Invisible: Ryne Part One *Sequel to Winged* *Completed*

1. His Story

 © Kelly Faulk 2013

For every

Bit of light

There will

Be darkness

Chapter 1:  His Story

Two years later…

Humans could be very complicated.  They were so terrible at reading each other’s expressions.  She clearly didn’t want him to hold her in any form; she was very uncomfortable in his arms.  Why couldn’t he see that?  I could see how pissed off she was, and I was a very good distance away from them.

Leaning against a tree with my arms crossed, I watched the troublesome couple.  She kept telling him to stop what he was doing and to let her go, but he wasn’t listening.  I was almost tempted to step in to help her, and accidently let my guard down for a split second.  My horns appeared for only the blink of an eye.

I knew she didn’t see them when she looked over at me; I was too far away for her to notice them.  Several of the others who knew what I was saw them, though.    I met her gaze for a moment before I left, and caught the gaze of the people of my kind as I walked away.  He had released her; there was no reason for me to linger.  Even though she was in no danger, she was safe.

She was Tríka Thompson, an average student at East Glynn High that mostly kept to herself.  She had sandy-brown hair that fell to her shoulders in waves, and light green eyes that could pierce through your soul.  Her boyfriend was a jock, someone who didn’t fit her apparent laid-back personality.  While I watched them, he had slung her over his shoulder, like a piece of meat, shoulder digging into her stomach.  I don’t know exactly why or how it worked, but I hated to see her in pain, and I’ve felt that way for almost three years.  I’ve never felt that way about anyone else.

Tríka wasn’t like the other girls I’d met.  She wasn’t disposable.  I felt more connected to her, even though we haven’t spoken a word to each other.  Shaking that thought from my mind, I continued my walk off school grounds.

“Hey, Ryne!  Did you forget about tonight?”

I looked to the voice to see a girl—I think her name was Cloe—running up to me.  I didn’t feel bad about her being my victim of the night.  She had approached me yesterday, and I just couldn’t tell her no.  “No, I didn’t.  I was actually looking for you,” I lied.

She had a delusional look in her eyes as she smiled.  “My parents aren’t going to be home tonight.”

I returned the smile, an uncomfortable feeling settling in the pit of my stomach.  “Alright.  I’ll see you then.”

Eager to get away, I left the girl as quickly as she had run up to me.  She looked dumbfounded as I passed her, but my abrupt departure made her more interested in me.  Which made me sick to my stomach.  I’ve felt sick more and more lately, the feeling intensifying slightly with every girl I took to bed.  But I had no idea how to explain it, and I wasn’t going to ask anyone about it.

Once I was away from the hell hole people called school, I kept walking to the local graveyard, to Sera’s parents’ graves; they were in the very back, away from wandering eyes.  Once I found the grave markers, I sat in front of my great-great-grandfather’s headstone, and thought.

I had changed so much in my life, physically and mentally.  I have grown tired of returning to high school, spending my nights with people I didn’t care about, worrying about if I didn’t find my girl.  The physical changes were easier to spot, especially to my family.  My hair had been blonde when I was born, but when I figured out how to change it, I made it black.  My eyes were also blue, and I changed those to dark gray.