Skyborn

Part Two - Skyblue - Chapter fourteen

Water gushed along the side of the pavement and past the point where Aris and I now stood. The water caught Aris' attention and I watched as her eyes followed it until her eyes met mine again. She whispered my name, again, and slowly lifted her hand until it brushed against my hand. She entwined her fingers and my hand responded, squeezing her hand; not ever wanting to let go.

"We have to go," She whispered, looking at our twisted fingers. It now appeared to me she was standing awfully close to me, breathing on my check. I was the same height as her, finally. She used to pick me up when I was little, when I complained that she saw more than I, from way up high. She would let me sit on her shoulders and I would tell her of all that I saw from upon them. I missed that. And I realized how the bond between us had faded. But not broken. Nothing can break something that is so strong.

She tugged gently at my hand. Then she turned and I followed. I can't let her go. Not now. Not that I have her again. We crossed a road, and continued to walk at a fast pace. I heard our footsteps hit the ground and the occasional splashes of her feet hitting the ground where rain had been left, a mere moment until I ran through the rippling water too. We crossed another road and I found that Aris was not dragging me along, she was guiding me, her fingers hung loosely in mine and I squeezed her calloused fingers gently. 

She turned sharply, not looking at me, but past me. Her eyes widened and she grabbed my wrist and ran. I tripped and nearly fell at the sudden force pulling me away from where I stood.  I longed to find what had spooked her; I got my balance back, and decided I should not try to see what it was behind us. All I could think of was Aris; being here, with me. I do not know why we are running, who or what is behind us, and whether I can trust Aris. 

Truly after all these years, I do not know who she is anymore. It suddenly struck me that Aris had shown no signs of being Aris other than her soothing voice, and that she looked like Aris, par the blue hair.

 I had no trouble keeping up with Aris but did desperately want to see what was following us, is it dangerous? Is it Skyborn? Is it... Tyrell. Thoughts of him suddenly gushed back into my mind; his smile, his sparkling eyes, his hair, his skin, his laugh, his voice, the look on his face when he first saw me, the look on his face when he last saw me.

We crossed more roads and turned more corners. My legs felt unstable and I mentally begged Aris to stop. The rain had started to drown the city again, and it cooled us as we ran. This is enough. I was dying to catch some breath and I could feel Aris breathing heavily, though she had not slowed down. I slowed and tugged at her grip. She turned to me, searching her mind for the right words to say. Though she could not speak for she did not have the air to spare on words. She looked behind me. Finally, taking the only chance I would get, I looked too. But other than a few people crossing the street and hiding from the wind in their dark coats, there was nobody. No Danger. No Tyrell. No Skyborn. Was anything actually following us? Aris shook me back to reality.

"KALISKA," she looked me, really looked. She looked deep into my eyes. The way she had when she left me.

"I thought you were dead," I finally said. A question had been swimming in the back of my mind. I know it wasn't priority. But I asked all the same; "How?"

"I'll tell you later," she spoke between gasps, "Now, now we have to get to the others," A cold hand was placed on my check, only then did I realise I was crying. She wiped the tear from my face. "No need to cry," She pulled me towards her into an embrace, "I'm here Iska, I'm here." I can trust Aris. She has not changed. She only ever called me Iska when she hushed me to sleep. She would sing me lullaby's my mother sang to her. It comforted me. And I felt closer to my mother. Like she was there too. Singing with Aris.

"I missed you," I whispered into her shoulder.  She pulled away from me.

"We really must go, I'll explain everything when we get to the others," she said smiling.

"Others?" I asked.

"Questions later," She said linking her arm with mine, and looking around, "But, Iska," She paused, "We really must go."

We half skipped, half walked the rest of the way. If Aris looked back to see if there was anything following us, I did not notice. As we walked, in silence, from being out of breath from skipping, I started thinking. I started thinking whether there had been anything behind us. Would Aris pretend there was something behind us? Why? She wouldn't. Whatever it was. Whoever it was. It's gone now. We're okay. We stopped, finally, in the depths of the city, filled with sleek metal beasts towering above us. WE stood in a car park, Aris told me. Then she implied that her truck was here somewhere. Finally we found it. Aris' truck was mint in colour, and as we got inside, away from the rain. I saw the feathers dangling from the mirror. I smiled.

"Take off your jacket," Aris said, "You'll get warmer that way," she smiled and threw her soaked grey jumper on to the back seats. I peeled my dripping wet hoodie from my arms and did the same. I stroked the black feathers on my forearms.  They made me remember a time before. They proved who I used to be. It showed the world who I am.

Aris gripped the steering wheel, and I saw the marks on her wrist. Inked scales wrapped all up her forearms . Aris did not have feathers in her wings. She had the wings of a powerful beast. A scaled creature. A myth. A fairy tale. She had the wings of a dragon. Everybody knew. And everybody was aware that it was unusual. But still there was a feather on her wrist. Just like the rest of us. Then I remembered where we are going. Aris had said, 'the others'.

Who are the others?