When I Fly

Chapter 7

I immediately take out my map of Aejithis and find Cerulean Fields. I scan my finger across the paper, looking for Athens Parkway. It's a small side street that branches off of a cul-de-sac. I circle my father's house and fold up the map.

I run out of the library and start to fly as fast as I can. I don't realize that I am crying and slowly getting closer to the ground. Suddenly, I lose control of my wings. I fall out of the sky, the earth getting closer and closer. The blue patterns shine brighter than ever before. I brace myself for impact and put my arms out in an attempt to shield myself. I crash on the beach, my wings ruffled. I don't even try to get up. I don't care if a human sees me. Then, I hear footsteps and a familiar voice.
     "Huh?" The voice says. I have my eyes open enough to just barely tell who they are. It's my best friend.
     Oh shit... I remember King Rylon's words. I can't transform now! She'll see my wings retract!
     "What is this?" Alice runs her hand on my wings. "I have to call the police!" She reaches for her phone and I try to move my hand to stop her. She sees my hand move and peers at my face. I open my eyes all the way. "Kamea...?" She asks. I weakly nod. I plant my hands in the sand and push myself up so that I am standing. I have scrapes on my arms and legs from the crash. I brush the sand out of my wings. I find black mud on my wings.
     This must've frozen my wings and caused me to fall. I take some of the mud and put it in a vial to give to the researchers in Aejithis. I put the vial in my pocket and look back at Alice. Her mouth is open and she doesn't say a word.
     "Let me explain." I start. Still in shock, she nods her head. I tell her everything and let her take it all in.
     "Is this what the dream meant...?" She asks softly.
     "Yes..."
     "How? How were you able to do that?"
     "I have the ability to go into other people's dreams. It is called dream leaping. I did that to you. The thing I've been hiding is that I am half-human and half-angel. I was on my way to go find my father. He's alive! He lives in Aejithis! You're not allowed to tell anyone about what you saw, ok? I'll explain more later."
     "I promise. Text me when you get back."
     "I will." I fly back up to Aejithis, heading to Luke's house first.
     "Luke, I'm home!" I call out. Luke appears in the hallway and gives me a hug and kiss. I quickly explain what's going on to Luke while I grab the note from my father out of my bedside table.
     "Just please be safe." He kisses my forehead.
     "I will," I say, going out the door.

Within a few minutes, I arrive outside my father's home. My heart beats out of my chest. I take a deep breath and lower to the ground, approaching the door. I knock on the door and nervously wait for an answer. It seems like forever until I see a figure walk up to the door from inside the house. The doors opens and there he is. His eyes are brown and his wings are green. He's just like I imagined.
     "Kamea...?"
     "Hey, Dad." Dad holds me close to him.
     "You're so beautiful." He says, stroking my hair. I cry on his shoulder.
     "I've been waiting for this for so long..." He walks me inside and we sit at the kitchen table.
     "How did you find me?" Dad asks.
     "The king built a new library so I went up there to read up on some stuff. I found a book called Warriors of the War and I found your name. It also said that I have a sibling." I explain.
     "What about your wings? How did they get to be so big and strong?" He says, avoiding the subject.
     "I finished all my tests and promoted to Elite." I say, not pushing the topic any further.
     "I'm so proud of you! That's such a huge honor!"
     "Yeah! It's really fun with these big wings."
     "I almost forgot, I have something for you." He gets up and walks into another room. He comes back with a simple black choker with a blue crystal. "This is for you. If you ever get patterns or harness a lot of energy, the crystal will glow. So if you are in public and you start to glow, touch the necklace. Attach your other crystal to the choker." I take off my necklace and put the crystal on the choker. I put my choker on and smile.
     "I have one more thing." Dad gets up and comes back with a huge sword in its sheath. "This was mine. I want you to have it." He takes the sword out of its sheath. There are multiple names engraved on it. The last name on it is Joshua.
     "What do the names mean?"
     "Every time a member of the Tyler family is given the sword, their name is engraved on it." He places the sword in my hands. The sword glows brightly and I shield my eyes. The light fades away and my name is engraved on the sword.
     "It's so beautiful. Thank you so much, Dad." I hug him.

We talk for a little bit longer but I have to say goodbye.
     "I have to go home." I hug my dad. "I'll see you soon."
     "Bye, Pea!" He waves goodbye as I leave.

I go back to the ground safely. I retract my wings and walk home. I text Alice, telling her to meet at my house. We get there at the same time and walk inside.
     "Mom! I'm home! Al is here!" I call out.
     "Hi, Alice! There's popcorn and chips in the pantry! Help yourself!" My mom says from another room. Alice and I smile at each other and we pick out our favorite movie, make some popcorn, turn the lights off, and sit on the couch with blankets. The movie ends and we laugh about our favorite scenes.
     "How was the movie?" Mom asks.
     "Really funny!" Al responds.      "Remember that one scene?"
     "Yeah..." I laugh quietly. "I'm going outside. I need some fresh air." I go outside quickly fly up to my roof and retract my wings. I lie on my back and look at the stars.
Do I really have a sibling? If so, where are they?

That night, I have a strange dream.

I'm flying around Aejithis when I see a figure in the distance. Their eyes are a piercing grey and they stare at me.
     "Who are you?" I call out.
The figure lunges at me and I jolt awake. I catch my breath and climb down the roof. I go back inside and lay a blanket on the floor next to the couch and fall asleep.