Elliot is a Vampire I go to school with – and who also lives next door. He’s an infected Vampire rather than a natural one, meaning someone bit him at some point and spread the Vampire virus…thing…to him. Is there a formal name for that? I have no idea. I’m really unclear how it works since it doesn’t seem like everyone that’s bitten gets automatically infected, but it seems like most supernatural ‘viruses’ are hard to understand.

Unlike Marc, who is a full-blown telepath, Elliot apparently only has some form of empathetic ability. And it requires touching someone. I’m not sure how deep the ability goes though – does he just understand what someone is feeling? Can he feel their emotions himself? Emotions and thoughts are so heavily entwined so I wonder if he can get a feel for the thoughts behind the feelings too? I’m not sure….

I swear Elliot has the worst luck. Not only does he transform into spiders…he transforms into an entire swarm of them. But at least it’s a useful ability for ‘scouting’?? I guess that means he doesn’t have to stay in a huge clump, but all the spiders can spread out on their own? It hurts my brain trying to think of how that works from any sort of logistical standpoint. Is each spider a sort of mini-Elliot? Hmmm.

Most Vampires can utilize some form of Telepathy. It varies from straight mind reading to emotion reading, to actually being able to manipulate and control thoughts. Or any combination of the above. How it all works kind of varies from Vampire to Vampire, really. And Natural Vampires are apparently much more adept at it than most infected types. Scary thinking that mind control is a real thing in this part of society.

Vampires can inject some sort of numbing agent when they bite people, which makes it not hurt as much. I guess it makes sense since a victim is going to struggle less if they’re not in pain as you slowly drink all their blood and kill them. Oh. Also useful for cat scratches.

Vampires can actually shape shift! It seems like a fairly common Cryptic ability. I mean, out of everyone I know in the club, it feels like half of them can turn into some kind of animal or…thing. Because apparently not all Vampires turn into animals – some can turn into inanimate things like fog, water, or shadows….

So apparently, it’s illegal for Vampires to bite someone without consent. There are even contracts involved! And there are special considerations if the biter and bite-ee are underage. Which makes sense. I can’t imagine how many teenagers are probably willing to throw themselves at someone’s fangs. For the record, apparently if you’re already leaking…licking is allowed. Go figure.

Ferals are one of the saddest things I’ve learned about so far. Sometimes the Vampire virus goes out of control when it starts making changes to a person’s physiology. It causes strange deformities, but primary causes a degeneration in their neurological function. Basically, they devolve into monsters. It’s a scary thought – but also sad to think they used to be normal human beings.

Changelings are Faeries that have been placed in a human household in place of a stolen baby or stolen child. The human child is then raised in Faerie while the Fae child is raised with the human family, who is typically completely unaware of the switch. Sometimes, due to the Faerie’s strange behavior (gluttonous, wanton, or generally just sort of perverse), the family might become aware of the Changeling. There are steps they can take to get their child back at the point.

Brownies are a type of household or ‘tutelary spirit’ found in Faerie lore. There are dozens of variations on the theme – Brownies, Boggarts, Bwcas. Most of them are usually benign. They all share some common traits, such as some weird quirks about clothes. And fierce tempers if you offend them. Their chosen method of punishment usually comes in the form of relentless pranks.

Many trees are home to Faeries and other strange creatures. Some are known to be benign or even friendly. Birch spirits are among the most dangerous out there. There is an old legend in England and Birch spirits and how a single touch to the head can drive one mad. But a single touch above the heart, ad you die instantly.

Sidhe is a really common word for Faerie – you see it in a lot of Faerie lore. It’s pronounced ‘shee’ and is a reference to Faerie mounds, or hills. The original phrase is ‘aos si’ or ‘people of the mounds.’

Cait Sidhe, or Cat Sith, are a type of Faerie cat (cat Faerie?). They’re described as being large and black, with a distinctive white patch on their chest. Some believe they were originally witches that transformed into cats. They’re known to be quite ferocious and unfriendly. Explains a lot about Brenna.

Cait Sidhe were actually thought to steal souls – particularly of people who have recently died. That said, they’re also easily distracted by riddles and wrestling games. What is it with Faeries and riddles?

Glamour is one of the most well-known types of Faerie magic. It was originally used in the sense of an illusion spell meant to make one beautiful, but Faeries actually use glamour for all sorts of reasons – including to make themselves ugly and intimidating. Or to disguise leaves as coins and poisonous mushrooms as delicious food.

The Faerie talent for creating beautiful, enchanting music is legendary. Whether it’s singing or playing instruments, there are dozens of stories and myths about their musical talent. Unfortunately, Faerie tunes carry a bit of danger for mortals as the music can entrance and partially pull one into Faerie itself. If you stop to listen for even a few minutes, you may find yourself trapped forever. Or worse, you’ll find that in what you thought to be a few minutes, decades of real time actually passed by.

There are several different ways to force a Changeling to leave and return the stolen baby if you happen to discover it in time. The methods range from tricking it with unusual behaviors – like boiling water in eggshells – to much more violent things like drowning, burning, or even throwing the Changeling on hot coals. The gist is that if you can convince the Changeling to leave, the Fae usually return the child they stole as well.

So, I’ve learned that apparently part of the reason Pine Hollow has so many weird urban legends is because they’re, well, true. Sort of. I mean, if someone sees a mud-covered Werewolf hulking around the woods, they’re not going to think it’s a Werewolf. They’ll think it’s a Sasquatch. Or a hellhound. Or something completely silly. But to be fair, a few weeks ago, I thought Werewolves were completely silly, so….

Drifters are a really common type of non-corporeal Cryptic. They easily get caught and dragged around by the magic currents which flow around the planet. Many of them are only vaguely aware of the human world at all, even though they float all around it on their strange journeys. They have a tendency to lurk around Pine Hollow – especially this time of year. Most of them are too weak to cause much harm, but a few of them are a lot stronger than you’d expect. Some Drifters don’t get ‘caught’ in the currents so much as they just like to hang out there. They’re strong enough to leave them at any time – and those are the ones you have to watch out for.

So, in the real magical world (as opposed to the one in books), people travel by magic doorway. None of that silly chimney stuff here. Nope. Doorways are much more practical! Uh huh. Anyway, the system uses a series of knocks and incantations to function. Each door leads directly to another door. Do the right knock, say the right word, and you can open the door and step directly into your destination in an instant. It is pretty convenient – but kind of terrifying too, actually.

The club room doesn’t have an illusion spell on it or anything like that. The club actually exists in a different space than the classroom you can see from the hallway – one that usually can’t be perceived or entered by normal people. The protective spell on the room keeps them from noticing anything unusual when club members enter or exit the area. It can even go as far as altering or erasing memories to protect the club room. For Cryptics and budding Cryptics, though, it’s a whole different story.

The currents flowing around the planet have a pretty steady strength and direction. But at certain times of year, planetary alignment and other cosmic forces cause the earth to begin to produce much more magic than it normally does. The currents widen and get much stronger. Paranormal activity increases world wide – it’s even worse near leylines or other important spots. The increased energy in the air has a massive impact on the paranormal community.

Cats have always been believed to have a special connection to the supernatural. Apparently, it’s not all old wives’ tales and folklore, though. Cats really do have a special ability to see paranormal things – they’re particularly attuned to ghosts and spirits, but can also sense other creatures like some types of Faeries as well.