Their Wings

Chapter 7: Almost

I opened my eyes slowly, not wanting to wake up. Sitting up in bed I stretched, a yawn erupting from my mouth. I absently scratched my head. Suddenly my door burst open, and there was Alice holding a banana with a candle sticking out of the middle on a saucer. I smiled as she moved into my room.

“Happy birthday Ella!” she said.

 She held out the banana and I blew out the candle, smiling at our weird tradition. Every year on my birthday Alice would wake me up with a candle sticking out of something completely random. Last year it had been a chocolate chip muffin. I smiled at her and took the saucer from her and placed it on my bedside table.

 “Look at you.” she said, shaking her head. “Just yesterday you were crawling around in diapers and now here you are, 17! Gosh, I’m old…” I chuckled at the obvious distress in her voice. She sat down on the side of my bed and immediately a tingle ran down my spine. I gasped silently and swallowed, ducking my head.

 “I should really get ready, the boys are about to wake up.” I said hastily. The tingles weren’t stopping and I needed to get away. Alice stood and I quickly got out of bed, turning away from her.

She moved to open the curtains and let some light into the room. I turned to face her, ready to apologise, but as I turned her jaw dropped open and her eyes widened.

“Ella...” she trailed off.

I frowned, “What’s wrong Alice? Do I have a zit or something?”

She mutely shook her head. My lips parted to ask her again when she suddenly said, “Did you have a makeover?”

“No,” I said, “why?”

Her lips parted to say something, then something abruptly changed. Alice shook her head slightly then awkwardly said, “Then I think you should look in mirror honey.”

She quickly turned and walked out of my room, leaving me alone. I blinked once, twice, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Alice had never acted like that before. Then I remembered what she had said, so I walked to the mirror in my cupboard door. I pulled my hair out of my ponytail as I opened the door. I froze at what I saw.

What I first noticed was my eyes. It was as if a light had been switched on behind my pupils. My eyes were glowing, they grey turning into a swirling mass the colour of a summer storm. The contrast between my eyelashes made the effect even more startling.

 That led me to my hair. It had always been shiny but now it seemed to sparkle with a near invisible glow. The black had deepened to such a shade it almost couldn’t be called black anymore. It fell in loose waves down my body to my elbows. I swallowed hesitantly and raised my eyes back to my face.

 Nothing had drastically changed about my face, except that my features seemed more refined than before. My nose was slimmer and my cheekbones were more defined. My lips seemed fuller and my jaw line was not as angular. And there, reaching from my jaw line to my collarbone was it, the scar.

 I chewed my bottom lip, trying to make sense of my overnight transformation. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, desperately wishing this was a dream. I shook my head and then opened my eyes back to the mirror. It was all still there. I turned away from the mirror and began to get ready for school.

 After showering and getting dressed, I walked down to the kitchen and was greeted by the twins singing Happy Birthday loudly and off-key. I couldn’t help but smile at them. Then they noticed how I’d changed and their jaws dropped.

 “Whoa Ella, you look almost pretty!” Frankie said.

 “And that was almost a compliment, I’m so proud.” I smiled happily at him.

 Freddie just rolled his eyes; he had always been the more mature of the two. I smiled shaking my head and walked out the door to the garage. I had saved up enough to buy a battered third-hand Bug.

 I drove into the parking lot and parked in my normal space at the end of the row. I got out and walked to the front door, keeping my head down. I was horribly late and there was no one in sight. Before I could even get three cars down I felt the air change. It suddenly seemed fueled with evil and terror. I small gasp left my mouth as I spun around to see the reason for the change.

 Mr. Nelson was getting out of his car. His aura was a sickening black, swirling around him like a breathing shadow. My breath left me in a shocked gasp. Mr. Nelson immediately straightened and turned on his heel to meet my eyes. I was frozen as a wave of despair crashed over me. I had never felt more hopeless than right at that moment. Mr. Nelson made as if he were about to move towards me but he froze, his eyes glued to something over my shoulder.

 Suddenly the evil disappeared, to be replaced by a feeling of utter warmth and safety. I turned and immediately knew who I would see. Luke stood behind me, his eyes locked on Mr. Nelson. The look on his beautiful face terrified me. He looked like an avenging angel that moment. His eyes briefly flicked towards me before placing themselves on Mr. Nelson again. He slowly stalked forward, with an otherworldly grace. I heard a hissing from behind me and I turned to see Mr. Nelson in a warrior stance, his legs slightly apart and his hands held out in front of him, palms up. I was completely frozen, unable to move.

 “What are you doing Nelson?” asked Luke in a voice that suggested no room for nonsense.

 “You know full well Lockhart.” said Mr. Nelson.

 Luke’s golden eyes narrowed and he continued in a threatening voice, “She is protected, by blood as well as oath. You have no claim over her.”

 I immediately felt déjà vu. I was back at the clearing with my angel defending me against the shadows.

 “As you have none. I only wish to speak with her.” said Mr. Nelson curtly.

 Luke clenched his fists and replied, “She may not be swayed. The decision is hers and hers alone.”

 “I am aware of that, but I only wish to inform her of the facts. Let us not incur unnecessary casualties.” Mr. Nelson smirked.

 Luke lifted his chin and looked at Mr. Nelson, meeting his eyes squarely. “No casualties will occur as long as I live in this land.”

 "As you wish…” Mr. Nelson drawled. He curled his fingers back into a loose fist and muttered some unintelligible words. Then his hands opened again to reveal swirling masses of shadow clutched in his palm. He drew his arm back as if to throw them.

 “Last chance Lockhart.” said  Mr. Nelson. Luke blinked and shook his head. Mr. Nelson shrugged and I saw Luke sprinting towards me with fear in his eyes. Golden wings unfurled from his back as he pushed me to the ground and covered my body with his, using his wings as a shield. I felt rather than saw the shadow being thrown towards us. Luke stiffened above me and his face contorted in pain. He let out a gasp and whispered, “Ella…” He collapsed next to me, his wings trembling.

 I heard Mr. Nelson laughing in the distance. He was looking right at me. Then, in my peripheral vision I saw Luke standing up. Mr. Nelson’s eyes widened as Luke’s wings spread to their full height. He gave one huge flap, and a gale force wind suddenly blew through the parking lot. Mr. Nelson was caught up in it and a scream left his lips as he was blown into ash by the angle’s magic.

 The moment Mr. Nelson disappeared Luke sank to his knees, head bowed. His chest was heaving as he gulped in lungfuls of air. I suddenly found I was not frozen anymore. I ran to him and dropped to my knees beside him. He looked completely drained. His eyes found he and he smiled faintly.

 “Be more careful next time Ella. He almost got you, almost.” And he sank to the ground in a dead faint.