggest that you both make a run for it because if you don’t, I will impale each and everyone of you. But before you do, listen to my words and listen to them well,” I said, my voice returning to being calm once again as the elderly male stepped out of his home and looked to the scene. The humans remained completely still, clearly petrified by what was happening, “You wouldn’t tolerate it if I were to go to a black persons home and harass them for the colour of their skin. I will not tolerate you coming onto my street and doing this to my neighbour because he is more open minded than others and more willing to allow my kin and your own to live in peace. You are all disgusting little parasites that should be ashamed to call yourselves humans,”

I looked to the older man and a small smile grew on my face as my gaze met his.

“You all need to concentrate on going to do school and doing well in your studies rather than harass a poor old man. So instead of judging my people, take a look at yourselves and your own lives because I will bet any money that you will each end up living off the government with no job and no qualifications if you carry this on,” I paused for a moment and allowed the spikes of ice to melt before I spoke again, “you are each free to leave. Remember this merciful act and consider yourselves very lucky because what you have shown this man, is far from merciful and what I am giving you is beyond anything that you deserve,”

All of them ran as quickly as their legs could carry them and only once they had vanished from sight, did the old man approach me and speak,

“Thank you,” he muttered, “you didn’t have to do that,”

“It’s okay, Alistair. I meant exactly what I said,” I replied with a smile.

“I had no idea that you were-” he began before I interrupted.

“Fae? Neither did I until recently,”

“You do realise that after what you just did, you can expect some crap to come your way, right?” Replied Alistair and I nodded.

“I’m prepared for anything they can throw at me,” I paused for a moment, “I just wish that we could all live in peace and not have this crap happening,”

“Human’s will come to accept Fae, just give them time,”

“I’m not so sure that they will,” I muttered, “thank you, Alistair,”

“For what?”

“Being open minded. This is something I would have expected more to be from older people, not youths. I believed that the younger generation would be more accepting but it seems that I was wrong. I am sorry,” I replied and Alistair laughed.

“I have known of the Fae for years. The mother of my children was Fae. I learnt to accept all of this years ago but I am one of very few people,” explained Alistair.

“Why are they doing this?”

“They’re afraid. Look at the power you showed tonight. The Fae are far less vulnerable than humans and because of that, they act like this. It is out of fear because they know that if the Fae were ever to decide to take over and suppress humans, they would win with ease,” Alistair explained before he sighed, “so the humans wish to suppress the Fae before they get the chance. Many times, people have acted this way out of fear and that is always how it begins,”

“How what begins?”

“It is how many things begin. Eventually, the Fae will fight back and when they do, I believe that a war shall be upon the horizon. Fear always leads to hate,” replied Alistair. I sighed and my shoulders slouched.

“I hope that it won’t lead to that,” I sighed.

“As do I, Riley.”