My dad arrived a few minutes later, tires squealing to a stop in front of the door. We heard the car door shut and went to let him in, but he invited himself in. He pushed past us and found Miss Jeffery carrying in two stools from the attic.
"This is all your fault, Elena! If you hadn't hooked them up, this never would've happened, and I wouldn't have to lose my daughter!" He shoved a finger in her chest.
"She needed a friend! Didn't you even see how unhappy she was?"
"She wasn't unhappy! She had all she needed. She was happy with just me! Right, hon?" He looked at me for confirmation.
I looked up at Toby. "Uhhh..."
My dad seemed to lose his steam. "You mean... You really are happier? Even with the wings?"
"I guess. I mean, last I checked, wings were pretty awesome."
He tightened his lips and nodded. I think I saw him blink some tears away, too. I gave him a smile.
"Well, I'm sure these two would like to know a little bit about how they sprouted wings out of the blue."
"Yes, of course. Follow me." Miss Jeffery led us into the living room. Me and Toby sat on the stools, our wings spreading out behind us. And then our worlds were blown away.
"We aren't from here. We're from a place called Aves. Long story short, we came here to get away from some bad stuff, and when we had kids that already had signs of wings at birth, we had a doctor cast a spell on you too so they would be hidden until we felt you were ready. Then you could make a choice. Now, it seems your choice has been made for you."
"Wait, a doctor cast a spell?"
"Not necessarily a normal 'doctor'. She was a hummingbird from Aves that had run away around the same time as us. Very good at herbs and potions." My dad explained.
"So, what kind of birds are we? Boy, that sounds so weird to say..." I shook my head.
"You are a blue jay, and Toby is a red cardinal. You make quite the perfect Christmas card, there."
"Does this mean you guys have wings too?"
"Oh, no. Unfortunately the only way for us to shed our wings, was a permanent one." Miss Jeffery looked downcast.
There was a short silence. "I think I have a book of potions somewhere. I'll see if I can find the recipe for a portal. It might take a week or two to find all the ingredients, though."
"Would two guests disturb you too much, Will?"
"Shouldn't hurt. As long as the boy doesn't mind a fold-out couch bed. They should be better hidden there, too. Can't risk leaving them alone surrounded by curious neighbors."
"Of course not. And if I were to disappear too, that might raise too many questions. No one knows he's my nephew anyway. I can plant stories for both of them just fine."
With that we were wrapped in blankets and loaded into the back of my dad's truck. We had to lay down in the truck bed to keep from bending feathers.
"Eventually you'll be able to fold them around you when you sit, but this will be simpler and easier to hide for tonight." Elena finished tucking the blankets in around us, and stood back to wave.
"Can you believe this?" Toby's breath was warm against my ear.
"Nope. I'm dreaming."
He perched himself up on one elbow. "In dreams you can do whatever you want, right?" I noticed the blanket slipping off the top of his wing, and reached up to fix it. He caught my hand in his, and brought it to his chin. His skin was warm in the cold night air. I rubbed my thumb across his jaw.
"I think things have changed enough for one day."
"Fine. Tomorrow then?"
"Tomorrow what?"
"Ready to be creamed in a game of Twister?"
"Twister? Oh, it's on." And back it was to the giggles.
It was a short ride, and soon we pulled into my driveway. Toby hopped over the tailgate, then helped me down behind him. We got him set up on the fold-out couch, and then said our goodnights and went to bed.
I struggled to get situated in bed, unused to having two giant teddy bears to make room for as well. Eventually I found comfort when I lay on my side, draping one wing off the side of the bed, and the other over my body.
My last thought before drifting off to sleep surprisingly was not 'I'm a bird' nor 'In a week or two I leave home for the first time to another world'. No. Of course it was
'I wonder where the Twister mat is...'
***
YOU ARE READING
Winged
Fantasy{Everyone thinks they're normal, then suddenly you get wings at the most inconvenient of times.} Ester thinks she's pretty normal. She avoids people for the most part, boys especially. She has convinced herself that perfect boys only exist in books...
