Part Fourteen

Despite Tristin’s initial hesitations, we met at the baseball field regularly. First, he tried to teach me how to fly. I was such a natural at it, I was showing him up.

“Okay,” he said, stunned. “You can fly. Uh…”

I came down for a landing beside him.

“Teach me something else!” I insisted. He was still hesitant. “Come on!”

Trist sighed. “You’re like a puppy. All right, I’ll teach you more. But you gotta keep it a secret between you and me.” I nodded enthusiastically.

“So. We are part of a race called ‘Dae.’ The ‘D’ stands for ‘Demon,’ and refers to our animalistic attributes. My demon is a hawk, so I can use his wings or change into him completely.”

“Wait. The demon… Is the demon its own person?” I wondered.

“I don’t think so. That’s just how I visualize it.”

“Oh. I get it. I think.”

Trist smiled. “It’s okay, my friend. I don’t have to tell you more.”

“No! I mean, it’s okay. Really. Go on.”

“The ‘A’ stands for ‘Angel,’ though I’m not sure what it means.

“Finally, ‘E’ stands for—”

“Wait, that’s not how you spell ‘Day.’”

“That’s just how it’s pronounced,” Trist explained. “Like a homophone. ‘Which witch is the right witch?’”

“Oh, I see.”

“Yeah. ‘E’ stands for ‘Elf,’ and symbolises our individual powers. For example, I have super strength. Watch.”

He proceeded to lift me off the ground without appearing winded or strained in the slightest. When he backed off, I gaped at him.

“That’s awesome!” I told him. “What’s mine?”

Trist shrugged. “How should I know? You’ll just have to figure it out for yourself.”