Chapter 9 – Something special
"Stop it, please," a woman screamed, her face red with tears.
I just watched helplessly. I didn't understand. 'What's happening?'
"Leave him alone!" she screamed as black hands grabbed her. She was dragged away, a dark mist engulfing her.
I struggled, watching her disappear. 'No…'
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I watched Phoenix as he murmured, twisting and turning in his sleep. It was morning and everyone else was awake and enjoying the morning wind, except one. I couldn't blame him though. After flying for two hours with a bullet wound as bad as his I was surprised he was even alive.
"What's happening?" he hissed, shaking his head.
I turned to Fang, but he just looked at me and shrugged.
"No..." Phoenix cried out quietly, twisting his body violently.
Suddenly, he leapt forward, hands over his face, his wings extended slightly.
"Are you ok?" I asked.
Phoenix lowered his hands. For a brief moment I saw a look anguish on his face but then it cleared.
"Yeah," he gulped, slowly standing up and rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He yawned loudly stretching out his arms and wings, which actually reached the cave's ceiling. His lab shirt and trousers were filthy and ripped.
"Me and Fang got some proper clothes for you," I said.
Fang reached over and passed him one of his shirts and jackets, both of course were black. I threw him a pair of my jeans, before turning around.
"Thanks," he called from behind me, as he changed.
Fang walked out glancing back at me, just as Nudge and Gazzy dropped in.
"Hey those jeans look good on you," Nudge looked over at Phoenix, "Come on. Put the shirt on, lets see if it suits you."
Warning, fashion police. I rolled my eyes.
To my surprise, Phoenix just stood there, holding the clothes in his hands.
"What?" I asked, "Is something wrong?"
"I…well…" he mumbled, not looking at me.
I stared at him.
"I've gotta confess," he stuttered awkwardly.
My skin grew cold. Had he lied to us? Was he actually here to hurt us? You better not touch my flock buddy, or else…
"I'm…not like you," he said, focusing his dark blue eyes on mine.
"Of course you are!" giggled Nudge, obviously not feeling the ominous dread that I was. "You're a bird kid like us-"
"No, I'm not," he interrupted, his voice shaking.
Folding in his wings, he slowly lifted his white lab shirt over his head.
"I'm only 94% human," he said quietly, turning his back to us, "and 6% bird."
We all stared and our mouths dropped so low they almost hit the ground.
Like us, his wings were attached between his shoulder blades. But unlike us, his entire back was covered in small grey feathers. The black wing feathers near his joints faded into his grey ones on his back. They covered all of the skin, growing smaller until they stopped at his waistline. More feathers ran along the back of arms and shoulders, stopping at the elbow.
"Holy moly," was the Gasman's sensitive response.
"Gazzy!" I looked at him sternly before stepping over to Fire.
He half turned to me as I placed my hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
"Their just feathers, its nothing big" I tried to comfort him but he held his hand up.
"There's more," he said, stepping away from me.
"The whitecoats…when they tested my brain they found…they found I have bird reactions. Literally a bird brain, as well as my human mind."
I saw a tear run from his eye leaving a wet trail down his dirty face. He thrust his arms angrily as he spoke. I could see Nudge and Gazzy back away slightly. Despite this, I could understand his situation; it was something I had felt year ago when that traitor Jeb had freed us. The mix of confusion, terror, sadness. All of the emotions running through your head. Phoenix just needed to let them out.
"So I don't even always think like a human. They took every part of me and turned it into something different. Something other. Something that doesn't and will never belong."
His eyes focused on mine intensely and I could almost feel his pain.
"Can you imagine how that feels?"