Simple Distortion

Chapter 3 - Simple Distortion

The familiar wind came to us when we called. From behind my closed eyelids, I could see the light changing. Where mine and Ellen’s hands touched, there was a tingling sensation that was growing up my arm. My blood was bringing the tingles up my arm; I could feel it. When the light filtering through my eyelids was lighter, I opened my eyes. Ellen still had her eyes shut, and her hands still in mine. I looked around. The place was familiar. We were in the main dining room of my parent’s house. I pulled my fingers out of Ellen’s as I looked around. The small table was covered in a lace, as usual. Four chairs sat around it, all made of beautiful, soft wood. The walls were a creamy, light yellow with the odd painting hanging on them. The window overlooked our small garden and patio. I could see the church, and most of the town from here. Behind that was Lake Alexander. The mountains were casting shadows across the rippling surface of the water.

I saw Ellen’s eyes flicker and her take a breath. She didn't like that bit of the human world: Coming home like that. But I always enjoyed it. All the adrenalin pumping through my veins, and the movement when you aren't moving youself.

 "Keira! There you are! I was beginning to worry about you!" My mothers voice came from the doorway, so I turned to see her. Her face was splattered with some cake mixture. She had obviously decided to make Aveline a cake. I smiled at her, she was rather immature.

"I see you've been cooking," I turned the rest of the way around and walked towards her. My mother laughed.

"Do I have things on my face, or can you smell it in the oven?" I sniffed, suddenly smelling the rich, chocolate smell coming from the doorway.

"It's the cake mixture all over your face that told me that you'd been cooking. You haven't set the kitchen on fire then?" She laughed, and I heard Ellen laugh behind me. I heard her behind us as we walked down the corridor to see the damage my mum had inflicted onto our kitchen. As we walked in, I looked around. The veined white marble was decorated with discarded bowls and packets of flour and sugar. The cupboards above the counters were open, the contense un-orderly. The floor had flour scattered where it had fallen probably from where my mother had tried to pour it into the measuring cup. There were sticky fingerprints on the dark oven from where mum hadn't washed her hands after she had whisked the sloppy cake mixture. I laughed and walked to the walk-in cleaning cupboard to get the mop for the floor. Ellen started to put the dirty bowls into the un-surprisingly empty sink. My mum just stood there, giggling rather guiltily, "Sorry." When we had tidied up the kitchen, me and Ellen went to my bedroom to get into our party dresses. Ellen wandered to the bathroom while I got changed. I pulled off my skirt and t-shirt and replaced it with the long dress I had bought earlier this week. I looked into the full-length mirror. My flat sandaled shoes were made up of pieces of dark blue material with cork soles. It went perfectly up with my light purple dress. The silk was beautiful and very soft. It was shoulder less, and highlighted my waist with a large pink buckled belt.

I carefully revealed my wings. First, two buds appeared on my shoulder blades. Then they grew, releasing the tension in my back with it. Unfurling my wings, I checked that they matched my dress. The golden shimmer to the feathers was perfect. That was the useful thing about shoulder-less things, you could be yourself.

Ellen insisted she did my makeup and hair. I watched her pull out my make up bag and rummage through it. She pulled out my mascara and applied it to my eyelashes. Next, out came my purple eyeliner pencil and my liquid liner, and she carefully followed the edges of my eyes with each of them. Next she started on my hair. She sighed, tapping her fingers impatiently while the curlers heated up. She twisted locks of my hair around them, waiting for it to curl it for her, then un-twisted it and separated another piece. When she was done, I did her make up and straightened her ringlets out. We went to see what my mother thought.