Mishap : 1

The school bus was only 2 blocks away; I could hear the telltale squeak and hiss of its brakes. I paced back and forth across my bedroom with arms crossed. Today was the day, I was sure of it. Dad was still at work, mom was taking a nap in her room, and Lizzy was out with some of her friends. I could slip out the front door unheard and meet them in the apartment stairwell.

I slowly crept from my bedroom, the soft carpet muffling my footsteps. The wood floor of the living room creaked and groaned as I hurried across to the front door. A quick glance out the window; the school bus was slowly pulling away as three kids jogged towards the apartment complex. I quickly opened the door and slipped outside.

Anxiety coiled in my stomach as I slowly walked across the balcony. Our apartment was the second to last one on the left, second floor. Jesse lived three doors down from me, while Hadrian and Colin lived at the very end on the right. The stairwell leading down to ground level split the balcony in two. Waiting at the bottom of those stairs would guarantee I meet them.

"Hello!" I called out to them as they neared the stairs. I stood to the left of them just in case they ran. I didn't want to scare them, and any screaming would immediately wake mom up. All three boys stopped dead in their tracks once they saw me, all the while my heart ricocheted against my ribs.

"Hi," Jesse said as he carefully scanned over me, his brow pinched in worry. "Who are you?"

"Newton." I answered proudly. I had rehearsed this moment dozens of times, I was ready. Jesse looked to Hadrian.

I thought hybrids weren't allowed here?

I looked to Hadrian as he returned the worried glance over at his older friend. Colin was staring at me with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth.

I wish I had wings. Then I could-

"What do you want?" Hadrian spoke and I dragged my eyes away from Colin. I smiled.

"We should go play at the park!"

"The park-"

"That would be fun!" Colin interrupted his brother. He was barely 7 years old, a few inches shorter than me, and had the same dark brown hair as Hadrian. Jesse frowned and reached a hand over to rest on Colin's shoulder, stilling the excited boy.

"Mom says we can't talk to strange people." Jesse glares at me. Strawberry blonde hair peeks out of his backwards facing blue baseball cap. He's probably older than me, older than the others. Maybe around 10?

He's just trying to lure us away.

Definitely 10.

"I don't know, mom's making pizza, remember?" Hadrian looks down at Colin.

"But he's a hybrid! Everyone will be jealous!" Colin is dancing foot to foot. His hands come up to grab at Hadrian's backpack straps and he begins to hop in place. "Please, please, please? Just really quick."

"You two go on ahead," Jesse gives me another nervous glance, then begins to climb up the stairs. "I'm tired."

I need to tell mom about this.

"Jesse, wait!" I step in front of him, palms held out in a conciliatory gesture. He freezes. "I heard you're the best at track and field, come play tag with us."

Colin sucks in an excited breath. "Yes! I've always wanted to race a hybrid."

"You're it!" I whirl around and tap Colin's shoulder then bolt out of range. I don't need to look back to know that all three boys are on my tail. Leaping over the small bushes that line the edges of the complex property, I sprint out into the open field behind it. The park is just beyond it and the large playground and swing set will make for the perfect cover.

I jump onto the playground and run out onto the bridge. Colin is faster than I realized; he's the first one to reach the playground. Hadrian and Jesse are close behind him but stop to dump their backpacks on a bench. I stand at the end of the bridge. The hot rungs are sticky in my hands.

"No flying!" Colin shouts and points a small finger at me. "You can only run!" I nod the comment away; I wasn't able to anyway. He steps onto the bridge and it sends unstable waves across it. Bracing my feet, I wait. Hadrian is coming from below. He thinks I can't see him behind the large metal supporting poles. Jesse is behind me and making no effort to hide his approach. His sneakers stomp onto the grating loudly.

"You're trapped! Surrender!" He shouts. Colin lunges for me but it's too late. I jump hard, launching myself over the rungs and onto the wood chips below. Hadrian dashes from behind the pole and reaches a hand out. I dodge but he follows, his hand closing around some of the feathers on my left wing. They come out with a quick pop. We both freeze and stare at the two large, white feathers. A huge smile splits his face and he holds them up for Colin to see.

"One for each of us!" He runs away.

I stand and watch them excitedly run their fingers over the soft edges and argue briefly about who gets the bigger one.

"I want one." Jesse says as he jumps down from the playground and takes a few steps towards me. I look over at him and frown.

"It was an accident, I'm not pulling more out."

"I'll tell my mom you're here if you don't." He glares at me. What happened to tag? What happened to us just playing?

I shift my wings tight to my back and stand stiffly, holding the older boy's glare.

"No."

Jesse sprints forward and tries to grab me but I anticipate his move. I easily dodge and start running back towards the apartment complex. Yelling in frustration, Jesse is very close behind me.

"Jesse, stop!" Hadrian is yelling now. I risk a glance back; all three boys are chasing me. Mom's going to hear, she'll wake up, she'll tell dad.

I try to run faster but my legs are like jelly as fear begins to creep in. Jesse really is the best in his track and field team, taunting him was just to get him to play. I don't stand a chance against him.

He grabs my tail and pulls back hard, planting his feet into the wood chips. Pain arcs up my back and I stop abruptly, reaching around to pull him off. The sudden motion makes Jesse trip and we're both going down. He lands on top of me, straddling my chest with his knees. Wood chips dig into my wings and shoulders.

"Get off me!" I yell, arching my back to buck him off. He weighs much more than I do and I can barely breathe with him on top of me. Hadrian and Colin run up behind him and try to grab his arms. He fights them off easily and reaches around my arm, his fingers worming into my feathers. Panic surges through my chest and I squeeze my eyes shut. I buck one more time, my tail flicking out, and then Hadrian suddenly screams.

"Colin!"

I open my eyes as Jesse is jumping off me. I scramble backwards a few feet and suck precious air into my lungs. Colin is down on his knees with Hadrian standing over him, his hand pressed tightly to the boy's upper left chest. Dark, crimson blood is seeping between his fingers and staining Colin's gray T-shirt. Colin's face is ashen white as he stares at me. His eyes roll back into his head and he falls backwards.

"What did you do!?" Jesse is screaming, tears welling up in his eyes. He whirls on me as I stagger to my feet. A couple adults in the playground have noticed us and are beginning to run over.

I turn on my heel and run. I run faster than I've ever run before. Several shouts carry over from the adults gathering around the three boys, but I keep running. This can't be happening.

I jump over the bushes and dart up the stairwell two steps at a time. A hard left turn and I'm streaking across the balcony. The front door opens easily and I carefully close it behind me with shaking hands. Ignoring the creaking floorboards, I aim straight for the bathroom. The house is silent. Mom hasn't woken up from her nap yet.

With the bathroom door locked, I slowly sit down onto the closed toilet lid. I swing my tail around and hold my breath. The small, white feathers are stained bright red, and the long broad ones at the end are even darker. The two, barbed spears gleam back at me, glossy with blood. I hold my tail in shaking hands.

It was my fault. I stabbed Colin.

I stand and throw my tail into the sink. Soap and water will get all the blood out, it won't stain. The water runs pink down the drain as I desperately scrub my feathers. But the color remains, only slightly lighter. I unlock the bathroom door and run to my bedroom. Mom is still asleep in her room.

The wailing sirens of an ambulance and firetruck echo down the street as they race towards the park. I stand with my back against the door, my breath hitching in my chest.

If Colin didn't bleed out through the two huge puncture wounds in his chest, the venom would finish the job. There was nothing they could do to save him. I slowly slid down the door and onto the floor, my tail still gripped in my hands.

I had only wanted to play. I wanted to make some friends. I had carefully planned today out, thought it through, learned their names.

My knees come up to my chest and I hug them tightly. The tail lock still sits on the windowsill where I left it. The crude device is meant to prevent accidents like this from happening. I close my eyes and bury my face in my knees. Taking it off hadn't made me look cool or in control.

I killed a boy. I killed Colin.