The Land of Fayden

Chapter 4

 Sydney was thrown over his shoulders and if this was a novel, I could describe her limp form as a sack of flour a baker had heaved over his shoulders. But she was so much more than a simple sack, or just some random unconscious body. And this was no novel. This was real. This was my friend, the person who stayed up for hours with me during sleepovers, who had taught me how to wear makeup, the friend that seemed like she would be a part of my life forever, and there she was, so fragile, so broken, because of me. I don't know why, but this was undoubtedly my fault. How? I'm not sure, but the bird man was after me, and she was in the way. It dawned on me that I wasn't the only person in danger.

Her circle framed glasses had fallen off and were safe in my pocket despite the fact that the right lens was cracked and now resembled a spiderweb instead of anything remotely usable. Her button nose was crooked on her face and dark red and brown splotches had dripped onto her white shirt, her eyes were purple and swollen shut. Every now and again she let out a soft whimper. My heart ached in my chest and I could feel it in my throat, pounding like a drum, today was too much on me.

"Is she going to be ok?" I took two steps for every one he took.

"Do I look like a fucking doctor to you?" The boy scoffed, not bothering to look back at me. His stride was quick, his legs moved like air was but an imaginary substance that could only affect me.

"Can't you do something... magic or anything? Fix her?" My voice stumbled trying to find the right words, and so did my legs, he kept walking, not stopping for me. Surely there had to be something he could do. He wasn't normal.

"Oh, so I'm a magician now too? Also, keep up, I don't need to carry both of you." His voice was cold and calculated, after three quick steps I was back behind him. His jaw was clenched and his brows furrowed with a look of determination I've only seen in movies, there was a certain grit about seeing it in real life. "Hurry up."

"Where are we going?" His steps seemed to get quicker and quicker. "And who the hell are you?"

"You really don't recognize me, huh." He took a quick turn and turned his head to the side, as if I had smacked him.

"No! I'm sorry, I don't. I just need to know who you are! What you are!" I felt like my mind was melting. I had stopped in my tracks, and so had he.

"My name is Adonis." His eyes met mine, they were big, as if expecting something.

"Adonis..." I echoed back. The corner of his mouth tugged up into a smile, and he began to walk again, and so did I.

"And what I am, it's complicated. You'd never believe me Poppy. Not yet anyways."

I didn't like that response but he was my best bet at keeping Sydney safe. Did I trust him? No. Did I need him? At that exact moment, yes. Maybe I could ditch him soon enough. Depending on where we were going.

"Just a little bit further." Adonis huffed, adjusting Sydney, she let out a small groan when he did so. I looked away from her again, and started to take in my surroundings. They were familiar. I had walked these streets a hundred times. Maybe more. He was taking me home.

He didn't even have to unlock the door. He just twisted the handle and it opened. I was almost sure I had locked it before leaving for work. But so much had happened today, that maybe I hadn't. Maybe I was in a rush and it just slipped my mind.

I was lying to myself again. But I've been doing that a lot lately. Who knows really if I had, if I hadn't, it wasn't my top priority at the moment. Sometimes, you just have to lie to yourself to keep going. In reality I had known it. He was like me. I knew that I had locked the door. I had pulled the same trick with that same doorknob too many times to not recognize it.