Winged (Aetharian Narratives) (5 page)

I could see where Viper got his perfect teeth.

“Hello, Cordelia. It’s been quite a while,” said Viper’s dad.

“Too long,” she wrapped her arms around him.

I could also see where Viper got the rest of his good looks. His dad had that older gentleman handsomeness about him. Viper would probably retain his good looks just like his father. Though his mom was quite beautiful, too.

“Emma, this is Corinne Amest,” Mom said, turning to me. She brushed a small tear off her face. “Corinne, this is Emmeline, or Emma, my daughter.”

Viper’s mom was surprised by the sight of me. Though she smiled and held out her hand quickly enough for me to shake as not to be obvious, I still caught it.

“Hi, Emma,” she said.

I shook her hand. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

“And this is Arian Amest.” Mom gestured to Viper’s dad. “They are old friends of mine.”

“It’s a pleasure meeting you, Emma. Viper’s told us a little about you.” I shook his hand as well.

“Oh,” I said, blushing. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

He had a very firm grip. Looking at him, he didn’t seem strong, but by his handshake I could tell he was. Viper looked exactly like his parents. All of them had the blondest hair and bluest eyes I had ever seen.

I glanced at Mom and couldn’t help but feel kind of left out. Her hair was long and very curly, but also blond. Though she was quite a bit shorter than the others and me, I felt out of place standing in a room with four absolutely beautiful, blond, blue-eyed people. There I was, the odd man out with my red hair and green eyes. It didn’t help that Mr. and Mrs. Amest kept looking at my red hair from the corners of their eyes.

“I didn’t know you knew Viper, Emma,” Mom said to me.

“Well, I just met him,” I said. “Today, actually.”

“Yes,” Viper said, “today was my first day at school.”

“When Viper told us that he met a girl named Emmeline Larnex I knew, without a doubt, that she had to be your daughter, Cordelia,” said Mrs. Amest.

“Well, let’s talk more while we eat. I don’t want dinner to get cold,” Mom said. She showed them the way to the dining room.

“I had no idea our parents knew each other,” I said to Viper. He walked with me to put the ice cream in the freezer.

“It’s funny how some things work out, isn’t it?” he said.

We joined Mr. and Mrs. Amest at the dinner table.

“So, Emma, how do you like your school?” Mrs. Amest said.

I kept my mouth firmly closed and pondered my answer to that question.

“Well,” I said, “it completes its purpose and I learn things, I guess.”

Both Mr. and Mrs. Amest laughed.

“I can already tell that you’re like your mother,” Mr. Amest said.

Mom walked in holding a big pan of lasagna.

“Oh, Cordelia, you remembered,” said Viper’s mom.

“Only the best dish I can make for my oldest friends.”

“It smells great, Ms. Larnex,” said Viper.

“Of course it does,” said Mr. Amest, “I remember when we were in school Cordelia was no good in the kitchen, but dead set on making one perfect dish. Her being able to make the most perfect lasagna in the world is the result of that.”

Mom laughed. “Yes and I got so sick of it that this is the first time I’ve made it in years.”

She served everyone a plate of the lasagna and some salad. It was the best lasagna I had ever tasted. I hadn’t known Mom could cook something so delicious. When everyone was done eating Mrs. Amest cut five slices of pie and put them on plates. Mom poured cups of coffee and she and Mr. and Mrs. Amest went into the sitting room.

Viper and I ate our pieces in silence. It was weird seeing him out of school, especially since I had just met him.

“Ice cream?” he said, breaking the unfortunate silence.

“Oh, yes, please,” I said, getting up to find the ice cream scoop. Viper followed me to get the ice cream out of the freezer.

“It’s funny isn’t it?” he said, scooping the ice cream onto our slices of pie. “The way our parents are old friends, I mean.”

“Yeah, my mom never talks about her past,” I said. Though I immediately regretted it.

He raised one of his eyebrows. “Really? She doesn’t say anything about it?”

“Nope,” I said. I figured the damage was already done. “She doesn’t like to talk about her childhood at all.”

I took a bite of my dessert, searching for a change in topic.

“So how did your first day at school go?”

“It wasn’t too bad,” Viper said. “My favorite class is biology by far.”

“That sounds about right,” I said. “Mr. Night is the only teacher I actually enjoy being around.”

“I can certainly see why,” Viper said. “May I use your bathroom?”

“The downstairs bathroom is under a bit of construction, so you can use the one upstairs. It’s the second door on the left.”

“Thanks,” he said, getting out of his chair. “Please excuse me.”

“No problem,” I said.

His politeness was a little exhausting. I watched him leave the room and walk up the stairs.

I ate the rest of my dessert while I waited. It was hard not to notice how quiet the kitchen was without Viper’s voice filling it. I really couldn’t help the fact that our parents’ voices were making their way into the silent room. I wasn’t planning on listening to their conversation, but now that I could hear it, my attention certainly was grabbed.

“So, Cordelia,” Mr. Amest said, “Emma is beautiful. She inherited your and Javid’s looks.”

My ears perked.

“Yes,” said Mrs. Amest, “but that red hair and those eyes. They are really, very … astonishing. Kids here seem to like dyeing their hair different colors. Was she born with it?”

“Absolutely,” Mom said. “The first hairs on her head were red, and since the first time I looked into those eyes they have been that striking green. I could never understand it.”

“It is very strange,” said Mrs. Amest, “Both you and Javid have blond hair and blue eyes, of course. From where did that red and green come?”

There was that name again, Javid. I had definitely never met anyone named Javid. I was sure I would remember a name like that.

“I don’t know,” Mom said. “But I love her either way. She is the only one I have left.”

“And she has no idea?” said Mr. Amest.

Mom sighed. “No. I don’t have the heart to tell her. She leads a contented life not knowing anything. She doesn’t have to know anything. We are both happy with the way things are.”

“Are you planning on telling her anything at all?” Mr. Amest said.

“She might like to know what she really is,” said his wife.

The last sentence felt like it struck me right in the chest. I was confused beyond belief by what they were discussing. I shifted in my chair to hear them better.

“I’ve always figured I would tell her when she was eighteen,” Mom said. “I don’t want to ruin the peaceful life she has right now.”

There was a short silence. I could feel my heart racing in my chest. I got out of my chair and quietly edged to the doorway. I needed them to talk more. What did I not know about myself? I couldn’t think of one thing that was good in my life. If anything, I was actually pretty bored and miserable.

“I wish her life could have been a little more truthful,” Mom said. “Viper seems happy enough with the life he has had.”

“Yes,” Mrs. Amest said. “But recent events are changing that…”

“All of our lives were much happier before,” said Mr. Amest.

“I’m so sorry I haven’t been there for you,” Mom said, her voice shaking. “Does anyone know how things will turn out?”

“They have been trying to explain things the best they can,” said Mrs. Amest. “How can anyone really explain what’s happening? You and Emma are lucky you got out when you did.”

“And Viper?” said Mom. “Does he know everything about Emma?”

“No,” Mr. Amest said. “No one does.”

“We’ve done that much for you,” his wife said.

“Do you know what he can do yet?” Mom asked.

I could tell she was trying to change the mood of the conversation.

“Yes,” Mrs. Amest said. “We are very proud; we’ve never had one in the family…”

Her voice was lowering in volume. I leaned closer to the doorway. Mrs. Amest continued in a whisper, “We found out while he was quite young that he can read minds.”

Warmth rolled through my mind.

What? I thought, Viper can read minds?

At that moment I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and whipped my head to the side to see Viper casually leaning against the opposite wall.

Yes, I can, he said.

But his mouth didn’t move.

II

A disclosure

I cannot feel the pain in my back when I am sent sailing into the air. There are more pressing things for me to concentrate on. I watch the body falling toward me.

I am certain the situation is taking only a few seconds to transpire, but it feels like he is taking all of eternity to make it within my arm’s reach.

I grit my teeth, willing myself to stretch a little more. I allow the unconscious body to be the only thing occupying my mind. I know the slightest alteration can make the whole situation take a turn for the worse, which would be devastating for both of us.

* * *

I gave a little scream. I tried to back away but tripped on my own feet. I fell hard and skidded a few feet across the floor. There was a rush of movement; Viper ran to me.

“Emma?” he said. “Are you okay?”

I looked up at him. His eyes didn’t have the calming effect like before.

Mom hurried into the room followed closely by Viper’s parents.

“What happened? Are you all right, sweetie?”

“Sorry, Ms. Larnex,” said Viper. “I accidentally scared her.”

He turned to me. “I’m very sorry, Emma. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

I looked at him not quite knowing if I should be accepting his apology or running out of the room screaming. He smiled and nodded encouragingly.

“It’s okay,” I finally said.

He held out his hand to help me off the floor. I took it and he pulled me to my feet.

“It’s a bit warm in here, Ms. Larnex,” said Viper. “Is it okay if Emma and I go for a little walk?”

“Yes, of course,” Mom said. “But are you sure you’re all right, Emma?”

I nodded my head, looking around at everyone in the room. No one seemed fazed by the bit of information just shared so I gathered my composure to look less so.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

Viper walked into the hallway. I followed him to the front door. We grabbed jackets and he opened the door and stood aside to let me out first. I stepped over the threshold without looking at him. I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t thinking anything really. I was in a sort of daze. We walked across the grass to the sidewalk. The newly fallen snow crunched beneath our feet. Once we were at least two houses away Viper spoke.

“So, feel educated?”

I looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Why were you eavesdropping?”

“I wasn’t eavesdropping,” I said a little too loudly.

“Yeah, right,” Viper said. “So you just happen to know exactly what they were talking about.”

“No,” I said, “I was sitting there minding my own business when I happened to catch them talking about me. I wanted to know what they were saying. Considering it was
me
they were discussing, I felt I had the right to know.”

“Oh, I see,” he said. “So did you try to stop listening when they started to talk about me? Or do you have the right to that information, too?”

I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn’t think of anything. He was right. I closed my mouth and looked at the concrete in front of me. I hadn’t even tried to stop listening when the subject changed to him.

“And why not?”

I looked at him in surprise. “Are you…” I looked around to make sure there wasn’t anyone near us. “Are you reading my mind right now?”

Viper smiled. “You don’t have the right to that information.”

I felt vaguely violated. “
You
don’t have the right to my personal thoughts.”

He only smiled bigger. I couldn’t believe I was saying those things. The whole thing was insane.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “You can’t read minds. That’s impossible. All of this is nonsense. I
have
to be dreaming or something.”

He listened to me frantically throw those possibilities out in the open.

“Are you done?” he said when I fell silent again.

I nodded.

“Impossible? Do you really believe that?”

We had walked to a bridge. The pathetic excuse for a stream it crossed over was only full about two months out of the whole year, but it had a really nice view of the lake. At night the moon’s reflection on the lake looked like there were two moons in two skies. There was a bench on the wooden bridge that couples made out on all the time so I really had to think over whether I wanted to walk by it or not. Luckily, that night there wasn’t anyone there, probably because of the cold.

I frowned. “Yes, it is impossible.”

The last word came out of my throat a lot higher in pitch than it should have. My eyes fell to the ground and I ran a hand through my hair. It seemed like the word
impossible
had been said a hundred times in the last two minutes.

“Viper, there is no color in my life,” I said. I couldn’t believe I was saying these things. I wanted to cry. “It has no flavor, let alone magic.”

He looked at me with surprise on his face. The strange thing was he seemed to be saddened by what I was saying, too, which only made me sadder. Tears gathered in my eyes.

“Maybe you shouldn’t think of it as magic,” he said. “Perhaps you should see it as, I don’t know, an improbable reality.”

We leaned against the railing of the bridge and looked over the lake, both of us at a loss for words. Every time I visited the lake I was hit with déjà vu. As if it had played a role in a past life. I looked at the two moons. It was hard to tell which was the real one.

No
. I told myself.

The tears disappeared. Why couldn’t I believe in magic? Or at the very least, improbability? Why did I have to settle for one moon? Why couldn’t my world be more than black and white?