ALEJANDRA. Over Christmas break, I told my family the truth—that I am a fairy. I told them them that they were glamoured to think I’m their daughter. And that I have four mates. My family didn’t believe me, which I expected. I mean, I had the exact same reaction when Forrest told me he was a wolf shifter. So… I did the only thing I knew I could do to prove it. I had Phoenix shift into a wolf. Don’t worry… I made him go to the bathroom before shifting back. After that, my parents had a lot of questions, as did the rest of my siblings. And so, I literally spent the whole day telling them everything. And even though it’s technically against the law, I am the queen. I’m allowed to break the law. Plus, Alpha Romano gave me permission. I wasn’t sure what to expect after that, but my family seemed to accept everything. I mean, they had a lot of questions about the whole ‘having four mates’ thing, but they didn’t freak out and they listened when I explained it to them. It’s more than I co
ALEJANDRA.The mall is crowded today.Too crowded for my liking.I walk fast to keep up with my mom and older sister, Dahlia. You’d think being nine months pregnant would slow my sister down, but I swear she has more energy now than she did before she got pregnant.My youngest sister, Amara, complains about her legs being too short to keep up with them, which makes me roll my eyes.I am the short one in my family. While everybody, including Amara, who is thirteen, is over five feet eight inches tall, I’m not even five feet. I’m four eleven. And a half. Can’t forget the half. It totally counts, even if my older brother, Zaire, says it doesn’t. He says that because he’s lucky enough to be six feet four inches tall.“Think about Little A back there,” Katherine, my twin sister, says. Little A is my family’s nickname for me. I grind my teeth in irritation every time I hear it. It’s the most frustrating nickname on the planet.Even my twin is five feet ten inches. Clearly, we’re fraternal a
ALEJANDRA.Today Zaire, Katherine, and I are going to the beach. It’s only a quarter mile walk from our house, and since we only have a few days left before Zaire leaves for college, we want to spend some quality time together.Zaire is my barely older brother. He’s eleven months older than Katherine and me. Honestly, I feel bad for my parents. I’m pretty sure Katherine and I were an accidental pregnancy. Mom had just given birth and then she got pregnant again, with twins.At first, they didn’t know Katherine and I were twins. They just thought they were having one baby. I was the surprise baby on delivery day. I’m still not sure how I stayed hidden. But Katherine was a big baby, nearly nine pounds, and I was only five pounds. So, I must’ve just been blocked by her larger frame.“Do you have sunscreen?” Mom asks, stopping me by the front door.She doesn’t ask Katherine or Zaire. Probably because they don’t need it. They’re super tan and I’m the pasty white one. No matter how long I s
ALEJANDRA.I relax in the bayside window of the room Katherine and I share in our family’s two-story home. Katherine is gone, she’s hanging out with some of her friends. She wanted me to come, but I declined.I hate hanging out with Katherine’s friends. Not that they’re not nice—they are, but they’re her friends. I feel like the third wheel when I hang out with them. I’d much prefer to stay at home, in my bedroom, hiding from the world.I shift my MacBook sitting in my lap, and I pull something up on Netflix. I need the distraction tonight.It was a rough day today. Passing out in front of all of Zaire’s friends at the beach was humiliating. When Zaire told Mom once we got back, she freaked out and had Dad do an exam on me just to make sure nothing was wrong.My dad’s a doctor—a general practitioner. He used to be a surgeon, but he was gone a lot. He gave up his prestigious job at the hospital when I was just a baby so he could stay home more. He’s always been around to me.I sigh, le
ALEJANDRA.It’s been a couple of nights since I met Forrest on the beach, and I definitely haven’t thought about him.Nope.Not once.At least, that’s what I tell myself, but by telling myself not to think about him, aren’t I just thinking about him?Tonight, my house is noisy and full of people. Well, not full, but we do have company. My mom and dad invited a family over.My dad works with another doctor that has a large family too. They have five kids, all pretty close in age to us, so they come over every once in a while for dinner and game night. It’s always super loud and chaotic.“Hey, Little A.”I look up to see a pair of blue eyes eagerly watching me. I have to resist the urge to roll my eyes.They have a son named Shawn. He’s the same age as Katherine and me. He goes to our school, so I see him a lot, but he’s a little too flirty for my taste. At least with me. He never flirts with Katherine.“It’s Alejandra,” I say, frowning.Why does my family and this one boy insist on cal
ALEJANDRA.Today we are taking Zaire to college.All ten of us—Dad, Mom, Dahlia and her husband Alex, Clay, obviously Zaire, Katherine, me, Legend and Amara.We are taking five separate vehicles. Dad and Legend are driving his pickup truck with a lot of Zaire’s stuff in the back. Mom and Amara are taking the SUV with all the seats folded down and the back full of stuff. Dahlia and Alex are driving their small car. They’re not carrying anything, but Alex is going to help move stuff. Not like we need help, but Dahlia wanted to come. Zaire and Clay are taking Zaire’s car. Katherine and I are in the back of the caravan, driving the Jeep that we share. There is really no point in driving, but I just didn’t want to ride with anybody else, and Katherine thinks guys will talk to her if she’s driving because they’ll think she’s a college student. I don’t mind, as long as she drives.Katherine and I are quiet on the drive. I think we’re both sad that we have to say goodbye to Zaire. Sure, he’ll
ALEJANDRA.Today feels like a monumental day. Like something big is going to happen. Something that will change my life. I don’t know why I feel this way, but I can’t shake the feeling. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s strange.Katherine is going out tonight with a guy from our school. He texted her earlier and asked if she wanted to go eat dinner and get a movie. She doesn’t like the guy, but she said she never turns down free dinner and a free movie. I don’t understand why she would go out with a guy she doesn’t really like, but I don’t question her. I’m actually kind of glad she’s going out because I want to spend some time alone tonight.Getting up from my desk, I head downstairs. I tell myself I’m just going on a walk, but I know it’s more than that. I know exactly where my walk is going to lead.When I let my mom know I’m going for a walk, she’s so upset about Zaire leaving yesterday that she doesn’t even complain about it.Once I get outside, I see the almost full moon in the
ALEJANDRA. I hear the ocean in my dream. There are soft waves crashing and… A rocking motion? Why am I rocking? And why do I feel like I got the best sleep of my life? I stretch my arms and legs out. I can literally smell the salt water in the air, like I’m sleeping on the beach or something. Wait a minute. My eyes open abruptly, and I find myself in an unfamiliar room. The rocking sensation wasn’t just in my dreams. Something is rocking gently. I am in a small bed in the corner of a room. I sit up and look around, seeing nothing familiar. There is a small window with a curtain covering it, so I get up and walk over to look outside. When I look out, I see nothing but water. Oh, my gosh. I’ve been kidnapped. My heart is racing, and my entire body feels heavy. Think, Alejandra. What’s the last think you remember? Forrest. Phoenix. Desmond. Puma. I hate how just thinking their names makes my heart race for an entirely different reason than fear. Why are they the last thin