Wings of Broken Glass

I launched out of the bed, gasping. Another nightmare, always the same one. I cautiously glanced around my bedroom. Same paint-splattered and graffitied walls, sparse furniture, and one snoozing jet black honey badger. I had rescued him when he had been sold illegally. But he wasn't what had woken me up. I edged close to the window, which was wide open. It was blasting freezing cold air into the room, and it han't been that way when I'd fallen asleep. I peered out at the never sleeping city. It had once been beautiful, and called New York. When the war began, we had to rename it for the rebels, who had captured it. Now we call this city , Shi. This place was filled with death, and had been the battlegrounds for the beginning of our civil war. But that had been sixty years ago, and this war was still raging. Nowadays? You better have a side, or your grave had better be dug. I was one of those who had no side. I was one of the Tavali.

I shut the window and re-locked it from the inside. No one should have been able to open that window. I fisted the crust out of my eyes and yawned. It was too early to be awake just yet, but I could get some work done while I was awake. I showered and moisturized and grabbed my battlesuit and buckled my black leather Converse. They had cost me a fortune, but they protected my feet from the broken glass and debris in the streets and alleys. I whistled piercingly for Yoru to wake up. He slept like the dead and sometimes refused to wake up. He rustled on the stereo. I sighed, grabbed him, and stuffed him in my back pack. Yoru growled at me, but I'd deal with him later. At least he'd be able to sleep in there. I grabbed my knives and stuffed them into various places along my body. The battlesuit had hidden compartments where I could hide weapons while giving the impression that I was unarmed. I ran a hand through my mass of blue black hair. It was nearly too long to be managed.. I dropped my bag, causing Yoru to growl, and hurried to the bathroom. . I quickly lined my eyes with black kohl, bringing out the odd, shadowed green color. Running my hand through my hair and taking one last glance at my abnormally small apartment, I grabbed my bag and locked my door behind me.

Oni, we're being watched, Yoru whispered through my head. His head peeked out from my bag, and was peering behind me. "They won't be seeing us for long, Yoru," I muttered. I started jogging and when I heard footsteps, sprinting. When I couldn't go any faster, wings sliced through the slits in my back and spread, lifting me higher and higher. When my tail was nothing more than a pinprick, I slowed.  My wings were like black mercury. They were shards of stained glass against the dawn, and while i was high, no one could catch me. At least that's what I thought, until I heard wingbeats behind me. Oni, he's like you. He's one of yours, Yoru said in wonderment. I am the only one of my kind, as my mother didn't name me 'Demon' for no reason. There are no others. I am alone, I snarled at him in my head. I felt him move deeper into the back pack. Yoru, I'm sorry, but, it just can't be, I murmured apologetically. I zipped the bag all the way, and hugged it to my chest. Take a look, Oni. Because seeing is about to be believing, he said smugly. I rolled in midair. You can imagine my surprise when a rather lanky young man barreled into me, latched on, and we fell down towards skyscrapers that meant certain death.

     "What the Hell are you doing!?" I screamed. His head was buried into the crook of my neck, and I never heard him answer. His arms clutched at me as we fell. Through his threadbare jacket, I could feel sinous muscles.

His wings flared behing him, and I got my first good look at what no one else should have. They were the exact opposite of mine. They were sunsets and fire and light. The feathers faded at the tips and looked solid gold. They were beautiful. He glided us down at a much slower rate towards one of the endless shadowed alleyways. One of the few that had a dead end. I rolled my eyes. This was going to be too easy.

I would love to say that we landed perfectly, completely upright, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. We crash landed into garbage bags and rolled off into debris and garbage that filled the entire alley. Yoru leaped out of my bag and twisted in midair to land right behind my leg. My bag landed right behind my attacker. My attacker was still on the ground, which told me he had no training whatsoever. It looked as though he were unconscious. I bit my lip, unsure of what to do. He was one of my kind, which meant i wasn't the only one. He had attacked me and could be on either side of the war factions, The Legion or the Resistance. He might be Tavali, but not many people were, and if he was, I would have known him. Let's just take him with us. We can keep him until we figure out where he came from and if there are more of us. He can't hurt us if he's untrained, Yoru whispered through my head. I also knew that I was unnaturally strong and I'd bet my home that he was too. I groaned and nodded at Yoru. Okay, we'll take him. Yoru growled happily. But I swear we're not keeping him long.

I reached around him and snatched my bag. I hoisted him over my shoulder. He was surprisingly heavy for someone his size. I grunted with effort. We weren't far from my apartment. Was he the one that had unlocked my window? Yoru climbed onto my back with my bag between his jaws. I launched into the air with the stranger on my shoulder and went home.

I laid him on my bed, not knowing where else to put him. He sprawled, his face turned towards the window. Curiosity shot through me at the sight of him like that. I studied him like that for a while. His hair reminded me of a lion's mane. It was thick and had the kind of highlights a woman spent hours in a salon chair trying to achieve. It fell across his face and hid everything except for the hawkish thrust of his nose. I gently brushed his hair out of his eyes. He was a mongrel. Mongrels are the offspring of those from different sides of the war. His parents were probably latino and Asian, as mine were. He certainly was a strange looking thing. All long limbs, wide shoulders, and thick hair. What I would do with him when he woke up, I didn't know.

I went about the apartment with Yoru, hiding all evidence of trading with the factions. He could be on either side, and I would do well to remember that he currently had to be treated as an enemy. I was still covered in muck from the crash in the alleyway, so I decided to take another shower. I gathered my faded, ripped up black jeans, a white tank, and my grey leather jacket. I snatched my black lace underthings and rushed to the shower.

I scrubbed and quckly washed my hair. I hurriedly  dressed and checked on Yoru. "RIght where I left you," I muttered as I saw that he was alseep. I glanced at the boy on my bed and froze. He was sitting up stiffly and staring right at me with glacier eyes of gunmetal and diamonds. "Beautiful," I breathed. He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. I dropped my gaze and I will carry to my grave the fact that I was blushing. Blushing and skin like mine didn't work. I was too dark, a mix of some sort of asian and Mexican. "How long have you been awake?" I inquired.

"Few minutes, perhaps," He stated in a raspy voice. His stomach growled.

"I have some food in the kitchen, if you'd like," I offered.

"Yes, please," He mumbled. I pointed him to the kitchen and followed after him. Rule #1 of our concrete jungle. Let no one have your back. How was this kid even alive? I opened the fridge and frowned. I was pretty broke, but hadn't realized to what extent until opening my fridge. I grabbed some grapefruit, cucumbers, avocado, and frozen straw berries and made a small salad with a side of frozen fruit. "Hope you like veggies, 'cause it's pretty much all I have here,"  I said. "There's some cold pizza, though," I offered. His eyes flicked across my makeshift meal and glanced at the pizza.

"I'll take the pizza," He muttered. I tossed it to him, and he procceeded to eat it cold. To each their own, I suppose. I sat across from him at my island counter and watched him eat. His wings arched over his back. They were veined with gold, I noticed upon closer inspection. Incredible. What side in this war was he on? What was his name? Where has he been these long years? How did he stay alive? Whas he my kind? DId he know what exactly we were? Who were his parents? Was he anything like me? I'd interrogate him to pieces, then leave him in the dust. He could bathe in my generous hospitality for now, then I'd kick him to the curb. I almost felt sorry for him. However, there was no place in a life like mine for a kid who was so vulnerable.