Julian woke up from her faint with a lot of students crowded around her. All those eyes looking at- at her! They were all filled with concern, but mainly she just wanted to get away from them. She got up slowly and quickly and said she was fine, though she looked nervously for signs of the T-rex. He was still there of course, and must have picked up that she had that 'fear' of him. He kept his distance now.
The dinosaur boy was looking rather innocently to her though. It was... weird to say the least.
The teenage doe went into her classroom, where she was hoping there would be less trouble. She just wanted to get this over with while she made plans. She thought maybe she should talk to her parents... the day just drifted by... she didn't hear anything.
"Jullia?" said the teacher.
Julian didn't say anything.
"Julia? Please we are doing roll call." said Miss Summers. The elf teacher observed her with a considering expression. She had quiet a morning working out what to do with one of the younger age students, who couldn't even fit in the building let alone bringing in another new student. Still she had not lost a student yet... and she was certain, she could teach Julia something.
Julian looked up a little startled. "Huh Me?"
"Yes Julia."
"My name isnt-"
The students all stared at her.
'Julia' glanced back at the others then at the teacher, who was looking at her very calmly. A little... too calm. Something about her made her feel... she wasn't sure what exactly. But she was looking at her. Looking at her so... closely. She didn't feel threatened, but she got the feeling that there was little she could hide from this teacher. Did her mother register that name?! Was that really to be her name now? Should she object?
... but if she did, there would be more questions... and... she didn't want that. "...Here," she said quietly.
"Excellent. Julia."
...and just like that, her name was Julia. A name that was... so innocent. Precious. Just... how could one letter make such a difference? She didn't know what to do any more with her life.
"Hello," smiled another boy moving closer to her desk. It was another predator... a raptor? "I'm michael," she said grinning.
Julia looked at her. "Don't you mean Michelle?" she said frowning a little, obviously a little ticked off at the loss of her own name.
"I like Mike," She said with a shrug. "You don't have to change your name if you don't want to."
Julia frowned even more at that- how come she couldn't keep her name? She liked her name! Just one more thing to lose. Then she stared at Mike's bloodstained clothes and tensed a little- yet also some intrigue on her eyes. "You... hunt?" She asked quietly.
"Every day," Michael said with a grin. "Don't worry I wont eat you."
"...comforting," Said Julia plainly. She used to be a freaking god! Reduced to... to this. People actually joking about how she might taste.
Michael saw something of Julia's sadness and she gave a little smile. "You... want to try hunting with me?" She asked. She could see the spark of interest in the doe's eyes, despite her form.
Julia looked surprised at the question. "H-Hunt? Haven't you seen what I am? I'm a .. a..."
"A doe, yeah I know... but we can hunt together if you like."
Julia stared more at Michael. God... if she was a boy still, she was sure she would have been in love. If she had only made an opportunity of her past life, to seek out other hunters... but instead she preached being the 'lone wolf', to be 'master' of territory, and to exclude those that did not adhere to that regime. More so... Michael actually 'ate' those she hunted- something which Julia found a little revulsion in.
Julia was struggling with what to make of her own ideas now, of what a hunt entailed. She was punished for just.. killing things. She didn't need to eat them. She didn't even really want to. She just... liked hunting the small pray.
"So how about it? Want to come with me after school to hunt? It'll be fun" the raptor pressed on.
"I'll... I'll think about it," said Julia quietly as she unconsciously placed a hand over her abdomen.
Jeff signed a little as she contemplated her new existence. With the loss of the warehouse, there was no way she could return there. She wasn't sure she even wanted to. Time passed by, and she was completely still. Her body, winding back in recharge mode, but she was already completely charged up. She just... had nowhere to go.
It looked like it was break time now, and a few of the other kids had come out of the building to stare at the giant. They had been looking at her through the window. However few dared to get too close to her. Jeff wasn't sure what to say to them. She knew she wasn't really a kid... and being bigger then them, did reinforce that thought, despite being so young again.
"Hey look I found something!" said one of the kids. He appeared to be a transformed devil boy, with red skin. "Cool its some kind of giant key! I bet it goes to her house!" The child looked very excited at his find.
Jeff suddenly moved tense at the feeling of someone holding her key. She forgot she left it just at her side like that! "H-Hey- Please give that back."
"Only if you play with us!" said the annoying boy.
Jeff tensed a little at the 'command'. "I-I'll...I'll play with you," she said unable to help it.
"Okay let's see," said the boy. "Hide and seek? No too easy... I know! I want you to carry me around the playground!"
"And... you'll let me have my key back?" she asked tensely.
"Uh huh. Go on carry me!"
Jeff complied, taking the bratty child into her hand and 'carried' him around. People looked with some awe and confusion... he appeared to be having the time of his life, and for a moment Jeff was actually quite happy to make someone else happy like that. Things were going okay... that is until, they ran into a teacher.
Miss Crawford looked at the two with her arms folded. "Taylor? Please explain?" She said using 'that' voice. It was a voice Jeff remembered all too well, and even she was worried now of herself.
"Oh.. we was jus' playin'..." said the devil boy with a faint smile.
Miss Crawford looked unimpressed. "...hm... give that to me please."
Taylor sheepishly handed the key to Miss Crawford as he quickly ran away. The teacher then looked over Jeff, and carefully handed the key back to her.
"T-Thank you," said the giant girl.
"Don't mention it. You might want to put that somewhere very safe. It looks quite important."
There was just darkness around Mr Aurelius as he laughed. Finally, he stopped laughing...
Somehow he had ended up outside. There was a forest surrounding him, with large trees, and he became quite confused at it all. He stood on a wooden platform with sawdust all over. Was this a weird dream? Where was he?
"Hello," said a little girl suddenly next to him. She was wearing a pointy hat that made her look like a little witch.
"What the- Who are you!" he cried out surprised. "I thought the sun was supposed to change me. Not take me somewhere else!"
"Oh who knows," said the witch-girl with a smile. "I guess you're a special case. Course that might have something to do with me!"
"Just... who are you?"
"Mmm..." The witch girl put a finger on her lips in thought. "You could call me a spirit of luck I guess. I've always been rather close to your family- well- occasionally anyway. You had your own lucky spirit looking after you."
"I don't believe in such nonsense!" said Mr Aurelius. "Where am I?"
"Mmm... 18 hundred or so."
"Eighteen hundred what?"
"Eighteen hundred years A.C. You've gone back in time."
"What?! What stupid joke are you playing at!" Mr Aurelius laughed at the whole incredulity of what she was saying.
"I take it you haven't even realised you're only six inches tall?"
Aurelius looked about again. The strange ground they were standing on was a tree-stump. He was.. standing on a sawn off tree... the size of a bug. "Oh... sh..."
The luck spirit smiled happily. "Isn't that interesting? See, the gods can't really touch you so easily cause you've got me! We're going to have a lot of fun."
"What's going to happen to me!"
"Oh. Dunno. That's how luck works you see. Your family has always been lucky, but you really abused it. Then someone put a 'bad luck' curse on you... but you still have the good luck on you. The 'rules' such as they are say, you throw yourself to the whims of chaos... of well... me! I havn't had to do this for a millennia," she said with a rather serious though playful look. It was strange how she could be so innocent yet so... serious too. This 'luck spirit' was very dangerous indeed.
"I don't believe in any of this!" said Mr Aurelius. "You did this to me!"
"Actually... no. You did it to yourself. You'll did it then, you'll do it again, and you'll be glad you did! Isn't it funny how things work out?"
"What nonsense are you-" Mr Aurelius then stared at his hand as it became rather... strange. The fore arms turned a curious green, with odd scales. "What.. what is.. h-happening to me?"
The witch-girl stared at Mr Aurelius with a mixture of curiosity and interest.
The man was changing very slowly at first, but it sped up. The strange scaled hands only went as far as his forearms, and the same was happening to his forelegs, even as his clothes just... completely disappeared. Even more curious, he seemed to be turning into.. a girl. Finally, strange antennas came out of her head just as two pairs of diphenius wings erupted from her back, as her hair took on a golden blond shade.
Mr Aurelius stood there stunned for a moment staring at her naked form with a mixed look.
"Mmm. Yep. You're a dragon fairy," said the witch-girl still smiling. "A very.. very rare, and special type."
"A.. a dragon... fairy? That... doesn't even make sense! Get me some clothes!" She... was a girl? A girl?! Why!
"Sorry, luck doesn't work that way," she said with a shrug. "Anyway, I am here to tell you a few rules. First of all, best not leave the woods. You kinda... need the trees. Second, this is 'your' forest. You'll get what I mean about that later. The last fairy guardian had to... kinda depart. Third... humans will desire you. Why? You'll figure that out. Isn't this fun!"
"S-stop.. oh please stop," Aurelius said trying to stand with dignity. "You are trying to teach me some kind of lesson. I'll save you the trouble. You can't.. Everything I did, I know I did because of the circumstances. You can't change me. You can't make me a 'better' father, by making me a woman!"
The luck spirit tilted her head a bit getting right closer to Mr Aurelius. "So... you do want to be a better father?"
Mr Aurelius stared. "I will not be baited... you can't... do this!"
"I didn't do anything. Honest! It's all just... luck. Chaos. Fate. Take your pick. Anyway, this is actually an opportunity for you. This forest needs work. The loggers have done quite a number on it. Go fix it up!"
"What?! I don't work for free and I'm not some tree-hugger!"
"Why not? Make it... a reflection of what you want to make. A lasting legacy... This forest will last forever, if you make it strong enough. Make it as you will... or, let it die... and you will die with it. You're already part of this forest... your fates are linked."
The dragon fairy swallowed a bit. This was... just... insane!
"Well I have to go now! I'll see you every ten years. We won't be strangers." said the witch girl.
"Wait!" The dragon fairy cried. She was going to leave her here? Without even any clothes?! "What am I supposed to do!"
The luck spirit turned her head. "Well... I'll give you one more bit of good luck advice. Now would be a really good time to use those wings. In fact... I'd fly... really really fast. Like as in- right now. Please? Just.. fly quickly."
Mr Aurelius wasn't sure what to make of this- but the idea of flying did bring a sense of wonder into it as she levitated a bit, only to have a sparrow nearly eat her! The bird looked like it wasn't ready to give up on its morsel either, and the dragon fairy had little choice but to fly quickly away.
The luck spirit watched her go sadly. "It'll get better... once she finds you."
