The Girl With Wings

Chapter 17 ✔️

Last Edited: June 19, 2019

Hope

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I hurried over to Wheeljack as he limped over to Ratchet, energon running down his leg. It was a Saturday, and I had been sitting around the base all day, waiting for the other Autobots to return. They each had their own separate mission. Optimus and Bulkhead were in Italy scrounging around for some old relic.

Arcee and Jack left to scout an energon mine. I wished Wheeljack would let me go with him on missions. Of course, he didn't want me getting hurt. What's so dangerous about digging in the dirt to find some glowing rock?, I couldn't help but wonder.

Bumblebee, Miko, and Rafael had gone off on a trip to Switzerland for a research paper. I just hoped Miko wasn't blowing their brains out with Slash Monkey. Rafael seemed to be the kind of guy who would want to watch an orchestra perform, playing Mozart or Beethoven. Not screeching metal songs.

So that left me and Ratchet. That was, until Wheeljack stormed in through the groundbridge looking like he was picked apart by scraplets. (I had come to learn that the vermin were definitely not something the Autobots wanted to encounter)

Wheeljack simply waved me away as I flew up towards him, landing on the rather large table Ratchet had laid him on. "I'm fine kid. Soundwave was at the mine. He managed to get a few hits at me, the con." He chuckled and smiled at me. "Managed to pound some dents into him though."

I gave a sigh of relief left me and I shook my head. "I bet you showed him, Wheeljack." I smiled as Wheeljack glanced at Ratchet.

"Mind If I take off?" he asked.

"Ep, ep, ep!" The cranky old bot shook his helm and waged a digit at the wrecker. "You aren't going anywhere until you get patched up." Wheeljack pulled away from him as soon as his cuts were welded together.

"I'm fine." he stated simply before looking over at me. "Want to take a flight, kid?"

I knew he was talking about the Jackhammer. I smiled and nodded before he waved towards the hallways that held my bedroom.

"Go get ready, then." he chuckled, eyeing the pajamas I was dressed in. I blushed red, suddenly self conscious about what I looked like. Great. Jackie always teased me like that. He's like an annoying older brother, I thought happily to myself as I entered my bedroom.

Suddenly, a pain spread through my heart as I replayed my last thought. Turning slowly towards my dresser, I gulped, staring at the box I had requested Jackie to retrieve for me when he first took me away from that awful orphanage.

Guilt seemed to shove down my throat and straight into my heart as I stared at that box. How could I ever think of replacing Ryan? I took a step towards the dresser. Slowly. Step by step. It was painful, really. How I could forget someone so easily. I hadn't opened this box for two years.

Two years.

All because I was selfish and couldn't bare to think about him. How he made me happy once. But Macen would always remind me that it was my fault he was gone. I wasn't able to watch him close enough. It was my fault he was dead. My fault I let Macen scare him away.

My fault.

Taking in a shaky breath, I put my right hand over the top of the box and sighed. The top held up a warning to stay out. But it wasn't for others. If they opened the box, they wouldn't find any significance to what was inside. The warning was for me. I knew I wouldn't be able to stand looking at him.

So I locked everything away in this tiny little box. I wasn't allowed to open it. I couldn't allow myself to open it. But as I stood there in silence, rubbing my thumb over the lid, I couldn't help but lift it up. How could I think about replacing Ryan? He was my brother.