Griffin
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I am so sorry for the quality and lack of character references in this and the vague ending and how long it took me to do this holy jesus I am just super sorry.
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I wished for Akira to play her violin forever. Her fingers, though obviously out of practice, gracefully teased the strings and guided her bow across them, and the melodies she produced were intoxicating. It was almost a shame I interrupted, but I could not resist.
There was something I had to do.
Our picnic was modest, but Akira seemed pleased. I put a day of planning into executing the date, and from what I could tell, it paid off. She was smiling and laughing, and everything seemed so right for the first time in what seemed like a long time.
Things escalated quite quickly.
There was a flurry of movement. The door slammed, and my hands were in Akira’s hair. Her nails, long and sharp, scraped up my back, dragging my shirt with them until I broke contact and tugged it off.
Time slipped away.
I was lying on Akira’s mattress, sticky with sweat, as her finger lightly ran down my stomach. Keeping a hand protectively on her side, I stared deeply into her tired eyes. She brushed away a hair from her forehead.
“Griffin.” She didn’t need to say any more. I gently pressed my lips to hers.
“Akira.”
“Akira!”
Startled by the new voice, I flipped onto my other side to leer at the door just as it swung open. Charlie stood there, fury raging in his eyes. He stared for a moment or two, and we stared back, unblinking.
Then he stormed forward and snatched the single sheet, which had laid atop us, and threw it to the ground. Flustered and beet-red, I rolled off the bed and retrieved the sheet with my left hand, using it to cover my... er... nether regions. My right arm automatically shielded my chest.
“Akira,” Charlie snarled through gritted teeth. His wolf instincts had not been completely stripped away, I supposed. “What. The. Hell. Do. You. Think. You’re. Doing.”
Akira rose, standing mostly behind me to conceal herself. Charlie looked away anyway. “Making my own damn decisions, Charlie. I’m not a child. I can do what I wish.”
The scientist’s face was an angry red, but he managed to continue to avert his gaze. “You’re my sister, Akira, my little sister. How exactly do you propose I handle this?”
“By leaving us alone, Charlie.”
“So you can screw around more? I don’t think so.”
Akira stole the sheet from me as she breezed past, and I scrambled to grab a pillow in its place. “And what are you going to do?” she growled, fangs bared and tail bristling. “Tell Mother? Go ahead. She’s not the boss of me, and neither are you.”
“I’m not going to let you—”
“You’re not going to let me? Excuse you, Charlie, but it seems I’ve forgotten how present you were the past ten or so years. Care to remind me?” Her tail was bristling, and there was a fury in her eyes I had never seen. “You have no authority over me. Not now, not ever. Stop acting like you’re high and mighty, Charlier. You’re not.”
“Akira—”
She waved a hand. “Get out of my room.”
“But—”
“Now.”
Clenching his jaw, he obliged dutifully, but the scowl he directed toward me was burning.
I turned to Akira as she placed her hands on my chest. “Akira, I believe your brother only had your best interest at heart.” Her fingers curled in, nails raking my skin.
“Are you defending him?” she murmured.
My breath hitched in my throat. Griffin, this must... stop... or... I grabbed her wrists gently, forcing them away from me. “I am only saying that you should not be so harsh towards your brother. He does love you dearly, and though you may not agree with all he has to say, you should take his opinion into consideration.”
“Like what you did when Cyrus admitted to f*cking us all over?” Ouch.
“That is not what happened, Akira. You know that.”
Closing her eyes, she sighed. And after tugging her hands from my grip, she wrapped them around my neck. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just... It’s so hard sometimes...”
“I know. And I am sorry.”
We stayed there for a short while, until I decided it was time for me to go. After slipping on my trousers, I agreed to meet Akira at a later time and headed out.
I first came across Ela. She sat alone at a folding table in one of the larger rooms, head bowed over a cup of steaming coffee. When she heard me approaching, she looked up. Then she shook her head.
“I can’t believe, that after all this time, it was your brother who did this to us,” she muttered, venom in her words. “How could you not know, Griffin?”
Refusing to get riled up, I took the seat opposite. “He did not do anything wrong. The scientists of X.L.—not my brother—took advantage of his ideas. He only wanted to make the world better.”
“Hell of a lot of good that did.”
“He tried, Ela. He failed, and then he gave up.”
Brows furrowed, she turned her eyes toward me. “What?”
“The first experiment that was performed was on himself. It was to give him wings, like... like mine. Only something malfunctioned. He did not give me all the details, nor would I expect him to, but now all that is left is a metal skeleton. He quit after that, Ela. X.L. took over after.”
She grew quiet. “I didn’t know that.”
“I know. That is why I do not blame you for making the wrong assumption.”
“It’s just... after living my whole damn life thinking I was some,” she flailed her hands, “mystical creature, it’s kind of a slap in the face to find out that none of that is true.”
Unable to think of a proper response, I tenderly laid a hand atop hers. “I know, Ela. Truly, I do. And I am sincerely sorry.” She sniffled once, scratching her nose with her free hand. “But we will all find a way to survive this. We will adapt. We will fight, and we will win. After all,” I grinned, “that is what we were created to do.”
Laughing, she nodded. “Thanks, Griffin. That... actually helped a lot.” Once she cleared her throat, she pushed back her chair and rose, and I did the same. “I need to go talk to... Sam. Again.” I nodded briskly.
“Of course. And if you ever need to talk—”
“I can always come to my favorite Wyvern.”
My lips curled up in a pleasant smile, and I do believe I began to tear up a little. “You did not call me a dragon. I am touched.”
She winked. “Yeah, don’t get used to it, Spike.”
And with that, she left the room—and her still-steaming coffee.
I took a sip. There was an interesting flavor—something familiar. Thin Mints. The second most delicious thing in this country aside from Pina Coladas. I drank it all, sending the near-boiling liquid racing down my throat.
Once I licked my lips clean, I fled the room, dropping the mug in the sink of the surprisingly-comfortable kitchen.
As I was aimlessly strolling down the endless hallways, my brother appeared out of what seemed like thin air.
And then I saw her, and I knew.
Oh, Gods.
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I don't know who that is.
Someone please tell me.
I am so sorry.
I am dead ackkkkkkkk.
I love you though. <3
