Broken Dreams

Chapter 4

Mystery's parents were arguing again. She dug her head into her pillow in an attempt to drown out her father's shouts and her mother's cries, but it did nothing. Mystery counted down. 3, 2, 1-

" SHUT UP, EBONY I OWN THIS HOUSE!!!" her father cried. Mystery was expecting her mother to back down, but this time she didn't.

"Jaguar, we can't do this every night. I think it's time," Mystery heard kindness and timidity in her mother's voice as she spoke. She could only imagine her mother looking so vulnerable. Mystery couldn't bear it anymore. She burst out of her room and flung herself into her mother's arms.

" I hate it when you guys fight! It's not fair how everyone else at school has normal families, and normal looks, and normal moods, and- and how they don't have to stay home most of the time, and how their parents don't fight! Why can't I be like them?" Mystery was now sobbing and her parents were exchanging worried looks.

Mystery woke up in the Jade mountain's health wing with Fennec, Crystal, and a Skywing she'd never met surrounding her.

" Yay, you're awake!" Fennec exclaimed, hugging Mystery . " I was worried you weren't going to be okay!"

" I'm more resilient than you think I am," Mystery said, hugging the Sandwing back. She felt happy that Fennec cared so much about her. But then, all the memories of how she got knocked out came flooding back to her.

" How long have I been asleep? Does my dad know? What happened to Sleet? Has anyone found Bubble? Where did my pouch go? Who is this Skywing?" Mystery asked.

" Five days, your dad is almost here, Sleet was expelled, no, it's around your neck, and I'm Phoenix," Phoenix answered calmly. She had a regal composure as she spoke.

" Phoenix was the one to pry Sleet off you while I got you to the health wing," Crystal explained. She shifted uncomfortably and Mystery remembered that she had read Crystal's mind, and the thoughts in Crystal's mind at the time were about Mystery herself. Mystery noticed that Crystal's pink glow was brighter than last time.

" Can I talk to Crystal alone?" Mystery asked, and Fennec nodded and pulled Phoenix out of the room.

" So, you know how I feel about you now huh?" Crystal asked.

" Yeah, but you're pretty smart so you should have figured out that I feel the same way!" Mystery said, reaching out to grab Crystal's talon.

" Y-y-you do?" Crystal seemed shocked. " I didn't know! I thought you didn't care!"

" I do, and I was wondering if we could, maybe, make it happen?" Mystery asked. She felt her face blushing and saw Crystal's as well. Crystal's talon was cold and felt like an icicle, but that didn't matter.

Crystal took her talon away from Mystery's and reached to her neck. She removed the smaller pearl necklace and slid it over Mystery's head so it rested on her neck.

" I'd like that, Mystery. I'd like that a lot," Crystal agreed. She put her wing around Mystery's injured one, and it felt like a cold blanket on her back. Her injured wing felt much better already. Mystery hadn't noticed until now, but Crystal's aura was now silver.

Mystery took Crystal's talons again. Then Fennec and Phoenix came back into the room. Fennec looked at Mystery, then at Crystal, then at Mystery, then at Crystal, then at Mystery again. Her face then lit up with delight!

" I knew it! I knew this would happen! I was waiting for it! I'm so happy for you guys!" Fennec exclaimed. " Mystery , you have no idea how worried Crystal was about you! She also said you looked cute while you sleep," Fennec ignored the grunt in protest coming from Crystal. " You two make the perfect match!"