All For Not - Wednesday

Page 81

"Are you sure you're not gonna drop her?" Kent grins, almost feral with humor, "don't worry about it Thorpe, it takes a real man to carry her..."

"What's that supposed to mean, huh? Are you saying she's too heavy? You having a problem with it?" Kent scoffed, spitting out his words in reply, "what I'm saying is wings are heavy, i'm looking out for you Thorpe, there's no way those dainty paintbrush fingers would even be able to help pick one of her wings up without snapping like a toothpick."

"The way you two argue over her is ridiculous, you're both acting like seven year olds..." Xavier rolls his eyes, grumbling as Kent curls his upper lip in distaste at the idea of being even remotely considered the same, with the same maturity level that is.

Shakily breathing as my skin cools in the chilled night air, I feel every part of my body, aching with pains like twitches of electricity in my nervous system. My wings drag through the twigs and leaves, smoothing out the top layer of the earth as Kent carries me through the wooded area.

Thank the skulls laying in the tombs that they allowed me to get something to wear below my waist before leaving the school grounds but still, I was uncomfortable with my clothing situation. A coat ripped up so I could wear it and a pair of shorts that weren't even my own. Even with my condition I was grateful for Kent carrying me in such a way, he was stronger than I'd previously anticipated. Able to carry me bridal style, curled up with my head on his shoulder and my wings trailing behind us, still protruding from my back in my weakness, unable to retract them.

Retracting them would be more pain than I could handle at the moment though, so they stayed out. I couldn't bring myself to care if my peers saw them at this point, exhaustion keeping me from fighting to stay at the school in seclusion while the others met up beyond the grounds. My worry for Thing and Enid also keeps me from verbally objecting to this outing.

A chill runs through me and I cinch up my abdomen with shaky inhales and exhales, my legs pulling in tighter and making Kent pull me in closer, cementing me to his chest.

My ears are failing as my body chills, my skin feels hot to the touch but I'm freezing now, worse than I'd ever had to endure. It feels like each breath is my last as my lungs ache inside my rib cage. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought I was really dying.

Even with knowing that I wasn't knocking on a reaper's door, I couldn't bear to open my eyes in my exhausted state. The large metal arching was not enough to attract my gaze as we approached the other students and the faculty that had been evacuated. But I still knew my sister and Bianca were ahead of Kent and I, Xavier at our side behind them.

It wasn't until Enid had said my name that I realized where we were, her voice filled with a sudden shock at the sight of me. When she moved towards us and grabbed my shoulder softly my eyes finally opened, viewing her from the corner of my eye as I laid against Kent's chest, too tired to even move properly.

But even so, I could see the people crowded behind her watching, many eyes filled with a varying set of emotions, each of them filled with levels of confusion and wonderment. Sighing I closed my eyes, lifting my hand up to grasp Kents shoulder, the boy understanding what I wanted without having to hear me speak a lick of tongue.

"What happened," she helped him set me on the ground as much as she could but there wasn't much she could do however. "She set that asshole on fire," I sighed, holding myself up on my feet with a terrible pain in my bones, grabbing Enid aggressively and pulling her into a hug, softer than what would truly be considered aggressive. I was between relief and desperation, using her to rest some as I closed my eyes laying against her shoulder with harsh breaths, "more like incinerated him."

Kent was grinning, crossing his arms as Enid blinked in disbelief, "Crackstone?" He nodded, Xavier moving away to meet Ajax with a hand gesture as Kent stood behind me, not leaving my side as my eyes drifted open, locking onto the gorgon with a molten gaze.

"Holy shit," Ajax stepped back in surprise, almost tripping from the anger in my eyes as I slinked my arms around Enid's waist, talons present and sharp. The fire in my eyes dims and the gorgon moves to grab her elbow to try and pull her back but suddenly she squeaks as I grasp onto her sides, tightening myself to her as much as I can, mumbling into her shoulder as the boy freezes under my gaze, "I'll rip him apart if he touches you right now..."

"We don't kill people, remember our seminar? Just cause we're outcast doesn't mean-" My eyes close and I huff, "yes, the stereotype nonsense..." She smiles, wrapping her arms around me, "exactly, besides, I like that one." She finishes with a whisper and I look over her shoulder glowering at the gorgon as I sigh against her, my wings sliding on the ground to mimic wrapping around her in my weak state, "okay, why is she looking at me like that?" Xavier smacks his arm with a chuckle before walking forward to wait for me closer by.

"Enid, I believe my legs are what you call, about to buckle," at my words my body begins to sag slightly and Kent moves to pick me up again, Enid panicking as he lifts me back into his arms.