Heart in the Sky

“MAY!” Ms. Robin thundered, May and Snow awoke with a start. They both peered down into the room below, there was Ms. Robin, standing stiff and rigid, May shuddered, she was in huge trouble, “You get your butt down here now missy!”

May quickly scattered down the tree, throwing a look of despair to Snow, who shrugged and followed slowly, not wanting to be there when Ms. Robin exploded.

“You, young lady” Ms. Robin screeched, “are in a heap of trouble!”
Snow fled to the safety of her small room, her hands clapped over her ears.

“Sorry,” May mumbled.

“Do you know you almost gave me a heart-attack! I was out all night in the forest searching for you and I come home and you‘re here! I was so terrified that you‘d been lost! What would your parents say if they were here! I promise you that they will hear of this!” Ms. Robin boomed like thunder, her hair was askew and her forehead was creased with worry lines.

“It’s not like I’m worth anything anyway.” May said quietly.
Ms. Robin looked threatening, she slapped May across the face, “How dare you say that,” She cried, “how dare you say that!”

“It’s not like anyone would miss me.” May told her, ignoring the way her cheek burnt, “it’s not like anyone would mind my being gone.”

“We would!” Ms. Robin protested, slapping May again “Now go to your room, get ready for school, and eat your breakfast!”

May hurried past Ms. Robin, who was already heading to the kitchen, she dashed into her room and collapsed on the bed. She resisted crying, not wanting her face to be red when she got to school. May paced around the room, grabbing her books and getting ready, she practiced a little of her fighting technique, using the deep rooted magic that everyone had in them to blow a strong gust of wind through the window and around the room. May soon got caught in listening to the sound the wind made as it swirled around, and staring at the sheets on her bed as they blew furiously, and had gotten caught up in controlling it when she heard of soft knock on the door. She quickly let go of the energy. Unsure of what to do, May figured standing there was the best option.

“May darling…may I come in sweetheart?”

May, stood there uncertainly, not really wanting to talk, then unwillingly accepted, walking slowly to the door and opening it for Ms. Robin.

Ms Robin was frowning, she lead May over to the bed, and sat with her, “I’m sorry I slapped you dear,” She apologized, “what you said just made me so very sad inside.”

May looked away, fighting the wetness coming into her eyes.

“I just- I just love you so much…and I care so much…and I see you and I know that you’ve got pain…and then you say that your worthless…and it makes me feel like I have been defeated, that I have failed in giving you enough love.”

May hugged Ms. Robin, “It’s Ok, you give me plenty of love.”

“So we’re good?” May nodded. “Good, come get breakfast, it’s ready for you.” Ms. Robin walked from the room, May stood, made sure she had gotten everything, straightened her dress, and shuffled into the kitchen. Snow sat at the table, she smiled when she saw May’s face, May tried to smile back, but she just did not have it in her at that moment. The kitchen was filled with the smell of scrambled eggs, Ms. Robin bustled over to the table, and left two plates of eggs in front of Snow and May. Snow rubbed her hands together, blew on the eggs and dug in immediately. May picked at her eggs, Ms. Robin stood watching her, frowning, May noticed her and began to act more boisterous. It was always hard getting moving in the morning.

When they had finished they thanked Ms. Robin for the meal, May did not start a race this time, fearing another embarrassment. Snow raced out the door ahead of May, looking back, expecting May to be on her tail, May just smiled half-heartedly, shrugging her shoulders. Snow sighed, and stopped running, allowing May to catch up to her.
The wind was blowing harder today, but not hard enough to be a bother, May liked the way it felt on her face, she liked the way it blew her hair, and she liked the way it made everything seem fresher. It was a cooler morning then the day before, but the flowers seemed to be especially pretty.

May knew her sister was itching to move faster, and she picked up the pace, but she felt Snow’s hand holding her back, “No May,” Snow smiled, “it’s fine, lets just enjoy the morning, class doesn’t start for a bit.”

May nodded, and slowed down to Snow’s pace, glad that Snow had decided to take it easy that morning. A bird landed on May’s shoulder, she smiled, it was a white dove. The dove pecked softly at May’s hair, she laughed, it cooed like it was laughing as well, then it took off into the sky. May watched it, wistfully, wishing she could go with it.

As they walked along she got to wondering if people from different places would accept her, maybe Hidden river was just too perfect for her, but forgot all about it when the school came into view, and Snow parted from her, explaining that she had to go to a spot in the woods to train. May nodded, and Snow hurried off.

As she approached the school, May spotted a group of boys watching a black stray cat intently, it looked very thick boned, and muscular, with scars all over it’s body. They jeered at it. One boy said, “Look at that cat! It’s eyes are so gray and boring!”

Another laughed, “Let’s practice our aim!”

May cried out, “No!” Running up to the boy with the stone and pushing him out of the way, causing it to land inches from the cat.

“Hey!” He yelled.

“You could’ve hit that cat in the face!” She balled her hands into fists.

The third boy chuckled, “Look, she’s defending her type!”

May began to grow angrier, “Stop it!” Her teeth were clenched.

“C’mon guys! We don’t have time to mess with these weirdoes‘!” May glared as the boys strutted away.

She walked over to the cat, “Hi,” she held out her hand, “I know how you feel, my eyes are gray too.” Just then the reason she was an outcast, the thing she had pushed to the back of her mind and forgotten, stood front and center in her mind. The reason everyone underestimated her, and thought she had no magic, when she did, was because her eyes were gray. The color in a person’s eyes emanated the color of the magic in their soul, which in turn emanated the element of nature they could manipulate, and since May’s were colorless, people assumed she was magic-less, or evil, and never treated her the same. May thought of every single person and animal she had ever seen, all had extremely bright and colorful eyes, even Snow and her parents, even Ms. Robin. People who controlled wind like her always had bright blue eyes. May felt bitter, having worked so hard to forget about her eye color, and the possibility that her magic would give out, or that she would become an evil monster. She shook her head, dislodging the thousands of strange thoughts and doubts in her mind, and focusing on the cat again.

The cat seemed to be considering coming up to May, it took a step forward,

“There you go,” May encouraged it, “I’m your friend.”

The cat took another step, it looked very old, then started walking towards May slowly, it placed it’s cold wet nose on her fingers, May laughed, “Hi!” She pet it slowly, it purred.

After a few minutes the bell rang, “I’ve got to go!” May jumped up, “I’ll see you later!” She hugged the cat, then turned and ran towards the door, opening it quickly and ducking inside, heading for her class, feeling just a bit less lonely.