Fly Away With Me

After gathering my homework I walk home. The school won’t care. On the way home my eyes remain down as I think through what I have done today. I’m ruined. All this time I have kept away from people. Kept myself appearing to be normal. Before I walk towards any house in particular in my street I check that there are no people around. Just because I am feeling sorry for myself doesn’t mean I can be careless. I search my pockets for a key but then remember I left it on the bench. There is no way I will disturb Sophia just to get in the house. My window is open. I walk around to the gate and throw my bag over. With ease I climb over the fence and collect my bag. Alex is sitting on my window as if waiting to see me.
“Good boy” I tell him softly as I climb through the window.
He meows softly and I pet him gently. I throw my bag aside and sit on the bed cross-legged. Alex curls up in my lap purring. I can always trust Alex to be there for me. Sophia would kill me if she knew I had a pet but I couldn’t throw Alex back out into the streets. He followed me home from school one day then to school the next. His fur was a mess and he had a slight limp. No colour was around his neck and he so scrawny. He meows.
“It hasn’t been that great, how was your day?” I say softly.
He purrs louder as I continue petting him.
“Sounds better then mine” I talk to him “I have a question, should I go for a fly tonight?”
He meows loudly and stretches out.
“I will then” I say finally making my mind up.
I move him out of my lap so I can lay with my head on the pillow. He protests loudly but ends up laying curled up against my chest with me softly stroking him.

I must have fallen asleep, it’s seven o’clock according to my beside clock. Might as well go out of a fly then. I get up, careful not to wake up Alex. From the very back of my closet I find my flying cloths. It consists of tight black jeans and a dark purple shirt with holes cut in the back to accommodate for my wings. Alex is watching me with half open eyes as he yawns.
“I promise to be back soon” I tell Alex softly as he watches me.
He meows one long woeful meow.
“Don’t be too loud, we don’t want Sophia in here” I tell him.
I lock my door just in case before going to the window and climbing out. It is very handy having a fly screen that comes off easily. I walk to the furthest way back from the house as I can while staying in the garden. My wings extend swiftly and I can feel the aches relieved. It feels like if you were to live two months without extending your arm and having cloths push it against you tightly. I run a few steps while flapping strongly then I feel my feet leave the ground. Before I can get a good rhythm in my flying I crash into the fence. I guess I haven’t flown in a while. After I have dusted myself off I try again but this time I succeed. Strong winds push against me and I use the air currents to soar high. A massive smile finds its way to my face as I fly faster and higher. The cool air is refreshing. My wings beat steadily and strongly. The winds get stronger and it gets tougher to control my flight. My wings aren’t as strong as they once were. Up ahead I see the park of the new housing estate. Before that estate was built it was a great track to walk or fly along. I fly over it unconcerned about being seen, barely anyone lives there. Only two or three families have moved in so far. While I’m distracted by trivial thoughts the wind becomes stronger again but this time it is too much for my weak wings. I fly out of control. The winds push me down towards the park.
“Don’t land in the lake, don’t land in the lake, don’t land in the lake” I repeat to myself as I beat my wings strongly.
The air settles for a bit and just as I start to regain my control a massive gust of wind forces me to spiral out of control. I collide with tree branches getting scratched all over. Shooting pain runs through my left wing. Finally I hit the ground with a thud. I groan lifting myself slowly to my hands and knees. Nothing feels broken, I think. I extend my arms feeling that they are fine then my legs. Next I try to flutter my wings but agony grips my left wing. I cry out in pain and shock. On my back my left wing is hanging disjointed.
“I dislocated it” I gasp in pain as I look over my shoulder at my wing.
How am I suppose to get back to the house? I stand unsteadily. Every time I move it disturbs my wings. I grimace in pain as I bite the inside of my cheek trying to stay silent. People live around here, I can’t be seen with a wing hanging on my back. How do I get home? I have to set my wing back into place. How? I move my arm to reach over to just touch the soft feathers but pain is too strong. I can barely get my right hand past my neck. Tears well in my eyes at the pain. I drop my arm back to my side. How am I suppose to fix this? I move slowly trying to stop disturbing my wing, I take a seat on a rock. What do I do? Why did I go flying in strong winds? A noise alerts me of someone coming towards me. My eyes dart around looking for somewhere to hide but I don’t have the willpower to move. The pain is too much for me. It’s dark. Maybe I could say it’s just a Halloween costume.
“Hello?” A familiar voice calls out.
A light from a torch lands on me and I am blinded but I know who it is. Of all the people that could find me it just has to be Lucien. Well there is no way I can avoid explaining this.
“Lillian?” Lucien calls out shocked as he jogs towards me “Are you alright?”
“Do you have any first aid training?” I ask.
He might be able to fix my wing.
“Yeah, my mum used to be a nurse, why?” He responds “What happened?”
Breathing even seems to hurt my wing. Probably because as my chest rises and falls my back moves therefore my wings have to move with it. Lucien reaches me. I watch his eyes move over my arms then legs looking for anything injured then his eyes catch sight of my left wing. My right wing is folded up close to my back while the left one hangs loosely.
“I dislocated something” I tell him softly.
His brow knits together.
“What?” He asks not fully processing everything.
“My wing” I reply barely audibly.
“Your. Your. Your wing?” he stutters quickly backing away from me.
I nod slowly looking down. The pain is now incredible.
“You have to help me” I tell him “Please set it back into place”
Well less like telling him and more like begging.
“I. I. I. Your wing?” He asks gaping like a fish out of water as he backs away another step.
His mouth moves opening and closes with unheard words just as a fish gasps for breath while it is out of the water.
“Yes, I’ll explain whatever you want to know once you help me” I promise to him.
“A wing!” He exclaims.
“Please keep your voice down, just help me”
“Is this a joke?” He asks still unbelieving.
“No, I’ll explain” I say “Just please make the pain stop”
He just stands there staring at me.
“Help me” I beg.
Lucien stares at me wide eyed. I give up hope and let my head drop. It sends a jolt of pain through me. I gasp at the pain. Just when I think I am used to it the pain gets worse. Lucien steps towards me cautiously as if I will bite his head off. He stops just in front of me.
“What can I do to help?” He asks
I smile gratefully.
“It’s dislocated” I tell him “Are you able to set it back into place?”
“I can fix dislocated limbs, not….wings” He responds having trouble saying the words wings.
I spin slightly on the rock so he can see my wing clearly. He flinches as he sees it clearly.
“Please just try” I tell him.
He nods.
“It’s going to hurt” he says
“It hurts now”
“Hold still and brace yourself for the pain”
I nod gripping the side of the rock and closing my eyes. My jaws tightens as I feel him lightly grip my wing. His other hand is placed on my shoulder. My sensitive black feathers brush against his hand.
“Three” He starts counting down.
My knuckles turn white from gripping the rock.
“Two”
I set my shoulders into a locked position.
“One”
Pain shoots through me as I feel the wing lock back into place. I cry out loudly unable to keep it in.
“Sorry” He repeats over and over as I sit there unmoving.
I can feel that the wing is back into place. There is only a dull pain now. I release the rock and wipe away a stray tear.
“Thank you” I say.
He moves away from my back and sits on the ground in front of me. I flex both wings out and beat them softly once. He stares gapping at my extended wings. I sigh and fold them back up. They sit outside of my shirt on the material.
“So let me get this straight” Lucien says “You have wings?”
I nod slowly.
“And you flew here?”
I nod again
“And then I just set a dislocated wing back into place?”
“Yes” I reply.
“That’s ridiculous!” He exclaims
“Yep” I respond, popping the P as I do.
“Just so I’m clear, you have wings?” He asks again
“Just so you are clear, I have wings” I repeat to him.
“Can. Can, can I stroke them?” He asks still dumbfounded.
I frown but nod. I extend them out. My left wing aches slightly but I ignore it. He moves forward shakily. It’s not everyday he sees a pair of wings I guess. His fingers lightly brush over the feathers. He draws back quickly.
“This is one vivid dream” He tells me.
“I wish”
How am I suppose to get back to the house? If I fly I’ll probably crash again.
“So today you had those on?” He asks deep in thought.
“Had those on? I can’t get them off me as much as I try” I say.
“What was that about someone wanting to kill you?” He asks recalling my breakdown.
I bite my lip and look down at my hands.
“These wings make me a ‘threat to human kind’” I say repeating the words that he [b/] had told me.
“Who had said that? Sounds like a load of paranoid crap, pardon my French” Lucien says finally accepting that my wings are real.
“ Him [b/]” I reply and shiver.
Lucien stares at me with a blank look. I shake my head as if willing the images and memories away. A cold breeze brushes past us.
“Maybe I should get home” I say standing up “Wait, why were you out here?”
“I was getting some fresh air after unpacking boxing this afternoon” Lucien replies.
“Alright” I say “I guess I’ll see you at school”
“Wait, you’re going?” He says catching my arm as I turn to walk away.
A faint pink tinge touches his cheeks as he draws his hand back.
“Of course I am, I have to get home” I tell him.
“You can’t fly home, do you live close?” Lucien ask me.
“I’ll walk home” I say turning away to leave.
“You didn’t say if you live close” Lucien states “Plus it’s about to storm”
“I’ll be fine, see you at school” I call over my shoulder as I jog away.
He couldn’t just drop it. Although he did just find out I have wings. He knows too much about me already. What is wrong with me? I need to get a grip on myself. There are rules I have set myself. I dodge around the trees and other natural obstacles. In my personal rules it states clearly that I shouldn’t ever, ever, ever make friends again. It only ends in tragedy. Alex is the closest to a friend I am allowed. I reach the path leading out of the estate and begin to walk home. Rain starts to pelt down on me. Those winds must be from a coming storm. I hug myself as I walk quicker. The rain gets heavier and bigger drops of water pelt down on my head. A few cars start to rush by as I can closer into town. I need to find a better path, out of people’s view.