“Who can tell me what this means?”

A boy’s voice rang through the ear of all of us.

Three of the children perked up and eyed the boy at the front of the makeshift forest classroom, which consisted of four stumps. Some higher and lower than the next.

I stared into the wooded area next to our study area, and off into the brush just beyond the edge of the tree line.

My eyes narrowed into that brush, as I saw it move just a little.

I could hear Peter in the background deciding who to pick from the 4 of us to answer his question. My focus was on the baby deer that had frolicked out from behind a tree into a brush of smaller trees. Its gaze stayed trained on mine as if becoming invisible by remaining still.

“Jean?”

A voice said my name. the voice belonged to Peter, an over ambitious boy who decided to pick on me for today's lesson. He would wait for me to lose focus and call directly on me to answer what he had just asked.

Taking my eyes off of the deer; I looked up shrugging off the question when a shrill scream sounded through the small area. “Aaaa”

A small girl with long black hair and a wild look about her pointed to the area, I had just been staring at.

Everyone, including myself, looked to where the wildling fallen angel pointed

The deer, who had been frozen up to this point, ran away as soon as it was spotted.

Dominique ran after, giving chase to the small animal. In a panic, we all ran after her, giving our own chase.

Dominique tripped over an overgrown branch protruding out from a shrub bush. She made a loud yelp and fell on her bottom with her legs splayed out, facing us. We all raced to the fallen, fallen angel. Peter made it there first, followed by Poe, then me and Vascha. Dominique sat with her head tilted in confusion.

“Are you ok Dominique?” Peter said rushed and worriedly.

Vascha followed suit hanging on Dominique’s right shoulder to ensure she was okay.

Poe looked to Dominique and tried handing her a small bag of treats that he pulled from his pockets. She didn’t know what to do with the treats so she just smiled at him, not knowing what his gesture meant.

I walked over to the front of the girl and knelt down. I made two L like gestures and placed them against my head like sharp deer ears, and made an animal noise.

I don’t know why I did it, I thought, maybe I can try to make her laugh. She looked even more confused than before.

“D E E R,” I said to the confused little girl. Her gaze fell on my mouth.

“D…aaa”

She was trying to mimic the sound. She had done this once or twice a day. The 4 of us not including Dominique looked on in amazement. We were all watching and listening closely. We heard larger breaths fading in and out from Poe who pocketed his snacks. So, we even had Poe’s attention, I thought.

It was always a spectacle when Dominique tried to speak or say a vocabulary word.

Besides our classes, Peter was teaching Dominique her basic alphabet and how to write, just like he’d done for each of us the past couple of years. We all were still studying to this day. I and Poe were fast learners and Vascha would occasionally teach us things that Peter had taught her in their village growing up. Peter was taught by his older brother, a privileged life I assumed. I never asked about who or why, it was Vascha who volunteered the information but told us to never speak of his brother when he was around. They were in an orphanage now, so even I knew better not to dredge up the dark past of our youths.

My focus returned to Dominique’s unique thinking face. She was concentrating on trying to get the word out, meanwhile, Peter kneeled down to her level to encourage her.

Dominique continued sputtering out her best effort. We all sat in quiet silently encouraging her.

“Daaa…Daa…”

She closed her eyes and relaxed the muscles in her face, she was willing herself through a great effort.

“Daarr”

She did it!

I looked to Peter and Vascha, even Poe whose face showed surprise, instead of the same dopey face he made all day.

All our faces showed excitement and genuine care.

I fell back onto my hands.

She really did it, I thought.

I forced myself back up to sit Criss Cross in front of Dominique, but in the effort, I accidentally grabbed onto her hands. They had been stretched out in a confused celebration. Our gazes met, and I stared deeply into her scarlet blood red eyes.

Clapping erupted from all sides, as I let go falling to my back on my elbows. I realized I was blushing, while Dominique had a small smile on her face. She was so Innocent; she hadn’t realized the difference between boys and girls yet.

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I smiled; her effort today was already more than she was used to. So, she must feel exhausted with all of us hounding her. I glimpsed to the left of me, noticing peter take her hand and cusping it entirely. He smiled genuinely at her, like a proud father or older brother.

“Tch.”

My gaze stole away from him to Dominique’s; the top of her ears and cheeks were as scarlet as her eyes.

She looked away from Peter to me and then shyly looked towards the ground.

I say looking at me, but it was more through me and then towards the ground.

I wasn’t there, she didn’t notice me. It was the Peter and Dominique show now.

“Tch”

I mumbled again under my breath.

Peter was hugging Dominique now, with tears in his eyes.

Vascha broke the silence, saying.

“Dominique, that was amazing.”

Her liveliness brought life into the girl’s eyes. Dominique stared into the blue eyes of the blonde haired beauty, Vascha; followed by peering into peters auburn eyes.

Her gaze finally landed on me, an innocent look, one, like she was waiting for me to praise her and smile at her like the rest.

I smiled nodding to her, but then peter looked my way, and my smile faded.

I had gotten to my feet in an attempt to brush myself off of dirt and grass. Peter was still kneeling next to her staring in amazement. Vascha was downcast, looking down at the two. Poe was now next to Peter, rubbing Dominique’s head. She leaned into the head pats, as peter joined in. She slumped into his chest while he spoiled her.

Her wing was now moving like a puppy’s tail. We all watched in amazement.

Besides Dominique, none of us had seen such a wing on a creature or person. Be it Black too? Fallen angels were not supposed to exist anymore.

I and peter knew of the fallen angel lore from stories and old books in the orphanage’s library, but for her to be one. They were said to have ruled the heavens alongside the gods. After being cast out for unknown reasons, they roamed our lands in search of a home. Thousands of them flocked to the earthly realm in search of retribution and sovereignty. Finding no homes to call their own, the majority of them wound up as slaves for free labor, to terrible human beings. Their stories all end in tragedy, none of them have nice or kind endings. They were killed for sport, and hunted for the feathers off their backs. They would torture and subdue them by cutting their wings off and feeding them to their own children. They’re outcasts who had been cast out of gods graces. The pain they endured along with full extinction, should have been a great tragedy, but it was viewed as a triumph over evils not known in this world. Their full extinction was treated as a great deed done, erasing them from existence.

The stories told a lie.

The fallen angel in front of me was no monster, she was no harbinger of evil, brought to us to destroy the world…

Not at least of what I knew. I wasn’t one who would believe all that jargon talk of our city's prosperous tales. I believed this city was greedy and self aware of its own indulgences.

The fallen angel in front of me was no monster. She was scared and alone, just like…

“It's just like a puppy’s tail”

Vascha said, whilst reaching out to touch Dominique’s jet black wing.

She was wrenched back as the wing pushed Vascha back on what seemed like instinct. Vascha grabbed her wrist looking toward Dominique and peter.

The little fallen angel was scared, I thought. I wanted to help, but I took a step back and watched peter come to her rescue. She slumped and shrunk into peters chest, only slightly looking towards Vascha.

“I..Im sorr…”

Peter cut her off.

“It's ok she was only startled, isn’t that right Dom?”

Dominique looked up at peter with frightened eyes then dug herself back into his chest.

Peter smiled weakly, holding the girl into his chest while rubbing her head.

“just give her a bit of time, she’ll come back around, she’s had it rough up until now.”

Vascha was on the verge of tears, but braved it out, most likely due to peters diligence of the situation.

I wasn’t irritated at the scene itself, but Peter's lackadaisical way of handling Vascha, his childhood friend. She also was trying her best, and it was hard to watch.

Poe sat on watching, as if consoling Dominique with just his clumsy presence, and Peter reassured her with his words.

My eyes wandered back to Vascha, as she was making a silent exit. She took herself out of the equation and turned to walk back to where our classes had just been adjourned.

Placing my hands in my pockets I ran after her.

“Vascha,” I called out.

She faced me with a weakly smile.

“jean…”

“wait up,” I said, briskly jogging to catch up.

She turned, continuing her walking but slowed her pace to one I could catch up with. She didn’t say anything when I got to her side. Her mind was probably mulling over everything that happened.

Time was moving slowly, as I felt my heart beating faster and faster. I could hear our small breaths side by side and it made me conscious of my own weak presence.

I looked at her face reflecting off the sunlight just beyond the greenery strung overhead. Her long locks dangled just below her shoulders, tied up with a pretty butterfly ornament. Her bangs were uneven, from the sister’s handiwork. I thought this brought out the true beauty of Vascha, her uneven bangs coupled with long illustrious golden locks. Her blue eyes sat just beneath the bangs, in a perfect spot, where you could see the dark blue irises shine against her golden hair. Her small nose and mouth complimented the sharp shape her face took on. If she hadn’t been here; I would have thought, her an aristocrat’s daughter. Her beauty was blinding, and so was that damn peter. How could he be so blind, as to not know how she felt? Even before Dominique, he treated her as a second fiddle.

I followed quietly beside her as we walked further into the shrubbery beyond the study area. I watched her cheeks rise from a half baked smile as we briefly made eye contact. It was the smile she always showed me. It was a lie though; her eyes were on the verge of a tear dam burst. I stopped walking, clenching my fist, as she continued on.

“he didn’t have to do that in front…”

I stopped before I could bare it all to her.

Vascha turned to look at me. Her face showed discomfort and confusion. Her eyes darted behind us then to the ground at her feet. She bit her lip and masked herself once again.

My fist was still balled, and my knuckles were white and pained.

“what do you mean Jean?”

Vascha turned and began walking. She was walking like there wasn’t any destination in sight.

“Nothing”

I said catching up to her, letting my fist go. I then grabbed ahold of her pale hand. A large sigh came out as walked her down the path I created towards the large oak tree that was near the base of our studies. I pointed to the ground.

“sit”

Our gazes wavered and she sighed giving me a tired smile, but she wasn’t annoyed. It was the opposite, she seemed to be intrigued.

The wind was blowing hard now as we both sat there in silence.

“lovers”

I said with a long pause in between this and the meaning of the words. “that’s what the answer was, comes animae, it means lover. Just in case ya know peter says I wasn’t paying attention.”

There was just a slight adjustment to her breathing and then a light chuckle.

“Soulmates”

My heart fluttered for a second.

“It means soulmates, Jean, not lovers”

She chuckled at my embarrassment.

“Tch”

I mumbled under my breath, but my face was beet red as Vascha was laughing wholeheartedly out loud.

I closed my eyes to hide my own embarrassment when Vascha came beside me and placed her hand on top of mine.

“learning a new language is so much fun, isn’t it?”

Her smile was so radiant. This was a smile reserved only for his eyes, but I was seeing it for the first time. The taste wasn’t bitter, nor was it sweet. It was a taste that only I knew at this moment. I could only blush and put the hand that wasn’t occupied to my eyes to cover my own embarrassment and say back.

“yeah, it sure is.”