Guardian Angel

2

Ever slept in the next day, Wednesday, and skipped the first three classes. She was nervous that morning getting into her car, even though she new that everything that had happened was all a dream. But thinking back over it, she could remember every single detail of the it, from the way her blood was pumping through her veins to how it felt having the tires underneath her skidding across the road.

After she had told her mother exactly what had happened in the dream, her mum quickly shrugged it off as Ever's fervent imagination. In fact, she'd been quite adamant that Ever just forget the whole thing and try not to think about it, before shoving her into a warm shower. But how was Ever just supposed to forget something so odd, something that was now very much engraved into her mind? The shower hadn't helped much either, just more time for her to think about it. The winged man had no face or features that Ever could remember, which wasn't surprising as you rarely remembered faces in your dreams. But those wings were something that Ever didn't think she could ever forget. They were so big, and so very dark, and weren't like an angels wings or those ones you saw in movies. They were as dark as soot, and it was as if they had a black hue around them. They were almost the size of the man himself, and heavy with soft black feathers. They looked unbelievably strong, and how the man managed to stay upright with them on his back was a mystery to Ever.

She shook her head and tried to focus on the road ahead of her. As she'd gotten into her car this morning she couldn't help but check the wheels and front bonnet for any signs of an accident - there were none. She had decided to take an alternative route to get to school, one that didn't involve going passed the diner. Once she finally she pulled into school, the last thing on her mind being her math quiz or homework from last night she hadn't done. Pulling her bag from the back seat, she got out and locked the car, proceeding to make her way inside. Just as she was taking her phone from her bag, something caught her eye.

She stopped and watched the crow as it circled just above the school, before finally landing, perched on the edge above the door. She could feel it watching her, those empty eyes staring into the depths of her sole. Its black feathers, as black as the night, reminded her of her dream, and she couldn't help but shudder. She kept her eye on the bird as she walked into the school, clutching her bag to her chest as she felt a sense of dread wash over her. Ever couldn't understand why this nightmare was having such a long lasting impact on her, but she did her best to shake it off as she approached her locker. The bell for lunch had just gone and so the halls were beginning to fill up, and she felt increasingly more safe as she became surrounded by students and teachers.

"Hey, I was wondering where you were." She heard from behind her, and turned around to see Gwen walk up to her. Her wired curls were as prominent as ever and her smile was warm as she enveloped Ever in a soft hug. Gwen took her glasses off and hung them off of the neck of her shirt, leaning against the locker beside Ever. "Why did you come in late?"

Ever sighed. "I had the oddest dream ever last night so mum let me sleep in. It was a nightmare about me getting into a crash coming home from work. It was so realistic, I almost screamed myself awake." Ever decided not to tell Gwen about the bird-man she'd dreamt up for now. She could be superstitious at times and Ever didn't feel like discussing the meaning behind it all day.

Gwen pouted, nudging Ever's shoulder. "Well, it's a pity you missed assembly this morning. Miss Conner has evidently gone 'off the grid'." Ever stopped what she was doing, turning from her Biology book to look at Gwen. Her bushy eyebrows were raised and the whisper of a smirk danced across her lips as she locked eyes with Ever's.

"You're going to have to elaborate I'm afraid."

As Ever grabbed the last of her books, her and Gwen began walking towards the art room. "Apparently she's just disappeared. Packed up her car and left. No note, no warning - nothing. Her fiancé hasn't seen her and her house is empty."