I am Yolanda, also known as Yoli. I am red-haired which is a general trait where I come from.
It's easier to blend in a planet where people lack self-confidence so they mostly believe I had my hair tinted and I just go with the flow.
I hail from the planet Odis, a world inhabited by extraordinary beings hidden from Earth's view.
Tragically, my planet was destroyed by Omegus, a power-hungry wizard who annihilated an entire species in his pursuit of control.
I was fortunate enough to escape the devastation and find myself on Earth.
Returning to my devastated homeworld, I experienced immense grief, surrounded by nothing but ash and desolation.
Despite the pain, I managed to evade the Armageddos, a group of scavengers who sought to capture me and utilize my blood for their own purposes.
Odisis, once a land of wonder, is now a realm of monsters ruled by the Armageddos.
Seeking refuge on Earth, I have learned to keep a low profile while adapting to the more primitive ways of the planet.
Fortunately, I have made friends, including Kathy and Michael, as well as my neighbours Mrs. Lu and Mr. Bakersman.
My personality and intelligence have endeared me to those around me, even though I occasionally exhibit clumsiness.
My twentieth birthday approaches on August 29, 2023- Tomorrow. I hope for a perfect day.
My life's been perfect. What could go wrong?
"Well, I don't know, you could die. Like a lot of people die at twenty." Kathy said while we sat at the diner.
Kathy was a year younger and loved the rockstar look. She was pretty too and her pointy nose- was quite pronounced.
She took a few sips from her milkshake while raising her brows.
"You- are such a sadist," Michael turned to her.
Mikey was an amiable individual, often referred to as a nerd.
He had captured everyone's attention, including mine, but not in that way, his affections were directed elsewhere.
Although they were my closest friends, I had not confided in them about my secret.
Revealing it would undoubtedly cause them great distress, altering the dynamics of our relationships.
It's not that I distrust them; it's simply a difficult burden to share.
"Guys, rest assured, I am not facing any imminent demise," I reassured them while taking a bite of my doughnut.
In my realm, death only comes through one source: fire.
So, even if I were to plunge from a skyscraper, I would be able to Humpty-Dumpty myself back together, although the process is far from picturesque.
Jam clung to the corners of my lips, but I paid no mind. It provided a certain moisturizing effect.
"Perhaps it's time you consider pursuing a romantic connection, maybe even falling in love," Kat suggested.
"I have no desire to do so," I responded.
"Yoli, it's time for you to let go," Michael advised.
"Let go of what?" I asked, averting my gaze.
"Let go of Phil," Kat interjected.
"Who says I haven't already?" I countered.
"It wasn't your fault or anyone else's," Michael assured me.
"Tomorrow is my birthday, and I have no intention of wasting today discussing my late boyfriend," I dismissed them.
Michael abandoned his attempts, his expression riddled with frustration.
I knew my friends cared about me, but I didn't want them to burden themselves with something they knew nothing about.
The atmosphere had soured, and all I desired was to be alone. I boarded a bus and soon arrived at my stop.
I resided in a modest apartment, equipped with everything I needed. That was what truly mattered.
"You're back," his voice calmed my nerves as I locked the door behind me.
I turned to face him, and there he stood, as always, perfectly captivating.
He embraced me, and I wished he would never let go.
"How was your day?" he sweetly inquired.
"It was great," I replied, gazing into his deep blue eyes as I settled onto the couch, our fingertips still intertwined.
"Big day tomorrow, huh?" he remarked, taking a seat beside me.
"I'm not sure if I want it to be a grand affair. I simply wish for a sizable cake," I expressed with a smile.
He kissed me.
"I can arrange that for you, can't I?" he offered.
In an instant, my heart shattered. I detested when he did this—why couldn't he accept things as they were? Must he always spoil the mood?
I rolled my eyes, withdrawing from his touch.
"And here we go again," I sighed.
"Can you blame me for feeling this way?" he defended himself.
"I wish to be with you," he added.
*But you are with me!* I exclaimed.
"No, I'm not!" he yelled back. "I exist merely as an apparition within this house.
I cannot leave its confines. I cannot be where you are, nor can I kiss or hold you without experiencing an electric surge throughout my being."
"What do you expect me to do, Phil? I've tried every avenue to do more than just save you, but you are gone!" I tearfully confronted him, on the verge of breaking down.
"Why? Why did you do it? Why didn't you let me remain dead? You involved some Voodoo practitioner, and this was the best she could do. Yoli, this is hell! This is the most agonizing form of death!" he lamented.
I witnessed his internal torment, his desperate longing for freedom. Deep within my heart, I knew I couldn't let him go.
Grasping both sides of his face with my hands, I stared into his eyes.
"We must be grateful, Phil," I implored.
"Grateful for this? Yoli, I can't make love to you!" he exclaimed.
"Stop, Phil," I pleaded.
"Bring her back. She must continue trying until she succeeds!" he demanded.
"She can't, and you know it. Please, just stay with me!" I begged once more.
"She has to succeed. I want to be with you. Can't you see how desperate I've become? I'm losing my sanity, even in death! Bring her to me!" he continued to shout.
"Just- shut up!" I yelled back.
My voice carried more than anger; I could feel an overwhelming surge of power coursing through me, like an unleashed storm.
The force within me caused the windows to shatter, the walls to crack, and the ground to rumble.
Amidst the chaos, I locked my eyes with the frozen figure of Phil, my eyes widening with realization.
What had I done? I touched him and before my eyes, he began to crack.
"No... No.. No!" I voiced in confusion. Trying to make sense of what was playing out.
"What's going on? What's happening to me? Phil!" I tried to hold him together for he began breaking into ash.
My heart, my mind, I was losing both at the same time. He had no idea what was happening to his body. I was experiencing what I feared the most - losing him.
Just then some sort of portal opened just on my right. An elderly man in his fifties came through it.
He was wearing a black suit and had his grey-coloured hair held in a bun on his head.
"You must come with me- Now!" he sounded serious.
"Who - what? Go away! Don't touch me!" I walked paces back.
"There is no time for this!" He yelled at me again.
Who did he think he was? My dad?
I paid no attention to him, I only embraced Phil.
"You have got to let him go! If we don't leave right this minute, they will find you!" The old man said.
"I don't care! Make it stop..." I pleaded, referring to what I had done.
He rolled his eyes and rushed over to where I was. Lifting me in his arms and headed towards the portal.
"Let me go! Let me go!" I struggled to break free but he was stronger.
I felt so light in his arms but I wasn't scared. I was- angry. Anger like I have never felt before. I couldn't understand anything but rage.
Like the doors of an elevator, the portal closed behind us. We had gotten to an unfamiliar apartment.
"Now where are we, Mr. Strange!" I yelled.
He ignored me and headed towards his bookshelf. I wondered how boring his life must be to allow himself to be engrossed in books at his age.
"Finally, finally I got a job as an art teacher and now I have got to ditch it because I just can't give a blind eye to a world that doesn't give two fucks about my opinion," he said while searching through the shelf.
For his age, he was organised, I would give him that. The living room had the floor covered in red vintage carpet.
Every antique was well organised, the pillows on the chairs, the dining area, he even had a bar area- This part caused me to raise a brow.
Too many half-filled bottles lying there. He really must be depressed.
"I don't care about your shit! I just killed the man I loved a second time and then you show up, and bring me through a portal to your apartment, What is going on!" I vented.
"You should never have tried raising the dead." He said.
"Hey! You have no right to judge me." I warned him.
"What do you mean? You are too young to be making foolish decisions.
What decisions will you be making at thirty-five?" he replied to me while grabbing a pocket-sized book from in between two bigger ones on the fourth row.
"Who- are you!" I felt my rage intensify.
He turned to me and within the blink of an eye, he was right in my face.
"Take a wild guess." He grinned at me.
"Some old joke?" I replied.
"That would have hurt if I didn't know who you truly are. Odisians are like that- temperamental." He said.
"What? How do you know that? Oh my God, you are an Armageddo, stay back!" I warned, taking a defensive position.
He looked at me in a manner that made me realise I must have looked like a fool to him.
"You're waiting to kill a mosquito?" he asked.
"Screw you," I said.
"yeah. So no, I am not an Armageddo and that's a lame name. Don't know what they were thinking naming themselves the end of the world.
But- I am Merlin." He said.
I laughed. He didn't laugh back.
"Wait. You're serious." I had to be sure.
"A wizard is not defined by his apparel." He said.
"So what defines this wizard?" I inquired.
"Why don't we start with me turning your mouth into a baby's butt." He said.
"Take me back." That was all I could think of.
"You can't go back. Not yet." He said, walking past me.
"What do you mean I can't go back? I have got friends and a family back there!" I walked behind him.
"Your family is dead!" He snapped at me. "I have had my fair share of relationships with humans and I assure you, it's only sweet when they don't yet know." He told me.
"And I should what? Trust you just because you claim to be Merlin? " I told him.
"I am Merlin and I don't need your trust. Just your ears. Your powers have been activated by your emotions, that would send out your beacon.
I can't have you lure demons here. I am saddled with that responsibility so I am sorry! If I showed up in your life on the day you got to kill your boyfriend a second time." he said.
The thought of Phil hit me yet again. This was all too much for my mind to comprehend and my heart to handle. Just too much.
"You should stop trying to fight destiny. His death was inevitable but I have seen your destiny, you'd have a lot of boyfriends so keep your head in the game, Queen of Hearts." He added.
"Did you also get to see my parents' destiny? Why didn't you stop it or where were you?" I asked him angrily.
His facial expression became sad instantly and it confused me as to why. Did he know my parents? Wait, how did he know me and where to find me?
"Hold on. How did you know where to find me?" I asked him.
"I have always been your watcher." he said.
"My watcher?"
"Yes. Your parents made me swear to protect you." He told me.
"Why? Why you and why me?" I inquired curiously.
"Because... Because... I... I am your biological father." He said to me.
He didn't just say that to me. I must be imagining things.