Beauty Within

Everyone stood with their backs slouched as the muggish oozed slowly from the spoon into the bowl; made with slugs, snails, mud, and mushroom. That was the lunch of the week for us, the only "wow" factor to it was the snails for me, not so much the slugs; too slimey for my taste. Last week's meal was oyster slog, which is a log smeared in snail slime and tons of oysters all around it, if you're lucky you'll get pieces of mini squid and octopus, but that meant you'd be picked on by the seniors because of their jealousy for the next three months. You know the cafeteria effect though? Gets me every week, third day in. The meals just get tiring.

If I wasn't an ogre, I'd have a restaurant with a different meal each day as the special food for a choice. We don't get the options. I was one of the ogre's that opted for new meals, but since I'm a female my words are already disregarded by the counsel. Not saying that they're misogynistic, but the men were fine with the same mundane meals everyday. What about if we did tree leaf pasta with bark cheese? Or even scalloped tulips! There's so many options out in the world, but our small unknown town on the outskirts of the main city, Ogre Central, isn't keen to change.

If you're wondering about my love life-- my nickname is "ugly snail." It's not even that catchy, but it's cause I am ugly and I like snails. The men aren't even that good of choices anyways, I can definitely be an independent women ogre and not depend on the male ogre to allow me to sustain a comfortable ogre life.

"Macey if you keep eating snails like that, and the guys notice they'll make fun of you like 'loser snail'." Stacy said glancing at me.

"There's nothing wrong with liking snails or with Thea."

I stopped in my tracks. Yeah, Macey and I were friends in the past, but she made it loud and clear; to the entire town in fact, that she was physically and mentally unfriending me forever. Stacy came along because Murabelle moved to Ogre Central with the man of her dreams and she had nobody else. But it used to be Macey, Auriel, Heluna, and me of course: Thea.

But Auriel left for college, Heluna went to the Craft of Magic and Macey and I were pretty much following in pursuit of the same path, but we hadn't gotten enough branches to purchase chips for relocation. You need about twenourve chips from the theretith branches. They are very special trees that are so hard to get rid of and chop up, but the Craft of Magic has been trying to find resources to conjure up a spell for easy removal. The process for that I cannot say is the same.

Anything from our history was basically set ablaze once Mayor Hilden came into office. He thought all of the older counsel didn't know a lick of the modern world and that their work wouldn't help society progress and adapt; yet he's doing nothing for progress or even adaptation really. Example A: food. Example B: the cottages. And lastly, example C: the work opportunities in and out of the city.

Maybe it doesn't bother any of the other ogres, but living the same routine everyday is not that fun. Going to the same ten jobs that we can choose and switch from is not the best, and the cottages, they are so old. Mr. Mayor Hilden wants to talk about how the older counsel didn't know a lick of the modern world, but yet he doesn't even know how to build a living shelter. I said living shelter, not even a tent you guys.

But tell me what can I do if my words not only are unspoken but not heard or taken into consideration. At this point I feel like this city is going to disappear. Who am I to say anything though?

*Knock, knock*

"Who is that?" I peered through the window to the side of the cottage and Macey stood there staring down at her phone. "Yes?" I answered as I opened the door.

"I know I'm not usually the one to do this and you are," she strolled into the living room and plopped down on the couch. "But tonight is the night."

"Wait I'm the one to usually do what?" Curious to what she intended.

"Inviting myself into another person's home unannounced," she smiled. "But also-- saying some very ominous words and then carrying out the action."

"So what's tonight?" I sat myself across her. She sat up straight and sighed, "Auriel purchased herself a vehicle through the college she is attending."

"Okay and?" I said starting to spiral into thoughts.

"And she's picking us up tonight and we're hightailing it out of here." My eyes went wide at her response.

"We can get Auriel in trouble AND we can also get into the same trouble, probably even worse because Hilden will most likely think that we planned it out."

"I mean, Heluna and I planned it, Auriel is just an accomplice and you have to come." She shrugged.

"And why do I have to come?" I laughed. "You literally unfriended me publicly."

"That was to deter the community from thinking we were runaways, me and Auriel always dreamed about it and Heluna and I just planned it, you would've been apart of everything if you hadn't got a new phone."

"I see." I stood up. "And how are we not going to be seen by the community in a different city as runaways once Hilden starts posting fliers of us all around town?"

"Already got that far." Macey squealed. "You know how we always read about the Fae realm and the Human realm, and all of the other realms, but mainly those two?"

"Yes I do." My heart picked up pace. "But those aren't real."

"Are too," Macey bounced up from her seat, making a loud thud noise with her landing. "Auriel is with one right now."

"A Fae or Human?"

"Long story, but to go completely undetected and Heluna plus Auriel going on their own adventures, they met a fae and human who they are both dating right now, but the human seems to be from another realm..."

"Meaning?" I questioned out of curiosity.

"Meaning... he's a shapeshifter, born magic-wielding human?"

"Oh maybe just a shapeshifter, or shadow-shifter."

"What's a shadow-shifter?"

"I'll explain later since, I'm mysteriously getting dragged into this." She laughed at my response and replied saying, "Dragged into nothing, you are voluntarily going, start packing."

I wasted no more time and began to ransack and throw piles of clothes into my large cloth sacks. Thinking about our conversation from earlier... Macey didn't finish telling me how we would go undetected.

"So what did you mean we'd be undetected?" I said as I peered past the doorway.

"I mean Heluna got some good studying in from her shadow-shifter mans and from the Craft of Magic, which she by the way is still attending... online though."

"THEY HAVE ONLINE NOW?" I screamed. "WOW." I threw my hands up in the air with exasperation.

"I know, it's crazy right?" She seemed to be pondering in her mind. "I just wanna see the options I have out in the fae realm and or human realm first, before I decide anything; maybe college like Auriel."

"You're not joking about not wanting to be an ogre anymore are you?" I asked seriously.

"Never will be joking and never will not not be serious about it, but also I think--"

"That you'll get ogre sickness?" I laughed.

"Yes, don't laugh."

Basically to explain ogre sickness, it's the same as being homesick, being disgusted by other beings, not being able to adapt to change, not being able to adapt in any other form besides staying as a mediocre ogre. It's more than just homesickness. It's a lot all in one, but it's actually a thing.

I don't think personally I would have a problem just because my family is all gone, my brother disappeared when he was 11, my mom ran off with a man who people whisper about being from another realm, and my dad... My dad unfortunately drowned. But they were never able to recover his body, so I've had no sense of closure from either family member. Nobody ever came back and nothing on the news was ever good.

If I go through with this, I am doing it for me.

"She'll be here at 08:00." I nodded. "Heluna and the other three are going to be on watch ready to sleep the ogre's at the gate."

"'Sleep,' like assassinate?" Eyes big again.

"More or less, but Heluna is going to be the one with spells while the men have the guns so if one doesn't work out as planned then the other is in action." Macey smiled the brightest I've ever seen and for some reason I felt that I had found something to live for again. Were my ex-friends really jailbreaking me right now?

I don't know what I was looking for in the room, but my eyes kept darting trying to remember every part of my childhood home before leaving it... forever.

"We'll have a better place, where we can raise our half-breeds."

"Crazy that you think I'm going to be able to find a lover."

"Heluna said the uglier the ogre, the more beautiful when human-like." Macey reassured.

"Doubt it."

"All the ogre's would probably die for you." I stopped in a moment as she said that. "What about Greg?" I replied.

"What about him?" She rolled her eyes. "He has never cared for you Thea, I can promise you that because he has been snogging on freakin' Stacy because she's as good as her words full of shit are."

"Damn okay, Macey." I laughed and hit her on the shoulder. "Why didn't you wanna invite her?"

"I was just using her for company," she pondered again. "More like background noise you know, so that time could go by faster?" I hollered so loud it rumbled the house.

"Okay, I do feel that when you become whatever you decide, you're laugh will be the one thing that does not change about you." I hit her on the shoulder.

"You're saying it is going to rumble the neighborhood or what?"

"No I am saying that, that's a unique part of you and there's no way magic is going to take any of that from you, it should fill it more, if anything." I felt a frog in my throat almost.

"God you're gonna make me shed tears." I sighed. "I didn't think you guys ever gave me thought and had forgotten about me."

"Sure didn't and never would, but we definitely thought that it was like that for us because let me tell you the amount of calls that that other number probably has."

Suddenly Macey's phone starting buzzing, and two beams of light shut off in the front yard and she announced that Auriel had arrived.