What Am I?

"See me after class," the Professor said to her before turning around and stalking back to the front of the class. Kerry watched his retreating back in shock; she still couldn't believe that she had found her dad. She knew he was in Hawaii, but she didn't think finding him would be so damn easy. He was a college professor, something she had never imagined he would be interested in. But then again, Kerry didn't know much about the man—he left her when she was a little girl. All she had were fragments of memories she had to constantly piece together. If it weren't for the resemblance between them, she might have mistaken him for someone else.

"Do you know Professor Shane?" Ruby asked curiously. She wasn't the only one who had grown interested in the short conversation between the usually cold yet handsome professor and her new friend.

Usually, Mr. Shane didn't even address students directly unless they had questions. Due to his youthful and incredibly good-looking appearance, many girls in the school swooned for him. They never passed up the opportunity to try talking with him. But Mr. Shane was unapproachable. Sometimes, he had an intense look in his eyes that always managed to unsettle those who looked at him directly.

"We've met," Kerry said simply. Ruby accepted the explanation and went back to jotting down stuff in her notes.

'He hasn't aged one bit,' Kerry thought to herself. Her dad looked just as he had in the pictures from when she was only six. Apart from the fact that his brown hair was longer now—he had it tied in a ponytail—and the glasses he wore, she couldn't spot any changes. It confirmed her suspicion that he wasn't human at all; no human could live this long without aging.

There was a large part of her that felt betrayed. Her dad not being human meant that her entire life had been a lie. How could she have hated and feared the supernaturals when she wasn't even human? Why would her parents do this to her? She wondered if her mom knew as well. Was that why she had married Bill, even though Kerry was against it? Because she knew her daughter wasn't human and that she would realize it soon enough? But if she wasn't human, what the hell was she?

She had no claws or fangs to indicate she might have vampire blood. She didn't shift like the werewolves, have magic like the witches, or eat flesh like the ghouls. She didn't live off sexual desires like the incubi. The class went by in a blur, and Kerry could barely pay attention to anything that was being taught. Her mind was conflicted, and her stomach still felt uncomfortable. She rubbed a soothing hand over it, and when Ruby asked, she told the girl that she hadn't had breakfast that morning and was only feeling hungry.

Finally, her torture came to an end, and she dragged herself out of her seat. "I'll catch you in the next class," she told Ruby, who waved at her as she left. Kerry stared at the front of the class where her dad (could she even call him that?) was arranging some papers on his desk. With a tired sigh, she slowly approached him.

"How do you feel?" he asked her before Kerry could even speak. He placed the stack of papers aside and looked at her. Kerry could see the concerned look in his eyes. "Take a seat; you must be tired."

"Don't patronize me," she let the anger and annoyance slip into her voice. She hoped he would see the years of loneliness she had endured because of him. Fuck, she had her entire world swept out from under her by some psychopathic vampire, all because he wanted something from her—something she still had no idea about. Maybe if she had had her dad around, if only she had known she wasn't human—at least not fully—then all this would have been avoided. "I'm not going to ask you why you left all those years, because I don't think it matters anymore. I just want you to tell me what I am."

"Take a seat first. Someone in your condition shouldn't..."

"My condition? What the hell are you talking about?" Kerry snapped in confusion. She held back a wince as a sharp pain shot through her stomach. Her dad frowned, fighting back the urge to reach forward and embrace her. After all, this was still his daughter whom he hadn't seen for years, but he knew she had every right to be angry at him right now. He sighed and slumped back in his seat.

"I will tell you whatever you need to know. But first, humor me. Tell me about your mom and yourself. How have you been doing all these years?"

Kerry fought the urge to roll her eyes. So now he cared about how she and her mom were doing. "Mom is happy. Of course, she is. She has Bill with her now, and he takes proper care of her."

"That's good." A smile graced his face, and Kerry felt a bitter feeling overwhelm her. He was happy? Didn't it even bother him that Mom remarried? Did he not care at all? "And how about you? You must have found someone now—a vampire, maybe?"

"How do you..."

"I hoped you would never come to find me, Kerry. I feared this day."

"Why? Do you really not want to have anything to do with me this much?" After coming to Hawaii to find him, was that all he had to say to her? That he didn't want to see her? It was heartbreaking, but Kerry hadn't really expected better. Maybe she shouldn't have come here after all. It might have been better if she had stayed in Elthon with her parents and Silas—people who actually gave a shit about her.

"It's not about that. Our kind are never supposed to be this close to each other. I left you the moment I realized that you had taken after me."

"W-What are you talking about?"

"Do you know what a Nephilim is?"

"A Nephilim? Like from the stories?" Kerry laughed. "Gosh, there's no need to make up something like that. If you don't want to tell me what I am, then it's fine. I'll just find out myself."

"Kerina," his voice was stern and displeased as he called her name. The nostalgia of it all made her body slump into the seat facing him. Only her dad ever called her that, and when he left, she had ensured to dig her teeth into the neck (metaphorically, of course) of anyone who dared remind her of what she had lost when he had left her. "I'm being serious here. You know what a Nephilim is. Those stories I told you while you were young weren't stories at all."

"So you're trying to tell me that you and I are half-angels?"

"No. You are the Nephilim."

"And you are... an angel? No, do you know how unbelievable that sounds?! Vampires I know exist. Wolves, ghouls, witches—all those exist. But angels? That's just so fucking ridiculous!"

Her dad leaned back on his heels with a huff, his dark eyes glowing with annoyance as he stilled her with a gaze. "Fine then," he said, words tight and controlled. "I'll show you since you find it so hard to believe."

Kerry was startled when a bright, almost blinding light twirled around the man's standing figure, beginning just under the sole of his shoe and gradually climbing up, covering his entire body. Despite having her eyes shut, she could still see the lights even behind her eyelids. An incredibly warm feeling engulfed the whole of her body, making her skin tingle in delight. What the hell?

"Open your eyes, sweetheart," a soft voice called.

Kerry hesitantly opened her eyes, only for her jaw to drop. It was hard to believe what she was seeing. The man standing in front of her still looked like her dad, but his skin appeared so white he almost looked like a statue carved out of porcelain. His once dark hair was now a translucent white that flowed down to his lower back. But what seemed more unrealistic was the tuft of white feathers that made up two pairs of large wings in the purest white she had ever seen. They dragged on the floor just behind him.

"Do you see now? This is what I am. It is what you are as well. But you haven't unlocked your powers yet, and I had hoped you never would. As long as we are apart, you will remain human. You will live a very normal life."

"Does Mom know?"

"She doesn't." He sighed. Kerry almost felt bad seeing how stressed out he was. "Your mom was... she was my undoing. I was asked to complete an assignment here on Earth, but I encountered someone dangerous and ended up heavily injured. I had to become human to save up energy and heal properly. Your mom found me. She saved my life. We fell in love, and I couldn't simply go back to being what I was before here. So I fell. And then you came along. I was the happiest I have ever been, Kerina, because I had a purpose. I had hoped you would be human, but when you started seeing things you weren't supposed to, I knew that you had taken after me. And like I said, as long as we remain together, bad things are going to happen."

"So you left? You made us both believe that you abandoned us! Do you know that Mom nearly lost her mind because of what you did?"

"I understand that what I did was wrong, but I only wanted to keep you safe. You were my priority, Kerina."

"I think I should go. We can talk about this when I get my head wrapped around everything."

"Kerina... I... there's something you should know. It's about your..."

" I need space Dad" Kerry felt like she would have a panic attack. She turned around and took to her heels, not paying attention to the voice that called after her. Kerry left school, she took her phone and sent a text to Silas, asking him to come pick her up.

" What did you expect ?" A voice whispered in her ear causing her entire body to freeze. She turned around so fast that she got whiplash. She was met with Asher's grinning face. She took a step back. " You wanted the truth, didn't you? Now that everything's becoming clearer, you can't back out now "

" Leave Me alone!!"

" Not until I get what I want Darling. " He took a step towards her. Kerry tried to shuffle back but she couldn't move her body. She was frozen in place and watched with fearful eyes as Asher brought his hand to her forehead " I'm glad you are seeing things my way "

A burst of sharp pain had her breath hitching. The last thing she saw before her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness was Asher's face leaning close to her's, his lips cold against her own.