Chapter Nine

Max's POV

It hurt so much.

I curled into the fetal position on my bed, trying to ease the pain, but it just kept getting worse. I had no idea what was going on, only that something was growing out of my back.

I could also hear Lupo's voice, guilt filled and far away, "I'm so sorry."

*An Hour Later*

I was either unconscious or asleep but, either way, the pain was gone. And I was dreaming.

In the dream, I was standing in a field with a weight on my back like a ton of bricks. I turned, trying to figure out where I was, and something caught my eye. There was a mix of colors, mostly brown and white but with a small bit of black here and there. They were extending from between my shoulder blades.

With a gasp, I sat up quickly. I was in my bed, able to see the sun rising through my window. The dream was over, but I could still feel the weight on my back. The wings were still there.

Something moved in the corner of my room, stretching its legs out before curling back up. I stood and walked over to the sleeping form, and there was Lupo, breathing deeply, asleep on my beanbag.

I bent down to wake her but decided against it. I stood back up and moved over to my window and, opening it, I took a deep breath of fresh, early morning air. I sighed and leaned against the windowsill, trying to comprehend what happened to me.

I knew I had wished to be able to fly, but I was thinking it was going to end up being like how superman flew, not with wings. How could I even fly with wings without knowing how to use them?

I looked at the windowsill, thinking about how I should try this, when I heard a deep voice behind me. "I can go with you, if it'd make you feel better."

I spun around quickly and breathed out a sigh of relief when I saw it was just Fang. Then I thought about his offer, "How can you fly?"

He raised an eyebrow and stretched his arms above his head, obviously having just woken up. My eyes flickered to his bare torso as he did so and he chuckled, obviously noticing my gawking.

I snapped my eyes back to his as he said, "I'm an all-powerful genie, remember?" Thank God he didn't say anything about my erm…staring.

I shrugged and leaned back against the window again, "So, how could you help me?"

Fang began to move his hands and arms, doing something I couldn't understand. By the end of it, the smoke cleared, revealing two beautiful black wings that were protruding from his back. I let out yet another gasp as I stared at his flawless, midnight black feathers.

"You have a thing for black, don't you?" I asked after my shock subsided.

He shrugged. "You could say that. Now, are we going to fly or not?" I nodded and he walked over beside me at the window. "Okay, first off- your wings are like your legs and arms, just two more limbs. So you can figure out how to move them better by knowing that. Second- you won't be able to do your first takeoff out of a window unless you want to end up like those little birds you see on the sidewalk with their brains splattered everywhere." Great mental picture.

I sighed, "Then why don't you do that smoke thing and take us to some field where I can take off better?"

"Because I have no clue where a place like that would be." I looked at him incredulously and he rolled his eyes, looking annoyed. "Max, do you know how long Lupo and I have been in that lamp?"

"Oh, right," I mumbled. "There's a clearing in the middle of the forest behind this house, we should go there."

Fang nodded and began to transport us there, which I was starting to get used to since it happened everyday. Once we arrived, Fang started to circle me, scrutinizing my wings. "Lupo did a good job," he mumbled, reaching out to pluck one of the fluffy feathers near my back where someone must've fashioned a hole in my tank top for my wings. My breathing hitched at our close proximity.

"Speaking of Lupo," I started, "Why did it hurt so much when I got the wings? When you made yours appear, it didn't look like it caused you any pain."

"See, this is what I meant, and what the shopkeeper meant, when we said you have to be careful. See, the wishes you ask of me always end up according to my mood. If I'm happy it will be good but if I'm not well then, I think you get the idea."

"And Lupo's?" I asked.

"No matter what, hers always have something bad about them. Be it pain, heartbreak, or even death, something happens." Fang was now running his hand along the underside of my right wing.

"Wow," I mumbled and turned to him, accidentally knocking him down with my wing. "Sorry! I didn't mean to."

He jumped up, like a move from a kung fu movie, and smiled at me, "That's the third thing- You've got to remember your wings are there and are a part of you. If you don't, you could do much worse than what you just did."

"And the fourth?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips in playful annoyance.

He smiled again and my heart fluttered for some unknown reason. Fang walked closer to me and helped me with each step as he spoke. "That's the takeoff. Okay-

"First: you have to flap your wings slowly, not quickly like most would think.

"Second: angle you wings with your body so that when you flap it will make the air go perfectly around you.

"Third: its best to take a running leap when you take off. Make sure there is enough space for you to run far and fast enough to launch yourself into the air."

I did exactly what he said and it was amazing. Once I got up in the air I couldn't believe the feeling. Fang flew as close to me as he could to make sure I knew what to do and when to do it and so, if I fell, he could get to me before I splattered on the treetops.

I've been spending too much time with Lupo, she's made me more violent than I already was, I thought, watching as Fang soared through the sky a few meters above me. He looked like a dark angel in just his black genie pants with his black hair flowing out behind his head. Our eyes locked and I could see the emotion in his eyes, one I didn't understand but knew at the same time, made my heart skip a beat. And my wings, also.

I began to plummet towards the ground, watching the treetops get closer and closer. That was, until two strong arms wrapped around my waist. Fang soared up higher, away from the trees with me in his arms. After a few minutes of being wrapped in his warmth, he landed and sat me on my feet.

"Thanks," I mumbled, looking at my feet.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed," he said, stepping closer to me and making me look up into his eyes. "Everyone messes up at least once." He stepped even closer, "You'll have a while to learn, anyway."

I nodded, my eyes flickering down to his lips that were so close to mine, yet so far away. Standing there, that close to him was turning me to mush, and I didn't know why.

Actually, screw this 'I don't know what's happening' stuff! I knew what was happening, and I think I liked it. I liked him.

He leaned even closer to me, our lips only and inch away. I could feel his breath on my face, and he could probably feel mine on his.

I stood on my toes, getting even closer to him and placing my hands on his shoulders. Only a hair away.

And that's when our lips connected, sweet and short.

But sparks flew, anyway.