Winged - Currently Under Heavy Editing

Black as Night

I sprint past a forest. The forest is a blur of grass and trees. I glance back. I couldn't see them, but I could sense them. I push on. My breath comes out in gasps. I needed to get out of here. I needed to hide, but where could I hide without sticking out?

My legs push me farther through the thicket. My eyes shift left, then right. My feet falter and my face meets the ground. I can sense them getting closer. I pick myself off of the ground, scratches apparent on my arms. I can hear them now, they shout triumphantly as they continue to follow what little trail I mistakenly leave behind.

I am panting now, and the scrapes on my arms sting. I hear them give off another shout as they discover the place where I tripped, undoubtedly finding a feather or five left behind from my hasty getaway. I need to get away from them, but I can't. The trees are too thin to climb, the burrows too shallow to hide.

Then again, where can something like me hide anyways?

They are getting closer. With their renewed moral, they are faster than before. I can't keep pushing myself for much longer. The thicket opens up. I dash for the opening, once I'm out I realize my mistake.

Then I wake up.

Jolting up from my dream, I nearly knock myself on the headboard before gathering my bearings. I listen to the chaos downstairs where the rest of the family I could only assume was preparing for the day.

6:50

I had ten minutes of blissful ignorance before someone would be running to my door, pounding on it and demand I get ready.

Maybe I could beat them to it I thought to myself with a smirk, I finally leave the bed.

Getting dressed was a chore. There were special garments made for the winged - as they called us - but they were no easier to put on. Pants and other lower garments were not altered and therefore, not much of a pain. Shirts and dresses were designed with a hole in the back for our wings, with strips of fabric to button up just above and below them. It was like wearing a jacket backwards. I finished dressing in my blue polo and tan pants, thankful that the school had a uniform policy.

6:59

"Adelphi! Get down here, everyone's waiting on-"

"Me," I finish; opening the door on Father, mid-pound.

"That's not funny, demon," He spits at me.

"If I was a demon, you'd be dead by now," I retort. He receives a mouthful of my black feathers as I push him out of the way.

Upon reaching the kitchen, I was given a much warmer welcome from Mother and her two children, Jake and Winnie. Jake was a rambunctious seven-year-old and Winnie a normal teen-only three years younger than me.

"Hey guys, que onda?" I ask, speaking in my normal, goofy tone.

"Mom, why is she speaking Spanish again?" Jake whined. Mother shook her head and told him it meant what's up.

"Oh, well, the sky is up!" Jake replied with a grin on his face.

"With the way things are going now, my blood pressure." Winnie retorted.

"Got a test today?" I asked, grabbing an apple and taking a bite of it.

"In chemistry no less! I swear Mrs. Scholend is trying to fail me." I looked over her shoulder and studied the problems on the page. After I had stared at them for a while, I gave up. Science was my weakest subject and last year it took the combined efforts of me and my two friends, Nadia and Brennan, for us to pass.

"Well, good luck," I chirp, ruffling her hair. Winnie clearly didn't appreciate it but I shot her a cheeky smile anyway.

The room adopted an all too familiar quiet as soon as Father appeared from the hall. Surveying the room for only a brief second, his gaze quickly landed on me.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to get them to school? You are going to make them late one of these days. I will not let their education suffer because of your laziness!" Pausing to restrain himself, Father knew that he couldn't appear to be the "bad guy" in front of his own children.

I wasn't blaming him for it.

At the age of 12, I made their home my own. They are required by law to take care of me until I turn 21. That's the end of their contract. Then, they give me up to god knows what and receive their compensation for taking me in - or as Father calls it, putting up with me.

I nod at him and remain silent to keep him quiet. I remind my siblings to collect their schoolbags so we can leave. A few blocks down, Jake stops and waits for a bus to take him to the elementary school. Winnie and I walk the rest of the way to Hope Academy, the only school for both winged and normal students. The walk is long, 20 minutes at a brisk pace; however, we normally reach the school in 28 minutes. Winnie ditched me for her friends once we arrive on campus. Meanwhile, I cross the campus absentmindedly waiting for other winged students to arrive.

I have only a few subconscious thoughts while I wait. Most of them about petty things such as what was for lunch today and how the drama production was going. Though the one thought I couldn't shake was about that dream I had. I was sure the girl was me except she was younger and a lot more frightened which lead me to doubt myself. Yet, there was another small detail, the white wings.

Was it just my imagination or my past? If it was my past, what happened?

A/N: Thank you so much @sinister- for the lovely trailer!