Black Feather

Prologue

I looked through the door reluctantly at the scene before me, he was not human. My boyfriend was quite literally an angel but not the pretty kind, his wings were dark. His wings..looked like that of a crow's: black, dead and scary. I slammed the door and ran away pushing past Daniel.

**********1 month before*********

The sky is grey, gloomy and ghostly like everyday since the beginning of this year. I don't know what happened to change the town of Lindhale. It used to be sunny all the time, this weather has barely been seen before. I walk the streets examining my surroundings. The tall trees are now dead and cold, no leaves left on them. Our whole town has become like a cemetery, most people not even stepping out of their houses anymore it's so cold. The weather has stayed the same all year, no summer, no spring and no autumn. All we are left with is the dead of winter, with no snow. There is no explanation. The weather experts at the newsrooms can not explain this phenomenon. Most of the houses along the street seem abandoned and not used however there are lights inside. You can see the people through the windows sitting in their dark clothes and chatting dully about the day's events. Nothing different has happened in our town. We have the same mayor as before the greyness came as well as the same people that have inhabited our town since I was born. As I am lost in my thoughts I do not notice the boy in front of me as I bump into him.

"Sorry!" I say. I look up at his face and see a dull expression.
"It's ok." His eyes glow with a smile. I haven't seen a smile like that in a while!
He has dark brown hair under his hood and bright blue eyes behind those flickering eyelids. I smile up at the handsome boy.
" I must go !" He says. He dashes away without leaving me with his name. I am left there watching the dust trailing behind him.
I cough and continue my stroll to my house.
I arrive in front of it not more than a minute later. My house isn't like the others along the street. I wouldn't call it a house it's more like a cabin. It is small and made of wood with only one big room, two beds, a bathroom and a kitchen. We do not have money. The other houses might look abandoned but they are much bigger than ours. The outside of our house doesn't look that great either. There is a rocking chair on the front porch left from last year when it was warm enough to just sit outside in the sun. The paint all around our house is flaking off. The colour, no longer brown, but more of a black with specs of brown. The posts that are suppose to be strong and steardy are now leaning and bowing in a threatening way making the roof of the porch slump. I pull out my keys and unlock the door. I walk in still with the slight smile on my face from my encounter with the boy.
"Hey mom!" I say as I walk in waving at her. I hang up my jacket on the hook. She's on her bed as usual, reading.
"Hi sweetie. How was your morning walk ?"
"Great" I lay down on my bed next to hers and grab my book on my bed side table. Yup, that's what we do: read. We have no money for electronics, only cheap cell phones for emergencies. I don't do many varied things in my free time. I read, draw, play a board game with my mom or take a walk. If not, I'm at school for the 5 days during the week. We are now Sunday.
"Hey mom, " I say looking up from my book "How is your job going? Did you have any luck at getting the bonus for this year?"
Her face turns into a frown.
"Honey, they're giving them out tomorrow not today. I may work on weekends, but they don't do anything important until it's Monday. Anyway, I don't think it's gonna happen.I'm not the best one there. I do work the hardest but that doesn't seem to matter to my boss, Jerry. He's looking for someone who's improved a lot since last year and I don't think I'm the one."
I just shake my head, she always gives me the same response.
You see, it's Christmas very soon and this is the time of year a bonus is given out at my mom's job for the "most improved". However, neither her very negative attitude or low self confidence will permit her to believe she may be the lucky one this year. We need that bonus though, we must pay for groceries. We have been running out of money, therefore eating very little and all I want for Christmas is a nice full meal. The only way we could get that would be through the 10000 dollar bonus. Plus with that money, we can also pay off the electricity and heating bill for months to come. With such little money the only way I can afford to go to school, especially the one I'm going to, the prestigious Mariannopolis which is paid for by my full scholarship, I received. My marks were so high every year in high school that the school was actually begging me to attend. They then gave me the scholarship when we told them that we could not afford it. I am forever grateful for having my tuition paid off. It is one less thing my mom and I have to deal with. This is my last year at Mariannopolis and we will have to sort something out for next year: university.
I finish reading the last page to the chapter in my book and place it back on the side table. I turn off my lamp and cover myself with my covers to block out my mothers reading light.
"Good night mom" I say.
"Good night" she answers.