Seven

Why can't I fly?

Natalie was on the roof, looking down at the dead grass three stories down. The strong wind pulled at her dress and her hair, pulling her toward the open sky, calling to her.

Just as she was about to step off the edge into air, a familiar voice spoke from behind her.

"Now now little one, are you trying to get yourself killed?" One said. He was the oldest of the Seven men that now stood on the roof behind her. They appeared and disappeared as they pleased, and had a tendency to show up when six year old Natalie least wanted them to.

"Why would I die One? I'm going to fly!" She said, spreading out her arms pretending she had wings. One sighed.

"You are not a bird, you will fall and you will hurt yourself, and how many times must I tell you my name is Anton?"

Natalie pouted, One was so serious, always ruining her fun, and it wasn't her fault she couldn't remember all their names, they were long and strange. What kind of Ant weighed a Ton?

"Oh let her fall Anty." Three said. "Been a while since I made her scream." Three was Natalie's least favorite of the Seven. He was always playing tricks on her and scaring her, he was the reason she hid under her covers at night, no matter the weather.

"Do shut up Cornelius, must you torture the child?" Five said. Five was very kind to her, and often helped her when she needed it, she liked him best.

"But then again, you've always liked an interesting death." Two said to Three.

"Or should you say murder." Four muttered. Natalie thought Four was okay too, but he had no head. He held it against his hip as if it were a household object rather than an important part of his body, and it scared her.

"Come now Decius you're not still mad about that whole murder thing, it was ten years ago." Three said to Four.

They often argued about things like this, things Natalie was too young to fully comprehend, but she was fairly certain that the Seven were brothers and they were all dead.

"Can you fly Seven?" Natalie asked the youngest brother, the only one that didn't seemed involved in the other's arguing.

"I never tried Miss Harting and I don't intend to." He replied. Seven was stiff and rude, but at least he wasn't mean.

"Well if you never tried, why can't I try? If you don't know if you can, how could you know that I can't?" The child's logic had Seven shaking his head and Six chuckling lightly.

"Gravity Miss Harting, what goes up must come down, when you jump up you land, so if you jump off you shall fall." Seven stated snappily.

"Indulge the child Gregorvitch, let her fly." Three said to Seven. Now that Three thought that her flying was a good idea, Natalie wasn't so certain she wanted to do it.

"Cornelius, you have the blood of four people on your hands must you really make it five?" Six said softly and calmly. He was defiantly the most soft-spoken, but tried to stop his brothers from arguing none the less.

"I know you're right." Natalie said out of nowhere. "I know I can't really fly, but why then? Why was I born a human and not a bird? With wings as long as I am tall, bright white feathers, and flight? Why?"

"Perhaps because your parents were human and that is simply the way it works." Two suggested.

"Or perhaps fate and destiny had something to do with it?" Four said, with a tone Natalie recognized as sarcasm.

The wind had only increased as the sun began to go down, Natalie had to spit her dark brown hair from her mouth to keep from swallowing it.

One had noticed the setting sun as well. "Your mother is going to be calling for you soon."

"Then she can come and get me." The young girl replied.

"Children these days, no respect for their elders." Seven said, and Natalie glared at him.

"As if you ever listened to Mother Gregorvitch." Three said

"Speak for yourself." Seven replied. They began to argue about who their mother loved least.

"Mother hated all of us equally!" One shouted, attempting to stop them. Six appeared hurt.

"Mother loved me." He said softly. Five glided over to him.

"Of course she did Flourin." Five said to Six, "You were always her favorite." Six smiled sadly.

"Do you miss your Mommy?" Natalie asked. Six nodded slightly. "Did she die?" she continued in the blunt fashion of a young child. Six looked like he was tearing up. Five patted him gently on the back, even though the pats went right through him, Natalie was certain Six appreciated the gesture.

"Yes she did." Five told her. "And that's all I'd like you to hear on the matter." Natalie understood. Her Mom never talked about her Dad, at all. He had left before she was born and never came back, end of story. All Natalie knew was that she looked like him, because she didn't look like her Mom at all.

"Little one, your mother is calling." One said, and sure enough, Natalie could hear the faint echo of her voice through the hallways below.

"I will fly someday." Natalie told the Seven with upmost certainty. "I will fly and I will show you that I can." With that she hopped off the edge back onto the roof and walked through the brothers to the slightly warmer halls below.

There's the first chapter! I just sort of wrote this on the spot so it's probably not the best quality. A bit boring too, I intend to make the ghosts funny but I'm not very good with humor. Hopefully someone reads this and decides to give the next chapter a shot, thank you unnamed person!

EG