Chapter Thirty-Six

Flying High

A Day went by, and the Disciples stayed hidden in their hideout.

Ravage and Diablo after they had dropped the drunk boys off with the police, had managed to get enough food to last them a while so they were able to stay hidden for a bit.

Around that time, as well as trying to sleep, Angela had tried to get used to her new body and Chastity with Lamia and Rex's help managed to put together some clothes for her, ones that could accommodate her wings and her tail.

Diablo had given Angela some space, and he had seen Seth try to talk to her, trying to get her to open up her feelings.

As he did, he thought more about how he could get Angela to speak to him privately, and regain her trust, then he remembered when they first met at the Falls, and how they had spoken, then they met again at the baseball field, the same place Angela then got hit by the car.

As he thought more about the Falls, he wondered whether that would be the best place they could talk together, and the more he thought about it, the better the idea sounded.

As dusk was falling, Diablo watched Angela as she stood before a mirror and took in her appearance.

She was dressed in denim trousers that went down to her knees with a black belt and silver buckle, and she wore a white cotton blouse with some blue details on the collar that covered her front and was buttoned at the back and tied behind her neck, so it was around her wings.

"You look great Angela." Chastity smiled "Do you feel comfortable?"

Angela nodded.

"Yes, Thanks." She said, "I have to say, you got talent Chastity, making and finding clothes to fit and suit us."

Chastity smiled.

"You're welcome, and thanks too, well, it's not easy to say the least, especially with some of us having wings and Ravage having too extra arms!"

Ravage looked over to Chastity and flexed his four arms.

"Yeah!" he chuckled "I'm the real nuisance when it comes to clothes!"

"I think I am just as bad!" Lamia quipped "With my electrical touch, I need to be careful!" she held up her gloved hands.

"You're at least easier to dress than Diablo, Ravage, Regan, myself and now Angela." Chastity confirmed "We just need to make sure we got the right material for you!"

Angela looked herself over again and moved her wings making sure she could move them freely.

The more Diablo watched Angela the more he felt she looked rather beautiful as a mutant, and the form of a falcon suited her.

He remembered how she told him of how her brother was called 'Light Falcon' in the Air Force, and he thought it was an interesting coincidence.

Swallowing his pride, he stood up and walked over to Angela.

"Angie?" he said to which Angela looked over to him and she frowned making Diablo feel a little worried.

The other Disciples looked over feeling awkward, wondering how Angela was going to respond to him as they all knew how angry she was at the previous events.

"Yes?" Angela asked in a deadpan voice.

Diablo swallowed hard and he felt sweat form under his feathers.

"Look Angela." He said, "I know I'm not your favourite person, mutant, whatever right now, but I was wondering if we could talk?"

Angela frowned harder.

"Talk?" she asked, "About what?"

"Just about how you're feeling, and what you want to do." Diablo replied.

Angela glared and opened her beak to say something, but she stopped when she saw Seth looking at her.

"Angela." He said "I know you're still angry, but maybe you and Diablo should speak together, before everything that happened, me being mutated, and then…you know…" his eyes travelled up and down Angela's new form "You both seemed to have something there, you had a bit in common, and maybe it would be a good idea to settle things between you."

"I think so too." Chastity added "It would be good for you."

Samson, Ravage, Lamia, and Regan agreed as well.

"Just give him a chance!" Regan squeaked but Lamia and Rex gently hushed the bat.

Angela looked down slightly then up at Diablo who had that hopeful look in his moonstone eyes.

The more she thought about it, she remembered how before they had a good deal in common when it came to their pasts, his close relationship with Monalisa before he lost her, and hers with Nigel.

They really were not that different when it came to that, and maybe, after everything that had happened in the past few hours, it would be a good idea to settle things between them and reach a middle ground, maybe even get to know each other again as mutants.

Taking a deep breath, the falcon nodded.

"Okay." She spoke softly.

Diablo gave a small smile.

"Thanks Angie." He said lifting his taloned hand and holding it out to her.

Angela did the same and they shook hands.

"So will you come with me?" Diablo asked, "The sun is setting, and I think I know a place we can talk."

"Where?" Angela asked.

"Where we first met." Diablo winked "The Falls."

Angela's eyes widened.

"Is it safe to go there?" she asked.

Diablo gave a smirk.

"Trust me!" he said, "We can find somewhere where no-one is around."

Angela looked unsure but she saw the encouraging looks of the other Disciples, especially Seth.

"Go on." He mouthed and the others agreed.

Angela gave Seth a small smile then turned to Diablo who led her to the stairs and to the doors of the abandoned house.

As the Disciples watched, they all felt hopeful.

"I do hope they work things out." Lamia murmured.

"Me too!" Regan said, "I hope Angela won't be sad anymore soon."

"It's still all new to her, Ankle-biter." Rex said stroking Regan's soft golden curls "But hopefully she'll get used to it."

"We can only hope so." Samson sighed.

As the Raven and Falcon stepped outside the house, Angela looked up at the red skies and the golden sunset and she couldn't help but admire it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Diablo asked to which Angela nodded.

"Yeah, it is." She said quietly.

"We can maybe give you the chance to practice your flying?" Diablo suggested "The sunset may look beautiful down here but wait till you see it from the air!"

He held Angela's hand and opened his wings.

"I don't know what Chastity taught you, but I'll help you to fly as well." He said, "Spread your wings out!"

Angela copied Diablo and opened her wings then she bent her legs as Diablo instructed her then on his signal, they took off into the air!

Angela was shocked as she felt her wings flap and they lifted her up into the air with a whoosh!

She remembered the feeling she felt when she had tried to fly away the previous night and she had no control, as she wasn't sure what to do, but after Chastity's coaching to fly to bring her back, and now with Diablo's help, she seemed to have a better idea and it felt so amazing.

Diablo flew higher into the air, still holding Angela's hand and Angela flapped her wings harder and soon they were both high above the town and in the sky and Angela gasped as she looked upon the beautiful sunset before her.

The sky was mixed in golden yellows, and flaming oranges and ambers, and the sun was like a red ball.

Angela began to hear her mother's voice in her ear as she watched the fiery ball go down over the horizon.

As a child, her mum used to tell her "See how beautiful the sun looks darling? That's because she's going to a party! She's wearing her beautiful red and gold gown and she's going to a party!"

Just remembering that, Angela felt a pang in her heart as she thought of her parents and had wondered all through the rest of the night and the day what they were thinking because she wasn't in her room, and she hadn't turned up for work.

Looking down at the town below, part of her wanted to fly down and see if she could see any indication that her parents were searching for her, like if there were any missing posters, or anything else.

"Angie?" Diablo's voice broke into her thoughts "Are you alright?"

Angela shook her head and looked at him.

"I'll be fine." She said "I just….taking in this sunset from so high up, makes me think of how Nigel must have seen it when he flew above the clouds in his jet when in the Air Force, and how I used to beg him to one day take me in his jet to see the skies and all he could see, yet it never came to pass."

"Well here you are now." Diablo said, "You can now see what he would see, and what I'm sure he still see's today, from the heavens."

"Do you believe in heaven?" Angela asked.

"I don't know exactly." Diablo answered honestly "But Chastity does, as a Christian, and I suppose Lamia has her own version, as Seth has his too?"

Angela said nothing but looked back at the sunset just as the sun disappeared and all that remained was lines of pink and amber and the skies were darkening showing a few sparkling stars.

It was then Angela had a sudden urge to fly higher.

She let go of Diablo's hand and she soared upwards.

Diablo was shocked and he looked up to see Angela fly up towards the clouds and towards the darkening sky.

The Raven hovered as he watched ready to catch Angela should she fall, but what he saw amazed him.

Angela opened her arms and flew higher then did a flip before flying faster and doing a few spins through some clouds.

As she did so, she could hear Nigel's voice in her head.

"Keep soaring high, for Heaven is the limit!"

In a way she was soaring, yet not in the way she thought she would, but she was flying high, like he would do in his jet.

"Is this what you felt Nigel?" she asked "When you soared high above the clouds? You felt the freedom to see the world from above and look to where Heaven could be?"

She flew a little further and did another flip in the air before flying over to Diablo who looked rather shocked.

"Wow…" he said as he took a few deep breaths "Angie? How did you do that, and you're just a new flyer!"

Angela ran a hand over her feathered head.

"I…I'm not sure," she confessed "It just felt natural, I felt like Nigel was with me, flying next to me." She looked around the sky.

Diablo was impressed as he listened, as well as glad that Angela had managed to master her flying rather quickly.

"The Falls isn't far from what I can see above." He said as he pointed at the land below "I remember when I flew this way, I found it."

"Okay." Angela said, "Let's go then."

She then flew ahead towards the ground and Diablo followed suit.

"Be careful though!" Diablo called "We must still be wary of the humans, as some might still be around!"

So Diablo has asked Angela to join him on an early evening flight to the falls, and hopefully they can talk some more and settle things.

So far all seems to be going well, but what will happen when they arrive at the falls? Well Check back to find out!

Note: The story about Angela's mum telling her the sun going to a party when it went dark was a story mum told me when I was child and I've never forgotten it, even though I'm a grown woman! It's amazing what stories your parents tell stick with you!