The Winged [HIATUS]

Chapter Nine

“Needless to say, the ‘rents were pretty pissed. I tried to explain that I jumped off things all the time and that there had been no danger whatsoever, but all I accomplished was getting grounded for even longer. I was really mad at them. Didn’t they know how capable I was? So I whipped out my wings. Back then, my wingspan was probably only around four feet, but it definitely got their attention. Dad was speechless. Mom nearly fainted. Then I screamed at them that I could take care of myself and flew right out the window.”

I am stunned that Tempest would do something so bold. I know that her emotions can be volatile under her calm façade, but I would never have expected such an outburst. And to reveal her darkest secret for just a moment of satisfaction? What a foolish thing to do, even as a child.

“What did they do when you came back?” I ask, breathless.

Tempest, totally immersed in her tale, no longer seems to mind my interruptions. “Well, they asked me a lot of questions. We eventually came to an agreement that they would not ground me as long as I stopped pulling crazy stunts in public. Three days later, I returned to school. The teachers no longer cared that I was the smartest kid in class – they avoided me like I was a leper. But among the students I was a hero. A legend, even.

“Then disaster struck. Toward the middle of the day – I think it was during reading class – two guys with guns kicked our door down. They were dressed all in black, but their skin was deathly pale. Strange-looking lumps were on their backs, under their clothes. To this day, I don’t know how they got past the cameras. All I know is that, unless they do something shocking, your eyes skip right over them. Busting into our classroom was apparently shocking enough, because all the kids started screaming and running everywhere.

“The men yelled at everyone to stop, but no one did. Ms. Frepple ordered us to hunker down and find shelter, but no one listened. Several shots were fired. A few kids shrieked and fell. That made us stop, but we were still crying and backing away in a panic. I dove behind a desk that had been overturned during the stampede. There were a few others hiding like me. I still remember the copper taste of fear in my mouth.”

Tempest shudders and closes her eyes, struggling to find the right words. “When I peeked out from behind the desk, Ms. Frepple was approaching the shooters. She was trying to talk to them, to see what they wanted. They told her that they were looking for me, and that unless she gave me up they would kill every child in the room. She started to refuse, but then gigantic black wings ripped out of their backs. One of them pointed his weapon at the kids and the other aimed at her chest. Then they asked her again. She crossed herself and recited the Lord’s Prayer. She never got to finish…”

I force my arm out of the net and wrap it around Tempest. Salty tears are splashing down her cheeks. “If it was that traumatizing, you don’t have to tell-”

“No, you should know this.” She dries her eyes and squares her shoulders. “The kids were all sobbing and huddling in a corner. The monsters asked the kids if they knew where I was, but all of them shook their heads no. They weren’t lying – no one had seen me sneak away. So the winged men shot two more of us. The rest of the students were pleading for their lives, insisting that they didn’t know where I was. Another two were killed…

“Then… Lydia stood up. She always had been the brave one. The men barked at her to sit down, but she kept walking toward them with her hands in the air. She told them that they really didn’t know, and that shooting them wouldn’t make them talk. One of the men started to get angry and pulled back his free hand as if preparing to strike her. I noticed that he had nails like razors.

“Time slowed to a crawl. I know that sounds cliché, but for me it actually did. That, or I was moving very fast. I leaped out from behind the desk and vaulted across the room, jumping in front of Lydia like a shield. Claws ripped into my chest. I lurched to the side, but Lydia caught me. Blood soaked through my uniform. I began to hyperventilate; black fuzz danced across my vision. I wondered if I would get to meet God.