Leah Sinclair, 21, as a birthday gift

It was the dawn of Leah's 21st birthday. At only 4 o'clock she was already awake, that childlike-glee that always seemed to precede a birthday filling her with so much energy that she couldn't help but bounce on her toes as she got out of bed. Birthdays were always her favourite day of the year. Christmas, Halloween, they were all nice, but there was nothing like getting a special day just for you and you alone, and you got all the presents. She had a good feeling that this year her

She burst out of her room, and suddenly came to a halt.

Right, she'd moved out of her family's home just a month earlier. She was alone in her flat.

Leah sighed, all the energy draining from her body, and she begrudgingly dragged herself to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and start her day. The kitchen was dark, the blinds letting none of the bright morning sun through. She couldn't be bothered to open them, instead turning her attention to boiling the kettle and preparing her morning cuppa. Then, she turned around, and her freshly poured coffee went crashing to the ground.

"Hello, Leah. I heard it was your birthday."

Sitting at the kitchen table, face illuminated by the soft glow of twenty-one candles sitting atop a birthday cake, was a strange woman. Her long hair was white as snow, yet her skin was a pale sky blue, a dark blue tint dusting her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Her sclera were black as her pupil, but her irises glowed a brilliant icy white, just like the crescent moon marked on her forehead. Two black horns curled up from her temples, and her lips, equally coal-black, quirked up into a smile at Leah's frozen face of shock.

"I suppose I should introduce myself," she said calmly. "I am Myrralis. As you can probably tell, I am not human."

Leah nodded along stupidly.

Myrralis stretched gracefully and stood, and Leah quickly realised that she was far taller than her dainty figure let on. If she had to guess, the otherworldly being would have been at least 6'7, more than a foot taller than her 5'3. As she stepped towards Leah, her dress, which looked a lot like many silvery ribbons sewn loosely together, glittered and shifted in the candlelight. Leah felt her breath catch in her throat as the imposing woman stopped mere inches away from her body, and her long neck craned down to bring their faces a hair-width apart. She could feel the icy breath on her neck.

"I am a goddess, Leah. The goddess of magic, winter and passion, among other things." She raised one hand to trail her slender fingers across Leah's jawline. "And you, Leah, are my daughter."

Finally, her lips unfroze. "W-what?"

Myrralis sighed. "Years ago, I fell in love with a human woman named Sonia.

"That's my mother's name."

"Yes," she affirmed. "I came down to her in mortal guise, and together we spent many nights together. However, when the time came for me to reveal my true form, she ran, and, unknowingly, she took you with her. She soon met a man named Gabriel Sinclair."

"My father," Leah breathed.

"Yes, your father. When Sonia found out she was pregnant, she thought she was carrying Gabriel's baby. But you were born of my seed."

"So that's why I never looked like my father!" she exclaimed, all the pieces suddenly falling into place. "That's why I have blonde hair, and blue eyes, and pale skin, and why my brother looks nothing like me! Because, because you were-"

"Your mother, yes," Myrralis whispers, and sweeps her daughter up into a hug. "I am sorry I had to keep it from you so long, my darling, but I had to wait until you came into your powers."

Leah froze for a second time. "My what?"

"Your powers! You didn't think that the daughter of the goddess of magic wouldn't have powers?"

"No, I just-"

"They've been sealed away until your 21st birthday, where you will come into your full demigodhood," she explained. "And that is in... 27 seconds! Come, blow your candles out."

Leah was guided to the table, and she gazed into the light of her 21 candles. She counted down the seconds, scrunching her nose, her eyes, and just as it hit one, she blew out every candle and the room went dark.

Suddenly, a strange energy flooded into her. It felt like electricity, arcing through her veins, gushing like a tidal wave from her feet up to her head. Her whole body thrummed, and she could feel her eyes glow silvery white, her blonde hair lifting up in an imaginary breeze. She let out a gasp as she felt the magic settle in her bones, waiting to be called on.

"Leah Sinclair," Myrralis began seriously. "You have the ability to transform other people at a single touch, be it mind, body, or soul. Use these powers as you see fit."

She broke into a wide smile, and clasped Leah to her bosom. "Oh, I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks... mom," Leah replied, the word feeling strange yet comfortable.

"So, what happens now?"