"Ugh... where am I?" I ask to no one in particular as I slowly sit up. I'm... on a bed? When did I return to- Wait, it's not mine.
"You finally woke up." A voice says and I turn to see a woman in a fancy dark blue suit, with the government's symbol on it. Exactly in this moment, I remember what happened before I woke up here.
"Hey, I remember you, you're that woman!" I say standing up. "Where's-"
"First, calm down." She says. I give her a look but remain quiet. "It is danger. It's been a long time since something like this has happened and you weren't supposed to have found out about this."
"It?! He's a human like any other-"
"He has wings."
"And?"
"When was the last time humans had wings?"
I open my mouth to give an answer but I realize that I don't have one. "B-but we had. I mean, look at the stumps."
"And no one can remember when they disappeared or even remembers they ever existed." She explains.
"But they did."
"They did. And they've been gone for over 500 years." She says. "Come on." The woman motions for me to follow her and I hesitantly do so. "I believe you've already heard many theories about the storms. There are indeed interesting ones and others ridiculously impossible." She says as we walk down a hall and I turn to her.
"Why are you telling me this?" I ask confused, a few steps behind her.
"Because- I'm sure you won't tell anyone..." She speaks up again before I have the chance to question, "They do have something special. Over the years, we found out they transport people from one time to another. Always from the past to the future. For example," She says as we get in a hall with glasses that show rooms- no, cells. There's a chained man with light green wings inside it. "this man is from the year 1,430. He was found after a storm seven years ago. There are many others like him."
She keeps her look forward as we pass in front of several cells, however, I'm not able to do the same and would stand there watching the winged humans if my legs weren't walking by themselves and making me continue to follow the woman.
"Why do you keep them here...?" I ask quietly.
"Oh, dear, they're good for many things." She says in a cheerful tone, "You probably don't know, but our immune system was stronger when we had wings. They're a huge help for many diseases. Their resistance his great, they'd make a great army." There's a pause. "Anyways, they usually show up like your friend, without any memory. Thankfully, we could find a way to help them recover it."
"Okay... but I still don't understand why you took Frank away and said he's dangerous."
"The cut on your forehead speaks for itself." The woman says and I raise a hand to my forehead, surprising myself when I feel bandages there. "Well, it happens that, according to what we know, the wings' colors usually are from a light yellow to dark blue, never different. But him," The woman stops and looks back at me, making eye contact, "he has black wings and we've never seen something similar. We need to make tests on him and see why is he different."
"Huh, they're just colors, aren't they?" I throw my hands in the air. "His just happened to be black."
"Wrong, dear." She smiles - if that can be called a smile. "The colors are defined according to the kind of life each person takes. And he is one of the worst kind."
It hits me like a bucket of cold water. - It can't be. It just can't. Frank seemed so sweet, he isn't bad, there needs to be something behind it.
"This isn't a reason to keep him here! To keep any of them here!" I shout without noticing.
"And what are we supposed to do? Let them be there, lost, outside? To be judged by people? Suffer, be judged, discriminated?" She says and I find myself at the lack of an answer, just looking back at her. "That's it. Now, let's go." She starts walking again and I do the same.
"Why don't we have wings anymore?" I ask.
"As I mentioned, they have a better immune system, don't they? Seems like there was some kind of disease that forced our species to evolve without the wings, nothing we should worry about." She waves a hand. I press my lips together, fighting against the urge of arguing. We stop in in the same room we got out of, where I woke up. Now, a tray with food is placed over the nightstand. "If you excuse me, I've got some work to do and someone will be here to take care of you later." The woman says before leaving.
Her footsteps echo as she walks down the hall, until they're not heard anymore.
I inspect the room - I haven't seen a window this whole time. I stand there for a moment before - fuck everything - running out of the there and starting to look for Frank.
.
"I finally found you!" I exclaim quietly as I enter a room and see Frank against a wall with metal bracelets holding him there.
"What are you doing here?" He asks rudely.
"I came to save you!"
"Why are you so stupid? I'm getting out of here alone." He says and I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Nah, you won't, listen-"
"I'm sick of you being kind and all! It's annoying! Leave me be!" His expression would have scared and convinced me if I hadn't seen his other side and wasn't so determined to get him out of there.
"The stupid one here is you!" I snap, "I'm trying to help, okay? Why are you so rude out of nowhere?"
"I'm not rude out of nowhere," He mocks me, "I just remembered about myself."
"Thanks for the wound." I give him a bored look. "But I'm sure you aren't that way, or else you wouldn't have been so soft when you had your memories erased. It's something psychological, you're creating-"
"Won't you shut up? The one without memories wasn't the real me. It doesn't matter what I did then, it wasn't me in full consciousness."
"If this rude idiot was you, you wouldn't need any info to act like this." I say putting my hands on my hips, "You're being an ass because you want to. Stop being arrogant and let me help." I start looking around for a way to get him out of there. I ignore his complaints and ask, "Do you have superpowers or some shit?" I say hurried. He disagrees and I ask, "Your feathers, do they do something? Cut?"
"Do you think I'm a god or something?" Frank raises an eyebrow.
"I think you're an ungrateful annoying asshole that doesn't want to collaborate." I reply sassily and he sighs, starting to move and pulling himself out of the metal strips. He steps towards me and stands in front of me with a smile. I widen my eyes at him, "Y-you could do this the whole time and yet continued like this?"
"I wanted to see your pretty face in exasperation." He smirks. I resist to the urge of throwing my fist in his face and breaking his nose, I just narrow my eyes at him, twisting my mouth.
"C'mon then." I pull him along with me down the halls.
"Do you have a clue of where we're going?" He asks and I shake my head. "Good, now I'm in greater danger, being rescued by a girl who doesn't even-"
"Shut up, Frank! I want to help the both of us!" I say though gritted teeth, trying to look for the exit.
"What do you think about there?" He points towards an air vent.
"Cliché."
"Doesn't mean it won't work-"
"Okay, let's go then."
.
After many complains, pulling around, bickering and some slaps received by Frank - not mentioning near death experiences when we got caught -, we could finally manage to escape and here we sit on top of an abandoned building.
"-and that's how you got here. They'd do tests and experiments on you, keep you there like the others, but the stupid here," I point to myself, "could get the beautiful winged boy out of there."
"I didn't ask for help, okay? I could've gotten out of there alone without any problem." Frank sits down on the concrete floor, crossing his legs. He looks up at me with an indifferent look that makes me want to kill him. "And wouldn't help you."
"I'll kill you!" I furrow my eyebrows, widening my eyes. "But I'm not arrogant enough to need people returning favors or anything to help them and I'm glad-"
"You didn't help me."
"-I made it out of there safely. What matters-"
"Even tho the whole country is after us now."
"-is that we're okay. Now, Frank," I stand in front of him, "let's discuss something."
"I already know what it is and no!" He whines.
"C'mon! You don't want to listen because you know it's true!" I throw my hands in the air.
"No, it's not!"
"Then why are you so annoyed since I mentioned it?" I watch as his eyes avoid contact. "See, I'm right. So, listen, I know you're-"
"No!" He whines.
"Let me speak!" I shout. His eyebrows furrow, his mood clearly getting heavier. I wait for a moment before speaking, "It's pure frustration! You're like this because you're frustrated with the world, broken and want, most unintentionally, to make everyone like this too. Your wings aren't black because of badness but because of sorrow."
"How do you know?!" He asks loudly.
"Because I was this way!" I answer in the same tone. "And you're nothing but wrong. You don't need to make everything broken like you but you also don't need to focus only on what's broken. Look for the good side in everything, even if it's just good for you because it's you who matters! Give yourself the right value! You'll continue to be and get even more frustrated if you continue like this!"
"But I failed and disappointed everyone back there!"
"I don't care! Try again! Each time is unique, you don't need to compare them! Each one is a cycle that's opened and closed that won't be repeated ever again! Then you decide, if you're going to do better or worse? If you do better, great, you learnt from the past but if you do worse, okay, it's good in its own way! Forget what you did and move on! If they don't forgive and understand you, they're bastards!" He remains silent and I speak up again, "Do you get it?"
He stands up and stands in front of me. He leans close, being only a few centimeters away from me, "You're so meddlesome and nosy, don't you think?" I feel his breathe over my face. "You don't even know who you're talking with."
"I know you identify with what I said and this is what you needed to hear." I don't show any difference of emotion.
"You don't know me."
"I don't need to to know what's up with that moody attitude." I snap.
Frank just stares at me for a moment before replying, "You're so pretty, yet so stupid..." He slowly leans in and presses his lips against mine. I find myself already returning the kiss.
"You're so stupid, yet so pretty..." I tease with a smirk. "It better be worth it giving up on my whole life to save you."
"Your whole life?" He raises an eyebrow at me.
"Do you think I'll be able to place a toe on the streets without them getting me. The same to you."
"I guarantee you it was worth it." He smirks.
I shrug. "That's what we're gonna see."
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