Chapter 24

24

H adley | Sacramento, California | Early 2000s

"The screaming tends to get too loud. I didn't want to risk the neighbors calling the cops," Amis explained as Hadley still sat on the closet floor, hunched over in agony.

"It might feel like this for the first twenty, fifty, or maybe one hundred times, unfortunately. Soon, it will be like putting jewelry into a piercing but in reverse. It will be barely noticeable. Just two small punctures inside those birthmarks on your shoulder blades."

Hadley wept like a child, tossing her anger and frustration aside as surely, whatever was happening to her had to kill her. She would have begged for death at that moment, with the sound of bones cracking and breaking filling the otherwise silent room.

"Make it stop," she pleaded, unable to lift her head enough to make eye contact with her casual observer.

"I can't," he said simply. "I've seen over a hundred young adults grow their wings for the first time, believe it or not, and it seems closer in action to childbirth than anything else. That baby will find a way out of that body, whether it kills the mother or not seems to be undetermined."

"Fuck you," she whimpered as another chop of the invisible axe landed on her shoulder blades, making her fall face-first to the floor. Her broken nose began bleeding again from the impact, leaving a new dark stain on the carpet beneath her.

Hadley's rage could no longer be bottled up as she screamed. It was high-pitched and loud, a deadly, murderous sound.

The shackle around her ankle clinked from her movement, reminding her again of her place here in this home.

"As fun as all this is, I will now excuse myself. Sheng should be back here tonight, and I must prepare the rest of the house."

Hadley screamed again, this time a low growl, feral. How dare he lock her in here and leave her in this state? If there was one person who deserved a light crucifixion, she would volunteer him without a second thought.

With that, Amis walked out of the closet, turning the lights off and closing the door behind him.

She then sat in complete darkness, the sudden absence of light swallowing her senses. She thought of Hector and wondered if he was still in the apartment or if he had decided to move out of the city without her. The two of them were always quick to act, constantly running from their pain and fear of rejection. She hoped he went and never looked back. She hoped he was successful and his hard work paid off during any future auditions.

The pain in her shoulder blades was coming in faster waves now and seemed to speed up every couple of hits consistently. She clenched her teeth and clung to the floor, not able to do anything else other than shout or hold her breath.

There was no way of knowing how much time had passed, and Hadley couldn't tell if Amis had walked out of the room ten minutes or two hours ago. She thought of her mother, the day that she died, so frail and thin in the hospice bed that sat as a fixture in their humble living room .

Her mom's eyes were bulging out of her head, her face also reflecting pain but still surprisingly gentle. Her mother had put her hand on Hadley's cheek that day.

"I have a daughter your age. You should meet her, dear," she had said to her. Hadley's eyes had teared up at that. There was so much kindness and love radiating from her, but the visual of it would haunt her memories forever.

"Please tell my daughter that I have gladly given up an extraordinary existence so she could have one. She's so special," Allienna continued before trailing off, staring into an empty corner of the room.

Hadley held onto her hand on the side of the bed, which went limp as her mother faded away, dying right in front of her.

Another blow of the axe hit her in her back, but this time, it was different. This time, the pain was sharper, and an audible, wet pop haunted her ears. Hadley could feel a river of blood seep down her back as the bone pushed through the skin while the blows of pain came quicker, more continuously.

A weight began to hang off of her back, bringing a new kind of agony in between the blows. She had no control over her back muscles, which were sore and exhausted, so she just continued to lay there as large wings were pushed out of her shoulder blades inch by inch while more and more blood created a puddle around her.

Barely hanging on, Hadley cried out weakly for help once more. Her back was so heavy it felt like she had an entire person sitting there on top of her, digging into her already sore skin with their knees. She realized her hands were shaking and closed her eyes in defeat, waiting for the next blow to strike, but it never came.

She lay there hesitant to move in case she could trigger her body to continue breaking apart, but after many breaths, after her heart slowed down and her head stopped pounding, she realized whatever this was was done.

Thank fucking God.

She sat up, the weight of whatever hung off her back toppling her backward. She tossed her hands back to support her, a soreness making her wince as the alleged wings pressed against the floor.

They were a part of her, a new limb that felt the coldness or heat in the air. It was unbelievable to have this sudden new sense of the world around her, of this closet. She was a newborn calf, not strong enough to stand or balance, but she felt so healthy.

Raising a hand to her nose, feeling the bones in her face, she was not surprised to feel that the injury seemed to have disappeared altogether. Any weakness she felt, other than untrained muscles, was non-existent. She laughed, still sitting in the dark with a shackle around her leg. This wasn't a story or a play she could have written even if she had tried.

The sound of the door sliding open caught her attention as the fluorescent lights overhead blinded her once more. She was getting sick of that.

Amis emerged from the door, his eyes fiercely studying her.

"The screaming stopped, so I thought I would come in and check on you." He smiled as if he were doing her a favor.

Asshole.

"Your slip has ripped. I would offer to get you more clothes, but they surround you." He pointed around her without taking his eyes off of her, off of the wings hanging from her back.

Amis was right. The back of her slip had ripped down the middle, leaving her completely exposed from behind.

"Why don't you try getting dressed in the dark?" she snapped back. "And how the hell am I supposed to get a shirt over these things?"

Amis laughed, his belly vibrating as if this was an entirely new sensation.

"You can pull them back in. You are not cursed to walk around for the rest of time with them visible. Although they're fresh; I imagine you'll want to give yourself a break before you have to experience that pain."

He walked past her, skipping over her chain elegantly and fumbling with the rack behind her. Hadley felt mortified, her wings and bottom exposed.

"Here," Amis said, tossing a black sleeveless shirt and some black sweatpants to her.

There were sweatpants in this closet this whole time?

She shook her head, feeling so grateful for the warmth, comfort, and shielding that they would do for her. She pulled off her slip as Amis turned around, giving her some sense of privacy.

She still didn't like him.

"Who is the group? The group of friends?" she asked as she put her feet into the top and pulled it up until it hit the underside of her wings. She next stepped into the softest, most luxurious sweatpants and savored every new inch of her skin they touched as she pulled them up.

"Silly rich humans that think worshiping Sheng will get them more status in life. Jokes about political parties often depict the wealthy in cults or performing satanic rituals. This group is the real-life manifestation of it."

"What do they get out of it? What does Sheng get out of it?" she asked, turning around, her wings brushing against the hanging rack of clothes behind her, knocking a few pieces down.

"Oops, I guess I'll have to get more used to that," she gave Amis her most charming smile. She needed to get this shackle off of her ankle.

"They get power, status, being around the influence of immortal wealth. Sheng gets company. This type of life, alienated from your kind, is a torture in itself," Amis said.

Hadley considered this for a moment, digging in a little too deep while Amis walked back around her, positioning himself back by the door.

"Sheng's kind? There's more of him?" she asked.

"Yes." Amis looked bored again. "He is the most senior. Most of the rest are relatively young in comparison."

"Oh, why is that?" she asked.

"I think in large part due to your father wanting to annihilate Sheng's community around him over time," Amis said, a positively toxic smile spreading across his face.

"I don't have a father," Hadley said.

"I think biology would disagree, my dear."

Hadley heard the thumping of quick footsteps coming their way as Amis moved to the side, allowing Sheng's body to come through the door.

"I came back as soon as I heard," he said, nearly breathless.

Sheng took a sharp inhale, studying the scene in front of him before covering his mouth with one hand. He stared at her, eyes wide, before walking up to her and pressing his forehead against hers, taking both of her hands in his.

"Are you alright?" he whispered. Hadley jumped back at his touch, and he looked up to make eye contact and frowned.

"I'm so sorry I missed it. I wanted to be here for it, for your wings coming in," he explained.

"You knew?" she asked him, confused.

Sheng ignored the question, turning to walk out of the closet as he pulled her behind him. Their bodies jolted as the chain lost any remaining slack and clanged in distress.

"Get this ridiculous thing off of her," Sheng yelled at Amis. "You and I will discuss how you treat the lady of this house later."

Amis scoffed, his eyes filled with malice and surprise. Hadley saw the formality between the two fade and reveal something that she hadn't noticed before. Was it competition? Was it disdain? She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was apparent that the boss-employee relationship had a lot of history.

Hadley felt her shoulders drop; the breath that she wasn't aware she was holding released as Amis pulled out a small key and moved down to her ankle, releasing the restraint. She looked to Sheng, a smile creeping across her lips as, once again, he was her unexpected savior.

"Thank you," she said as Sheng inspected her ankle for any injuries.

"Are you healing quickly?" he asked her, concern on his brow .

"Almost immediately," she responded.

"Incredible. Hadley, you are incredible. And your wings . . . I've never seen anything quite like them." Sheng moved his hand softly, stroking the top right of her wings.

"Angel," he whispered as Hadley's body turned to liquid, a raging river as his soft stroke moved across this new virgin skin. Sheng saw Hadley's head dip back from the sensation, and his eyes caught fire in response, turning red.

Amis sighed in obvious annoyance and walked out of the closet right as Sheng pressed his body to Hadley's, her nose to his neck. She inhaled, incredibly scared, yet a need filled her body. She was not hypnotized or drugged, whatever it was that his bite did to her. She had been, for all intents and purposes, kidnapped. She was not here because she wanted to be.

Run. Run. Your shackle is off.

Sheng ran his fingers down the side of her other wing, and the river inside her found its twin. She put her hands against him, one laying flat on his chest with the other on the back of his neck. Their lips were inches apart, and she could feel his cool breath against her cheek. His body pushed up against her, hard and solid with every inhale, leaving her feeling exposed and naked when he released his breath.

What is wrong with you? He is a monster. He is a monster.

Sheng's hand moved to her jaw, his thumb pulling down her lip.

"Good girl. Very good girl," he said, letting his thumb slide down until her lip bounced back into place.

Fuck it.

Hadley pushed against him, reaching up on her toes to draw her lips on his. He pulled back, her heart dropping at the rejection. She looked into his eyes, the hurt evident in hers, and he smiled emphatically.

"You need some time to heal, my bride. We need to take care of that mind of yours after the trauma you just went through." He picked up her hand and kissed it, leaving Hadley feeling out of control as a strange anxiety began to pool .

"What trauma?" she asked, confused.

This is a trick. Get out of here. Get away from him.

"I just want you," she continued, ignoring her inner voice and raising her lips towards him.

Sheng stepped back, his face apologetic.

"Hadley, I need you to listen. You come from a bloodline known as Kinnari. You are not human. I come from a bloodline known as Vrae. Our bloodlines are enemies, with the Vrae's only purpose being to consume Kinnari blood, balancing the magic and power they bring to this realm."

Hadley stared at Sheng, blinking slowly and shaking her head in disbelief.

"Am I in danger here?" she asked.

Sheng did not answer. He did not shake his head. He simply closed the distance between the two of them faster than Hadley could process and bit into her neck, his teeth extending into thick needles before digging into her flesh.

The only sound was that of Sheng's slow patient gulps while the weight of her new wings pulled her down into a backbend. She was aware of so much, and felt the emotional pain from Sheng pooling into her. The pain started to subside after several minutes as Hadley's body numbed and heated.

Don't let this fool you. What you are feeling isn't real.

Hadley relaxed, feeling safe and held and loved. She felt like she was home, like she had a family. She felt once more like she was in love.

With her eyes closing, Hadley drifted off to sleep, putting the madness of the past few days behind her while she lay in Sheng's arms.

The sound of organized chanting awoke her. She kept her eyes closed, not ready for the world and certainly not ready for more chaos moving forward. This was all too much. How much more pain and torture could she take in her life?

"I'm not strong enough," Hadley told herself.

You must fight .

Her inner voice answered her. Hadley pushed it away, holding her eyes shut with even more intent. The chanting of those surrounding her started to get audibly louder, giving her something else to focus on.

"Emeshu an?ar. Sha-ush bar

Emeshu an?ar. Sha-ush bar

Emeshu an?ar. Sha-ush bar

Emeshu an?ar. Sha-ush bar."

Wake up .

Her inner voice yelled so loud that she nearly jumped. It sounded outside of her, before her, and Hadley opened her eyes. She had been in this place before, surrounded by the hooded figures of Sheng's followers.

The upstairs family room was different this time as she pushed herself off the floor. Her wings had enveloped her, keeping her body warm and covered. With disdain, she noted that she stood in the center of the circle. She also noticed something large propped against the wall. The item was covered in a black cloth but towered at twelve or thirteen feet in height.

"Fight the flame. Kill the light," Sheng's voice called out behind her. Hadley jumped and turned to face him. His eyes and face were turned up to the ceiling with his arms open wide, as if expecting to receive something from the heavens.

"Now that I am wed to the purest biologically created power in existence, a power that I have awaited for hundreds of thousands of years, we will produce an army of heirs. Together, my bride and I will create something worthy of defending us from the one true threat to this world to our home. For the first time, enemies will unite and conquer."

The hooded cloaks around him chanted louder in response, filling the room with a melodic rhythm that sent chills down Hadley's spine.

"Are you ready for your reveal, my bride?" Sheng whispered sensually into her ear from behind her.

"My what?" she responded as Sheng gave a signal, and two cloaked figures pulled down the black curtain, revealing a large, spectacular mirror surrounded by thick gold trim. Hadley was so intrigued by its pattern that she failed to see her reflection until Sheng grabbed her shoulders and focused her attention.

There, standing opposite the mirror, was her reflection, except it wasn't her at all. A woman, not a lost girl, was staring back at her with a face full and glowing. Hadley touched her cheek, ensuring it was her in the reflection; the healthiest, strongest version of herself reflected every motion.

She turned to the side slightly, forgetting momentarily of the weight on her back pulling her downwards. Hadley couldn't quite see them and, for the first time, attempted to move them. Muscles not existing in her body even yesterday followed her mental commands. A soreness broke out across her back as if she were lifting heavy weights that she was not trained for.

Wake up .

Her inner voice shouted again, making Hadley relax her wings as she gasped, now knowing that the voice was outside of her. That's when she saw it: a shadow of a dainty hand coming through the mirror, grabbing the exterior gold rim. The hand emerged, turning into an arm, a shoulder, and then a neck attached to a face, her face.

Hadley stared, stunned, as a dark, shadow version of herself roamed free in the reflection before her.

"Staring at your beauty?" Sheng's voice was hushed.

She cocked her head at the shadow, at her inner voice, as it walked out of the mirror and held a finger to her mouth.

"Shhh," the inner voice said and gave her a wink before falling into an impossibly quick pirouette and disappearing into the air.

Did anyone else see that?

"Try again, Hadley, spread your wings again," Sheng encouraged. Hadley snapped out of her disbelief. She must be seeing things from the loss of blood. There must be a logical explanation.

Focusing back on herself in the mirror, Hadley used her new muscles again, flexing, pushing, and expanding until her wings were stretched out, taking up ten or eleven feet and pushing the circle further from her.

There were murmurs and audible gasps of excitement from the cloaked individuals around her. One pulled down his hood to look at her better. Saul. He had a tear sliding down his cheek, and once he realized that she noticed him, he fell into a posture of worship. The others followed.

"Kinnari typically have wings that match their eyes," Sheng said to her, his voice filled with pride.

"That's not the case with me. Why?" she asked.

Looking into the mirror, Hadley saw only a reflection, a bounce of light with streaks of silver and blue glittering with her movement.

"It's almost as if they're . . ." she said to herself in disbelief. "Made of glass."