Alex and I took one last look at the cabin. We stood at the front door, his hand squeezing mine for encouragement. “You’re ready, you did amazing all week, you can do this,” he smiled.
I nodded my head in agreement and we put our suitcases in the trunk, and got back in the car. We had left all of the food, and several changes of clothes at the cabin, just in case something went wrong. I glanced at the backseat, remembering what had happened a week ago, and saw the scratches in the leather seat for the first time. I turned to him, eyes wide, and opened my mouth to apologize.
“You don’t need to say it,” He smiled, “you’ve done enough apologizing this week.”
“Okay but still, I can’t believe I did that,” I replied remorsefully.
Alex just shook his head and smiled at me. The drive back to town was long, but pleasant. I sat in the back so I could nap if I wanted to. We laughed and talked about the week, and about graduation. We discussed plans for after graduation, and Alex told me he still planned to join the police academy. He was even more determined than before, stating that it would help him learn about what happened to me and everyone else who was taken away. He said he’d go all the way to the FBI and make it a career if that’s what he had to do to get down to the bottom of it. He grinned proudly at his announcement.
Although I was grateful for his words, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt that he’d do all of that for me. I contemplated the feeling rising in my chest, but I already knew what it was. I was feeling something more than friendship, and I could tell by the way he’d looked at me the past week that he felt the same. I wasn’t ready to face it just yet, but I allowed myself to think about it on the drive back. Alex really was amazing, and he’d proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’d do anything for me. I’d be a fool not to trust him after all that. I’d tell him how I felt after we graduated, and life went back to normal.
I allowed myself to think back to the reason I was closed off to the idea of dating him in the first place. It was also the original reason he wanted to join the police academy. Two years prior I was dating a guy from our class. It wasn’t very serious but it had been going on for a few months. The guy was bad news. Drew was always a party boy, and I had originally liked that about him. It was new and exciting. Two months in it became abundantly clear that the drugs were too much. His grades were slipping, and his wallet ran dry. I had confided in Alex my thoughts on the matter, and he told me to tell Drew that I was worried about him, and ask him to slow down. Alex said that if Drew cared about me, then he’d value my words.
Drew and I went on a walk late one night. He wasn’t on too many drugs at the time, so I figured it was a good time to talk about it. We found a park bench at my request, and I gently broached the subject with him. I told him I was scared, and I thought he was taking things too far. I wasn’t aware that Drew had anger issues, I hadn’t been with him very long and we’d never fought. So when he started to scream at me for getting in his business it caught me off guard. He lost it on me. He continued to scream, spit hitting my face from the force of his words, but that wasn’t enough for him. He picked me up by the neck and slammed me to the ground. All manner of insults were thrown at me in an instant.
Drew was large. 6 foot, muscular build, and the impact of him throwing me to the ground had me seeing stars. My survival skills kicked in and I clawed at his hand, desperately trying to explain that I’d only brought it up to help him. That seemed to make him even angrier, and he turned to his fists. He hit me too many times to count. In the gut, the ribs, my face... I started to think he’d really kill me and I fumbled for the phone at my side. I struggled to access my emergency contacts, and dialed the first one, Alex. I heard the phone connect over the ringing in my ears and gasped for breath. “Help,” is the only word I managed, which Drew was too worked up to realize wasn’t directed at him. He cursed me out, hitting me again and causing me to start coughing violently.
I knew Alex worked out at night, and we were near his gym. I’d shared my location with him over the last year for safety, and I knew he’d find me. I tried to hold on to consciousness and silently pleaded with Alex to hurry. Before long I heard the old mustang speeding down the road, horn blaring. He’d barely put the car in park before he jumped out and screamed at Drew to get off of me. I was dazed and not very responsive, but I could still see the commotion. Apparently Alex was at the gym with my brother, because the next thing I saw was Jake standing above me, dialing 911. Alex wrestled Drew off of me, and they began to fight, hurling fists at each other. Jake gave the details for an ambulance and police and then dropped the phone at my side to help Alex subdue Drew.
Once the police arrived and took Drew away, Alex and Jake sat on either side of me, trying to get me to respond. They were crying and I couldn’t respond to let them know I was okay. The paramedics got me into the ambulance, and Jake rode with me to the hospital with Alex following closely behind. Jake held my hand the whole way while calling our parents to let them know what happened, and tell them where to meet us. They’d thrown me into emergency surgery for a punctured lung, caused by a rib that was snapped violently. When I woke up I was in intense pain, and my memory of the events was foggy. My family stayed for a few nights, and I didn’t talk too much about it other than giving my statement to the police. Alex and Jake both had to give statements as well, and the result was a long jail sentence due to a battery charge for Drew, along with as many drug charges as they could tack on.
I had to stay in the hospital for a long time. After the first few days once I was stable my family had to go home. My parents had their jobs to worry about, and Jake wanted to make a big football game that was coming up, so he had to get to practice. Alex stayed at the hospital with me for the first week, and even after returning to school he was at the hospital as much as he could be. Once my parents left he told me what happened. He said he was worried I was dead due to the amount of blood. He’d cried and apologized for ever telling me to confront Drew.
He blamed himself during my entire recovery and refused to leave me alone. He waited on me hand and foot even after I was out of the hospital, and he became very protective. He said he was going to be a police officer to put people like Drew away. I’d have panic attacks after the incident, and each time Alex would step in and take control of the situation and do anything he could to calm me down. This was why I froze at the mall that day, and why he so quickly controlled the situation.
I blinked back to reality and realized I was crying. Alex had already noticed and pulled over in a parking lot. He’d been repeating my name trying to get me to respond, and he had a tight grip on my hand from the front seat. “There you are, what happened?” he asked, with concern in his voice. I realized that my lack of focus had caused the wings to come back out. I was suddenly very thankful I’d chosen to sit in the backseat. I promptly tucked the wings back in and sniffled.
“I was thinking about Drew, about everything that happened,” I choked out.
His eyes went wide and filled with pain. He threw down the passenger seat and crawled over the center console to sit in the backseat with me. He wrapped me in a tight hug and let me cry it out into his chest. We hadn’t talked about the incident since shortly after my recovery. It had been two years and he knew it was a sore spot for me, so we never discussed it again. He reassured me until I stopped crying, and then wiped my tears away with his thumb. He seemed to know what led my thoughts to the dark topic and smiled softly at me. “I’m not in a rush, take all the time you need,” he whispered. I nodded and promised him I was okay.
After everything had calmed back down and Alex was sure I was okay he had me get into the front seat since we were nearly home. We talked more about graduation the rest of the drive. Luckily I had already picked a long sleeve dress out that had a high back, so the scars wouldn’t be visible. Our last names were close, so I’d be sitting right near him for the ceremony. It made me feel a lot safer that he’d be just in front of me in case anything went wrong. We already agreed that we’d keep up the story that we were dating, to explain our absence over the last week. I was feeling more confident that we could keep everything secret, and started to lighten up.
We arrived back at my house shortly after and Alex helped me unload the suitcase. We made a plan earlier to secretly repack the suitcases and slip them back in his trunk later, in an abundance of caution. We’d leave them there for a few days, until we were satisfied that everything was going to be okay. My parents were thrilled about our blossoming relationship, and Jake was smiling too, even though he cracked a lot of jokes at us. My parents gushed on and on about how they knew we’d end up together and we both blushed and tried to maintain the story, giving fake details of our vacation that we’d rehearsed over the week. No one seemed suspicious and everything was going fine, so Alex headed home after setting a time to pick me up the next day for graduation.
I talked with my parents for a bit longer, playing the love struck puppy act up and reciting more stories from our vacation. After dinner I went for a shower, and brought a modest change of clothes to the bathroom with me so no one would catch sight of my scars. I looked at them in the mirror for a long time, feeling the scars to remind myself that it was all real. I took my time in the shower, relishing my own products and a good water pressure. I went to bed early in preparation for the big day, and drifted off to sleep thinking about everything Alex and I had been through. I reaffirmed to myself that this time next week I would tell Alex how I felt about him, and stop running from it.
The next day I had a big breakfast and then retreated to my room to repack the suitcase with fresh clothes, and my own toiletries. Jake and my parents were leaving the house earlier than us to run a few errands before the ceremony so I was free to bring the suitcase down without suspicion. I put on the modest white dress and made sure my scars were completely hidden from view. Then I put my graduation gown on top of that, and wore the same silver heels I’d worn to prom. I couldn’t help but think of that night again while looking in the mirror. I vowed to myself that I’d keep the wings hidden, and today would go off without a hitch. Satisfied with my appearance I texted Alex that I was ready, and he arrived in no time to pick me up.
Alex let himself inside and smiled warmly at me, admiring my appearance. He made a joke about my angelic appearance. With the white dress all I was missing was a pair of wings he said, winking at me. For once I didn’t mind the comparison. I blushed as we headed out the door, joking back that wings would be crazy. He threw my suitcase on top of his and shut the trunk. The building where the graduation ceremony would be held wasn’t far from the ballroom where prom was. It was downtown, with cramped parking that cost a fortune. We decided to park a few blocks away instead of the parking lot designated for students and guests, and walked there instead.
We took in the loud city streets, a stark difference to the isolated nature we’d grown used to in the last week. We held hands the majority of the walk there, convincing ourselves that it was just to keep up the ruse that we were a loving new couple in case anyone saw us. We quickly found the line for students and checked in, where we were filed to our seats. The floor of the indoor stadium was lined with white fold out chairs, and near the front there was Alex’s seat, with mine one row behind him and a few to the left. We were close enough to talk, but not without being overheard. On the way to our seats Alex admitted he wasn’t feeling well, and he was sweating an unusual amount. He chalked it up to a combination of nerves and the added layer of clothes with the cap and gown.
We settled into our seats and he occasionally looked back at me with a smile as the ceremony started. I quickly located my family in the audience. They had close seats thanks to their early arrival. I waved at them and got an excited wave in return, and a fist pump from Jake that prompted me to roll my eyes. I listened to the speaker drone on about overcoming adversity, something I felt I knew all too much about with recent events. They finally started to call up graduates, one by one starting at the front row. They were four rows in front of Alex when a gasp could be heard in the audience, followed by calls for a medic.
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The ceremony took a pause as the chaos started to unfold. I heard someone scream, “He fell!” as they gathered around a man who was lying on the floor, several chairs around him knocked over, and was groaning in pain, clutching his ankle. He wasn’t far from us so we had a clear view of the scene. There was nowhere to fall from that could cause that amount of damage, unless he’d somehow floated into the air. There was an empty second level above the crowd, but he wouldn’t have landed anywhere near there.
Alex looked back at me, eyes wide as we both immediately recognized what had happened thanks to the screaming accusation of falling from nowhere. The man must have suddenly levitated, or some similar ability no one else would think about, and hurt himself coming down. He probably had no idea it was going to happen. Fear ran through me as I realized what would inevitably happen next. Right on cue police and paramedics started to trickle in. Most people were too preoccupied looking at the man, now being tended to by paramedics, to realize there were now guards posted at the entrances.
Alex signaled for me to stay calm, and I remained seated, hoping this would all blow over and we could return to the ceremony. My hopes were immediately crushed as an officer headed for the stage. He briefly whispered with the principal before taking control of the microphone. He stood to address the audience and I held my breath.
“Students and families, I'd like to formally apologize for the interruption,” he started and cleared his throat, giving everyone a moment to murmur before continuing. “We’ve recently gotten word about a contagious disease spreading and though we thought this was a relatively contained situation it appears someone here tonight has tested positive for it.” He gestured to the man on the ground, implying his illness had caused the fall from the second story. It was ludacris. No one had been allowed up there, and he wouldn’t have fallen anywhere near that area. To those that had no idea what was actually happening, that was all the cover story the cop needed. Just like that everyone believed him, but Alex and I knew what disease the cop was really talking about.
The crowd gasped and groaned at the news, meanwhile I kept a close eye on the man who was being treated by paramedics. A man like me. I saw the paramedics and police officers leading him outside, and a guard blocking the door again after they left. The feeling of fear was getting to be too much for me, and I had to actively will my wings not to burst out and make a target of myself. I locked eyes with Alex again, who I could tell was having a similar train of thought. He was sweating more than before and he looked pale. Once the commotion in the crowd died down below a roar the officer cleared his throat to gain control again, and continued his announcement.
“Unfortunately I do have to let you know that graduation is being put on hold. We will be going around taking small blood samples to ensure no one else tests positive for the disease, and you will all be released as you test negative. In the event that you test positive please remain calm. You will be escorted to a quarantine hospital that has been set up, and you will be treated there to limit the risk of exposure.” The officer flattened his tie and bided his time, allowing the crowd to express its displeasure for a moment before continuing. “I know this is unpleasant news but containing the spread of this dangerous disease is of the utmost importance, so please remain calm and cooperate with officers and the CDC officials conducting the blood tests. We will be starting with the audience, please form orderly lines near the exit closest to you, and comply with testing. Students may remain seated until the audience is done.”
The crowd groaned, some panicked, and the students were mostly turned now to gossip with those around them. On queue with the end of the announcement several CDC officials in hazmat suits entered the building before guards promptly blocked the door again. They scattered to set up the testing stations at each exit and the audience began to rise and form lines. The exit closest to my parents was within view of me and I watched nervously as my family inched through the line. Most of the students had switched chairs to talk with their friends. Alex snagged the seat next to me and put his hand on my knee in an effort to soothe my fears. He was looking worse now, sweating profusely.
I leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Do you really think they can tell if someone is like me with a blood test?”
“They have to be able to, why else would they be doing this?” He whispered back.
“What do I do?” I asked, panicked. We both knew I couldn’t let them test me.
He started to scan the building for a way out. We both desperately tried to plan an escape route with the pressure of time weighing heavily on us. I glanced back at the exit closest to us, and saw my brother at the front of the line. A woman in a hazmat suit carefully pricked his finger and stared at the single use device before alerting a guard and a paramedic that she’d found one. My blood ran cold at the sight. My dad argued and my mom cried for Jake to stay with them. Before their protests could be heard a paramedic followed by a guard swiftly escorted Jake towards the exit. Each of them donned a mask that I knew was just for show. It took every bit of focus I had to keep my wings from unfolding. I was finding it harder by the second to keep concentrating on it.
I turned to Alex to inquire again about how to get out of this situation and nearly fainted at the sight of him. Alex had a sort of fog coming off of him. A cloud was forming around him and the students near him started to take notice and murmur. I shot a look at the officer on stage who was already looking directly at us. He said something into the walkie-talkie on his vest. I had to act now.
“Alex,” I whispered harshly and motioned for him to look down. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening. He had one too. Whatever was happening to me was happening to both of us now, and apparently to my brother if the test was to be believed, though I was powerless to help him at the moment. “Sorry,” I whispered before enacting my last second plan.
I took a deep breath before slapping him as hard as I could manage. I needed it to be loud. Everyone around us turned to look and I yelled at him as loud as I could, “Are you seriously vaping at a time like this?” I alleged, doing my best to look angry with him. His eyes focused with understanding at why I’d hit him and he played along in my fight.
“Did you not just hear him?” he screamed back, “We’re probably all dying of some fucked up illness why does it matter if I smoke?” I’d hoped this would explain the cloud around him, which was dissipating now, and buy us some more time before the testing came our way. He’d likely already found a way to control it. Whatever the odd abilities were they seemed to come naturally if his was anything like mine. The plan was working, as the officials headed our way went back to their previous station, seemingly buying our show. The next phase of the plan was trickier, but it was the only thing I could think of.
“You’re such an asshole!” I screamed and stood up, grabbing his arm to drag him off to continue our argument. I walked quickly towards the hallway behind the stage, where there were likely less guards stationed, and less witnesses. “I asked you to stop smoking for me, we couldn’t just have one day? This is serious!” I needed the argument to be a show, loud and chaotic so the officer would feel too awkward to interrupt.
“Excuse me officer,” I addressed the man on stage who was staring at us intently. “I’m sorry for the interruption. My boyfriend won’t take this seriously, could we have a minute back there to talk about the importance of following the orders of the law and I’ll bring him right back.” I glared angrily at Alex who pretended to roll his eyes at me in annoyance.
The officer looked around awkwardly at the amount of people staring at us and nodded his head, gesturing to the hallway behind the stage I was hoping to get to. “Be back in 5 minutes,” the officer said sternly. I thanked the officer before angrily dragging Alex out of sight, yelling all the way. I made a show of slamming the door to the hallway as we disappeared behind it. I knew he wouldn’t be too strict with me, given the lie he’d told the public that this was just routine testing. If he’d ordered me not to move out of suspicion from the cloud around Alex he would’ve given up that there was more to the lockdown, and incited panic.
Alex locked eyes with me and grinned proudly as walked down the hallway and out of sight. There was a fire exit in front of us that would set off an alarm so we’d have to be quick once we made our move. But no one could see us where we were now. We stopped near the end of the hall and I doubled over, taking a deep breath I didn’t know I was holding in. Alex put his hands on my cheeks once I stood back up.
“You’re a genius,” he smiled at me, “and you probably just saved my life.”
“Just returning the favor,” I smiled back and blushed bright red.
We both seemed to come to the conclusion that this would have to wait, and we turned our attention to the fire door in front of us. “We don’t have long, are you ready?” he asked quietly.
I put up my finger to indicate I needed a moment. I crafted a quick text to my parents, “We’re okay, don’t look for us. I love you both.” I raised the screen for Alex to see, then turned the phone off and nodded my head. “Ready. Once we open this door alarms will go off, they’ll be after us. No turning back,” I said while tossing my phone in the garbage can by the door.
Alex followed suit, discarding his phone quickly and then grabbing my hand. “Go,” he whispered and slammed the door open. Alarms rang out and we saw the excess of police presence outside. There were armored transport trucks by the dozen. I realized my brother would be in one, but the sound of officers barking orders around the corner quickly discouraged any idea of being able to free him. We only had a moment and we were already a target. There was no time to hold back anymore.
“Can you-” I started
“Yes,” he interrupted, as if he’d read my thoughts. He’d already worked out the feeling of his strange ability and started to produce a thick fog on command. It was much larger than the small amount that had accidentally seeped out of him inside, and it started to pour out around us. It would be harder to spot us in the dense fog as it spread out to claim a wider area. I took this as a greenlight and ripped off my graduation gown. He saw where I was headed and followed suit. I let my wings out in full force and stretched them out quickly. They ripped the back of my dress, the sound of tearing fabric and the wind my wings produced was the only indicator of where we were. There were too many officers closing in to have a chance at escaping on foot, at this point the best option was in the air.
Alex squatted down a bit, focusing on thickening the layer of fog around us, and allowed me to wrap my arms tightly under his armpits. He wrapped his arms around my waist in return and I made quick work of getting us into the air. I whipped my wings towards the ground as hard as I could and sent us up, over the growing cloud of fog. I could see SWAT closing in on the fog around the door, but they’d have no clue to look up for us in all the commotion. I whipped my wings wildly, straining to carry us both and dealing with the struggle that came with balancing two people. It wasn’t something we’d thought to practice.
After a few moments of struggling I got us high enough up that I thought we wouldn’t be noticed, and gained control of the flight. We held on to each other for dear life as I turned us in the direction of the car. Each flap of my wings produced a large whipping sound in the wind as I strained them to carry us faster. The fog trick wouldn’t work in the air, it would just draw more attention to us, so speed was of vital importance. Once we were close enough to the car I brought us to the ground and swiftly tucked my wings away. When we hit the ground Alex immediately regained his footing and spun around to face the direction I had started to run in. We reached the car in short order and jumped in. I opted for the front seat this time, feeling the need to be ready to jump out at a moment’s notice.
Before I knew it we reached the highway, and I could finally breathe again. We were safely on our way back to the cabin. We’d actually made it out. Alex was careful not to drive too quickly. They had no way of knowing who we were just yet, so they wouldn’t know what we were driving. For now it was safer to follow the law.