For years I've known I was different. It may have been the way my mother used to threaten to give me back to the Fae, the deep longing I felt in my heart that something was missing or the fact that there were the occasional acts of magic around me. I'm told that flying spoons and wish cookies were not a normal part of my friends' lives. Who knew?
After years of countless letters and emails from local Fairy groups I decided to check it out. Now I do admit, I was a total non-believer like many of you probably still are, so my expectations were set rather low. I figured I would run into a few LotR fans, maybe a couple wanna be Vulcans and the handful of people who had rolled around in glitter hoping to bounce and call it pixie dust.
What I discovered however was entirely different. No fake plants or excessive glitter were to be found. Instead, there was what appeared to be a re-purposed elementary school. Now, to the naked human eye it would just look abandoned, but to someone with magic in their blood they can see the truth. (That it is an abandoned elementary school that has been painted green and white.) Yeah, a bit of a let down I know.
When I pushed through the front door a short round woman with a tall pointy red hat and rosy cheeks greeted me. "Hello dear, please sign in and take a seat. A counselor will be with you shortly." Cautiously I picked-up the clipboard and read through the list of requested info.
"Ummmm, excuse me?" I asked.
The cheerful little woman looked up at me. "Yes, dear?"
"Yeah, I don't know what to check for any of this. I've been getting postcards and emails for years about coming. This is my first time. I'm kinda new to all this..." My words trailed off when the small woman pursed her lips and hopped off her chair before coming around to stand beside me. She eyed me closely. First she poked me in the rump with the back end of her pen. Then she tugged on my sleeve so I would bend down, where she grabbed my face examining my skin, eyes and ears.
She marched back around and with a bounce reseated herself. "Let's see, species: Fae, Race: Mixed..." She eyed me again. "At least one of your parents is Elven, you were blessed with long legs and those large haunting eyes, but you're so short. What are you? Five feet?"
"Five foot three and a half," I answered giving her my best confused look. "I thought elves were short, you know like Santa's little helpers?"
"Hmmmff," she snorted. "I'll have you know that us Gnomes have been helping Kris for centuries but we never get any credit. You would think based on folklore alone Humans would have figured it out since our stories hail from the same region BUT Nooooooo, they just credit it to the Elves." She paused and gave me a half hearted smile. "No offense, dear."
"None taken." I hoped my smile was reassuring and didn't plaster the words I think you're nuts across my forehead.
"So one of your parents is Elven, do you know what the other one is?" She blinked at me from behind a set of drowsy looking lids.
"Actually, when I said I was new to this I meant it. As far as I know my parents are human. I have been raised human my whole life. I was just checking with your group because you did successfully stalk me across 9 addresses and at least a dozen email accounts. Maybe I'm half human," I offered.
"Oh, you are ALL Fae." She motioned with her hands to take into consideration my roundness. "I"m just going to put Race: Mixed Elven and Unknown. It doesn't sound like you know much about yourself. Do you know your name?"
"Of course." I smiled happily. At least something I knew the answer to. "Kathryn Rice," I chirped.
I had no more finished giving my name then she had sighed and rolled her eyes. "No, not your Human name, your real name?"
I shrugged.
Obviously I had pushed the small round Gnome to her breaking point because her next words were snapped. "Got it! Name Unknown. Please have a seat! A councilor will be with you shortly." She finished off with a snapping arm motion using the clipboard to point to a row of chairs along the far wall.
Luckily I didn't have to wait long. Soon a tall thin man with dark grayish blue skin, long pointed ears, glowing blue eyes and long black hair almost to his waist appeared in the doorway across the hall. "Unknown Mixed Elf?" he called. I glanced both directions noticing I was the only person there and raised my hand out of process of elimination. He motioned for me to follow him into a noisy office.
I followed him through rows of cubicles before he stopped, motioning me into one with 2 chairs facing each other across a desk. "Please have a seat Miss Unknown Elf." I followed directions and watched as he took a seat across the desk from me tapping on his laptop. "So how can we help you today?"
If ever there was a loaded question. "I've never really been normal by human standards I guess. I may be having an identity crisis or something. I just thought that since your organization has kept such tight tabs on me all these years you may be able to help me figure things out."
He pressed his hands together considering me. "Hmmmm, I'm guessing your Fae parents wanted a designer Human baby that was so popular in the early 80's. You sound like a changeling." All I could answer with was an audible blink. "A changeling is when Fae parents decide they don't want their own baby but would rather have a human baby. It was wildly popular back in the middle ages and had a retro revival back in the Victorian era. Around the turn of the 20th century though the practice was made illegal. It resulted often times with issues like this." He cleared his throat and offered a smile. "Not to worry though, we will help you."
He tapped a few things out on his computer before reaching under the desk to pull out a long rolled up piece of leather. "You're in luck, I still have my race keys." With a flip of his wrist the leather unrolled. Inside dozens and dozens of stones were stitched into it with golden thread. "I want you to hold out your hand and let me guide it. While I do that, please clear your mind and only think of your happiest memory."
I did as I directed. I pictured baking with my mother as a small child making cookies in the warm sweet smelling kitchen. As the memory came flooding back in detail I felt a tug on my hand followed by two static shocks not far apart. "Excellent, you may open your eyes now." My councilor flipped through a few files on his laptop muttering what sounded like a curse in another language. "So you reacted with Moonstone which we already knew you were part elf but you also reacted to Lapis which tells us you are also part Nymph. What type of Nymph I am unsure but it explains why you are so... curvy." I mentally thanked him for not outright calling me fat. He sighed offering an apologetic smile. "The problem is there are no reported births of a Fae of that combination in at least 200 years, and forgive me for saying but you smell like a baby still under 50. Am I correct?" All I could do is nod. "I thought so. Unfortunately it means I can't tell you your name. In cases like these we assign it by Human first name and race last name. So in your case..." He glanced down at the paper in front of him. "Kathryn Elven."
"I actually go by Kat." I could hardly believe I was entertaining such an idea.
"As you like. Your name is Kat Elven, at least until we learn otherwise." He noted the name on the computer screen. "Next we need to get you training. You're starting about 25 years late but in the grand scheme of things that's not too bad. Since you currently live here in Asia we need to get connected with an Elven trainer." He tapped a few times and pulled up a list of available trainers. "You will probably have to do cyber lessons until you can relocate to Canada or Western Europe. If you were a Dark Elf I could personally help but alas you are a child of the sun."
I sighed and shrunk a little back in my chair pulling my hair into a pony tail. The Dark Elf froze in his seat. His eyes staring at my ears in shock. "What did those monsters do to you? They mutilated your beautiful ears." He leaned across the desk motioning me closer so he could look at my ears. His cool fingers ran over the tops of them, sadness and horror in his eyes. Finally he settled back down into his seat. "Your humans had your ears bobbed." His words sounded like they were almost on the verge of tears.
I reached up and ran my fingers over the tops of my ears. "My mom was afraid I would be teased. She said they were deformed."
The Dark Elf rolled his eyes. "Typical. Your ears would never have been the super elongated sexiness that a Dark Elf as but they should have little points at the top." He shook his head. "Well Miss Kat Elven, let's talk to your new trainer." He turned his laptop to the side so I could see it. A video call popped up with a familiar ring.
The screen glowed to life showing a lovely young woman with fair hair. "Marty!" She chirped. "How's it going over there?"
The Dark Elf who's name must have been Marty shifted uncomfortably. "Alathea, this is Kat Elven." Marty motioned to me. The pretty woman nodded. "She is an unregistered changeling. Elf and Nymph mix. She is in need of a trainer and I thought of you." With those words Alathea looked more closely at me. Marty pointed to my ears and Alathea let out a sharp gasp.
"You poor child, you've had your ears mutilated. They've been bobbed." She shook her head slowly turning her attention back to Marty. "She is fat and a Nymph what makes you think I want such a student?" I tried not to react to the bluntness.
"She needs a trainer and I believe that with her being North American like you, she may have an easier time to relate. Also, you haven't taken your required number of mixed students in 10 years. Do this or I will file against your license." Marty bit off the last few words.
Alathea rolled her eyes and turner her attention back to me. "My name is Alathea and I'm your new Elven trainer. Before you can be presented to the Elven council we need to get you more Elf shaped. Let me guess, you eat Human food?"
I shrugged. "I believe so."
"I'm sending you a detailed food plan. No more meat or processed Human food. You're half Nymph, so even a little bit and you will blow up like the balloon you have become. When you get home I want a full weigh in and set of measurements. Understood?" Her tone didn't seem harsh, just overly direct.
"Yes ma'am," I agreed.
"Good, you will have daily exercises to strengthen your magik core. You will also have a full set of magik lessons everyday as well. We will meet weekly in the cyber world to discuss your progress both physically as well as mentally and magically. Once you reach a more suitable level we will make arrangements to have your points reconstructed." She stopped, waiting for me to say something.
"Alright, you'll send me everything I need?" I asked more than a little concerned.
"Of course! Talk to you both soon." With a bleep the screen went dark. Marty turned it back around. Then looked up at me.
He considered me a long moment before speaking. "My name is Marthailain. Call me Marty and I will make sure your life sucks for the next 100 years or so. Alathea can be a little intense but she is one of the best. If anyone can get you shaped up to be an Elf it will be her. If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them."
"She said Elf shaped, does that mean I will get taller?" Hope sprung alive in me.
"No, you are half Nymph be glad you are tall as you are. You mother is probably a foot shorter than you. For the same reason you will always need to be mindful of the Human food you consume. Even in your best Fae shape you will remain well endowed and short which means you will struggle to maintain Elven beauty standards but will probably still be very lovely. We work magik not miracles though so I am afraid you are done growing."
I shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for hoping."
He handed me a book and several folders with information in them. "Now that you are awakened, the world is going to change for you Kat. Your body and mind will challenge you in new ways. If I can help, please shoot me an email." He motioned to the door.
I thanked him one last time and headed home.
That's how I got here. This is my story from awakening to finish, how I'm living my new Elven life.