"Did you build all those houses yourself?" Willow asked.
"I think it's obvious that we did," Archer laughed, sitting down. They formed a circle again, and Cosmo inhaled. Just relax and enjoy, he told himself.
"Cosmo..." Archer asked. Their eyes met, Archer's shimmering with curiosity. "Do you really clip wings as a punishment? Or is it just a myth?"
He frowned. No, he could never forget that Ivy needed him. He could never forget his betrayal.
"Yes, we do. Haven't I told you?"
"About your sister? Oh, yeah. I forgot."
"How does it feel not to be able to fly?" Willow questioned. Would've asked me, Cosmo thought. And as a reminder of that, his wings rose.
"Look!" Archer turned his head at Cosmo, who was feeling awkward.
"Sorry, couldn't contain myself."
"Wait a second... Are you worried?"
He folded up his wings. If they couldn't disappear, he could at least save space this way.
"No, I just remembered what happened in the past few days."
"Yeah, devastating," Archer frowned, then turned to Willow, who was determined not to miss a single word. "Anyway, it feels normal. At least to me, but I've lived with it my whole life."
Ivy could have lived with it since teenage years. But she wouldn't, and Cosmo was sure of it. Whether he had said everything or not, he had gone to Laora and faithfully seeked for anything suspicious.
"Cosmo, have any questions?"
He was harshly thrown out of the thoughts and into reality. For a second he stood still as he made sense of Archer's words.
"Well, I'd like more about not being able to fly."
"Really? And I want more about being able to fly. I've always thought that was cool."
"Ask Willow, than," Cosmo rolled his eyes.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
Soon this would end, Cosmo thought again. Soon they would come for him. And then there'd be no Laora, no Archer. No one wanting to kill him. And Ivy would be safe and happy, with her wings. They'd all be forgotten, and that made him happy and sad at the same time. He forced himself to feel happy; after all, it would be safer if all of that had never happened, and if Ivy had never even attended that party.
While Cosmo was thinking, Willow was busy telling everything about being a winged person. Archer was staring, curious and enchanted.
"And we fly to school. I mean, Cosmo doesn't. And after school the high schoolers do stunts. Ivy does, too. I'd like to do that too."
And thank God she would continue doing that.
YOU ARE READING
The Angel's Nature
FantasyIn a world where everyone has wings, getting them clipped is the worst punishment. Cosmo has spent his life dealing with a mysterious disease that made his wings pop out of nowhere when he was nervous. His sister Ivy is about to have her wings clip...
