Hold On To You ✵ {Apply Fic}

Chapter 11

Sabine handed both girls the thin paper tubes. "Alright. I know that it's super late, but this is our first proper sleepover together and Ivy's first proper sleepover ever. So, we can't just go to bed."

Lucy eagerly ripped open the casing of the powered candy and poured it into her mouth. Ivy, on the other hand, was more hesitant. She tore it open gently and poured a small portion onto her hand before popping it in her mouth like a pill. Her eyes widened - she obviously liked it.

"Bet you didn't get many of those in the orphanage," Sabine jested. Ivy shook her head, pouring more into her palm. "Well, those oughta keep you kiddos awake for at least another hour. Am I the best babysitter ever or what?" The girls nodded. "Now." She reached into her bag and pulled out a box of glowsticks. "Lucy, turn out the lights. No real lights allowed at a sleepover. Only lanterns and glowsticks. Ivy, help me make all of these into rings." The girls set to work turning the plastic strands into glowing jewelry and lighting the room with color instead of bleak electrical light. "So, what do you girls want to do? I have some card games, and a bag of microwave popcorn. Obviously we don't have a microwave here, but there's one downstairs and I can easily fly down and use it."

"Fly," Ivy said quickly.

"... Yes, fly," Sabine said again. "Was I unclear...?"

"No, no," Ivy stammered. "I mean I want to fly. You asked me what I want to do. Both Atlas and Carter have already learned to fly and shift. And in one day, nonetheless. But I'm still useless-" Both Sabine and Lucy opened their mouths at this to protest, but Ivy didn't stop, "-and I can't fly, or shift, or really do anything. So please, we're free and it's supposed to be easy, so teach me now."

Sabine looked in Ivy's eyes. The girl probably didn't expect Sabine to say yes. She looked like she was bracing herself for a hard 'no', for Sabine to brush her off and continue doing what she wanted to do.

But this wasn't about what Sabine wanted. It was about what her girls wanted.

"Alright. Let's teach you how to fly."

✵✵✵

Ivy leaned out of the large window on the second floor of the lake house. Just earlier that day, she'd watched Lucy shift and fly up to this very window, so easily like she'd done it a million times. And now Ivy couldn't even bring herself to lean a few inches further. All she could see in front of her was the dark, unforgiving ground that would break bones if she crashed wrong.

"Try not to look at the ground," Sabine advised. "Looking at the ground is only acknowledging what's waiting if things go wrong. Think about it this way: The ground is your prison. It keeps you tethered. Your wings are your keys. They are the secret to escaping your prison. Now look up."

Ivy swallowed and raised her chin. Above her, she was met with a familiar and welcome sight. The millions of bright, shining stars that encouraged her seemed to almost pull her up, like strings were tied to her shoulders and were hoisting her higher and higher until she could be with them.

"The sky is freedom," Sabine said wistfully. Ivy got the feeling Seb wasn't addressing her anymore. Instead, she was just trying to express a little of how she felt. "It is everything you want. You can get there. You just have to want it badly enough."

Ivy took a deep breath but didn't close her eyes. She spread her wings a little wider.

Lucy was hovering in midair a few feet away from the window in her tabby cat form. She looked so small, just fluttering in the night air. Ivy knew she was waiting on her.

You can be up there, Ivy thought to herself. You can be with the stars.

With that thought still in her head, she let go of the windowsill and began to fall.