Fly (2nd in the feather series)

Fifteen

An hour had passed and I left the transformative human clinic in Nyk, Srrin, with plasters and bandages on my wounds and antiseptic on my cuts. I made my way over to the nearest hotel, booked myself a room and fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.

******************

The next day, I left the hotel and walked around Srrin for a while, wondering what to do. I was about to go into a cafe when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to find my mum standing there. She didn't look at all happy.

"Mum, what's the matter? Please tell me." I requested.

Mum told me,

"I can't say it here, love. This news isn't something I want others to know, so I'll tell you it somewhere else."

I agreed and followed my mum as she led me out of Nyk. Judging from the fact mum had transformed into her winged form, I guessed she would've wanted to fly elsewhere, until she noticed I was injured. So we walked to a quiet meadow, full of wild flowers. It should've been a wonderful day but the weather was overcast, tinting the flowers a shadowy grey. Once we were about halfway into the meadow, mum began to talk.

"Layla, the news I have is very unfortunate. I heard from Eagle about how you had accidentally worn someone elses 'feather prize' and went back to him to ask about you restarting your Mrjk after you'd found 'the feathers' owner. But I have bad news. After the months you need to wait to restart your Mrjk, you'll be 15, which is too old to do your Mrjk."

I knew what was coming now and desperately shouted 'no' in my head as mum announced,

"Layla, without a 'feather prize', you cannot be employed for a respectable,decent job in Srrin."

That hurt. It hurt more than anything I had ever experienced. My dreams of living and working in Srrin couldn't come true, not without a 'feather prize'. Without a 'feather prize' I was nothing. My mum would be so ashamed of me as she expected me to win 'the feather'!

Swallowing my fear, I turned around and ran out of the field. I didn't stop running, even when she called my name behind me. I ran through Nyk, going straight to the nearest spell shop. I bought a locket of portal dust and closing my eyes, I sprinkled the dust around me. Seconds later, I left Srrin, travelling by portal to Atlo.

**************

The second I arrived in Atlo, I continued to run, only faster because my strong feelings were making me transform. I ran as fast as possible all the way up the 'sunrise mountain' in Atlo and once I was at the top, I fully transformed. After transforming, I looked at the view miserably, seeing how beautiful it was. My Atlo life had been brilliant, so why in Atlo and Srrin had I wanted to go back to Srrin?! I stood there, wishing I hadn't ever gone back to Srrin. Then, all the sad emotions from last night, from Cat leaving me, to Ava attacking me, to me never being able to get a 'feather prize', hit me like a hard, stinging slap. I fell to the ground and collapsed in tears.

"I should never have returned to Srrin, I should've refused that invitation back to my past world. I should never have helped Ava and befriended her, then breaking friends with her would've been easier... I should've never, ever gone to Atlo in the first place or things would've been so much easier..." I sobbed mournfully. "I should've never revisited my past world..."

After I'd said that, I was too upset to be able to say anything else. I sat there on my mountain cliff, alone, as the first drops of rain began to fall. The drops got more frequent until it was raining heavily but I was crying too much to care.