Wings

Chapter 3 - Comfort

I settled into Nevermore life pretty quickly. The staff were all very friendly and the students were enthusiastic. In my first few days I was asked a lot of questions about being a Winger and had requests to show off my wings, it was a little annoying but at least no one poked fun at me here they were just interested in me.
I struck up quite a bond with Larissa too. She checked in on me every night to see how I was settling in and if anyone teased me, she made a promise to severely punish anyone who did. She even invited me for a glass of wine in her office one evening and it was lovely spending some quality time with her. We talked and talked for hours on end, making each other laugh, swapping stories and discussing all kinds of different topics. From art to music, food to films, books to fashion. Of all of the people I had met since joining Nevermore she was the one I felt the most at ease with, I could truly be myself with her.

But things were starting to get a bit more complicated for me, I realised I was attracted to her and started to develop feelings for her. I dreamt about her constantly and she gave me butterflies whenever I saw her. Those loving eyes, that warm smile, her dulcet voice, her stunning beauty, her compassionate nature. I just wanted her to hold me and never let me go. But I couldn't have these feelings for the first friend I'd had in years, let alone my boss!

*

In the dead of night I would release my wings from my harness and fly around the school grounds. It was a good way to stretch them out after being restrained all day, plus it was exhilarating! I couldn't do it much previously for fear that normies would see me, but here I felt so free and enjoyed basking in the moonlight every night. I even slept better because of it.

One night, as I was doing laps of the grounds, I saw a light on in someone's window. I flew a little closer and saw Larissa sitting in her office.
"Why is she still up at this time?" I thought, looking at my watch. It was 3am.
She stood up and started pacing around, she looked agitated...and furious. She took a large gulp of her wine and leaned on her desk, clutching her forehead. Was she...crying?
I glided a bit closer. She grabbed something from her desk and launched it across the room in a fit of rage. She held her face in her hands and I saw her shoulders shaking as she wept, it hurt me so much to see her this way.
"I've got to do something" I thought so I flew down to her balcony.
I didn't mean to startle her but she jumped when I tapped on the glass doors. Her eyes were brimming with tears but she looked pleased to see me. I gestured to the handle for her to unlock it from the inside which she did.
"Evelyn, what are you doing here at this hour?" she asked, wiping her eyes and sniffing. She was trying so hard to regain her composure.
"I was just flying around when I saw your office light on. Can I ask, are you alright?"
Her bottom lip quivered and she shook her head. I guided her to one of the chairs in front of her desk and sat her down, I sat in the opposite one and held her hand.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.
"I...I don't know where to start" she said through tears, I put my other hand on top of the one of hers I was holding.
"It's ok, take your time".
"I'm...I'm just under so much pressure. From the Board, the staff, the students. I can't switch off from my work and I can't relax. I haven't had a good night's sleep in months. Every day I have to put on my professional facade and pretend that I'm happy and in control, but I'm not. I'm exhausted. The stress is becoming too much, I don't know how much more I can take before I break down completely".
I desperately wanted to hold her or comfort her in some way, but I wasn't used to consoling other people so I wasn't sure what to do without overstepping my mark. As I went to pat her shoulder she threw out her arms and squeezed me in a tight hug. My body went stiff at first but she clung onto me like a child would with their mother. She wept into my shoulder and my heart broke for her, so I tentatively put my arms around her and melded into the hug. I closed my eyes and inhaled her essence, her hair smelled like flowers and her skin smelled like vanilla.

We stayed like this for several minutes until eventually she pulled away.
"I'm sorry Evelyn, I got a little carried away there" she said quickly rubbing her eyes.
"It's fine Larissa. You can talk to me about anything, anytime".
"Thank you. That means a lot to me".
Her glassy-eyed smile melted my heart.
"You know you said you didn't have many friends? The truth is, neither do I. I've dedicated myself to this school for so many years that I forgot to have a life of my own".
"Well you have at least one friend now. You did say so on my next of kin form after all" I said lightly.
She giggled through her sniffles and looked away bashfully.
"Oh yes, I hope you don't mind".
"Of course I don't. You're a wonderful person Larissa and I would love to be your friend".
Her head snapped back to me.
"You think I'm...wonderful?"
"Yes. I know we've only known each other for a few weeks but you've been so kind to me. You've accepted me for who I am, not discarded me for what I am".
Her eyes went to my wings like she'd just noticed them, they fluttered slightly as if they knew she was watching.
"Your wings...they're beautiful".
That was the first time anyone had ever called them that and it touched me deeply.
"Show them to me...properly" she said, a soft demand in her voice.
At first I was a little confused by what she meant but then I realised, so I stood up and stretched my wings out to their full length. Each one was around five feet long and every feather was jet black.
Larissa gasped but she was spellbound, she got to her feet and lifted her hand as she came closer to me.
"May I?" she uttered, seeking permission to touch one.
I hesitated. This was all new to me, no one had ever wanted to see my wings like this before let alone touch them. But I trusted her implicitly so I nodded.
Her fingers gently stroked a few of the feathers on my left wing and sent a tingling sensation through my entire body. I didn't realise how sensitive they were to someone else's touch.
I closed my eyes and a staggered exhale left me, but Larissa didn't withdraw her hand.
When I opened my eyes she was staring at me, "see...beautiful".
As we stood there in silence the air in her office was getting thicker by the second. I felt a spark, something stirring within me and I think I could see it in her eyes too...
"It's late, you should get some sleep if you can" I eventually said, I couldn't bring myself to cross that line.
She looked disappointed as she withdrew her hand, "oh yes of course, I've kept you long enough".
"I'll see you tomorrow" I said, quickly heading for the balcony again.
"Yes...um...s-see you tomorrow Evelyn" she stuttered.
Just as I was about to take off into the sky I looked back at her and said, "call me Eve".
She flashed that lovely smile of hers and I flew off back into the night, Larissa never leaving my thoughts.