A Toy With Wings

Eight

Three days.

That's how long it takes for us to reach the gorges. We start referring to everyone else by codename. Everybody else is excited. And I'm…well, I'm tired as fuck.

I'm tired of hearing the mini psychopaths' calls, Goodie's in particular. He calls seven times an hour, even throughout the night. I decide to mute my phone.

I'm tired of being away from home. I miss my old friends. I miss everything.

I'm tired of hearing Jez lament about Skyward, and that Skyward isn't taking calls or answering text messages. Personally, I've never had the honor to date somebody, so I can't relate.

Most of all, I'm tired of having to settle down to sleep, to a lullaby of screaming. When we're not on the go, Jez has been torturing the elf, or having hallucinations. She wants to figure out where Skyward is. As much as I hate those allied with Satan, I can't help but pity the elf. He suffers and faces a fate worse than death. I think that he has no idea where Skyward is, but Jez is convinced that he's hiding information.

We search the entire gorge, which is swarmed with visitors. Human visitors. Of course, we have to blend in.

My wings are tired of being folded up.

Was that why Skyward decided to cut off hers? I'll never know.

We dress as human tourists. I buy a digital camera, and take shots at random to blend in.

"Jack?" somebody asks.

"Yes, uh, Diana?" I respond.

Evangeline mutters in my ear. "That guy over their is acting weird. What is he doing, wearing a thick coat in a place so hot?"

"I'll gather the rest," I whisper back. Then, I raise my voice. "Jeremiah? Charlie?"

"Yeah?" two voices reply.

Jinks.

I lower my voice and point out the mysterious man.

Kev nods. "Watch me." He walks over to the man. "Sir, could you please help me?" He asks, giving him my camera. "A photo, please?"

"Certainly," the man replies, and takes a snap.

"Thank you, sir," says Kev, taking the camera back. "Nice coat, by the way."

"Thanks," he replied casually. Then, he calls out to two girls, probably his daughters, and they leave.

Kev shrugs. "Nothing weird."

Evangeline asks, "Do we follow him or not?"

I shrug. "He's not evil. I can tell."

"Or maybe he's a very good actor," Jez suggests. "I say we should follow him. Who's with me?"

Nobody agrees, and Jez sighs. "Fine. I guess I'm just paranoid about Amber…"

"Now what?!" asks Kev.

"Why don't we…" I am about to suggest that we split up, when a yell pierces my ears.

Fucking son of a mother!

"No!" A woman screams. "No! Come back!"

We immediately run over to her. "Are you okay, ma'am?" asks Kev.

"My son!" The woman yells. She's traumatized. "That bastard has got my son!"

The woman points, and we see a man, dressed all in black, gripping a bundle of blankets carelessly in one hand.

"Chase!" Kev yells. I've always taken Kev to be quiet, awkward and gentle, but there was a glint in his eyes when he spat out the word, a change of the fire in his eyes.

Kev sprints faster than any of us. He's slowly gaining onto the man. Evangeline and I are just feet behind him. Jez follows us closely as she hobbles along on her "cane".

But as we push through the crowds, screaming for help, everybody ignores us. With their cell phones, they snap pictures and record us, but nobody helps. Like we're filming what humans call a movie.

Evan trips and falls, and the onlookers boo at her. I never liked her, but the fuck?

Some humans are so ignorant.

I run to her side, help her up, and keep running.

The kidnapper is very agile. He weaves easily in and out of the crowds, and we struggle to follow. Kev reaches into his bag, pulls out a packet of instant noodles, and throws it at the kidnapper in an attempt to slow him down. He's hit, but he doesn't slow down. The next thing Kev throws is a book, but he misses.

"E…Diana?" I call out as I run. I'm out of breath, but I force myself to continue.

"Yes?" Evan calls back.

"Is it me or are the onlookers frozen in place?" I note.

"Weird!" Evan calls back.

The man climbs swifly into a cave, and goes on. The bundle of blankets is emitting a sob now, and my heart ached for a baby. He was just a Stirling, and he had to face this fate.

We all jump into the cave after him. Foolish man. He's cornered.

But as soon as we cautiously step in, black vines stretch out. One long fat one wraps itself around Evangeline and lifts her up into the air.

"What the…" Evan shrieks.

"Cover me," I tell the others as I try to cut Evan free. But for every cut I make, it gets back to its original state almost immediately.

We're overpowered. I slash as hard as I can with my sickle, but no avail. Evangeline just flails around and screams. Kev's katana whirls, but he doesn't harm the vines. Jez's spear impales three different vines at once, but they regrow almost immediately.

They're gaining the upper hand. We can't fight them. They're just too strong, as if they had been enchanted…

Enchanted…

The word absorbs my attention completely. A vine smacks me across the rocky ground, and I catch a glimpse of Evangeline biting the vines before I slowly black out.