The Peregrines

Chapter 10.

{ Edited - 30th June, 2020 }
{ Edited - 10th April, 2024 }

"You know what, I do have something to share, I'm leaving!" As I said assertively, I started to walk around them, but Miss Crow swiftly halted me by stepping right in front of me. 

"Please provide clarification on your intended meaning 'Maybe it's Miss Crow's trick'" Miss Crow 

I experienced this unexpected surge of energy that I had never felt before whenever I got angry. The more I suppressed it, the stronger it became. I really need to find a way to let it out. Bird help me, I don't want to share my secret! And I don't want my childhood to be over, too.

I made an effort to maneuver around Miss Crow for the second time, but she persistently moved to the side, preventing me from passing. Now, I stood right at the edge of the cliff. My head was on the verge of exploding with sudden anger, so I instinctively reached for my cheeks, but I couldn't contain it any longer.

"ENOUGH OF THIS" I shouted while flinging my hands away from my face in annoyance, sensing my palms aimed towards the ground, sensing the heat intensifying within my hands as if they were about to unleash a burst of fire.

I couldn't believe how quickly something happened that I had no idea about. As I moved my hands away from my face, with my palms pointing towards the ground near my feet, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck the exact spot where my hand was pointing.

All of a sudden, the ground beneath me gave way and I found myself in free fall. As I glanced downwards, I realized it wasn't water below me, but rather a vast expanse of sand. Aren't I just screwed. I have a feeling that this will be painful, especially on top of my existing injuries. Even though it seemed like a great chance to transform into a bird, I was too terrified to even consider attempting it.

Just as I was preparing to land on the sand, I suddenly came to a halt for a brief moment before gracefully descending onto the shore. Looking up, I noticed that it was Miss Raven and Miss Crow in their bird form who had interrupted my free fall.

 In an instant, they soared upwards, making their way towards the house. It was a blessing that their clothes didn't stay on when they transformed into humans. Now, I can avoid answering any bothersome questions or enduring their constant babbling.

I found myself in a state of shock and utter confusion. The weather abruptly vanished, transforming from a stormy day to a bright and sunny one. I hurriedly got up from the floor, feeling shaken up by recent events. I sprinted up the hill, passed the village, and entered the half-flooded forest that was beaten down by the tsunami yesterday. After that, I ventured into the cave, quickly turned back when I reached a dead end and sprinted back home.

I didn't bother returning to the sick bay or my room. Instead, I ran up the stairs until I reached the fourth floor of the building. There, I found a key and a lock resting on the small table. After entering a random isolation room, I securely closed the enormous iron door behind me, making sure it was locked from the inside. I then carefully placed the key into my pocket for safekeeping.

Okay, first things first...what on EARTH JUST HAPPENED BACK THERE?! The weather can't just switch up like that, that's not how it works, last time I checked. I thought back to yesterday and remembered the moment I almost left Miss Crow. I was feeling a bit upset, and I noticed the temperature around me dropped, almost as if it was reflecting my mood.

Is this... My peculiarity?? Random temperature drops and..what? Lightning bolts?? Is it based of my moods?? I don't understand what's going on! Whatever, I won't allow that to hinder me from trying to become a bird. As a matter of fact, I'll do it right here. The walls are made of soft padding and I have a crashmat for a bed, so I should be safe and good.

I tried every possible move that came to mind, but each time I landed on the floor, it created a loud thud, indicating failure. Apart from that, nothing else happened.

"Miss Kira?" A muffled voice spoke in the distance. I can't catch a break from these Ymbrynes, and I'm absolutely fed up with being trapped in this damned house. As I peered through the window, I couldn't believe my luck. Unlike the majority of isolation rooms, this one wasn't obstructed by bars. Perfect, I have another dumb idea.

I took the key out of my pocket and set it down on the crash mat bed since I didn't need it anymore. I strolled over to the window, unclasped it, and effortlessly raised it up. Out of curiosity, I cast my gaze downwards to assess the situation. Lovely, another long drop, just what I bloody need. 

 "Is everything okay in there, Miss Kira?"  I heard a muffled voice speaking. I couldn't recognize the owner of the voice, but that wasn't important anymore.

"Go away!" I yelled.

"Miss Kira, Miss Raven and I kindly request that you open up the door so that we may have a conversation with you," I can tell right away that it's Miss Crow's voice.

"Leave me alone," I snapped again. I started climbing onto the window ledge and managed to slip my body outside. Now I was hanging there, so I had to carefully and quietly climb down until I reached the roof of the third floor. I perched on the roof and began to inch my way towards the edge, eventually letting my legs hang over the gutter.

My gaze shifted downwards, and I couldn't help but feel a shiver run down my spine. The drop loomed before me, and at a staggering 100 feet, it seemed like a leap into the unknown. "Oh my god," I whispered to myself. It dawned on me that falling from such a height could potentially be fatal. "Look on the bright side, Kira. There are trees, they can break your fall... Like yesterday morning... Just without Barron here to catch you," 

That's the motivation that pushed me to step off the edge. It took around 15 seconds of free-falling before I abruptly came to a sharp stop, feeling a tightness in my chest from dread. When I glanced downwards, I noticed I was still dangling in the air. But when I looked down at my chest I understood why...

Someone had wrapped their arms around me, catching me in time.

"Kira!?" A wounded voice softly spoke.

I sensed myself being pulled inwards, so I braced my feet against the outer wall of the building and pushed with all the shaky strength I had left. And just like that, I found myself free-falling once more. As I was falling, I blocked my face with my arms, making sure nothing took my eye out or broke my teeth in whilst falling.

I tumbled through the air until I landed hard on a tree, feeling like a pinball bouncing between obstacles on the way down with tree branches. Those branches seemed determined to give me a beating, hitting me multiple times. Unfortunately, this time, I couldn't escape hitting the ground hard and ended up landing on my shoulder. I cried in pain and cussed out my first bad word.

 I attempted to keep quiet, but I couldn't help but let out a squeal and curl up into a tight ball before managing to awkwardly stand up. I glanced up and noticed a silhouette halfway out the window, waving goodbye with a slight hand gesture as if unsure whether it was a forever goodbye or a temporary one.

It dawned on me that the person in front of me was actually Miss Raven, the one who rescued me when I was falling. I waved goodbye back at her. I started running, running far away, but I couldn't bring myself to stop or glance behind me as I headed towards the exit of the loop. The current world was still half-flooded, but the emergency responders were searching the village thoroughly for dead bodies, injured and other survivors amidst all the debris and smashed-down buildings.

I made up my mind to head straight to the docks where I knew there was a boat station. Without wasting any time, I jumped onto a boat that caught my eye and set sail to an unknown destination. I'm never coming back here.