Thanagarian

Chapter 1

Ten years ago I was a normal twelve year old kid. I had an obsession with comic books and pets that my crowded New York City apartment couldn't have. I had posters of horses and whales and dolphins and cows and pigs. I did have a cat, her name was Harley Quinn, Harley for short, and she never made an appearance. She was a Calico so I figured my favorite villain's name would fit her well. She was a villain, my dog, Jet, was constantly under attack from her and he used to hide under the couch. When she got older she stopped harassing him and kind of vanished. Jet was my black German Shepherd, he was about five at the time and the happiest dog on the planet.

I never knew my father and my mother didn't talk about him, I didn't see her much anyway. She had to work two jobs so I was often alone with Harley Quinn and Jet. I was never scared, I knew Jet would keep me safe. Harley may not do much but it was fun to tell people I shared a home with Harley Quinn. My fish, Batman, Robin, and Batgirl, had a small aquarium in my room where Harley couldn't bother them. I learned that the hard way when she ate Superman. My poor bird.

One night I was alone again and had just taken my shower. I had turned around to get my toothbrush when I saw two odd lumps on my shoulder blades. I felt them and they were hard and bony. A shiver ran down my spine and Jet lifted his head and looked at me, whining deep in his throat. "It's alright, Jettie Boy." I said gently, reaching down and stroking his head. "I'm alright, buddy. I'm alright." I took a shaky breath, stole one last suspicious glance in the mirror, then turned and left the steamy bathroom. He followed me down the hallway and into my room. Flash and Martian Manhunter, my Guinea pigs, stared back at me, squeaking every so often. Flash was on his wheel, as usual, and Manhunter was eating his dinner.

Jet put his paws on my dresser and looked at them, cocking his head and whining. I think they scared him. I dug around in my drawers until I came up with an old shirt and shorts and slipped into my bed. I pulled the covers up and patted them, Jet eagerly obeyed and leaped up onto the twin bed. I lifted my covers and he crawled underneath, curling up against my stomach and sighing. I kissed his head and draped my arm over his rib cage, the sound of his breath and the rise and fall of his side calmed me enough to send me to sleep.

I woke up a few hours later. My mother wouldn't be home for a while, she usually got home around two. The glowing numbers on my clock only read eleven twenty three. Suddenly a pain racked through my body like none I had ever felt before, I shoved my face into my pillow and screamed, a burning sensation pulsing through my body. Jet was laying beside me and licking my ear as if to say everything would be fine, but I couldn't speak to agree. I writhed in pain and clutched my pillow, my mouth open in a silent scream. The throbbing pain seemed to emerge from my shoulder blades, but I couldn't move my arms to find out.

The pain slowly subsided around twelve o' three and I took a shaky breath as if to confirm my existence. I saw Flash and Martian Manhunter's eyes staring at me, glittering in the dark and Harley Quinn was on my foot board looking very concerned, well... for a cat. I ran my hand down Jet's back and he dropped something at my stomach, his stuffed duck. I rubbed him between the ears and held him close until the clock read three fifty two. I knew that Mom had returned from work and had already gone to bed, so I could slip to the bathroom without her noticing.

I went to sit up and suddenly I fell back, something wasn't right. I felt a heavy weight on my back and I couldn't stand up. I tried to roll my shoulders but I couldn't accomplish that either. Finally I threw myself up, gripping my head board for support, and took wobbly steps. It felt like a huge backpack was strapped to my shoulders. Jet jumped off the bed and trotted beside me. Something on my back seemed to fascinate him and he watched it as I walked.

I had my hand on the wall to keep my balance as I stumbled towards the bathroom. I flipped the switch on and wobbled to the mirror. I could hardly believe what I saw... wings. I had wings. I practically screamed. Jet gave me a funny look, then lay down on the rug in front of the tub. I ran my hand through my thick red hair, hardly believing what was happening. Was I dreaming? I flicked myself in the cheek and shook my head. Definitely not. Jet whined and squirmed, reminding me that his bladder could only hold so much. First I had to figure out how to hide these wings. I tried to move them but they didn't react, seemingly only dead weights on my shoulders. I wobbled back to my room and looked in my mirror again, the wings had ripped through my shirt when they had erupted and it now hung in tatters. I tried to take it off but ended up cutting it. It was my favorite shirt too. "Damn." I said as it fell to the ground in shreds. My wings were a light grey and dragged on the ground. Already the longest feathers were shredded from Jet's playful pouncing and teeth. Since getting a bra on was obviously out of the question I pulled on a loose sweatshirt and baggy pants, tucking the bottom of my wings into the legs so it wouldn't show. Feathers still stuck out the bottom but I figured I would just shove them into my shoes when the time came.

Jet bounced all the way down the hall and into the living room, his pink tongue lolling out of his mouth as he went. I pulled on old sneakers and tucked the feathers in, then clipped Jet's braided leather leash to his matching collar. "Ready Jettie?" I asked. He bounced around and barked in return. "Shush!" I said, pulling him close. "We don't wanna wake up Mom okay?" He looked at me, his amber gaze held a warm kindness in them that made me feel needed. "Good boy." I opened the door, took a deep breath, and stepped out. Jet surged past straight towards the elevator and I let go of his leash, watching him barrel down the hall. I followed at my own pace and reached the elevator after him. I grabbed his leash, led him in, pushed the button for the ground floor, and crouched next to him, my arm hung around his shoulder.

My mind was spinning but I tried to concentrate on the happy one hundred pound ball of black fur at my feet, watching the elevator doors intensely. As soon as they slid open he shot forward, obviously excited about the trip to come. "Whoa Jet!" I said quietly as he skidded across the marble floors to the glass doors. "Easy, boy." I said, laughter in my voice. I opened the door and stepped into the cool night air, hoping nobody questioned my odd, hunchbacked appearance. Jet swung side to side in his quest for spots to pee and in his excitement often ended up getting more pee on himself than on the ground. I passed a girl who looked to be my age with a white dog, I caught my breath when I realized it was a German Shepherd. White Shepherds were rare. Jet wagged his tail and tried to go meet her but I pulled him away, unsure how this strange dog would react.

I decided not to ask what she was doing out alone this early since I was doing the same, I simply nodded my head and kept walking, Jet in tow. He finished his walk quickly, pooping beneath a tree then turning right around. I followed, the now full poop bag in my pocket. I dumped it in a trash can and entered my building once more. Jet followed obediently now, his important needs satisfied. I was alone in the lobby, elevator, and hallway. I unlocked the door to my apartment, half expecting my Mom to be standing there in her bathrobe tapping her foot impatiently. The apartment, however, was silent. No doubt she asleep. I unclipped Jet's leash and he rushed to his metal bowl to drink water. I rinsed out the water and refilled it, doing the same for Harley's bowl. I dumped a can of cat food in the her food dish, knowing she would show up when she was ready and not a minute before. Jet couldn't reach that on the counter so it was safe until Harley decided to drag herself out of hiding and eat it instead of terrorizing innocent guinea pigs.

Jet rushed from the kitchen into the living room and grabbed his favorite ball by the handle. It was red, about the size of his head with a tennis ball inside and a squeaker that had since gone silent. He brought it to me but I could only grab the thick fur around his neck and pull him close. "What am I Jet?" I asked. "Am I an angel?"

"Not an angel." A voice said. "A Thanagarian."