Wings

NINE

THE NEXT DAY, LAUREL FELT LIKE A ZOMBIE. SHE didn’t want to believe anything Tamani had said. But she couldn’t help but think about it and wonder. Was it possible? Then she would get angry with herself for being ridiculous, and the whole cycle would start again.

David tried to catch her several times in the hallway, but she managed to duck into her classes ahead of him.

But she couldn’t avoid him in biology.

He hurried to claim his usual seat beside her. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is it spreading?” he whispered before she could turn away.

She shook her head and her hair fell around her face like a wall between them.

David scooted his chair a little closer as the rest of the class noisily took their seats. “Laurel, you’ve got to talk to me. You’re going to drive yourself crazy holding everything in like this.”

“I can’t—” Her voice choked off as tears welled up in her eyes. “I can’t talk right now.”

David nodded. “Can we talk after school?” he whispered as Mr. James started the class.

Laurel nodded and tried to subtly wipe away her tears without attracting attention.

David patted her leg under her desk, then started doodling in his notebook. Laurel wished he’d take a few more notes for her to copy.

The day dragged by as Laurel went back and forth in her mind, berating herself for promising to tell David, then being relieved that she had someone to tell. She wasn’t sure how to even start. How does one just come out and say, “Oh, hey, I might be a mythological creature”?

“I’m not,” Laurel whispered under her breath. “It’s stupid.”

But she couldn’t quite convince herself.

After school, she and David walked toward his house. David seemed to sense she wasn’t quite ready to talk, so they walked in silence.

He was especially gentle as he helped her over his back fence, his hand studiously avoiding her back. He held onto her arms when she jumped down from the fence, and once she’d landed and was steady, he still didn’t pull his hands away.

Laurel felt the urge to curl herself up against his chest and just forget about all this nonsense. But she knew that was impossible. He stared at her unblinkingly until she shoved her hands into her pockets and forced herself to turn away.

“This way,” David said, taking the lead as they walked out to the twisted tree.

Laurel looked up at the dense canopy of foliage above her. It was October now and the leaves were in a perfect state of half-transformation. The edges were orange and red — with some branches boasting yellows and pale browns, the centers still fighting to remain green. It made the forest beautiful with the blends of colors, but Laurel was a little sad to see the green lose its battle to the more flamboyant hues.

It made her think of her own blossom. Would it slowly die like the leaves? Would it hurt? she thought suddenly with a clench of fear. Even if it did, it would be worth it just to have it gone. But Tamani had also said she would grow another one next year. She hoped most of what he said was true. The rest of it…she didn’t even want to think about it.

But her thoughts kept wandering back anyway. And although she hated to admit it, it wasn’t just because the information was so bizarre; it was because of Tamani himself. He had shaken her — introduced emotions she’d never experienced. That sharp sense of wanting someone without even knowing them — she’d never felt that way before. Not with anyone. It was exciting and exhilarating but also a little scary. A part of her that seemed totally out of her control. She wasn’t sure she liked it.

He was so…was beautiful the right word? It seemed like the right word. Whatever he was, she could hardly pull her eyes away from him. That’s the part that really made her wonder if he had been some sort of mirage. A super-realistic dream.

She glanced down at her wrist where she’d rubbed the glittering powder away. That had been real. She’d found a small streak of it on her jeans when she got home. He had to be real.

And then there was the nagging suspicion that she’d seen him before. She couldn’t shake it. And he’d certainly acted as if he knew her. Why would he know her? How could he know her? The whole situation was making her head spin.

“So, what happened yesterday?” David finally asked as they came into sight of the tree.

Laurel groaned, thinking how silly this had all started to seem after she’d agreed to talk to David. “It’s so ridiculous, David, I don’t know why I’m so worked up over it. Probably because it makes me feel stupid.”

“Does it have to do with the, uh, flower?”

“Sort of, maybe. I don’t know,” Laurel said. Her words spilled out as she started to pace. “Only if it’s true, and I can’t believe that. I’m starting to think I made the whole thing up, like a dream I don’t remember falling asleep for or something.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Sense,” Laurel said with a snort. “When I tell you what he said, I’ll be making even less sense.”

“Who?”

Laurel stopped pacing and leaned against a tree. “I met someone. Up at the land. A guy, sort of.” A man almost, but she didn’t say it out loud. “He said he lives there.”

“On your land?”

“That’s what I said.”

“What did your parents say?”

Laurel shook her head. “They didn’t see him.”

“You met him alone?”

Laurel nodded.

“Some strange guy all by yourself? You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt!” He paused for a second, then asked quietly, “Did you get hurt?”

But Laurel was already shaking her head. “It wasn’t like that.” For a moment, she remembered the feeling she’d had while sitting in the small glade. “I felt safe; I was safe. He…he knew me. I don’t know how. He saw the flower and wasn’t surprised at all. He told me it’s a blossom.”

“A blossom?”

“He also said it’ll go away. That’s the only part of the conversation I’m hoping and praying was true.”

“Who was he? Did he say?”

“He said his name was Tamani.” As soon as she said his name she wished she hadn’t. The name seemed somehow magical and saying it aloud brought back that out-of-control feeling that made her feel strangely impulsive. His face invaded her mind, blocking her view of anything else. His intense eyes, that half-grin, the way she’d been overwhelmed by a sense of comfort and familiarity when he touched her hand.

“Tamani?” David said, bringing her back to reality. “Weird name.”

Laurel just nodded, forcing her thoughts back to the present.

“What else did he say?”

“He told me he was my kind; that’s why he knew about the blossom.”

“Your kind? What does that mean?”

Laurel laughed, trying to break the tension. It didn’t work. “It’s just so dumb. He said…he said I’m a flower, a plant.”

“A plant?”

“Exactly. It’s ridiculous.”

David paused to contemplate this. “Anything else?” he asked.

“Anything else? Isn’t that bad enough? He said I’m a freaking plant. I’m not a plant. I’m not,” she added for good measure.

David slid his back down the tree trunk and sat on the ground, his fingers drumming on his knees. “It would explain a lot, you know,” he said hesitantly.

“Oh, please, David, not you too.”

“Did he say anything else?” David asked, ignoring her comment.

Laurel turned away and began picking small pieces of bark off the tree she’d been leaning against. “He just said some other crazy stuff, that’s all.”

David stood and walked over to the tree she was assaulting and waited until she looked up at him. “If it was just crazy talk, why are you so upset?”

“Because — because it was so stupid.”

“Laurel.”

Her eyes darted up to his.

“What did he say?”

“It’s dumb. He said I’m a — you’re just going to laugh.”

“I won’t laugh. What did he say you are?”

She blew out a long breath and her shoulders slumped forward. “He said I’m a faerie,” she whispered.

David was quiet for a moment before he held up his hand, thumb and finger about three inches apart. “A faerie?” he said dubiously.

“Well, obviously I’m a little bigger than that,” Laurel scoffed.

David just smiled.

“What?” Her voice was sharper than she intended, but she didn’t apologize.

“It just…well, it kinda makes sense.”

Laurel’s hand went to her hip. “Some crazy guy claims I’m a mythical creature, and that makes sense to you?”

David blushed now and shrugged. “If I had to pick one person who I thought reminded me of a faerie, it would be you.”

Laurel had expected David to laugh and tell her it was silly. She had been depending on that. But he kind of believed it. And even though she knew it was irrational, it made her angry. “Can we go now?” She turned and started back down the path.

“Wait.” David ran to catch her. “Doesn’t it make you curious?”

“No, David,” she snapped. “It doesn’t. It makes me want to go home and go to sleep and wake up to find that all of this is a dream. That the flower, the bump, even public school never happened. That’s what it makes me want!” She turned without letting him answer and jogged down a random trail. She didn’t care where it led. She just had to get away.

“What scares you more, Laurel,” David yelled after her, “that he’s right, or that he’s wrong?”

Laurel ran all the way home and stood panting in her driveway for several minutes before she made her way up the curving walk to her front door. The days were getting shorter, and already the sun was beginning to set. She collapsed onto the front porch with her arms wrapped around her knees. It was that magical time when the clouds were purple, tinged with a fluorescent orange. Laurel loved this time of day. Their new house had a big, west-facing picture window where she and her mother would often watch the clouds flush bright purple, then fade slowly to lilac as the orange of the dying sun overcame them.

Tonight it held no beauty for her.

Laurel looked out into her yard at the white dogwoods that lined the front walk. If Tamani could be believed, she had more in common with the trees than with her living, breathing parents waiting just on the other side of the door.

She looked down at her feet. Without thinking, she had slipped out of her flip-flops and pushed her toes into the crumbly dirt of the front flower beds. She took quick, shallow breaths to stave off her panic as she dusted the dirt from her feet and returned them to her shoes. What if she went into the backyard, buried her feet in the rich dirt, and lifted her arms to the heavens? Would her skin slowly harden into tree bark? Would she bloom with more petals, maybe from her stomach or the top of her head?

It was a terrifying thought.

But Tamani had looked normal. If he was really the same as her, did that mean she wouldn’t change? She still wasn’t sure she could trust anything he’d said.

The front door rattled, and Laurel shot to her feet and turned as her father’s head poked out. “I thought I heard someone,” her dad said with a smile. “What are you doing?”

Laurel paused, trying to remember what had made her stop and sit in the first place. “I was just watching the sunset,” she said with a forced smile.

He sighed and leaned against the door frame. “It is beautiful, isn’t it?”

Laurel nodded and tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

“You’ve been very quiet the last few weeks, Laurel. Are you all right?” he asked softly.

“Just stressed about school,” Laurel lied. “It’s harder than I thought.”

He joined her on the porch step. “Are you handling it okay?”

“Yeah, it just takes a lot out of me.”

He smiled and laid his arm across Laurel’s shoulders. Laurel stiffened, but her dad didn’t seem to notice that or the thin petals separated from discovery by a mere millimeter or so of fabric. “Well, we’ve got a lot of peaches to keep your energy up,” he said with a grin.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Come in when you’re ready,” he said. “It’s almost dinnertime.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Was I…different from other kids when I was little?”

He stopped, saw Laurel’s face, then joined her on the front step again. “What do you mean?”

She considered confiding in him but quickly changed her mind. She wanted to find out what he knew first. “Like the way I eat. Other kids don’t eat like me. Everyone thinks it’s weird.”

“It is a little different. But I don’t know anyone who eats more fruits and vegetables than you do. I think that’s healthy. And you haven’t had any problems, have you?”

Laurel shook her head. “Have I ever been to a doctor?”

“Sure. When we were finalizing the adoption, a pediatrician came over to the cabin to make sure you were in good health.” He paused. “Actually, this is a funny story. He checked you over and everything looked good.” Her dad laughed. “Except that your knee wouldn’t do that kick thing when he hit it with his little mallet. He was concerned, but I didn’t think it really mattered. Then he pulled out his stethoscope. That’s when things got weird. He kept moving his stethoscope all over your back and chest. I asked him what the problem was, and he told me that I should go get your mom. He wanted to talk to both of us. So I went to get her, and by the time we got back, he was packing his things up. He smiled and said you were in perfect health.”

“Then what was up?”

“That’s what I asked him. He said he didn’t know what I was talking about. Let’s just say that didn’t help your mom’s view of doctors. She railed about what a nut he was for weeks.”

“And you never did find out?”

Her dad shrugged. “I don’t think there was anything wrong with you. I think his stethoscope was broken, or he used it wrong or something. Then he realized his mistake, didn’t want to look incompetent, and tried to brush it all off. Doctors never like to admit they’re wrong.” He looked over at Laurel. “What is this about? Do you want us to take you to the doctor? We got you exempted from your school physical, but if it would make you feel better, we can take you now.”

Laurel shook her head. That was the last thing she wanted. “No. I really don’t.”

“Are you okay?”

Laurel smiled. “Yeah, I think I am.”

“You sure?” her dad pressed, his eyes soft but concerned.

She nodded. “I’m fine.”

“Good.” He stood and turned the knob on the door. “Oh, by the way, we got the offer from Barnes this morning.”

“That’s awesome,” Laurel said as she stared out at the darkening horizon. “I hope he buys it fast.” I don’t ever want to go back, she added in her head.