4 Chapter 4

Harper

After classes were done for the day and before the dinner bell I sat in my room, trying to do my homework. But nothing was sticking in my brain, I couldn't think straight everything was still fuzzy and unfocused. I let out a small growl and threw my book off the bed and flopped face first down on the bed. A few minutes later Gabriel came in and he was holding another tray of food. I smiled at him and he looked towards my book.

"You know if you don't keep your grades up they will pull you from combat and aerial classes right?" I frowned at the book that was lying on the floor and then back to him.

"I'll buckle down, but my head is still fuzzy. I can't keep a train of thought--is that pot pie I smell??" I smiled at him and he looked at me worried.

"You shouldn't spoil me so, I'll get used to room service." He shook his head and sat the tray down and retrieved the book from the floor. Placing it on my desk, and he brought me food.

"If the fuzziness doesn't go away by the morning I'm taking you back to the healer okay?" He touched my forehead and I pushed his hand away.

"Alright dad, you don't have to worry about me so much you know." He looked at me and tipped my chin up so he could look into my eyes. I crossed them and stuck out my tongue.

"You aren't helping, hurry up and eat. We have to leave soon." I looked at him severely confused and he didn't offer any other kind of explanation. I dug into my food like I was being starved for the past 16 years of my life. I quickly ate my food and he smiled at me and pulled a small suitcase out of my closet.

"Pack for the weekend." I was extremely excited. And I bounced up off the bed and stumbled over my feet and my wings came up to steady me and they clipped his chin. He stumbled back and I rushed to him.

"I am so sorry, I didn't mean to." I turned his face to look at me and he was okay, but I felt terrible.

"It's okay. Relax Harper, I'm not made of glass." I stepped back and he smiled.

"You pack I'll take the dishes down-"

"That's not fair-" He was already putting them on the tray and moving towards the door. I lunged for him and he sidestepped and I rolled out so I didn't just slam into the floor.

"It's my turn." He smiled at me and walked out the door.

"Hurry up and pack." I sighed and did as he asked quickly packing changes of clothes, throwing in a summer dress, and a cute pair of heels just in case we did something that called for something a little classier. And I packed jeans and long sleeve shirts and my phone charger, straightener, and curling iron. No self-respecting girl can go anywhere without those things. And I looked at my books, it was the weekend. But I should study. I didn't want to get pulled from my fun classes. I threw my history book in and pushed it shut. It wasn't as heavy as I would have expected. I turned and Gabriel was standing by the door.

"What?"

"It was pretty funny watching you decided whether or not to take your history book." I wrinkled my nose at him and he looked down at his phone.

"Come on, they are here." I followed him out lugging my suitcase with me and he swooped down and lifted it from my hands. Ignoring my protests that it was mine to carry and that he didn't have to do everything for me I wasn't a baby. We walked out of the school and it was in a flurry of activity of parents picking kids up and others saying goodbye. It was exciting, and minivan pulled up and the door flung open and a small form flew from the seat, and I expected it to slam into Gabriel, but it hit me hard in the waist, nearly knocking me off my feet. It was a girl about 7 years of age, she had reddish/blonde hair that matched her brothers and the eyes were brown instead of his stunning green. They had different dads, but the same mother.

"You have to be Harper!! I'm so excited to meet you!! I can't wait for you to come home with us!! You can sleep in my room with me, and we can stay up late, well until my bedtime, but mommy is letting me stay up an extra 20 minutes because you are coming. We can braid our hair and talk about girl things, Gabriel isn't really good at gossip you know." She smiled and his mother got out of the car and she was about my size, and she shared his freckles and red hair. But the eyes must come from his father, and I smiled at her and held my hand out to her.

"Harper, ma'am." She pushed my hand away and pulled me into a hug and I looked to Gabriel for help.

"I thought he would never get a girlfriend, she's so beautiful Gabriel. I'm proud of you." I nearly choked the on-air, as his face turned beet red and he sputtered to correct her.

"Mom, she isn't my girlfriend, we are just friends." His mother waved a hand at him and I smiled at him he was too cute and his family made him even better. She took my face into her hands and smiled at me.

"Call me Callie, none of this ma'am crap. I mean I know I'm old, but I don't need to be reminded about it." She was playfully trying to be stern. I smiled at her and she pulled her daughter off of me.

"This is Kayla, if she gets on your nerves you can tell her she won't be offended." Kayla smiled sweetly at me from the seat of the car and I got in beside her and Gabriel climbed in the passenger's side and his mother got back in the driver's side.

The ride back to his house was short, and the closer we got the more fidgety he became in the front seat. Kayla was talking nonstop about how she wished she was born with wings, but she took after her father and she hated it, but she loved it when Gabriel took her flying.

"Will you take me?"

"Kayla!!" Her mother snapped back and I smiled at her.

"If you're allowed and Gabriel says it's okay." She turned to her brother and he shot me a look like he knew what I was doing. I was changing her attention to him.

"Please, Gabriel!! She has such beautiful wings! I want to see them. Mommy!!" She whined and I smiled as we pulled up to a cute house, it had a white fence and the house itself was a brick house and had brown shutters. It was adorable. Two stories and it just screamed Gabriel, I could see him living here playing in the yard. We got out and Kayla jumped on my back. And I smiled at her she pulled my wing out and I sat her down and Gabriel watched me for a moment before getting our bags. I smiled at her and she put her arms out like they were wings and I spread mine and she squealed in delight and reached for the feathers. I laughed and laid down in the grass and she picked at the flowers and her head popped up.

"Can we dye your feathers?" Her mother's face nearly went white and I smiled at her.

"Sure, get some food coloring," She squealed in delight and ran into the house and his mother looked at me.

"Are you sure? You can tell her no." I waved a hand and smiled at her.

"It's okay, it's only food coloring it will wash out or fade." She smiled at me and moved into the house and Gabriel looked at me and I smiled at him.

"Are you sure about this?" He shifted my suitcase and I went to stand up.

"No, I've got it, I'm going to put it in the guest room which we will show you later." I smiled and folded my wings.

"Are you going to come back down or should I come in?" He looked at me and gave me a soft smile.

"I'll be back--don't let my sister start without me, I wanna see this." I wrinkled my nose at him and laid back down in the grass. Soaking it in enjoying being carefree for the first time in my life. A body landed on mine and I grunted and she held out colors to me.

"We have these ones," She held red, yellow, blue, and green out to me and I picked blue and red. She picked green and yellow. I stretched out my wings and laid down in the grass and she started very slowly, carefully. Gabriel came back out and I held red and blue out to him.

"You get the other side." He smiled and took the small food coloring from me and laid down on the grass beside my other wing and he aimed for the bigger feathers at the bottom, soaking the one in all red and the other all in blue. He was completely focused on his task, and I closed my eyes and it felt good for someone to touch and play with my wings. I was lulled into a light sleep, and I snapped away with a feeling of falling and I accidentally jerked my wings and Gabriel woke and so did Kayla who was curled up to my side and she looked at me and was sleepy for half a second before darting away to find someone else fun to do. She had two of the small feather yellow and green. While my flight feathers on the other side were blue and red. I smiled and Gabriel stretched and rolled to his feet.

"I don't think it looks half bad, at least it's the underside so you can only see them if you are under you." I smiled and got up, his mother came out with Kayla on her hip.

"Come on guys, time to turn in for the night." He looked at his mother and she gave him a knowing look.

"Come on, just for tonight turn in early." He sighed and waved a hand for me to go in front of him.

"Alright, just this once." His mother walked into the house and smiled back at me. I followed him up the stairs and he led me to a room.

"Bathroom is down the hall," he pointed to the door above the steps and then to the rooms on opposite sides.

"That one is my mom's and the pink door is Kayla, and I'm down from my mother-" he pointed to the blue door and I smiled.

"Thank you for inviting me and letting me stay." He smiled and my heart fluttered.

"Thank for actually coming--good night..."

"Night." I walked into the room and shut the door. The sun had a long past set and I was actually tired. I stretched out my wing and touched the red and blue feathers. I smiled and opened my suitcase and unpacked a bit before changing into my PJs and crawling into the bed. I plugged my phone in and sat it down on the side table and laid back in the pillows. I was glad I met him.

I walked down a long hallway with red doors, a set of carpeted steps stretched out before me and I slowly descended and it became cold and colder, my bare feet touched the stone. It was dark, the hallways only lit by occasional torches on the stone walls, I could smell the stretch of death and decay. I passed a door made of solid wood, the handle rattled like someone was trying to get out and I moved away from it quickly. I continued down the hall something urged me forward I needed to find the door at the end of the hall. I saw light coming out from around a door and a scream froze me in my tracks. It was familiar, the sound of the voice. Another ripped through the quiet and I forced my muscles into action, moving step by step closer to the door. I reached my hand out and the knob was cold in my hand. A fear bubble was frozen in my throat, I turned the knob surprised that the door was actually unlocked. Dark water ran over my feet, and I continued into the room. Then my eyes adjusted to the fire and the scream was stuck in my throat. Gabriel was hung by hooks through his wings blood dropped down on the floor from his feather and when I looked down I realized it was his blood I was walking through, I turned away from him as sadness and panic seized my throat only to come face to face with my father laid on a table his eyes gone, but he was still alive moving on the table calling my name. I backed away trying to escape it, I closed my eyes to block it out. Hands grabbed me and I tried to scream, to fight and kick to getaway.

------ Gabriel ------

I was brought out of a deep sleep by a ear-piercing scream, at first I thought it was Kayla. She sometimes has night terrors, but the scream rose the hair on my arms and back of my neck. It froze my heart, Harper. That was Harper. I came up out of bed and my door flew open. I heard my mother's feet hit the floor, I lunged across the banister and the steps to her door and flung it open and she was rolling in her sleep. I lunged for her before she could roll off the bed and hit her head on the table. I tried to pin her limbs down, but she fought with the strength I didn't know she had. She was covered in sweat, she thrashed in her sleep, screaming. Her arm slipped through my defense and the heel of her hand met my jaw, I saw stars for a second before I could pin her to my chest.

"Harper!! Wake up!" Her voice broke but she kept trying to scream.

"I'll get tea." My mother rushed downstairs and I pulled her across my laps and her wings pushed and strained against me she was fighting something. Trying to getaway. My heart broke when she cried out my name, never have I heard my name spoken with such desperation and utter terror. She was afraid, terrified. I put my lips to her ear.

"Calm down, Harper. I'm here hush. Come back to me, open your eyes. You're safe I got you." Tears streamed down her face and she broke awake with a last effort from her breath. Her eyes frantically searched the room and Kayla stood in the doorway holding her favorite bunny. It used to be white, but from years of being love, it was a dull dingy cream color. She was afraid. I turned my attention back to Harper and she was still looking for something. Her eyes landed on my face, and her's crumpled as tears fell. She pushed my arms away and I let her go thinking she was going to move away from me, but she turned on my lap and threw her arms around me burying her head in my shoulder, I wrapped my arms around her holding her painfully tight to me. I never wanted to hear that sound again, the terror and fear in her voice was heart-wrenching. She sobbed loudly. I rubbed her back and her nails dug into my back, but I didn't say anything she held onto me and she was trembling. Her wings were pinned to her back.

"Is she okay?" Kayla was still in the doorway. I smiled at her,

"She just had a bad dream, that's all."

"My bad dreams go away when I sleep with Mommy. Maybe she can sleep with Mommy tonight?" I nodded at her.

"Go ask mommy." She ran away, and I gently pried Harper off of me and sat her down on the bed. I took her face in my hands and wiped away the tears, she hiccuped and I felt it pull at my heartstrings.

"I would never let anyone hurt you-" She reached up and touched my cheek, then her hand drifted back to my wing and she touched the shoulder joint. She knelt on the bed and pulled it up. I stretched out my wing for her inspection. And she touched softly running her fingers along with the feathers. I closed my eyes, it felt so good. She pulled me back into her arms and I felt my heart pound in my chest.

"Do you want to sleep with my mom?" She shook her head and rolled to her feet. I could see her knees shaking slightly.

"Come on, my mom made tea for your throat." I wrapped an arm around her and she cuddled closer, she was cold now. I tucked a wing around her trying to kick start her body heat. I sat her down at the island in the middle of the kitchen and my mom put a cup of tea down.

"Thank you-" her voice was soft and hoarse. My mom patter her hand and took Kayla back upstairs. I walked around the island and her eyes tracked me, she was watching me. Like she was waiting to spring up and grab a hold of me. I came back to the island and she reached over and took my hand, and the contact seemed to help calm her down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head and looked down at her tea. She sipped slowly and winced as it rolled down her raw throat. I got up and her hand instantly tightened on mine.

"It's okay-- I'll be right back I promise." She forced herself to release my hand and I ran back upstairs and grabbed one of my hoodies and came back downstairs. Her head was bowed and her legs trembled as they hung from the barstool. I came over to her and she jumped when I touched her. She looked at me and I held the hoodie out to her. She put it on and I helped thread her wings through the slits in the back, it hung on her and she cuddled back to it. She finished her tea and I turned the lights out and she walked to her room and I didn't know what to do.

"Gabe?" She whispered and I turned to her and she looked utterly terrified.

"Yes?"

"Will you sit with me until I fall asleep?" She looked down at the carpet between her feet.

"Of course-" I followed her into her room and she cuddled down on the bed and I sat on the other side of the bed and she cuddled up against me.

"Please don't leave-" she whimpered and I laid down against the pillows facing her and her eyes watched my face. I reached up and pushed her strawberry blonde hair away from her eyes.

"It's okay, I'm here." She reached for my other hand and threaded her fingers through mine and took a shaken breath. I ran my thumb over her knuckles not sure what else to do. She closed her eyes and it took her a minute, but eventually, her breathing evened out and her hand loosened on mine. I pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles.

"Sweet dreams Harper." She rolled over on the bed with her back to me and I laid there for a moment, not sure if I should go back to my room, but I didn't want to wake her up, or for her to have another nightmare. I sighed and she cuddled back against me, her wings hugged her back and she wiggled back under my arm and I laid it around her waist. Her entire body melted when I draped my wing over her like a blanket, she was safe here with me and she knew that. She would always be safe with me, no matter what. If we were bitter enemies in 2 years she would still be safe with me. I slide my arm down around her waist and pulled her flat back against me and her knees came up so she was completely covered by my wing. I turned my face into her hair and slowly drifted into a calm sleep.