Upon Shattered Wings

Chapter 1: The Human World

"Good friends are like stars
You don't always see them
But they're always there"
-Unknown

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The humans had long since taken control of the Earth. Way before they occupied Earth, a powerful specie had thrived and flourished under the rule of their king. However, their reign had came to an end as countless of them were caught and sold into slavery. It was impossible to defeat the humans with their high technology and weapons and those who fought were later found in a ditch, their wings broken and cuts and bruises lining their bodies.

Those who were sold into slavery were treated none the better. Beaten regularly with whips and other weapons, many had tried to end their lives than subjugate themselves into a life serving monsters. The cruel treatments from these masters had circulated around in whispers among those who waited in fear at the annual auctions.

It was the fifth auction of the year, the air had grown colder, signaling the start of winter. Humans young and old stood before a raised stage while the announcer, a burly old man stood with a little mic clipped to his shirt. Coming back here was never a good feeling. It brought back memories, memories I wanted to keep buried. The heavy rings at the base of my wings felt like a dead weight on my back.

A young man dressed in rags was shoved forward, a pair of similar rings identical to mine clung to his wings. "Five hundred?" The man called out, holding up five with his hands. I frowned, as more bids were placed in and eventually he was sold for a thousand.

"Let's go, Amara," My young mistress whispered to me and grabbed my hand gently, tugging me out of the crowd. I was lucky to have her as my mistress. I was bought to serve her five years ago and she has never raised a hand at me.

I eyed the four spring rolls that were placed outside on a bench as we walked by. However, I ignored the small rumble of my stomach as the smell reached my nose. The walk back to the mansion wasn't long and as we stepped into the familiar atmosphere, I let out a loose sigh of relief.

There were several other servants cleaning around the front yard and they bowed to the young mistress when we came in. I made eye contact with Rory who gave me a small wave. Grinning, I returned the wave as we walked into the house.

"Thalair." Mistress stopped and turned towards me, her eyes questioning. She had stated that I call her by her name instead of using formal titles when I first arrived. "Where do you want me to put these?" I shook my arms where several bags of clothing hung.

She facepalmed. "Shoot, I almost forgot. Here, I'll take them." She grabbed the bags and skipped towards her room upstairs. Seeing that she doesn't need my assistance, I walked outside to help with the remaining chores.

"Amara!" Rory bounded towards me and gave me a quick hug. I laughed and ruffled his dark hair. "What did you see outside? Did you see any trains? Cars? What about airplanes?"

I shook my head at him. Rory had been obsessed with different kinds of transportation ever since I had folded him a paper airplane. Because the other servants weren't allowed out into the city, he had taken up the opportunity to ask me about everything I had seen. "Not today, champ. We were only on the outskirts of the city so we didn't really see much."

"Well, that sucks major ass." He pouted, picking up his broom. My eyes widened at his choice of word. Without a warning, I smacked him upside the head. "Hey!"

"Who taught you that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at his sheepish grin.

"Well, I overheard you that day when you were kicking the trash can. Anyways, I'm not a child anymore so I should be able to say cuss words," He stated as he stabbed a flying piece of leaf before it took off.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You are only fifty, pipsqueak."

"So? You're a hundred! That's only a half year difference!" He waved his hands in the air, accidentally releasing the trapped leaf. I wrapped my arm around his neck and gave him a noogie.

"Hey! Stop that! You're messing up my hair!" I released him with a laugh as he threw me an annoyed scowl.

Going back to work, we had the leaves sitting in trash bags in no time. The bell chimed, signaling the time for dinner. Tossing the last bag into the huge trash bins, we raced into the shack where the servants lived. The shack was in no way small, it was pretty big, enough room to fit all the servants.

"Slow down, you two. Your plates aren't going anywhere." The sound of Galore appeared in front of us. Galore had been here for as long as I could remember. He was the oldest here so all of us respected him and looked to him for advices.

I bounded up to him and wrapped his tall form in a tight hug. He chuckled and patted my head as his black wings gave a small twitch. "Go eat before Rory steals your food."

"Yes sir," I saluted and dashed into the room to see Rory reaching for the chicken on my plate. "Lay one finger on it and you'll find yourself missing one."

He paused and wisely retreated his hand, shoveling food into his mouth as if he hadn't eaten for days. Grabbing my own, I dug in, savoring the gravy that accentuated the rich flavor of the chicken. Finishing off my food, I bid goodnight to the young boy before heading to my room.

Diving towards the bed, I sighed. The dream of one day being free and exploring the world never ceased to play out in my mind. What would the world look like? Would there be more people like us who are free? The O'Linins were a good family. They had never beaten us, often making sure we lived peacefully in the territory and we had enough food to eat. Because of the strict rules of the city, whenever I stepped outside with Thalia, I had to act like the ever obedient slave.

As I watched the stars appear in the darkened sky, wariness seeped into my bones. Before I knew it, sleep overcame my fatigue figure and lulled me into a dreamless sleep.

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Feel free to comment your thoughts about the first chapter ^.^ Press that lil star while you're at it too 😁.