Beyond The Veil

Chapter 1

I pooled the cold water in my hands and pushed it up into the air like a bubble. The ball of water floated into the air with the others.

"Well done, as usual, Emery." Elder Odessa said in her usual calm musical voice. Her curly red hair always reminded me of Autumn colored dried leaves. She put a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Everyone, let Emery be an example of what perfecting your element means." She said; I could feel my face flushing. I never liked being in the center of attention. My stomach fluttered as my Fae Mates looked at me. Colleen rolled her eyes as she turned and whispered something to her friend, then they both giggled.

I glanced down at my dress, which was halfway in the water, looking for dirt or grim. My chest tightened; I hated that they made me feel this way. I shouldn't care what others think, but sometimes I couldn't help it.

Elder Odessa cleared her throat. "Colleen, do you have something to share with everyone?" She asked. Colleen flipped her honey-blonde curls and flashed her pearly white smile. "No, not at all, Elder Odessa." She said in her honeyed voice. Then she sneered at me. I looked away from her; ever since I could remember, she was always picking on me. No matter what I did, I couldn't win with her. It's like she had it out for me.

"Alright, I want everyone to practice. I will see everyone back here at noon tomorrow." Elder Odessa said, then she gestured us to leave. I pulled up my dress and started to walk out of the water. Then Colleen and her groupies marched up to me, blocking my path.

Colleen placed her hand on her hip. "I bet you love being teachers' little pet toad." She snickered. I didn't say anything and tried to move past her, but she blocked me again. "Why don't you go for a swim!" She yelled as she threw her hand up in the air, and a burst of wind flung me backward into the water. As I fell, I could hear them saying, laughing, and saying, "Ribbit."

Part of me didn't want to break the surface. Why was it so bad for me to like what I did? I loved my element; my father had a big part in that. He taught me how to love it and care for it, and because of that, the Elders favored me. The others weren't too happy about it, so they decided to make my life harder.

I sighed as I came up to the surface. They all had left. "Finally..." I said to myself. I clapped my hands underwater. I felt a rush of water flow past me. I held my hands out, palms up under the water until he settled. I slowly scooped him up out of the water. Scully was my Water-Dragon. They were rare now, so I decided to foster him until he was big enough to go out into the ocean. They grew slower than most creatures, but that's why there weren't many of them. They got preyed on because they stayed in their baby stage the longest. He had gotten attached to me very quickly.

He squeaked at me then made a chirping sound, his usual greeting. His head was sleek and streamlined. His body was long, and his tail swung back and forth below my elbow. He was a beautiful male Dragon. "I hope one day you'll get to have whelps of your own," I said as I nuzzled his snout.

In Findara, the land of the Fae, mistakes were considered inadequate. So everyone was taught to be perfect at a young age. Mastering your element was key. I let Scully slide out of my hands and into the water again then I heard a soft boom pulsate through the air. I knew that sound; my heart raced as I rushed towards it. Everyone else ignored it, but I just couldn't. As I got to the end of the forest, I stopped and hid behind a tree. I peeked out from behind it; the Veil between my world and the Demon world was shimmering like a diamond mine. It was translucent, but you could still see it.

Now and then, I could see silhouettes of them...

Demons couldn't cross the Veil. Only one of the High Fae Court Elders could cross over and come back in one piece. Demons were once Fae who had been exiled a very long time ago.

The soft boom happened again, and the Veil rippled like a pebble thrown into a still lake. I gasped as something flew past me and nearly grazed my nose as it hit the tree next to me. I looked back towards the Veil and could see an outline of someone. My heart raced, I took a couple of steps towards it, but the Silhouette faded. I went to look at what was thrown at me, and my heart spiked once I saw the glimmer of silver and the black skull handle. It was a Demon Dagger.

My curiosity got the best of me. I pulled the Dagger out of the truck of the tree. The handle felt cold and light in my hands. The Dagger's blade was shiny and reflective. It showed my chestnut brown hair, fuller than it actually was. My eyes were a royal blue, like my father's.

I looked back to the Veil. A tiny black hole, the size of my thumbnail, had been made from the Dagger piercing through it. The Dagger wasn't big; it was as sleek as my finger.

"Emery dear, where are you?" My mother shouted.

Hearing my mother's voice almost made me drop the Dagger. I quickly tucked it away in my dress pocket.

"I'm coming!" I yelled as I rushed away, I glanced back at the tiny black hole, and a piercing light blue eye stared back at me. My heart jumped into my throat as I ran back home. All the while, I could feel the presence of the Demon's eyes on me...letting me know that they saw me.