He slowly cleared his throat and looked at you. His head began to nod slightly.

"You know what? You're right. You weren't made to be a ghoul. Look at yourself, lying there so weak. The tears leaving your eyes are nothing but tears of fear. If you want to be like us, you have to stop showing your feelings. You have to learn to suppress pain, because it also reveals your weaknesses. So stand up, gather your strength, and finally stand up for who you are. You are one of us whether you like it or not."

He slowly helped you up. His eyes had calmed down by now. You'd had this discussion many times before. After all, you were only a halfling and didn't really know how to behave. He, on the other hand, was 100 percent a ghoul. His manner, his appearance, every detail about him revealed that he was different from everyone else. Even if he tried to hide it, he couldn't deny his origins.

You took your hand off his. You didn't need his help. After all, it was he who kept doubting you. It wasn't easy, but you tried your best. It all started a week ago when you noticed a change in your eye in the mirror. You were shocked at yourself and knew immediately: You couldn't go to a doctor with that. It wasn't an illness; it was the truth.

Something inside you had awakened. Something you couldn't explain. As an orphan, you had never learned anything about your parents. But now it was clear: They must have made the impossible possible: a human and a ghoul. Such stories were only known in fairy tales, and even there, they were rare. People had always been afraid that both races could produce a child. Officially, it was impossible, and yet here you stood, living proof of an exception.

At first, you were uncomfortable being of two different races. But you got used to it surprisingly quickly. Your life didn't change drastically; you continued to go to school, you ate. Except that you vomited every time you ate.

"Instead of telling me I'm weak, maybe you could tell me I can manage to control my body." Your voice was calm, but you didn't like his manner. On the other hand, you somehow got along with him anyway.

"Why should I motivate someone who doesn't even want to train their strength?" Anger rose within you. You wanted nothing more than to control your strength. "Listen, loudmouth, if I didn't want to, I hardly would be standing here, would I?"

Your gaze slid to him. Black hair, as dark as the night, fell loosely around his face. He was a few inches taller than you, his posture calm as if nothing around him interested him. His eyes shone a turquoise, like the clear water in summer. In his normal form, you could have mistaken him for one of those cheeky students who never paid attention. But when he assumed his true form, it was as if you were facing the devil himself. His presence could be so terrifying it made your legs go weak.

He had found you curled up in a dark corner that day. Hunger had almost consumed you, but you didn't want to kill. In the end, you had eaten. Nothing living, only what was already dead. He had helped you control yourself. You were grateful for that. But sometimes he overdid it.

"We should go back. It's about to start raining, and the "pigeons" will be out soon."

You exhaled and followed him. You were good at hiding; no one suspected you of being any different. You led a life that seemed normal on the outside. You looked far too human anyway, and next to you, he didn't stand out.

Life as a ghoul wasn't easy. But life as a human wasn't easy either. No matter what race you came from, it was never easy. Even if it might sometimes seem that way.