Fury

Michael

I began to feel the sun trying to penetrate my eyes as the day began and I sighed audibly before lifting my body from the mattress that wasn't mine. Refusing to open my eyes I peeled off the sheets exposing my nakedness to the cool morning air and I felt around for my phone hoping I hadn't broken it in the midst of last night's little adventure. I think his name was Michael. Oh, yes, Michael. Poor sweet, innocent Michael with his beautiful hair and sinful smile. I knew I had to have him as soon as I saw him and the thrill of capturing him among the other women vying for his attention at the bar was incredible. I had felt the energy shifting all night, but nothing could beat the feeling of winning. That moment of triumph and the disappointment of the others around me. That feeling was vital. It fed me. It exhilarated me. It freed me but most importantly it kept me alive.

Michael had been a gentleman, as much as his kind could be. You know the type. His type. Good looking, wealthy, and smart. Those types always felt like they had and knew it all. That the world belonged to them because of their privilege. But what's privilege when they don't even know what's really out there. What walks among them. That I walk among them. That thought alone was delicious. Richer and more decadent than an old-fashioned grandmother's chocolate cake. Grandmothers make chocolate cake, right? Ok, now I'm just rambling. Time to get dressed and get out of here because it's only a matter of time before things get dangerous for me. Too bad that time had already passed for Michael. I rarely looked at them when I was done. There really wasn't any point. It's not like I ever felt anything. The kind of things that normal people would feel like remorse, sadness, guilt or regret. I didn't know what those things felt like. I barely knew what they were or how they worked and for that I am grateful. Such silly and necessary things. Finally, I opened my eyes and allowed them to adjust to the light finding my dress, shoes and phone. Perfect. Now I wouldn't have to linger and waste time. Not bothering to be quiet I made my way to Michael's bathroom to make myself presentable. Impressive. Michael had good taste. Transparent glass and expensive Spanish marble. The best that money could buy apparently.

I assessed my features in his almost floor length mirror and smiled. My fiery waist length hair, light hazel eyes and curvaceous body were in fine form, but I had to slow down with what I was doing. Anymore and I'd start to look a bit childlike and that just wouldn't do. It's bad for my kind to overindulge even though the excitement of it could be addictive. The energy, the vibe as they called it these days, it was indescribable. It was almost like a drug and sometimes it's hard to hold back. But we often go a little overboard like we have back in the good old days. It almost led to our total extinction because they became afraid. They always thought themselves to be superior, but our kind had kept the checks and balances of this world. Why couldn't they see that? Everything was done for a reason. It was just how the world worked because things had to be sacrificed, lessons had to be taught and some things just have to be let go and forgotten. But now we're the ones who can't forget even though they have forgotten.

Michael was just a piece of that. A piece in the puzzle called life. He should be grateful that I even deemed him worthy even though he was easy. But he was still fun so it's not all bad. I'm not all bad. I'm just doing what I was born to do. I'm just fulfilling my destiny, carrying on the legacy of my ancestors while simultaneously securing my survival. It needed to be done so it had to be done. Simple as that. I slipped on my dress, shoes and tied up my hair before exiting the bathroom. My eyes scanned across Michael's bedroom. He had a bookshelf filled with the classical works of some the finest minds of their kind. Based on the lackluster conversation between the two of us last night I could deduce that he hasn't read a single one of them. Michael was a fake and his bookshelf was part of his show. His closet screamed designer excess, his sheets were most likely Egyptian cotton, the bathroom spoke for itself and the safe underneath his bed was stacked with the crisp green pieces of paper that they so valued. It was the one thing that I would take from him. Not all of it but enough to keep me moving because after all, you need more than just energy to survive in their world. They had made that an absolute law and used that law to even punish their own kind. My mouth twisted in bitterness and hate at the thought of them. Taking what I needed I exited Michael's penthouse without even a backward glance and made sure to close door securely behind me.

I took the back exit and was met with the chilly Manhattan air. A brief wind blew by and enveloped me like an old friend giving me a hug and it made me smile. This world wasn't all bad, there were some things that I liked despite missing my world. But I shook this thought because where I was from was long gone. They had taken it, but they didn't know that we would soon take theirs. I could feel my wings itching to be released but I couldn't be in my truest form on the street. No one in New York ever showed their truest forms anyway. Everyone here were like actors and actresses playing a role until they finally broke character and it made me wonder if they ever got tired. Watching them interact with each other was both frustrating and amusing. They were constantly suspicious of their own kind, always wondering what the other intentions were. They had grown so manipulative through the ages that they couldn't even trust themselves! Watching them destroy themselves was interesting but the pace at which they did it wasn't fast enough for my kind. They were moving at a snail's pass and that wasn't something that pleased us. So, we did what we have to do, for our kind, for us to one day rise again. And indeed, we shall.

This thought rejuvenated me as my heels clicked against the concrete, I had to find something other than energy to feed this form. I finally opened the door to my favorite little diner and sat in the booth waiting for one of to come to me. This place had the best pancakes and in all of my years I never thought that I would like pancakes. It was a curiously weird food, flat cooked circular flour with a sticky syrup poured over it but this form liked the taste of it. It was sweet and warm and filled the belly and it all seemed to go to places that their male counterparts liked. The standards of beauty seem to keep changing but luckily, I could always adapt depending on my surroundings. Some places were easier than others but that was life. Especially in this world. My favorite one of them, a female counterpart, her name was Joy approached me with a large plate of hot pancakes.

"Feorie! You're back! I haven't seen you in over a week!" She smiled at me genuinely. The energy I sensed from her was always pure and I couldn't help but smile back before replying, "I had some business out of town I needed to wrap up. But I'm back in the city again".

"Oh good! I hope everything went well for you" She replied before smiling again and making her way over to another table demanding her attention.

Oh, she had no idea how well my plans had gone. It was all almost too easy. I ginned down at my pancakes as the belly of my form grumbled. I would eat very well this morning. I had worked hard last night and deserved this delicious treat. I chewed slowly savoring the taste of my meal while looking around. The diner wasn't busy at all this morning, but it was 7am after all. Most new Yorkers were at work by this time so the only other patrons around were 2 old couples and an older man sitting alone with his service dog. The way he held his utensils as he carefully ate let me know that he was blind. But the ding of the bell on the door of the diner caught my and the service dog's attention and in walked an average height man.

Now usually I wouldn't be too intrigued at looking at one of them unless I was seeking energy but this one caught my eye. His striking blonde hair did not match his features but yet somehow, they made them stand out. I believe they would call this kind Asian. I watched as Joy led him to the booth right in front of mine, she handed him a menu and he grinned and thanked her. His eyes met mine and he nodded before his gaze fell to the papers in front of him. Usually my interest would die at this moment, but I couldn't read his energy. I focused all my strength to feel something but repeatedly I kept coming with nothing. An uncanny panic began to brew within me and I could feel my wings beginning to itch beneath my skin more violently. What was this feeling? What did this all mean? The pancakes no longer tasted like little fluffy pieces of happiness, they were turning to ashes in my mouth and I began to feel like I was choking all of a sudden. I took out a green piece of paper from my bra and slapped it down on the table telling Joy to keep the change and I hurried my way out.

I needed air? I needed something. I practically jogged down 78th and into my secret spot, an empty building, no cameras, no people. Hurriedly shrugging my jacket off I felt my wings begin to rip through the back of my current form. I heard the sound of my bones snapping and cracking to make room for the protrusions begging to erupt. In less than a minute I was who I truly was. My breath evened and slowed, as I felt each wing stretch and flap about a little. It had been over a month since I released like this. If only I could take flight at this moment and shine across the sky like my ancestors did. If only I was free to be what I delight in the most. But their world was a cruel place, but it was no matter because I could be crueler. Meanwhile on the 54th floor, in the penthouse of the most luxurious building in the state, on plush white sheets, Michael lay on his back with his face staring up at the ceiling. His eyes open, glazed over, his lips slightly parted, his chest not rising and falling, his body slowly hardening and becoming stiff. Rigor mortis on its way to settling in........