This is a Gift

EDITED AND UPDATED FOR 2021. NOW FOR SALE ON AMAZON. Liadan Ryan wasn’t a child of prophecy. She didn’t grow up in a magical realm, she hadn’t lived her whole life knowing “what was really out there.” She stared at her reflection in the visor. Her skin still had the vampiric, never seen the sun pallor she’d come to associate with herself, though the black eyeliner she had used to outline her smoke colored round eyes had begun to fall. Liadan wiped at it, the skin pulling lightly right underneath. Her hair was a disaster in itself, but that was business as usual. She considered herself rather feminine, but not much could be done for the straight chestnut strands that hung around her face like indifference personified. She had started the day with a few strands pinned behind her ear. It had given her a nice girl look, which she had counteracted with the black winged eyeliner. A little mystery to the innocence. Maybe that had become her life now: a little (addendum: a lot) perplexity to her inexperience. That sounded ridiculous. This was exactly why she didn’t get an A on her paper.