Find Your Wings

Chapter 8 - Neo

"How did you..." I stopped walking, but didn't look back.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that when I took Edgar's book I may have also cast some spells that would give me a few... Superpowers?" Everything seemed to suddenly slow down.

"Does Star know?" I asked.

"Well, obviously not. But you won't tell her, Amber. Am I right?" He zapped right to where I was standing and started touching my back with the his finger tips. His fingers were very cold, and they started creeping up my back very, very slowly.

"W-why wouldn't I tell her?" His fingers were up to the back of my neck.

"Because you need me," Up to my head, "Because you need me, Neo." And then everything went black.

It took me a few seconds after I opened my eyes to realize I was dreaming. No, not dreaming. I was remembering.

Ryan is in my head. He's explaining what I'm seeing.

You're in the forest behind your house where you lived with your dad before you moved to your step-mother's house.

WHAT?! I don't have a step-mother. I only have my super cruel mom. And I've lived in the same house my whole life. But as I'm thinking this, I start remembering. For a second everything is clear, but then questions start popping into my mind. There are so many I can't count them. Why don't I remember this? Who is my real mother? Who could have done this? What happened? What else do I not know? Who can I trust? Is Ryan tricking me? The questions just keep pouring in.

Stop! Don't think too much! Do you know how much power this takes?! If you think too much it'll disappear! Now focus.

I see a girl, probably me when I was little. She looks just like me but smaller. I'm being held back by my dad behind a bush, hiding. My dad is looking back like he is afraid of what he might see. I'm crying and trying to free myself from my father's grasp, but he's too strong. I can't figure out what I'm trying to get to, and then I see her. She is beautiful. She looks like an older and much more pretty version of me. But there's one other difference: She has wings.

That's your mother.

No. But she's a fairy! How can my mother be a fairy?

Why do you think you can see fairies you idiot?!

Well, that makes a little more sense, I guess.

My mom is running away. No, not flying. She is running and always looking back. Like she hopes someone will come and catch her. I can't see what she is running from. She runs and runs until she can't run any longer. She stands by a tree, waiting for her chaser to find her.

She has given up.

"No, mom, please don't give up. You can't give up. You can't let whatever is chasing you catch you. Please!" I try shouting but no sound comes out of my mouth.

It's too late. Look.

Suddenly a man in a black cloak came into view.

That's Edgar

Edgar walked slowly towards my mom. She wasn't catching her breath anymore and was standing up straight to face the wizard. As Edgar got closer, he started taking his hands out of his cloak. Finally, he stopped about 10 feet away from my mom, with his arms fully extended. He just stood there for a few seconds (looking kind of stupid) like he was expecting something to come shooting out of his hands. I almost started giggling at the weird scene, when I noticed that it wasn't Edgar who stopped, it was Ryan. "Why did you pause it?!"

You don't have to watch this if you don't want.

"Of course I want to watch it!" I wasn't as confident about that as I sounded, but I didn't have time to rethink it because Ryan had immediately started the memory again, with Edgar taking his hands out.

He took his hand out of his cloak and put them fully extended in front of him, pointing straight at my mother. Suddenly, without any warning, a huge ball of fire shot out of his hands and engulfed her. "NO!" I tried shouting again, but again there was no sound. The ball of fire, with my mother in it, started rising up in the air. Edgar got closer. "Any last words?" He asked.

"Tell my daughter... I love her" She choked from inside the flames.

"Oh I think she can hear you very well." Edgar said.

And then she used her last breath to say "I love you... Neo."