A city stands against the sun. The towers that once proudly held tourists gambling their money away now lay empty, crumbling and inhabited by squatters. One stands above the rest, remarkably intact. Yet, the many windows do not flicker with trashcan fires. It was long ago a hospital. Now, it is the home to my family.
A young woman sleeps in an old hospital bed, exhausted by the day's events. Her brown-blond hair is spread across the pillow. A man, whose black hair is cropped close to his head, rocks in a chair, his black eyes feasting on the miracle in his arms. The newborn child looks remarkably similar to the woman sleeping. This gift, after they said she couldn't, was the light in a world where there was none.
Where do I fit into this odd family portrait? As the outsider, on the edge- literally. The room where the woman sleeps is but an alcove in the walls of this place, the walls decayed away and ripped out. I sit across the great cavern through the building where there was once a great garden. I look down from a floor up, separate from this place of happiness.
A kiss brushes the top of my head and I remember my own happiness. The long and lean man who kissed me sits next to me in our own place. "What are you thinking about?" He asks, his blind eyes seemingly searching my face for answers.
I smile and look to the skylight 25 floors above. This is all the answer he needs. As one loves another, the more you love them, the closer your thoughts and feelings are to each other.
There are four people who are always on my mind. The first is this elegant, handsome man beside me. The second is the young girl who sleeps in a room down the hall. The third was my first love- and the mother of the girl. Nudge, the beautiful, coffee colored girl who took my breath away- and my innocence. I still remember that morning, when I burst into the bathroom to find Nudge holding a mysterious stick and tears running down her face.
Nudge had nearly died in the last battle- our final stand- and went into a coma. That's when Bria came around. Bria was my second love. The beautiful little girl who gave me hope. Her smile is her mother's, and she had my eyes. What does one live for? The memory of girl who was barely a woman, who left the world with a breath and a child, does that give me life?
There are two who I live for: Bria, and my lover. I freely admit that I'm bisexual- I have only loved one man and a woman. Those two had been my best friends. I only have one picture of us together. It's the last happy moment together- ever. Nudge is 4 months pregnant, I'm standing behind her, my 16 year old face flushed with bliss and anticipation. Iggy's hands are on Nudge's swollen stomach, his face split by the biggest grin I have ever seen. That was the first time Ig had ever felt a baby kick.
I pull the picture out of my back pocket- where it always is. "Remember this day? Best day." I said, holding the picture to his fingers so he could 'see' it.
"How could not remember? You know, that was the day I decided I wanted to have a family. I was just green with envy. I understand that it was absolute shit for you two. Who wants a first time to come out with a kid? Even an incredible one like Bria. You were 16." Iggy sighed and leaned back, tipping his face back to bathe it in the moon light. Iggy wasn't wearing a shirt. He usually doesn't when we're alone. His grey wings flapped out.
"You know I love you?" I whispered, tucking my head into his shoulder.
"Papa?" Small, lisping voice carried down the hall. A small girl wearing a men's old tee shirt stood, framed in a square of light. I sighed and shifted as Iggy folded his wings in and got to his feet.
I think the best part of Bria is she accepts everything. She understands that Mommy died and Daddy loves someone else. I sometime tease her that she loves 'papa' more than me. Does she really understand what's happened? Probably not. I don't.
I leaned against the doorway, watching Ig tuck Bria back into bed. "Can you go to sleep now?" He asked. Bria nodded her eyelids half closed. A curtain separated the room. Bria's bed was a mattress on the floor, piled high with blankets and pillows. It was a nest. She was asleep in seconds. Iggy stroked her forehead for a second, then got up and came to me. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my temple.
I leaned over and checked on Zander. Zander is Max and Fang's son. Two years older than Bria, He's a bit of a tease. Today, I let him go for his first flight where no one was right next to him. Thankfully, he was sleeping calmly.
I turned into Iggy and looked up at the handsome, half naked man who was holding me. "The kids are asleep, and I don't think that Max or Fang will be making a strange request tonight. Emile took a lot out of her."
His arms tightened around me and lifted me off my feet. "I'm thinking we have the night to our lonesome." Iggy closed his blind eyes and chuckled. Sweeping me up bride style, my lover carried me to our room.