Who You Are

"Here we are!" Jel declared, getting off of the creature and floating to the house in front of them.

"This?" Reagan said, looking at the small house sceptically as the man took the floating crystal ball from the doorknob. "It's quite … small."

"She is usually inconspicuous." He shrugged, knocking on the door three times. "Lillian! It's me!"

They heard rustling and things falling over in the room before the doorknob turned and opened to show a woman with water-like purple hair, in nothing but a lab coat completely buttoned up, staring at them as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Jel." She said, looking at the man in front of her before a smile broke on her face. "It is good to see you again. So well."

"You too," Jel said, greeting the woman immediately.

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Tory pulled at the creature's fur, getting his attention as he pointed to the woman beside them.

Looking at the woman, the creature moved away from her slightly, seeing her wings fluttering like crazy as she stared at the woman in front of her.

"Why is she like that?" Tory whispered in the creature's ears. "Is she sick?"

"I hope she is." He said, still very confused as he looked at her. "Otherwise I am not going to be able to explain or even understand what's wrong with her?"

"Isn't she gorgeous?" The woman asked, flying to them, her eyes twinkling.

"I guess?" The boy said looking at the woman in front of them. "That hair looks like it would be uncomfortable though."

"She is a water nymph," Reagan said, completely start struck. "No wonder she is so goddess-like."

"You seem to like her quite a bit." The creature remarked, instantly being reminded of how Lily reacts like every time she saw her favourite actor on the television.

"She is exceptional." The woman shook her head at them. "Do you know, she was one of the people that helped find this place? This sanctuary for people like us."

"Really?" The creature asked, looking at the two conversing still. "So this space was created? Not found?"

"Yup." Reagan crossed her arms over her chest. "It is a safe haven for many people but … there is still a lot of work that needs to be done."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, most of the people that live in this space are only those that eat vegetation, in other words, herbivores." She looked sadly at the boy. "You will not find many vampires, shapeshifters or any carnivorous creatures."

"Why is that?" The boy asked, trying not to show his disappointment as he bit his lower lip.

"Because this is supposed to be a safe place for creatures like us to not be hunted down. If those carnivorous creatures were let in, with no other source of meat; One, they will starve to death and it will be just torture.

"Two, they will start attacking all the other creatures here and … well, the carnivores are stronger than the herbivores. Until we find an alternative, we can't do anything about this."

"I understand." The creature said, thinking. That explains why there are so many carnivorous creatures when we are out patrolling.

But wait, don't they turn crazy from power once they turn eighteen? Maybe she doesn't want to talk about that.

"It doesn't help that the disease is only affecting those creatures too." She said sadly.

"Disease?" The creature asked, frowning. I never heard of a disease before. What is she talking about?

Before she would answer, Jel appeared in front of them. "Come on inside. Lillian is inviting us. Just don't mind the mess, she had been a little bit busy these days."

"That isn't a problem at all," Reagan said, trying not to show how nervous she felt and failing miserably with her eyes darting everywhere.

"Do come in," Lillian said, holding the door open for the woman to enter in first.

"Come on, Osbert," Jel said, snapping the creature out of its thoughts as he stared at it in the eyes. "You look a little lost, are you ok?"

"Yeah." It said quickly, moving away from him. "Yeah. I am fine. Fine."

Jel looked at him blankly for a second before breaking into a laugh, "I understand that this might just be a little bit overwhelming for you. Is it too much?"

"No. No." The creature shook its head. "I'm just … taking everything in. So I am a little lost."

"Is this him?" The woman with a purple river for a hair asked floating to them. "He is a pretty one, isn't he?"

"I don't know." Jel shrugged, grabbing the kids from his back. "Think you will be able to help him?"

Lillian stared at the man blankly for a second before sighing and reaching her hand out to him, "This is just going to be a second."

Gulping, the creature watched as the woman placed her hand on his forehead, something like a wave of water filling his entire body completely, his eyes falling close.

Next time he opened them, someone was wrapping a cloth over his body.

"Welcome back," Jel said, two inches from his face as he covered him with a similar cloak he wore back at the house, before it collapsed.

T-to close! Osbert quickly moved away from him, turning his face in the other direction. "T-thanks."

"Come inside then." Lillian chucked, holding the boy and Reagan holding the girl.

"Ah, if you don't mind, Lillian, I am going to talk to him for a bit," Jel said, something glinting in his eyes as he summoned clothes for Osbert, handing them to him.

"Fine. I will be in here then." She said turning to Reagan. "Shall we enter?"

"I should be keeping an eye on them," Reagan said, looking at the two, conflict written all over her face.

"They'll just be in the roof," Lillian said, pointing to the top of the house. "But I understand if you don't wish to be in the same room as me, many people don't."

"Nothing like that!" Reagan said, looking at the two and then at the roof of the house.

"They won't be far."

"Alright." She said, admitting defeat as the four made their way into the house.

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"What do you think?" Jel said after Osbert wore his new clothes. A white to a black baggy shirt and a pair of black cargo pants.

"It's ok," Osbert said, sighing in his head. That was my favourite jacket though. I wouldn't have worn it if I knew it was going to rip.

"Great. Come. I want to show you something." Without even waiting for Osbert to reply, Jel pulled him up to the very top of the house, stopping at the roof.

"What's this about?" Osbert asked, looking over all the buildings in front of them.

"Wait, it's about time," Jel said, sitting on the edge of the house. "Lillian Rose's house always has the most spectacular views."

"Of?"

"Shhh," Jel said, pulling the man down. "Watch and then you can ask questions later."

"Fine," Osbert said, looking around him as the stars all around them began to gather together and people of every shape and colour came out of their houses, staring at the spectacle as well.

The stars came together into a ball and broke into a million pieces, turning their surrounding dark with only the light of the millions of little fragments flying everywhere.

Laughter and excitement could be heard all around them as the people reached to catch the little fragments.

Osbert watched as a little boy caught a fragment, the fragment then turned into a little fairy before it began dancing with him. Another woman caught a fragment and it turned into little luminescent fishes swirling around her.

"What are those?" Osbert asked, staring at the people and their fragments.

He stared down to see the two women coming out of the house with the children as they caught the fragments for the two children.

Tory's fragment burst into tiny little balls with horns and a tail, surrounding him as the boy laughed happily.

Hadley's fragment turned into a little bat with a bow at the top of its head, making her eyes widen with awe.

Osbert couldn't help but smile as the saw the smiles on the kid's faces. They look … like normal kids.

"They show you the beauty of what you are," Jel said suddenly, drawing Osbert's attention to him. "Would you like to try one?"

"N-no thanks." The man said, trying to move away from him. I don't think I should.

Jel looked at the man for a second, shaking his head as he stared at a fragment making its way to them, an idea coming on his face.

Jumping the caught the fragment and grabbed Osbert's hand, placing the fragment in his palm before closing it.

"What a-"

"Your night self is still you." The man said, smiling softly at him as the light diminished in Osbert's palm. "This happens once every month. The stars sacrifice themselves to show the people their beauty.

"We live in a world where we are the monsters." The light started to appear in Osbert's hand again as he opened it, a large wolf looking creature formed in the palm of its hands.

It looked at him with pride and happiness, its bushy, shiny tail wagging, before running around his head, making the man break into a smile.

Jel watched the man resting his head on his knee as he sat on the edge of the roof, expression turning soft.

"A few minutes of enjoying what we are … I don't think that's too much to ask."