Escape
Song: How To Save A Life by The Fray
Nudge
I plucked a feather from my wing, leaving on it my bedside table. It spun slowly, lazily, even. It was midnight, and the night was no longer a source of pain, of memories. Of memories of things, horrible things smashing in my window and trying to kill us. But that no longer was something I feared. I could handle them. While Fang, Max, and Dylan were caught up in a situation more complicated than anything they'd ever encountered, I was training. Day after day, sleeping to wake at dusk and fend off every anger, frustration, and sadness. I'd fly and perfect my hawk-flying, or try to go faster. I could come close to beating Max, now. She hadn't even noticed. I could last on my own. I would miss this family, this everything that I've ever known, but this is something that I had to do. I stepped, and a wooden board in the floor creaked. Slowly, I turned around to face the blind, silent eyes of Iggy.
"What are you doing, Nudge?" he asked, fully alert. I met his sighless eyes with hurt. I coughed.
"Leaving, Iggy." I answered. He grabbed my hand with his. Though my eyes were dull with tears, I snatched my hand away softly.
"I have to do this." I countered, stepping towards the window again. Iggy was motionless, watching me. Fighting the tears, I left in a whir of a breeze. But Iggy was paralyzed in one spot, his lips forming words that I'd never heard spoken to me.
"But I love you..." he whispered. The flood of hot tears resulting overflowed onto my cheeks. I loved him, too. I fought the tears, flapped my wings, and rocketed into the outside world. Instead of inviting, it was dreadful. The moon mocked me. Iggy, who was the only person on my thoughts, reminded me of the moon. Silent, bright, and sighless. Seeing all, but nothing still. His eyes would always shine the brightest against the shallow light of the moon. I smiled, though I was hurting. Smiling through the pain. I'd gotten good at it. Max was no longer the Max that I needed. She was broken, shattered, and splintered, all because of someone who stayed by her side leaving. No one in the Flock even spoke of her anymore. She was too fragile, too delicate. She'd sit by me on the couch and mutter faintly about Fang.
"He's gone..." she'd say. Tears would slip down her face in abundance. I'd smile. I'd smile, even though her pain was seeping into me, too.
"It's going to be okay." I'd say, hugging her shaking body.
"Not without him." Her words didn't sound the same, they were shallow, lifeless.
I shook the thought, adjusting my wing in the breeze. I faced the morning as it slammed into me. Me, all alone in this world.
I'm sorry, Iggy.