Serpent's Heir Chapter 1

I finally reach the end of Farvel St and turn right into Pingle St. I grudge down the smooth pathway. Colourful Pansies and tulips decorate the path on the right. The air smells sweeter here. The tall trees across the road create a row of vivid silhouettes. The nature here is set up beautifully; I wonder why it isn't quite this nice on Farvel St. I guess it’s the council’s favouritism.. I walk further along and spot a small bakery.It’s cosy and layered heavily with small, red bricks. This wasn't here before. Someone is locking up the door, getting ready to go home.A woman, with a strong posture. The person turns around. It’s her. She stands there in her navy blue uniform and ebony long hair. I run.

I keep running. I speed down the hillside. Everything turns into a blur. I’m sure I’m going to trip over soon, but I don’t. I keep on running. I keep on going. I need to get away from her. I don’t give a damn where, but I need to be in peace; both mentally and physically.

I stop at the Cliffside. There’s nowhere to run. The ocean is wide awake and at it. The waves thrash at the Cliffside violently, dangerously. It’s frightening. The waves push themselves so high, that if I reached out straight ahead, the water would brush my fingertips. The drowsiness hits me again, hard. I suffocate in my own presence, and just when I’m about to faint I hold onto the steel railings. I push myself up to a reasonable stance and close my eyes shut. I catch my breath steadily and then grip the railings tighter. My knuckles turn white, but I don’t give a damn. I'm pissed right now, so pissed I can’t even bare it. How can she hinder my life even though she’s long gone? They killed her years ago, yet I'm still holding onto the slightest chance, that she still breathes and lives. Honestly, it’s pathetic. I grip the railings even tighter. My knuckles begin to bleed thin strips, but I shake it off. Who cares? I don’t give a crap. At least, not any more.

I wake up to a purple sky sprinkled with little lights. It’s graceful. I listen. The ocean sounds calm now, quiet. Relieved, I get up onto my feet. “What happened last night?”I say under my breath. I brush away at the dirt collected on my clothes. I don’t dare to think back further. I don’t want to know right now. Then I'm pissed, even early in the morning, I can’t get some peace. She’s always there. Fricken always. I huff at myself. What a weakling.

I look up, and almost lose balance. I come face to face with a very short boy around my age. Startled I look at him. His dark hair is swept back, a nice, structured face, blue eyes, light freckles, and a handsome set of features. He’s cute. I glance at his teeny body. He’s wearing tracks, but you can still see that his body is quite built. He’d be way out of your league Kou, if he wasn't so small. “Hey” I manage to spit out. It comes out more intense than I expected. “Hey.” He says back. His voice melts into my mind. I shuffle nervously in my position. First thing in the morning I attempt to have a conversation with a smoking dwarf- dude. What a blessing. He scratches his temple. “I've done this a billion times. The quickest, convenient way to do this is..” He reaches into his grey side satchel and gives me a small, wooden hand mirror. Confused, I take the mirror from his hands, eye’s still fixated to his heavenly face. Not knowing how to react I take a look at myself. My voice hitches and my mind stops. I swallow. Then scream.

The boy barely flinches. I stop screaming. An emotion of confusion, fear and excitement flood my senses. “How”? I whisper. I can’t even bring reality together. The boy beams a look of surprise. “You change the mood pretty swiftly.” He says with a small smile. I completely lose myself. In that one smile I feel O.K, safe. I take another look. My face is scaly, so is my grey and white shaded body. I have salamander-like ears protruding from where my normal ears were, rectangular irises,thick white eye-liner, white metallic lips that sparkle beautifully, fangs and a slim tail erecting from the lowest point of my spine. My features have also slightly changed. My eyes are larger, the bridge of my nose has flattened, along with some slits instead of nostrils and I have higher, sharper cheek bones. I realise I'm much taller. Around 2 and a half metres. You might even say I look like a pretty giant..

“You turned out better than most.” He says, fidgeting for the first time. “Now, back to your last question, ‘how?’, I can’t answer that. Not here, but if it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only one.” He says in a deep, masculine tone. My skin burns hot. He’s like a droplet falling into a pool of clear water. He sends cool ripples everywhere in my body. “How do you know?” I say, trying to take the matter into my own hands; except this man is extremely distracting. He grins. I think I just died. “I’ll show you.” He says with a flash of white, perfect teeth. He closes his eyes, emphasising on how long his lashes are. His mouth opens briefly, and then he recites something so fast; I just catch the meaning of each word. Just. Then a sudden green outline of light circles around his sneakers. Black snakes and swirls intricate a mysterious, intriguing pattern. I focus hard on what’s happening. The light surrounding his feet gradually gets brighter and brighter with each word he recites. Then it flashes once, and a mist of pure white mixed with damp yellow fills the air. Ripped clothes fling in a few directions. Silver sparkles shatter everywhere. It’s breath-taking, entrancing. Once the mist fades I see not a boy, but a beautiful monster.

He’s taller than me; about three metres. He has navy blue scales, his ears are a lighter shade. He too has eyes outlined, but in black, and thinner. Black lips, long tail, sharp fangs, and slightly adjusted features. He’s still hot. “I only look good to you since we are seeing from the same eyes, but please be aware that everyone else thinks we’re hideous.” He says, notifying me. I look away. Did he read my mind?

“Now that you've got your proof, would you mind me taking you somewhere? You need to meet a couple of people, and trust me, they have answers to all your questions.”He says while scratching his temple again. “Sure” I say. After what I've seen, I think I can handle pretty much anything. I replay a sentence in my head, and hope it doesn't come off as goofy. “But how do we switch back to being human?” I ask, pulling my best intelligent face. 

“You just have to say jitinjkaieras. It’s a tongue twister, but it’s the only way. It’s an enchantment, helps us return to our human form.” He answers." Oh yea, and once your're human you'll have a permanent ornament attached to your ear. It's to signify that the serpent's blood resists in you." He says smartly.

I cringe. I'm not as brainy as him.

I say the word a couple of times in my head, and then say it aloud. The boy’s face freezes with surprise. “Not now!” He says in a raised voice. But it’s too late. A light engulfs me, and then a black mist. The mysterious fog fades and I'm standing, naked in front of him.

Well done Kou, you've embarrassed yourself for life.