Fire

Chapter 3

I brushed the stray hairs that escaped my thick sock bun from my face for what felt like the millionth time in 10 minutes.

I was sitting on top of the glass greenhouse that I had claimed. The greenhouse used to be where Hodge Starkweather, Dad, Uncle Alec, and Aunt Izzy's old mentor, spent most of his time. He was house bound as a punishment to support Valentine Morgenstern's Circle, Grandma's husband. Somehow, I could never call him my grandfather.

The greenhouse was on top of the Institute. It had glass walls and two levels. They were connected by a metal spiral stairway. It was where Mom had told me her and Dad had shared their first kiss. I remember Mom had brought me up here for my 9th birthday, told me that this could be my place, where no one else could enter without my permission. It used to be beautiful, Hodge loved to grow plants, but after Valentine broke him out of the curse, the punishment, in exchange for Mom, Dad, and the Mortal Cup, and he left, the plants had withered and died, and the entire area was covered with weeds. I managed to remove the dead plants, and while I was looking around, I found Hodge's books, on his healing tea recipes, growing plants, and other things. I followed his books, and it became beautiful once more.

I spent most of my time there, and that was when I discovered a glass panel on the second level that open outwards. I used the glass panel as a platform, and climbed above the triangular structure of glass that was the roof of the greenhouse. It was at the front of the Institute, and sitting on top of the roof gave me unadulterated view of the main street in front of what the mundanes thought of as the broken down church grounds. I could also see far, given my vision and the height of the building.

Mom had given me her "permission" for the trip yesterday.

Flashback

I was on top of the balancing pole again. But this time, I crouched down low, and sprung up high, and flapped my invisible-to-everyone-but-me wings. I didn't need to, but why NOT use wings when you have them?

It gave me just enough boost to reach the huge metal rings fixed to the roof of the 30 feet tall training room. I reached them faster than if I hadn't used my wings. I grabbed hold of one that was right above me and swung myself so I was inside the ring, with my arms holding all of my weight above, inside the ring. I slowly extended my legs and lowered them so I could feel the inside of the ring behind me against my shins. My feet, ankle down were just hanging limply. I lowered my upper body down, and grabbed hold of the ring in front of me.

I used it to pull my body forward, so my hips and ankles were against the insides of the rings. I folded my arms under my neck so I could rest my neck without choking. To anyone looking from below, they would see a girl stretched out inside 3 of the many rings that lined the entire ceiling of the training room. But no one was here anyways, so nevermind.

"Bella?" Or not. Mom was here. She was the only one who called me Bella.

I sighed and slipped between the ring in front of me and the one under my head. I did two front flips and spread myself like a cat. And fell freely.

A laugh escaped my wide open mouth and got lost somewhere above me as the air rushed past me. I managed to open my eyes just enough to squint at the rapidly approaching ground.

I snapped open my wings, that were always invisible, by the way, when I was just a foot above the ground. I was suspended for a second, before I crashed face first on the floor.

I looked up to see my mother silently hyperventilating. I frowned.

'Crap. You idiot, she was probably going to say yes. Now she's not because you, being an idiot, freaked her out. Again. Sh*t.'