Florie sighed in her bed. She usually greeted each day with a bright smile but today, even though it was the start of the Spring Festival, did not feel like a day she could do so after what happened last night. Yesterday was her sixteenth birthday, and it was a memorable day for her. People gave their warm wishes to her and her best friends, Anna and Stacy surprised her by having the whole class singing a birthday song for her, in which she laughed herself to tears because of their silly singing antics. Her parents organised a small barbecue party for her that night with her best friends and Florie thought it was the best birthday celebration she ever had with people who mattered to her. [i]Things were simple until Mummy gave me this...[/i], Florie frowned slightly as she picked up a delicate-looking necklace from the side table. As she began her closer inspection, she found herself recalling the most important part of the conversation...

***

[i]"Florie, this is not just an ordinary gift like the ones given by your friends. This necklace bearing the petal pendant can only be worn by you." A pause. "I made it that way so that nobody can harness the power within except you, my child."
"I...I don't understand."

Her mother, Sylvia stroked her hair. "Some time ago, a Summer Fey curiously wandered into the mortal realm, wanting to see how different mortals are from her. Her parents disproved of her idea as they thought of mortals as lesser, powerless, helpless beings. Having their only daughter roaming in their lands was something unacceptable, not to mention, potentially dangerous since mortals are not entirely harmless. But this fey disobediently went off on her own. In her mortal guise, she first visited a small park in a small town and a young mortal happened upon her. He offered her the warmest smiles she had ever seen and greeted her as though they were longtime friends. A sudden unexplainable feeling of joy rushed over her at such simple gestures and from that moment, she decided to befriend him. The two began an easy friendship, which later evolved into love." A fond smile and another pause before Sylvia looked into her eyes. "They eventually married and their lovely daughter was born two years after."

"Sounds like a fairy tale in a movie. But Mummy, I still don't get you...what has this story got to do with this necklace? And what do you mean about the power within?" Florie frowned. Sylvia continued her story despite the interruption. "The fey thought she could live happily ever after with her man, but the raging war between the Summer Fey and Winter Fey was not a matter to be ignored. She was after all, the daughter of a Battlefey, and like all Battlefey, she was expected to fight for her clan against the Winter Fey. She was Sylvia, daughter of Elthar and Lauria, torn between her duties as a daughter and Battlefey, and her love for the mortal named George Sommersby. She became a disappointment to her parents as she chose love over her clan, she chose to stay in the mortal realm and never to return to the fey realm. The fey thought she could put her past behind her...she thought she could escape." Her voice grew solemn. "But even if she could, her daughter wouldn't stand a chance, being an untrained halfling." Her mother looked into her eyes. 

"You wouldn't stand a chance unless you have means to protect yourself, hence the gift."[/i]

***

"Daughter of a Summer Fey...I wonder if it's a good thing to be half fey." Florie mumbled, turning the petal pendant over and over in her hands. Intricately carved to resemble a lifelike petal, Florie thought it to be the most beautiful thing she had in her possession. What it was made of, she could not be sure, but Florie had a suspicion that the necklace itself was magical. It felt as warm as summer to her touch, and for a moment, she wondered if the necklace was something live.

Florie shook her head and got out of bed. She planned to do some gardening before poking around in town during the festival; that would give her time to settle her feeling of uncertainty over the revelation. Before leaving her room, she took a long look at the necklace and after some thought, decided to bring it along.