Izzy smiled up at her mother. “Of course, I completely understand.” Izzy waved goodbye to both of them, a false smile on her lips. After the garage door closed, she the smile faded. “It’s not like it hasn’t happened before.” Izzy turned back into the house, mounting the stairs to her room. She checked her computer- no one was on.
Izzy sat at her desk. For a moment she wallowed in her loneliness. “Dammit.” Sick of her pity party, she grabbed a piece of paper. The need to write flowed through her, a thriving need that encompassed her being as she pressed the pen to the paper. An idea flowed from her mind to her hand to the paper in front of her. A fantasy world of diverse species and ideals, about an orphaned girl who helped a prince caught between two worlds
-Tairina had never seen anything quite as beautiful as the creature in front of her. He had a human like countenance, but pointy ears that had tufts of fur on the tips. His nose was straight with a round tip, a brown tone infused his skin, and slitted pupils that made you think you were looking into a cat’s eyes. As she approached, she noticed how tall he was, his head brushing the branches as he stood to acknowledge her presence.
“Can I help you?”-

“Can I help you?” Izzy screeched, turning in her chair. And there he was. The character she’d been writing about from the brown toned skin to the fluff sprouting from his ears.
“I’m sorry, did I startle you. I meant no harm. Is my lady hurt?”
Izzy screamed again. “Yaaaaaaaagh!”
He reached to touch her. “Are you the Lady Tairina? I’m terribly sorry for the fright. I-“ he stopped, watching her as she shrinked further and further away. “Uh, I guess I’m not helping. It’d help if you wouldn’t scream so much, we are in a public place after all.”
Izzy hissed from between her teeth. “Dev, if this is one of your tricks, I am going to rip your head off.”
He stepped back and grabbed his sword. “I am not this Dev- I am Prince Armadine Rosque-What are you doing?”
“I’m making sure your real.”
“I realize that, but my ears are quite ticklish and I wish you wouldn’t- Eee!”
Izzy released his ears. “Sorry, didn’t mean to pinch them so hard. I guess even guys squeak.”
The Prince rubbed his ears tenderly. “Obviously. I’m surprised one of my attendants hasn’t- Hell’s bells! Where am I?” The prince was looking around angrily.
“You’re in my bedroom.”
“But I was just in the royal gardens. How’d I get here?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.”