Freak : 3

I sat on the floor of the steamy shower with my back leaned against the thin, plaster wall. Mom had left to get dad 20 minutes ago. We only had one car, so she had to drive him to work and pick him up every day. Mom always insisted on keeping the car at home, rather than have dad drive himself to work. And her reason was always the same; just in case something happened. Something had happened.

The blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants she had left me were soft and freshly laundered. The sweatshirt even had slits in the back for my wings to go through. I traced my tail spikes carefully with my thumb as I stared at the underside of the sink. Lizzy was entertaining herself with the TV, flipping through the channels.

I wanted to go home. I wanted to hide away in my room and never come out.

"Instinct…" I whispered to myself. Mom had said I had acted on instinct when I hurt Colin. Did that mean it could happen again? I looked down at the dual spikes. They were opaque white with barbed edges. All of the blood had been washed away in the hot shower.

"Solon has been struck with disaster earlier this evening. A young boy was violently attacked feet from his home-"

I rushed from the bathroom and stared at the TV. A news reporter was standing in the field behind our apartment complex. Police cars were still lined up on the road, and an officer stood next to him. Lizzy stared at the TV transfixed, her eyes wide.

"We can confirm that it was a hybrid attack." The officer said and my heart stuttered to a stop. "Witnesses say the suspect ran into the apartment complex."

"Newton!" I jumped as the door to the motel room burst open. Dad stood in the doorway with mom just behind him. I immediately backed up against the wall as he marched inside.

"David, lower your voice! This is a motel!" Mom hissed but dad was watching the TV now too.

"How can you confirm it was a hybrid?" The news reporter shoved his mic towards the officer.

"We have physical evidence. Feathers were found at the scene, and the boy's injuries are irrefutable. Two entry wounds to the upper left chest. The suspect is a white male, dark brown eyes, blonde hair, and is around 8 to 9 years old. He has white wings and a white tail."

"And how is the boy's condition?"

The officer hesitated before answering. "He passed before medical treatment could be administered."

"You killed a boy?" Dad slowly turned his head to glare at me. I stared at the wood floor, my arms glued to my sides. "You snuck outside, and killed a boy!?"

"David-"

"Where is your tail lock?" Dad stepped towards me and my heart jumped into my throat, my breathing shallow and fast. I slowly pointed towards the bathroom where my old, blood stained clothes still lay on the ground. The device was still in the pocket of my jeans. Dad moved past me and into the bathroom. I glanced up at mom as she stood by the foot of the bed closest to the window. Lizzy was silent and pale as she hugged moms arm.

"Why weren't you wearing it?" Dad demanded as he exited the bathroom. His hand clamped down onto the back of my neck and pushed me into the middle of the room. I flinched as his nails dug into my skin. He grabbed my tail and snapped the device into place. "Answer me!"

"I don't know." I panted, keeping my eyes on the ground.

"Why did you go outside?"

"I don't know."

"David, please."

"You realize we can never go back to that apartment? Whatever you managed to bring with you, that's it. We can't go back." Dad spoke quickly as he paced back and forth in the small room. "The police are going to be after us now, they have your feathers!" He turned around and shot his hand out. I flinched again but it landed on my shoulder, whirling me around entirely. He grabbed my left wing and pulled it open. I had already looked. Two of my primary feathers were missing.

"It was an accident!" I choked.

"If you can't wear that tail lock, then we need to remove it entirely." Dad was muttering now. My eyes got huge. Remove my tail? I pulled out of his grip and backed up against the wall again, my tail held against my chest. I couldn't stop my hands from trembling and fresh tears were streaming down my face.

"David, that's enough!" Mom stepped forward, grabbing dads arm.

"This boy will be the death of you. You can't protect him forever." He glared at her.

"He's only a boy!"

"He's a freak of nature! He's brought nothing but pain to this family. Now he's going to send us to jail." Dad stomped away from her and towards the door.

"It's not his fault." Mom was crying too. Dad paused and turned around to face her.

"It is, Amy. Everything. You're deteriorating health, always needing to hide him, and now this!" He pointed a finger towards me but kept his eyes locked on mom. "WICKED is to blame for the wraiths, but the only reason we're suffering?" He looked down at me, his eyes filled with malice. "It's because of that boy."

Mom pushed past him and opened the door. Dad stomped after her and slammed the door behind them. The news had changed from Colin's murder to a gas station robbery. Lizzy sat on the bed frozen.

"He's mad…" She whispered. I slowly walked to the bed and crawled onto it to sit next to her. I couldn't speak. My entire body was shaking. 'Freak of nature' was something I hadn't heard from him yet, but it stung like nothing else ever had.

Why was all of this my fault? What was WICKED? What were wraiths?

Eventually Lizzy turned off the TV and snuggled underneath the blankets. I turned off all the lamps and returned to the bed in the pitch black room. The AC hummed quietly underneath the window. As tired as I was, I couldn't bring myself to get under the blankets with Lizzy. I sat with my back against the backboard and my legs outstretched in front of me.

My mind kept replaying everything over and over again. From the beginning. Jesse chasing me, us falling, Hadrian screaming. Mom's panicked face as she frantically packed. The police sirens screaming as they raced into the quiet neighborhood. Dad wanting to cut off my tail.

'The only reason we're suffering is because of that boy.' I replayed his words in my head. I didn't understand.

My head shot up to look at the door as it slowly cracked open. Mom slipped inside the room as quietly as she could. Where was dad?

"Mom?" I asked, my voice high pitched with anxiety.

"Newt, honey, you should be in bed." She whispered and slowly walked over to me.

"Where's dad?"

"He's…" She slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and set a hand on my knee. "He's taking a break, sweetheart."

"Is he coming back?"

"Yes, but not till tomorrow." She gave me a tired smile. I looked down at her hand.

"He said I'm a freak of nature." I whispered.

"He doesn't mean anything he said. He was just upset."

"Like instinct?" I looked up to her.

"No, honey. Sometimes people say things they shouldn't. Sometimes people do things they shouldn't." She gave me an earnest look and I quickly glanced away. "I know you're lonely, Newt. But you're different from most boys. You have amazing gifts, but not everyone understands them. People are sometimes afraid of them."

"How are they gifts if I can't use them?" I glare down at the blankets. I can only make out the edges of them in the dark. She took my hand and gave it a small squeeze.

"It's for your own safety." Mom paused for a moment and looked back at her bed.

"What's WICKED?"

"That's a story for another night, sweetheart." She carefully pulled the blankets back, making sure not to disturb Lizzy next to me. "It's been a long day, you're tired."

"What are wraiths?" I tried again, but mom only shook her head.

"We'll talk more tomorrow." She leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "Goodnight, I love you."