Chapter 4: Half-breed

- Five years later –

"Is there any more?" Elliott asked, disappointed.

Her aunt Amy sighed. "You are so spoiled, my dear. Why do I even bother to take care of you?"

Elliott thought for a moment. "Because you love me? And Mummy?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Elliott's aunt sighed again. Sighing was something she did very often, Elliott noticed.

"Why do you sigh so much?" she asked.

"I guess it's because I'm a bit worried."

"What are you worried about?"

"Many things. You're too young to care, anyway. Go away and play, or whatever you children are doing these days," she said. "And isn't any more soup, I'm afraid."

Elliott shrugged, left the table, and ran out to the street. She turned the corner and almost bumped into her mum.

"Hello!" Elliott greeted her mother, hugging her tight.

"Hello, my love. Where are you going?"

"I'm on my way to the other kids. Aunt told me to go play, 'or whatever we children are doing these days," Elliott said, mimicking her aunt's voice.

Molly laughed, but frowned when she observed her daughter's appearance. "But what have you done to your hair?" she sighed in exasperation.

"Sorry, Mum. I didn't like it," Elliott admitted. Earlier that morning, her mum had put Elliott's hair up in a beautiful creation, but it wasn't comfortable so Elliott had let her hair out and it now looked resembled some kind of bird's nest.

"That's a shame. But go on and play now, my dear. I have to speak with your father."

"Is Dad here?" Elliott asked hopefully.

"Yes, but you will see him later, so go play."

Elliott nodded and smiled wide, then ran away. It had been a very long time since she had seen her dad. She didn't really know much about him. Her mum always told people he was a traveler, and that she hadn't seen him again. But Elliott knew that her mother lied, even though she had no idea why. Her dad was very tall, and very, very strong. He used to lift Elliott up high above his head and swing her around. She always asked her mum to do the same, but her mum was too weak. Elliott's dad was kind to her, and he always brought her fruit and other things that weren't very common in her parts of the Colony. Elliott couldn't wait to see him again; she really loved her daddy a lot.

After a few minutes of running, Elliott reached the street where she and the other children would play together. But there was only the baker's son there. His name was Marcus, and he could be very irritable. Normally, he loved to mess with her. But now he hid behind a house when she came.

"Marcus? I know you're there," Elliott called, and Marcus stuck his little pale face out and stared at her with wide eyes.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you," he finally said, his voice wary.

Elliott frowned, confused. "Why not?"

Marcus hesitated for a few seconds. "You're a Styx", he said at last, emerging slowly from behind the house. He approached her cautiously, as if she would bite him. He glanced at her as if she was one of the thin, sick, aggressive cats in the streets that they sometimes chased through the alleys.

"What?" Elloitt stared back at him, shocked. She quickly blurted, "No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!" Marcus retorted. "Human and styx. Half-breed. You street cat."

"I'm not a Styx!"

"Yes, you are!" he repeated, adamant. "I heard my parents say so."

"What did they say?"

"They said that your mum is a whore, and-"

"What's that?" Elliott interrupted.

"You're only five years old, Elliott. You're not supposed to know that kind of stuff yet," said Marcus. He was one year older then her, which he thought was fun to tease her about. "Anyway, they said that your dad is a Styx. They saw your mum and him together. And he's definitely a Styx, they said. Then they noticed me listening in, and they told me not to tell you. They also said I'm not allowed to be with you anymore. I can't even talk to you."

"But I'm not a Styx!"

"So why is your hair black then? And your eyes are brown. Haven't you noticed that everybody else has white hair and either blue or red eyes?"

Elliott stared at him angrily, but she didn't contradict him. Because she had noticed. She knew she was different, but she'd never considered the idea that she was a Styx.

"Marcus?" someone shouted from Marcus' house down the street. He looked nervously over his shoulder.

"I'm coming, Dad!" he shouted back and instantly ran home without even looking back at Elliott, who just stood there, frozen. Styx? Half-breed? That wasn't true. It couldn't be.

Or, could it?