A Fist Full of Feathers

Chapter 2

After the day started to wind down, Alex called up his parents and told them he was spending the night. Cas and Dean never left each other's sides the whole day and Charlie and I were pretty much vibrating with excitement. It's like 9:15 now, Alex and I are laying on my bedroom floor laughing and talking happily. "Ugh, I do not want to go back to school on Monday." I whine and flip over to look at him. He chuckles and looks at me. "Well neither do I, but we kinda have to Ray." He says and brushes a strand of my red? Purple? I don't know, magenta hair behind my ear absentmindedly. A faint smile dances at my lips as his warm fingers caress my check and he looks back at me warmly. "At least we have tomorrow." I say the small smile not leaving my lips. "Hmm." He hums back and I casual shuffle closer to him so his arms are wrapped around me. I link my arms around his neck and rest my head on his chest. He strokes my hair fondly and I hear his chest rumble underneath my ear that's pressed against it. I don't know if it was just my imagination, but it feels like we're to pieces of the same whole fitting together perfectly. I close my eyes and let my mind drift, but before I can even comprehend a fully structured thought, I'm asleep. I assume I sleep for a long time because when I next wake up its dark in the bunker. I wake with a searing pain ripping and slashing through my back near my shoulder blades. I let out a blood curtailing scream as the pain intensify's so it feels like my skin is tearing and pulling apart. It's like when you scrap your knee, only bigger, 100x more painful, and slower. The best way I can describe the immeasurable pain is like someone is trying to cut their way out of my back with a dull knife. Alex shoots up out of bed next to me. I'm writhing around in a ball on the floor hyperventilating and moaning. "Raven? Raven, What's wrong?" He asks sitting down next to me and he grabs my arm carefully. "It." Silent tear less sob. "Hurts." I manage to say. I squirm twitch as the pain continues to terrorize my systems. I scream again but no tears form, only dry heavy sobs wrack my body. Black blobs have started to form on the edges of my vision, (passing out; the body's way of dealing with immense pain) When my bedroom door bursts open to reveal Cas standing there Dean and Charlie not far behind. "Cas hel-" I start but I'm cut off by another horrific scream that comes from somewhere deep inside me. "Shhhh. It's okay, it'll be okay Raven." He says an rush to myside. "Alex, do you mind taking Dean and Charlie out for a minute. Whats going to happen next won't be pretty." Cas says and Alex places a small kiss on my check and rushes the other two out of the room. "Whats." Sob. "Happening." Sob. "To." Sniffle. "Me?" I ask slowly an Cas smiles down at me sadly. "It's time." He says and instantaneously know what he means. "I didn't know it would hurt so much." I say managing to only wince in stead of having to stop and start. "Oh honey. It's only going to get worse. This is part 1. You still have 2 more to cover." He says and I start to shake. "I don't want this. Please help me! Please, Please." I whimper out and he strokes my hair. "Don't worry. The parts shouldn't take much longer then 24 hours. The you will have stage 1. Then they'll grow a little. But we'll deal with that when the time comes." He says and I scream again and finally start to cry. I grab hold of Cas' neck and soak the front of his shirt with my salty tear of unimaginable pain. "Shhhh. I'm here for you, I'm right here." He says and wraps his arms around me, careful not to touch the spot where my wings are coming in. After 4 and a half hours of this, out of now where the pain subsides a little. "It doesn't hurt as much." I say not moving for fear it will start again. "Your transitioning. It will start again. Get comfortable while you can. You have like 10 minutes so do wha you need to now because after that you'll be immobile for another 4 and a half hours." I nod and stand up. There is still pain but I can at least move now. I quickly change into some more comfortable clothes, I don't really care that Cas is there. I run to the bathroom and pull my hair into a tight ponytail and use the toilet. "8 minutes left and by 5 I want your ass back in here!" I hear Cas yell and I start to get nervous. I rush out into the kitchen where Alex, Dean, Charlie, and now Sam are all sitting biting there or doing something to get there mind of it. "Guys, I assume you heard Cas yelling." I say with a wince. It's starting to come back. "Raven. Oh my god, are you okay?" Charlie asks and I nod. "If I were you, I'd get away from the house for a while. The next 20 hours are not going to go by quickLY." I say squealing a little at the end in pain. "I have to go. Get out. Now. Please." I say an the all stand up obediently and leave. "Bye Raven. Don't die." Is the last thing I hear Dean say before the group closes the door and leaves. I glance at the time and take a deep breath before rushing up stairs where Cas is walking out of the bathroom. "Ready? Cause if your not, too bad. You have 4 minutes to get into a comfortable position. Do you want me to go? The next two stages won't be pretty." He says gesturing in the vague direction of the kitchen. "No. Please don't let me do this alone. I can't. I need you." I say clinging to him. "Okay. We're going to have to do somewhere with out carpet or floor that will stain. 3 minutes. Want to go to the shower or the basement?" He asks and I say. "I hate the basement. Shower." I wince as he nods. Cas half carries me half drags me to the bathroom where he sits in the tub. I crawl in an sit pressed up into his chest. It's 4:00 am right now and Cas says "Comfortable? 1 minute." I nod and close my eyes. "I'm here. It's okay. 30 seconds." I'm getting nervous now. "Why did we need to come into a place that wouldn't stain?" I ask and he looks at me. "Your back will start open up this round. It will hurt a lot worse then last time. 15. There will be blood. 10. Also just incase you lose control." He says and I nod. "Thank you Cas. I don't know what I would do with out you." I say as the pai starts to come back. Much, much worse this time. "No problem. 4, 3, 2, 1." He says and right on cue my whole body erupts into excruciating, soul wrenching pain. I call out in shock and grip tightly onto my older brother for support. "Oh Raven. I'm so proud of you." He says as I bite down hard on my lip to stop form screaming. Finally I can't hold it in any longer and I scream. I start to cry as I feel something warm and wet drip down my back. Theres a horrible stretching and ripping noise coming from my back and I writhes and twist in awkward positions trying to run away from my own body. My eyes are closed tightly as I ball into Cas, tears streaming down my face faster then the blood on my back. After another agonizing 4 and a 1/2 hours I'm shaking on the floor of the bath tub, I can't cry because I'm to dehydrated and I can't scream or sob because my throat is rubbed raw. So my eyes are just pressed closed tightly and I shake violently and breath heavily. Cas isn't holding me anymore he's just holding my hand and rubbing soothing circles on the back of it with his thumb. There isn't much more he can do. I slowly open one eye and look up at him still shaking but less harshly. "I'm okay. I'm strong." I half whisper, half whimper out in my shaking voice. He looks down at me with such sadness in his eyes. But there is something else in the mix, Proudness. "I know you are. Your my little angel." He says and strokes my hair. "Eww." I say and try to move away but I can barley lift my hand, let alone shuffle my whole body away. "Don't move. I'm going to get you some water, and three bottles of Advil and whatever other pain killer I can get my hands on. Maybe some drugs, but just this once so you can ride the high threw the worst of it. But if you do chose that rout, you will crash. Hard." He says and I nod. "I'm going to go." I take a sharp intake of breath then continue "With out them, but bring them up so I can have them if I need them." I say and he nods. "Smart." He says them walks off to go and get the stuff. I have regained a little strength and flip over to survey the damage and there is damage. A lot of it. Blood is every where. I know see why Cas wanted us to come here. My big bro way always looking out for me. There's blood all down my back and legs. It ran in sickly red streaks down to the drain where it still pooled bubbling as it flowed down the drain. I stand up on my unsteady legs and exit the tub carefully as to bit fall over. I get up and look at my back in the mirror. Two long, ugly cuts run deep in between my shoulder blades. My entire back is dark red with my own blood. The two cuts run parallel to each other and their exactly the same in height and depth, with little bone like bulges. I look at my face next. It's puffy, swollen, tear streaked, blood covered, and pale. I wipe in vain at it but it only makes it worse. I look back at the cuts and gulp. "Soon, they won't look so ugly." Cas say leaning against the door way. I nod not looking away from the mirror. "Don't worry once the parts are done, well get you all cleaned up. In this next part we'll get to see them." He says hopefully. "When everything is over, I'll help you clean the blood out of them! And clean the cuts, and help put you back together again!" He continues and I nod. "Can I see yours?" I ask shyly and he nods, shrugging of his shirt. Slowly but surely his long black wings expand to the full length. As he moves them in the light, I can see the blue sheen on each feather. "Their so beautiful." I whisper and he hits me with one. "Shut up an get back in the tub." He says and I smile and nod, jumping (stumbling and sliding) back into the tub where I wait for Cas to come with the pain meds. He sits down across from me with his legs crossed and hands me my water and some Advil. I nod and ask "How many?" He thinks this over and says "No more then 4, you don't want to OD right now." I nod and pop 4 of the little blue pills into my mouth and chase them down with some water. "Here we go." I say and await the pain to come.