I'll Spread My Wings
Prologue
Part 1
The girl stared out the window wistfully as her parents flew away into the mountains, toward the moon. They said that they were going away for a little while and if they could they'd stay home but she knew better. She knew that they were going to spend some time alone. They were tired of her; they wanted some time away from her. They were going to the place they always went when they wanted to spend some time away from her. The girl looked down sadly and wished that they would want her around, want to spend time with her. She wished that she could be perfect, so that they would want her around. They wouldn't be back for at least a month, maybe two she reflected. But maybe, just maybe she would go and visit the waterfall where they went, just to check up on them and see that they were all right. For all the time that they scorned her and ignored her, she worshipped and adored them, working extra hard in her classes, hoping that they would notice, take pride. She wanted them to be proud of her, not ashamed.
As she flew over the mountains she craned her neck to see them. They should be there; it was where they always went. She lowered to the surface of the water and allowed her feet to skim, making spray spurt up and hit her hair. She had so much of it, and wished that she could cut it off, but whenever she saw her parents one of the few, compliments that they gave her was how beautifully long her hair was. She didn't want to stop the few compliments that she received. She peered around, hovering over the waterfall. Where were they? Just then she saw her parents. They were jumping from the waterfall. She hid in the tall grass at the river edge. They jumped together, but something was wrong. They had rocks on their feet, and they weren't holding their breath as they did a belly flop into the rocks below. She realized what was happening. She swooped down onto the water but she couldn't find them. Or their corpses. She flew back as fast as she could and just as she got back the doorbell rang. She ran to answer it while dialing for help. When she reached the door she saw the police there she opened her mouth, thanking her good fortune. Hurry, my parents, they're hurt. Please help them. They looked at each other frowning.
"There has been an accident," the first started slowly. "Your parents, well I don't know how you guess that they were not all right but no one can help them now. They perished in at kayaking accident." He said stretching the truth. He didn't want the girl to know that her parents where dead by their own choosing.
The swing rocked in the treetop, ten feet off the ground. She pumped back and forth, back and forth. The creaking brought on a comforting mantra. The girl, pale in her black ensemble, swung, her face hidden by her midnight black hair. Back and forth, back and forth. She told herself. She remembered being taught how to swing herself, the only thing her father ever taught her, and only when the governess had pleaded that he spend some time with his only child. Back and forth, back and forth. He had said that if he had to waste time, mind as well learn something. Back and forth, back and forth. Her governess came out of the house from the wake to speak with her.
"Will you please come down?" Back and forth back and forth. "You know I get nervous when you're up that high." Back and forth, back and forth. The girl stared into the face of the only person who had ever cared. And she had been paid to do it. Back and forth, back and forth. The girl moved so that her face covered her hair again. She wished she could never come down. To bad her life wasn't shaped around her wants. She stopped swinging. Back and forth, back and stop. The lulling movement came to a crashing halt. She swung down from the tree with grace and landed on her feet.
She was moving; the house was up for sale. Everything was packed. She was going to live with her aunt, who she had met once and only spent an hour with in her entire lifetime. The first thing to do, she thought, is to cut off my hair. It's not like I'm keeping it long for anybody now.