throw her own child out into the street? In the middle of winter at fifteen years old? How? Why?
These were questions she’d asked herself over and over again, telling herself she was confused. The truth was there was no confusion at the answer. Chelle knew exactly why she’d been put out of her house. She was a freak. She was no good and deserved nothing. Somewhere deep inside him, even before that night, her father had known. That’s why he beat her. Not because he was a wretched drunk, but because some primal instinct told him she was nothing more than some kind of beast that needed to be put in her place. He knew. And Chelle was sure everyone around her knew. Everyone knew there was something they didn’t like about her, even if they couldn’t quite put their finger on what it was.
All these thoughts that Chelle worked so hard to repress, day after day, month after month and year after year flooded into her consciousness before she knew it. The anger was there. Not the low level kind, but the raging flood of emotion that always caused the chain reaction.
Knowing what was about to happen, Chelle fumbled with her belt, trying to get it off. Her hands shook. It was happening fast. Much faster than it had ever happened before and her fingers became useless as they trembled with fear. She needed to get to the basement. She managed two steps forward before the pain began.
The horrid things tore their way free, ripping her open, slicing her like razor blades as the blood, once again, began to run down her back. In moments her shirt was left in shreds and she fell to her knees, hearing things crash and bang around her as the wings asserted themselves, knocking over possessions that she had no right to even look at in the process. They had emerged in record time, and as they did, she was screaming.
She bit down on her lip for a brief moment, hoping that it would help quiet her, but the pain was too much and she continued to scream involuntarily as the massive things spread out, digging into her like shards of glass. Spots formed in front of Chelle’s eyes. Pools of liquid black wavered and danced in front of her and there was a ringing in her ears so loud that it drowned out the sound of her screams.
Falling face first onto the floor she heard something. A voice. Someone was there with her and calling her name.
No she thought as the darkness swooped in to take her against her will. No! Nobody can see.
With a final heave, her will to stay conscious gave way and she was thrust into blackness.
***
Robert weaved in and out of traffic, almost causing two accidents by blowing through a couple of red lights. Even when he’d gotten the call that his father was dying and he needed to get to him he couldn’t remember having felt this much panic. Chelle wasn’t an old, terminally ill man. She was a young woman, one who was perhaps sick and didn’t even know it.
Robert rehashed stories he’d heard over the years of supposedly healthy young people collapsing and dying with no notice at all. He’d never paid such stories too much attention, always assuming there had to be some underlying cause. Someon e would have had to see it coming. He wasn’t so sure now. Chelle seemed so vibrant. Even in the mornings when she’d obviously not had much sleep she was simply radiant. There was no sign of sickness whatsoever. Perhaps if he got her to the hospital and they ran the tests again Paul would tell him it was all a big mistake. Her test results had gotten mixed up with someone else’s, or he’d actually read it wrong. Paul was a competent doctor so logically he knew that wasn’t going to happen, but fear has a way of planting a kind of irrational hope.
His car screeched to a halt as he finally arrived in front of the little house. Robert ran to the door and knocked without hesitation, calling out her name as he did. After a moment of silence he
These were questions she’d asked herself over and over again, telling herself she was confused. The truth was there was no confusion at the answer. Chelle knew exactly why she’d been put out of her house. She was a freak. She was no good and deserved nothing. Somewhere deep inside him, even before that night, her father had known. That’s why he beat her. Not because he was a wretched drunk, but because some primal instinct told him she was nothing more than some kind of beast that needed to be put in her place. He knew. And Chelle was sure everyone around her knew. Everyone knew there was something they didn’t like about her, even if they couldn’t quite put their finger on what it was.
All these thoughts that Chelle worked so hard to repress, day after day, month after month and year after year flooded into her consciousness before she knew it. The anger was there. Not the low level kind, but the raging flood of emotion that always caused the chain reaction.
Knowing what was about to happen, Chelle fumbled with her belt, trying to get it off. Her hands shook. It was happening fast. Much faster than it had ever happened before and her fingers became useless as they trembled with fear. She needed to get to the basement. She managed two steps forward before the pain began.
The horrid things tore their way free, ripping her open, slicing her like razor blades as the blood, once again, began to run down her back. In moments her shirt was left in shreds and she fell to her knees, hearing things crash and bang around her as the wings asserted themselves, knocking over possessions that she had no right to even look at in the process. They had emerged in record time, and as they did, she was screaming.
She bit down on her lip for a brief moment, hoping that it would help quiet her, but the pain was too much and she continued to scream involuntarily as the massive things spread out, digging into her like shards of glass. Spots formed in front of Chelle’s eyes. Pools of liquid black wavered and danced in front of her and there was a ringing in her ears so loud that it drowned out the sound of her screams.
Falling face first onto the floor she heard something. A voice. Someone was there with her and calling her name.
No she thought as the darkness swooped in to take her against her will. No! Nobody can see.
With a final heave, her will to stay conscious gave way and she was thrust into blackness.
***
Robert weaved in and out of traffic, almost causing two accidents by blowing through a couple of red lights. Even when he’d gotten the call that his father was dying and he needed to get to him he couldn’t remember having felt this much panic. Chelle wasn’t an old, terminally ill man. She was a young woman, one who was perhaps sick and didn’t even know it.
Robert rehashed stories he’d heard over the years of supposedly healthy young people collapsing and dying with no notice at all. He’d never paid such stories too much attention, always assuming there had to be some underlying cause. Someon e would have had to see it coming. He wasn’t so sure now. Chelle seemed so vibrant. Even in the mornings when she’d obviously not had much sleep she was simply radiant. There was no sign of sickness whatsoever. Perhaps if he got her to the hospital and they ran the tests again Paul would tell him it was all a big mistake. Her test results had gotten mixed up with someone else’s, or he’d actually read it wrong. Paul was a competent doctor so logically he knew that wasn’t going to happen, but fear has a way of planting a kind of irrational hope.
His car screeched to a halt as he finally arrived in front of the little house. Robert ran to the door and knocked without hesitation, calling out her name as he did. After a moment of silence he
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