Finally Free- A Novel

Chapter Nine

I woke up to the blare of an alarm clock filling my room. I growled, and chucked a pillow at the annoying thing, before shaking my head and getting up to turn it off. I pressed the cold plastic button on the top of the black box, feeling the winter chill blow through my window. It wreathed around me, making goosebumps stand up in my skin. I looked at the date on the clock. August, 8, 2013. Two days before school.

Sighing, I walked to my closet, and snatched a pair of jeans from a hook, along with a plain, navy and blue striped shirt that's sleeves stopped at my elbows. I grabbed my gray zip up jacket and shrugged it on, before walking over to my bed. My brown boots lay beside it, and I grabbed them, pulling them on and zipping up the back.

As I walked down the stairs, a heavenly scent hit my nose. 'Bacon!' I thought, quickening my pace down the

Oak staircase. I got to the ground level of the house, my feet tapping on the cold wooden floorboards. Looking toward the kitchen, I realized none of my pack was up yet. Karen stood alone, facing the stove, and humming a tune. I smiled, and walked over. "Morning Karen!" I called, getting a glass and pouring cold water from the pitcher in the refrigerator into it. She turned her head, and grinned. "Morning Tori! I just made some bacon, if you want some." I walked over, and took two pieces off of bacon from a plate, before heading for the glass sliding door. "I'm going out for a fly. Send someone out when they're all awake!" I called, opening the door.

The metal handle of the glass door was cold to the touch, and the air seemed to nip at my face. I walked outside, and saw slight speckles of snow in the brown field. Closing the door behind me, I unfolded my wings, snapping them out with a faint whoosh sound. I beat them several times, and turned to see Karen watching me. I saluted her, raising a hand to my forehead, my first two fingers extended. Cocking my head to the side, I pressed the fingers to my forehead, and brought them down in a slashing motion, before turning and taking off into the chilly morning air.

I grinned as the cold rush of air passed my feathers, and whipped the strands of shorter hair that hung just beside my eyes back, getting the annoying strands out of my face. I flew through the sky, darting in and out of clouds, which left droplets clinging to my skin and eyelashes. Finally, I made it to my destination. The waterfall rushed below me, in a midst of leafless trees. Swooping toward the ground, I landed on the stone that jutted out out ahead of the falls, the diving rock in the summer. Sitting at the edge, I dangled my feet over the edge, and watched the last orange and yellow leaves fall from the trees. Closing my eyes, I imagined how school would be. What we would do. And then, the tiny thought that I had pushed to the back of my mind came back. As did the person it was about. Footsteps sounded behind me, and a whoosh of wings. Falon stood there, and simply muttered, "They're up. Breakfast is ready." He then flew off into the sky. I nodded, and took off after him, water from the waterfall splashing in droplets onto my wings..