GO

6.

    I hear the triangle toll, and get up. I ruffle my unruly hair. I look up at the poster of my favorite band, “Kali Hearts”. The news said the drummer committed suicide and the other band members died in the fire the next morning. They said a girl, probably a girlfriend of Alexs’, barely escaped with Alexs’ journals. I never pegged him to be the type to commit suicide.  The triangle tolls louder, more urgent. One. One. One.  Three short, loud tolls in all. That only means one thing. A new kid is coming in. I rush out of my room and down a bright grey hallway. The black tile floor covers the whole house, except for the concrete stairs. Those are outlined with glow in the dark tape. So are the banisters, which is why I tend to just lift my feet and slide down the banisters with my arms.

    Once at the end of the hall, I turn left.  I follow the identical hallway to the middle and take a right. I skitter down the hall, then slide with my socks. I hit the wall before I can turn, nearly denting the wall. I push off the wall and head left again. It’s confusing, I know. I enter a side room, and I see Nick, Rick, and Eri all in the room.  I hear Eri Peel, amazed, “Bärchen?” I smile and nod. I flop down, and stretch myself out. Nick and Rick nod their greeting. I nod back.

     Nick, a vampire to end all vampires, whispers, “New girl. The girl from the fire. Unconscious still.”

     Rick chirps, blonde hair, dark grey eyes, and charcoal complexion contrasting Nicks’ appearance, “I think she’s a Normal. Sorry, Bärchen.” I sigh, pushing off my stomach. My wings brush along the ground as I sit down. The charcoal feathers are flecked with star-like flecks of bleach white. I roll my eyes, preparing my voice to speak for the first time in a few days.

    I cough, “You know… That… because?” Rick seems to panic and Nick shifts around uncomfortably.  

   Innocent Eri blurts, “Because they don’t want a repeat of Chantrea.” I feel my mouth run dry. I fold my wings tighter against me, eyes narrowing.

   Standing up swiftly, I wonder with dispair, “Why did they bring that up?” Eri acts stricken by my actions as I storm out. I hear them call for me to come back, but I head across the hall to the stairwell of this three story building. This is the ground floor, but my room is on the third floor. The halls are all one gentle slope down, if you take the right halls. I approach the door to the stairs, but I hear the Home keep, Mez, call me.  I turn on my heel and groan mentally. I really do not want to have to help with this snotty brat.

    She calls, “Bar, honey? I can hear you, you know.” I roll my eyes and trudge over with my wings dragging behind like a grand cape. Why me? Why the heck am I always the tour guide? Why not Eri?  She’s less conspicuous then I am!

     I growl, “Damn bat hearing.’

     I flinch as she snaps, “Bärchen Zvedza! Get your feathery ass down here!  NOW!” I roll my eyes and sigh. I tense my jaw and take the final corner separating us. My body is running hot with my previous and current anger. She sees my thunderous expression, and concern covers Mezs’ features. She asks, “Did something happen?” I give an unimpressed glare and gather my wits around me.

       I grit, heart stopping and straining, “Chan.” She nods sadly. Chantrea said she was a Kremlin like me, but she… She died on her first flight. We tried to fly together, but she didn’t have wings and fell to her death before I could save her. I think she knew what she was doing. I asked a million plus times if she had wings, but she always said yes.

        She sighs, southern accent strong with fatigue, “Hey, Bärchen, can you take this sweet little  Mèlomanie to the third floor. She’s still asleepin, so can yah carry ‘er up dah staiirrrs yer way. Be sure to be all gentle like. I know you caaan be a littttle crazzeee when youuurrr egggcited.” I give her a cold glare and stretch my wings.

        I growl, anger boiling over “Who said I was excited? Also,how do you know she’s a Mèlomanie?” She stares at me with a confused look. I think I overstepped again. I seem to have a gift for that sort of thing.

      She barks, “Just take her upsta…” Then, the chick wakes up. I give her a horrified look. Our cover was blown. I grab the sweater I left on the coat rack. It does not fit properly, because it was ordered four sizes too big by mistake. I shove the sweater over my body. It’s huge, but so is the pounding in my heart. I can’t be exposed any more than I already exposed myself the day Chant died. Nick, Rick, and Eri did not know until that day. They are the only ones who saw my wings so hiding it from them is useless now. However, no one else needs to know. My wings are my buisness. If everyone knew about my wings, they would just use me like everyone else who knew about them has.

      Mez frowns at me and sighs. She hates me hiding my ‘gift’, she says it isn’t healthy. She says I need to be more confident in my faith in humanity. I say, humanity needs to grow a brain and stop thinking with their other end and the few brain cells they have devoted to greed.

    Mez waves a hand in my face and coughs twice. I remember what she can do and look to the Mèlomanie beside her. I’m part Mèlomanie too, so I can empathize with her a little bit. The girl asks, “Why are there feathers behind you?” Fuck, I forgot the feathers are too long to hide now. A shiver runs my spine as I think back.

     “Eh, wing boy. Get that thing down.” I nod and flare my wings. I kick off the dumpster and flap my wings. They fill the alley way length ways, and this is really a road between buildings. I feel the cold bristle my feathers and glide beneath them. I arch my back, looping in the air. I beat slower, landing on the roof gently. I grab a football, but I realize what it is full of too late. Deciding to ditch, I take off at full speed. I hear them calling police about a freak uptown, so I tip my body and shoot into the stars. I reach the clouds, and glide along for a while. The dull greys and whites are fading to a smogy sunset. I watch as I fly to it, observing the transition to night. Suddenly, I see something fly through the air and ensnare me. I fall through the air, tumbling and flailing. I see a fence that would soon be part of my home. I angle and try to land on the protecting side of the fence. I get hung up on the wire, a foot from the ground. I yell in shock and horror when I fall the the ground. I cry out into the open air as I see the bloodied feathers falling to the ground around me and hang off the fence from both of my pure white wings. All that remains is the feathers that hang off the muscle and bone.

    My feathers all turned black and stary when they grew back. The area where the feathers remained resumed to be white, and it gives an odd appearance to my wings. I get a hand in my face again, but this time it’s the Mèlomanie. She asks, “Do you speak?” Concern is in her voice. I wonder why?