The Irangel | Prequel Story |

Chapter 22 ~ Luxurious Mansion

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~ Tori's mansion ~

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Cole had woken up and was enjoying an awesome European breakfast: Ceylon tea, kielbasa and cheese sandwiches, sunflower halva, Russian chocolates, Maria cookies, fish, and of course, those wonderful Delicje brand chocolate covered fluffy jelly biscuits in various fruit flavors. Among some of the candies were an amazing Polish bird's milk vanilla marshmallow called Ptasie Mleczko, a well-known delicacy among Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Bulgarian, and many other European cultures.

Since he was of the German nationality, Cole usually had either tea or hot cocoa, bread with fruit spreads or Brötchen bread rolls, thin sliced meats, sometimes tea with honey. He also liked toast, cold salami, a strong cup of coffee, and orange marmalade.

Such a great day, Cole thought, smiling as he drank a cup of blackcurrant tea that had cooled down after being hot and fresh from the kettle. After breakfast, he took a shower and looked through some of Nate's clothes, picking out jeans and a grey long sleeve Henley shirt to wear. He put his hoodie through the washer and read a book while he waited for the laundry to finish.

He slipped his hoodie on, enjoying how warm it felt right after coming out of the dryer. He put on his brown boots and walked out the door, taking a moment to appreciate simple things like the way the sunlight looked pouring in through the open doorway and the way the room lit up with natural light, as if welcoming him warmly.

Cole walked out the door and closed it slowly. He looked outside, taking in the view of the mountains and landscape that surrounded the mansion. Somehow, it didn't seem lonely; it was as if the landscape were a presence of its own, a protective presence that gave some sort of safeness.

I could live here, Cole thought. Screw the school, my girlfriend and my old life. I could live here alone and be perfectly happy, if it weren't for one thing: Tori. But what if I told the police about her, expose what she had done?

They wouldn't believe me, Cole realized. They would think I was tripping. He sighed, wishing people wouldn't be so hard and judgmental.

As the crisp morning progressed to a warmer noon, Cole felt the sunlight warm his wings as they stretched behind him, making him appear like a bird getting ready to fly. This is my chance to finally free myself of Tori, he thought as he looked directly at the peaceful lake and scenery before him. Once I tell the cops everything, that sparkly CEO will be behind bars, and I will finally be able to start a new life.

Cole spread his wings and took flight. Once airborne, his natural Iredescent instincts took over. He closed his eyes as he felt the air rushing past him, feeling how it playfully caressed his hair and face, the sunlight adding on to the warm feeling inside.

It was thrilling being in the air. Cole had never given it much thought in his former human life, but now he found he truly enjoyed heights, enjoyed seeing the world from above. It gave him a sense of power to be able to go anywhere he pleased. He used to feel small and insignificant compared to towering buildings, but now he was higher than the skyscrapers. While things like cold temperature and air pressure prevented humans from experiencing what irangels experienced in the air, it was like Cole was able to ride bikes on hills and roads without a helmet while everyone else had to wear a helmet and other safety features such as elbow pads, while still on training wheels.

It took Cole about forty-five minutes to reach Haven, Germany. His hometown city was a suburb he had known his entire life. It was an all-too familiar place for him. He knew where everything was without needing a GPS or guide map. The police station was located near the city hall and postal office.