DIFFERENT-WINGED ANGEL

FEATHER #10

"She still hasn't woken up yet?" Mila questioned, carefully placing a delectable chocolate cake onto the table.

"No, the healing process took all her strength," Alexa sighed heavily.

"But she's gonna be okay, right?" Mila inquired with a gloomy expression on her face.

"Undoubtedly. Every injury on her has totally vanished," the woman answered.

"So, does this mean she has embraced her true nature?" Nick raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Not quite. Angels fully embrace their true nature only when they learn to control their wings."

"I've never seen your wings," the guy said thoughtfully.

Alexa dropped her gaze. "I lost them many years ago. It's a long and not very pleasant story."

Mila noticed how the woman's hand briefly made contact with her own back before she hastily pulled it away, wrinkling her nose as if in pain.

"Nick, maybe you could check on Olivia?" Bella abruptly inquired, subtly indicating to the guy that it was best for him to leave and refrain from posing any additional questions to Alexa.

He gave a few nods before departing from the kitchen.

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Olivia made a great effort to raise her heavy eyelids, struggling against their weight. She lay like that for a long time, staring blankly at the ceiling above her. Her mind was a barren wasteland, devoid of any coherent thoughts. Even the most basic ones caused her pain, slipping through her fingers before she could fully comprehend them.

"How long have you been awake?" Her brother's voice snapped her back into the present moment. He settled himself comfortably beside her on the mattress, tenderly taking her hand.

"Just a few minutes," Olivia replied without looking at the guy. "How long was I out for?"

"Oh... five years." Nick's lips came together in a sympathetic gesture.

Olivia instantly propped herself up on her elbows and stared at her brother, dumbfounded. "What? You're lying."

"You don't believe me? Then just go to the kitchen and ask your bestie."

Olivia's frown deepened even further; she then sprang out of bed and made a beeline for the kitchen.

SURPRISE!!!

That's what Olivia hears as soon as she opens the door. A plethora of multi-hued confetti scatters in front of her. She sees Mila, Alexa and Bella, each adorned with comically oversized party hats. Every corner of the room is meticulously adorned with decorations.

Olivia didn't have time to understand or ask anything when everything went dark and her face morphed into a sweet mess of chocolate cake.

"Happy Birthday!!" Mila's joyful laughter sounded.

Olivia reached up to her face and wiped off the cake fragments that were covering her eyes.

"Happy birthday, sis!" Giggling, Nick slid his arm around the girl's shoulders before suddenly tracing his finger over her cheek and playfully licking it. "It's a very yummy cake, by the way."

With a slight retreat from the girl, he closed his eyes, savoring the flavor of the cake lingering in his mouth. Yet, just a fleeting moment afterward, he found himself experiencing the very same feeling that Olivia had just a minute prior. With a swift motion, he cleared his eyes and stared in utter shock at Bella, who was holding the remnants of the different cake with a casual grace.