White Wings

Chapter One

Footsteps behind me, but I don't turn. "I shouldn't have come," I whisper. "Not today." The black horizon stares back at me. It's the middle of the afternoon. The cool of the breeze makes me shiver and my wings slacken against my back, sealing in some warmth. Following the invisible path of the wind with my eyes, I look down at the dead forest hundreds of feet below the edge of the cliff where I stand. A phantom image, a memory, of my oldest brother lying stiff on the ground flashes across my mind. The aching feeling in my chest deepens. A strong breeze blows the stray pieces of my hair across my forehead and over my eyes, blocking my view. I don't swipe them away.

The footsteps fall quiet as Cole pulls to a stop at the edge next to me. He holds out a small fabric pouch and I take it, avoiding his eyes. I don't want that aching feeling to get worse. I'm barely holding it together as it is.

Inside the pouch are tiny glass beads that have been ground into a fine powder. I create a little trail in the dust with my fingertip. The glass will take the place of cremated ashes for our small, insignificant tribute to my brother.

"Ready?" Cole asks, his tone solemn. It's the first time he's spoken since arriving. I give a small nod and he takes a handful of the dust before stretching his arm over the edge of the cliff. I clutch the little handmade glass angel around my neck, the only thing I have to remember my brother by. Fighting to keep my emotions buried, I scoop the glittering dust into my hand and let the wind carry it from my palm and over the dead forest below. It sparkles in the gray light of day until it falls away completely.

After a meaningful moment of silence, I sit down at the edge of the cliff and let my feet hang over the side. "I miss him."

Cole remains standing, his dark wings almost brushing the ground behind his feet. "I thought you hated him," he says. He sounds indifferent, but I know better.

"Casimir was strange, but he was still my brother." I turn my face up towards the sky. "He knew the clouds were toxic, but he was so certain that he could find Light on the other—"

"Rae," Cole snaps, cutting me off. "Stop." He kicks at a rock with his shoe and it tumbles over the edge. My heart hammers against my chest. I know I should keep my mouth shut, but knowing and doing are two different things.

"Light could exist, you know. And not just that. Have you heard the rumors about bright colors and wings that aren't black?"

Cole hasn't stopped scowling. He's only trying to protect me by keeping me in line, but I just feel suffocated with all these conflicted feelings inside me that I can't explain. Cole decides to follow up his glare with a short lecture. "There's no such thing as Light. Only Darkness. Light is nothing more than a stupid lie some wing-less idiot made up so he could have something to live for."

I'm not finished with my side of the argument. "But why is it banned? Why aren't we allowed to talk about it?"

"Because if you go around believing in a fairytale people will think you've gone insane, or worse, you'll infect them with your pathetic ideas."

My expression turns into a glower. He didn't have to make it personal like that. Cole unfurls his wings with an angry snap and throws himself off the cliff. I watch him fly away, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with what he said.

A grim Darkness has always overshadowed our city. Something so thick I can almost feel it with my hand. Something to hope for...is that all Light is? A fairytale? Is that what my brother died searching for?

I take off from the cliff and don't land again until I've made it to the stone slab in front of the shack. With both hands I shove the door open, the rusted hinges screeching in protest. The smell of smoldering coals greets my nose and I smile. Here in the glasshouse I can be myself, free to believe whatever I wish.