Nightingale

Chapter 9

When Fable awoke the next morning, she felt particularly drowsy and weak. Her entire forearm felt painful and bruised, but when she inspected the skin around the mark, she found no signs of discolouration. She smiled to herself, half expecting to see an army of little raised bumps where her feathers might have been, and supposed that using her new power could wear her human body out - especially if it was not used carefully. "Oh well" she sighed. If this was the price she had to pay to revel in the body of this divine creature; she would do it again in a heartbeat.

She yawned sleepily, and then remembered that she still had school to prepare for. She needed to get ready in complete silence - lest she wake her guardians for them to discover she had lied to them about her whereabouts. Fable slipped out of bed, ignoring the slight creaks, and crept over to the crumpled heap of school clothes which she'd left abandoned on the floor. She paused before putting them on, listening carefully for the sounds of her mother rousing. Only silence. Phew, she thought, and continued to dress quietly for school.

How should I leave the house, she wondered, as the stairs were extremely old and creaky, and the front door would bang loudly behind her. Perhaps she could throw her school bag out of the window and into the garden below, and then turn into a bird after it. It could be risky if a neighbour saw, but what choice did she have. Fable readied herself. Her eyes were sealed shut in a concerted effort. She felt a strange burning sensation in her wrist as she transformed, but decided to ignore it as her arms exploded out into a beautiful pair of beige wings. She spread them out before herself, unfurling them slowly in front of the mirror with great pride; admiring the silky, softness of those feathers and the wonderful, shiny yellow of her beak. She was elegant and cute; the smallness of her physique did not matter in the slightest. In fact, it was ideal for hopping in and out of the small gap of her bedroom window.

Without wasting anymore time, she dropped down onto the bush below and scuttled quickly behind the cover of some thick garden foliage. It was there that she made the extraordinary change from a bird back into a girl. When Fable opened her eyes, she found herself kneeling in the long, wet grass; marvelling at the thousands of little dewdrops which reminded her so much of tiny glass gems. They glistened like crystals in the cobwebs. Nature was so perfect. And now she was a part of it too...

Okay-okay, that's enough procrastination for one morning – Fable told herself, realising the time. As much as she longed to sit and contemplate the newly found appreciation of her own front yard, she knew if she continued, she would be late for class – and wait! It was Mr Hudson this morning! How could she forget? It was Thursday and the class was studying romantic poems again! "Oh god", she sighed, suddenly regretting how unkempt her school uniform looked. Fable ran across the street, with her bag bashing chaotically against her side, and promptly found a car mirror to tidy herself up in. She didn't look too bad considering, but seriously needed to iron her jumper. Maybe I can cover the creases up with my hair pulled forward, she thought, self-consciously. Oh well. At least she could try speak to Mr Hudson today if possible, instead of acting like a shy mouse, too frightened to put her hand up and answer a question. Mr Hudson loved to talk and discuss, but whenever she was around him, she just clammed up. It was most frustrating. Perhaps today would be different...

Fable arrived at the school gates as usual with Christie and Lucia, who were both in a playful spirit and teasing her about her creased jumper. Not because they noticed first, but because of how obviously self-conscious Fable was behaving about it (constantly pulling it and brushing it down).

"Girl, it's not even that bad, I swear." giggled Christie.

"Honestly." smiled Lucia, nodding her head in agreement.

"Oh, I don't know, guys. It's pretty bad... the creases are too much." said Fable with a worried expression.

"Don't be daft. It's not like you need to impress anyone, anyway - right?" joked Christie.