The Unnaturals (Discontinued)

Seventeen.

Consciousness came back to me slowly. I faded in and out of the darkness until I regained feeling in my limbs. Until my lungs weren't filled with sand and my eyes could open. I was in a bedroom. Not my bedroom. Sunlight streaked through closed blinds, illuminating just enough for me to make out the room. A red blanket on the bed. Martial arts posters. A dresser. Two closed doors.

A laugh from somewhere else startled me. A male laugh. It was followed by a chorus of shushes and chuckles. Where the heck was I?

A breeze rattled the blinds. I knee walked to the other side of the bed to investigate. My limbs were sore and cuts rubbed uncomfortably against the sheets. Unfortunately, I didn't consider my wings and they flung out behind me, sending a lamp and glass of water crashing to the floor. Crap. I heard the clamber of many footsteps.

I didn't waste any more time and scrambled to the window. With a yank I opened the blinds. The window was just big enough for me to fit through. The screen popped off easily, clattering on the cement outside. I shoved my body through. Never had I been more thankful to be petite. I was half way through when one door opened.

"Hey!" A green eyed boy with glasses called. "Wait-"

But I was already gone. I sprinted through the back yard and hopped the fence with a flap of my wings. My not broken wings. I emitted a cry of relief but didn't stop to look at them. I needed to find somewhere to hide first.

Fortunately I didn't have to look far. Dense woods greeted me. I pushed myself even harder, adrenaline pumping through my veins. This is it. I'm almost free.

"Sang!" A familiar male voice called. Nathan?

I shook off my hesitation and kept sprinting. It didn't matter. Nathan didn't matter so long as I obtained freedom.

Footsteps behind me grew closer. The person chasing me was fast, faster than I was. There was a break in the woods for a road just ahead. They might be fast, but I could fly. By some miracle I managed to get to the road without getting caught. I flapped my wings hard and pushed off the ground as if my life depended on it.

I got about twenty feet in the air before I felt myself falling.

Luckily there were plenty of trees across the road. I propelled myself forward, just managing to get within reaching distance. My fingers scrambled for purchase on a thick branch. As I grasped the branch, the rest of my body swong forward, sending both my wings and body into thin, pointy branches. I let out a yelp as tiny bursts of pain exploded on my wings. I could smell my own blood. Great.

"Sang are you alright?" Nathan asked. I craned my neck to look at him. He came to rest at the base of the tree, not even winded.

"Why are you chasing me?"

"I can explain."

"Then do it!"

"You're still weak and hurt. I don't want you furthering your injuries." He sniffed the air. "But, you seem to have already beat me to it."

"Where are we?"

"We were at my house."

"How?"

"I'll explain that too. But first, I need you to get down."

"Who's to say you won't try to hurt me?"

He sighed. "Sang, you were asleep at my house for two days. Vulnerable. Please just trust me."

Fair point. I maneuvered myself until I was facing the road and Nathan. I was at least fifteen feet in the air. In my state, it was too far to jump down and I didn't want to retest my flying skills.