The Winged [HIATUS]

Chapter Four

“An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” -Gilbert K. Chesterton

[ C H A P T E R  F O U R ]

_________________

After a small eternity of torture, the bell rings. I stand up and stretch my wings before grabbing my binder and starting off.

“Um....” Tempest scuffs the floor with her foot.

“Oh, sorry,” I apologize. "What's your next class?"

Tempest checks the schedule taped to the front of her binder. “We have… Phys Ed next, right? With Mr. Williams?”

“Yes. I’ll take you to the gym.” I step out into the hall. "Try not to fall behind."

Tempest catches up to me with ease. Her body blurs slightly before she falls into a quick stride. “What's with you?” she asks. “You seem kinda closed off. And competitive.” She either hasn’t noticed how inhumanly fast she’s just moved or she doesn’t care.

“Honestly, I prefer to be alone.” I certainly can’t tell her the whole truth – that she gives off the weirdest vibe, and it freaks me out.

Tempest cocks her head to one side. “No one I've met was that exclusive.”

“I’m not cool," I grimace. "I wouldn’t want to be.”

“So you're... aloof. Like a cat.”

It’s a surprisingly appropriate description, but very ironic. Birds are the polar opposites of cats. “I just like to think of myself as different.”

“Different,” Tempest mutters to herself. Her hand creeps toward her hip as if searching for a pocket, but freezes when she remembers that she's wearing a skirt.

I don't respond.

As we weave through the hall, one of my ghost wings brushes Tempest’s arm. She shivers as it passes right through her. She can see and feel my wings – but how?

The gym isn’t too far from the science room. They’re both on the first floor. But seeing as Tempest is new, she could easily get lost in the stampede of students. I guide her past the cafeteria and into the gym hallway.

“All these double doors lead into the gym,” I say, gesturing as I explain the layout. We walk to the end of the hall. “To your left is the vending machine, but they don’t sell soda so it’s pretty pointless. To your right is the girl’s locker room. The boy's locker room is in the gym. As long as you’re in this hallway when the bell rings, you’re golden.”

I swing open the door and we enter the locker room. "What are we doing today?" I ask a girl with curly red hair.

“I'm pretty sure it's dodgeball," she replies.

Excellent. I love dodgeball.

I pace across the room and open my locker. "Did you bring any gym clothes?" I ask Tempest.

"Uh, yeah. I guess I'll go change." She scurries away around the corner.

I grab a pair of black shorts from my gym bag and pull them on, along with a modest short-sleeved shirt. I comb through my hair a few times and I'm all set. A few seconds later, Tempest also emerges fully dressed. Her outfit consists of green shorts and a fitted white tee. I hate to admit it, but she looks adorable.

Tempest marches over to me like a toy soldier. Her eyes smolder with conviction. “Today, I will prove myself worthy of being taught.”

People exchange knowing glances. You don't provoke Aislinn Blake in PE. She will crush you.