Undone by a Broken Angel

18.) Abigail's First Lessons

"And the child grew and became strong; he is filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him."

Luke 2:40

Abraham:

The next morning he found himself doing errands for Nathanael.  The first thing he had to do was find a dress for Abby.  He wasn’t looking forward to venturing into the abandoned city.  He could imagine what it looked like in the recent past- the image pains him.  He won’t see the city renewed to its former glory in his lifetime, but maybe he’ll see falcone children again.  That’s a nice thought.

Falcone children are weak, easy to kill, fun to kill, the voice flares up again.  He pushes the thoughts out of his mind and focuses on the task at hand.

Today he’ll see a falcone woman in proper attire.  He’s excited to see how she looks.  It should be easy to find a dress.  The city was never emptied of personal belongings.  He wanders into the first home he comes across- the structure is still strong, but it’s eerie going into a home that still looks as though a family still lives there.  All of their belongings are intact, a layer of dust coating everything.  This is why Nathaneal was so intent on building new homes away from the original city- to shy away from all the loss they’ve suffered. He walks into a bedroom and opens a trunk, sure enough, there’s a dresser full of dresses and belts.  He grabs as many as he can and goes to the village. She should be waking up soon.  He needs to get some food in him to fight off this headache.

Nathanael is upset about him flying off and getting drunk yesterday.  He wonders what else he has in store for him today.

---

Abigail:

Jack hands me a heap of cream colored cloth.  “What’s this?” I ask.

“It’s a dress.  Our type of dress.  I don’t think it’s princess material, but it’ll do for the time being.”

I scoff and glare at him.  Princess material.  I take it from him and turn it over in my hands.  It’s soft,silky, and light.  But it also looks... unsupported. I try to find the top from the bottom, but the fabric slides around in my hands and I can’t tell any difference.

Jack takes it back and holds it by two shoulder straps.  “Like this,” he says.  “Try it on and come downstairs.  This goes around your waist,” he tosses a belt onto the bed.  He then leaves and shuts the door behind him.

So I remove my trousers, the tunic, and my shoes.  I pull the dress over my head and let the fabric fall in place.  It feels nice and loose, free.  My wings slide out from the back and I wiggle them around.  They don’t catch on anything.  The skirt stops at my knees, the outer layer of silk flowing slightly longer.  I then finish it off by cinching the belt around my middle.  That makes the dress look more solid, at least.  But my breasts aren’t being supported by anything and that makes me very uncomfortable- naked, almost.

The shoes look wrong, so I don’t put them on.  I go downstairs barefoot.  The two of them wait patiently for me.  I wonder how long it has been since they’ve seen a falcone woman dressed in traditional clothing.  Both of their faces light up when they see  me descending the staircase.

“Wonderful!” Teacher shouts and pulls me into an embrace just as I see Jack mouth the word “perfect”.

I blush and try not to press myself into him.  I pull away and he senses my discomfort.  He pulls away too, looking at me at arm’s length instead.  “It has been so long,” he coos.  “But you’re missing sandals.  Just a moment!”   And he scurries as fast as his large body can carry him all the way to his own house across the village.

I hug myself in front of Jack.  Can he see my chest?

“How does it feel?” he asks.

“A little...loose.”

“I suppose so.  You’ve worn corsets your entire life.  If you’re worried about it, you can always wrap your breasts.  I can tell you how, give you a band.”

For a moment I think he said “hand” instead of “band” and I give him a piercing look.  Maybe it’s just my mind playing tricks after the night I had.

“Thank you, that would be helpful,” I say with a sly smile, wondering what his reaction will be.  To my surprise, he pulls me back upstairs- the gross feeling he gives me heightening as our hands connect-  and he pulls out a long cloth from a cabinet-it looks like something for first aid- and tells me to slowly and tightly wrap the cloth around my chest so that my breast cannot move freely.  I do as he says once he’s given me some privacy and head back downstairs at the same time Nathanael arrives with a pair of sandals for my feet.  Once completely finished, I finally feel like part of the family, and we all sit down for breakfast.

After we finish eating, Nathanael instructs us to go outside.  “It’s time for you to start flying lessons, Abigail,” he says.  Then he turns to face Jack, “and you will be teaching her.”

Jack looks unsurprised but clearly annoyed.  “Of course, Nathanael,” he says.

He turns back to me.  “Spread them out so I can see.”  

I blush from his choice of words, but I do as he says and he circles me, inspecting me, poking at me.  “They’re weak, but solid.  It will be a rough start, but I can tell you’re stubborn enough to keep at it.”

I smile at his wisdom.  “We’ll take it slow at first,” he orders.  “Work until noon and meet back here for lunch.”  And then he leaves us alone.

We stand in awkward silence for a moment before Jack starts to teach.  “You take off well, it’s landing you need work with,” he says with first hand experience,  “so let's work on that first.  It’s all about timing, knowing when to slow and when to fold.  Feel the air and the wind.  Trust your wings and your instincts.  You’re a smart girl, so I trust you’ll figure it out quickly.”

And so I follow him into the air and we do drills all morning.  He’s slower than usual, but I trust that’s from his hangover.  Even with his reflexes slowed, he does a great job of catching me when I need it.  Despite the feeling he gives me, every time our skin touches, I get this crazy electric shock that makes my body instantly heat up.  When will this burning end?  Again and again he catches me, his muscular arms and chest more pronounced now that he’s not wearing layers of fabric.  Just when it’s about to drive me crazy,  my wings act on their own accord and I land on my feet for the very first time.

Jack hollers a celebration for me and claps me on the back.  I smile and a pride in me explodes.  I’ve never felt proud of myself before.

Nathanael hobbles outside to meet us.  “Time to eat,” he says, but his expression doesn’t match the words he spoke.  He’s looking so closely at Jack- who meets his gaze- that it looks like a completely different conversation is passing between them. 

---

Abraham:

Nathanael received a letter from Abe’s brother- he knows because Nathanael told him before they sat down to eat.  Why would David send him a letter to Nathanael but not his own brother?  David has always spoken to Abraham first, always.  Neither of them liked Nathanael.  So why the change?  Could David possibly be envious of him because Abe found her first?  He wouldn’t put it past him, actually.  Nathanael told him where to find the letter, so while Abby was washing up to eat, he goes to find it.  It says, Can’t come.  Reapers too close.  Can’t meet up with others.

His heart sinks.  Word travels fast among the reapers, then.  They told all the others that Abby has been found and is alive.  Now what?  Will they make it home?  If they don’t make it, their race won’t either.  He can’t think of the consequences of that.  He looks at Abby smiling at the other side of the table, his heart suddenly becoming light again.  He can find them for her.  He can go out and save them.  He’s the only one who can.  If the others send letters telling the same story, he will go.

---

Abigail:

Nathanael clears our dishes and tells us to go to Eden to the city hall and study.  He hands me a few books and tells me to start reading.  He tells me which book to start with and then has Abraham escort me there since  he was too tired to go himself.

The last thing I want to do is sit in a room and read all day.  I want to see things, do things.  I want to explore my surroundings and get a better sense of the city that used to be filled with hundreds of thousands of falcone.  Once we were out of sight of Nathaneal, I shot out into the city.  Abe had to suddenly try and keep up with me. I set my books down at the great bridge.  I can see the massive city hall building tower over Eden with its steeples and polished walls.  It’s hard to see the rest of the city with it so easily the tallest,  most beautiful, and impressive building among them, but I want to explore what other beauties the abandoned city has to offer., so I start to walk the streets alone until Abe finally catches up with me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asks out of breath.  I like him hungover- it slows him down- not that he would object to what I want to do.

I don’t answer him.  I walk instead.  The buildings are made of what looks like granite.  There are windows and doors. They all look unique in their own way.  One thing is similar to them all, which are the front doors.  They look just like the doors to the city all, but on a smaller scale.  They swing open in the center, a jewel set in the wood.  One building has a diamond, another a peridot. One has an amethyst, and another an opal.  I wonder why.  What do the jewels represent?  The silence of the city doesn’t bother me, it’s peaceful.  What bothers me is the complete lack of falcone.  Did Abraham ever see this city at the height of its power?  How long ago did it lose its population?

I venture inside the homes, and I notice that they are set up almost like inns.  Did multiple families stay in one building?  Each room is set up like a whole house.  A kitchen, a bathroom, and several bedrooms fit into each room.  How well did this work?  I touch the walls and feel the cool granite beneath my fingers.  I can feel the energy left over from the family that lived here.  They felt happy but scared.  Their belongings are strewn around the room.  It looks like they left in a panic.  What exactly happened to this civilization?

I go back outside to where Jack is waiting for me.  He looks as sad as I am.  “What happened?” I ask.

His shoulders heave.  “They all left for the safety of the underground base in Greece because that’s where the queen had gone, but they didn’t know that she went there to give birth, not for safety.  We needed to fight to survive, but the majority of them didn’t make it to the base, and when they tried coming back here, the rest of them perished.  They had no choice to leave their homes in order to help fight, but the reapers were too many.  We didn’t go out without a fight though.  We greatly reduced their population too, it seems.  Because even those of us that are left who venture out, we aren’t targeted as much as we used to be.  Either that, or they don’t see us as a threat anymore.  We’re not sure how many there are now, but they still outnumber us.”

“If this place is safe from reapers, why leave?” I ask.

“The queen left, like I said.”

I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean.  Did they leave to protect her?  Could there really be a race that would sacrifice itself to save their leader?  Is there such loyalty in the world?  “And the jewels?  What do they mean?”

“Oh!  The falcone race is split up by families.  Some are more important than others.  Each family has a jewel to represent them.  My family’s- the McKinley's- jewel is the diamond.  Part of my family lived here, next to the palace, the other part ran the underground base.”

“Why your family?”

“Well, my family is the second oldest family of falcone history, next to the royal family.  We were trusted above all others.  Being the second oldest family, we’re the purest blood beside the royal family.  My mother and father had white wings with only one abnormality in them- my brother included.”

“So why are your wings dark brown?” I ask.

He shrugs.  “I’m the exception of the entire race.”

“What does that mean?”

His lips press together in frustration from my line of questioning and he doesn’t answer me.

I groan.  Someday I’ll get answers about him.  “What is my family color then?” I ask with an irritated tone.

“The ruby.  Red for the royal blood.  Would you like to see the palace?  The Grace family home?” he asks me, starting to walk farther into the city.  He doesn't need an answer from me.  I follow him.

It’s strange to think that a few days ago I thought I’d never know my birth family.  I still don't know them, but at least now I can see where I came from, learn about my ancestors.  I’ve come so far in the past few days, it’s hard to believe that I’m here now doing this.

The homes separate as we get closer to the center of the city and in the middle is another fountain surrounded by a circular shaped building.  There’s a huge garden in the center too, now overtaken by the jungle.  The palace is amazingly built, but not as spectacular as the city hall.   There’s two round staircases that meet at the raised entrance.  A massive ruby sits in the center of the door.

Now that’s a home.

He leads me up the stairs and the door slowly creaks open.  The marble floor is covered in what looks like twenty years of dust.  I step inside and let my eyes adjust to the darkness.  The entrance is a huge reception room.  There’s two grand staircases on either side of the room and straight ahead is a massive fireplace.  Above it hangs an unusual portrait.  The woman has wild brown curls and bright gold and brown eyes.  She peers through her hanging hair as she kneels protectively over top something, her sword extended in front of her face.  It looks oddly familiar to me.

“Who is that?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“That’s the lost queen.  She wasn’t the first queen to die in battle, but she was thought to leave no heir, until now,” he answers.  “I knew her for a short time.  She was an amazing woman.”

The palace is too quiet for me.  I need to leave.  I don’t want to look at the unnerving painting anymore.