The Tower

Chapter 13

I wake in a cold sweat and look around the whole room, taking in everything before I can safely say I'm not dreaming or in some kind of fucked up hologram again. I open my wings, stretching and feel the slow pull of gravity that grounds me in the reality that I'm still free. I untangle myself from the cocoon of sheets and blankets and grab my jeans off the floor, folding them and putting them on the bed.

I hear a knock on the door and Azriel comes in holding a loose skirt and a pair of socks along with my slip on shoes.

"Come on sleepy head, time to get dressed we are walking to breakfast at a diner, have to get you up and about. It's not far and... did you stay up researching things? The computer was on rest mode when I know I turned it off and you have gray areas under your eyes." He lectures me, coming in, setting down the clothes and crossing his arms with a little pout that I was up late.

"It's fine, let's just get food, I'm really hungry." I groan softly, grabbing the clothes as pulling them on, putting the shoes on last and adjusting myself in the sweatshirt to be comfortable.

"So I assume I'm hiding my wings? And my eyes since ya know, obvious blue?" I ask, struggling with the shoes for a minute but finding the socks do help them feel less weird.

"You are hiding the wings and I grabbed you a shirt and bra, and only if you feel you should, I went and picked out some sunglasses to help." He says, pointing to a few cases wrapped in the bra and t-shirt he laid out for me. He turns his back to me and I get the sweatshirt off with some struggle, focusing and deforming my wings, watching them become tattoo like marks reaching along my butt only and getting the bra and shirt on before going through the sunglasses. I don't like any of them but they will have to do, I don't want to be spotted as different and my eyes look so tired. I grab a pair of green aviators that should make my blue eyes less obvious and get the skirt on. I take a minute to move around and be comfortable.

"Alright, come on the princess, time to start the day." Azriel says, holding out his arm for me to grab and we start our day.

And what a boring mundane day it could have been. I was minding my own eating a really good breakfast when someone spots me and decides to come to our table. This guy, some scientist looking guy, comes and just sits by our table, just sits there, looking dead at me. I turn back to my food but I can FEEL him looking at me. Azriel noticed but sits and eats, neither of us trying to show we know he is there. I swallow my bite of egg and look at him from behind my shades.

"Can I help you?" I ask, wiping my mouth with the napkin.

"Ah no just, well maybe, yes just a little. Why are you wearing shades inside? Men's shades at that, are they your boyfriend's?" He asks, looking between Azriel and I, and I about shot a piece egg out of my nose in reaction.

"BOYFRIEND?! No no no you got this all wrong. He's my roommate, he's much too old for me." I say, laughing and making a bigger deal of the unimportant detail. He laughs nervously and seems to be sweating a lot.

"Ah! Ahaha, of course, that would be silly. Well have a good day miss!" He says and runs off, not even looking at the menu that was on the table. How odd.

"Wow, that was unexpected, well, do dig into your food, hate to take up too much time here." Azriel nudges me, I nod and keep eating, we make quiet conversation about my trip back home, seeing mom and dad again, we make it a point to not say where home is, or who mom and dad are, just calling them my parents. I'm glad we could just pretend things are normal, even if I am getting looks for my now bright white hair. We eat and leave quickly, wishing to keep me walking Azriel took me a different way back to the motel and I have to follow because I don't know how to get back yet. But wherever we are, I see the same things, boring houses and judgmental people dragging around oblivious children or rebellion teens. I feel their eyes on me, I have to hold Azriel's arm so I don't get lost as I look around.