Black wings, Snow, and Sand

Chapter 10: Voices of the Dead and the Unknown

It feels like minutes before we reach Sophie's window. Somehow we made it back before dawn, even though the last few hours have felt like days...
Victoria and Sophie float slightly up and down next to me as I open the window, being as quiet as possible. We plant our feet on the pink fluffy carpet, tip-toeing toward her little purple and white twin bed. It's true that no one can see us, but they sure can hear us if we don't take precaution.
Victoria pauses and looks at me with a kind smile.
" Do you wanna carry her? She's light as a feather."
" Oh uuuh...sure."
She hands her to me slowly. At first I'm perfectly fine as I try to place her gently on the bed, but she rolls over, falling on the floor.
We pause in silent terror as we hear a person's footsteps jogging down toward the bed room. The door opens and a women with shoulder-length brown hair, and brown eyes, walks in, wearing a fluffy blue robe. She's the spitting image of Jamie.
" hahaha Sophie baby..." She chuckles and gently picks her back up and tucks her in. She thinks that Sophie fell over in her sleep, haha.
We stay as still as stones, before she finally kisses her on the head, and leaves. I let out a long sigh.
" I guess you can say I'm not really good with kids haha." I say nervously.
" Oh it's fine haha."
I turn around to face her, she smiles at me then turns towards a little, white side table and sits on her knees. On the table sits a small white rose in a little glass cup, she picks four petals off.
" You wanna see another magic trick?" She asks. I chuckle at how childlike her voice sounded.
" Sure."
I sit down next to her and watch as she places the two biggest petals next to each other on the table, and the others, the same way just bellow it. She looks at them, then closes her eyes, holding her hands inches above the petals. All of sudden the petals spring to life! They flap like wings and floats in the air. I'll be damned. It's a Butterfly.
I grin as it flaps around and lands on my nose, kissing my cold skin lightly then flying back down to the desk, falling, lifeless on the dark wood. I pause looking at the once living creature, and wish it was alive again. I wish I could make it come alive.
" Can you show me?" I say like a child wanting to open a Christmas present early. She giggles.
" I don't know, we should probably start getting back."
"True."
We leave out the window, but instead of flying off she touches to the ground.
" hmm...maybe if we use some of your elements..." She looks back at the window, on first floor of the house in thought, then nods.
" Come on."
I follow. The breeze whistles against the cold glass.
"The most important thing is you have to shape the butterfly, or in this case, draw it." She says, "Frost the glass if you please." She states in a sarcastically fake official's voice.
"Of course my lady!" I return the tone.
I touch the glass gently so it freezes over with frozen fractals. Draw it...Oh! I draw the basic outline of a butterfly with my finger, and smile as it dawns on me what she's trying to do.
"let's see... This is going to be the tricky part. I've never done it this way before, but we are big kids. I think we can manage." She puts her curled finger to her lip and thought, then crosses both arms.
"Try to imagine it's wings flapping, all the veins pumping, imagine that every part of it is alive. You're going to use that energy to bring it to our three dimensional world."
Okay. Sounds simple. I imagine it's wings flapping and everything she told me to imagine. I bring my hands toward it and focus. A sudden flapping causes my heart to drop. I open my eyes and see the butterfly flying around me, dancing as if it were flying through the winds.
"Amazing!...Took me weeks to figure that out, And you learned it in seconds!"
She looks at the butterfly in awe as it dances around her head. I make it land on her nose, kissing her warmth. She giggles. Her giggle catches me offguard and I lose focus on the butterfly making it drop it to the grass in a pile of snow and slush. She probably thinks I'm an idiot...every time I'm around her I feel so at peace, but at the same time so up tight. All I want to do is kiss her, tell her what I feel, but she's afraid... Shit. I've been staring at her for a long time now. She blushes, but this time doesn't look down.
"Why do you always look at me that way?" She asks. Fuck.
"....Because I, " I can't hold back anymore, I need to tell her, "think you're...amazing. I mean your so kind to everyone, and me, but still you know when to be cross... And I mean... Even with the scares on your face and deep in your heart you're so beautiful, inside, and out.....Screw Pitch! He can throw everything he's got at me. He doesn't deserve you! And neither do I... But sometimes... I just want to-" I stop before I make a fool of myself. What the hell is wrong with me??
She looks at me in a kind of a daydream way.
" you want to what?" She asks.
" I want to... Kiss...you." I grab her side with one hand, drop my staff into the grass, grab the back of her neck and pull her close to me. I look down into her now purple eyes, and I smile sensually.
" Every inch of you."
I don't even think, I kiss her greedily. At first she's stiff, but she gives in and starts to kiss me back, wrapping her arms around my neck, and coiling her fingers through my hair. Her lips feel soft, like rose petals, and she tastes of herbal mint. My heart races.
I push her up against the wooden facade, and begin to kiss the curve of her neck. She sighs quietly in my ear. I move back to her lips and suck on them one last time.
We both catch our breath as we look at each other through the darkness, her eyes glow bright purple. Her face looks as though she's fed up, but at the same time...happy.
"He can just go..... kiss a bloody frog if he wants to...I'm tired of feeling as if some how I can help him... The friend I knew is gone... And I will no longer feel sorry for him... And if he thinks he can toy with me forever, he can go... what is it you Americans always say?...stick it." I smirk.
" And I'll make sure of it."
She laughs, and reaches to kiss me again, but stops half way. Her eyes change to a bright yellow.
" What's wrong??" I ask worriedly.
She walks behind me, looking around. I move beside her trying to see what she maybe looking for.
" Don't you hear that??" She says, her voice sounds strangled as if she may cry. I see her eyes turn blue. She holds her breath.
"Papa." She whispers to herself.
She dashes forward, then quickly takes to the air. I grab my staff and try to follow her, but she's too fast. What does she hear? I have to stop and listen to see if I can hear her.
" VICTORIA!" I yell, but it's not her that answers.
" Jaaack!" I hear a little girl call. It calls out to me again. Wait.
"That voice I know that voice..."
I follow to where I think it's coming from, only to find myself near the frozen pond. I touch the ground, listening to hear it again.
" Jack! Come on!" The little girl calls. I know that voice!
It sounds closer. I squint just in time to see her jump into a hole under an old, rotten bed frame.
" VICTORIA!" It's too late, she's gone.
I don't even take a second to think before jumping in too.
I'm falling, and I can't see a thing until I finally hit the bottom. I pick myself off the floor, what the hell?!? I hear footsteps running toward me, followed by heavy frightened pants.
" Jack!" Victoria half whispers half yells.
Her eyes shine yellow through the darkness. She breaths heavily to the point of almost hyperventilating.
" What's wrong!!?" She cups her hand over my mouth desperately.
" shhhh... Come on, I found the fairies... And the teeth... But Jack... I heard my father calling... He's been dead for centuries.... I think....I think we just found Pitches lair."