The Angel Awakens

Chapter 19: Researching is Done

Sitting at his desk, alone in his room, Owen was doing research.

Owen's hair was unkempt, just like his desktop. He had moved his PC over a bit so he could put his laptop on the desk too. Bags of chips, soda cans and printed pages loitered the remaining space.

Owen had spent all his time after he arrived searching for answers to what he saw that day. He searched everything. From people suddenly growing wings, to shadows chasing after you, to light coming from a rosary.

His findings were varied. He came upon shady sites describing diverse mythological humanoid creatures with wings, to online stores selling flashlight rosaries.

While the site on his PC loaded he switched to his laptop to search and vice versa. It was the same process he used he used for school work and the occasional doubt about programming or mechanics.

"Owen, dinner is ready." His mom called from downstairs.
"Coming." Owen yelled back.
He rested his head on his desk and let out an exhausted sigh. After hours he was still no closer to an answer.
"What are they?" Owen asked himself.

His stomach rumbled with hunger. How could he still be hungry after all those chips?
"Okay okay, I'm going." He told his stomach when it rumbled again.

Owen got off his chair and headed downstairs, leaving his computer open on a page about angels and his laptop on a site explaining demons.

~

Daryl collapsed onto his bed, laptop beside him.

For the last hour or so he's been putting his things away. First Daryl started with his books, arranging them on the bookshelf near his desk, then he put away his clothes in the room's closet and, finally, arranged his memorabilia. Gifts some of his friends hade given him to remember them by, photographs of friends and family, small posters he was able to get about video games or books, and a few other things.

After that Daryl had taken a shower, put on his pajamas and now he was face first on his bed, which he was glad was with his mattress, no more back pain. Although, thinking back, he remembered it wasn't the mattress that caused his backaches, but wings in his back.

Daryl imagined the wings. He imagined Lucas's, how amazing they looked behind him, then he imagined Allan and Brendan's wings and how easily they moved them

Then he remembered flying, how he could see the edges of the city and how everything seemed so small. Maybe he could make them appear again, just to see himself with wings.

All he had to do was follow the tips the other angels gave him. Imagine them coming out of his back, like they were sprouting, and think happy thoughts if needed.
Daryl thought, and he could feel them.

A knock on his bedroom door knocked Daryl out of it. Daryl chided himself. He must've been losing his mind. Thinking about making his wings appear, while everyone was home, while everyone was awake, it was too risky.

Lucas said Daryl couldn't tell anyone about being an angel, but did that include his family?

There was a knock on the door again. Daryl sat up on his bed and put his laptop on his lap, making it look like he was using it.
"It's open." Daryl said.

The door opened and Alfonso walked in.
"Dad," Daryl said surprised, though he wasn't exactly sure why, it could've only been him or Lars, "Are you alright?"

"I am, Lars calmed me down before I could break anything important." He said.
"That's good." Daryl said.
Despite Alfonso saying he was fine, Daryl saw that it wasn't completely true. His eyes were deeper in thought than usual, they kept going from one corner of he room to the other and he rubbed his palm nervously.