As I walked home that day after school, I realized a group of people had been walking directly behind me, and were quite loud.

A quick turn and inspection told me they were some girls and boys from the warrior families in my grade, including Eidis who walked in the front, her platinum blonde hair bouncing as she walked with a skip in her step.

I tried to pick up speed so they wouldn't catch up with me. I didn't want to hear anything any of them had to say.

But I guess my haste didn't go unnoticed, as I heard a call for me from behind.

"Hey Rayne! Wait up," I heard. I could tell it was Eidis.

I stopped in my tracks waiting for them to get a little closer before turning around to face them.

They didn't intimidate me at all. I just felt that talking to them or hearing what mean things they had to say to me was absolutely unnecessary.

But still, I stopped because I wasn't going to run away either.

"You had a good birthday today huh?" she said to me.

I couldn't remember the names of some of the others in this group. But I knew them by their faces.

"Well yeah it was okay I guess," I said to her.

Her face instantly turned from playing-along to hostile.

"I guess it doesn't even bother you what most of us feel about this day because you don't belong here. No wonder you can go about celebrating," she said.

Everyone else looked at me with contempt.

"I'm not doing this again," I said, tired of hearing Eidis' taunts.

I turned around and started walking away.

Even if I was actually an Omega, their behavior towards me was uncalled for.

I hadn't gone too far when a cold liquid splashed on my back. I froze for a second and then relaxed.

"Typical," said Imadis.

I smiled at her reaction.

I turned around to face Eidis and realized she did this out of desperation to get a reaction out of me. But she wasn't going to get one.

Especially not with something as trivial as this.

"Do better next time," I told her, and kept walking.

...

I reached home to find Gramma doing her afternoon meditations, as she normally did.

"How was school?" she asked me, her eyes still closed, and her legs still crossed.

"It was great. Gló baked me a cake," I said, putting my wet bag on the ground.

She opened her eyes to find my half-wet self and just gave me a smirk.

I guess I get my indifference from her. She's the coolest Gramma.

"Is that the best they could do?" she asked me.

I shrugged and sat down in front of her, mimicking her crossed-legs.

"I guess so," I told her, and we both burst into laughter.

She quieted herself, sighing.

"I'm sorry my child. I tried my best to take you away from all of this, but-"

"Gramma, I don't mind it. Honest," I told her.

"I know that's not true Rayne," she said to me.

"What makes you say that?" I asked her.

She just smiled.

"Someone left something for you at the door. It's on the counter," she said.

I raised an eyebrow and walked to the kitchen.

I found a small, simple origami house placed on the counter.

"How do you know it's for me?" I asked her.

"I don't think anyone would leave a gift for an old woman like me when it's not even my birthday," she said, already on her feet and now folding her yoga mat.

"You want to go for a walk?" she asked me.

"Sure," I replied. Quality time with her was always worthwhile.

I quickly walked up the stairs to my room and placed the origami house on the side table. I changed into a fresh tshirt and yoga pants before wearing my walking shoes. I made my way back down to find Gramma by the door.

I know that werewolves aged slowly, but Gramma was on a different level. Even though she was much older than most here, she was still quite agile and capable.

As we entered the forest behind our house, I felt a rush of exhilaration that I always felt when I was surrounded by these tall Birch trees.

We had walked quite a distance quietly, just enjoying the sounds of the forest, when she finally spoke.

"Do you feel any different?" she asked me.

"How do you mean?" I replied.

"I don't know, exactly. I still can't figure out who your mom could be. Some bodily changes manifest with age, so I thought maybe this year you'll show characteristic signs of some other creature," she said.

We had narrowed down a list of creatures that I could half be as a dyrith, but the list was quite long. None of the characteristics were specific yet, and I wished I could tell what else I was, so that I could understand myself a little better.

"What does your wolf think?" she asked me.

"Not a were-creature. If it was, I'd know," she said.

"Definitely not half-dragon I suppose," I said, to which she laughed.

"That's for sure, if that was the case, all those annoying girls at school would have singed hair tips," she said.

I quietly laughed and looked up to find that Gramma had something more in mind, than just a walk.

In front of me, was an abandoned cottage, behind which a shallow river flowed. The cottage was small, brown, and old. It stood at the edge of this part of the forest, the windows seemed cracked and the door was ajar.

I could see nothing inside besides darkness.

Although it was not very large, and was very old, it intimidated me. Just like a very wise old man who knows more about you than you, would.

"What is this place?" I asked Gramma, not daring to take a step further towards the daunting cottage.

"It's a Marker," she said.

When I didn't reply, she looked at me. I raised my eyebrows, asking for further explanation.

She smiled.

"It marks the end of our territory in the North," she said, clarifying.

I nodded in understanding.

"But what is it? Or what was it? This cottage?" I asked her.

"It's always been there. Always just a Marker. Ever since I was a little girl," Gramma said.

I stepped a little closer to it and then stopped as I processed her words.

"Since you were a little girl? I thought we shifted to Hof from Akureyri fifteen years ago," I asked her, a little confused.

She just smiled.

"Yes. And this cottage was there too."