Heidi

She was playing in her room on the windowsill with the dolls her father brought from overseas. Right after the homeschool teacher was done torturing her with lessons for the day and left. Looking outside the window, down the street from her family's three-story manor, she saw other kids running with their friends while playing.

Heidi felt lonely. Her parents always looked out for her and hired tutors but never spent much time with her. The only hours she met them were when they read her a bedside story. That was why she waited for the night to come every day, as these stories made her feel closer to her family.

As the night fell, her father returned from his errands and came to wish Heidi good night, as usual. She hopped to hear a story tonight, one she had heard and liked the most.

“Father, will you tell me more about the Anjos?” Heidi asked, tucking herself under the blanket.

“Of course, dear,” her father answered and caressed her hair. “Long time ago, when humans were few, powerful beings visited the Earth. They were called the Anjos.

“They came bearing many great gifts for humanity, and their kindness knew no bounds. They traveled the vast, empty Earth, searching for remnants of humankind, spending day and night. Anjos wanted to bestow the greatest gift to humans. This gift was magic,” her father gestured and floated several toys around her in the air.

“The humans gladly accepted their gift and listened to their teachings, thinking Anjos gods and worshiped them as such. This continued for countless years. However, when there are gifts, there are those who want to take them away,” her father said in a darker tone and dropped the floating toys. Heidi tucked herself under the blankets, only her nose and eyes visible.

“The Daemons found the Anjos who were helping humanity,” her father said, dimming the bedside light and casting long shadows across the room. “A great war ensued. A battle of magic and might! The land was split and reformed. Seas - raised and dropped. New mountains were discovered and lost, all at the same time.

“The Anjos saw that the humans under their protection would not endure,” he continued in a softer tone. “So they made a great sacrifice in a final stand. They cast a protective charm on the world they just discovered and came to love and vanished together with Daemons. They left Earth and its humans, imparting magic for future generations. They hoped that one day, the humans would find them among the stars...”

- - -

Riga, Riga First hospital

Heidi woke up, her head pounding. The sun shined in her eye, causing her to shuffle and hide under the blankets. It was unusual for her to dream, especially of the short stories her father told her when she was little. It hurt to remember them.

Someone coughed and took a few steps toward her bed before pausing. “Good morning,” a woman said.

“What…? Where am I?” Heidi asked, disoriented, peeking below the blanket. She looked around and discovered a white hospital room where she was alone, save for her stepmother.

“You are in a hospital,” her stepmother answered. “You had a car accident and were brought here. We got on a plane with your father and came down today.” Heidi felt lost. Like something had fallen out of her head. Or hit it, as it was hurting so badly.

She did not like hospitals. Something about the air and the smells in them irked her. The room she was in was no exception, so she looked to find a window above her head and called her mana forth. With a simple gesture of her fingers, she cast a small gust of wind and opened it. This act did not help her with the headache as her skull started to pound again. She winced and closed her eyes.

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“Be careful with casting. The doctor said you hit your head quite hard against the steering wheel. Luckily you wore your seatbelt,” her stepmother sighed, looking at her from a chair. “A young man called the ambulance almost immediately. They brought him in as well. Unconscious.”

“A car accident… Did I hit someone?” she asked, her head not thinking straight, and carefully sat up in her bed.

“What a fiasco that was, from what I heard. The ambulance that brought both of you in? It broke down when pulling up in the driveway. Can you imagine? We will take you to our healers and get you properly checked. Viktor will not trust this backwater town’s hospital to do the important things. How are you feeling, by the way?” her stepmother asked, dodging the question.

“I am feeling better, Adele. Thank you,” Heidi answered after gathering herself. She was not used to her stepmother being nice to her. As lovely as you could be to a stepdaughter who was close to your age. After all, they were no close friends.

“Ah, how nice to hear it. Alright then. I will get everything in order so we can be on our way,” Adele said and got up to gather her things.

“Where is father?” Heidi asked, prompting her to stop halfway through the door.

“He is checking in on the boy who called in the accident. He will be with us shortly. I will let him know you woke up,” she answered and went out of the room, closing the door behind her.

She lay down on the bed. Her stepmother reminded her of a snake. Age was not the only problem. It was her Inpes clan roots that she hated.

Heidi could not understand how her father was deceived by this woman when her clan had arranged for this marriage shortly after her mother's demise. Sometimes she thought he was under a spell, given how he ran after Adele, trying to please her.

Heidi thought back to her dream before she woke up. She did not have them often. Rarely. Since her mother died and she stopped dreaming and caring since then. ‘An accident, huh?’ Heidi thought. ‘Does not matter. If my father did not care about the clan when he married an Inpes, why should I care about some accident and our reputation?’

That was the main reason she came to Riga as an act of rebellion. She wanted to get away from the clan and her father. So what if she got a little drunk and went behind the wheel?

Heidi shook off her thoughts and got up from the bed to find her clothes. She got dressed and went for the door. However, before she could take more than a few steps, the door opened, and her father walked in.

“Hello, Heidi. I see that you are up,” he said dryly. “Very nice to see you so healthy already after the stunt you pulled on the road.” Viktor was a pragmatic and stoic man. Since the loss of his first wife, he seemed to have closed off from everyone, even his daughter. Which Heidi, of course, answered in turn.

“Nice to see you too, Viktor,” Heidi answered in the same tone. “I heard that there was a boy who was brought in with me. Do you know how he is?”

“Yes,” he said, sitting down on the chair his wife left. “As it turns out, he was the other driver you almost killed with your rash maneuver. And before you ask, yes, we already saw the dashcam video from your car. The police found his car in the ditch. Crushed.”

Heidi sat on the corner of the bed, not noticing the wrinkles in her father's otherwise pristine suit. While she was not the nicest of people to her parents, endangering others was not something she did lightheartedly. Especially not since she awakened her magic and started taking lessons from her strict tutors. They always emphasized that magic was a tool to help. And the clan’s role was the same.

“… is he alright? Did you find him?” she asked.

“Well, yes, at least medically. I wanted to check on him and thank him for calling the ambulance, but found he was still unconscious,” Viktor said and paused. “Here is the curious thing. The police do not seem to understand how there was no scratch on him. His car got wrecked. There is nothing on video, and he cannot answer this question.”

“Why check on him?” Heidi asked.

“I do not know,” Viktor answered and got up from the chair, going toward the door.

“How long was I out?” Heidi asked, standing up to follow him. Before she could hear the answer, she felt the mana pulse around her, and her legs wobbled.

“Not long. Barely a day. What is wrong?” Viktor asked, turning around. He saw that she was barely standing.

“I do not know…,” Heidi started to answer, but before she could finish, she slumped on the floor and blacked out.