Cotton candy coloured swirled clouds danced across the setting sun in the soft summer breeze. In the final moments of the sun's strong rays I glided upwards, though the soft clouds thinking of the past. The things I had seen, the things I had done…and the people I had grown to love.
My auburn hair flowing out behind me and my feathers catching the current, I felt peace for the first time in years. Even though this peace came with its own sadness that I couldn't shake, no matter how far I flew.
I giggled catching a strong updraft allowing me to loop-d-loops. It was incredible how much I had changed in my twenty plus years of life, not all good but not all bad either.
My story doesn't start at the beginning and it isn't one of glamour. My story starts when I was found by three people I would grow to respect for the rest of my life.
I remember my surroundings being dark and cold, but with a strange feeling of safety. Perhaps it was because the metal and stone rooms were so familiar? I was born there and it was my home. That was, until the wall exploded….
"Hold still Seventeen, this will only hurt a bit." I had heard that saying everyday since I could remember. The same man, wearing an ankle length, long sleeved white coat with a red tie and blue shirt stuck with a large needle filled with some kind of fluid. Most of his face was covered in a mask but his brown eyes seemed to be kind and happy. Maybe it's because I never fought against the needle like some of the others had, then again I was the only human there. I could hear the booms from far off before they ever reached the room I was standing it. At first they didn't hurt my ears but as they grew closer and closer I could hardly see straight. Then the wall exploded in a cloud of dust and debris throwing brick and busted piping though the room smashing glass and test tubes. Screaming came from the women in the room but I could hardly hear them, I dropped to the floor coving my ears with my small hands and screamed in a high pitched voice. I clung to the floor as if it would drop from under me and my wing muscles started ache as I clenched them to my back as others clench their fists.
"Over here!" All of a sudden there was a guy dressed in red and yellow with a white lightning bolt standing next to me. He lent and looked stunned. "Hello there, are you hurt?"
I had to read his lips because even now I couldn't hear anything.
"Flash, get her out of here!" A strong voice carried though the air clearing the ringing and stung my ears even worse than the blasts.
Nodding, the man in red and yellow picked up in a swift, fluid motion.
"Hold on young one." Cradling me he sped off so fast I couldn't see what was whizzing by me. But I could tell there were a lot of people dressed in weird clothing, none of them wore white coats, or badges with their picture on them.
In no time I felt the man come to a stop in a place I'd never seen before. Setting me down, my bare feet brushed something I'd never felt before. My wings spread out, stiff and sore, and lifted me back into the arms of the man as I stared at the thing that had pricked the bottom of my feet. Eyes wide I felt my heart start to beat faster in a panic.
"It's alright," the man bend down still holding me. "It's just grass." Taking one hand he brushed the green stuff, it didn't seem to hurt him.
Slowly, ever so slowly, I pushed my way out of his protective arm and gently touched the 'grass' again. Upon second touch, it was soft and crushed under my small frame. But I was soon drawn to the large shining object floating in the air. It looked like one of the lights in the lab only this one was silvery blue and captivating.
I pointed to the round object and looked back at the man. He looked stunned at my unspoken question.
"They've kept you in that building for a long time, haven't they."
I must have looked desperate because the man chuckled, "That's the moon. And all those little lights are stars."
A smile spread across my face as I looked back to the moon. A cool breeze brushed my face and tugged at my hair. My wings spread out naturally and the breeze filled them with its soft breath.
"Flash," the voice startled me and my wings snapped back against by spine and I dropped to the grass. "We need to go."
I moved behind the red and yellow man scared that I was going to have to stay.
"Bats, we need to find a home for her." My guardian rested his hand on my head.
The man that had spoken narrowed his eyes. "We don't know what she is, or what she can do."
"That doesn't matter; she's been in there for who knows how long! She didn't even know what the moon was!" The man straightened his back stood firm.
I didn't like the yelling and clamped my hands over my ears resting my head against the man's leg silently begging him to stop.
"We will take her in and raise her as our own." The soft beating of two pairs of wings and the light thud of people landing brought my attention from blocking out the yelling to finding out who they were.
They, like the others, were wearing strange clothes. Only these two, were caring large metal, spiked balls on handles. I sank deeper behind the red and yellow man scared that these two were part of the lab.
The women must have noticed my actions and dropped her spiky ball and moved forward towards me bending down and resting on one knee.
"There's no reason to be afraid." Her voice was soothing, like the women in the lab but there was something different in the way she moved. "Can you show me your wings?"
Suddenly the woman stretched out large wings that looked very similar to my own. I was amazed, they were beautiful and when the moon touched them they turned to silver.
Stepping away from my guardian I to, stretched out my wings. Although they weren't as well formed or even large the woman smiled kindly and I smiled back reaching out a hand to stroke her soft feathers.
Then a large shadow spread over the both of us and the man who had landed with the women too was stretching out his wings mimicking us. I leaned back looking up at the man the moon's rays outlining his large frame. Eyes widened in wonder I turned to the red and yellow man smiling.
Of course after this it took some persuasion from several members of the Justice League to allow Hawkman and Hawkwomen to raise me, but in the end there was no clear reason as to why they shouldn't.
The sun dipped below the horizon and illumined the puffy clouds in its last rays. I banked and made a U turn as I watched the moon go from small semitransparent circle in the sky, to the bright silvery blue sphere that had first greeted my eyes all those years ago.
"It's good to see you old friend!" I called out. Hovering for a few minutes I watched the moon rise higher and higher into the sky and look down on the city far below.
My pocket started to beep and I answered my cell phone.
"Chris, where are you? We're waiting!" The frantic voice of a gal I had grown to know as my best friend quickly spoke into my ear.
"Calm down Iz, I'll be right there. Just, give me a moment." I laughed looking back towards the moon.
"They aren't happy that you are late! I don't know how much longer I can hold them off." She whispered angrily.
"Alright, alright, I'm on my way." Hanging up I flapped my wings then hovered memorized by the icy blue of the moon's light.
Tearing myself away from its presence I dove, tucking my wings and making my body as straight and stream line as best I could. Breaking from the clouds and the darkness of the sky the city opened up and beckoned me towards it.