Despair gnawed at me. Just a hybrid, a patchwork creation with no inherent talent. Shame burned in my throat, a bitter aftertaste to the weight of expectation. All around me, my peers shimmered with their unique abilities.
Telekinesis, fire manipulation, the very air crackling with potential. And me? Barely a flicker of power, a candle in a hurricane, already flickering on the verge of snuffing out.
"Barbara?" Fae Aurora's voice was a whisper, barely audible above the gentle clinking of silverware against plates. "Is there something troubling you? Something that's weighing on your mind?"
I offered a faint smile, masking the tumultuous turmoil that had nearly driven me to the brink. "I'm alright, Mother. I simply missed the warm ambiance of this mansion."
Fae Aurora's melodic laughter
