I knew that I needed to move, that I needed to keep going, but in that moment it felt impossible. The cold sunk deeper and deeper into my skin, numbing my fingers and toes first before moving further up my arms and legs. My ragged breath fogged my sight and the silence rang deafeningly loud in my ears.
Hours passed. The sky didn't change but I could hear the birds start to stir with the coming of dawn, their songs reminded me that I was alive. By some miracle, I was alive. I forced myself to move, urging my reluctant limbs to push me into a sitting position. I climbed on to my knees first, then stood up. My balance felt off without the help of my wings.
I looked at my shaky reflection in the river currant, and was shocked to not recognize the features staring back at me. My rounded cheeks and too-large eyes were replaced with beautiful sharp cheekbones and hooded almond eyes, and my signature wavy pink hair was straight as a rod and as dark as the night sky. I was not myself.
Turning my back on the strange face, I looked into the horizon searching for a sign of civilization. A white water tower barely peaked over the tall trees, almost invisible in the dark. I squared my shoulders and began to walk towards the only hope I had to find help. Placing one foot in front of the other I found myself adjusting to the new length of my legs and the new balance of working without my wings.
The sky began to lighten as I worked my way through the tangled roots at the base of the dense woods, I was beginning to be able to make distinctions between root and rock, and found myself able to walk without tripping over obstacles. I was able to move much faster at that point, covering more ground as the sun rose from the East.
When the sun was almost at the highest point there was a break in the trees and the water tower stood directly in front of me. I almost sobbed with relief, but I couldn't allow myself to stop moving yet. Just one hundred feet ahead of my face was a small town.
My feet were bloody and torn, my clothes tattered and muddy, and my lips felt numb from the cold, but there was a town.
A town meant a phone.
And a phone meant I was one step closer to finding Dean.
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AUTHORS NOTE
Sorry for the long break in the story, I haven't been active on Wattpad in years. This chapter is super short but I am just getting back into the swing of things. I hope that this is satisfactory for a little bit and I will update with another chapter within a week!
Thank you!!
