Ayira The Princess
I stared up at the ceiling with the sheets clutched to my chest. After asking Maggie for the simplest things, I’ve come to the realization that I was not prepared for this.
I’ve had everything done for me down to my hair, having my clothes prepared, and bed made up.
I was made to focus on studies, artistic expression, mannerisms and how one should behave in a room full of men.
Eventually, I would become nothing but a royal incubator for the next heir.
Grinning, I snuggled deeper into the sheets, trying to get comfortable on the hard mattress.
The room was cold, and the air was loud through the vents.
Nothing like the loud palace and sounds of the city outside of the windows that stayed open.
I could hear laughter outside and the rustling of the leaves and branches amongst the trees that filled the gaps and spaces of the homes.
I started to briefly close my eyes with the biggest grin on my face, too excited to sleep.
The air alone kept my body awake and my skin feeling alive when I heard the door suddenly creak open.
Sitting up, I watched Maggie poke her face in with a bonnet over her head.
“You asleep yet?” She whispered as I giggled.
“Apparently not,” I replied. Maggie crept her way in like a silly thief before walking towards the balcony window.
“Wanna sit outside?”
I nodded before flipping the sheets back, revealing the plaid loose-fitting pants as I pressed the thin school t-shirt down against my stomach.
Grabbing the satin long scarf provided with my uniform, I wrapped it around my head and draped it around my neck.
It was something Maggie said she’s never seen before, especially in this color but someone here had to know I was royalty.
Back home, my hair was always covered out of respect, and so naturally when I saw the blue scarf, I smiled, immediately knowing what it was for.
There were exactly two chairs and a small plastic table to match when we took our seats.
Everything overlooked the rest of the neighborhood as the last of the lingering students moved their things into their homes.
Our railing to the balcony shared the corner of the building attached to ours where we could hear male laughter and see their outlines of the bodies through the curtains.
Maggie tucked her legs underneath her and looked up at the sky or what we could see of it and for a moment, it felt like time stood still.
She was certainly something other than…sun born with her complexion.
Her eyes seemed focused or fixated on the sky before she turned to look at me, and just for a moment?
I thought they were as white as her hair before turning back to their natural dark brown.
As friendly as she seems, there was something off about her that I couldn’t place.
I pushed the beads back from my neck to tuck underneath the scarf as I gave her a small but hesitant smile.
“Can I ask…what you are?” Her eyes widened, taken back by the question before she poked her lips out in thought. “I know Souxie is a clever witch,” I listed. “Isis is what we call a water witch, and Asha is born of the waters but what are you?”
“I’m…complicated,” was all she said. “Have you ever heard of the First Family?” I shook my head as I brought my knees close to my chest. “Alright, so I can tell you what I know so far about them just from stories and my own personal experience.”
I listened to her talk, explaining the intricate details of her family history, and the belief of being born of the moon. While she spoke, I could see the air around her change as natural night life responded to her.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” I told her. “Where I’m from…there are only three people… Born of sun like you,” pointing at her.
“Me? No. Apparently, the sun hates me,” she said.
“No…your complexion,” I said. “It means you are dark and beautiful. You are born of ember like Souxie…and Isis. Their complexion matches our earth, the clay…and scales, like me.”
“And your sister.”
I nodded. Maggie began to fester with a tap of her fingers on the handle of the chair before asking out loud.
“What exactly are the scales? Like…balancing scales or…”
“Out here…” I held my fist out before slowly letting my fingers unfold as a tiny spark of flame hovered my palm. With a gentle blow of air from my lips, you could see the blue flame take shape as a winged serpent suddenly shook its body before expanding its wings. “You call them dragons, yes?”
Maggie’s mouth dropped as I closed my hands, letting the flames burn and seep back into my body like a warm glove. She slowly began to nod.
“Figures we’d have dragons out here too…because why the hell not?” She muttered to herself. “So you are what…a dragon woman? What does this mean?”
“It means my beginnings do not come from man and woman. My lineage comes from the original winged serpent…the first children and creation of the sun…Back home,” turning to look up, “there are seven kingdoms. I come from the first one, the oldest one. The oldest civilization known to earth.”
“Are they all…dragon friendly?” She asked as I laughed.
“Just us. The others have their own culture and history, but we all fall under the Solhari and the seven kingdoms, and I am considered the next sun.”
“Like the Sahara desert,” Maggie said before asking, “did you have a boyfriend or husband where you come from?” She asked.
“No, no no no noooo,” I said with a shake of my hands. “No husband for me. I have never been with a man before.”
“Oh? Do you think it will be…a problem if mine comes to visit or spends the night from time to time? I–––”
“I didn’t mean you–––”
“Because he will probably pop up at some point, and–––”
“No, it is fine–––”
Realizing we were talking at the same time; we grew quiet as I leaned in.
“You…have boyfriend?”
She playfully leaned in with a raised brow.
“I have boyfriend, yes,” she nodded, mimicking my accent as I laughed. “You have such a rich way of speaking, your highness.”
I laughed out loud as I leaned back into the chair with a silly grin at this woman.
“You have a boyfriend,” I repeated, attempting to sound more American instead of Native, but it was of no use. “You kiss?”
“I do.”
“You do more than kiss?” I asked as she wiggled her brows.
“I do much more than kiss,” she replied.
I gasped with a hand clamped over my mouth.
It was so natural and normal for women out here to lay with men without a prior commitment.
“Mostly…he slobs all over me like a dog,” she added before playfully moving her head around as she pretended to lick and kiss on something in front of her like a wild woman.
I let out a squeal in laughter before covering my mouth again.
“Werewolves…I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t want the extra saliva everywhere. ”
“No...no of course,” I settled before asking, “You love him?”
“I do, although he gets on my nerves sometimes,” she waved off.
“I’m pretty sure he’ll be the man I’ll marry.
” She suddenly turned to me with a grip of the chair.
“Do you want a boyfriend?” I shook my head.
“Good. Explore. Have fun. Eventually it will probably come out that you and your sister switched places…If I were you, I’d take advantage of every moment and live it up. Go find a man to kiss on your own.”
“I might,” I whispered with an airy tone. Silence felt comfortable between the two of us as we sat like two old women watching nature watch us.
“So you left this place, a fancy palace to come to a magical school for black people…” Maggie concluded before turning to look at me with a nod to herself.
“Wouldn’t be my first choice but I get it.
Cool. We gotta get you above ground so you can see the rest of the world.
Sometimes being down here you can forget how lonely it can be after a while… ”
“Yes,” I said, trying to contain my excitement that I missed the somber tone in her voice.
We grew quiet as we looked out into the houses, studying the windows with lights going on and off from inside.
I could hear laughter from another home and the buzzing noise of the bright lamp post that was closest to us.
When the light began to flicker, Maggie leaned to the side as if she was backing away.
The light suddenly wavered in brightness, growing bigger by the second before bursting in the air causing every other light to shut off.
“What the hell?!” Someone below shouted as I stood up, watching all the lights flicker back on, one by one except for ours. You could see the bits and pieces on the ground below as Maggie shook her head.
“All this money this school makes and they’re still using cheap light bulbs,” she chastised. She suddenly got up. “Come on. We should probably get to bed. Higher learning awaits us.”
Souxie Lafayette
“Wait a minute!” Maggie jumped up from her spot on the floor and bolted towards the kitchen with traces of her white hair following behind her. “Let me grab the bottle!”
I calmly reached for the remote that casually floated into the air behind her with a smile. I don’t think anyone saw or noticed it but me. Maggie didn’t even realize it herself, but she was oozing magical aura.