Learn to Fly

Prologue

In this world, many people are born with wings. Almost 60% of the population, in fact. There are 4 wing colors, in order from least to most pure: Black, White, Silver, and Gold. Gold and silver wings are the most pure and rarest of all the wing colors. The tips of wings can be any color, which points them to their soulmate. As amazing as wings are, winged people have been forced into hiding, as simply having a feather on your clothes can get you mugged in the street. Long ago, people with wings were revered as freaks, forcing them to strap their wings to their back to prevent them from showing. This is dangerous, as keeping their wings strapped down for too long will break them and cause them to shrink and lose color. Many people have even had their wings removed, voluntary or by force. This brings us to the beginning of our story.

It was a rainy night in New York City. Silently, a teenage boy snuck through the window of his apartment and into his room. He shut the door and quietly flipped on the light switch. Treading silently, as to not wake his aunt in the next bedroom, he tried to maneuver the wet spandex around the bleeding gash in his side. He hissed as wet fabric made contact with the wound. Slowly, he crept into the bathroom to dress the wound, lazily tossing the spandex into his hamper. Exiting the bathroom 5 minutes later with his messily bandaged side, he found his aunt sitting on his bed. Her expression quickly turned from confused to enraged. It wasn't the blood slowly trying to drip onto the floor, nor the blue and red collar sticking out of the hamper that enraged her. Instead, it was the dulling golden wings extending from the boy's back.

15 minutes past 3 am, Peter Parker found himself at the door step of his aunt's apartment, with only a backpack of belongings on which to survive. He sighed heavily, steeled himself not to cry, and braced for the upsurge of rain outside. He trudged through the puddles, trying to find a slightly suitable alleyway to call home. Plopping down against a wall in a secluded alley, Peter allowed his façade to break and his tears to merge with the onslaught of rain. He was completely and utterly alone.