Angel Boy

The Birds.

            “The Birds are coming.”

            It was four measly words. Four measly words managed to transform my morning into something intriguing.

            I had just walked to Reinhart’s truck where Quinn and Alistar were smoking. Reinhart smiled mischievously, a hint of mischief sparkling in his sapphire eyes. Fatigue was still fresh in my mind, dark circles seemed to become a permanent detail to my face.

            With a look of confusion twisting onto my face, I accepted the cigarette Quinn offered me whilst Alistar went into detail about what happened to the Blackwood High School for Angels. He expressed that an unidentified incident had occurred within the Bird’s school over the weekend. But whatever the reason was, it caused the county to form the astute idea of combing the two high schools together. Thus resulting in the Bird’s having to attend our normal human school.

            The Birds had a different school simply due to the fact that they had extra abilities than mere humans. They could fly—like the overgrown birds they were. They were celestial, having unnatural capabilities. And most of them were next to near level Einstein intelligence. But they were similar to humans. They talked the same, ate the same, slept the same. But due to their superior race, they’re separated from us.

            The public would never offer their personal opinions, but we all knew who they preferred. And it wasn’t humans.  

            The boys looked at me with expectant stares, knowing that the new information was already sinking into my brain. Their smiles were sly, and growing bigger by the passing seconds. I lit the cigarette, welcoming the burn in my throat. “Well then,” I exhaled smoke, “looks like we gotta welcome them to the school, boys.”

            Standing on top the roof of the school, four buckets filled with multicolored water balloons sat by our feet. Alistar snickered under his breath at something Quinn had whispered, Reinhart igniting another cigarette. I flicked the ash off my own, wrapping my jacket tighter around my body at a feeble attempt to keep in my body warmth.

            With a blank stare, I watched as a leaf broke off of its branch, twisting and turning until it hit the ground. The wind blew, the coldness nipping at my nose and flushed my cheeks.

            Reinhart cupped his hands around his mouth, blowing into them. “This is gonna be so good,” he mumbled under his breath.

            “Obviously,” I stated. “I thought of it.”

            Reinhart rolled his eyes, an impish smirk twitching at the corner of his lips.

            Peering over the edge of the school’s roof, I watched amused at the ignorant students below. Each of them in their own groups, laughing and chattering about how their weekend was. In the bus parking lot remained a few large yellow vehicles, their drivers too lazy to drive off. My eyes scanned across the scenery of the school’s ground laid out ahead of me. Despite the distance, I could identify the sleek, black sport car my father had recently bought me; his apology gift.

            The talk of the students soon became hushed whispers as multiple buses rolled into the parking lot. The Bird’s buses weren’t yellow or worn, like ours were, but instead they were newer. The windows were tinted black, and I could only imagine the luxury of the interior. Anticipation caused my fingers to go numb, my heart’s pace increasing inside my chest. A small, sly smile graced onto my lips.

            As the buses parked, the brakes creating a sharp nose to which my nose scrunched to, everyone had fell quiet. Only low mumbled and whispers remained. I inhaled deeply onto the cigarette one last time before I tossed it to the ground and grinded it out with my shoe.

            “Cccch,” Alistar mimicked the sound of a walkie-talkie. “The Birds have landed; I repeat, the Birds have landed.” He spoke with a robotic voice, making the boys on either side of my chuckle.

            I leaned forward, my hands bracing against the concrete edge, the small pebbles digging into my hands. Intrigued, I watched as the Birds slowly emerged from their sumptuous buses. Their faces mirrored disgust as they took in the sight of the school. Quickly, I told the boys crouch behind the concrete edge. I knew about the Birds’ impeccable sense of sight.

            From the distance, they were beautiful. It was obvious to anyone that had eyes. They radiated perfection. The females were composed to curves; the males having muscles rippling off of them. The Bird population screamed effortless perfection, something of which I was even envious about.

            It was like watching models step off the runway. And when my eyes landed on the golden button with a simple SW carved into the metal, I internally smirked to myself.

            Beneath our hiding spot, the principle, Mr. Michael, exited the building. His brown blazer fluttered in the wind, his shirt stretched tightly over his bloated stomach. His booming voice cut through the silence as he welcomed the new students. He greeted them with a warm smile, pushing them to believe that attending a human school wouldn’t be as appalling as they thought it would be.

            As he started walking them to the school, I noted how they tended to stay within a tight circle, as if they didn’t want to touch us meager humans. My blood boiled as a cause of their egotistical nature. I could almost smell the adrenaline that pumped through my veins.

            “One,” I whispered, slowly standing.

            My hands grasped the edge of the bucket, the boys mirroring me. I examined the Birds, hearing their shoes create clacking sounds against the ground as Mr. Michael continued talking exaggerated. Some students spotted up, pattering their friends and pointing towards the roof.

            “Two.”

            From my peripheral vision, Reinhart bounced in his shoes. His crooked, boyish smile twisting onto his mouth.

            “Three!”

            Simultaneously, the four buckets were emptied of their contents. The bright colored balloons created an eerily beautiful sight as they rushed towards the ground. A smile broke across my face, rushing towards the edge to watch my plan occur. The rubber of the balloons ripped and gushed water as the hit the pavement or the Birds. I laughed as the balloons made a wet popping sound mixed with the squeals of the girls and the cursing of the boys.

            Looking over the edge, I met Mr. Michael’s wide eyes. And suddenly, they grew furious.

            Through my bubbling laughter, my hands cupped around my mouth. “Welcome to the real world, Birds!”

            My voice carried through the air, and I received multiple death glares. Reinhart, Quinn, and Alistar cheered, along with a few other students.

            “Tyde Summers!” Mr. Michael yelled, furiously wiping his reddening face of any remaining water. “My office! Now!”

            Ignoring his command with an eye roll, I continued to peer over the edge to admire my work. The Birds stood together, makeup running down a few faces and dripping hair handing in the faces of others.

            But there was one person who caught my interest simply due to the fact that he wasn’t glaring at me. Instead, he stared at me with a neutral expression, his hair slicked to his forehead. Tiny droplets rolled down his sharp jawline, his black shirt sticking to his skin. His fist were balled, his silver eyes seeming to bore into my very existence.

            I had seen his face printed on various magazines, appeared on numerous stations on my television. I easily recognized his face. It was the face of Levi Godfrey.

            Although his stare unnerved me, my smirk grew. My hand came to my lips, planting a kiss on my palm. I puckered my lips, blowing him the air kiss as my right eyes dropped into a wink.