Broken Wings

Chapter 7: The Journey

Ian's eyes turn to a light blue, the color of the sky. Since he was a chameleon anthros, his iris's shaped-shifted with the color of his surroundings. It was creepy.

"Elaira, please stand two feet in front of the portal," Ian commands. "Treize, two feet behind Elaira. Enter the portal 27 seconds after Elaira dissipates. It's very important to get the timing just right."

I drag myself to the portal. I feel very light and delicate, having no leathery wings or such. I am a completely new person. A human. The energy waves bouncing off the portal are intense, wanting me to get sucked into their depths.

"You will step into the portal in three, two, one."

I barely have enough time to react, and I hastily force myself forward. My foot teters on the edge of pure impossible. The edges of my vision become blurred and warped into the deep, mysterious swirls of the portal's entrance. At once, leering doubts come crashing through my brain and being and physically took my breath away and tore my mentality apart. How could I have been so reckless to have accepted such a drastic mission? But the sense of adventure grasps my heart and pushes me into the portal's depths. The portal closed in behind me with a dying gulp of Minian air. Complete silence over took my thoughts as the particles of my body seem to stretch away and mend back together. There is no grasp of reality through my journey through space. Time is not applicable within the portal and neither was my sense of self. I don't know how long I was running through the tunnel of light, but I begin to regain a sort of consciousness that assured me that the end was near. Air is suddenly forced down my newly reformed lungs, and I am thrown from the exit of the portal. I am met by an expansive deep blue sky and the sound of my heart.

"Holy Cree."

Sleek towers and geometric buildings play with the clouds. Flying silver vehicles make obnoxious beeps and honks that blur together, and the vicinity screams with color. The grass highlights the ground in a bright, full green and other flora reveal a rainbow stranded by gravity.  We are surrounded by dense coniferous trees, away from the human eyes. This world reminds me of Min, but much, much busier. I look ahead at my new destination, the leering Cree Academy. Suddenly, I hear an uncomfortable-sounding thud and and Treize shakily appears next to me, breathing hard. Silence seems like the best idea, and we both stood nervously gazing at the new world living before us. It wasn't much longer until two silver cubes are spat from the exit of the portal, which grew smaller exponentially. We walk to the cubes to retrieve what was inside them--our necessities for our trek to earth. 

The two of us begin to walk towards the school building with our luggage that surprisingly made it through the slipstream.  And really, I am surprised I either of us actually survived the journey.

"How are you feeling?" Treize asks as we walk quietly through the metropolis forest towards the academy.

"Good, considering the fact that my wings were sucked into my body, I was sucked into a space, and now I have to help you suck someone's life out of them."

Treize scrunches up her cutsie nose. "You're crazy."

I wiggle my eyebrows. "I know." I pause for thought. "This seems stupid and important and unreal all at once, you know?"

"I know."

Humans begin to come in sight, and thankfully they don't give us a second glance.

I wonder what they would do if I had my wings right about now. They'd Probably run away. Or most likely kill us.

As I look around at our surroundings, the people seem so dull and incapable of anything. They just walk around with two legs and two arms. I spot a human walking a dog... how odd. On Min, there is no such thing as one or the other. I have a friend named Mica who is half dog. I wonder if she would be insulted. I catch a woman with pink hair that's twisted into braids and a dress that shimmers in the sun, a young boy who is riding a tiny scooter that flys through the crowds on the apearing sidewalks.

Leaving my train of thoughts, the two of us reach the entrance of our destination. Marble columns stand neatly in a row and delicate, solid scrolls ornament their sides. Students weave in and out of the courtyard with the hustle and urgency of a recruit late to work. Maroon and crisp white uniforms jump here and there, Together, we mount the steps that lead to inside of the building. A tall, slim young man approaches us as we barely reach the top step. His eyes wander and linger on Treize. Naturally, I begin to roll my eyes when I am stopped by a captivating sound.

"You two must be new here. My name is Tytus Matthews."