Ela
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33°45′18″N. 84°23′24″W.
This week it was Atlanta. Last week it was Orlando. The week before that? Montgomery.
Ever since I was young, this had been my routine. Spend a week in one city, move on to the next. Travel in the dark so that I was unnoticeable, nothing more than a bird to those below. Otherwise, I was bound to be discovered by the police and placed back into foster care. And that was something that I dreaded more than anything. At seventeen, I figured that the chances of going back were pretty slim, but I couldn’t risk it.
“Freak!”
“Mutant!”
To this day, I could still hear the insults thrown at me by my old foster parents once they had discovered the truth about my brother and me.
If not foster care, the police could place me in some sort of homeless reform shelter for teens. That would be just as bad. No breathing room. No way to escape. Being compared to them. No way was that going to happen.
The growling of my stomach pulled me back to reality. Guess it was breakfast time.
Sighing, I pulled my blue windbreaker closer to me to escape the cool morning air as I sat huddled in a back alleyway. Even though it was early, the street before me bustled with activity. Kids walking to school. Adults catching taxis to work. The blaring of hip-hop music emanating from a nearby stoop--complete with some gangsta-wannabes practicing their rap skills to the quick, repetitive beat.
I tried to focus my thoughts on the rappers, pick out what they were saying, figure out what brand their sagging pants were--anything to distract me from my looming hunger.
A short amount of time passed before the growling returned. I knew it was inevitable. Damn basic living needs.
I stood up from my spot in the alley and brushed the dust and dirt from my clothing. I was filthy. How long had it been since I had had a proper shower? I hoisted my ragged old backpack over my shoulder that I used to cover my wing slits and bade farewell to my makeshift sleeping place.
Emerging onto a sidewalk, I scanned for food in the chaos of the activity. A lot of mom-and-pop grocers kept their fruit on shelves outside, unattended. Perfect for the taking. I casually walked down the sidewalk and snagged a ripe, red apple from one of the roadside stands and kept going. No one noticed. I felt myself flash a victory grin as I brought the fruit to my lips and took a large bite that was met with a satisfying crunch.
My mouth was filled with the sweetness of the apple’s juices, mixed with the bitter taste of its skin. I welcomed the nourishment and quickly devoured the rest of the succulent fruit. Tossing the core into a nearby trashcan, I wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my jacket.
I wondered what I looked like to the passersby, what with my disheveled appearance and unladylike mannerisms. Then I remembered that I was in the city, and that this was a normal occurrence here.
Unfortunately for me, one apple was not going to be enough to sustain myself until my next meal, I quickly realized. I checked the vicinity again for something more filling, and was greeted by the sight of a donut stand.
Sadly, the stand was manned. I pulled a wad of crumpled-up dollar bills that I had pick-pocketed from some old woman in Orlando last week out of my pocket. Only three dollars. I cursed under my breath. If only there were a way to distract the vendor long enough to grab a donut or two…
Just then, the vendor suddenly ran into a nearby store. Duty calls? I guessed. Stupid humans. This was my chance. I strode over to the stand and picked up two glazed donuts, wrapping them in napkins for until I had found a good eating spot, and stuffed them in the pockets of my windbreaker.
“I saw that.” A voice called from behind me.
Startled, I turned to see a boy who couldn’t be but a few years older than myself sitting against the corner of one of the shops. He had bright, electric blue eyes and scruffy dirty-blond hair, complete with a line of stubble dotting his square jaw line. He was donned in a grey hoodie and washed-out, dusty blue jeans, and dirty pair of sneakers. Something about him seemed… oddly familiar. I must have seen him somewhere else this week.
“Girl’s gotta eat.” I defended. Who was he to judge?
The boy merely shrugged. He proceeded to pull a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket and lit one up. I watched him intriguingly. “Need a smoke?” he offered, taking notice to my staring.
I wrinkled my nose in disgust and the blonde chuckled as he stuffed the box back into his hoodie. “I’ll take that as a no.”
I knew that I should leave. There was no way to tell what this young man wanted from me. I couldn’t afford talking to a human like this. But for some reason, I was strangely drawn to this blonde boy sitting before me...
He took a long drag from his cigarette, exhaled, and then smiled. “Name’s Sam Hawkins.” The boy shot out a hand. Was he expecting me to shake it? I frowned. The boy smirked and brought his hand back. “Never mind.” A pause. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing foraging for food at the Dozy Donut? You don‘t look like you belong out here.”
I sniffed disdainfully at the blonde. “It’s not like I’m here by choice. Besides, I could say the same about you.”
Sam laughed. “It’s partially my own fault I’m here.” He noticed my puzzled look. “College dropout,” he explained. “Couldn’t afford my tuition.”
“Oh, such a shame.” I said sarcastically. “What was your major?”
“Biology.”
“Interesting.”
The boy snorted. “Yeah, if listening to people making jokes about helicases unzipping your genes every day is your kind of thing.” Somehow I figured that it was his thing.
I felt the corners of my mouth twitch. Was I smiling? What was wrong with me? I quickly attempted to put on a straight face again. A glint of amusement in the boy’s eyes showed that he had noticed my change.
Suddenly I didn’t feel so comfortable here.
“So what about you?” Sam asked after a few minutes of silence.
It was almost as if I were being watched…
“Huh?” I answered absently.
I tried to pinpoint the watcher with my instincts, but had no luck.
“Why are you out here, then?”
“I…” I trailed off. I needed to get out of here. “I have to go!” I bolted off down the sidewalk, ignoring Sam’s cry, and took a left once I reached the end of the concrete, continuing down the block, and then another. Upon traveling a few blocks, I paused and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; no one stood out in the crowd. But, still, I had this strange feeling.
Should I risk flying away? I knew that it would draw a lot of attention, but no one would be able to follow me that way. I was pondering the situation when suddenly Sam appeared by my side, huffing from exhaustion. He no longer had his cigarette.
“Geez, give a guy a warning before you decide to run off like that...”
My eyes narrowed. “Why did you follow me?” I asked reproachfully.
“You seemed really tense all of a sudden. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” he sounded sincere. This put me off guard--I was not used to hearing sincerity directed towards me from humans.
“I just met you. Why the hell should you care if I’m okay or not?” I demanded.
“Hey. No need to get snippy about it! I just can‘t stand to watch people get themselves in trouble!” the boy fumed.
I rubbed my temples with my index fingers, feeling a headache surfacing. “Look. I’m not exactly the kind of person you probably want to be around.” I said harshly. Taking an intimidating step closer to him, I noticed that Sam was several inches taller than I and far more muscular. I began to wonder if I would be able to take him down if the situation came to that.
The blond frowned. “And why would that be?”
Something inside me was screaming to tell this boy the truth. About me. About my life. About my wings. But he was nothing more than a mere human. He wouldn’t understand. Yet for some reason, I could not shake my strange attraction to him, my unwillingness to ignore him. I must have been going crazy, for I had never let my guard down this easily. Especially not with someone I had only known for twenty minutes.
“Well, for starters, you don’t even know my name.” I stated matter-of-factly.
The boy started to say something, but then paused, realizing that this was a valid point.
The light breeze shifted direction and I felt the unease creep in once again. This time I could sense the danger. It was close, emanating from some powerful and seemingly animalistic source. I had to escape. My eyes darted between the boy named Sam and the wide open sky, both of which seemed to be calling my name.
If I took off now, chances were that whatever seemed to be following me would know that I was with this boy. There was no telling what would happen to him, and I didn’t think that I would be able to live with the guilt for leaving an innocent bystander to such a fate.
Sam noticed my conflicted expression. “So what’s going on?” he questioned concernedly.
I could feel the presence getting closer. It was now or never. Quickly, I checked the space around me for a clearing. I grabbed Sam’s hand. “We’re getting out of here. Now.” I took off running down the street, dragging the blond behind me. After picking up a decent amount of speed, I pulled him in front me, still holding his warm hand. I pulled my backpack from my shoulder and tossed it at him, telling him to put it on.
“Wait, what are you--”
FWOOSH!
The boy’s question was cut off by the sudden, violent unfurling of my wings. Streaks of black and gray flooded my peripheral vision, and the eight-foot appendages created a strong draft around us, knocking over trash cans and various other objects. Around me, I could hear the cries of confused citizens wondering what the heck was going on. Ignoring them, I leapt off the ground, hoisting Sam up by his armpits with me.
And then I was airborne.
As we flew higher and higher, I began to feel the freedom of flight set in. The feeling of the wind rushing through my feathers. The ability to go wherever I wanted without anyone telling me that I could not. The absolute feeling of control. Being able to think freely. It was one of my most favorite things, where I belonged. I could feel myself grinning, not caring at all that various insects were trying to make their way into my mouth.
“Um, hello? Extremely confused guy down here!” Sam struggling in my hold snapped me back to reality.
I rolled my eyes. “Just chill out. We’ll be back on the ground soon.” Looking down at the city below, I saw that my little stunt had attracted a number of onlookers that were pointing in awe at the sight above them. Great. I scanned ahead for a landing spot, and noticed a good, clear area on the outskirts of the city.
Realizing he was not in danger, Sam eventually relaxed in my grip, allowing me to fly smoothly to my destination.
We descended onto a soft patch of grass, and as soon as my feet touched the ground, I released the blond boy, causing him to fall over pitifully onto the ground. He quickly stood up and regained his balance, his legs still wobbling from his impromptu flying experience.
“Y-y-y-you have wings. You flew me here.” Sam was flabbergasted.
“Uh, yeah. And you’re kind of freaking heavy and all of that squirming around didn’t help at all.” I retorted flatly. I flapped my wings once, stretching out the muscles in my back to prevent cramping from the load I had just carried. It felt good to stretch this way after almost a week of having my wings retracted, I thought in pleasure. I slowly tucked them in so that they were not fully retracted, but simply like those of a bird at rest.
I prepared myself for the onslaught of insults, but only a question came. “How is that even possible?” he asked, amazed, as I picked my backpack up from the ground.
I picked at my fingernails, acting uninterested. “I dunno, Mr. Bio Major. You tell me.” In reality, I was freaking out. He knew. He knew, and he was probably going to go tell everyone that he knew. I couldn’t have that happening. Maybe I would just have to… get rid of him. Right. I looked around the clearing for something that I could possibly use as a weapon.
The boy whistled. “Are those Tern wings?” I nodded proudly. He took a step forward, as if he wanted to touch them, but I shied away. Oh, look, a pipe laying not too far away…
My murderous thoughts and Sam’s next round of questions were interrupted by a new voice.
“My, my. That was a nice show you put on back there, Ela Reimann.”
The hair on the back of my neck rose and I turned, startled. Standing before me, smirking, was a young woman who looked no older than her early twenties, with medium-length black hair topped with a loose, beanie-style hat. Her lightly sun kissed skin was clothed in a pair of khakis and a tank top. There were ragged scars all over the visible parts of her body, and her eyes were an unnatural, deep shade of crimson.
“You...” I hissed. The presence I had felt earlier--It was this woman. I quickly took a defensive stance, preparing for a fight. “Why do you know my name?!” I demanded sharply.
The black haired woman did not seem affected by my action. “Oh, I know a lot of things about you.” she stated.
My eyes darted towards the pipe I had seen earlier.
Noticing my gaze, the woman sighed. “Now that wouldn’t be a very smart move, would it? Look, I don‘t want any trouble.” She reached up and pulled the hat from her head, revealing a pair of furry wolf ears.
From where I was standing, I could see Sam having a complete nerdgasm. Two biological impossibilities in one day? Must have been heaven.
“My name is Akira,” the woman explained. “I’m a werewolf. You’re an avian. I have a tracker. Let’s be friends!” she suggested carelessly and, I was assuming, sarcastically.
“Not a chance.” I snarled. What the hell was she talking about?
“Just hear me out. I’m the leader of the Mythological Creatures Club," she droned monotonously. Seemed like she had given this speech before. I thought she was going to keep talking, but she just heaved a huge sigh and waited for me to say something.
“You said something about a tracker?” I questioned.
“How do you think I found you? I had a heck of a time actually getting to you, though. Do you ever stay in one place?” she complained.
“I’ll explain the rest if you come with me. Look, you can leave this life behind. No more pointless running, er, flying around. You can help us figure all of this out.” Akira added.
No more running. In all honestly, I was getting sick of uprooting myself every week. Like a bird, I had no home. I was always wandering around, trying to find a suitable environment, and failing. Perhaps this club was what I had been searching for my whole life. On the other hand, was I really willing to entrust my life to a group of people I knew nothing about?
The woman coughed. “If you need an incentive, joining could help you find your brother.”
I froze. How did she know that I had a brother?
Akira continued. “Thomas Reimann, correct? He’s on this program, too. Surely it’s no coincidence that two mythological creatures with the same last name would appear.”
“Why on earth would I want to find that idiot?” I spat.
“I guess I’m right, then.” she studied me for a moment. “Well, the offer to join still stands, regardless.”
I thought about it for a moment, then exhaled. “Okay. I’ll join your stupid club.” Hey, at least this could be fun.
The black-haired woman flashed a smile. “Great. We should probably get going, then.”
I looked at Akira, and then averted my gaze to Sam. He looked sad at the prospect of abandonment. Our eyes met, and he began to speak. “I guess this is where we part ways, then. Thanks for getting me off those streets, if only for a while, literally.” he laughed sadly, waved, and then turned to head back into the city.
“Wait!” I called.
He looked back over his shoulder.
And then I did something surprising.
“Come with me.” I blurted. Sam’s eyes lit up.
“No way! He’s a human.” Akira growled viciously.
“But I…” I couldn’t just leave him behind. There was something intriguing about him. The way he had treated me was far different from any other humans I had ever encountered. He hadn’t laughed. He hadn’t tried to turn me in.
He hadn’t left.
Er, besides. I could keep watch over him to make sure he kept his mouth shut.
I raised my chin defiantly to the werewolf. “It’s both of us or nothing.” I thought of some valid reasons. “He… He majored in biology. He may be able to help us with… something.” I hastily added. Wow. Those were some great reasons. Way to go, self.
Akira put her hands to her temples and made a sound of disgust. “Ugh, you’re already giving me a headache.” She paused for a moment, probably considering the proposal.
“Fine.” she finally said. She turned to Sam. “But just don’t blame me if you get yourself killed. Let’s go.” She began walking away, and I took that as a cue to follow.
After walking behind Akira for a short amount of time, Sam turned to me. “Hey.”
“What?” I asked, annoyed. I had already began to wonder if I had made a huge mistake in my judgement.
The boy merely grinned. “I finally know your name.”
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I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD FINALLY POST, SO HERE I AM? /didn’t want to post until we got back to Uhmurica because there would be no point in doing it anyway and I didn't want to make the posts go out of order xD
Hopefully this is okay? Especially the whole human tagalong thing. ;w; I just thought it could make things interesting. More variety and such.~
