lethologica

What if supernatural creatures don’t exist anymore? What if they did once, but through the years, they slowly mixed in with humans?

You can see the blood of fairies in the way a ballet dancer hovers in mid air before he or she hits the ground. You can see it in the way that middle school girl never forgets when someone makes her a promise. You can see it in how that one little boy in the kindergarten class seems more comfortable in the forest on that field trip than the others.

You can see the blood of dryads in hikers who never trip over roots. You can see it in that suburban grandmother never lets any of her garden die. You can see it in that one kid who climbs a tree faster than his friends, barely looking at the branches as he goes.

You can see the blood of naiads in the way a professional swimmer seems to command the water to help them. You can see it in how a cross country runner needs a water break more often than his teammates. You can see it in the way that one girl in your class always has a water bottle on her desk.

You can see the blood of mermaids in a surfer who can be tossed around underwater for a long time without drowning. You can see it in a teenage boy who doesn’t have to pretend to be unbothered by the pressure when he races his friends to the bottom of a swimming pool. You can see it in the little girl who wades into every stream she sees on a hike without quite knowing why.

You can see the blood of sirens in people who never have a problem with getting people to date them. You can see it in that soprano who can hit notes most of her fellows can only dream of. You can see it in the camp counselor who all the straight girls have a crush on, who can play guitar and sing better than any of the others.

You can see the blood of shapeshifters in the way an actor adjusts their personality to become their character with scary accuracy. You can see it in the subconscious, barely noticeable changes a tween girl’s eyes make to match her outfit better. You can see it in the way you always lose that one friend in a crowd if you’re not careful, because he’s just too good at blending in.

People who carry the blood of werewolves don’t change with the full moon anymore, but you can still see it in the way your best friend always knows something is wrong, though even they don’t know they’re smelling the changes in your body chemistry. You can see it in the way that one guy always seems to eat more than the reasonable amount of red meat at an all-you-can-eat buffet. You can see it in the way that one werido never has a problem when the teacher turns off the lights before a PowerPoint presentation because her eyes adjust quicker and better than yours.

You can see the blood of banshees in people who think they can sing, but can’t. You can see it in old women who know by the ache in their bones that someone’s death is coming. You can see it in baby boys who scream so loudly they deafen everyone in their surroundings.

People who carry the blood of dragons are as rare as dragons who could shapeshift or crossed some witch were. But for the special few, you can see their ancestry in the way that one friend everyone huddles up to on winter days never gets cold. You can see it in the way a band student can blow warm air into her instrument for an ungodly amount of time. You can see it in the way a rich man jealously guards what’s his.

You can see the blood of griffins in the skydiver who jumps first off the plane because they have no fear of heights. You can see it in a teenage girl who keeps a large collection of jewelry. You can see it in the way some people can tell how much something valuable is worth as soon as he looks at it.

You can see the blood of centaurs in way some people don’t even have to try to make friends with horses. You can see it in a sprinter who outpaces all of his opponents. You can see it in the way that one friend who always gets a bit too wild at parties, but usually sticks close to her chosen herd.

You can see the blood of satyrs in the way a mountain climber can find footholds most can’t even see. You can see it in a teenage boy who will eat anything. You can see it in a flutist who’s music is so good that she seems to make the grass greener.

You can see the blood of dwarves in people who are never afraid to kick you in the kneecaps if you mock their height. You can see it in a nerd who spends more than the necessary amount of time and hard work on her homework. You can see it in that one weird kid in class who for some reason knows how to make his own swords.

You can see the blood of vampires in your teen friend who is obsessed with their reflection in the mirror, they cannot pass a shiny surface without taking a moment to stare at themselves. You can see it in that one neighbor you have who you never see in daylight, but is always awake no matter the hour of the night. You know it is there in the child that never tans and who’s eyes glimmer like  a cat in the night.