I stared at the old woman who was teaching me that afternoon, it was a hot summer day, the other young faeries were on the banks of some river training real magic, while I was stuck in that stuffy room listening to an old woman babbling for hours about ancient legends.

Faeries usually have an absurdly long life span, this makes conception rare and miraculous in some families. If we were born easily there would be faeries coming out of the ears of humans in the world. This idea made me wonder how old the woman in front of me was, my chin resting on my hand showed the disinterest that stiffened the female, but she kept chattering away with frowning lips and arched eyebrows, waiting for an occasional acquiescence that told her I was listening.

"Blaidd?" she called, and I blinked when I noticed that she had spoken more than once.

"Yes?" I inquired.

"What was I talking about?"

"About the omen that it is a seventh daughter, that in the human world they kill the girl before she turns sixteen. That sixteen is the magic birthday and this causes a second magic awakening in any creature that has even the slightest power coursing through its veins."

The female frowned uneasily, I could clearly read in her eyes that she didn't believe I was paying attention, but I wondered what punishment I would receive this time if I warned her that she had told me that story a hundred times before?

I heard the unmistakable sound of a Rhowen singing and stood up.

"Class isn't over yet," she warned.

"But old lady... Rhowen has sung, my sisters are waiting for me to go home. Our family will be hosting one of the Mermaid princes... imagine what they would say if I were late for such an illustrious gathering?" I spoke quickly enough so that she didn't think about the fact that my sisters would have a better chance without me around.

"You are right ... the Mermen are proud, I can't let you be late. Have a good afternoon!"

I flashed my best smile and pulled up my hood to cover my white hair.

"You too, madam. Do I have your blessing?"

"May the light of our world illuminate your steps, child."

I grabbed my bag and ran out of the room before she changed her mind. I stared at the bird in the doorway, its blue feathers contrasting with its deep red eyes, as if the creature's body were made of cold ice and its eyes burning with flames.

I almost thanked the bird for singing and getting me out of class, but decided not to bother the creature that was just doing its job.

The corridors of the wooden building were empty except for the birds at the classroom doors. Moss was piling up on the walls, and from the ceiling vines filled the room with the sweet smell of their flowers.

Everything in the heart of the forest was alive and beautiful, even the creatures that tormented me. I took a deep breath of the scent of flowers and pushed open the bark doors to get out. From the outside, that building where we learned the secrets of our world was just like the others, a simple construction of rocks covered with plants that fused to the building.

Before I could inhale the air of the outside world, a group of faeries began to laugh. I ignored them and proceeded toward my home, my steps quick and smooth. I had become stealthy over the years. Even though my dress for the day was brown to blend in with my surroundings, the damn red hood stood out to me and made my existence a target.

"Freak!"

"Colorless!"

"Strange!"

The voices accompanied me, but I concentrated on breathing, taking in the woody smell of the environment, and imagining a different life.

My mind wandered to the hills I saw in my dreams, to the starry skies like I had never seen before, and before I knew it, the voices around me were gone and the sound of the magical animals that lived near our property reached me.

I approached the door and could already hear my sisters screaming about what clothes to wear that night. I locked my fingers around the branch that was used to open the door and stalled.

My father's servants preferred to address me as little as possible and since it was feeding time for the animals, I decided not to disturb them by running away from the inside of the house. I pushed open the door and threw my bag on the floor.

I pulled down my hood to expose my hair and walked around the room picking a fruit that was on the table. I ate the fruit as I walked towards the living room, where my mother was sitting among a pile of colorful dresses.

The female who looked more like one of our sisters had brown skin and the bark of a young tree, and her hair was like a green cascade down her back.

The blue dress she wore only highlighted her exuberance and I wondered if she wore it to impress the Mermaid prince who was on his way.

"You're late," Wammy said. My older sister had wavy hair of an intense blue, her eyes were golden, and her skin was a pale shade of blue. The pointed ears and claws that she kept impeccable were even more beautiful that day.

"Today's elder was Merabela," I replied, and she clicked her tongue. Everyone knew that among the nine elders of the kingdom, Merabela was the one who kept me the longest in her room.

"If you had magic you wouldn't go through this," Grisinia retorted. My third older sister was almost an exact copy of my mother, if it weren't for the ebony eyes she inherited from our father.

"Of course, I will release the magic I am imprisoning within myself to satisfy your need for my presence at the appointed time," I retorted, and threw myself down on the lindigo feather couch.

I hated those birds that pecked at me every chance they got, but I had to admit, the feathers were soft.

"Don't be rude, Blaidd," Mom urged without raising her eyes to face me. "My dears, I know that one of you is going to be a Mermaid Princess."

My sisters giggled at that compliment, and I stared at the core of the fruit I had eaten and threw it in the trash, making a noise as it hit the metal container. My sisters' gazes turned to me.

"I think one of you is finally coming out," I murmured.

"You are jealous, Blaidd, you know that no one would look at you with desire. The joke I hear every day: a colorless enchantress, a damned fairy without wings. If it weren't for the pointy ears, our parents would have dumped you in the human world!" Wammy cursed and I snapped the fingers of both hands together.

"Wammy! Blaidd was our miracle. You all are! Don't talk like that," Mom urged patiently. "Not everyone at court is as lucky as we were. Seven daughters! Many couples live for centuries without conceiving a single child."

"I guess the magic of conception ended when Blaidd was conceived, so she was born as this augury," Grisinia said, drawing giggles from the six of them.

Mom ranted, but her laughter was interrupted when a male voice filled the room.

"Looks like joy has already knocked on our door," Dad greeted. "Look at my daughters! My goodness, the Mermaid prince will want to marry all of you."

My sisters' laughter made me roll my eyes.

"What are you wearing today, Blaidd?" he asked me.

I indicated the clothes I was wearing and my father slapped his forehead twice before gently holding me by the arms and helping me up. I looked at the male, his skin was a dark brown tone, his ears were pointed, he even had sharp fangs and a pair of green wings.

"Look at your sisters, they all dressed appropriately. Come on, choose a nice dress, fix your hair with flowers," he asked, placing the loose strands of my braid behind my ears.