Part Thirteen

Wow is right.



Life went back to normal after that. What am I saying? Life will never be "normal." What I mean to say is that things didn't change much. In a bad way, anyway.

Oh who am I kidding? Life was so different! I now had two best friends who knew the truth and a cell phone. My dad was still gone, but John was recovering fast (thanks to Em). I still had no idea what was going on between my parents or with John's six friends (especially Rosa), but the weight of the lie was gone. Well, sort of. Also, the popularity kick looked just about over, even though I would always have that burn mark on my neck.

Yeah, life was pretty good.

So that day after school, Rich joined the fight. With me and Trist, I mean. One on one on one was slightly trickier, but a lot more fun. Rich and Trist tried to beat me while I practiced my old skills. I don't know why it was so fun, but it was. It also felt... right, like this was what I should have been doing all my life, and in a way, I had been. As strange as it sounds, fighting made me feel... free.

The bruises didn't even matter to me. (It's a good thing it was long-sleeve weather, because my mom would have FREAKED!)

I devoted Friday to catching up with Rich in his backyard. He told me all about the two-week-long trip while we played keep-away with his dog. They were going back during Christmas break.

I spent Saturday morning with him too, but then his mom told me off for distracting him from his homework.

So, I called Trist. We met up at the field fifteen minutes later.

"Are you still holding back on me, Trist?" I asked when we met up. "I feel like you can do more."

Trist shrugged. "You caught me. I can totally kick your butt right here and now." He smiled.

"Last time you said that," I reminded him, "I left you in the mud. Are you sure?"

"Only one way to find out."

When we fought this time, I noticed right off his tactics had changed. First I was glad, but I soon realized it actually put him at a huge advantage. Tris had been learning my style all week, constantly keeping his own tricks in the dark. His new moves were different and hard to learn really quickly. He was beating me from the beginning, and though I got the hang of it near the end, I was the one flat on my back in the cold grass.

"Got ya," Trist stated simply.

"Uh, yeah, you did," I admitted as he helped me back up. "But I don't think you will again."

"Why's that?"

"You may have learned my style, but I'm getting used to yours. This new one is still partly your old one. C'mon, we'll go again."

Trist shook his head. "Should you really push yourself this much? Aren't you hurting?"

"A little."

"No, let's take a break," Trist insisted. He sat on the grass and looked up at me expectantly.

I sighed, "Fine. But just for a minute."

"Sure thing."

"Nothing's ever a sure thing," I muttered, sitting next to him. After a second I lay on my back and stared up at the clouds. They moved fast in the sky, despite how little wind I felt down on the ground.

"Ah. It feels good to fight friendly battles," Trist sighed, stretching out on the grass as well.

That statement felt odd to me, but I didn't say anything. Then my mind wandered freely for a moment, no single thought pinning it back down.

Trist sat up suddenly. He appeared distracted when I looked over to him, especially since his face was turned away from me.

"I... I have a bit of a secret, too," he said, and then looked back at me with anxiety in his face. "You've been so open with me, I thought I could return the favor." He stood and faced out again. I lifted myself on my elbows and wondered at what he was talking about.

Trist sighed. "Don't freak out, k?"

If he hadn't said that, I might have freaked out. The next second, feathers started appearing around his back, until he suddenly supported a full set of eagle-brown wings.

I blinked and my jaw fell to the ground.

That was not normal.

Right?

The little something from so long ago found its voice within my head again.

I wanted the same thing.

I wanted to fly.

And, I knew I could.

Next thing I knew I was standing two inches above the ground as Trist turned around to see my reaction. He nodded.

"I thought we might be the same," he stated with only the tiniest ghost of a smile.

My shoes touched ground again and I examined my own pair of cream and pale blue wings. There was no possible way....

But this felt right.

This felt normal.

I felt free.

I was truly free for the first time since the pain in my chest and back, and now I knew where that pain came from.

I was creating my own wings.

"You okay?" Trist asked.

I blinked again, coming back to myself.

"Uh... yeah," I answered breathlessly. "Better, actually. Better than I've been in days." I experimentally stretched my wings in and out. They felt stiff, but it was so natural to me, like a pair of arms.

"This is your first time, isn't it?" Trist asked as he watched me discover. I nodded in reply. "Oops," he continued. "I probably shouldn't have done that then." His wings disappeared, feather by feather, and I let mine droop.

"Why?"

Trist sighed. "That's the leader's job, and I totally ruined it for you."

My feathers started leaving me in the same way as Trist's had. I asked, "Leader?"

"Yeah. Each group has to have a leader, and the leader has to teach the group. That's just the way things have been for ages."

"Oh," I said. "Huh?"

Trist smiled. "You have a lot to learn."

"Teach me, then," I insisted.

Trist shook his head. "I've already ruined your start. I can't ruin your training. I just wanted to know if you really were the same as me."

"Isn't that a risk?"

"Not all that much, since you can usually tell. I'll bet that's why we're friends; we were automatically drawn to each other by the same power."

"Oh." That made sense. Sort of.

"Look, I should probably go now," Trist said. "Maybe we can talk about this more later. Just don't tell your group about me, or we'll both be in trouble."

"Okay."

I couldn't comprehend much else at that moment anyway. Trist waved as he jogged away, and I waved back.

Then I slumped back to the ground and let the past few minutes sink in.



Wow is right.