A leap off the side of the couch sent Riley soaring into her father's arms, squirming as he put her down.
"But daddy." She complained. "I need to save the princesses." She squeezed free from his grasp, scrambling to climb atop the couch again.
"Darling, you are a princess." Her dad protested, sitting beside her.
"No, I'm a hero, daddy. I'm Ironman!" Riley said in a deep voice, pulling her mask over her face. Her unruly hair stuck up all over the place, captured under the band of the Ironman mask. She crawled over her dad again, only to jump off the side. As she hit the ground with a thump, her step mother came from down the hall.
"For goodness sakes, what are you doing?" She asked in horror.
"Being a superhero." Riley explained, running after the old pug that had previously been asleep.
"Wouldn't you much rather be a princess, dear?" She asked calmly, bending down.
"No, I want to save them." Riley replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She turned to face her step mother, her small hands holding the pug's tail in a death-grip. The woman bent down and picked the girl up, cleaning her off with a wash cloth.
"Honey, it's alright." Riley's dad told the woman as he stood up, following her into the kitchen.
"No, Rob. She's a lady, not a scoundrel. How did she ever survive before I came here? See all these bruises?" The woman replied, trying to keep Riley from squirming as she cleaned her up. Finally, sighing with defeat, she set the girl down and watched as she ran off in pursuit of the pug again.
"Now I'm Wolverine!" Riley called, reaching up to grab several knives from a drawer. The woman pushed the girl's hands away, closing the drawer as she kept her gaze fixed on Rob.
"Oh, come on Cali. She's fine." Rob replied.
"I hope so." Cali whispered, her hand on her growing stomach.
o0O0o
Riley stood outside the school building, rocking back and forth on her feet. Toe, heel, toe, heel. Where was Cali? Pulling out her phone, she scrolled through the messages. Still none. Should she call? She looked up to see the sun still beating down on her, yet slowly sinking.
Riley was still debating the question when she felt a tug on her sleeve. Turning, she bent down to be eye-to-eye with a small girl.
"Oh, hey. What's the matter?" She asked calmly. The little girl pouted, her eyes getting bigger, brimming with unshed tears. "Oh, don't cry."
"My, my mom isn't here yet, and, and I'm getting hungry." The little girl complained, her stomach growling on queue.
"Oh, well, I think I have a granola bar…" Riley replied, digging through her bag. "What are you doing here, anyways? It's a junior high." She asked, still searching.
"Oh, I don't want a granola bar. I'm here for something much better." The little girl's voice grew deeper, and scratchy, causing Riley to look up. Her eyes widened in fear as the little girl grew, feathers protruding from her soft skin, her eyes growing cruel.
Riley let out a yelp that quickly grew into a scream as she fell backwards. A creature loomed over her, somewhat resembling a bird and a human. As Riley stumbled back on the sidewalk, her phone fell to the concrete with a crack. The creature stepped on the phone, smashing it to bits.
"Wha-what are you?" Riley asked in a shaky voice, her heart racing ahead of her thoughts.
"Oh, I'm still hungry, dear." It replied, bending down. Before Riley could make a move, it swiped it's hand across her arm, drawing blood. Blood. Just don't look.
Yelping in pain, Riley dove to the side as the creature went for another blow, using a bench to pull herself up. The creature hovered above the ground, charging after her.
It can fly, too?! Riley forgot about her bag, letting her adrenaline kick in. She wouldn't die today. Her heart threatening to beat out of her chest, Riley did her best to avoid the creature as she ran, ducked, and screamed. She was now in the parking lot, yet no cars or buses were there. But she didn't have time to think about it as she ran, swatting at the bird-human.
New cuts graced Riley's arms, legs, and face when she came to the fence. Why is my school in the middle of nowhere? She scrambled over the chain-link fence, used to doing so every day at lunch. Beyond it laid thick woods, threatening to close in on her.
The creature seemed annoyed with the lack of space to fly, but that didn't stop it from leaving more marks. As Riley ran, she winced as her toes hit a rock, sending her tumbling down a hill and to a stop. So this is how I'm going to die. Great, just great. What about saving the world, and being a superhero?
In the dirt, Riley quickly tried to stand up again, only to wince and cry out in pain. Her ankle. Giving up, her fingers clenched around stones instead, flinging them at the bird… thing.
"Oh, it's been lovely dear; I just love chasing my meals." The creature said, licking her lips as she slowly got closer to Riley. She was trapped.
"I hope you choke on my bones." Riley's teeth clenched as she muttered her one-liner. The creature only smiled, darting at Riley faster than she could tell. Holding her arms up in defense, Riley closed her eyes tight, hoping it'd at least be quick. Nothing happened.
Slowly opening her eyes ad moving her arm, Riley stared in awe as she looked around her. She was enclosed in what seemed like a dome made from dirt, wood, roots, and even leaves. Reaching her hand up tentatively, her fingers shaking. The dome was soft, yet seemed unbreakable. Straining her ears, Riley listened closely at the sound of nails, er, claws scratching at the dome, wails of frustration muffled by her barrier.
Waiting quietly, Riley winced as she heard more footsteps, followed by a scream. She tried to sit up again, wincing with pain. The noises stopped. What had happened?
She leaned closer to the dome, only to jump back, squeezing herself against the other side of the small enclosure. Something loud hit the other side, over and over as the dirt and wood crumbled away, slinking back in fear. Above Riley stood boy, an axe in hand.
"Sorry we're late."