Birthmarked

19-Awakening

Many people talk about it, how they soared through the air for those few thousand feet before their parachute guided them back to earth safely.

    The wind in their face, the adrenaline in their veins, the exhilaration in the knowledge that they could fly if only for a few minutes.

    But none ever explained this feeling of ultimate freedom, of absolute release, and total abandon. This was what sky divers and thrill seekers looked for, but never truly found.

    And here I was experiencing it for the first time. I pitied humans for half a second; never would they ever have this feeling. But the feeling didn’t last long.

    I flapped my wings and shot higher in the sky, Sofie and Nathan on my tail. It soon turned into a race. Zach joined, playing dirty, as usual, as he took a hold of my foot and pulled me behind him and shot forward.

    “Eat my dust!” he called over his shoulder. I flapped my wings harder, putting more power into getting ahead faster. Soon, we were neck and neck.

    He clipped my wing with one of his.

    “Give it up!”

    “You’re playing dirty!” I yelled back.

    “There are no rules in flying, Princess.”

    “Oh, is that right?”

    Before he knew what I was doing, I banked left, so that I was right over him, flapping my wings in sync with his.

    “What the . . .”

    I grabbed onto his shirt, furling my wings, and rode on his back.

    “What are you doing?” he exclaimed, twisting so that he could see me.

    He slowed significantly, unsure of what I was doing. Using him as my leverage, I shot away from him, soaring ahead of him like a missile.

    I looked behind me, seeing Zach’s stricken expression as I made it to a waiting Ian, who acted as the finish line.

    “Woo!” I punched the air. “Winner!” I continued to celebrate as a sullen Zach flew off in the other direction.

    Ian patted me on the shoulder.

    “You’re pretty fast. No one before you could beat Zach. I guess that’s why he’s so upset.”

    I raised an eyebrow at Ian. “Really? When is he not upset?”

Ian laughed behind me as I made my way towards the others. Zach wasn’t among them.

    “How do you like them?” Nehemiah asked, gesturing towards my wings.

    I flapped them once for emphasis as I said, “I love them. I’ve never felt so exhilarated!”

    “Enjoy it now while you still can, Penny,” Mnakir said. “Now that you have changed, he will come personally to find you.”

    “Then we will be ready,” I answered quickly.

    Mnakir looked at me with quiet respect, as if I had finally proven myself. I looked away quickly.  

    “Let’s get back now. I can no longer see the house.”

I sat on the back porch that the angels seemed to have never used, and practiced not tearing my shirt as I unfurled my wings.

    The feeling was beautiful, the movement like water flowing over smooth stone or like the supplest silk caressing skin.