Those With Wings

Hurt

Zero's POV

I'd been pondering Luanna's words the whole, damned, day. It was driving me crazy.

"Maybe you'll figure it out before then anyhow."

FIGURE OUT WHAT?!

I swear, she speaks in riddles on purpose. Making me all curious, and fearful, and then nearly melt when she turned those wondrous big eyes my way, very seriously.

Torture. That was what it was. Pure torture.

When hell (school) finally ended, I was nearly biting my nails, like a girl would do. I waited for Luanna rather like a faithful dog would do, and I got more nervous by the second as I didn't see her.

Someone scraped their throat. "Shushnub. I'm right here."

I whirled around, and Luanna was standing there, her eyebrow raised, the sarcasm nearly drooping off of her face. My stomach clenched. I really, really, really didn't like this. I wanted my Luanna back. The sweet one, the one who cried over my body when I was dying, who swore she loved me to bring me back.

Did she? Did she love me?

Shut up, Zero, you know she does. Luanna doesn't tell lies. She's honest, pure, a good person, the most beautiful person in existence. You're lucky, so lucky with her. You aren't even worth one percentage of her.

I relaxed slightly, and then eyed the girl by Luanna's side. Short, slender, musclar, dark and smooth skin, dark hair, brown challenging eyes, big nose, lopsided mouth, yet she had something pretty. There was a fierce attitude about her, and though she was the opposite from Luanna in looks, I could tell they were like sisters in character.

"Hello, I'm Piper," the girl chirped, extending her hand, "I assume you're the shushnub called Zero?"

I blinked, and glanced at Luanna. "We should probably tell your mom we're staying over for dinner at Piper's place," she said coolly.

I winced. "Uhm, why?"

The girl's shared a glance. "We'll explain that once you've called your mom."

I gave the girl -Piper, what a name- a second glance. She wasn't one with wings, was she?

"Heya, Piper, Lu, shusnub," a voice said, relaxed. I looked for the source, and saw Alex, looking calm yet confident. I made a little jump. It'd been a long time ago that I hadn't seen him nervous, paranoid and over-protective of a non-existent girl.

What was bringing on these changes within the siblings?

"I'll call my mum," I said slowly, taking out my phone and turning my back on them.

Something was going on, and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to know.

At Piper's Place

As soon as we arrive, Piper flew inside. "Dad? Dad?! DAD?! They're here!"

A woman with chocolate like skin -the same as Piper's- appeared. There was something fierce about her eyes, and they seemed nearly orange, a strange buttercup.

"You two must be Zero and Alex," she said calmly. I glanced at Luanna, but the woman didn't pay much attention to her. Had Luanna been here before? When?

"I assume you all know about our branch?"

I gave her an incredilous look, while Alex startled, but nodded. "Branch?" I asked.

Luanna sighed. "Zero- Piper's family is from another branch from our kingdom. I guess I have some explanation to do."

"I'll leave you to it," the woman said smoothly, walking into another room. Alex followed her, looking uneasy.

"Zero- I don't know how to explain this, just that- our kingdom will one day need to be rebuilt, and we need to make it safe again. And for that to happen, our branch must be bigger, and therefore nature's rules have been bent."

I gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Luanna gave me a perplexed look at my refusal to understand. I knew though. In the pit of my stomach, I knew.

"It means that even though I didn't really love you in the love way, you were able to live because we need more population," she clarified.

I sprang up, hurt clawing into my heart as I realized her words. "You never loved me! You- you're just a self-centered, hateful, stupid creature!" I yelled, fury making my eyes sting with tears.

"I did love you! Just not in the way you thought, okay?! Zero- I am not fourteen! I am much, much older than that, you're just a kid, you don't understand! I will never, never love you in that way! EVER! And you really want to know the truth?! Huh, shusnub? I think you're a stupid, good for nothing kid who got lucky, a true ZERO! That's what you are!" she yelled, her voice raw with her anger as she raced away, presumably to Piper or Alex or whoever else hated my guts.

I screamed like I'd never done before, and buried my head in my hands.