Corner of the Eye {NaNoWriMo15}

Chapter 5

Heya, sorry this chapter isn't super amazing but it explains a lot. Please comment if there are parts missing or awkward sentences, I was tired while writing this, and I probably missed stuff. 

Thanks for reading!

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"...she doesn't know anything. We have to explain it all. Nope. None of it. Not the Panthers, not the wings... Ivy? Are you awake?"

I don't want to be. My head hurts.

As I attempt to open my eyes, it feels like this morning all over again. It seems to take forever for my eyes to focus on Charlotte's worried expression, about five inches from my own face.

"Oh my word, Ivy, are you okay? I'm sorry that it had to be this way, it wasn't supposed to be so sudden, I'm so, so sorry!" she spewed in one breath.

"Wh-" I cough, my throat dry from screaming. "What? I don't- I don't understand."

Charlotte sat back on her haunches, and suddenly I can see a thin, colorful membrane shimmering right behind her. She says something, but I don't hear her.

"What is-" I interrupt her, and she looks back, turning her body to the side.

"Hm? It's just Joanna and Alexandria. Emely can't be here. It's okay, Ivy."

"No, not that- I-" I continue to stare.

Then, Alexandria comes up behind Charlotte and explains. "Char, it's your wings. Remember? You said she didn't know anything."

Wings. Wings? My mind rewinds to when I look back and see Charlotte and Joanna lifting me into the air, away from that cat-

Oh. My. Goodness. What in the world happened?

Charlotte sighs and moves onto her knees. "Here, sit up, Ivy. I can explain it all. I promise." She holds out a hand, but I'm afraid to take it. What has she been hiding from me? What else has been kept a secret?

I see the pleading look in her eyes as her hand hangs between us. Finally, I take it, and with a strong arm, she pulls me into a sitting position on the couch I had been laying on.

Finally, I get a good view of the room. It's completely unfamiliar - the walls are cream colored, but the windows almost look like castle windows because of their shape. It's mostly empty, apart from the couch I'm sitting on and a table in the corner.

As I scan the room, I catch Joanna's and Alexandria's eyes, and both of them are looking at me with pity. Behind Joanna is a pair of wings similar to Charlotte's, but a different shape. Alexandria has wings like a hummingbird's - straight, sharp, and smooth. I tear my eyes away from them as Charlotte begins to speak.

"There's a lot to tell, and it's all going to be quite hard to take in. But I need you to have an open mind, okay? Because it'll be hard to believe." She looks at me for affirmation. I nod, slowly and deliberately.

"Okay. So, I suppose I should start with the history. There's a group of... creatures, so to speak, called the Aires, or Winged. We- they have existed as long as humans have."

We? Are they Aires? I fight my instincts to speak.

"Aires are magical beings."

Magic. Really. Right. Ugh, open mind, Ivy.

"The magic surrounding them hides their non-human features, namely, their wings, from the human eye. Because Winged are made of magic, essentially, they can see the magic plain as day. Now, a long time ago, about two centuries ago, the Winged began a long war against another group of magical beings - Panthers. Nobody knows where Panthers came from, but they have always wanted to kill Aires, so w- they have to fight back. Still, today, the Winged are fighting the Panthers."