Air Born | Generation Icarus #1

Victoria - Merry Misfits

Just ahead of me, Tyler gave Miguel a shove. Miguel's dark wings quickly vanished into the gloom of the trees, and Tyler reached out for me. I took his hand and we ran. Behind us, some of the Angelists gave chase, ignoring the pleading shouts of the Reverend to respect the innocent Angels and listen for the Lord in their hearts.

The forest floor began to slope steeply upward. Tyler didn't once let go of my hand as we dashed up the hill, dodging trees, bushes and branches. Beside me, his brown wings flexed and shifted, his rustling feathers were so alive. The thin soles of my shoes were sinking in the damp leaf litter, collecting a thick, slippery layer of mud and vegetation that slowed me down. The backpack swung awkwardly on my shoulder. My calves and thighs burned with the uphill sprint. But each time I stumbled, Tyler's hand tightened and pulled me upright and along beside him. Behind us, the distraught Angelists were bumbling around in the trees, begging us to come back. But the hours I'd already spent in their company, tagging along on the expedition, had been more than enough. Even as my breath rasped and my chest ached, I shuddered at the thought of returning to them.

As the slope became too steep for a headlong attack, Tyler turned and began climbing at an angle, his steps slowing on the loose surface. Massive rocks rose out of the soil like mountain warts, some half-strangled by ancient trees. The cries of the Angelists were fading into the distance, replaced by a jumbled chorus of birdsong and insects. I took advantage of the slower pace to shove my hoodie in my pack and settle it more securely on my shoulders, once again compressing my folded wings.

As we rounded a boulder, an old tree root broke under Tyler's foot. A small avalanche of loose leaves and soil cascaded down the slope below us. I quickly grabbed a nearby branch, my other hand nearly yanking Tyler's arm out of his shoulder but cutting short his tumble down the slope. His wings flapped, blasting more leaves everywhere and pushing his body upright again.

"Thanks," he said as he regained his footing, panting a little, and finally dropping my hand to brush himself off. His lopsided smile seemed a little embarrassed but mostly amused.

"I should be thanking you," I said, suddenly noticing how well-developed his chest muscles were as they rose and fell right in front my face. Then, as he turned away to continue picking a path along the side of the slope, I wondered if that was related to the size of his wings ...

"Can you fly?" I blurted out, and immediately felt myself blush.

Tyler tilted his head and glanced back over his shoulder. "Not yet, but we're working on it," he said, grinning. "You?"

"I don't think so," I said, trying to concentrate on where I was putting my feet and not on the twitching brown wings folded in front of me. My own wings seemed to move in response, which in turn threw me off balance with the unaccustomed shifts in my centre of gravity. That would have been disconcerting enough even if we hadn't been scrambling like awkward mountain goats along the hill.

"Haven't really had a chance to try," I added.

"So what were you doing with them?"

"Infiltrating for information," I tentatively joked. I was rewarded with a slight chuckle. "Mostly I was just lurking. And hitching a ride, so to speak."

"I guess you came looking for me like Miguel did." Tyler scrambled up the last stretch of slope and stood up on the ridge, looking around. "Speaking of, where did he go?"

"I'm coming." A more tenor voice drifted through the trees, and we spotted the black-winged guy ducking branches on his way toward us.

"I'm Tyler, by the way." Suddenly awkward, he ran his hand through his brown hair with that lopsided grin, and my heart, which had begun to ease off its frantic pace, accelerated again.

His friend pushed past the last tree and stopped to catch his breath. "I'm Miguel."

I smiled, hoping I wasn't too badly flushed from the mad dash up the hill. "I'm Tori." I added, reluctantly, "It's short for Victoria."

"What's wrong with 'Victoria'?" Miguel asked.

"You sound English," Tyler said. "And Victoria is a very British name."

Feeling my wings twitching uncomfortably, I shrugged. "I am English, but ... it's a long story involving a bullying step-sister. Not important."

Tyler shot Miguel a warning look. "We don't have time anyhow. What are we going to do now that our training ground is compromised?"

"The Angelists aren't hunters," Miguel said, putting his hands on his hips. "They won't sell us out."

"I don't think he'd sell us out as much as brag about finding us," I said, awkwardly. "The Reverend will do anything to get on TV so he can preach the Angelists' message to as many people as possible."

"How do you know?"

"Because that's what he was talking about this morning, when he was giving his church group a pep talk about the hike. Except he was calling it the 'First Pilgrimage to Angel's Meadow'." Raising my hands, I curved my fingers around the words. Tyler smirked but Miguel frowned.

"Angel's Meadow?"

"Where I ... uh ... we met. Just now."

"Our flight training field," Tyler said, rolling his eyes. "Which we can't use anymore." His bronze-coloured eyes met and held mine. "Any ideas what to do next, Tori?"

Now I knew I was blushing. "Not really," I admitted. "I just didn't want to figure it out on my own. So ... do you mind if I tag along?"

"I'm starting to feel like Robin Hood, hiding out in the forest and acquiring a band of Merry Men," Tyler joked, then hastily added, "Merry People."

"Merry Misfits," I suggested, and they both laughed.

The sound helped to release the last of the tension in my muscles, and I realised I felt more comfortable with these two half-bird, half-boy strangers than I had around my own family and friends for weeks.

"The Reverend is hardly the Sheriff of Nottingham," I said, "but I'll bet anything that as soon as they get back to civilization and reliable cell phone coverage, he'll be telling the whole world he's made contact with the Angels."

"Bringing more hunters down on us." Tyler groaned. "I was just starting to get used to this place."

"We were running low on food anyway," Miguel said lightly. "If we're going to relocate then we'd better do it soon or there'll be no daylight left."