Dose of Reality

Elinora

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This is the part of myself that I hated most, the part that turns into a weepy mess of tears and sniffles at the first sign of conflict. I've always been this way, and it doesn't matter the emotion either. Any feeling in excess, whether internal or external, makes me cry. It also doesn't serve me outside of dispelling pent-up energy. I never solve my problems while I sob, nor do I discover great truths. Yet, it's my utterly involuntary way of dealing with any problem, stressor, or moderately surprising event.

The question hung in the air. I escaped the grasp, finding my way to the couch. I had a feeling I would need to sit down for this. Holly and Zin followed closely behind. Each hopped over the back of the sofa, finding a seat on either side of me. Holly edged in close but remained careful not to touch me. They both understood the space I needed to compose myself after absurdly blubbering. Any touch from someone who cared for me set me back, whimpering.

"Are you guys really going to make me repeat myself?" I asked with a hint of venom in my voice, which caused the more unlikely of the two to reach out a hand.

"No, Nora," Zin sighed, "it's not like that. I just personally don't know where to begin."

Holly agreed, "There's a lot to unpack and explain, but there's also a lot we should leave for Alec to explain."

Clearing her throat, Zin continued, "Yeah, let's cross that bridge when we come to it. What's something more specific you want to know?"

That set my mind reeling. What could possibly be better left for Alec to explain? I had just met the guy. Surely any questions I had would be better answered by the people I knew best and trusted most.

And more specific? So many thoughts were dancing around my head, so I settled on the one bugging me most. Frustrated, I asked, "What did Jo mean when she mentioned I didn't really know you, Holly? That I didn't know your abilities."

Zin spoke, quickly patting my hand, "Ah, good question! Yes, do tell us of these abilities." She crossed her legs, clasping her hands around her knee, feigning interest.

"Ha, ha, Zin." The sarcasm coated my voice, "You have some explaining to do, too. Just because you're trying to lighten the mood doesn't mean you're off the hook."

Zin slouched in mock defeat, "I know, I just couldn't handle the weight of the seriousness."

I turned my attention fully towards Holly, waiting expectantly for her answer. Her lean body took a full breath, preparing herself for a lengthy explanation.

"I've thought about explaining this to you so many times. There's just a lot to cover. It's not just me or my abilities; it's my family, the world in which we all grew up. I thought Zin and I would notice the signs on you after you revealed the nature of your magic. But they never came. I waited to tell you until I knew for sure you were a part of all of this, of our world-"

"Holly, I appreciate your thoroughness, but you are being incredibly cryptic." I interrupted her, hoping she would refocus her monologue.

"We're all magic, Elinora." She stated plainly. "There, I said it. We're supernatural, paranormal, made-up, imaginary, whatever you want to call it; we don't exist to the humans."

"Oh, no. I am pretty sure we all exist and are all, in fact, human." I argued, denying this new reality.

"Well, we are humanoid, at least," Zin confirmed.

"We're both, really," Holly argued.

"What do you mean both?!" I exclaimed, feeling exhausted by the vague explanation so far.

Zin just looked to Holly, still avoiding her responsibility in keeping this all from me.

"It's different for everyone, okay!" Holly blurted out. "Remember how your mom's explanation mentioned 'shifters?'"

I nodded, refusing to piece anything together for myself.

"Shifters is the umbrella term for people who can shift, or turn into, an animal. There's a lot of arguments over what your animal means and why people are gifted the ability."

"You mean... werewolves," I said, glancing between my friends, "are real?"

"They're the most common, yes," Holly agreed nonchalantly.

"And you both are..." I let my question break off, unable to finish the assumption.

"I am a werewolf. I change into a wolf." Zindra matter-of-factly interjected, "But Holly is not the same."

I peered over at Holly, barely keeping myself lucid throughout this conversation.

Holly gave an exasperated sigh, seeming worried about my reaction. "I am what they call a hybrid. A hybrid can be a lot of different things. Someone could be a witch and have the ability to shift, or they could have two forms as a shifter. A hybrid is just any combination of enchantment, blessing, or ability. I am a vampire--one of the last."

"And one of the most unique," Zin said with a grin.

"Okay, so my best friends are a vampire and a werewolf," I replied with wide eyes, "and you've been said creatures the whole time I've known you?"

"Yep."

"Ouch to calling us creatures, but yes, the whole time you've known us," Holly affirmed.

If I wasn't sitting down, I would've passed out. They both seemed so normal. I shared a house with them and had never walked in on Zin changing into a wolf or Holly drinking blood. My stereotypical view of what they are didn't help me in my perception.

"How come I've never seen a wolf lurking around? Or noticed my friend drinks blood?" I interrogated, trying to burst a hole in their logic.

Instead of answering me, Zindra and Holly busted out into a fit of laughter. They cackled so hard they cried, composing themselves only to be overtaken by the giggles. I tried to remain stony in my disposition, but their joy shoved its way in, bubbling up from my throat in a laugh of my own.

Once we had all relaxed and laughed off our anxiety and the apparent insanity of my assumptions, I continued my investigation. "Alright, I missed the mark, but seriously. How did you guys hide this whole other half of your lives from me?"

Zindra took over, comfortable handling this inquiry. "We aren't the monsters humans write about. I don't painfully or involuntarily shift on the full moon. I don't have to shift at all if I don't want to, but my wolf does get restless after a time. I don't lose control or awareness when I'm a wolf, though my human consciousness does fall into the background. Basically, I'm an exceptionally strong human with better senses of smell, sight, and sound. Nothing about me changes now that you know I have a wolfish alter-ego. If anything, that must explain some weird part of my personality."

"It's very similar for me," Holly continued. "I have fangs, but they only come out when I am feeding. As a hybrid, incorporating blood into my diet is recommended for strength but mostly unnecessary. My mother was a shifter, not a werewolf like Zin, but a panther. Werecats are elusive; they're not pack animals and only ever trust a few throughout their lifespans. The combination of DNA gave me vampirisitic traits, with none of the instinctual urges. My mother's gift was passed on to me, granting me the ability to change into a bat. As far as anyone knows, I am the only surviving vampire hybrid."

Every atom in my body should be panicking right now. Instead, I felt myself accepting these bizarre depictions as reality. My brain was perplexed, but my intuition was impassive, unwilling to encourage any irrational outburst. The very human part of me argued with something inside that I left unacknowledged, something assuring me that this was all perfectly normal. My body itched at the war raging between the two halves of my reasoning.

"You know, I'm feeling surprisingly ambivalent, considering. I just found out that I have spent almost 23 years on this planet without ever knowing the truth about all those characters in the fantasy novels I inhaled as a teen. I read constantly, sometimes finishing two, maybe three books per day. It was my escape, the way I tuned out the chaos raging around me. I am extremely interested in the idea that the worlds of vampires, witches, and werewolves I grew up so absorbed in are real. On the other hand, I feel betrayed."

I stood up, antsy at unveiling so much of my inner dialogue. I took time maneuvering a bean bag to sit and face both of my roommates.

"You two are all I have in my reality. I lost everyone and found the two of you. Holly, I have known you for a few years, and Zin, you at least half that. Both of you had so much time to explain all of this," gesturing them with my arms, "to me. Why didn't you?"

They contemplated a response, and I added, "And what about the rest of this family? This pack, I guess. What about Reese and Vicky and Jo and Harley and..." I let my question fall, feeling embarrassed at the realization of who I was most interested in understanding.

Holly was teary-eyed as she spoke, "I never meant to betray you, Elli. Honestly, the fear of losing you kept me from ever bringing it up."

Zin perked up at that, "Yeah. Imagine Holly approaching you at any point during your friendship to tell you, 'Hey, I think it's time I finally tell you something, and I don't want you to freak out. So, I'm just going to come right out and say it: I'm a vampire.' I don't think that would've gone over so well; you were raised human. How were we supposed to know how you would react? If you would even actually believe us! I'm surprised you aren't running to the nearest church by now screaming 'BURN THE WITCH!'"

"Jokes aside," Holly cut in, "we didn't want to scare you away with what we are. As for your gift, all we know are old wives' tales from before the four mentioning powers beyond that of witches."

"We never kept any information from you that was coherent or within the last century. There are stories about a chosen one with an amplified intuition, but the powers your mom wrote down are only a few that are rumored to bless this chosen one. With so little knowledge on the subject, Holly and I wanted to consult our pack, but-"

"BUT you," Holly pointed, "evaded every invitation to meet them! Our only source of information on this kind of thing, and you couldn't bring yourself to meet them until I tricked you."

"Did it ever occur to you," I started, "to tell me that your family could know more about pathoseia?"

"Yes, we thought about telling you all the time, but then how would we explain how our family had information on the subject?" Zin fired back. "Besides, we didn't know for sure if they had any insight."

"All in all," Holly attempted to wrap up the conversation, "it was a difficult situation to navigate, but we ended up here. To answer your earlier question, Elli, I think you asked if the rest of our family had any 'gifts.' They do. Still, I think it's best to let them identify themselves, just out of respect. Also, judging by Alec's response to the infamous envelope, he knows something."

"Judging by Alec's response to Nora, he is dying to know her."

My cheeks heated at Zindra's observation. I wasn't ready to confront those feelings. "I'm just attracting attention because I stayed away for so long," I countered, hoping it was a lie.

Holly brushed off the subject, "Whatever his reaction meant, whatever his intentions are, that's for him to say. Elli, there's a lot more to tell you, but it is probably not advisable to tell you all at once. It's past curfew, and the party is starting. We can go find the others; I'm sure they are anticipating your questions."

"Wait, wait," Zin hesitated, "back to the whole 'Alec totally eye-fucked Nora' thing. Did you feel anything for him, Nora?"

I rolled my eyes but seriously pondered how I would answer her question. Mocking one of Holly's previous statements, I said, "Whatever my reaction meant, whatever my intentions are, that's for me to know."

"So, that's how you're gonna play it?" Zindra joshed, "Keeping your cards close to your chest. I guess I can respect it."

Holly groaned, "I can already sense the revenge Elli is plotting."

"Yeah, I'm just going to accept it," Zin conceded. "I kept the fact that I change into a large fucking dog on occasion from her for over a year... I think I can handle her withholding her romantic feelings for Alec from me."

"Unconfirmed romantic feelings," I challenged. "I think you guys mentioned a few times that there is a party here tonight, but I have yet to see one." I said, feeling satisfied with this classic banter.

"It's time to change that," Zin said as she stood and extended a hand to me. "Let's go hunt down a well-deserved drink!"

Passing her on the way to the stairs, I grabbed Holly's hand. "I think I'd prefer if we prioritized finding that joint Alec mentioned earlier."

Hand in hand, the three of us ventured back to the ballroom, where I would be forced to explore my new reality.