Wings in Alabama

Chapter 14

<pre style="line-height: 17px; white-space: normal;">After two whole days of being stuck in a room with Ashton, I was pretty close to trying to break out and try to escape. But I can't. A, because I'd get caught, B, because of course, I'd have to break all of the other kids out too, and get caught in the process, and C, I didn't have a plan.<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />No-one came into the room that Ashton and I shared. I found it odd, because new rations of food appeared every morning, and I saw nobody bringing them. Ashton said that they've been doing this for a while, and that they come when we sleep. Kinda creepy.<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />On the third day, Ashton and I were going through our usual round of the Questions Game. He'd just asked me if I was ever going to get tired of this. I was about to say no when the door opened. I was so ready to spread my wings and punch someone's face in. I instantly rethought it when the door opened. An ignis-diabolus stepped in.<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />I rethought it because the half-human creature had the ability to burn my face until it was nothing.<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />"So, you are the two alatus-homo hominis. And I believe I gave you that mark on your face," he said, pointing to me. I'd completely forgotten when he'd burned me the other day. My cheek hadn't hurt that much. I traced my fingers over the mark he'd left, almost identical to a fingerprint. I hated to think that that mark would stay on my face forever.<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />"Relax, sweetheart. It doesn't stay that long. Not that you'll be able to live long enough to see it go," he sneered.<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />"I'm surprised you think you'll live to see it go," I snarled. "Get out before I do some real damage."<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />"Aww, the wittle baby's gonna get me! I so scawed!" He tried making his fiery eyes like puppy dog eyes and stuck out his lower lip so far I thought it was going to fall off. <br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />I stretched my wings and the bars fell down like the walls of Jericho. I lunged at him. Sadly, the farthest I got was three inches outside of the cage platform. The ignis-diablous wanted to tick me off; he didn't even move when the cage fell, or my wings popped out, or when I tried to claw his face until it would have been nothing but a few bits of skin left on his skull.<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />He either knew I wouldn't get far in my attempt to kill him or he didn't know and tried to keep his cool just to tick me off. Either way, it was working.<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />I growled and crouched in my cage, gripping the cold, metal bars until my knuckles turned white. The creature grinned evilly at me and exited the room. A few seconds passed after he left the room when Ashton spoke up.<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />"You let him touch you?" Ashton asked in a mix of repulse and anger. If that wasn't a mix of emotions to begin with, he just made it one.<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />"Look, it wasn't my idea of a tea party when he did. Why so angry?"<br style="line-height: 17px;" /><br style="line-height: 17px;" />"He just Claimed you! You belong to him!" He shouted at me. </pre>