A World Beside Our Own

After Harvest

Tuesday morning, Luna and I arrive at school, she’s still holding my hand when I hear my girlfriend call out my name. I can feel my sister’s disappointment when I let go of her hand, turn and catch my girlfriend in my arms. Sala doesn’t hesitate in giving me a long, loving kiss in greeting.

“I missed you.” Sala says, leaning against my shoulder.

“Didn’t you say she was over at your place for supper last night?” Ginette comments, she’s holding Connor’s hand this morning.

“And I thought the kiss I got this morning was amazing.” Lynn says, holding Thomas. I look over as the boy blushes.

I put Sala down, and she slides her arm around my waist as I hold her shoulder. “I can still miss my girlfriend when we’re apart.” Sala says defensively. The girls giggle.

I wave to Luna as we head off to class. I can see she wants more than that, but doesn’t dare in public. Sam notices the hesitation and gives me a look. I shake my head.

“They’re just teasing you.” Sam says instead. “The way you two are so affectionate and close after only a month, I can see why.” She gives a coy smile.

“I’m just surprised your parents approve of her!” Ginette says as we get into homeroom.

“Sala’s parents see me more as a bodyguard than a girlfriend.” I say, slightly disappointed. “Though her mother recognizes Sala’s interest is also romantic.”

“Why would Sala need a bodyguard?” Lynn says confused.

“Considering we have werewolves and vampires in this school, Sala makes a nice light snack.” Thomas says behind us.

Sala suddenly looks worried and clutches her pendant. I give her a warm smile and touch her hand, and she calms down. The bell ringing stops any further conversation.

First class is Gym, and I’m getting better at volleyball, Rose spends some time with me teaching me technique.

“Volleyball, like many other sports, is about coordination. You only have to be strong to serve, and spike. The rest of the game is all about controlling where the ball goes.” She advises me as she teaches us to intercept, serve, set and spike.

Due to my height, I make a good forward blocker, and so she has me play the front of the net most of the time.

“Don’t be worried about gaining some muscle, you can still be a feminine athlete.” Rose encourages me. “Look at your godmother. The Druids of the past were muscular and agile. Aim for that. I can teach you Tai Chi later if you like to work on your mobility and coordination.”

“That would be nice.” I smile as I wait for Sam to set me up for a spike.

Before the end of Gym, I find out I can substitute my last Library class for a workout class Rose runs for those who want to build up muscle. If I’m to be Sala’s protector, I’ll need more than my magic when I don’t have time to prepare a spell. She also offers me to join her for Tai Chi on Monday nights, and the Aikido class she teaches Thursday’s after school. Never would I have considered getting into martial arts, but I somehow feel I need to - as much for me as for my girlfriend.

Math breezes by for me, I spend most of the class helping Sala with her schoolwork. As a Fae, math and sciences are unfamiliar subjects, so she’s struggling to keep a passing grade.

Luna has time to give me a hug while Sala is still busy in line at the cafeteria during lunch. “Your girlfriend didn’t let me hug you goodbye this morning.” Luna pouts as she holds me close. “She’s not the only one who misses you.”

“But you have me most days after school, she doesn’t. Give her these times that we have together, okay?” I return my sister’s embrace.

“Okay.” She sighs in my arms and relaxes.

We sit down with our friends and catch up on our weekend’s adventures. I’m not sure how much to tell them, only that my weekend was eventful, including meeting Sala’s parents at her place for supper last night.

Sala gets curious. “Just how far away is your home, Simia?”

“We live in Blightwood, 50 km away, which is why I teleport us to school every morning.” Luna answers for me.

“And why you did that tree thing yesterday.” Sala catches on. “That’s so far away.” She says in a sad voice.

“What tree thing?” Ginette gets curious.

“Well, Druids can’t teleport like an arcanist can, but my godmother showed me how stronger druids can use large trees to get from one place to another. Like opening a door by linking the trees together. You need to know your destination, but it’s pretty handy.” I smile.

“Your godmother?” Lynn raises an eyebrow.

“I have an ancestor of mine guiding me down the Druid path, we communicate through my amulet.” I say tapping the emerald gem hanging off my neck.

“Is that a real emerald?” Connor says surprised, “a gem that size must be expensive!”

“Well, you can’t put the soul of an ancient elf in a small object. The pendant needed to be significant.” Luna answers for me.

“The soul of an ancient elf?” Thomas says, confused between bites.

“We brought my godmother from the Dream and bound her to my pendant.” I reply. “She’s an important part of my transition.”

“Don’t you just take hormones for that?” Lynna frowns, confused.

“That would make me more female, but I aim to reconnect to my Elven heritage, this will be a bit more complex.” I say as I finish my lunch.

“I need to go pee.” Sam suddenly announces, “Simia, can you come with me?”

One thing I’ve discovered about girls is that they rarely go to the bathroom alone. I’ve never really understood it, but I won’t deny my friend her request. I smile and nod. Sala takes my hand and I give her a loving kiss, letting her know I’ll be right back. She relaxes and lets me go. I pass my hand on Luna’s shoulder as we leave, I can feel she appreciates the small token of affection.

Once we’re in the hall, I discover Sam’s real reason to be away from our friends. “So, what is the deal between you and Luna?” Sam asks in a quiet voice, not wanting to draw attention.

“She’s my sister now.” I say without hesitation.

“The relationship you share is more than sisterly. I don’t show that much affection to my siblings.” Sam challenges me.

I sigh and put my head down. “Yes, there is more love between Luna and I than mere siblings.”

“But…?” Sam probes for more.

“We’re siblings now, Sam. Yes, I might only be adopted, but two sisters shouldn’t be in love like I am with my girlfriend.” I say sadly.

“You wish there was more though…” Sam says as we reach the washroom.

“Whether or not I wish so, I can’t have a relationship like that with my sister. What would our mother think?” I frown.

“I’d say she probably already knows.” Sam says matter of fact.

We go into the stalls and we’re quiet for a moment while we focus on our business.

“So, you’re just going to play at not loving each other and keep trying to hide those little intimate gestures you do to one another?” Sam asks as we wash our hands after.

“You picked up on that, did you?” I say with a grim smile.

“That look of longing on her face this morning, wishing she could be the one kissing you like you did Sala. That little tender caress you gave Luna as we left the table? Yeah, you two really suck at hiding your feelings for one another.” Sam replies.

I hang my head and look at the mirror. “What am I to do?”

“What does your godmother say about this?” Sam queries. I can see Lairelindë smile and nod at me through the mirror’s reflection.

“She’s encouraged me to date both of them.” I frown.

“You two make a lovely couple.” Sam smiles. “And you won’t have a sore neck trying to kiss Luna.” She winks.

“Thanks for the encouragement.” I say sarcastically.

“Oh! You have kissed Luna, haven’t you?” Sam suddenly says surprised. My only response is to blush. “Is she a good kisser?”

“I will not answer that question.” I blush deeper.

“You are so cute.” Sam giggles. “Come, lets get back to the others before the bell rings.”

On the way back to the lunchroom, I switch topics to see who she’s interested in. Of our friends, she’s now the only one who’s single. She admits that she’s got her eye on Munroe, but he’s a sophomore, so she doesn’t know how to catch his attention. We spot Munroe with the rest of his varsity crowd as we get back into the lunchroom. He is rather cute, for a guy, but I have no suggestions for her on how to get a boy’s attention. As it is, I never dated before Sala. I suggest she talk to Lynn or Ginette, they’re straight and might have a better idea.

Art class, Mrs. Rivers is still testing my artistic talents. The class’ papier mâché project will continue till the end of the month, so she has one more week to see what else I can do. She has me working on pastels today, not one of my favourite mediums. Pastels are oily, they smudge, and leave a residue on your fingers, I rather work with a pencil, that’s much cleaner. She says she’ll test me on acrylic paints next week, but Thursday will be more pastel art to see if I can catch on to the medium.

In social studies Penny brings us back to more current events and we look at how political and legislative processes can affect our rights, citizenship and identity. As not all of us in class are human, this is a touchy subject as some of my friends live under false identities. I think of students like Luna, her friends Yuki and Pierrette. As vampires, they are older than most of us, yet still have ‘teenage’ lives to contend with. How many of them have changed their names over the years to blend in to human society as ‘normal’?

Penny uses these students as examples of how our society differs from what the rest of the world, and why our schools for the gifted are so important. It allows longer-lived races to live in anonymity, whereas they would be vulnerable in a public school system.

“We live in a society alongside of humanity, but apart from it.” Penny goes on. “Some of us are nearly immortal, and will live many human lifespans. For that, you need the support of our community to live peacefully in the world. As you are all slowly approaching adulthood, it is important that you keep our society here safe, secure, and hidden. Remember: humanity fears what it does not understand. Violence will usually represent that fear. Some of you have already been victims of their hatred. For those that haven’t, I pray that you never do.”

Connor raises his hand. “Um… Penny, aren’t you human?”

Penny gives a warm smile. “Yes, Connor, I was born human. However, I am no longer mortal like many of you. Almost a decade ago I became soul-bound to my wife, and she is nearly immortal. This changed who and what I am. I will not get old, or grow grey hair, or even appear over 25 for several centuries. Therefore, I teach here rather than enjoy a celebrity life. Being in the public eye exposes us to dangers of someone discovering what we are. It’s best to stay under the radar and make small contributions to society. Mrs Rivers is over 5 centuries old, but looks no older than I am. In her long life, she has provided art, entertainment and enriched our lives. Another example is our own Peggy here. She will probably take a few more decades before she looks more than a young teen, then she’ll look like a young adult for centuries, never looking older than 30.”

Peggy blushes. “My parents are both vampires, I was born into the curse. When I hit puberty 30 years ago, I stopped ageing as fast as a human does.”

“You’re twice our age?!” Thomas looks at her in surprise. “Why are you still in school?”

“Some of us like to take a longer time to graduate. There is so much more to learn than what the public school system pushes.” Peggy answers.

I think on how Luna is over a hundred years older than we are, yet she’s only one ‘grade’ above us. I sometimes wonder what she sees in an awkward teenager like me, when she has probably experienced a more mature relationship in the past.

“Wow! That’s amazing!” Lynn says, she looks at Penny. “I hear mages can slow ageing as well.”

“Yes, we can, but you won’t get there until adulthood.” Penny replies. “It’s best to let the human body mature fully before magically tampering with how our bodies function. There is a potion of immortality. It is complex and will take several years of alchemical study for you to master its intricacies. As the potion can either grant you eternal life, or immediate death if it fails, not all alchemists will try something that risky. Many, like the Goodson family, simply consume potions of rejuvenation every decade to keep their youthful grace. It still leaves them mortal, just longer lived than an average human. I’ll leave further talk of this for your alchemy classes next year.” She smiles and changes the topic.

I’m distracted as she goes back to geo-politics by my situation. Come the new year, I won’t be human anymore. My current mortal lifespan won’t trap me. I wonder how long I’ll live as an Elf?

After school, Luna meets up with me. I give Sala a tender kiss goodbye and wave to my friends. My sister pulls me into a loving hug before teleporting us home. I wonder if she did that on purpose to see if she could get a reaction from my girlfriend? I wonder if the loves in my life will ever get along?

When we get home, Luna releases her embrace and I hold her hips as I lean back.

“You are incorrigible.” I smile and shake my head. “I think you do that on purpose to see if Sala gets jealous.”

“Well, she didn’t this time.” Luna sounds almost disappointed. She brings her hand up and caresses my cheek. “I just needed to hold you.”

“I’d try to scold you on your actions, but I don’t think you’d listen.” I smirk.

“Probably not.” She says that seductive tone that melts my heart. I don’t hesitate when she leans forward for a loving kiss. We hold each other for a few moments, sharing more affection than two siblings should.

I break away after a few moments and look at her. “In a few months, when I fully transform into my true form, will you still love a female Elf like this?”

“I don’t know.” Luna says in the same tone as Sala used. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Her reply doesn’t ease the growing worry in my heart. I’ve fallen in love with my lovely sister and my darling Fae. Will they still love me when I am no longer male? My feelings for them will doubtfully change, I just hope their feelings will be mutual.