The Hybrid Mate

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Remember, you're nothing but an ordinary human being and act accordingly."

This was the daily morning mantra drilled into Izadora Barrett's brain before she left for school or anytime she left the house.

Her father never failed to mention this line every day since she learned she was a hybrid being on her 13th birthday.

Izzy would not have known she was one if it were not for the accidental burning down of their kitchen. She was a 13-year-old girl bullied by her human cousins on her birthday. What her cousins did not know actually almost hurt them, but Izzy's parents were quick enough to drag their adopted daughter inside before she blew her top and release her anger. Yes, the kitchen paid the price.

Izzy was what her adoptive parents called an abomination, but they never told her that to her face. Truthfully, despite her heritage, she was their only daughter that they spoiled every single day.

What kind of hybrid being? According to her parents, Izzy was a half-demon, or maybe a mix of human, demon, and dragon. They were not sure themselves, and this was only her mother's guess.

She was always curious about her past and her actual parents. But her adoptive parents did not have the answers to all her questions. Izzy was always told that she was the last baby adopted in an orphanage that closed down on the east side of town.

Why were her parents so understanding and nonchalant about her true nature? That was because Izzy's mother, Sabrina Barrett, was a witch, the good kind. Still all human, but a witch, nevertheless. And Sabrina was the one who sensed the underpinnings of Izzy's natural being... or rather mixed nature. Her father, Samuel Barrett, was just an ordinary human being who worked as a postal delivery man. He fell in love with Sabrina after delivering the mail and packages to her every day at her apothecary for people who practiced wizardry and witchcraft. Although regular human beings thought it was just another herbal medicine shop.

Izzy was now 18 and had pretty much suppressed whatever powers or strength she had for years... to where she could not even muster lighting a candle with just a thought, much less blowing anything up when she was certifiably mad at someone or something. Basically, Izzy felt like she was just another normal human being after practicing the daily morning mantra all her life.

Except today was turning out to be an unusual day.

Izzy had her headphones on, listening to her favorite music as she walked to the library after school.

She recalled what had happened earlier in class. Izzy and her best mate, Anika, were snapping their fingers to a beat that one of their classmates drummed on the table when she noticed sparks flashing from her fingertips every time she clicked them together.

Izzy had to stop snapping her fingers when a fire suddenly broke out from a nearby trash bin. She remembered asking herself, 'What if I snap and fire breaks out in that bin?'

And when it happened, she shuddered, and fear rushed through her. Izzy did not want to cause any harm to anyone, so she sprinted out of the classroom straight to the principal's office. She needed an excuse to leave the school's premises before the bell rang. So, she made one up... her mother called for her to come home.

Izzy figured she needed to drill that daily morning mantra into the afternoon as well if she were to avoid another incident such as what had happened.

She found an empty corner table in the library and settled in to read her book, not part of the required reading in school. Izzy realized she was quite intelligent when she had forgotten to study for the finals in grade school and still aced the exams. All she ever had to do was read through the notes and textbooks, and she did not have any problems passing academic exams thrown her way.

Izzy was halfway into her book when Anika and two other classmates, Jasper and Morris, came into the library and spotted her. They walked straight to her table and took their seats, trying to be as quiet as possible with little success.

"Shh!" Izzy reprimanded them after seeing the librarian shoot them a stern expression.

"Why did you leave just like that?" Anika asked while removing her jacket.

"Are you afraid of fire?" Jasper mocked with a wide grin.

"No, I'm not!" Izzy whispered her reply. "I just remembered I had to text my Mum and left, so I wasn't in anyone's way, putting out the fire." She thought this reasoning out beforehand.

Morris leaned over and lowered his head close to the table and said, "Don't look now, but Anika's crush is two tables down."

Anika turned beet red after glancing over two tables down and caught by Andrew Myer. He was the brown-haired, blue-eyed soccer jock of their school. He was with his circle of friends, fellow soccer players.

"It's actually surprising that they are even here in the library," Jasper said out loud.

"Shh!" Izzy reprimanded them again. And added, "Don't you also have a crush on him, Morris?"

"Hey! Not in front of Jasper." Morris said and smiled toward Jasper, who frowned at him.

Morris admitted before he had a crush on Jasper, who had a crush on Anika. But they all knew Anika had a crush on the school soccer jock, Andrew. Despite all that, they remained close friends.

Izzy had only been their friend this past year, which was when her family decided she needed to experience regular human interaction, instead of finishing school at the Academy of Wizards. This was basically like home-schooling, but in a more formal classroom setting behind Sabrina's apothecary.

Izzy knew she was blessed to have met these friends of hers who made her laugh and feel normal... that is, like a normal human being.

Morris always mentioned befriending Izzy was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because she was an attractive girl with her long blue-black hair and amber eyes, and she attracted a lot of the boys in school. That made Anika and Morris enjoy the attention their group got each day. But Izzy rejected all the boys. She was not interested in any of them, plus she felt she was not ready to be in a relationship. But a curse, because her beauty also invited jealousy and envy from the other girls in school.

Izzy minded her own business, so there were no unfortunate incidents or pranks thrown her way. It helped that she was very obvious about rejecting the other boys' advances.

As they sat and continued ribbing each other, Anika stole glances at Andrew, who was too obvious at gazing toward Izzy. On the other hand, Izzy ignored all of them and kept reading her book.

"Anyone fancy going to the creamery?" Jasper asked as he licked his lips, thinking of what ice cream flavor he would choose once there.

"I need to go home and study." Anika pouted, and added, "And I will not hear the end of it if my Mum finds out." She recalled her mother's warning about hanging out of school when her grades did not meet her family's standards.

"I'm game." Morris smiled and fist-pumped Jasper. "What about you?" He nudged Izzy.

"Sure, I'll go... let me just finish this chapter." Izzy did not lift her eyes off her book.

"Come on, Iz. You can continue reading over there. Let's go." Jasper stood and gathered his backpack and jacket, then walked out of the library.

Morris also grabbed his backpack and followed Jasper.

Anika shook her head as she watched the two boys leave, and turned to Izzy. "Can you just stay here with me and keep me company while I study?"

Izzy looked up, smiled and nodded her head, "OK. I want to finish reading this book, anyway. Ice cream can wait."

"Aren't you going to tell Jasper and Morris that you're not coming? They just left." Anika glanced out the library window beside them and saw the two boys slapping each other's shoulders and laughing.

"Ah-no. They'll figure it out." Izzy chuckled, which made Anika laugh. Anika remembered how this friend of hers never really cared what anyone thought of her and her manners.

After several minutes, Andrew Myer got up from his table and strolled over to where Izzy and Anika sat.

As he stood in front of them, Anika gasped and blushed, while Izzy merely furrowed her brows.

"Hi, Izzy. I was hoping you'd say yes to a date with me this Friday. What do you say?" Andrew smirked and glanced over at his friends who were laughing and whistling, seated two tables down.

"Why should I when I'm not interested in you?" Izzy said and returned her focus on her book.

"Because I said so," Andrew replied with arrogance clear in his tone and wink.

In her peripheral vision, Izzy saw Anika nervously grip her fingers together as she averted her gaze from Andrew. It appalled Izzy why her friend, Anika, would fall for an arrogant person such as Andrew Myer. And who by all accounts was asking Izzy, and not Anika, for a date.

"Sorry, but not interested. Why don't you ask Anika here instead?" Izzy thought she'd help by suggesting her friend, even though she was against Anika even going out with this self-important jerk.

Andrew glanced at Anika, then at Izzy, and faltered slightly. He had never experienced rejection before. On a dare from his friends, he was to ask Izzy out on a date. She was the one most of the boys in school wanted to go out with, but all had unsuccessfully achieved that goal. Andrew did not think he would fail... he was in her class, so that counted for at least being familiar with each other.

As he was about to argue with Izzy, a sudden commotion at the front desk disturbed the peace within the library.

Apart from Izzy and Anika, almost everyone in the library, seated and standing, including Andrew, turned to see what the ruckus was all about.

Four men in long black coats had entered the library. Three out of the four raised their hands and froze everyone in their path. Froze as in they just stopped moving in whatever position they were in.

Andrew and his friends stared in shock, seeing every human being in the room standing like statues in place. When they attempted to escape through a side door, one man in a black coat caught them and froze their motion in place.

Meantime, Anika kept her head down, thinking Andrew was still in front of them, while Izzy continued reading her book.

"I can't believe you asked Andrew to ask me for a date." Anika's face was flushed red in embarrassment.

"And why not? You're the one who likes him, not me." Izzy said, smiling while continuing to read the pages in front of her.

"Izadora Barrett?" A deep masculine voice reverberated within the library walls.

As soon as Izzy heard her full name called, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and instinctively dropped her book and grabbed her chest, trying to breathe.

Izzy watched Anika's eyes widen in shock, seeing Izzy in pain, and then turn to look up at whoever was now standing across the table from them. And suddenly, Anika stopped moving... frozen.

Izzy breathed a little despite the stabbing pain in her chest and turn to glance up and see who had called for her. As she slowly lifted her head, she saw a pair of green eyes... then hazy clouds... and darkness.

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