Death Behind These Walls

Have you ever looked up at the moon and wondered if the person your going to fall in love with is looking at the same time you are?

I dabbled a little with the keys on the piano, not playing anything in particular. With only light coming from a lamp I would barely be able to see the notes on a music sheet anyways.

I rested my elbow on the keys of my piano and looked up at the sky. The moon was especially big and bright tonight. The stars surrounding it paled in comparison to it's brilliant shine.

I walked out onto my deck and looked up at the moon and stars. At that moment I wished that I had the power to touch the moon and stars themselves. I knew this would never be possible, but it was still nice to wish it could come true.

A gust of wind blew harshly in my face and I headed for the door to get inside where it was warm.

I warmed my hands on the fire as I sat on the hardwood floor thinking about all the mythical creatures I had read about that day. I knew they weren't real, but I couldn't help but wish I could be one of them. Thinking about what I had read reminded me of a conversation me and my previous boyfriend had had. We were both curious which mythical creature we'd be if we had a choice and we both agreed that it wouldn't really matter what we were as long as we could fly.

At the beginning of the year I had broken up with him, my boyfriend of two years. We had spent time together afterwards and dated other people, but I still wasn't over him. However, I was starting to believe he didn't feel that same anymore. He started to grow cold and just last month I didn't even see him once. We still kept in contact, but it just wasn't the same. Now I was wishing more then ever that I could have some way to escape from my love for him. Some way to escape my past.

They say be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. I'm not sure if I believed in this saying before or after the incident where the old women came to my door and offered me the wish I had asked for, but one thing I was for certain of. I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like this.

“Should you choose to accept this power you can not fall in love as long as you are under the power.” The old women told me in her raspy voice. I thought about what she had said for a moment.

Of course I had loved and lost once before, and though the experience was both wonderful and sad, the sad out weighed the happy parts. I would never love again. It was sad to think about, but after going so long without a significant other I was starting to get used to being without someone. Would giving up falling in love really be that much of a sacrifice?

In the end I decided to accept the wish and the old women, with a faint cackle, thrust something into my chest. At first the pain was so immense that I nearly fell over in agony. I grabbed onto a chair for support and waited for the pain to subside. When the burning gone I looked down at my chest and saw a half heart tattoo.

It was then that I realized the heaviness on my back I had been neglecting. I felt around and my fingers came into contact with fuzz and feathers. I tried to straighten out my back as I walked to the restroom. I looked into the mirror and my heart jumped when I found the enormous black wings protruding from my back.

........

I sat on the ledge of the balcony behind my house, looking up at the moonlit sky. It had been a month since I had been given the ability to fly and I still hadn't shook off this sense of power I now carried with me. It made me feel more powerful than anyone in this world.

But despite all this power I still felt alone. Even more so then when I had been human, living alone in my house I had inherited from my parents when they died. I was the only one in my world of mythic creatures. Maybe this was what the old women meant when she told me I wouldn't fall in love.

I fell from my perch on the ledge and allowed my wings to catch the air just in time to dodge the ground and send me soaring upwards. My wings beat a few times, just enough to get me high up and I shot above the trees in the forest behind my house. I smiled a little as the wind blew against my face, but then my smile suddenly disappeared as a memory engulfed my thoughts.

When I was a child my parents used to take me out on our boat. My favorite place to ride was in the front. Up there you could pretend you were no longer on the boat, but simply flying above the surface of the water. The breeze was amazing and the scenery was breathtaking. And what was even better was the speed.

Every chance I got I'd beg Daddy to make the boat go just a little bit faster. At first he might say no, that the boat had already gone really fast that day, but eventually he'd give in and, with a big smile on his face, pick up the speed and I'd race back up to the front where I could resume my pretending.

It had been five years ago since my parents had died in a car crash, but I still grieved over it despite the fact that I began to feel less and less emotion each day. I think it was my hearts way of protecting itself. By growing numb it helped stop the pain.

My foot caught a branch for a moment, pulling me out of my train of thought. I looked back to unhook myself and found it was caught on my sock. I rested my other foot on another branch and preceded to work the sock out of the tree branch. When I'd unhooked it I rested for a moment on a branch, leaning against the tree for support. I still hadn't gotten used to the weight of my wings so occasionally I needed to rest.

Both wings stretched this way and that, stretching before flight. I sighed as I worked out the soreness in them. It would take a while to get used to these wings, but at least it made it easier to travel.

I looked over the top of the trees. I could see a few clouds forming and the light of the moon peeking through. The clouds were moving so fast that I hardly blinked and the moon appeared in full form. I breathed in as its light gleamed over my form.

I felt my chest pulse and I immediately looked down at the half hearted tattoo. Since I had become this creature I hadn't been able to feel my heart beat. Now for the first time I felt a light jab. I looked up at the moon. Had that been the cause of it?

My wings stretched out and I alighted down off the tree, making a swift landing on a boulder. My fingers, poised in such a way as they made contact with the rock, were trembling as I hit the ground. There was something here, I could sense it.

I arched my back and my wings picked me up into the trees, but not entirely out of the forest. I needed a good view to survey my surroundings.

I glided there for a moment, afraid I might actually catch a glimpse of something. What was I afraid of? I could fly. What was going to hurt me?

I felt a rush of wind blow through the trees. It made me uneasy, but I knew there was nothing to be afraid of. At least nothing I could see.

I shivered as a chill ran down my back. The clouds had covered the moon and it was darker then before. I thought I saw something move in the darkness, but decided it was probably just my eyes playing tricks on me.

“So your the one she told me took the power.” A voice, it sounded male, came from somewhere in the dark. “You seem sharp.”

“Who's there?” I fought to keep my voice strong.

“Well, maybe not that sharp.” His voice came from another direction. The pulse in my chest was starting to beat at a steady pace now. That probably meant he was close by. “Where could I be?”

His voice was taunting me, but I couldn't let it get to me. I needed to focus on where he might be. I closed my eyes and tried to hear any rustling. I couldn't hear anything.

Something grabbed a hold of my neck and brought me back.

“Closing your eyes. Bad tactic.” His voice was in my ear. I beat my wings frantically to get away. I felt a gust a wind leave my back and trail up over me. He'd gone up through the trees.

My wings carried me up over the trees and my eyes scanned the scenery for any sign of him. The moon had peeked out of the clouds and was illuminating the tops of the trees. If he had been up there I wouldn't have missed him. I didn't see him though.

I looked up into the sky and found myself staring up at the clouds, wondering if he would have traveled that far. Before I could even look away something dark fell from the clouds. I tried to dodge it, but it caught a hold of me and sent me down to the ground where it pinned me.

“Don't move.” He commanded. I remained perfectly still as he brushed my dark hair out of my face. The moonlight shined onto his face making it somewhat visible. I could see his dark eyes looking down at me. They were brilliant in contrast to his light skin. The same almost white skin I had. It must have been something that came with our powers. Our powers. Was he one of me?

His dark wings were exactly like mine. I wondered if he too had the same tattoo on his chest. I looked up where his chest was, but I didn't see any trace of skin where his chest was. In fact his entire body was covered by long sleeves and pants.

“This is fun, isn't it?” His voice was charming, yet annoying. “I'm not sure if you know this, but there are hardly any of us. So it's nice to finally find one of us. And a females even better.”

“What do you want?” I finally managed to ask.

“Calm down,” His voice was surprising soft and hushed as though he was really trying to calm me down. I focused in on his eyes. They were dark and hollow. Was I really going to trust this guy? “I'll let you up, but only if you promise not to fly away.”

He got up slowly and stood above me. I waited for a moment before getting to up to his level. I still couldn't see his face very well, but I could see the grin he wore and I didn't like it.

Before I even knew what I was doing my wings had beat so fast that I was half way to the top of the trees when I realized what I was doing. Instinct had taken over and I was running away.

The last thing I remembered was my body crashing into trees as he rammed into me in an attempt to catch me. I watched as the already dark world fell into complete darkness.

“Madeline, wake up.” The voice was far off and I couldn't tell who's it was. My eyes fluttered open and I caught a sight of dark wings. Now I remembered what had happened. “Sorry I had to go to that extreme, but I had to get you somehow.”

“Where am I?” I asked, my eyes just now focusing in on the face I was talking to. “Zephyr? No...it can't be.”

“Yeah, it's me.” He stared at me as though I should have known this by now. I was suddenly very excited. After two months of not seeing him we were now able to talk face to face. And in someway, a void that had been in me for so long was beginning to fill up. That is, until I heard the next words out of his mouth. “Your ignorance amazes me sometimes.”

“Wow, we haven't talked face to face in two months and all I get is an insult? I thought we were friends, Zephyr.” I hoped this would make him feel bad.

“Um...Where have you been?” He huffed with not so much as a smile. “I'd thought by now you'd realize I'm not that sweet guy you used to date. I may have been nice then, but you and I both know,” He leaned in closer and spoke in a whisper. “I changed a lot. I'm not that wimp I used to be.”

I ruffled his hair and he pushed my hand away. “Aw, you'll always be the same Zephyr to me.” I cooed. He growled a little and I giggled. I didn't like the way he was acting, but at least he was here.

I found out later that after Zephyr had been dumped by his last girlfriend he'd acquired this power. That was about a month ago. The same time I began to notice his personality change. I put two and two together, realizing that somehow this power was making him the way he was: Cold and heartless.

I wondered if I'd become the same way. I had only had this power for a month now. Surely I would have realized a change in my personality if one had occurred.

........

I was looking out at the stars one night, deciding whether or not I should go out for a late night flight, when I heard Zephyr's footsteps come out onto the balcony. He'd been staying with me since the night we'd met in the forest.

I didn't bother to turn around. By now I was tired of looking into those same cold, guarded eyes. I missed the ones he used to carry back when we were dating. Back when he used to call me beautiful and my heart would jump every time he pulled me in for a kiss.

I felt my face stingy as a tear forced itself out of my eye. If I had been human my heart would have hurt at that moment. Still, I wished I could go back in time.

“What are you doing out here?” His voice wasn't as cold as it usually would have been.

“I was thinking about going for a midnight flight.” I said, the heat of my breath causing smoke to blow out of my mouth. “You remember last year in December when your parents had that Christmas party and we went to your little brothers room to have some “alone time?”

I didn't expect him to say anything. Still, it was nice to share with him my thoughts of reminiscence.

“Yeah,” He said with a chuckle. “I'm surprised no one caught us. Best Christmas I ever had.”

It made me smile when I saw that goofy grin he wore on his face. I liked that he still remember the good times he'd shared with me and even more the fact that he enjoyed reminiscing with me.

I climbed onto the railing of the balcony, clinging to it with not the least bit of worry. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for flight. It was exciting. My adrenaline rushing, the hairs on my body standing on end. Flying was the one joy in my life now. It was what kept me living, what kept me entertained. It got me out of bed in the morning because I knew that even though things weren't right in my life I could take that dive and my wings would carry me right back up into the wind where I'd forget all my troubles for that moment.

“Madeline.”

I stopped my thoughts for a moment, pausing only to turn where he was standing beside me.

“Why don't we go back inside.” He spoke in a soft voice that literally shook my core. It was almost as if he was himself again. But still his eyes were cold.

It's hard to explain why I didn't fly that night and, instead, followed him into the house. I guess it's something only those who've loved and lost will ever feel. When you finally have a chance to be with that person you lost you'll do anything for them, anything to be with them. I don't think thats really love, I can't love with these powers, more or less it's a compelling force that drives you to obtain that one person you want most.

We were sitting next to each other on the couch, almost touching, as we stared into the flames in the fireplace. I kept getting these urges to get closer, to touch him, to kiss him. But I stayed where I was as we talked about the days when we were still together. Laughing about this and that.

“So why did you take this power anyways?” I finally asked. The question had been begging to be asked the second I found out this winged man was Zephyr.

“After dating Natalie and then getting dumped by her I took it pretty hard. I mean, breaking up with you was hard enough, but adding Natalie onto all that....I just got so sick and tired of feeling hurt. So, when I found a way to remove the hurt entirely I was grateful and took this power without a second thought. I've never been happier.”

I nodded then looked down, trying to conceal the way I really felt about what he had done. Of course who was I to talk. I'd gotten myself into the same predicament. We were both stuck with this decision we'd made to never love again. We built these walls around us and now, even though we were together, we'd be alone. Forever.

I might have had my heart taken out, but that still didn't stop my loneliness. I longed for someone. Well, not just someone... I longed for him.

I stretched my hand out towards the other half of my bed and felt nothing. Nothing... Emptiness. Was that how it was gonna be for the rest of my life? I guess all I could do was hope that in time I'd come to be just as cold and heartless as Zephyr was.

I rolled over to face the other side of the room. I looked at the clock. 1:00 A.M. It was getting late.

I curled into a ball and shut my eyes only to reopen them within seconds. I felt a form get into bed just beside me and my back stiffened.

He didn't speak, he just pulled me close to him.

I lost the battle when I tried to hold back a tear. It trickled down my cheek just as he turned me to face him. I couldn't see his eyes, but his touch was soft and loving as his fingers caressed my face. I remained frozen as his face came so close I could feel the heat from his breath on my lips. The yearning was so strong now. I wanted to be closer to him.

I closed my eyes as his lips pressed against mine. The burst of energy just from that one kiss sent my body ablaze. Immediately I was consumed in the moment and still, at the same time, taken back to a time when the two of us loved each other. I wished at that moment that I was still able to love. I wanted to love him now more then ever.

The next morning he wasn't in bed. I sat up for a moment trying to figure out where he might be, but couldn't think of a logical answer. So I got up and tried to find him.

First I looked everywhere in the house and then I scoured the area around my house looking high and low to find where exactly he'd gone to.

Days went by and he still wasn't back. I was beginning to feel betrayed. I cried a little, but not as much as I would have if I'd been human. I mean, I could still kind of feel pain, but it was, for the most part, numbed. Still, I cried every night as I lay in bed alone. Then one day I decided to suck it up and reminded myself I didn't need him to make me happy.

That only lasted for a few days and I began to realize he didn't just make me happy. He was my source for killing loneliness. Because with these powers I couldn't show myself to the human world. I was stuck in this world of mythical beings, and right now it was just me and him, and he was no where to be found.

I found myself flying more and more each day. It was addictive. Almost like a drug. It only numbed the pain, but at least it helped. And each day I flew farther and farther away from my house. Each day seeing how far I could make it until I needed to go home.

One day I flew so far that I lost track of time and ended up flying for two days. I took a rest by a rocky hillside near a lake. I hadn't eaten since I'd been home so I was pretty tired as I leaned against a large rock formation.

My chest suddenly pulsed with a shaking intensity and I staggered back. When I regained my composure I saw him standing there, just below me by the water, looking out into the sunset.

I alighted down behind him, hesitant at first to walk up to him, but then I summoned the courage and placed a hand on his shoulder.

I was surprised he neither jumped nor flew when I touched him, almost as though he knew I'd been there already.

“What are you doing all the way out here?” I demanded an answer. He didn't turn around.

“I don't need to answer to you.” He stated coldly.

“Please, just tell me why you left me so suddenly.” I pleaded.

He breathed out a sigh and turned his body towards me. “I almost went back to something I've sworn to give up. I'm not going to throw away what I've worked for.”

“What are you talking about?” I struggled to keep my voice from sounding demanding.

“You know damn well what I'm talking about!” His voice was harsh. It made me feel weak inside, but I tried to get passed it and looked him straight in the eyes, waiting for an answer. “I can't care for anyone anymore. I won't be hurt again.”

“Why? Everyone gets hurt. You think your the only one?”

“Of course I know I'm not the only one!” He yelled. “But at least I can prevent it.”

Tears were starting to fall from my eyes. I couldn't hold them back. Why did he have to do this?

“We used to be so happy together. Why can't you remember the good times? We could be happy together.”

“No,” He was being stubborn. “Those times are over. We had our chance at love. No...I just...no, no more chances, Madeline. You had several chances when we were dating and it just didn't work in the end. I won't be hurt again. I just can't take it.”

“I can't let you do this.” I was shaking with sobs. “Your building up these walls around you that no one can get through. Do you want to die behind your own prison? Alone?”

“That sounds about right.” He spoke in arrogance. “Look, I've done what I've done to protect myself. Get out while you still can before you seal yourself as well.”

I stared back at him dumbfounded. At that moment I would have done anything to turn back the clock. What could I do for him? I couldn't just let him live like this. Die like this.

Author: If the story seems like it stopped abruptly its because it did. I'm currently working on a book of about 10 short stories and this is one of them. I plan on publishing it late which is why I cut off half of the story. Theres also a planned sequel for this, but I probably wont post it because it would ruin this part of the story for everyone. I'll probably post some of the short stories (cut versions) and you guys can tell me what you think of them so far. Hopefully I've grown a little in my writing abilities.

Soooo....please review! Thanks :)