From a Deranged and Twisted Mind

Long Gone: Part 2

She flies the entire day, never feeling the need to stop. Her hometown is far behind her. Long gone. She cannot tell how far she has flown, but she knows she could continue if she wanted. She could fly forever. The setting sun ignites the sky with color. She is merely a black silhouette haloed by a fiery orangeness.

When she lands, it is only because it is too dark to fly anymore. She finds a quiet grove of trees near a little brook. She hasn't the faintest idea where she is, or where she is going, but this doesn't trouble her. She is neither hungry nor thirsty despite the fact that she has flown for nearly twelve hours without a break. She decides to sleep, not because she is tired, but only out of habit. Settling herself on the large branch of an oak tree, she falls asleep easily. Even though she is alone in the woods at night, she feels safe. She feels nothing can touch her, and she is right.

* * *

The sun doesn't wake her the next morning; it is the sound of a boy's voice.

"When is she gonna wake up? We've been sitting here for hours."

"Stop complaining!" exclaims another boy's voice, exasperated. "I've been listening to your whining since we got here."

"It's so boring. Can't we just wake her up?" pleads the first boy.

"No," the second boy refuses.

"Why not?" moans the first.

"How would you like it if a stranger woke you up on the second day of your Rebirth?"

"I wouldn't. But I've already been reborn, so that doesn't matter."

"Why are you so difficult? Oh, look! She's waking up!"

Slowly, the girl yawns and opens her eyes. The sun is setting. She's slept through the entire day. There are two boys sitting a little further along the tree branch. One is tall and smiling; he has brown wings, like chocolate, and is clearly the elder of the two. The other is shorter. He is pouting and his charcoal wings cocoon him in a bed of feathers.

"Well, it's about time!" says the boy with charcoal-colored wings.

"Hello there," says the other boy, pointedly ignoring the first. "What's your name?"

She tells them.

"No, not that name!" whines the charcoal boy. "Your new name!"

The other boy smiles and says "You're a new person! Reborn! Brand new life, brand new prospects. It's only right you should get a brand new name."

"What'll it be?" asks the charcoal boy.

She needs to think. She's never had such an opportunity, such a choice before her.

"I don't know," she finally says.

"That's all right," says the chocolate-winged boy. "It took me a while to find my name. And he, he hasn't found his yet."

The boy with charcoal wings sticks his tongue out at the pair and shuffles a little further away from them.

"Don't mind him," says the boy with chocolate wings. "He's had a long night. We were following you. You flew quite far away from your birthplace." At her confused look, he stops. "It doesn't matter. I'm Will." He extends his hand and she takes it. They shake. "Welcome to Rebirth."

"How did this happen?" she asks.

"You were chosen," he replies. "We're all chosen. How? Why? We don't know much more than you do. There are quite a lot of us though."

The girl stares at him. She is full of so many emotions that she doesn't quite know what to feel. At a loss for words, she finally asks, "Why Will?"