Hero & Villain

Falcon | 1553w

  I snap awake, my eyes opening and my nose wrinkling. I huff and raise myself up on my arms, taking in the sight of Lance sleeping peacefully beneath me. My eyes narrow when I hear a buzzing sound from the other end of the couch, and I quickly shift to grab what I assume is Lance's phone. I silence the alarm, figuring I'll wake Lance up myself.

  However, when I turn to look at him again I can't seem to bring myself to. I sit back on my heels, watching him considering, for what feels like only a couple of minutes but is actually eleven when I check the time on his phone. I narrow my eyes at his lock screen, a photo of me flying through the city. Weird.

  I reach out and grab one of his hands, moving it just enough so I can press his thumb to the home button and unlock his phone. I debate for a moment, then reset his alarm to four hours from now, type in a message, lock his phone, and put it back where I found it. I carefully and slowly shift off the couch where Lance is still sleeping, then silently walk into the kitchen. My body feels... odd. I stretch my hands above my head and crack my knuckles, then fluff... my wings...

  My eyes widen and I look over my shoulder, letting out a gasp. My wings aren't there. I'm Falcon, so why aren't my wings here? Did something happen to them? No, I don't remember anything happening to them, that wouldn't make sense. I shifted to Falcon, but my body hasn't changed accordingly.

  I wonder if I can make them appear easier than I can when I'm Calen. I close my eyes and flex my fingers, then a shiver runs through me and when I open my eyes again I feel... right. Natural. I look over my shoulder at my wings, hanging loosely against my back and nearly sweeping the floor with my longest feathers. I open some cupboards until a bit of jerky to nibble on as I search the house, ending up in a bedroom rifling through what little the closet holds.

  I smirk triumphantly when I find a long gray cloak that I can throw on and hide my wings under. For now however, I tuck it under my arm and sneak back to stand in front of Lance. I look him over, and am surprised to find that I wouldn't mind being right where I woke up.

  I suppose I can't blame my other selves for falling for him, though I'm not sure yet if I share their sentiment. I enjoy his company, and I certainly didn't mind it when we kissed, but I don't yet know him like Calen and Kitten. Kitty. Kitt. He really needs to choose a name, it doesn't seem like Lance would appreciate others calling him Kitten.

  I scoff silently at the thought and turn on my heel, marching silently out the door and locking it behind me. Even if I haven't fallen head over heels for him, my other selves have and it's my job to protect them. As much as Kitt's meekness has always annoyed me, I know it's not his fault, and I know he's slowly been getting better about it.

  Especially if the dried blood under my fingernails is anything to go by.

  I look around the yard as I stand just outside the door, assessing my options. Eventually, I jog to the somewhat tall fence, grab the top, and vault up onto it. I stand easily, good balance holding me steady as I stretch my wings. When I'm ready, I crouch down and, with a great whoosh of feathers, launch into the air.

  I land again a block away from my target, on top of a building. I unfold the gray cloak, wondering if it can really hide my wings. I'm about to risk it when something occurs to me, and while it makes me grimace it's less risky. If I can make my wings disappear like I made them appear this morning, it would be a wonderful ability to have. It's distasteful to think about not having them, but knowing I can bring them back is a comfort.

  I reluctantly close my eyes and picture my wings flickering out, and the shudder that wracks through my frame is much more violent and uncomfortable than before. It doesn't matter though, it worked, and they're nowhere in sight. I throw the cloak around myself, flip the hood up, and make my way down the fire escape stairs.

  I drop the last ten feet to the ground, bending my knees to absorb the impact, and look around to make sure nobody saw me. There aren't many people on the sidewalks here, and the few I see don't spare me a second glance as I walk out of the alleyway. Pretty shady part of town. Exactly where I would expect the Guild to be, and also where Masquerader drove by with Calen.

  The fact that I remember almost nothing about that incident is normal as I was either Calen or Kitt the whole time, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. The only reason I remember this is because Calen made a very major mental note about it.

   I turn left, holding the cloak closed as I walk cautiously toward the Guild. There's barely any security, how have they lasted this long? Maybe they move regularly?

  I roll my shoulders in preparation for a fight. I doubt they'll let me just walk right in, which probably means I'll have to fight my way through the door. I stalk up to the guard who's casually leaning against the building, scrolling through his phone. He lazily clicks his phone off, tucking it into his pocket and giving me his attention.

  "What can I do for ya?" He asks, his voice a slight drawl.

  I look him up and down. He's bigger than me, but he looks like he's more of a brawler than anything. He won't be too hard to beat.

  "I need to speak to you," I say. He raises an eyebrow, and I let my voice grow firmer. "All, of you."

  He seems amused, but to my surprise he turns and starts toward the door, waving for me to follow. I walk silently behind him, my guard raising the closer we get. To my surprise, he doesn't even have to unlock the door before pushing it open and waving me in. I go past him, stepping to the side and watching him give the whole area outside a hard look before closing the door.

  I'm led around a bunch of corners, down a flight of stairs, around more corners, then down another flight of stairs. There's a single hallway at the bottom of the second stairway, a single door at the very end. It's a bit ominous actually, but in a cheesy, dramatic sort of way.

  The door opens just before we get to it, and I'm met with a brightly lit room, tables off to one side, a bar in the back, and a few things like a pool table and a ping pong table taking up the right side of the room. A few eyes glance our way when we walk in, but most just keep talking or slouching over the bar.

  The guard who led me in still has an amused look on his face. "Here we all are, good luck getting us all to listen."

  I smirk, and he raises an eyebrow. "I won't need luck," I purr, pulling off the cloak and tossing it over his shoulder. I don't stick around to see the annoyed look on his face as I march to a table and climb on top of it. Again, only a few people glance my way.

  At least, until I summon my wings and stretch them out to their full length. There's a couple shrieks, and someone falls out of their chair, but for the first part they're all just staring with wide, semi-confused eyes. I grin at them, feeling much better now that my wings are back.

  "I'm sure you all know who I am, and I know who most of you are, so let's cut to the chase, hm?" I begin. A few of them pull out weapons, but make no move to use them. "I need your help."

  There's a smattering of scoffs, and a few outright laughs, but one of them pipes up, "Why would we want to help you? You're a menace to us, and now we have you seriously outnumbered."

  I smirk lazily. "You bring up a good point. You could probably kill me, yes, but then Macer would kill all of you in return. Him and I are very fond of each other, you see."

  Someone else speaks up this time. "He's telling the truth, I've seen them together a few times. Lance wouldn't be very happy with us if we killed his little birdie."

  "Exactly," I purr, suddenly glad Macer and I weren't subtle with our meetings. I also note that the woman said Lance, not Macer. "Now listen up, and I'll explain why I risked my life coming here to ask for your help."