When Life Gives You Wings

Henrietta Charlotte Elizabeth Morgan

I ran from the blue light like my life depended on it. Maybe it did. Maybe the blue light would imprison me then suffocate me until every last bit of my life force had disappeared. I definitely was not taking any chances on that one, so I ran for what felt like hours at a time, wishing I could stop because my legs burned so horribly. Suddenly my feet got stuck in the sand. I could not run much more, and I saw a blue butterfly fluttering around me, sprinkling more of the blue light on my body. 

Tears started to fall down my face, and I screamed as the light finally caught up to me, breathing down my neck in ecstasy. It surrounded my body, filling my visage with terror and defeat. The light burned as it travelled from my neck down to my hand and stayed there. My hand was consumed by flame. By the time I passed out, I only caught a glimpse of the dark red butterfly burned onto my hand.

Waking up, Henrietta opened her eyes. The morning light was seeping through the windows covering her room. It was mostly glass allowing the view of the outside world. Music was blaring from outside her bedroom door. Henrietta felt a shiver creep up her spine, and she slowly got out of bed to put on her robe. 

She’d had the dream again. It seemed the more she had the dream, the more real it seemed to become. Walking into the kitchen, Henrietta caught a glimpse of her mother, Amelia. She was making breakfast like she did every early Saturday morning. She wasn’t sure exactly how her mother managed to wake up at 8AM every day and stay alert. It was very impressive, especially for a single mother. It had always been the both of them, mother and daughter, Amelia and Henri. That’s such a boy's name, people from the school always told her. It didn’t matter to her though because it wasn’t like she could control what she was named. She had four names, like most of the people in this society: Henrietta Charlotte Elizabeth Morgan. The name was awfully girly. Almost startlingly so.

It’s why Henrietta had chosen to be called Henri: to fit in more. Unfortunately, it was not a very effective tactic. Many people commented on the name, saying it wasn’t appropriate. Well, it didn’t matter what they thought. At least that was what her mother had tried to teach her.

“Morning Hen,” Henri heard her mother say. 

“Morning, mom,” she replied haughty, exhausted from lack of sleep. It was a wonder she was out of bed at the same time as Amelia. They’d always gotten along, her and Henrietta. They rarely ever quarreled, but when they did, it was over something very serious like… s*x. It was such a funny thought. The thought of Henri ever doing something like that was horrendous. Amelia was completely and utterly disgusted by the prospect.

Henri sat at the table, ready for her meal. Amelia sat down along with two plates. They ate in silence. It was a peaceful silence, one that could be diminished by a single sound. Henri’s plans for the day were quite limited. She planned to throw on one of the blue dresses her mother made for her. It went so well with her hair that making blue dresses couldn’t be helped. Usually Amelia only made the dresses for special occasions such as family gatherings or outside family parties. 

Blue went very well with the feeling of lilac petals of her hair. She never understood why, but blue was so foreign and attractive to her all at the same time. She enjoyed when Amelia made the dresses silky, so it would flow with the wind and embrace her skin in a shivering hug. Her hair was very long and usually curly. It’s hard to take care of, so she straightened it as much as she possibly could. When her hair was curled, it looked much shorter than it actually is. 

Henri tapped her fingers on the table, thinking and swallowing her food mindlessly. Everything was so normal and dull. Well, maybe not dull. Maybe it was just the routine that was getting to her. A breeze drifted through the screen door and goose bumps befell Henri’s arms. 

Suddenly the plate was empty. Henri jumped, but the sound she heard was just her mother clearing her throat. She sunk back down into her chair. “So do you have any plans for the day?” Amelia asked. Henri paused a moment before answering. 

“I might go on a walk or a picnic with some friends of mine. Do we have any fruits left or did the neighbors kids eat them all?” Her tone was bitter. The neighbors were always coming over and messing up the house and eating their food. It was so annoying because Amelia and herself have to clean up the mess and they get less food for it. Henri didn’t even understand the point of allowing them through the door while knowing what to expect.

“Yes, I restocked the fridge this morning when I went out to get more flowers for the kitchen.” Said Amelia.

“Well, what kind did you get?” Henri asked; nonchalant.

She began to describe grapes, bananas, strawberries, pineapples, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and apples. “They had them on sale and I know how much you enjoy fruit. I also know some little boys who quite enjoy them, too.” She was referring to the neighbors. The small beasts who raid her home at least once a week. After every restock, they always barge in per her mother’s suggestion or request. 

Henri forced a smile. “Of course.”

“I know you don’t enjoy their company as much as I do and I am truly sorry about that, but they aren’t bad. Well, I will try to keep them away for a while so you’ll have some space to clear your mind. Have you been looking into colleges? I’ve heard about some really good ones surrounding the castle. I really don’t want you near that place, but your education is very important.” Amelia mentioned sympathetically.

“Yeah, so when are you going to tell me what you hate about the place? It can’t be that bad. This place is like every other place. Except big. And it has like a million rooms. With a King. Okay, so maybe not like every other place, but it seems pretty normal and I see no reason to be particularly afraid of it.” Henri said. She was looking at her mother with curiosity mixed with anger. She’d never been allowed to go very far from the house, let alone where the castle is. She could see it out the window if she really squinted her eyes. There were rumors that the castle was so large, there was a dragon hidden in the dungeon and that the King was a God. Of course, they were all just rumors. Except the rumor that he’s a lady killer. That was 100% correct. He was very popular with the ladies, though he never smiled on camera, so Henri couldn’t see what was so attractive.  

“You’ll understand if you ever meet the King.” Her eyes suddenly had a curtain over them, blocking the view of her feelings. It seemed as if she were remembering something but what did it have to do with the king? King Argonaut, famous for his dark blue eyes that change color sometimes. His natural eye color was very similar to hers except hers didn’t change. Well, maybe they did, but she never cared to look and nobody ever said anything. 

Henri got up from the table and put her plate in the sink. She had to wash out some of the syrup sticking to the plate. She remembered a time when she was searching through the internet and sat down at the table again. Amelia had completely set down her fork, withdrawn. She decided not to bother her even though her brain was screaming in its blatant curiosity and desperation. She really wanted to know what had her mother so shaken, but instead of asking about that, she brought up her research on colleges. “I was on the internet a few weeks ago doing research on schools and found one I would like to go to. I already applied and got the letter yesterday in the mail. They have a program where they accept people from high school. I can finish high school there, and then go to college there. I’ll have to tell my friends of course and they’ll no doubt be upset if I get in, but this is my future we are talking about and you have always said that’s what you want me to focus on: not boys, but my education. Besides, boys aren’t that cool anyway.” That last part was a lie, but she needed to get her mother to believe it wasn’t. Amelia’s eyes had been gradually getting brighter and now she had a huge smile on her face. She looked so proud. 

“Did you get in?” Amelia asked brightly.

“I was waiting to open it with you.” Amelia nodded and Henri walked into her room and retrieved the letter from under her pillow. The letter was yellow parchment with the royal seal: a 

butterfly. It was odd because it was the same butterfly from her dream. Maybe it was a sign she should go. It was the reason she decided to apply. 

She arrived in the kitchen and Amelia had washed her plate and sat back down at the table. Henri did the same. Henri took a deep breath and calmed her heart beat. She knew for a fact Amelia was going to greatly disapprove of her decision, but she had to tell her sometime and now was probably one of the only opportunities she was going to get. “Alright, so I applied for one of the schools surrounding the castle. It’s one of the ones the King has control over, but not the Noble school. It’s called Cherry Neck’s University of Science and the Arts. It sounds pretty decent to me, so I was thinking you would be okay with it.” 

Amelia’s excitement hadn’t faded and the relief Henri felt came as no surprise. She had expected Amelia to be somewhat upset about it, but instead she seemed to be almost in tears. She nodded to herself, as if she were thinking of something and finally came to a logical conclusion. She gathered up her emotions and gave Henri a more serious look. “And you haven’t opened it yet?” Henri shook her head. “Well then, here we go. Hand me the letter.” Henri did as her mom asked and handed the letter over to her. 

Amelia took her time with the yellow parchment and broke the butterfly seal. She seemed so careful with it, so protective of it. Would Henri make it in the school? This was her future, wasn’t it? She could be artistic like her mother, right? She could be like her mother with the help of this school. It was almost too perfect how it all worked out. All the effort and time she put searching for something great, something to help her achieve her goals. 

Amelia took the paper out and her smile began to disappear. Henri knew what was 

happening and felt garbled emotion reach out and grab her throat. She felt it strangle her and her eyes began to sting, but it wasn’t so bad that it swallowed her. She regained a semblance of control. 

Amelia looked up. “I’m sorry, honey. They didn’t accept you.” In a moment of disbelief, Henri snatched the letter. The top half tore down the middle, a bad omen, Henri knew. 

Dear Henrietta Morgan,

We are sorry to inform you that the application you sent to the headmaster has been denied. If you wish to try again the following year, you may send another application on the school website. Thank you for taking interest in our school, we hope to hear from you next year.  

Sincerely,

Headmaster Brooke

Mary Brooke

Henri could feel nothing and everything at the same time. It shouldn’t mean much to her, but it meant so much that it hurt. It wasn’t a Noble school, but it was something someone like her had a chance of doing. Was she just not good enough? 

The sound of the castle tower bell going off made Henri come out of her shocked and hurt stupor. Amelia stood up. “It’s the call from the King.” The call from the thing was something that happened every few weeks. All of the citizens from the middle class to the Nobles met in the 

Square in front of the castle. Usually the King would give an announcement of some sort. The level of importance varied. It was required to go by order of the King. Servants, farmers, and the lower class were f*******n from it and therefore got information from those who arrived. 

Amelia raised from her seat and took Henri’s hand. “It’ll be okay honey, you're still in your final years of high school. That’s plenty of time to prepare for college and research more and apply for more and you can do so many things with the time you have.” Henri nodded, not really listening. The back of her brain was itching to get out of the house and head to the Square. Amelia nodded, knowing exactly where her train of thought was heading. “Yeah, let’s go ahead and go.” The two walked out the door after grabbing jackets and slipping on their sandals.