Hawkgirl (Danny Rand)

One

          Two weeks ago I was on vacation with my family. We went to some island in the Caribbean for winter break in an attempt to escape the cold. One week ago I was walking on the beach at night when I saw a strange necklace. One week ago I picked it up and put it on. Four days ago I woke up in the middle of the night to find a mark on my arm in the shape of an owl. At first, I was just freaked out, but then it blinked at me. Two days ago my shoulders started aching like crazy. Today I'm home from school because my back is in so much agony that I can barely even move.

           The owl tattoo on my arm burns as well, although the pain is nothing compared to the pain in my shoulders. It's like my bones are trying to push their way out of my flesh. I've never felt anything like it before.

            After the owl appeared on my arm I tried everything to get it off. I scrubbed my skin until it was red and raw, but wouldn't go away. When I tried to show my mom it moved. It went from my forearm to my right shoulder. I could feel the burning pain as it moved across my skin. Every time someone tries to look at it, it moves. Almost like it's hiding.

            I tried to take off the necklace too. I figured that it was probably the cause of the tattoo and the aching pain in my back since it's the only explanation. Unfortunately, I found out that my theory was right when I tried to take it off and found that it wouldn't budge. No matter how hard I tried it wouldn't come off. I even tried to cut the chain, but it was to no avail.

              "Ahhhh," I screamed as another wave of pain hit, this one even more painful than the last. My vision blurred, and suddenly everything went dark.

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            My eyes slowly flutter open, and immediately I notice the strange feeling in my back. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it feels heavier than it usually does. I slowly stand up and move towards the mirror in my room. I stand in front of it, and a bloodcurdling scream leaves my lips. I sink to my knees, all my strength suddenly leaving my body.

               Everything seems to be in high definition like my eyesight improved overnight to an inhuman extent. I hear footsteps pounding on the steps, and I look over at my alarm clock next to my bed. It's four o'clock, so my parents are still at work. My little brother is home from school though. Before I can think of any way to hide my bedroom door flies open. I look up with wide eyes to see my brother staring at me with even wider eyes.

                 "L..Laur?" My eleven-year-old brother asks, panic and fear clouding his eyes. I don't blame him. I'm scared too because the person staring back at me in the mirror isn't a person at all.

               I'm still me. I'm still the same person. I think the same, I feel the same, and except for one little thing, I look the same. Well, this thing isn't too little. You see, I think what I said before was truer than I thought, because rising up from next to my shoulder blades are a pair of feathery brown wings, similar to a hawk's.

             My brother and I stare at each other for a few more minutes, until he finally takes a tentative step forward. "Laur?" He asks again, the fear evident in his voice.

             "Connor help me!" I cry, finally snapping. I start to sob. "Help me please. I don't know what to do, help me!" I choke out between sobs. As soon as I say that all the fear disappears from his eyes, and he rushes forward. He hugs me, carefully avoiding the wings protruding from my back.

             "Can.. can you make them go away?" He asks quietly. I sniffle.

            "I don't know," I reply, my voice barely above a whisper. How do I just make them disappear? Go away wings! Maybe if I just think it over and over again it'll work. I squeeze my eyes shut and just repeat that though over and over again. 'go away wings, go away wings.' After a couple of minutes, I open my eyes again, only to see that nothing has happened. I let out a frustrated groan, putting my head in my hands. Suddenly I feel a sharp pain in my back, and a strange sensation coming from my shoulders. In a second the pain is gone, and so is the weight on my back. I quickly look in the mirror to see that the wings had disappeared.

               I hear Connor sigh in relief before he wraps his arms around me. I smile and hug my little brother back, relieved that whatever that was is over.

             We sit there in silence for a few more minutes before he looks over at me. "You have to tell someone," he finally decides.

             "Who? Who could possibly help me?" I ask, and for once Connor doesn't know the answer.