Alya brushed her brown
bangs out of her eyes and winced as she sneaked out the back door and
into the night. Even as she left her home behind, she could still
hear the shouting. She picked up her pace to a light jog as she
retreated to the refuge of the woods at the end of the block. She
always thought of it as “her” forest, even though she always saw
other people walking their dogs or picnicking in the shade. At least,
during the daytime. No one she knew of went into the woods at night--
not because anything more dangerous than the occasional drug deal was
lurking there, but because the ancient fear of the dark forest kept
families happily warm and safe inside.
Alya almost never went
into the woods at night, the exception being nights like this when
echoed strains of her parents' fight followed her until she crossed
the threshold of leaves and breathed a sigh of relief. This,
she thought as serenity settled around and inside of her, this
is my corner of the sky. The
sounds of crickets and night owls replaced the angry sounds from her
home behind her and she smiled. Her feet found the path in the
darkness, remembering on their own the direction her favorite trail
took and she crossed her arms against the slight breeze, wishing she
had thought to grab a sweater. It was starting to get cold again;
summer was ending.
She
smiled slightly at the peace she found here, but the knowledge of
what lay behind haunted her. Why are people so corrupt? As
the human race, we are so imperfect. Is there anything out there that
is--
There
was a loud crash in
the tree above her and leaves rained down into Alya's face as she
jumped and stared up in the branches. Whatever made that sound was
far too large to be an owl, and her panicked mind ran through
possibilities, wondering what predators could be lurking above her.
Something fell next to her and she jumped away before realizing that
it was just a satchel. As she picked it up, an apple rolled out and
she looked at it curiously before placing it back inside. A hushed
oath brought her attention back to the tree. Looking up, she gasped
and staggered backwards.
“That's
mine.” A few feet above her head, a boy sat on a sturdy branch, a
scowl on his face. Large, white wings like a snowy owl's protruded
from his bare back, spread out for balance as he perched in the tree.
“I-
I'm sorry,” she stammered, but held the bag closer to her chest
instead of extending it out to him.
“Give
it back,” he hissed before jumping off the branch, wings held out
to catch the wind and soften the sound of his bare feet on the
leaves. He tucked his hands in his denim jean pockets and scowled at
her again. “Or I'll take it from you.”
She
timidly held out the satchel and he snatched it from her hand,
immediately rifling through it to make sure everything was there.
Alya worked up the courage to ask, “Are you an angel?”
He
stopped. She could have sworn there was a hint of disappointment in
his blue eyes. “No. Far from it.”
She
frowned, not quite believing him. It wasn't just the wings; there was
a barely perceptible light that seemed to radiate from his head. But
she dismissed the thought. It must have been the moonlight reflecting
off his shaggy blonde hair.
“'Kay,”
he said, turning to her. She realized for the first time that he must
be around her age, and he looked a little... lonely. “Bye.”
“Wait!”
Alya protested.
As
he beat his large, powerful wings, she grabbed on to his wrist,
dangling as they rose a few feet off the ground. A sharp pain burst
in her back and she let go in shock, the air knocked out of her lungs
when she fell on the grass and leaves. She coughed and gasped and
rolled over to get off her back as spikes of pain shot through again
and again.
The
boy landed next to her, eyes full of concern and fear. “Are you
okay?”
“What
did you do?!” she demanded.
“I
didn't do anything!” he defended.
She
screamed and thought she heard something rip and, although she
couldn't be sure, she thought it was her back. Slowly the pain
subsided until she was left there on her hands and knees on the
forest floor, panting as beads of sweat rolled off her face. She
asked again as she gasped for breath, “What... did you... do?”
She
looked up at him, but he was stunned into silence, staring at her
back. Unable to bring herself to form the suspicion into words, she
reached a hand back and felt feathers. Her eyes went wide as she felt
around and discovered that in between the straps on her tanktop, just
inside of her shoulder blades, she had sprouted wings.
