A Rose by Any Other Name

Chapter 2 (Rose)

"UGH!" I grunt as I carry up my huge flight mechanism up the stairs. 

I reach the door for the roof and swing it open.

"Thank you Mrs.Kensy for letting me use your roof!" I shouted down the stairs. 

"Oh not a problem at all dear! After all you're already living here I don't understand why you need to ask me to come up here Rose."

I giggle. "Because Mrs.Kensy! You have the keys for the roof! I can't get up here without you unlocking it." 

Mrs.Kensy comes up the stairs and looks at me thinking. She's an alligator with a heart as soft as her homemade crumpets. 

"Oh that's right. Well I will have crumpets ready in the living room for when you come back. See you deary! don't hurt yourself. I don't want to have to call the Yokai hospital again after the incident. Oho!" She chuckled to herself as she walked back down the stairs.

I plop down my contraption down on the roof. I had heard commotion up here before I came up the stairs but it seems no one's here. 

Probably just some birds fighting over a sandwich. 

A turtle stared at me through the metal pieces scattered throughout my invention. Or as others called it, "Useless gadgets and doodads." 

I inspected my band aids. I get all these cuts and bruises just from being clumsy. Also from my inventions backfiring. I kind of like the look though. Always having band aids on my arms or legs and some Yokai asking what happened and i get to tell them all about my great experience and new breakthrough with my technology.

I checked myself again and fixed my lopsided sticker. It was a blue cat. It reminded me of my foster parents. Or...gargoyles. Yes. The people who adopted me were Huginn and Muninn. The "scary" gargoyles on Draxum's shoulders. 

I sigh and sit down on the heater nearest to my invention. 

They try their hardest to help me live a normal life. They are just always so busy with attending to Draxum and busy being his "Accessories." Also whenever anyone finds out that I know anyone close to Draxum... They avoid me and tell everyone else so I become an outcast. I don't even know anything about him. Huginn and Muninn always tell me to stay away from him no matter what. They never told me anything else just that. But I somehow become the crazy kid who has no parents and knows Draxum. 

Every. 

Single. 

Time.

So I built stuff. Little stuff, useless stuff, weird stuff. It gave me a purpose. Like creating things was... fulfilling I guess. I built stuff and I spent almost all my time in the Yokai public pool. Since I'm a sea turtle mutant I can hold my breath for a tremendous amount of time and I love being under water in the pool. 

I stand up and stretch. Another problem of being a sea turtle is that my muscles feel tight for no reason. I've tried many things like yoga, exercise, a better diet. But nothing works. 

I spread my invention out in front of me.

It's one of my best inventions yet. It's a flight invention. I mimicked owls to get the quit soaring and flapping and made the wings big enough with strong motors to hopefully lift me. I haven't tried it yet but the shipment that the foot clan is making came so close that I couldn't keep beta testing it.

I strap The giant wings to me and stretch the safety belt for the parachute to my waist. 

I had to take some precaution in case this didn't work. 

Once I was strapped in and felt comfortable, I walked to the edge of the roof. 

My heart plummeted into my stomach at one look at how high the drop is. I gulped and closed my eyes. There is no way I can back out now. The shipment is nearby and they have what I need. They are going to finish wrapping up in just under ten minutes and I need to hurry. 

I step to the very edge so my three toes are hanging off the sheer drop to my doom. 

I take a deep breath and fall face forward off the building.