Feathers

Unveiled

Ravenna was beautiful, unlike any I had even seen. Her eyes captivate me, they saw through me and too my untamed soul, they saw my secretes and undeniable truths, lies and defences. They told me she was special, they told me to protect her with my life but to never get to close in fear of her finding out; yet, I couldn't stay away from her, I couldn't help but leave hints for her to know that I was there, watching her like the guardian angel I had become.

It was only in the form of a crow that I was able to get close to her, we had grown closer together through the days and I began to set out to see her more often. I would sometimes sit on the windowsill of her classroom and dance or caw in an untamed mess of notes, making her laugh out and get into trouble. But I don't think she minded all that much when she got into trouble, she would scold me afterwards but it wouldn't be long before she was happy to laugh at my crows form.

She would talk to me for hours and I would listen intently, so caught up in her words that the world seemed to fade around me. She had told me many stories of books that she had read, she even told me some of her own stories, some that she had written but never found the time to finish.

Something inside me was drawn to her, I couldn't figure out what it was but I knew that I wasn't the only one drawn to her like a magnet would to a piece of metal. Often, I would feel the presence of angels and sometimes even demons, I could feel their undeniable want to be near her; but she was oblivious to it all, so innocent in the mind and soul. Her eyes were shielded from the truth by a magic that only angels had the power to control, but now that her guardian was gone, the magic was wearing off and I wasn't sure that I could replace it without her knowing. I wasn't as powerful as the Archangels but I knew that I was strong enough to protect her from the dangers of both sides of this war, I knew that replacing the magic upon her sight was a bad idea and I knew that she was starting to notice the changes. Now, all I could do was wait...

It became clearer every day that went by, that she was who they said she was. Her soul seemed to glow until it slowly turned into a blinding light of pure capability, she was exactly what we needed to win this war, to create peace between the two races, but whilst her light and power grew; as did the amount of supernatural visitors. Each being that appeared grew stronger in her light and it was with grave difficulty that I kept each hidden from her view.

It was a slow process but I knew it was working, the more time she spent with me, the closer she got to seeing through my façade. Often she would pause during a sentence, looking at me and blinking multiple times before she would shake her head and push aside her thoughts, returning to the conversation.

Though I was in the form of a bird, I knew that she saw something else, that she knew I wasn't  what I appeared but that she just couldn't place her finger on what it was that made me so. Often I was tempted to completely reveal myself to her, but I knew the time wasn't right, she still had time before she was to be taken away from this world. When the time was right, she would know.

I tap on the class of her bedroom window with my beak, looking through to see her placed on her bed reading a book. I tap again and notice her stir before looking up, her eyes instantly brightening at the sight of me, causing my inner self to relish in the thought of her happiness towards me. She sat her book on the bed before running to the window and opening it to allow me inside, much to her mothers dismay.

I had been introduced to her mother as her new best friend, her mother would often shake her head at her daughters strange habits at making friends with animals, leaving me to know that this hadn't been the first animal that was introduced to her home.  Though I knew her mother saw passed my glamour, she knew of the differences in me and she also knew that her daughter was changing in many ways that she wouldn't be able to control.