At first, all I know is a blinding white light. It's all I see; it's all I am.
The next thing I notice is the air. Cold, sharp, and bitter with the smells of pollution. A light on my face, the wind in my hair. Slowly, I open my eyes a see a cityscape fold out beneath me. Buildings, taller than any I had ever seen frame the sky, and the noise is unbearable.
I look down to see the ground far below me, and a feeling of vertigo takes hold of me. I try to extend my wings, but nothing happens.
I step back, raising my hands in front of me and see-
Scars. Hundreds of them crisscrossed all over my arms. Tattoos, lining them, with black nails on my fingers. I turn, looking for a mirror, a window, any reflective surface.
It's at that point I notice how high up I am. Stories, higher than the palace of The Blue, above the ground. I'm on a roof, and when I look at where I was standing... I was on the edge.
There's a fire escape near me, with a glass window, and I run to it, looking at my reflection in disdain. There's a piercing in my pale nose, which is unusually covered in freckles. My normally copper eyes are bright blue with massive bags under them, and my once long flowing blonde hair is shaved to a navy blue tomboy cut. I stagger backwards, scared and in awe.
Have I... possessed someone?
I look down at myself, dressed in a loose gray t-shirt and pants. I'm shoeless.
Suddenly, the door bursts open in front of me, causing me to shriek and jump backwards. Two adults run out, a dark-skinned old woman with a kind face, and a tired-looking old man with bags and wrinkles.
"Elisa!" The woman says, sounding relieved. "Elisa, come here please."
I stand there, confused until I realize that I'm Elisa. I step forward, and the woman grabs my arm firmly. I yelp and jump backwards.
Except I don't. The body of Elisa stays in places, firmly within the woman's grasp, but I don't. I almost fall backwards out of her, barely catching my balance.
I look down at my hands and arms- once again mine- and breathe a sigh of relief.
"No!" I hear a girl scream, and I look up startled. It's Elisa, and she's bucking and kicking against the woman's grasp. "No, let go of me! Let me go!"
"Elisa, you don't want to do this." The man warns, sounding concerned. "You have your whole life ahead of you!"
"What life?" Elisa asks and wrenches herself out of the woman's hands. She makes a break for the edge, and that's when it all clicks.
"Elisa!" I scream, almost automatically. Time slows, and Elisa looks back at me, startled. The man and woman have frozen, and aren't looking at me or Elisa.
It's as if the world has frozen except for us.
"Elisa..." I say again, panting.
"Who are you?" She demands, looking scared. "Where did you come from?"
"My name is Clarisa James." I swallow, looking at her desperately. "Elisa... Don't do this. It's not-" I choke off, tears forming in my eyes. "It's not what you think it is."
"Why do you care? You don't know what my life looks like!" She accuses, stepping backwards.
"Elisa, please. This may seem like the only way out, but it's not." I plead, "You'll get through this, I know it. You don't want to die young."
"How do you know?"
I see no other option than to tell the truth, so I do. "Because I did," I say, unfurling my wings. "I died at 14 years old, drowned in the Atlantic Ocean."
"You- You're an angel." She blinks, trying to comprehend it.
"I am. Please, Elisa, come away from the edge. Please."
To my relief, I see tears fill her eyes, and she drops to her knees in front of me. In a rush, the man and woman run forward, lifting Elisa, comforting her.
"That's right, Elisa. Let's bring you inside." The woman coos, rubbing her back and bringing her towards the door.
Since I see no other way down, I slip through the door behind them, watching in relief as Elisa goes down the stairs carefully and without a struggle.
~
Reaching the main level, I notice, from a sign on the wall, that I'm in Redwaters Creek Psychiatric Institution, New York. So that means that Elisa must be a patient, and the man and woman there must be doctors or nurses.
It appears as if no one can see me, and no one takes notice of me as I enter the hospital floor behind the two nurses and Elisa. Even Elisa can't seem to see me anymore. It's as if I'm a shadow to this world.
I follow the two down a long corridor and see the man take Elisa into a patient room. I'm about to follow when I hear the woman say something to another doctor.
"That was close, Helen." The nurse sighs, leaning against the door gratefully. "She made it to the roof; we really need to install locks on these doors, or at least an alarm!"
"You did well, Debra." Helen comforts, "Elisa is a hand full. Her and Janet both."
The name catches my attention, but it has to only be a coincidence. Right?
"Agreed." Debra, the nurse, sighs. "Poor old Mrs James... couldn't go anywhere even if she wanted to."
I freeze, all blood leaving my face.
Janet... James?
It's impossible... No way... Not here.
"Poor woman." Debra says sadly, "After this eventful morning, I'm not sure I can take her now, too."
"Still not taking her meds?" Helen questions, head cocked.
"As always. It's amazing how much her sister's death affected her when she was so young..."
"And she had her whole life ahead of her, too." Helen agrees. "Her parents paid so much to keep her here... Now it's the tax-payers money that's letting her stay here."
"Alright, enough gossip, ladies." The man interrupts, coming out of Elisa's room. "Elisa is back in her room; she has her giraffe and she's informed me that she's going to take a nap now." He tells Debra, who looks relieved.
"Thank you for your help, Mr Hoffman." She smiles, and Mr Hoffman scoffs, off on his way again. "I'll see you in the break room, Helen?" She questions and Helen nods before heading off again.
Debra goes in the opposite direction, and I follow her, scanning room numbers as I pass.
And there it is. Room number 463. Debra goes in, and I scan her patient file that's hanging outside the door.
Name: Janet James Age: 95
Weight: 93 lbs/ 42 kg Height: 5'5"/ 165.1 cm
Diagnosis: Hyper-Intensive PTSD
Medication: Sertraline (Zoloft), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Prazosin (Minipress), Clonidine (Catapres), Paroxetine (Paxil).
Other Notes: N/A
Janet...
It really is her. I think, amazed. Maybe... just maybe...
Maybe I can see her just one last time...
The door opens and Nurse Debra exits, pulling the patient file away from me. As she leaves, I stand there, silent.
It's now or never.
I enter Janets room.
YOU ARE READING
Golden Wings
Fantasy[CURRENTLY BEING H E A V I L Y REVISED AS A NEAR COMPLETE DIFFERENT STORY] "Over a millennia ago, before the portals to the Earth were sealed off, the Angels and their darker brethren went to war. The Dark Angels had gone down to the realm of Earth...
