The Tale of Two Angels (School for Good and Evil fanfic)

Chapter 5

About three years after that fateful promise, a black dot could be seen far above in the skies of Gavaldon.

If one cared to look carefully enough, he would have seen another dot, this one white. The spots would sometimes be chasing each other, sometimes just staying where they were, and sometimes dropping down before ascending again. It was quite fortunate for the dots that no one in Gavaldon was looking up then, for it was the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The usual activities being done to prevent any more children from being taken kept the town far too busy to care about what were probably just birds. But if any of the villagers had been able to see the dots up close, he would have seen how wrong he was.

Two children soared through a layer of clouds, their feathery wings flapping rapidly. One of them rushed ahead as a white blur, and the other quickened her pace to catch up.

"Give up yet?" Frost called over the roar of the wind.
"Never!"

Frost chuckled as he slowed down just enough so Rose would at least feel like she had a chance at winning this aerial game of tag. He smiled as he remembered those hilarious looks their parents had when she showed them the image of black wings on her shoulder. They had been unable to speak for a while, their mouths opening and closing soundlessly like gaping fish. Apparently the chances of having a black-winged anthroangelus were so rare that there were less than ten ever recorded, and none of them had been in either of Scarlett or Clement's family lines. This made Rose the first black-winged anthroangelus in over a century. He didn't care though. Rose was still Rose, sweet and kind as ever. She was still his sister, she was still his best friend.

Rose, on the other hand, wondered why her wings were black when her family's were all white. Sure it meant that she was more powerful, but still. . .why? The thought made the uncomfortable feeling that she felt whenever she saw the other children stay away from her and Frost grow. She wasn't just different from the villagers in Gavaldon and the rest of the world in general anymore, but now she was an oddity to her own kind now too. But her parents were happy about it, and Frost didn't care in the slightest, so she focused on that and smiled and tried her best to forget that feeling of lonesomeness that gnawed away at her.

Right now though, the only thing bothering Rose was how to tag her brother. She knew that he had about two years of experience, giving him the advantage, but she also knew that he would worry if he realized she was missing. She grinned and dived into the clouds, choosing a very thick and fluffy one to help cover the black of her wings. The cool wetness of the cloud stuck to her skin and made her shiver a little, but she decided it would be worth it.

Frost continued on obliviously for a minute or two. Then he turned back and didn't see Rose. Panic began filling his mind, but he forced himself to take a deep breath as he slowly flew back. She couldn't have gotten far. As he looked around, the world seemed to get paler and paler. It was strange, as if the sky around him had turned completely cloudy.  Everywhere he looked, he saw gray. A few more flaps of his wings and he saw the tiniest hint of red not too far away. It was a lovely shade, bright and pure and vibrant. The red got brighter, bigger, closer, almost touching him, then stopped. It was the outline of a girl made of red light. But there were tendrils that weaved together into wings on her back, and the light at her core seemed to focus into a flower.

"Frost?" she asked, tilting her head.

Frost blinked. The sky was blue and clear again. The only one in front of him was Rose. Her black hair drifted around her as her wings flapped steadily to keep her hovering. Her head was tilted, eyes worried as she frowned.