spread my wings

chapter 19

"Well shit."

"yup." Fang shifted awkwardly.

"So."

"Yeah."

     We stood there is silence for a while, before becoming aware of the children milling around us. The little girl I had been carrying earlier, maybe six or seven, with black cat ears and a long tail curled around her thigh, started tugging on my arm.

"Miss? I'm scared." she mewled.

     I smiled. "Call me, uh, Mar. (My name was Maura. I had a real name. I didn't want the fake name those people had given me.) And lets get us somewhere out of the wind. What's your name?"

"Uh, I don't have one." She looked down, eyes tearing up.

"No, no, hey, its alright, we'll make one for you. Uh..." I searched my mind frantically. "What about Alice. Do you like the name Alice?"

     She nodded, smiling, and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Hi, Alice. Its nice to meet you." I grinned.

     She beamed back.

    I flew up, searching along the coast for about a mile in each direction, before finding a low hanging cave big enough for everybody. A head count told me that there was eighteen kids left, including me, when twenty-eight had been before.

    Some had died in their cages, and still others lay sadly still on the grass. Three children with their organs on the outside of their bodies had collapsed together, looks of rapture at having finally given sunlight on their faces.

     The kids who remained included four children with wings, Alice the cat-girl, seven kids with what looked like gills (who had dove for the ocean and were now paddling around happily), one little girl who appeared human, and five children who sat in a circle, unspeaking.

"Okay, come on everyone. I found a place for us a five minute walk up the coast." I yelled.

    Turning to Fang, I told him about Max's fight with Ari. "She'll be fine." he told me. "She's tougher than she looks."

    I merely shrugged, and thrust two of the silent children into his arms. "Take them, and bring them to the cave. One of the older winged kids is already over there, she'll look after them."

    We herded the group (the 'Flock,' as Fang called them,) over the sand toward the cave. The fish-kids had swum along beside us, keeping pace easily. "You'll be okay out there?" I asked. They gave enthusiastic nods in return.

    Fang had to leave, seeing the rest of his tiny flock flying out of the drainpipe.

"Here's my phone number," he said, handing me a slip of paper. "I think we need to talk."

    I nodded, choosing not to think about how in hell I was going to get a phone out here.

    We all waved goodbye as he took off and met with his flock. I felt an unexpected twinge of sadness seeing him go. I'd had a brother for about twenty minutes.

    I made the flock sit in a big circle to talk. It seemed that they had elected me the unofficial leader, and I HAD worked at a summer camp before. How different could it be?

"Okay everyone. My name's Mar, I'm fifteen, and I have wings. So lets go around this way and say our names. If you don't have names, just think of one you like. You start." I said, gesturing at the older winged girl.

"Okay, uh, my name is... Nell, and I'm fifteen, and I, uh, have wings." she said.

"Amber, eleven, I have wings."

"Jake, eleven. Amber's my sister. I have wings."

"I'm Kaylee, and I'm eight, and I change." said the seemingly human girl.

"Change?" I asked.

    Instead of responding, she scrunched up her face and promptly grew a head of red hair and bright green eyes to replace her earlier brown.

"Okay then, changing." I said, and motioned for Alice to continue.

"'Kay, I'm Alice, and I'm part kitty cat and I'm siiiiiiiiiiix!" She yelled.

"Good!" I beamed.

    I turned finally to the quiet kids, who still had yet to move or speak, not really expecting an answer, and defiantly not expecting the feel of another consciousness brushing against my mind.

    I saw the others of the Flock stiffen, and knew they felt it too.

    A voice that sounded like wind and ice whispered "Our names are Ten, Marina, Jaq, Ana, and Ammah. We are of the mind. We are all nine years old."

    One boy and girl, Jaq and Ammah, raised their eyes simultaneously. I realized that I hadn't seen their eyes before, because they were pure, snow white. "We are our representatives. The others don't like talking to unfamiliar minds." They said, light voices blending perfectly.

"Oh - Okay then!" I struggled to keep the same cheery note in my voice. "So we have the wings, the kitty, the fish, and the minds. Good!"

I felt genuine warmth spread through my chest as they all smiled, happy to have been given a life.

{Ammah = Emma. You know who you are gurl.}