Hidden Wings

I need to stay away

"I... I... I..." I stammer, searching for the right words, but nothing comes. He takes my hand as I try to walk away. His touch is gentle, and I could easily pull free, yet somehow I can’t.

"You feel it too, don’t you?" As much as I want to deny it, I can’t lie to him, so I nod. "Then why are you running away? Why did you push me aside?" Speechless, I pulled my hand back and raced up the rest of the stairs, down the hall, to an unused corridor.

"It’s only supposed to be a nightmare," I mumble to myself, praying it’s just my imagination. Behind me, I hear Ashton’s footsteps echoing mine, his long strides gaining on me. Then his steps pass by, fading as he keeps running. I slip into an unlocked classroom the school uses to store unused tables and chairs, sit down beside the door, close my eyes, and take a deep breath.

When I opened my eyes again, the room was pitch black. I looked around but couldn’t see a thing. I felt around beside me for the doorknob, but there was nothing—just empty space. Taking a step forward, I searched for a way out, maybe a window, but found nothing. After wandering aimlessly for a while, I turned to retrace my steps, only to be met by two deep blue eyes brimming with enmity. They weren’t looking at me, but past me. Then I heard my name whispered faintly from behind, yet I couldn’t turn my head. Slowly, I began backing away from those haunting eyes.

Then blood... blood everywhere. I stepped in something wet and looked down to see more blood. I almost slipped as I turned to follow the trail it left behind. Without realizing, I traced it to its source—a lifeless body. I took a step back, averting my gaze to avoid seeing the face. That’s when I noticed my hands and arms coated in red, along with the bottom of my dress... and wings? Wings? They looked so strange. I touched them with my bloody hands, and suddenly my knees buckled, sending me crashing to the ground in a splash of blood. Red tears streamed endlessly from my eyes, staining my dress as I frantically tried to wipe them away. My shoulders trembled as I fought to keep myself together, my wings quivering, until a cold, unfamiliar hand pressed against my shoulder, making me shake even harder. I closed my eyes and lowered my head when an ice-cold voice whispered in my ear, “Remember me, Ivey! You shouldn’t forget me. I’ll be the one to kill you, I promise.” The chill faded, replaced by the soft, warm sound of my name being called.

"Ivey... Ivey... Ivey..." I found myself back in the bright classroom, my hands covering my face. Then, two hands gently took mine, instantly melting away my fears and replacing the chill with his warmth. I opened my eyes to see Ashton, concern written all over his face, and I practically leaped into his arms. I cried softly against his chest, waiting for the inevitable questions, but they never came. He just smoothed my hair, held me close, and whispered that everything was going to be okay. When my tears stopped, I pulled away, avoiding his gaze. "I'm sorry..." I murmured, wiping my eyes. He gave me a small, sweet smile.

"It's okay." He checks his watch and says, "Well, we're ten minutes late, but we still have to work on our piece for the showcase, so we should probably go." I nod, and then he takes my hand as we start walking. I didn’t want to let go, so I didn’t object and just kept walking. When we get to class, Ms. Doise doesn’t say anything. She looks into my eyes, and it’s obvious I’ve been crying, so she lets it slide, though everyone stares at our still intertwined hands. We get to work on our project, deciding on an old countryside with a flower meadow in the background. I’m going to work on the meadow while he focuses on the little country house. Life seems to flow along the page, and I can feel it with every stroke and color. At the end of class, we hand our pages to Ms. Doise, and when she looks at mine, she comments,

"Oh, wow, those wings are amazing, Ivey! What made you go for a mythical theme?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I took my paper back, spotting translucent purple, green, and blue wings in the sky.

"I... I... I honestly didn’t mean to do that; I was just painting," she laughed, grabbing my paper and placing it with Ashton’s. I let it go and headed to my last class with him beside me. He hadn’t said a word since we started working, which was both a relief and a little unsettling. We sat quietly, but he kept glancing at me now and then, like he was making sure I was still there. When class began, he stayed serious the whole time. His face was stunning, and it was hard not to look at him—I did, often, get caught a few times. He’d see me, smile, then turn away, only to glance again, still smiling, before going seriously like nothing happened. Let’s just say I have no idea what we did in class today.

Weeks have passed, and my dreams keep getting worse. Whenever I worked on our artwork piece, I stayed quiet and kept my distance. I’d show him my finished work, he’d share his thoughts, I’d listen, make any changes needed, and soon we’d be done. Outside of art class, I avoided him as much as possible—during lunch I hid in the library, though even there I couldn’t escape those blue eyes. No matter how much I tried to push him away, Ashton kept finding ways to get closer, as the more I resisted, the more determined he became. Today is no different. School’s over, and I’m doing my best to dodge him. He’s at the school gates, surrounded by noisy girls he’s ignoring, scanning the crowd for someone. I pull my hood up to hide my hair, lower my head, and walk past, hoping he doesn’t see me—or feel that strange pull I get when he’s near. I barely make it two feet past him before he calls my name.

“Ivey!” I kept walking even though every part of me wanted to turn back. “Ivey!” Ashton caught up, grabbing my hand. “Why are you avoiding me?” I shrugged, turning away so I wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Ivey?” His voice was laced with pain, making me flinch. I shook my head, still refusing to look at him.

“Why are you avoiding me, Ivey?” I finally turned to face him, my eyes empty of emotion. His usual bright smile had faded, replaced by a sad, serious look that hurt to see. I wanted to say something—anything—to make him smile again, but those weren’t my words to speak. “I have to go.”

“Ivey, please wait.” I shook my head and started walking away.

“Stop running, please.”

“I have to go, bye,” I said softly, but he kept following me.

“Can you please just tell me what I can do to make you look at me?” he pleaded.

"Just please leave me alone," I say as I head to my brother's work. It isn’t far, but Ashton still follows me. I walk in, and Isaac’s assistant, Alzir, meets me at the door. He spots Ashton, his eyes narrowing at the boy.

"Who’s that?" he asks, leaning closer and taking my bag like he always does when I stop by. Without looking back at Ashton, I reply, "No one, just give me a second, please." I sigh, and he disappears into another room. I sigh again and turn around.

"Wow, this place is something," he said, glancing around the entryway we stood in. I had to admit, the place was incredible, carrying a unique vibe that made me feel at peace, enough to open up to him.

"It is, but you have to leave. My brother doesn’t allow outsiders here."

"Just tell me why we can’t be together, and I’ll go," he said. I took a deep breath.

"Because I’m no good for you. I do like you, but I think it’s best if we stay away from each other." I hugged myself and looked away.

"If you like me and I love you, then we can make this work." He steps closer, saying softly, "I really do love you, and I know you’ll love me too." He wraps me in a tight embrace, holding me close. I try to pull away, but he draws me back in and kisses me. As our lips meet, my eyes close, and I melt into the moment. For what feels like forever, I’m lost in it—until a pair of blue eyes appears, making me gasp. The next thing I know, everything goes black, and I pass out.

Pant... Pant... Pant...

I raced through the deserted streets, the streetlights casting a pale glow over the moonless night. The unsettling silence hung heavy, with not a single carriage in sight. My hair slipped loose from its pins as I neared the edge of town, breath ragged and heart pounding in my ears.

"I need to reach him, I need to reach him, please let me reach him in time..." I whispered to myself again and again as I reached an abandoned building. Slowing, I spotted a trail of blood and knew I had to follow it. It led me around to the back, and that’s when I saw it.

Blood... blood... blood... it was everywhere. A puddle of it surrounded him as he lay in the center. I ran to his side and fell, making a small splash. My green dress—chosen just for him—quickly soaked through. My hair, once styled the way he loved, was now wild, the ends dripping crimson. I reached out to touch his face, that beautiful face that used to wear a smile capable of melting my heart—a smile I would never see again. My vision blurred with tears, and when I wiped them away, I only smeared his blood across my cheeks. I gazed into those once-gorgeous eyes that could send my heart fluttering, now empty and lifeless. I moved his head onto my lap, tears splattering his cheeks, adding to the red. I was covered in his blood—my fault, because I was too late. His face, shirt, pants, everything around us was stained scarlet. My chest ached as if my heart had stopped and been torn out. More tears fell, and wiping them only turned them crimson. Unable to look at his still form, I turned my eyes to the sky, wishing I was gone too. I let the tears fall in silence until they ran dry, and when I looked back at him, I saw a man’s silhouette in the distance. His blue eyes stared with satisfaction at my love’s body before shifting to me, now filled with unmistakable joy. He opened his mouth but said nothing, turning to leave. Ignoring him, I pulled my other half closer, holding him tight.

"Ivey?" Ashton was hovering above me with a worried expression. I sat up on the couch and shifted slightly away from him, noticing the room looked different. "Are you alright?" I gave a half nod, then gasped in surprise as he pulled me into his arms, burying his face in the crook of my neck. "I was so worried—you fainted again. What happened?" I pulled away, shivering as all his warmth disappeared.

"No, don't," I whispered. He was about to respond when the door slammed open. I turned to see Isaac, his face a mix of anger and concern, striding toward me across the unusually large room. He pushed Ashton aside with a death glare.

"Are you okay, Ivey?" Isaac asked, his attention completely on me, ignoring the boy who had just stepped back to let him kneel beside me. I nodded and lowered my gaze. He gave me a small smile, his features softening—until Ashton spoke.

"Ivey." That was all he managed before Isaac cut him off.

"And who are you?" he asks, standing and glaring at Ashton, anger clear on his face. Ashton doesn’t flinch, just stands his ground and says, "I’m Ashton, Ivey’s friend—well, sort of." I notice Isaac looking a bit thrown by that last part, though I know I’m the only one who caught it. "Why are you here? We don’t let anyone in here." I’m still shocked he’s even here, let alone managed to get into the building. "I was just trying to talk to Ivey about dating me," Ashton says with a straight, serious face. My eyes nearly popped out of my head and my jaw dropped. I can’t believe he just said that to my older brother without hesitation. "I don’t think so," he replied, standing straighter. "You should leave." After a second, Ashton nodded.

"Okay, but I just want to tell you that I love her, and I want to date her."

"Not happening, now please leave," Isaac says again. "Alzir will show you out." The door opens, and Alzir is there waiting. Before Ashton walks out, he leans over to where I’m sitting and kisses me on the cheek, then straightens and leaves with Alzir.

"What the hell was that?" Isaac nearly shouts, snapping me out of my trance. I shrug one shoulder.

"He thinks he loves me," I sigh. "But he doesn’t know me, and I have already told him we can’t." I avoid looking at my very annoyed brother.

"Good. You don’t need a boyfriend—you’re too young anyway."

"I'm turning seventeen in October; I wouldn’t call that young, brother." I let out an awkward laugh. He sighs, runs a hand through his hair, and looks at me.

"I have a few things to finish. You lay down and get some rest, and I’ll come get you when I’m done. If you need anything, Alzir will help you." I nod, feeling fine but too tired to argue. Honestly, I needed more sleep. He leaves, and I lie back down, drifting into a deep, dark slumber.