The Free Fall

Lexis

I had a storm loud over my head and I knew it.

In fact, everyone knew it.

"Lexis? I need you to look at me so I know you're listening." My chaperone said. I lazily rolled my head away from the window of the car to look at her. She was turned around in the passenger seat to face me. She was trying to be stern, but anxiety was written all over her body language.

We were about 20 minutes out from our destination- the capitol. There, in a literal ivory tower, sat a cold-hearted queen and her stuck up daughter. A daughter, to which, I was digging up my entire life for.

"I really need you to be on your best behavior tonight. I mean it." Mazie pointed a finger at me. "Those people.. they have.. preconceptions of us already."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I crossed my arms.

She glanced at the driver, "it means we already have the odds stacked against us." Mazie sighed heavily and rubbed the spot between her eyebrows. "Lexis, I just really need you to work with me here."

I scoffed, glancing out at the dark landscape passing by. I was angry that everyone seemed to think I was the problem in this situation, when the situation is the problem. I knew that this day would come, but I was pissed that it was today.

Where I come from, I was specifically bred using powerful bloodlines to create.. me. They took two parents from different homes to procreate, then let them go home to their families. Then, the product of their procreation was left without one. Who would want to keep a living, breathing reminder of the desperation our country was going through to stay alive? A reminder of being forced to have a child with someone other than the person you love?

I was the first product of this program. My country created the program out of necessity. All the money and power exists with the elves. The wingmen, especially my country, lived in poverty, constantly grasping at straws for survival. Our only hopes of living a successful life or providing our families is being picked to partner with an elf that requires a wingman. Willingly giving your time and life to elves is the only way to pull your family out or poverty.

Even so, you have to pack up your entire life and leave your family behind to support them. For my case, it was leave everything behind to support my country. The program was created in hopes to entice the elves into partnering exclusively with us. There are other countries of elves and wingmen, but none with as much power and influence as the one we were heading into.

I tugged at my stupid tie constricting my throat. This is ridiculous. Everyone already knew that I was going to be partnering with the Queen's daughter. I don't know why she wanted to throw a big party over it. It felt like we were going right into the belly of the beast.

My higher ups were very clear when they told me that everything rested on my shoulders. If the elves didn't like what they saw, they'd pull out of the alliance. So, tonight, my job was to be the shiny new toy.

"Lexis." Mazie snapped.

I let out an irritated huff of air. "What, Mazie?"

She sighed heavily and returned to her seat and sank into it.

—

We arrived on time, which apparently ended up being fashionably late. By the time we got there, partygoers had already started to arrive early. At the last second, I ripped the tie from my neck and threw it in the car before it drove away.

Whatever. Whether or not they like me won't be based on a stupid tie. The inside of the ballroom was cavernous. Warm lighting was strung along the walls and large chandeliers hung from the cathedral ceilings. Gold filigree decorated the ivory ceiling of the ballroom. Everyone in the ballroom discreetly flicked their eyes to us as Mazie and I entered. The queen was very specific on not bringing an entourage. Before we entered the ballroom, Mazie and I intentionally tucked our wings into our backs. Our wings were large, mine exceptionally so, but when we folded them in, we could make them appear nearly invisible. This adaptation came from wingmen's need to be discreet among the human world.

Even with our wings completely hidden, the elves zeroed in on our rounded ears. It felt like sharks with blood in the water. Some groups who mingled tried to hide their interest in us, but others turned on their heels and started heading right for us.

Great. Here we go.

"Ah," the first aristocrat greeted us, "You must be the wingman." He was tall and thin with circular specticals resting on this slim nose. I paused.

Wait. The wingman? Not even my name, like a common curtesy?

Mazie immediately stepped forward. "Hi! Yes, this is Lexis. I'm Mazie." She thrust her hand forward with a large grin. The aristocrat's eyes flicked from her open hand to the man next to him for a silent moment, before hesitantly shaking her hand.

It made my blood boil. This group of people, who immediately greeted us, were acting like they were better than us. Like we were beneath them.

The man turned his beady stare back to me. "Lexis, hmm?"

"That's right." I said, calmly.

"Tell me, what made you volunteer for the position?"

I opened my mouth to correct him. To tell him I would rather do anything else than to be here, talking to you, and taking this job. But, again, Mazie beat me.

"-he saw an opportunity to help the crown as well as his country." Mazie rushed out. The two men nodded, seemingly approving of her answer. They turned after giving us a phony goodbye to enjoy the evening. However, when they left, I saw the line behind them to greet us.

—

Handshake after handshake, demeaning comment after demeaning comment, I was sure I wouldn't survive the night. Nonetheless the rest of my life here. Turns out, it wasn't just the first two men that treated us like we were beneath them. No, it seemed to be a common theme. I knew there existed a divide between elves and wingmen, but nothing like this. As the night went on, it seemed like each party got bolder than the last, almost testing us to see how rude and demeaning they could be to us.

The furrow in my eyebrows and frown on my face started to feel like my face was created this way.

I finally hit my limit when a plump woman come over, out of breath from hurrying across the room to speak to me before someone else could. She looked me in the eyes and said, "So, this is what your people created for us, hm?" Despite her rude words, it almost felt like she was trying to flirt with me, based on the fluttering of her eyelashes.

I immediately turned to Mazie. "I'm going to get a drink." Mazie gave me a look equally split between 'take me with you' and 'what the hell are you doing?'

I took a deep breath in, forcing my jaw to unclench, and scanned the room until I saw the bar. When I found my destination, I stalked toward the bar in desperate need for quiet and the sting of alcohol.