Every Broken Feather

Friends

Nina pushed some hair off her brow, huffing out a breath. She'd been working since four this morning, and it was eight now. But the pastries had to be made and sold, and she only ran this business with two other employees. Her phone buzzed, Jesper. She'd stopped talking to her friends four years ago, her heart just couldn't take it. Though recently Jesper and Wylan had been calling more often. Picking up her phone, she answered it, floury fingerprints dusting it.

"What do you want?"

"Nina, I'll keep it short. Inej is coming back in town next week for a performance, me and Wy are going, want to join?" Jesper's voice sounded so cheery. What right did he have to be cheery?

"Jesper I can't–I can't take a day off, thanks though."

"Nina–" She hung up, slamming down her phone screen down on the steel countertop. Inej was coming home, maybe she should go to the performance, but not with Jesper and Wylan. They were to happy, with little Lihvia and Tristan. Two orphans they'd adopted after getting married. She could really only stand Kaz, who had lost someone he loved. Nina finished kneading the dough for a batch of pastries and put it in a bowl with a towel covering it to keep it warm and let it rise. She walked over to her sink and turned it on, soaping her hands and getting the flakes of dough, dried fillings, and flour off her hands.

Then cleaning her kitchen and the front of the store, she finally locked up, going to her car. Matthias' beat up truck. She slipped into the driver's seat and turned on the car, to tired to notice the figure beside her. She screeched as they said,

"How's the business doing?"

"Damnit Kaz!" she yelled, covering heart. He smirked at her and Nina rolled her eyes, driving out of the parking lot and back towards her apartment.

"What do you want?" Kaz was silent for a moment before he commented,

"Can't one friend enjoy another friend's company?" Nina turned on the headlights against the dark, honking at a squirrel in the road and jerking to a stop.

"Friends? we haven't talk in, like, five years. Do you want money? Because I'll be honest, I have none to spare." Nina started driving again, coasting at thirty five miles an hour. Kaz looked her over coldly, reaching down to tie his shoe or get something out of his shoe she supposed; as he was leaning over.

"It shows." Nina slammed on the brakes, and Kaz jerked forwards, hitting his head on the dashboard.

"Shit, Nina. I was only kidding." Kaz rubbed his forehead, glaring at her. Nina put her foot back down on the gas pedal and said simply,

"Friends don't insult one another." Kaz guffawed, and Nina looked over at him, the sound coming from his mouth sounding like he was dying.

"Wow. Then what a great friend I've been." Nina shrugged, turning onto her street, she wasn't to far from the bakery.

"You never were. Probably one of the reasons Inej never talked to you again," she snipped, and Kaz hissed,

"Do not bring Inej into this. I came solely to check up on you, my therapist says I should see my friends once again. Though it seems I've now lost two people." Un-clicking his seatbelt and grabbing his cane, Kaz opened the door, vaulting out of the car and disappearing into the night. Nina sighed, reaching over and closing the door. She pulled into her parking spot and trudged upstairs to her room. Switching on the light the locked her door, going into the bathroom. She drew a bath, slowly peeling off her clothes, throwing them, her phone, and handbag into a corner and dissolving into the bath water, tipping her head back and letting the water cleanse her of the day's stress.

(Later that night)

Nina was watching Frasier, unable to fall asleep. Night terrors haunted her, of Matthias, but not just the bad things, the good times, when they were all happy, when she'd lived with her mother and her father had sent her ugly clothing. Now her father was dead, and though she'd thought she'd hated him she'd loved him, but he had gotten run over by a car, going sixty miles an hour. Nina had been away in the Wandering Isle when it happened, at college. Nina had come home, and her mother and her had mourned together until she had to go back to college. But the worst nightmare was the one where she was with Matthias and had to catch the light fade from his eyes, had to watch him die. She could have been there for him–Jesper could have been there for him.

Of course none of that happened though, her big teddy bear Matthias was gone, and even after six years her heart still ached. Her phone buzzed, Inej. What an exciting night, especially at twelve at night.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Nina! Oh, Nina, how are you? I'm sorry I haven't been talking to you, it's hard, balancing everything."

"I know 'Nej. But we're all occupied, me and my bakery, you and... whatever it is that you do." Inej laughed slightly.

"I dance."

"What kind?"

"Ballet." Nina smiled slightly.

"You, a ballerina? What would Kaz say to that? His wraith a ballerina." Nina could almost see Inej roll her eyes.

"Thanks for the support friend," she giggled. Nina put on a brave facade for Inej, her oblivious friend who had no idea what was really going on.

"I was wondering if when I come next week you want to hang out." Nina's smiled faded. Could she stand it? look at Inej, who sounded so happy, and not want to strangle her? her therapist would say she could do it.

"Of course Nejie! I'd LOVE to. Call me for a date tomorrow okay? I have to get up early and need to get some sleep."

"Course Nina. Love you!"

"Love you too!" Nina bid her fair well, and as the tone flatlined she frowned plugging in her phone and putting it on her nightstand, clicking off the TV on the remote. Snuggling under the covers she closed her eyes, thinking about seeing Inej, about the pros of it. In that moment she realized something. She did miss her friends. Friends. A word that had been foreign to her in the past few years. She tried it out on her tongue, thinking about it in a positive manor and not sarcastically,

"Friend."

Hey FRIENDS. Just want to say, don't forget to tell people about this second book and the first! Trying to get more readers than last time! Hope you all like the story so far, know that the story isn't amazing so far and the chapters are short, but I have limited amounts of time and I'm blowing off sleep and stuff, like, I'm supposed to be asleep, AGAIN. This seems to be a theme... Anyways, hope you all like it, I know, I suck at Nina (and everyone else). Please pardon any mistakes and my writing! VOTE AND COMMENT!

-MOJ