Chapter One
Mystic, Colorado, Trifecta University…
Starla Vale loved being a college student.
That might have sounded like an odd statement coming from a fairy, but it was true.
For as long as she could remember, Starla had been captivated by the idea of visiting the other realms. The notion of experiencing life amongst other supernaturals had always thrilled her, but what really interested her were tales of the Human Realm.
She thought humans were fascinating, creative creatures, which made attending Trifecta University her ultimate goal after embracing her new identity.
Transitioning from a pixie to a fairy might have been an easy decision for her, but it wasn’t exactly a simple process.
It demanded courage, perseverance, and a willingness to leave behind everything she had ever known.
Even so, it was a dream she’d nurtured since childhood.
She always longed for the opportunity to interact with the other magical races as an equal.
Remaining a miniature pixie would have kept her confined and overlooked, but becoming a fairy opened doors to possibilities she had only dreamed about.
Unfortunately, the rest of her family had shunned that idea. They had always been purists who didn’t believe in the mixing of races or venturing outside of their own realm. It was an archaic way of thinking, but there were a lot of pixies within the Fairy Realm who still held fast to the old ways.
Because of that, her family actually cut ties with her once she became a fairy. Since they vowed never to acknowledge her again, she had left home without a backward glance. Their decision had hurt her, but it hadn’t been surprising. They had never been very close anyway.
Both of her parents had always been too busy with their jobs at the Supernatural Prison to focus on much of anything else.
Their work schedules were demanding, requiring them to put in long hours.
She was often left alone overnight, which meant that family dinners and shared moments were rare in her household.
Because of that, Starla felt like she was just another obligation on their never-ending to-do list, rather than a cherished daughter.
Even though her parents weren’t true mates, there were plenty of pixie families who still managed to develop close, loving relationships without a fated pairing.
In fact, she had witnessed many of her friends’ families celebrate traditions together, support one another through challenges, and cultivate a warm, nurturing environment at home, even though they weren’t true mates.
Witnessing that only made Starla more aware of what she was missing, and it often left her longing for a sense of belonging that she never had with her own family.
Her transition into becoming a fairy had been rough, but it definitely wasn’t as difficult as it could have been.
It normally took decades of cultivation to go through the transformation from a pixie to a fairy successfully, but Starla had always been talented when it came to using magic.
She had been told that she was one of the youngest converts on record.
That really didn’t matter much to her, though.
She was just excited it was over and done with.
Now, there was no turning back, and she was finally ready to begin her new life.
Leaving everything she’d ever known behind was scary, but luckily, she hadn’t had to do it alone. Starla’s best friend, Roxy Lucre, had helped her every step of the way. Roxy was a fairy-human hybrid who had grown up spending part of the year with her relatives in the Fairy Realm.
Starla’s parents had been adamantly against their friendship, which had only made her more determined to defy them.
They believed that associating with anyone outside of their own kind was an unnecessary risk and a betrayal of their traditional values.
Whenever Starla mentioned spending time with Roxy, her parents would express their disapproval, warning her that such connections could only bring trouble or shame to their family.
Despite their objections, Starla refused to let their closed-mindedness dictate her choices.
In contrast, Roxy’s family had welcomed her with open arms, offering her an acceptance and warmth she never experienced at home.
Whenever Starla visited, she was treated like another member of the family.
They invited her to meals, included her in family traditions, and showed her genuine care and support.
Roxy’s relatives understood what it felt like to navigate between different worlds, so they valued inclusivity and open-mindedness.
Their home became a safe haven for Starla, a place where she didn’t have to hide who she was or worry about being judged for her choices.
It wasn’t easy for her to keep in touch with her friend whenever Roxy’s family returned to their home in the Human Realm, but they created magical mailboxes that allowed them to send letters back and forth between the realms. Since that type of magic was highly restricted, they’d had to keep what they’d made hidden from everyone.
That wasn’t a problem since they’d shared countless secrets over the years.
Getting into the magical academy at Trifecta University had been easy for Starla based on her skill level.
However, learning how to blend in with the other students was a different matter.
Over the past few weeks, Starla had gotten a crash course on how to behave like a human from Roxy and her family while she waited for her official acceptance letter.
She had learned a lot from her friend over the years, but actually being surrounded by humans was a completely new experience for her.
She had been staying with Roxy since she had arrived in the Human Realm, finding comfort and familiarity in the warmth of Roxy’s family and their welcoming home.
They wanted her to continue living with them while she was attending school, but she had ultimately turned down their offer.
She wanted the full experience of being a student at the university, including living on campus, meeting new people, and embracing every aspect of college life on her own terms.
For Starla, living on campus represented more than just convenience.
It was about embracing the adventure and challenges that came with forging her own path and starting a brand-new life.
She believed that stepping out of her comfort zone was essential to growing into her new identity as a fairy living in the Human Realm.
It was a shame Roxy couldn’t be her roommate, but she still had another year before she was eligible to attend the magical academy.
Still, Roxy’s family lived in Mystic, so they were only a few minutes away.
Even if Starla wasn’t staying with them, it was comforting to know they would be close by in case she needed them.
Rather than living alone, she had opted to stay in a dorm room with another first-year supernatural.
They each had their own bedroom and bathroom but shared a common area that included a large living room, small kitchen, and a wide balcony.
Although Starla had enough money to afford her own place, she thought having a roommate would help her acclimate to campus life more easily.
Trifecta University was known as one of the best schools in the Human Realm.
Not only was it a top-tier school in academics and athletics, but the name alone had the ability to open doors for future job prospects.
Over the last few days, all the first-year supernatural students had gone through magical testing.
Those tests had been simple enough, and she had gotten several exemptions from basic required classes.
That pleased her since it allowed her to fit some human classes into her schedule.
Like most pixies and fairies, she loved to cook, but she didn’t just depend on her magic to create dishes.
She also enjoyed doing it the physical way, using her hands and all her senses, especially when she was creating something new.
Cooking schools weren’t really a thing in the Fairy Realm, but Trifecta University had an excellent culinary program that she had gotten accepted into.
Splitting her time between cooking classes and her magical studies would be a little time-consuming, but she was definitely up to the task.
She was looking forward to learning from professional chefs and professors, and she couldn’t wait to taste all kinds of new food so she could recreate them and put her own spin on things.
Since magical testing started a few weeks before regular classes began, it gave the new supernatural students a chance to acclimate to the magical academy and get to know one another without the rest of the humans around.
“To celebrate testing being over, we should go to the welcome celebration,” Starla suggested to her new roommate, Jessica.
Jessica Klein was a gifted witch who came from a wealthy family who lived on the East Coast. She was a pretty human with short brown hair and a splash of appealing freckles across her cheeks, though it was a shame she used a masking spell to cover most of them up.
When they had first met, she seemed really shy and standoffish, but she had warmed up once they had started talking and getting to know one another.
Jessica had an impressive spellbook collection that took up most of both bookcases in the common area.
She had apologized profusely for taking up so much space, but Starla had assured her that it was fine.