Emma.You'd think that after everything we'd been through, nothing could surprise the supernatural council anymore. But watching a room full of ancient beings literally lose their composure as Derek demonstrated his new abilities?Priceless."Impossible," one of the vampire elders whispered as Derek shifted between shadow and starlight, his vampiric essence now interwoven with cosmic energy in ways that defied their oldest laws. "Our nature is fixed. Unchanging.""Clearly not," Mom interjected, spreading out her research data. "What we're seeing is a natural evolution of supernatural energy. The vampire's immortal essence provides the perfect conduit for cosmic transformation."I watched as Derek moved through states of existence as easily as breathing, his vampire nature not fighting the change but embracing it, enhancing it. He was neither fully vampire nor fully cosmic, but something gloriously in between."Show them the bridge thing," Violet encouraged from where she sat cross-leg
Emma."Remember," Derek said to the small group of vampires gathered in our backyard, "it's not about fighting your nature. It's about letting it expand."I watched from the porch as my husband guided the first volunteers through their initial steps into cosmic evolution. Each vampire's shadow was beginning to shimmer with possibility, their immortal essence reaching for something new."Like this?" A younger vampire named Marcus asked, his form flickering between states."Almost," Derek moved closer, his own transformed nature casting constellation patterns across the grass. "Don't try to leave your vampire self behind. Let it be your anchor while you reach for the cosmic."First drifted between the practicing vampires, offering their unique perspective. "Is like learning new language. Still speak old language, but now can speak new one too. Both together make more meaning."From inside the house, I could hear Mom and Sara working with another group of supernatural researchers. The wo
Emma.Life has a funny way of coming full circle. One moment you're a normal teacher trying to help void beings understand humanity, the next you're standing in front of a classroom filled with every kind of supernatural being imaginable, all eager to learn the art of cosmic evolution."Remember," I said to the diverse group before me, "everyone's path to transformation is unique. What works for a vampire won't necessarily work for a werewolf. What feels natural to a void being might be challenging for a witch."The classroom – now expanded to accommodate our growing community – hummed with excited energy. Through my evolved awareness, I could see each being's potential shimmering just beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered.Derek stood beside me, his vampire-cosmic nature casting beautiful patterns across the walls. "The key is finding your anchor," he demonstrated, shifting between states while maintaining his core essence. "The thing that makes you uniquely you, even as you
Emma.I slammed the stack of pictures down on the editor's desk, my voice trembling as I spoke. "Another attack, Mr. Karl. Another one just last night. You can't keep ignoring this." Karl barely glanced up from his computer, adjusting his glasses in that slow, deliberate way that always made me irritated. “Emma,” he sighed, leaning back in his chair like he had all the time in the world, “what people want to read isn’t wild animals running through the woods. They want celebrity gossip, local scandals, you know, stuff that sells.” I crossed my arms, trying to keep my voice steady. “People are dying, Mr. Karl. I’m talking about lives here, not some silly drama about who cheated on who." "You'll watch your tone, miss Emma.” his voice rose a notch and I stepped back. Mr. Karl sighed, tapped his pen against his notepad, his eyes locking onto mine with what looked like sympathy. “Emma, you’re good at what you do, but I’m running a business. People eat up the gossip like candy, but they
Emma.I'd had enough of the wild animal attacks. Benny was injured and I knew I had to do something. My backpack was stuffed and detective Shaw would be meeting me later. “Hello, Mr. Karl," I said, “I won't be coming in today. I've got a family dinner and all." Mr Karl hummed, “Are you upset about yesterday? Look, Emma. One day you'll write the big headlines but now, you've just gotta stick to the articles and__” "Yeah, I get the drill. I'm just busy, I'll drop by tomorrow with the articles, bye." I said all in one breath and hung up. As I stepped outside, I could feel Mom’s eyes on me from the window. She hadn’t said much after I arrived from the hospital, but she was clearly worried. As I reached the car, Alec was already there, leaning, his fingers absentmindedly playing with the onyx ring he always wore. That ring was the only thing we had left from our father. He passed months after my birth. Alec didn’t talk much about him, but that ring meant something to him. “Wo
Emma.The next morning, I sat at the breakfast table, staring blankly at my omelet and half eaten toast. The kitchen was warm, the scent of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the sound of clinking plates, but my thoughts were miles away, back to the woods, to that strange man. And now, the gray wolf."Emma, are you listening?" My mother’s voice snapped me back to the present.I blinked, shaking my head. "Sorry, Mom. What did you say?""You’ve barely touched your food, and you’ve been looking out the window all morning,” she set a plate of eggs in front of me. “Emma said she saw a wolf last night," Alec cut in, curling his salad. My family didn't eat much, in fact, I could say they didn't like food. But mum always cooked for me, she claimed. I swallowed hard and interrupted him, "I know what I saw, Alec.""We’ve been over this, Emma. You were in shock. That man you encountered in the woods, he was dangerous, but there’s no wolf. It’s just your mind playing tricks on you."I leaned f
Emma.We agreed to investigate and I'd never felt so fulfilled. Finally, I was going into the mountains to uncover countless attacks on the locals. There had to be something there, Karl would realize I've always been right. To Alec and my mum, I had an alibi ready. I was going to a party with Benny and her brother would come along too. Knowing who Benny's brother was and that he'd just gotten back into town, they would totally agree. A few minutes into work, a loud tap came on the door and Benny suddenly burst in without waiting for a reply. "Emma, wait." her face was pale with fear. "You can’t go into the woods. Stay away from the forest."I blinked. "What? Why?” "My brother's not coming." Benny said, her voice low and serious. I shook my head. Typical. “Yeah, whatever. We'll still check it out. There's really nothing out there. Maybe we could find…like a… cave where these animals are and tell the cops about it. Look, I need to do this, so many people are getting hurt." "I’ve b
I blinked, trying to shake the fog from her mind, my heart still racing. “Get off me!" I yelled, clutching my bleeding neck. He was the man from the forest the other night. "It's you!” The man hissed and grabbed me again despite my struggles, “I'm sorry, let me heal you." For some reason, his voice made me freeze, commanding and alluring, like the poetic siren's call. I held still and his lips touched my neck, a brief wet kiss that sent shivers down my spine. When he pulled away, the wound was gone. “How?" “My body can heal and I'm sorry I bit you, I was just carried away." “Wait. What just happened? You... you turned into a wolf, and now you’re—” I backed up a step, my voice rising, “—a man?”“My name is Kael. I'm a werewolf," I was about to speak when he held up his hands, his expression calm. “I know this is a lot to take in, Emma, but I need you to trust me.”“How did you know my name?” I flinched. Trust you?!” I laughed, the sound more hysterical than I intended. “You just.
Emma.Life has a funny way of coming full circle. One moment you're a normal teacher trying to help void beings understand humanity, the next you're standing in front of a classroom filled with every kind of supernatural being imaginable, all eager to learn the art of cosmic evolution."Remember," I said to the diverse group before me, "everyone's path to transformation is unique. What works for a vampire won't necessarily work for a werewolf. What feels natural to a void being might be challenging for a witch."The classroom – now expanded to accommodate our growing community – hummed with excited energy. Through my evolved awareness, I could see each being's potential shimmering just beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered.Derek stood beside me, his vampire-cosmic nature casting beautiful patterns across the walls. "The key is finding your anchor," he demonstrated, shifting between states while maintaining his core essence. "The thing that makes you uniquely you, even as you
Emma."Remember," Derek said to the small group of vampires gathered in our backyard, "it's not about fighting your nature. It's about letting it expand."I watched from the porch as my husband guided the first volunteers through their initial steps into cosmic evolution. Each vampire's shadow was beginning to shimmer with possibility, their immortal essence reaching for something new."Like this?" A younger vampire named Marcus asked, his form flickering between states."Almost," Derek moved closer, his own transformed nature casting constellation patterns across the grass. "Don't try to leave your vampire self behind. Let it be your anchor while you reach for the cosmic."First drifted between the practicing vampires, offering their unique perspective. "Is like learning new language. Still speak old language, but now can speak new one too. Both together make more meaning."From inside the house, I could hear Mom and Sara working with another group of supernatural researchers. The wo
Emma.You'd think that after everything we'd been through, nothing could surprise the supernatural council anymore. But watching a room full of ancient beings literally lose their composure as Derek demonstrated his new abilities?Priceless."Impossible," one of the vampire elders whispered as Derek shifted between shadow and starlight, his vampiric essence now interwoven with cosmic energy in ways that defied their oldest laws. "Our nature is fixed. Unchanging.""Clearly not," Mom interjected, spreading out her research data. "What we're seeing is a natural evolution of supernatural energy. The vampire's immortal essence provides the perfect conduit for cosmic transformation."I watched as Derek moved through states of existence as easily as breathing, his vampire nature not fighting the change but embracing it, enhancing it. He was neither fully vampire nor fully cosmic, but something gloriously in between."Show them the bridge thing," Violet encouraged from where she sat cross-leg
Emma.They say evolution is a slow process. Try telling that to a family that just accidentally created an entirely new form of supernatural existence over an evening kiss."So," Sara said, her scientific equipment scattered across our living room while she tried to make sense of readings that kept shifting into impossible patterns, "let me get this straight. You two kissed...""And the universe basically went 'oh, that's a good idea' and decided to upgrade everyone?" Violet finished, still experimenting with her new abilities by making small objects phase between vampire shadow and cosmic light."Not quite everyone," Mom corrected, looking up from her rapidly filling notebook. "Just those with a direct connection to both vampire and cosmic energies. Though the implications for supernatural evolution are fascinating-""Maybe we could focus on the immediate situation?" Derek suggested, his new form casting constellation patterns on the walls every time he moved. "Like figuring out if t
Emma.It started with a kiss.Which, if you think about it, is how a lot of supernatural revelations seem to happen in my life. Though this one was admittedly more spectacular than usual.Derek and I were having a rare quiet moment on the back porch. I was still in my human form, day ten of the "cosmic detox" as everyone had started calling it. He was watching the sunset with that particular intensity that only vampires and artists seem to manage."I miss this," he said softly, his hand finding mine in the growing darkness."Sunsets?""Being able to touch you without worrying about cosmic interference."I smiled, squeezing his hand. "Well, according to Sara, I should be able to start accessing my powers again soon. Though," I looked down at our intertwined fingers, "I'm thinking maybe I'll try to stay human-shaped more often."He turned to me then, and something in his expression made my very human heart skip. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "I've been thinking about what you said a
Emma.Have you ever had to orchestrate a disaster so perfectly that it teaches a lesson without actually destroying reality? It's trickier than you might think, especially when you're working with beings that consider quantum physics a hobby and existence optional."Everything ready?" I asked First as we watched the eager void beings put what they thought were the finishing touches on their transformation machine.They nodded, their form perfectly stable despite the excitement. "Others in position. Remember plan."The plan was beautiful in its simplicity, really. Sometimes the best teaching moments come from carefully controlled failure. And who better to control failure than a group of experienced void beings pretending to be inexperienced void beings?"Sara?" I checked my very human watch – another adjustment I was still getting used to."Containment fields are ready," she confirmed from her position behind the monitoring equipment. "Though I still think this is insane.""Welcome to
Emma.You know what's worse than a supernatural crisis? A supernatural crisis when you're temporarily grounded from your cosmic powers.The call came during what was supposed to be a normal human lunch break – another exciting adventure in remembering how to eat food that existed in only one dimension at a time. Mom's voice had that careful calm that immediately set off every alarm bell in my very human nervous system."So," she said, "don't panic, but we might have a situation at the void being integration center."I put down my sandwich, already reaching for my car keys. "Define 'situation.'""Remember those void beings that tried to speed-run transformation downtown?""Please tell me they're not back.""Not exactly," Mom hedged. "But apparently they told some friends about their experience. Friends who decided that if quick transformation was possible, maybe they could find a way to... streamline the process.""Streamline how?" I asked, though I had a sinking feeling I knew where t
Emma.It was strange, seeing myself as just... me. No cosmic energy rippling beneath my skin, no reality-bending aura, no occasional transparency. Just Emma, with bed hair and yesterday's t-shirt, looking simultaneously more solid and more fragile than I remembered.The smell of coffee drifted up from the kitchen, and my very human stomach growled in response. That was another thing I'd forgotten about – actual hunger, not just the abstract concept of energy needs that I'd been dealing with in my transformed state.Making my way carefully downstairs (after successfully remembering to open the door this time), I found Derek at the stove and Violet at the table, both watching me like I might accidentally try to float through the ceiling."I'm fine," I said, heading for the coffee pot with the determination of a heat-seeking missile. "Just... readjusting.""Uh-huh," Violet said, not even trying to hide her amusement as I missed the coffee mug twice before successfully pouring. "That's wh
Emma.Turns out, downgrading from cosmic entity to regular human is about as graceful as trying to parallel park a spaceship. In the dark. While wearing oven mitts."Focus on your breathing," Sara instructed as we sat in the meditation room she'd set up in her basement lab. The walls were lined with specially designed dampeners to block out cosmic frequencies. "Try to feel your core self.""I'm trying," I muttered, then winced as my voice made the air ripple. "But it's like trying to forget how to read. Once you know what all the letters mean, you can't just... not know.""Then don't try to forget," Mom suggested from where she sat taking notes. "Try to remember instead. Remember what it felt like to be just Emma."Just Emma. The phrase echoed through my being, stirring something deep and familiar. I closed my eyes, thinking back to simpler times. Movie nights with Derek. Teaching Violet to ride a bike. Burning dinner and ordering pizza instead. Normal, human moments.My form flickere