AN: You know the drill. I do not owe the X-men nor does anyone else but they wish they did. Yet again, I do owe some of these characters, such as Angel Arden and Maggie. Also, thanks for the reviews! And I promise, original X-men characters will soon be entered into the story. Stay with me and I'll may it worth it. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

Metamorphosis

"Angel? Angel… Hello? Are you listening to me? Angel!" A voice shouted.

The thirteen year old blinked, looking over to the door where her Aunt stood. Clearly, the girl had been daydreaming, lost within her imagination. The focus on her thoughts was distorted and the wonderful serene image in her mind faded.

"What?" Angel finally answered.

"I'm going to the store. Do you want anything?"

"Nah. I'm good."

"So you'll be ok?" Aunt Maggie tried to verify and confirm.

"Ya, I'll be fine."

"Alright. See you later," her aunt said, as she left the house and went to go shopping.

Angel sat on her bed and yawned. She turned over, getting on her knees and rested her arms on the windowsill. Searching the skies, she watched birds fly by in a vast space of blue. Finally, she got off her bed and turned on the radio. Some rock band was on, their intruments creating a dark, eerie sound as voices screamed their meaningful statements. Blonde hair shook, being sent everywhere by the girl bouncing her head to the beat as she played an invisible guitar in her hands. Once she grew tired of playing around, she headed down the hall to the kitchen. Opening the cupboard, Angel reached for a glass. The water flowed once the faucet was turned on. She got herself some water. Raising the cup to her lips, she drank the cool liquid. It was refreshing.

The smile she once had disappeared in an instant. Her hand shook. A tight grip was made around the cup. Soon enough the clear glass shattered in a thousand pieces in the girl's hand. Angel whimpered, staggering over the broken pieces. She held onto the side of the hallway, pressing her body against it as she pulled herself with her hands. Her fingers were like spiders creeping along the wall. Opening the door to her room, she stumbled in. Something wasn't right and she knew it.

On the floor, Angel was on all fours, gripping her stomach with one hand as she began to feel sick. The blood that flowed through her veins boiled, creating her whole body to heat up. Beads of sweat ran down her face. The skin on her back itched immensely. She desperately wanted to rip and tear at it but there was no way she could reach it. Angel yelled in aggravation and pain. Music from the radio blared into her ears. It screamed back at her. Placing her hands over her ears, she shouted, "Make it stop!"

Suddenly, it felt like someone stabbed her in the back with an ice cold knife just near the shoulder blades. All hell broke loose inside of her. She yelped. Tears just forming at the corners of her eyes. Two slits manifested on her back, the wounds slightly bled. The large cuts grew vertically. A surge of pain was sent through her entire body. She felt like her head would split open. Angel screamed. The back of her shirt was breaking apart.

In a blink of an eye two large wings burst from her back and appeared. Angel was breathing hard, gasping for air. She was gripping the small threads of carpet between her fingers. The wounds closed up as it repaired and secured itself at the root of both wings. Even though, the skin looked healed, the pain remained as well as the skin was still red from being raw. Drops of blood streamed down her back, staining the shredded shirt.

Angel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She slowly got to her feet, making her way to the bathroom. Feeling the new weight behind her, she looked in the mirror. Her eyes went wide in surprise. Speechlessly, she placed her hands at the edge of the counter, leaning in to get a better look. This can't be happening. They're not real…She thought, trying to convince herself. Yet when she reached back and touched the soft, white feathers, she proved to herself it was true. She brushed her hair back with her hand as she sighed.

The young girl's mind wondered. This is just great. When I thought this was all over, I get new installments. It's just what I needed. Now, I can finally go around saying, 'See I'm a freak!' She slumped down, sitting on the bathroom floor. She knew in her heart that nothing would be the same and there wasn't really anything she could do about it.

Slowly, the girl removed her shoes and socks, losing them to the side. She climbed into the bathtub, laying in it with the rest of her clothes on. Turning the handle, she started the shower. Ice cold water poured down on her. Angel gasped but got use to it quickly. Leaning back, she closed her eyes as she felt every droplet fall and hit her skin.

Several hours had passed. The front door opened as Aunt Maggie walked in. Silence welcomed her home. "Angel! I'm home." After no response, she travelled to her niece's room. When there was no sign of Angel there, she went over to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

Angel was still in the confinements of the bathtub. Her eyes slowly flickered open. There was another knock on the door. "I'm here," the girl finally answered, getting up. Angel shivered, taking her wet clothes off and placing a towel around her. "Do you mind getting me some clothes?"

A minute passed when another knock hit the door again, but this time softer. Angel hesitated. However, opened it creating only a small opening. The young girl grabbed her clothes quickly and slammed the door, locking it. Aunt Maggie raised a brow. This wasn't like Angel.

"Dear, are you ok?"

"Ya, I'm fine." Angel said, retrieving scissors from the first aid kit and made two vertical cuts on her shirts. Then the teen got dressed in her dry clothes. Meanwhile, Aunt Maggie stood on the other side of the door, she wasn't going to leave the scene just yet.

"So, you planning on coming out?"

"Ahh…" Angel searched for just about anything to say but it ended up just being, "I can't." She exhaled, knowing it would be too difficult to hide the new transformation from her aunt.

"Did something happen?" Aunt Maggie spoke softly, trying to approach the situation delicately.

"Yes."

"You're not hurt are you?" Maggie had a hint of panic in her voice.

"No, no, I'm fine!"

"Well, then. Come out."

"It's different…I mean, I think it's the biggest change…"

"Angel Arden! You come out now! I swear I'll break down this door." Maggie grew aggravated at her niece's hesitation. She had a feeling it was related to Angel's abilities and only pushed her to help her, not to fear the mutant side that she possessed.

"Alright! Fine!" Angel called back. Aunt Maggie stepped back, crossing her arms.

Taking a deep breath, Angel turned the knob. As she took a step forward, she opened the door and walked out. The girl totally revealed her new look.

"Oh, Angel…" her aunt placed a hand over her mouth as it had dropped.

Angel looked at her aunt with watering eyes. She went over, placing her arms around Aunt Maggie "I thought you would be mad… I was so scared," the girl's voice was muffled.

"Oh, honey! I'm not mad. Maybe surprised, but I would never treat you any differently," Maggie patted Angel on the head. The two comforted each other as they stood together. "I promised your parents, that if anything should happen to them I would take care of you, knowing that you weren't just any normal girl. Angel, I'll take care of you no matter what."

Angel wiped away the tears with the back of her hand, then sniffed. "You know, they are also like my personal accessory," she said, making the matter more bearable.

"And you got a special offer, getting them for free you lucky girl! Now, I'm jealous." Aunt Maggie and Angel both laughed. The gloomy atmosphere seemed to be uplifted.

"So how about we try these bad boys out. Eh?"

Angel smiled, "Really?"

"Sure, I think it's late and dark enough that we won't have an unexpected audience."

Both Angel and Maggie got their shoes on and headed out into the backyard. There was a small light on, which lit up part of the yard. Moths flew within the bright white that shined, mesmerising them. Chirping, the crickets were out playing their nightly song. In the sky, a yellowish-white moon was out laying among the few stars that appeared. Angel got a ladder, leaned it against the roof and climbed it. Meanwhile, Maggie rounded up some pillows from inside, placing them where Angel would land if she should miss.

Angel breathed in. "Ok, well I guess it's time to try…" She bit her bottom lip, spreading out her wings. She jumped, just hoping something would happen. Unfortunately, she just ended up falling onto the pile of fluffy pillows below. The teenage girl groaned.

"Well, you didn't think you'd get it on your first try, did you? That would have been a miracle," Maggie pointed out. "Try again…"

Yet again the teenage girl climbed the steps of the ladder and focused on getting it right. Concentrating, Angel moved the wings on her back making sure they worked. Finally, the girl felt she was ready. Angel jumped up this time, moving forward with her arms stretched out. However, her face met with a pillow yet again. She was starting to be grateful for her Aunt's idea of bringing out the fluffy fall breakers.

Once again, Angel stood on the roof, looking down at Maggie. Her aunt gave her the thumbs up. Birds sung in a nearby tree. Angel's eyes watched them for awhile, seeing them jump off the branch and fly out. Then, Angel exhaled, her arms at her side. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. She backed up. Afterwards, the girl ran several steps, pushing her self up and flapped her wings, as Angel had her eyes closed.

Opening them, she was feeling weightless. As she looked below her, Aunt Maggie was a distance away. "Oh my god! I'm doing it! I'm really doing it!" Angel shouted in victory, continuing to climb higher into the air. She began to glide. Suddenly, everything felt so natural to her. Cool air flowed under and over her wings as she flew at a constant rate. Angel laughed kindheartedly at her accomplishment. Looking down at the many houses below and the bright moon that shined above her, she tried to keep a mental picture to remember this happy event of her flying for the first time. After her fun, the girl glided back into the direction of her house. Finding it, Angel slowed down and gently landed in the backyard. Aunt Maggie clapped on her return.

"Wow! How was it?" Maggie asked, curiously.

"Awesome! It's like you're swimming through the air," Angel smiled contently.

After that night, Angel and Aunt Maggie knew what they had to do. Angel was no longer able to go out in daylight, knowing people would not accept her in public now. So it was decided she would be home schooled and that she would be free to roam the skies at night. It would be three years later that she would once again walk in the sunlight of the town's streets.