Crimson Tears

I perched on the weather beaten palm, soaking in the hot afternoon sun. The usual smells of dried seaweed and sunscreen swirled in the air. Drift wood and cigarette butts, broken seashells and beer cans littered the sand. Stark white pelicans rode the currents overhead, searching for a fee meal. Hordes of students crowded along the shoreline, the waves lapping over their toes.

It was a field trip of all things that brought the students to this private white sand beach. I took in every detail through an overpriced pair of aviator sunglasses. My eyes roved across the scantily clad students until I found him, against a backdrop of choppy ocean water.

“Dylan.” I whispered his name for my ears to hear alone. It rolled across my tongue with a sweet taint, an addictive substance. I smiled, pushing myself up from the palm. I wiped the grit from my shorts and walked out of the shadows, my saunter screaming purpose.

I felt eyes catch a hold of my figure. They made me unnerved-the eyes. Suddenly I wasn’t so sure. The only sound I could hear was the near-silent slap of my converse hitting the hot sand. The conversation died away, like a T.V that had been turned down on low.

They looked at me… like I was some sort of god. I knew I was over-confident. But I hadn’t really thought I looked that different. Unless I had something on my face… The thought had me pivoting my heel, starting to turn back to my shadowed palm sanctuary. Away from the searching eyes and the stares.

Dylan’s eyes snapped to my silhouette, his face mirrored surprise. The sound of my regular footsteps was the only thing that kept me from turning and flying away. There was no way I could back down now that he has seen me. The last thing I wanted was for him to think me weak. I felt exposed without my wings flanking my sides. Instead they were hidden, strapped down to my back beneath the thin black fabric.
“Hey.” I said sheepishly.
“Celeste.” His normally lilac-sweet voice had turned sour. His expression pulled me to reality, where four of his friends were by him on either side. They looked at me like I was something in the store they wanted to buy. “What are you doing here?” His voice was icy; laced with nitroglycerin. I smirked at him.

“Dude, you’ve been holding out on us.” I inclined my head to the voice. The owner was a well built 17 year old guy with short blonde hair. His green eyes scanned the length of my body shamelessly. I looked away disgusted, as Dylan stepped in front of his penetrating stare. He turned and whispered something harshly to the blonde, and I didn’t catch what.

“She was just leaving.” He said louder, trying to make me take the hint.
“Dylan. Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Snapped one of the girls sharply. She was a pretty blonde with full pouty red lips. I instantly hated her. Not because of the way she looked at me like I was worthless, but of the way she looked at him.

“Guys this is Celeste. Celeste; the guys.” The brunette girl snorted. She was a short girl with a pixie hair cut and a heart shaped face.
“I’m shay.” She plopped out her hand, and I shook it. She then proceeded to name the blonde girl as Alice, the pervert was Jace and the silent one was Aden. I preferred the blonde one without the name. I remembered Dylan telling me not to name a stray I had taken in one time; it made it harder to get rid of it in the end.

“Dylan, were going to go get ice cream, you coming?” Aden asked. Dylan gave me a sharp glance before shaking his head. As an afterthought Aden asked, “You girls want one?”
“I’m on a diet.” Alice replied, miffed. Shay shook her head, and I did too.
“You’re new here.” Alice stated when the two guys were lost amid a sea of students.
“Yup. I just moved from… from Florida.” I decided.
“Ooh warm blooded.” Shay winked. “Don’t worry, California is not so bad once you get used to it.” She offered up a warm smile and I returned it. Shay plopped down on the sand and stuck her toes in the tide. She patted the seat next to her and I joined her.
“So… How do you and Dylan know each other?” Alice said, trying to deem the question innocent, but it was all too clear the poison that rotted beneath the surface.
“He’s my boyfriend.” I responded coolly, at the same time Dylan said, “She’s my cousin.” His silvery smooth voice smoldered mine, so that my answer had been unheard. I huffed, looking at him angrily. But his amber gaze wasn’t poised on me, it was on her. His gaze was soft and..And almost loving. Alice perked visibly at being the center of attention.

I felt my heart rip a little inside. “I’ve got to... got to go.” I said hurriedly and scrambled to my feet. I scurried past a group of students, aiming for the edge of shadowed palms.
It soon became clear to me that he wasn’t following me like he usually did when I ran away from my problems. A numb pain echoed faintly inside my stomach as tears blurred my vision, turning the scenery into streaks of green and blue.
As I reached the shadows I pulled my shirt over my shoulders and let it slip through my fingers onto the sandy flooring. Palm trees gave way to a thick forest of redwood.

I scanned the tops of the leaves, searching for my escape. My eyes left the greenery for only a second, as I slammed into a giant block of muscle. I sprawled out across the sandy floor, as my wing tucked under my weight. I let out a half cry of pain and sucked in a breath.

When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to find myself looking into a pair of gorgeous gray spheres. Black was etched into the gray, fanning the width of the perfect black circles at the center. Encircling the gray abyss was an electric blue sliver.

His eyes widened quite a bit upon realizing the shirtless girl that straddled his waste nursing an injured wing. He had shaggy brown hair, and sun kissed skin. His complexion reddened a few shades as I stood there, staring at him. I realized that I was standing before a strange man half naked and let out a gasp, covering my chest with my arms. A bra didn’t cover much. He reached up and brushed my tear sodden cheek with a finger. I blushed, and it was quiet for a few moments.

“Umm…” He said, as if that was the answer to all our problems. And then an “Ohmygod.” Escaped his mouth as he took in the bleach white wings that fanned out around my body. The contrast between the white of my wings and my wild ebony hair deemed me as some kind of fallen angel.

I was so stupid sometimes, it was priceless.

I had dropped my shirt in the woods, and now had no chance to hide my wings from this gorgeous stranger. “Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit!” He exclaimed, biting his lip. Suddenly we had switched roles, now I was the one who was scared. “Where are my glasses?”

I stood up, and saw a pair of broken sunglasses that had been destroyed in the fall. I sighed, pulling out my aviators I held them out. He took them and put them on. He looked good in them, so I wasn’t too upset. But I doubted he would look bad in anything, either way.
“You’re a Daeva.” He stated. I’m glad it wasn’t a question, because then I wouldn’t have had an answer. Instead I opted to remain silent. It was probably a bad idea though because it suddenly had the whole ‘light bulb over the head’ effect.
“Shit.” He said again for the umpteenth time. He began pacing, speaking to himself in an erratic tone. “She doesn’t even know what she is. She won’t know what I am…” He paused and scuffed his boot in the sand. “That probably means I won’t have to kill her.”
“Um hello? I’m standing right here.” He looked over at me, and as if seeing me set off his mood swings again because he then proceeded to swear, again. I really hoped this wasn’t going to become a tradition. “And FYI I doubt you could kick my ass.”
“You should be glad that you are as stupid as you look. Otherwise I might have had to take that as a challenge.” He said in a malevolent tone that sent a shiver up my spine.
“What crawled up your butt and died?” I retorted. “You’re a human, I am much stronger than you.”
“I can assure you.” He said, his words laced with acid. “That I am no human.” He said the word human as if it was a contagious disease that might spread at any moment.
“Wha-What are you?”
He snorted. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” And then he was gone. All that I had to show of the dark haired stranger in the woods was the leaves in my hair and the dirt under my nails.