Make Me Real, Again
Aurthor's Notes: ! Whoa, I'm still alive!? Well, my young grasshoppers, yes, yes I am! And with a new school year or whatever, I'm here to relieve more stress with (attempting) to write fanfics again (and finish some others!) Yay!
Well, I've had this idea, and I had some free time so... yeah. It's gonna start really slow, but as most of my readers know, they pick up REALLY fast... and boy are there some angst-y moments in here! Oh, and by the way, I finished Nevermore... not happy... not happy at all. None of my friends are. And personally, I'm not a fan of EllaxIggy because it's never told in depth, barely introduced, and just wrong (like Max' sister dating her brother).
So, without further ado, enjoy as I have tried to write after monthes of doing nothing! (Also, see if you can guess the song the title came from for bonus points!) ENJOY!
CHAPTER 1:
Almost to the Brink
No one cared anymore. He was to be "normal", they said, but he felt completely alienated. Dylan, oh Dylan… he was loved. Every day, he had girls drooling over him like love-starved zombies, willing to do anything for their idol. It was his blue, blue eyes that had them trapped, Iggy thoroughly believed. Not the wings.
Nudge fitted in. That's all there was to it. She had friends and a social life and happiness; she had a family at home and a body other girls would die for. She had it made. Nudge would sit with girls her age and talk fashion and boys. Not the wings.
Even Gazzy had friends his age. They hung out at lunch and talked sports, spat at the thought of girls (apparently they have cooties, you know), and wrestled to prove their strength. He would complain about his teachers and his homework, and the boys would likewise sympathize. Not the wings, Iggy thought.
Max, oh she was really lucky. She didn't want to make friends, and she didn't. She had her family to go home to every day and a relaxed life. But what made her separate from the rest were the boys. There were two of them: one blue-eyed, male model wonder and an epithetic, quiet, panther in the night. She had it made. Not the wings, Iggy continued.
But him. He had nothing. He had no sight, no friends, no Fang to help him along in school. With his advanced hearing, he could hear the gossip. Oh, the horrible gossip. It was hell. The wings made it much worse. He could hear the quiver in his teacher's voice when she addressed him; she was afraid of him. Deathly afraid. They all were: "Hey, did you hear about the new kids?" "The ones with wings?" "Well, they say one of them is blind." "No way. And at our school, no less?" "What a freak."
It hurt. It really did hurt. No one talked to him, unless he started the conversation and even then, the strain to ignore him in their voices was too much to bear. He acted normal around the Flock, but deep inside… he hurt.
P.E. class was the worst of them all. He wasn't allowed to participate in even the most minor exercises. They told him it was his blindness. Bullshit. He could still play! But no, the staff put him on display – on the benches – every day like a trophy for the other kids to mock. Every day was the same thing. Iggy heard the grunts of the other students playing basketball, soccer, track, or God knows what else there was to do.
Iggy yawned and picked at his ear. What? There was nothing else to do. Even during break, no one would talk to the teenage mutant freak. At first, he liked the idea of blending in, but he would've objected if he knew it would've lead to this.
"I mean come on! I'm a hormonal teenager, too! At least give me a girl to talk to!" he said aloud. Several students turned their attention towards him, weirded out. Ignorance truly is bliss, for if Iggy saw their faces, he probably would have knocked some heads.
As class ended, he pulled himself off the bench, muttering to himself just to give his mouth something to do before it grew spider webs and dust. Why couldn't Fang be here! True, Gazzy is his right-hand man, but it's a little hard at school when they're several grades apart.
The teacher offered to help him off the benches, but Iggy shook his head and hopped off himself. He glowered at the teacher. "I'm blind, not helpless."
To lunch, he went. Nevermind, Iggy angrily thought, this is the worst period. Out in the open, for everyone to see me alone, eating my lunch. He sat down at a small, two person table and shoved a forkful of questionable meat in his mouth. After a minute of silence, he sighed and set down his fork. Time to listen. Sometimes, high school gossip and drama was better than TV.
Iggy listened in on the cafeteria, hoping that something – anything – would give him something to do.
"Hey, did you hear that Dylan got a perfect score on his science test? No one ever gets a perfect score on Mrs. Hunker's tests!" one girl squealed. "That just makes him all the more hot!"
Iggy slapped his forehead and groaned. Given, he likes Dylan, but enough is enough.
"Yeah, they say Travis is dumping Lucy next week," a classmate hissed. "I heard she was bad in bed a couple days ago."
Iggy cracked a smile and leaned back in his chair. Music to his ears. A good story to make him forget the bad morning… that is until another conversation, a closer one, slithered its way into his head.
"What was that bird-kid's problem this morning?" a noticeable voice, a classmate named Crissa, complained.
Another joined in, Mariah. "Tell me about it. What a freak. Does he really think a girl would talk to him if he keeps it up like that?"
"I think he would be cute, that is, if he wasn't so… different," Anna added in.
Stop, Iggy told himself. Don't listen anymore. It'll hurt, it'll hurt!
Nicole jumped in as well. "I think the only decent ones that came out of that group are the talkative fashionista and…"
Dylan. Iggy didn't even need to hear that last part. He knew it, he knew the answer already. It's always the answer around here.
Iggy pushed off the table, scooting the chair, and walked away. He was the bigger man. Or rather, as the Flock would say, the bigger bird.
The rest of the day went by slowly, as always. The days were so slow to him. Last period was math, or rather Algebra II. Despite the Flock being against it, they were generally put in a class higher than they should be, so Dylan, Max, and Iggy himself were thrown in the midst of Junior year. Was it because of their height?
As the teacher began, Iggy raised an eyebrow and patted along his desk. "Ah shoot," he exhaled and raised a hand.
"Yes, Iggy?"
"I accidentally left my supplies in the gym this morning. Can I go back to get it?"
The teacher smiled an awkward smile and set down her clipboard. "Uh, sure thing, Iggy. Let me call another teacher to give you an escort."
"I don't need an escort," Iggy seethed. "I can do it myself."
"I'm sorry, Iggy, but I was instructed not to let you out of the classroom alone. It's okay if you don't have your stuff. Don't worry about today's work, okay?"
Iggy opened his mouth to object, but he knew it'd be a waste of time. No one ever listens to him anymore. As he slumped back in his seat, Iggy put two fingers to his forehead and his thumb to his temple, rubbing vigorously. If this is what being normal was about, he didn't know how long he'd be able to stand it.
Right after the period ended, Iggy went to his locker and got his things, stuffing them away with force into his backpack. Dylan approached him with a large grin, his turquoise eyes gleaming like the ocean. Only Iggy was immune to his melting appearance, for obvious reasons.
"Hey, Iggy," Dylan began. "How was school for you today?"
"Stupid." Iggy slammed his locker shut and sighed. "Tell Max I'll be home a little later. I have some stuff to get back in the gym." Without permission to even do so, Iggy left Dylan hanging and made his way back to the gym.
He knew where everything was; he wasn't an idiot. Or helpless. I adapt fast, and it only took me a week to learn my way around the school. Everyone thinks I can't fend for myself. Heh, if only they knew the 'real' me.
Iggy pushed open the gym doors and "looked" around, listening for his surroundings. Shrugging at the lack of activity, he climbed up the bleachers and searched for his math supplies. Iggy slid a hand along the seats, smiling a bit.
And then, out of nowhere, something slammed into his side.
As the wind got knocked out of him, Iggy doubled over and fell down a section of seating until landing on his back, which made it worse. Landing on your wings hurts pretty bad.
"Oh, holy shit! I'm so sorry!" someone yelped, rushing over to help him.
Iggy shook his head tried to sit back on his own. "It's fine, I just fell a flight of stairs or two."
The girl let out a giggle-scoff, an invention of hers, and offered a hand to pull him up. Iggy took it and cracked his neck and shoulders.
"There," he said. "I'm fine, see?"
"Oh my God, I can't believe that just happened! I never miss my serve… ever!" She began erratically pacing in front of Iggy. "Oh great, the nerves must be getting to me! THIS is why I don't listen to people! And what do I get? I get a wayward serve that slammed in a random student!" Then, she broke out laughing. "Brilliant! Just grand!"
Iggy set a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Whoa, settle down, horsie. I'm fine, okay? Chill out."
She looked back at him, silent for a second, and burst into rambling once more. "And you're blind, too! Way to go, Rei! Way to freaking go! Okay, okay," she drew a deep breath, her lungs shaking out the release. "Let's try this from the beginning."
She extended her arm. "HI! I'm Chrishelle Stevens, but everyone calls me Rei. And when I say everyone, I mean just me because I don't get along with anyone at this school! Heh, heh! Oh great, now I just said I don't have any friends to a stranger. Man, I'm really off-!"
"Relax, okay?" Iggy soothed, patting her head. "You can stop twitching your eye now, too. The vibrations are driving my fingers crazy." He laughed a tiny bit, then withdrew his hand.
Chrishelle sighed and sat down. Iggy followed in her shadow. She waited a moment before speaking again, but when she did, her entire demeanor was different, even, to an extent, her voice.
"Sorry, again," she giggle-scoffed. "It was the nerves. I was just informed that I was going to get kicked off the volleyball team."
"Oh, I'm, uh, sorry to hear that," Iggy replied, partially unaware of what 'volleyball' was.
"It's okay," Rei ran her hands through her hair. "They say I'm not tall enough to continue the sport, so that's why I'm getting kicked off."
Iggy frowned. "That's terrible. They shouldn't treat you differently just because of a physical limitation… I should know."
"Well," Rei sighed, leaning back against the seats behind her. "I guess we're both freaks here. The blind kid and the, well, me."
"You? What for?"
"This prestigious crapola of a school is what's wrong." She paused. "What I mean is that I'm here on scholarship. Not like most of the rich bullies that roam the hall."
"So I take it you're pretty smart, no?"
"Well, I mean I'm average intelligence, or slightly better, but everyone here is an idiot."
"Thanks, that makes me feel better," Iggy joked.
Rei turned to look at him, smiling at his features. "Hey kiddo, I never got your name."
"Kiddo?" Ig laughed. "My name's Iggy. I'm new here."
"Funny, I haven't heard of you."
Unintentionally, his head perked up. "You haven't?"
Rei raised an eyebrow. "No, should I?"
"N-no, that's a good thing! Actually… I was wondering if I could touch your face- So-so I can know who I'm talking to, if that's alright."
"Sure, go ahead."
Iggy slowly raised his hands to her cheeks, moving them around her face softly. She was pale, with freckles and smooth skin. Ruby red lips and childlike face. Her eyes were a soft, acidic green contrasting her highlighted hair of natural dark brown and light brown at the top. It was flipped out and fun to pat.
But more than that, Iggy felt something else… A new beginning, perhaps? Something cheesy, definitely, but very well hopeful.
She doesn't know me. She doesn't know I have wings, or that I'm not weak, or anything about my past. It's a clean slate! It's my one chance to actually make a friend in this forsaken normal school, and that's what I really need right now.
Pure-Aura's Notes: So? Yeah, I know it's slow, but it's going to get REALLY angst-y, and fans of my other works, I think you'll throughly enjoy this. They barely mention Iggy in Nevermore at all, and personally, I think he's an underappriciated character with no love life that he needed to have... and bird-kid angst... Lots and lots of bird-kid angst.
Thanks for reading! {Please leave a comment!}