by Lyza Ledo
Kohl
Today was the day I was going to tell her everything. It was her birthday, she was going to start the transformation today no matter what and I would help her with it. I remember asking her how she and her adoptive parents had picked her birthday and she showed me a bracelet when we had returned to her house. I remembered it instantly. Jayde’s parents had given it to her. It was silver with jade embedded in various parts of the small bracelet. In the center it simply read:
Jayde
06-20-95
She had told me it was the only thing that was left with her when she was found. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the Jayde, I was searching for. My Uncle William would have been proud to know I had found her.
I closed my cell phone. Philip was worried sick that I was still following her, but I couldn’t get Jayde to Encante until she could transform and I wasn’t leaving her alone when that sleeze ball of an ex-boyfriend still lurking around.
Something about Jayde despite all my better instincts was telling me to be with her as much as I possibly could. Yesterday by the Solimões we had an incredible conversation and even though she doesn’t know she’s Encatado she sure does know a lot about the legends. If she was more superstitious she would have probably put two and two together, but as of yesterday she hadn’t even considered the possibility. It was just a fun story to her.
I walked to the river, preparing for a morning swim. I had to be in perfect condition if I wanted to attend Jayde’s party that meant no fins hiding under a hat. I jumped in after I checked that no one was around and morphed.
It felt good to be an animal again. I swam deep into the river almost meeting into the ocean but not going completely in. I appreciated everything about the change, the feel of the ocean, the look of the fish with an ocean haze, the unique sound of moving water while under water. This is the form I enjoyed the most. I got the best thinking done. The dolphin in me was just smarter or so I believed. I swam around thinking of the best way to break a completely different world to Jayde without scaring her away. I don’t know if she would run screaming immediately if I told her, but if I showed her she might run even faster. There didn’t look like an easy solution to this problem.
After a few hours of mindlessly swimming, I morphed back into my human form. All signs of fishyness were gone. I had exactly twenty four hours before they came back and I was planning on being in Encante by then with Jayde. I dressed and started my stroll to Jayde’s house.
Yesterday, I had met her parents and they had dismissed me quickly probably assuming I would last as long as the other flings Jayde had. It was a little unnerving that she submitted to the magic so easily. Without even knowing it, Jayde was a supreme seductress, drawing any human male that was near her to fall for her in a matter of seconds. It baffled me that she hadn’t figured out the huge impact she had on her “best friend” Julio. The guy was madly in love with her and seemed to have never told her. The fact that Jayde hadn’t figured it out made me worry about her judgment again. After all she would be co-ruler of Encante-North she needed to have some brains in that beautiful head of hers if she wanted to leave her mark and help in ending this never ending war with Sy.
I turned the corner to Jayde’s house it was still early enough that people wouldn’t be showing up. I wasn’t really excited to have to think about fighting off the magic for an entire night just to keep an eye on Jayde. I was hoping to get her out of there early enough and leave. I had been here too long and it was about time I returned before Sy figured out where I was.
“Kohl!” Jayde said walking down her front porch in a deep green mini dress that matched her eyes perfectly. It was heart stopping when she halted in front of me. “You’re here!” She said barely able to suppress the bright smile on her face. “Julio and I have been decorating all morning, I can’t wait to show you what we have done.” She said pulling me towards the house.
I stopped her on the porch. “Jayde,” she turned around her face slightly flushed and hew eyes wide. I kissed her cheek. “Happy Birthday.”
“Thank you,” she said a deeper blush coming to her cheeks telling me she was a little startled by my display. She reached for my hand again and I followed her into her house. One thing that made me feel better about Jayde being taken from Encante was she still lived in the lap of luxury. Her father was a military official for Brazil and although he was rarely home to manage Jayde’s antics he provided a comfortable setting for Jayde and her mother. Jayde’s mother didn’t work but instead baked and cooked like every meal was for royalty. Today for the party I knew she would be pulling out all the stops for Jayde. Most of all I appreciated that Jayde had the love of two parents. Something Sy and I didn’t have and if she had stayed in Encante wouldn’t have had either.
“The party is going to be in the sunroom. Julio and my dad have been moving tables all day.” She said a proud grin on her face. “If you’d like you can help me hang the banners.” She said coyly hoping I would rather stay with her than go help the other men in her life.
“Why are you already dressed?” I asked as I sat beside her and unpackaged several banners.
“I was too excited to wait.” She replied without even breaking the smile she had been wearing ever since I had arrived. “Let’s put this sign here,” she said as she opened a small step ladder that I climbed and tacked the sign up with little help from Jayde. I climbed down and saw Jayde not wearing that perfect smile anymore. Her eyebrows were scrunched together in frustration or pain I couldn’t decide.
“Are you okay?” I asked when she didn’t even register that I had hung two more of the large birthday banners in their allotted places.
“I’ve been having the worst headache today.” She answered still not fully recovered from the headache I assumed was the onset of her manifestation. She was turning tonight whether she knew it or not.
“You know sometimes a bath or cup of water is all you need to get rid of a really bad headache.” She looked at me oddly for a few minutes.
“I’ve never heard of such a remedy.” She said as she grabbed a water bottle simultaneously. She drank most of the water in one gulp and the softening of the lines on her face told me I was right. She was transforming. “I actually feel better,” she said and kissed my cheek. “Thanks.”
I was starting to worry I didn’t know how this was going to go without her having any knowledge of what she was. My first transformation had taken two or three hours but I knew what to expect and how to channel all my magic into changing faster to make it less painful. How long would it take for Jayde if she couldn’t channel her energy into the morph or if she didn’t even know what was happening to her body? Would she even be able to handle the pain if she couldn’t figure out how to make herself change?
My cell phone began to ring as it always did at the most inconvenient times. “I have to take this,” I said mostly to Jayde as I walked out to the front garden of Jayde’s house. Her house was a large two story stone house that was a resounding yellow. “Hello,” I answered already knowing who it would be on the other line.”
“Your majesty, I have some important news for you.” Philip’s usual no nonsense tone came through.
“And what would that be?” I asked already knowing why he was calling.
“According to one of our spies it appears that Sy knows what you are up to.”
“Does he know I’m here?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it would be advisable if I insisted that you come back tonight.” He pleaded.
“Philip, I’m working on it she’s going to change tonight I know it and then I’ll leave, but I can’t rush it. This is a new life and you can’t force something like this onto someone.”
“I know you are completely right, sire, but I feel that you are running out of time. Sy has to be planning something by now so he can get Jayde into his grasp. There is no telling what he will do.”
“Philip, this will be resolved tonight just give me a few ho
urs.” I said and hung up. I turned around to find Julio on the porch eyeing me suspiciously. I wonder how much he had overheard or was he intentionally eavesdropping. Either way he wasn’t staying in my good graces.
“Problem, Julio?” I asked as I walked up the few stairs of the porch.
“I don’t trust you.” He said coldly. I couldn’t fault him for being honest.
“I haven’t done anything to make you not trust me.” I replied calmly.
“But if Jayde likes you than there is something wrong with you.”
“No one’s perfect.” I said walking past Julio and back into the sunroom.
“Took you long enough.” Jayde said handing me another package of plastic cups that she was strategically placing into a formation towering over the table.