[ POV Ann ]

  I'm standing on the grass in our backyard and am taking some time to get my bearings. "Man, this is one heck of a big wn! It's like a freakin' football field!"

  Alright...time to start my wing practice. Shouldn't fairies be able to fly right from the start? Then again, I'm newly hatched, as completely insane as that may sound.

  The sun is nice and warm, but the grass is still a bit wet from st night's rain, so I walk over to the paved area. "There, much better already."

  The first thing I try is jumping up and down, but of course my wings don't activate on their own. Not even a flutter..nothing happens. Next I try running while fpping my hands to imitate a bird and even saying "fly!" But again...nothing works.

  My efforts are interrupted when I hear someone squealing next door.

  When I turn around, I see a woman's head peeking above the wooden fence. She seems to be around my age, but is obviously human. Did she actually climb on something, just to see me?

  "Oh my god! Mom! Come look at this! Our neighbors bought a remote controlled fairy!"

  Oh crap.....what do I do? I instantly freeze....not moving to avoid any unwanted attention. Mom didn't tell me about our neighbors! Do they even know about me? Probably not, or she wouldn't have called me a remote controlled fairy.

  "Not now, honey, ter, okay?" Another woman said, her mom most likely.

  I see our neighbor jumping off of something and now that she can't see me, I immediately rush to hide behind a garden table's leg.

  And there we have it.....she's trespassing.....approaching me like another giant woman. "Awwww.......it's gone? Hello? Anyone here?" She said, and that probably means that she's not intending to trespass.

  I'm sure that the garden door would have been locked if mom didn't trust her neighbors. But still, I need to be careful.

  She's wearing a pin bck skirt and a blueish t-shirt, and is smiling when she finally spots me. She doesn't strike me as a billionaire's daughter, but more like the typical girl next door. Her smile reminds me of Ky's, but her hair is much longer than hers or mine for that matter. Her hazel eyes express curiosity and I'm already convinced that she's a nice person. I can tell that she spends quite some time on makeup, and it really suits her.

  But her smile vanishes when I return the wave and greet her. "Hi there!"

  She crouches and takes a closer look at me, while I'm ready to run away. "Wow.....you can talk?"

  "Um...sure I can."

  "Ahh.....of course. Miss Finley, you are talking through this thing, aren't ya?" She smiles when she thinks that she has figured it out.

  "No, she's working inside. I'm Ann, and who are you?"

  "Okay, I'll py along. I'm your neighbor of course, Emily. Nice to meet ya."

  "Um...likewise. So....I guess that you've never seen a fairy before?" I know, a stupid question, but I couldn't think of anything else to say.

  "Not something as advanced as this one. Looks like the real thing. Can it fly?"

  "Emily?"

  "Yes, Miss Finley?"

  "I'm Ann and I'm not a monster, but a real life fairy. Not a toy."

  "Uh-huh...sure you are. Then why don't you fly away and show me?"

  "Because I only hatched recently and my wings won't work!"

  "Do you want me to throw you into the air?" Her hand was already moving towards me, ready to grab.

  That's when I remembered to use my skills. "Shock!" I shouted, and sure enough Emily got zapped.

  "Ouch! Heeeey! That's mean!" She said, but it had the desired effect. She took a few steps back and pouted.

  "Emily?" I asked, hoping to start a normal dialogue.

  "Yeah? Why did you do that?!"

  "Because I'm a real fairy, you dummy!"

  She crouches again and raises her hands. "I won't touch you, so don't hurt me, okay?"

  "Alright. Are you convinced now?"

  "Not really. You really look like a toy, no offense."

  "Trust me, you aren't the first to say that. Our housekeeper put me in a dollhouse while I was sleeping. And even these clothes were made for dolls!" I straightened my dress, showing her a cute bear picture on it.

  She snickers. "You really look adorable. But...how? I thought that fairies were just fantasy?"

  "That's what I said, until I woke up looking like this."

  "Wow....so you weren't born that way?"

  "Technically yes, but I was a human first. I used to be Diane Nicholson and now I'm a fairy called Ann Finley." The cat's out of the bag, so might as well tell her that much.

  "Ann Finley? As in.....family of...miss Finley who lives here?"

  "Exactly."

  "Wait....Diane? No way! Are you the one from the CNN interview the other day? With the phone?"

  "That's me. And please keep it a secret!"

  She nods. "Sure, and I remember seeing your interview and Miss Finley told everyone that you were in her care. I guess she meant at home! Wow, I'm so lucky that we live next door to her!"

  "Emily, how long have you known my mom?"

  "Your....mom?"

  "Yes, I'm living with my mom from now on." I pointed at the house behind me.

  "So...the dy who lives there....she's....actually your mom?" She sounded really surprised.

  "Yes, she kinda adopted me, sort of. It's complicated."

  "Aaaah...okay. I can see why. Anyway, nice to meet ya, I'm Emily Davis."

  "Likewise, I'm Ann. But you already knew that."

  "Uh-huh. So......what'cha doin?"

  "Trying to fly." I whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear. I'm fidgeting, because I am feeling embarrassed.

  She shows me a big smile, but then looks serious."Do you mind if I put you somewhere else? Crouching all the time is starting to hurt."

  "Um...okay."

  She offered her hand, and I trusted her to not harm me. But instead of putting me on the table, she walked towards her home.

  "Emily! I'm not supposed to leave!"

  "Just a minute okay? I'll take you back soon. My mom has to see you!" She's keeping me safe in her open hands, but I don't like this one bit. I could have zapped her again, but I don't know how much magic juice I have left. Falling asleep in this scenario might turn out bad for me.

  Emily takes me into her home and then shouts "Mooooom!" She startled me!

  "Sheesh, for god's sake, Emily, stop shouting! Ah....what's that thing? You found a fairy dolly? Looks cute. Maybe one of the girls next door dropped it?" Her mom replied.

  "Not really....this is our new neighbor, Ann. She moved in with dy Finley next door."

  She blinked at her reply and put her hand on Emily's forehead for a moment. "Honey, are you feeling okay?"

  "Mooooom! This is a real fairy, I swear! Say something, Ann!"

  "Um....hi there!" I waved at her mom.

  "Oh my god.....you can talk?" Her big eyes were studying me from a few inches away.

  "Yeah......I'm not supposed to show myself to you, but Emily doesn't seem to care right now."

  Her mom shakes her head. "Well....that's my Emily. I can't believe this, are you real or a monster, or...what are you?"

  "Just a fairy, ma'am. Not a monster. Used to be human until recently. My name used to be Diane Nicholson. You probably saw me on TV. A while ter I woke up looking like this." I point at my wings while shrugging.

  "Incredible...that's you???"

  I nod, then shake my head. "Not anymore. I'm Ann now. Don't ask...it just happened."

  "I see, how mysterious. Well, c'mon in, dear and tell us more about yourself." She welcomed me, but also woke her husband who apparently dozed off on the couch. She seems like a real nice mom.

  "What's wrong?" He said and blinked a few times. "Who....what's that?"

  "Forgive my dad, he's got a hangover."

  "Emily!" Her mom shakes her head.

  I couldn't suppress a giggle. "It's okay. You seem like a nice family. I moved in with my mom. I'm Ann Finley."

  Emily expined the situation to her dad and promised to take me home real soon.

  "This is incredible, you're actually a fairy now. And you look absolutely real to me, not a toy. Nice to meet you, Ann. I'm her mom, Alicia and that's her dad, Noah."

  "Nice to meet you all." I waved at them.

  Her dad is looking at me, and I'm afraid that he might be suspicious of me. Whatever, it's too te for regrets now.

  A little one then enters the room, dragging a plushie behind him. "Mommy..."

  "Mommy is not here, honey, I'll read you a story in a minute, okay?"

  "A fairy!" He said while pointing at me.

  Alicia smiled. "Alex here is my sister's kid and he's staying here for a day or two."

  "I always call him Allie." Emily said with a big grin.

  "Emily!" Her mom seems quite worried about her daughter's future considering how often she needs to correct her behavior.

  "Hahaha..." Emily simply shrugs it off and somehow seems to get away with these things.

  Alicia picks up Alex and gives him a hug. "She's a real fairy, Alex. What do you say to the nice dy?"

  "Hi.." he's shy and looks very tired.

  "Hi there. Are you sleepy?" I couldn't suppress a smile at the sight.

  "Uh-huh."

  Alicia asks "Ann, do you mind if I bring him to bed? He didn't get much sleep st night."

  Emily's dad however replies "let me handle that. See you around, Ann."

  "Yes, sir."

  "You are very polite, aren't you?" Alica replied after waiting for her husband and the kid to leave.

  "Um....yes. My dad....em...he's into military stuff and expects me to be ultrapolite and such. Anyway, I now live next door with my new mom."

  "She's the one working for that medical company, right?"

  "Something like that, yes."

  "Won't she ever retire?" Alicia said with a smile.

  "Hahaha, I don't think so. As far as I can tell, she loves her job way too much."

  Alica nods and points at the sofa, gesturing to Emily to sit down already."Sorry for all the questions, Ann. Where are my manners, can we get you something to drink?"

  "Thank you, no. But I really should be going home now. I'm trying to get my wings to work, but they simply won't obey me."

  "I see. Well, it can't be helped."

  Emily sat down and let me stand on the living room table near the TV. There was no way for me to leave their home without some help, so I ended up discussing a few things like the summer holidays.

  "Have you ever visited a country outside the Allied States, Ann?" Alicia asked.

  There's that stupid word again. "No, and I don't think that I will anytime soon. I'm expected to somehow help people fight monsters, so I'll probably be stuck in a b for a while."

  "Woow, so cool! I wanna see her fighting monsters!" Emily said, sounding beyond excited. She definitely didn't understand the 'somehow' part which I just mentioned.

  "Really?" Alicia sighed and rolled her eyes. "Maybe you should watch the news again? Most people don't want to see them."

  "Should I ask my mom?" I suggested. Might be fun. Oops....I should have asked mom first.

  "It sounds like you have a great mom. But you and Emily just met. Are you sure that you want to bring her along? I mean...she IS my daughter, you might regret it."

  "Moooom!!!!!"

  "Hahahahaha" She ughed about her daughter's antics. "But hon, may I please speak to your mother? Let me ask her first if it's safe for Emily to join you. But more importantly, we have lived here for 3 years now and never had the chance to introduce ourselves. She's always working or otherwise unavaible."

  "Yeah....she's always super busy leading a company. And now I have arrived to keep her from her work."

  "I can imagine. So, is she home right now?"

  "Uh-huh, she's home." I wonder if she works part-time these days?

  Emily returned me to our backyard and put me on the garden table and knocked on the back door to get my mom's attention. A few minutes ter Amelia joined Emily, Alicia and myself in our backyard.

  They take a moment to introduce themselves and mom apologizes for not doing that sooner. Bingo...they're friends already!

  "I guess that the cat's out of the bag." Mom said, after which she gave them a summary of events. Apparently my existence has to be made public anyway, but for now they agreed to keep this quiet.

  Emily is petting my fluffy ears with her finger and seems happy to see my wagging tail. And yes, the scratching feels really nice.

  Mom says "Ann, we have a press conference scheduled for tomorrow. I didn't want to tell you before dinner, but I might as well tell you now. It would help me out if you could actually fly. Maybe Emily is willing to assist you?"

  "I don't mind the press conference, but Emily wants to throw me into the air!"

  Mom shakes her head. "No throwing, Emily."

  "I know! I thought that you were speaking through a toy, Miss Finley!"

  "It's alright. And call me Amelia."

  "Wow, okay!" Emily said.

  After our moms had left us, Emily started to help me with my flight practice."Ann, you tried everything now. Why don't you close your eyes and try again?"

  "What good will that do? These things won't work!" I touched my wings and was surprised to feel how sensitive they were.

  "Just try it!"

  I closed my eyelids and concentrated on my wings....nada.

  She then said "now imagine yourself falling down from a tall building."

  My wings instantly moved on their own, taking me upwards for a few feet. But as soon as I realized what was happening, they stopped moving. "Ahhh!!!"

  Thankfully Emily caught me. "Woow! You did it!"

  My surprised face slowly changed into one of excitement. "It really worked! You're a genius, Emily!"

  "Ehehehe, tell that to my mom next time you see her."

  "I will!"

  We continued flight practice until I mastered the art of hovering. Then things progressed much faster and I was flying like a pro not even an hour ter.

  Emily is encouraging me while I'm flying circles in our backyard.

  Mom and Rachel joined us after they heard Emily's cheers and they are now appuding my efforts. At some point I started to feel tired and chose Rachel's hands as my nding zone.

  "Well done, Ann!" Mom said. "And thanks to Emily for her assistance!"

  "My pleasure, Amelia! She's so cute!"

  "BAAAAAAM" The four of us were startled by a loud sound behind us.

  It takes a moment to see what happened, but I quickly realize that nothing dangerous happened. A pigeon just learned that windows can hurt, but it flew away, so no harm done. The big spot on the window shows the moment of impact in great detail...poor bird.

  Rachel and Emily are snickering while mom simply shakes her head. "They will never learn," she said and we all had to ugh.

  Alicia, Emily's mom, joined us. "That was a really loud bang. I thought that someone was angry and shut our backdoor with force. But then I saw that spot on your window......"

  "Yes, it startled us. But the bird made it out in one piece." Emily replied, still grinning.

  Mom invited them for tomorrow's press conference and asked Emily to do the honors and keep me in her hands in front of the cameras. She was reluctant at first, but I think that we're officially friends now.

  "Can I see your room?" Emily asked enthusiastically. Alicia seems to have difficulties with that but nods when my mom gives her the green light.

  Emily and I entered my bedroom, while I was resting in her hands. I studied her face, curious to see what she thinks of my room.

  "Wow...it's.....much smaller than my own room. But.....lots of pink. You like pink?"

  "Em...yes?"

  "No worries, it's fine. And aww.....glow in the dark stars? I love them! And that doll house! It's so cute! Do you sleep in there?"

  "No, my bed is near that window over there."

  She walks over to my bed and prods it with her finger. "So tiny. Is it comfy?"

  "Very much."

  Wow...Emily's quite energetic, uncomplicated and to be honest...really cute too. A pity that she's a human. But did she call me cute or just the fact that I'm more like a living doll to her? I really find her difficult to read sometimes.

  Emily then invited me to see her bedroom and it was surprisingly neutral looking. I had expected it to look more girly with lots of posters and such. But it's just a normal bedroom. Only her desk light is pink, the rest is surprisingly...no frills...if that makes any sense.

  Feeling too exhausted to continue, I said my goodbyes and actually flew back home. I had to wait for Rachel to notice me and she told me that she would try to find a way for me to open it myself. Probably a cat door, and no, that was not what I was expecting to hear.

  Rachel put me on the dinner table and said "Ann? I talked to Alicia, Emily's mom?" She waited for me to nod. "Your friend ...she....likes women. Thought you should know."

  "Really?"

  "Yes, just....be careful not to get hurt. Her mom says that Emily can be emotional sometimes. She's a very nice and decent person, but also...a bit...emotional. So also try not to hurt her feelings too much."

  "But I'm just a fairy? How could she....? You mean....she ....likes me?"

  Her smile changed into a full blown grin for a moment."Ha.....I'll bet 100 dolrs on it that she does, yes."

  I'm feeling embarrassed already. Girls never liked me, and this one does?"Wow."

  "Didn't you notice?"

  "Rachel, we just met! We're not even of the same species!"

  "Well...be that as it may, how do you feel about that?"

  "We....just...met!" I whispered. It's not like I fall in love with every woman I see! And I think that Emily actually likes the cute fairy, not the cute Ann.

  "I see. Well, I suggest that you be honest. If she truly shows her feelings for you, you have to tell her.....you know."

  "That I like women too?"

  "Well.....yes. She doesn't seem to mind the size difference, or she simply finds you adorable. But still, either tell her that you don't want that kind of attention or tell her that it's fine. Maybe she just thinks that you're cute like I do, but you never know. Just try not to hurt her feelings."

  "Wow....it's like I'm a criminal!"

  She shook her head and gave me a piece of the banana she was eating. "I know it's difficult. But she had her heart broken already. She only stopped sulking when she spotted you. At least, that's what her mom said. Just...be careful. You both have lots of emotions and such to process. I don't want either of you to get hurt."

  "Alright....I'll be careful. But I think that she just sees me as a pet, to be honest."

  "Alright, as long as you are careful, that's all I can ask for."