Flying Lessons.

The teachers didn't like her and her peers avoided her. The Fairy Academy was quickly becoming a lonely place. Not to mention, a boring one. The other fairies reviewed the fundamentals of magic learning how to brew potions and enchant objects to do house chores while Christina studied from large spellbooks borrowed from her Grandmother and Nanny. There was very little for her to do.

Your wings look pretty.

Wings.

Wings

wings.

She heard far-too-often of wings, her classmates flying from class to class no matter how far they were. Most if not all the compliments were directed to Mary and her friends. There were flying classes for faires of all ages and every day at noon they would all take to the bright blue sky splitting off into groups. Leaving Christina on the ground, alone with her dragon.

"Come on, Christina, join us!" Mary mockingly called.

"Oh wait, YOU CAN'T" Fiona chimed.

"Go back to Hades where you belong!" Florence finished.

I will not cry.

I will not cry.

But, she cried against her will no matter how she tried to hold in the tears. Running from the courtyard back into the building and straight to Nanny's office, Prince right on her heels.

"What's the matter dear one?" Nanny cried when Christina rushed into her office strangled cries escaping.

"I wanna fly too!"

"Those three again?" Nanny asked pointedly.

But she could read minds and feel other's emotions so she already knew the answer even as Christina tearfully nodded.

"Stay here, Christina," Nanny ordered.

I hate being so different! Christina shamefully admitted to herself once Nanny had left to give Mary and her friends the worst verbal lashing of their lives. It was an awful horrible thing to even think but Christina thought it anyway. Isolated alone. They would whisper in the halls, speaking in hushed tones about "the incident". Christina knew nothing of this incident except that it involved her grandmother. For some reason, the older teachers acted as if she would repeat whatever it was.

Go back to Hades.

Those words rang so loudly in her head that she covered her ears in hopes of chasing them away.

Why? Why did she have to be different? What did she do to earn the scorn of nearly everyone in the land of Ever After and beyond?

She hated seeing her peers do tricks as they flew. She wanted to do that!

But she never could.

Nanny returned to find her curled into a ball, crying.

"I don't want to be different!"

"And why not?" the elder fairy replied, "Being different is a wonderful thing!"

"No, it isn't," Nanny gently insisted, "Just ask your Grandmother, she was born different,"

"But no one's mean to her,"

"That's because they're too scared but when she was a child they would say the most awful things but she pushed through it, just like you,"

"Really?"

"Yes, Christina, if watching the flying lessons upsets you so much you can stay in here with me, we can have a tea party and I'll help you with your studies,"

"Every day?"

"Yes, I promise,"

Christina smiled.