Fallen

Chapter 11. Hide your wings [Caleb]

Walking around with wings in public is a no-go. I already made that clear, like a lot.

I might actually have gone to heaven and become a broken record, considering how much I've said it already.

Not only that, but now, I also have to hide M from potential - I don't know what to call them - enemies? Villains?

I come out of the kitchen, dragging a kitchen chair behind me. It makes noise as I pull it across the hardwood floor.

I need something for M to sit on while I try to wrap his wings.

Emphasis on try.

His wings almost reach his height.

I've noticed whenever he walks that his wings drag along the floor slightly. They're difficult to hide with all the feathery puffiness.

Wrapping them up might fix that.

But only for a short while. Long enough to get what we need and come back again.

It's not like anyone will see his wings when we're back here. When we're home. He's safe here. I'd like to think that at least.

But out there. Well, that's different.

After explaining what shopping is to M. Lucy, comes rushing back.

She's holding up a plaid coat.

I remember it as one of my dad's old winter coats. It's long. And probably big enough for M.

She throws it over the couch, along with a few rolls of bandages that she must have grabbed too. It's the best option for wrapping the wings.

It sounds strange, but it's definitely better than duct tape. And to get the coat on M, drastic measures need to be taken, hence the bandages.

M sits down in the chair. Chest to the backrest. Arms crossing over each other on the top.

His wings are on full display. Covering the floor.

I take the bandages from Lucy while she, with an exploring hand, reaches forward to touch his feathers, where they connect with bone.

He shivers slightly, and she snaps back her hand.

"Does it hurt?" She asks, eyes wide. Curious.

"No," He shakes his head. "They're just sensitive."

I reach for the bandages while Lucy steps off to the side. Letting me do the job.

"Tell me to stop if it hurts," I tell him.

I can't possibly imagine how it feels to have wings.

They're a part of M, just like any other body part. Never really thinking about it. Until something hurts. Like a cut to the finger or stubbing your toe.

When I first saw him. His wings also looked in bad shape. But now they do look slightly better. It might still hurt, and he just doesn't want to tell me, so I have to be careful.

Wrapping the bandages around his chest turns out to be challenging.

His wings keep basking me in the face on accident. Feathers end up in my mouth or tingling me across the nose.

I almost feel the need to smack them away. I don't.

But I do ask Lucy for help. We both manage to keep them under control.

M only hisses lightly in pain a few times but doesn't tell me to stop. So I keep going.

When we're done, I give him a t-shirt. It fits, almost. It's tight.

The coat covers the rest.

It looks ridiculous.

He looks ridiculous.

The combination of a white t-shirt, some grey sweatpants and now also, a plaid coat. To add to it all. The only shoes we can find are my old flip-flops, a size too small.

He looks like an off-beat Sherlock Holmes on his way to the beach. At least he gets the footwear right.

He's a sight to behold. Fashion-wise. But there's no hint of wings. He looks just like any other 'normal' guy, but with a lack of fashion sense.

M looks over his shoulder, probably trying to see his wings, but there are none.

The only sign of anything under the coat is a little bump.

He looks a little like the hunchback from Notre Dame. But that is to be expected when heavy feather set wings are attached to his back at all times. This is the best we can do. And it's hopefully enough.

Besides, it looks cute.

Lucy pulls at my sleeve. Trying to get my attention.

I look down at her.

"What?"

She smiles broadly. A glare in her eye.

She shows me her pair of hello-kitty sunglasses and a yellow knitted hat.

"Seriously?" Talking about a disguise. I didn't mean full on. M already looks ridiculous enough as it is. The whole point is to get eyes off of him, not on him. And people certainly won't keep their eyes off of someone walking around like it's all seasons of the year.

"We have to be safe, right?" She says. Using it against me.

"I was talking about the massive wings on his back," I state and point to his tall figure across the room. "Not his incredibly 'average' brown hair or eyes."

Lucy rolls her eyes. "I'm taking it with us just to be safe."

"Whatever," I say.

I leave them in the kitchen while I go change myself.

I grab the first clothes I find and my phone too.

When I come back, they both stare up at me, Lucy holding back a giggle.

"Ready?" I ask.

They share a glance. I can see that both don't plan on telling me anything, or so it seems like, at least.

I roll my eyes and grab the car keys from the bowel of the entrance.

When we reach the garage and the doors open. We are met with the deathtrap itself, our car. The car is as ugly as the day my parents bought it. It's blue, paint peeling off at the edges and turning a rustic orange.

"Lucy, you take the back seat," I tell her.

She complains but does what I say.

Going up to the passenger side. I open the door for M. It creaks.

"Hop in," I say, and he does.

It's evident on his face that he has never seen a car before. But I would have that look too on my face if this is what I would have to drive in.

I show him how to click himself in. The seatbelt is the only thing safe about this car. Besides, I'm a terrible driver.

The car coughs and then rattles to life. And then we're off.