Black Wings

Chapter 6:

Storm was visiting the cave.

I had not been informed of this fact so when I dragged myself into the damp cave and saw everyone chatting happily between themselves and a small bird on their lap my grin spread across my face. The mother hen of the group chirped at her entrance and my feet moved over to her on extinct. Storm has stretched across most of the cave –who had heard of her arrival – and was purring contently. Her feathers had fingers rifting through them. She craved our attention but soon enough everyone started to disband.

X was sitting by Quantum listening as his twin (as the two had been dubbed considering X was just one of Q's multiple personalities) rambled about how he had left his hourglass in the corner when it had gone poof and vanished into thin air, now nowhere to be seen. Astoria stood by me watching the commotion while Kai had scurried off into the corner to help find his belonging. Q was pointing anywhere he had once been with the item while Kai went to look for it, he was trying to help without dealing with emotions.

"Have you checked under the table!" Frisk yelled before hurrying over and helping assist in the search. She had Q covered allowing X to search with Kai. My throat started to itch when Frisk hugged Quantum and assured him that they would find the hourglass within seconds. I had not seen the two in a while. It was long enough for me to forget how cute the two could be together. I felt the tingly feeling that proved to me my SOUL was alive and doing well. I wanted to screech out and let the feeling explode and be shared by everyone yet the horror from the past was still choking me back. I was not willing to apologize to the two again.

Instead, I grabbed Ast's arm and dragged her over to the small enclosed area that had not been used for years. The door creaked open and we head in trying to not cough on the dust that lay everywhere in the room. I let go of her hand and grabbed the torch from nearby illuminating the darkness and allowing us to see the: stockpiles of junk we had collected, the stash of food we had found in an AU abandoned which we had took, some clothes we had lying around, Quantum's hourglass (we agreed to tell them it was in here once we found what we're looking for) and the Frisk shaped twig we had kept for emergencies only. While the importance was debatable I considered this an emergency and I grabbed the stick before running out and slamming the door on Astoria.

I was panting and everyone passed me a glance until they continued finding what would have been lost forever if it was not for me.

"Q your hourglass is in storage, since X broke free we did not see it would be of use." I stated and Storm chirped in his ear that nothing stayed lost forever before letting him run off into the great unknown. Frisk was at his heals as she desperately wanted to help him continue the narrowed down hunt.

I brought out the twig. Laughter echoed through everywhere.

"You kept that!" Kai exclaimed in shock.

"That look to much like Frisk to be real!" Irene screeched staring at me with wide eyes.

"I thought we agreed to bin that for both my sanity and Frisk's respect Olie." X said calmly smirking at the shock the others had. X knew I was never going to bin the twig. It meant to much for me. I wink at him before nodding and saying, "I'm waiting for them to realise I have it on me."

We all laugh again while Storm chirps away appreciating the happiness while she can. We will all descend into chaos soon, if we haven't already.

Frisk and Quantum do notice the fact the twig they never wished to see again is missing. It could be seen as a blessing, that for the short time they do not need to see the haunted twig but it could also be a curse. If it was not there then it means it is out in the open for most people to now see. One minute I'm looking for anything Frisk might wear to lob onto the mannequin and the next the holy twig is swiped from under my fingers and taken to a place where no one can reach it. That place is also known as a giant bonfire Frisk and Q had made after persuading Irene to set it alight for me. I caught up to them just as it was added to the firewood.

It was thrown in before I could stop the little demons.

I feel myself start to scream cursed words at the two before a wing smothers my mouth, "Watch your mouth," Storm says calmly since she cannot bring herself to be mad at us. Irene is trying to explain to the innocent around here that no I was not okay and there was nothing they could do.

"Her mind is a wreck right now. She is cursing you for throwing away something she found funny." Is her explanation before she has to delve deep into the land of what curses are. She was unfazed at my screech of anger and onslaught of swear words but not at oblivious the two were as the gawked realising what I was saying. Kai was unfazed on the whole.

Once my lecture was over, Storm head back to the cave to calm down. I want to pull her back but I have seen Storm fight and even with my magic I stand no chance against her. For a young adult Storm knows too much about fighting. I have no time to worry for her however seeing as I have two teenagers looking at me confused over what was going on and why I was frozen like a statue. Astoria wraps her arm around me and smiles while she attempts to defuse the situation,

"That's just Ol's way of saying sorry and that she's offended don't take her too seriously."

We both laugh at the words but I wave it off, I do need to apologize and just standing here letting Astoria cover for me is tempting but not what I need to do in order to grow as a person.

"Nah, I got angry. I had waited so long to go on an adventure with that twig and now I'll never get the chance seeing as it is burning. I am sorry for screaming so rude words at you. I could of just bleeped them out. I take the full blame."

We all smile lazily when Frisk and Q forgive me and we once again head to the cave in order to breathe.

Once the sun sets and our candles our lit again the next event occurs. X was talking to Astoria about the balance while Kai and Q catch up. The two are passing off fist bumps and speaking about their life before the world turned against them and led them here to heal. Irene and I listen to them as well as discuss our lives before the world we know now. I find out that a lot about Irene while she discovers more about me and slowly building my walls down.

"So have you heard of Harry potter?"

Our latest discussion on books is cut off when Ast screams at X that if her candle is melting does that mean her time as an angel is coming to an end or that her odds of the resurrection ash working were depleting. Everyone else rushes over to help her calm down and ask their own questions I may be the only person who notices X mumble to himself that she was never an angel to begin with.

I run over like the rest the sight of Astoria being hurt making my heart rip into two. It hurts but next to when we lost her it's numbing. Just like after Jelly's warning all Astoria does is make me numb. Her tears do bring me to feel something for her again. Concern and worry flashes through my eyes the instant and I swallow her up in a hug and start to tell her that the judge won't just let her time as a ghost run out, I tell her that the judge must give her a trial and while Astoria mumbles about the roots accident and death I ignore it. I'm numb to rational thinking at that point. Astoria is all that matters and my mind is firm with that. Kai and Irene join us and say the same things as I do until she eventually returns the words, "You're right. I'll come back with some fancy wings as well!"

We all nod but I send Kai a look of 'please help me because if the judge knows of this curse Jelly speaks about we're all screwed and you can't say otherwise. ' He catches it and while we don't word what we're getting across it reaches us and Irene.

"We'll ask X right now alright. I will ask personally." I state before standing up and heading over to where X is sitting looking scared as he picked at his fingernails. How the cogs in his mind were working were beyond me but since they were still turning they served me a use. He looks up startled when I approach.

"Explain about what you mouthed earlier, on how Ria was never an angel to begin with. Answer me!" I menacingly say smiling maliciously when he cowers back in fear an holds his hands in front of himself to protect himself from any incoming punches.

"I spoke to the judge. I'm trying to plead for her case." He squeals

"And.." I coax him into continuing on,

X responds looking down, "I doubt anyone can win with her case. It's all negative. I knew it was bad but it's worse than expected."

I can't ask another question before the tears I'd tried to hold in fall down my cheek in the spur of the moment. The wall I built up crumbles. Astoria will die even if what Jelly is saying is merely a joke. She won't come back