A Toy With Wings

Thirteen

My groggy eyes open, one, then another.

The world is black and white and fuzzy. I'm lying in a sleeping bag, or something along the line. I reach out a hand, but what I touch shifts and blends, changing into something entirely new.

"Careful there, my sweet love."

A lone person walks over to me, and sits by my side. It takes about three long moments to see her features clearly, three long moments to register a name, a place or a memory to the face which I saw.

The girl has long ashy brown hair in a braid and eyes that sparkled like stars.

"Evangeline?" I croak.

The girl raises the corner of her lip in reply. "Been wondering when you'd come to for a while, sweetie pie."

"What did I miss?" I ask.

"You were out for three days. We checked out the coal caves. Nothing much. Per Kevin's plan, we're going to check out the volcanoes. Also, by the way, the All-Father called."

"What did he say?"

"Five golden coins and I'll tell you."

Bitch! I need that information!

"Fine!" I shout as I dig out five coins from my pocket and hurl them at Evangeline. It's not easy, since both of my arms are plastered over with heavy white bandages.

"Don't be a grouch, honey bear!" Evangeline smiles sarcastically at me.

"Tell me, what did the All-Father say?"

"We get new codenames," Evangeline begins, picking up the coins and slipping them into her pocket. "Because obviously our old ones got blown."

"Of course."

"He actually told us good job," Evangeline starts spooning (and force-feeding) me some sick-looking silvery white stuff.

"What?!" I ask as I turn down the white glop.

"Compared to the other new recruits," Evangeline finishes, smirking proudly. "Nightdust and Ashpeak are both dead. Grassgem is also dead, and Waterbend is back at headquarters, undergoing surgey. One Rabidgrip twin is captured by humans, they call that 'jail', and the other twin is captured by fallen angels. So we're doing pretty good."

So it was smart for the four of us to team up? ...I see, then.

Evangeline shoves a spoonful of the icky stuff into my mouth. I keep my lips firmly zipped, and try not to eat a speck of it.

"What the fuck is that?" I demand.

"Medical salve," she replies simply. "The All-Father sent us a go-kit yesterday. We got bandages, extra food, water, some books I used to tend to a fire, a bunch of human money...they call those 'doh-llars', some healing potions to replenish our old stock, a set of knives, and this. Eat up."

"No!" I mutter with my mouth zipped as tightly as possible. I sound like I'm moaning.

Evangeline shoves the stuff into my mouth anyway.

I spit it out immediately. "The fuck is this?"

Evangeline giggles. "Oops, sorry. It's my shampoo. My bad!"

Her bad?! I swear, I fucking swear that she did it on purpose!

"THAT'S SHIT!" I roar. "FUCKING BITCH! CURSE YOU! DAMN YOU! FUCK YOU!"

Evangeline just smiles and tries to give me a spoonful of the real stuff, which is yellowish, from a small tin.

I refuse. "What are the new codes the All-Father gave us?"