Broken (Broken Wings)

by Sandra Love

  “Cam, I will try my hardest so we can have all of this. You are the only person I have ever loved. But I think I will fail. Amelia is stronger than me. I don’t think I can win this battle.” I stand up to walk away. He runs to catch me and holds me. His arms wrap around me from behind.

  “Delia, stop running away from me. Can’t you see that I love you and that I will die protecting you?”

  I close my eyes and tears run down my cheeks. “Cam, you are asking so much from me. I don’t think I am strong enough. I am just a broken girl that has no idea what is going on.”

  “Stop. I have faith in you, my beautiful angel… slash witch.” We both laugh. Then the skies become dark and it starts to storm. Cam was losing his grip on me.

  “Hold on, Cam! Don’t let go! I love you.”

  My eyes fly open. I am confused as to what just happened. I didn’t want to alarm anyone, though, so I stay quiet. That is my secret, and I wonder if that is another one of my powers. The doors open, snapped me out of my daydream. I get a good look at who enters. It is about five old guys, and they have on these weird, white robes. The robes have this weird symbol on them. I can’t make them out, but I know it must be significant.

  Zane comes in behind them, along with a young woman with fire read hair; who was probably another vampire. Lastly, Amelia, Abem, and Kale walk in, whispering to each other.

  Amelia speaks up. “We shall wait for the werewolves; they are in White City catching fairies. We need them for the ritual.”

  I want to get off this table and slap the shit out of Kale. Then my heart sinks, like it is breaking in half. Oh. My. Goodness. Kale feels bad for his betrayal. I don’t know how I know this, but I remember reading about people who were empaths and I think I may be one as well; I can feel his remorse. I wonder how many more powers will present themselves. “Amelia, the wolves are returning; it is almost time for you to rule Ithaca,” One of The Old Ones says.

  “Good; I’ve waited almost 18 years for this.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Cameron

  “Kaleigh, will you put down that knife?” Dean laughs. “I promise I won’t hurt you, Dear.” She put down the knife. “Come in, Dean; we need your help. Amelia and Kale took Cordelia, and I’m horrified that they are going to kill her.”

  I walk toward Dean; I am really upset about who he left Cordelia with. “Dean, I have a serious question for you! Do you know what your brother has been doing to your daughter?”

  He looks at me, concerned. “What are you talking about, Cameron? He was supposed to care for her. That was his job.”

  “Well, he has been doing the opposite. He has been beating her. Her back was so messed up for a while that she could barely wear shirt! Why on Earth would he do that to her?”

  “Well, we are going to find out right now.” We all head out the door and start for Dean’s brother’s house. When we got close enough, I see a mob of people standing outside the house.

  Kaleigh speaks up. “What in Heaven’s name is going on here?”

  “It looks like Kelsey’s goonies are here to protest. Great, Cordelia will never catch a break.”

  Dean walks toward the crowd and Kaleigh and I follow. When we all get to the front of the house, the crowd starts yelling at us.

  “Are you freaks, too?”

  “You are all and abomination to God.”

  “We will sue for what Cordelia did to Kelsey.”

  Dean turns to the crowd and starts to glow white. “One more harsh word about my daughter and you will all regret it. No go, or you will all see my wrath.”

  I start laughing. “Dean, that was badass.” He turns to me, and I instantly stop laughing. He walks up to the door and kicks it in. Wood from the door flies toward me, and I have to duck so I won’t get hit with it. Kaleigh hits the ground, and covers her head. I laugh and go to help her up.

  “BROTHER, get out here! NOW!!” Dean is extremely pissed. Kaleigh and I walk into the house. It is a mess. Jack Daniels bottles are everywhere and beer cans litter the floor. It smells so bad in this house; I want to throw up. I walk toward the kitchen to see trash everywhere and dishes piled up in the sink. “You were supposed to care for my daughter not beat her, you maggot.”

  “Dean….I…..I was trying to protect her from finding out what she was. I didn’t want her wings to sprout alive, and then have Lillian find out my family members are freaks. Oh and for your knowledge it’s your daughter’s fault that my wife is now dead!”

  That makes Dean explode. His eyes start to glow, and then his wings come to life. They were huge and beautiful; pure white. He leaps at his brother and starts to choke him. “You are nothing but an outcast! You had to go and fall for a human. I’m so glad your wings were ripped from your body. I only wish that you would have bled to death.” He lets go of his brother. “I don’t have the time to end your life today, but mark my words, Brother,” he leans in close to him and touches his nose to his, “you will die a painful very soon.”

  He starts to walk toward the door, and Kaleigh whispers to me, “Remind me to never piss off Dean.” I nod and we both leave behind Dean.

  He stops and turns toward us. “You both ready? I know where Amelia has her. We have to go to the Dark City. If I am right, and I am very rarely wrong, she is going to use the Blood Moon to sacrifice my daughter. We can’t let that happen; have to save her.”

  He starts to fly, and Kaleigh and I open our wings and follow. I really miss Ithaca. When we save Cordelia, I would love to move into my parents’ old house and marry her. I hope then the curse will be lifted and I can be with her. I want to make her smile every day, and tell her that she is the love of my life. I thought I had loved Anna, but I never had these feelings for her. I think I may have been confusing true love with the love of someone I had considered family. When I look into Cordelia’s eyes, it’s like I can see our future together.

  Something suddenly hits me and pulls me from my thoughts. Damn it, I should have been paying closer attention instead of daydreaming in mid-flight. I look around and can’t see Dean or Kaleigh anywhere. I had caught a glimpse of the Dark City before I was knocked on my butt, but I hadn’t seen where my companions had gone.

  “I see you are here to help your sweet Cordelia!” Kale laughs and starts punching me in the face again. I try to defend myself, but he is too strong. After one more final punch, I black out. I wake to the warmth of a girl’s soft touch. My eyes fly open, hoping it is Cordelia by my side and everything else had been a horrible nightmare. But, when I focus on the face in front of me, a whole new kind of nightmare presents itself.

  “Cam, it’s been awhile. I’m so glad to be back.”

  “Anna? What are you doing here? I watched you die. You died in my arms. Am I in Heaven?”

  “No, Sweetheart, I’m alive and I’ve missed you dearly.”

  I jerk out of her hold. “Impossible! Where have you been the last few months? You know I was so devastated when you died… or I suppose faked your own death.”

  She lets out a sigh. “It was only a potion to stop my heart. You see, I was approached by a powerful witch. She promised me to show me my powers correctly if I helped her. She explained to me that I was a witch and I could help her rule Ithaca. But the catch was that I had to leave you. She promised me that when the time was right you would return to me.”

  “Are you helping a witch named Amelia?”

  “Yes I am; she has taken me in as her own daughter. I love her, and she has promised me the world. She has promised me a future with you, Cameron. Once the ritual is over we are safe to be together. You can help us take down The White City.”

  “NO! I will not help you. Anna, you have no idea what you are talking about. Amelia has lied to you. This ritual you speak of, it’s to kill Amelia’s real daughter. You are her pawn in all this, and I will not stand around and watch you become like her.”

  “Cam, you have no choice. Don’t you still love me? Or is it true you have fallen deeply in love with anot
her one of your charges?” She starts to laugh. “How pathetic of you, boy. You promise me a new life, and you go and fall in love with someone else! I die, and you want to jump the bones of the next warm, desperate girl! She starts to pace, and then she stops in front of me. “Oh, and Cameron, just a little information; the person that will be holding the athame tonight during the ritual… will be you.”

  She lets out a high laugh as she walks out of the room, locking the door behind her. I can’t believe this is happening to me. I wonder where my sister and Dean are. I hope they are not dead. I hope they get to Cordelia in time.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Cordelia

  The pain! Oh my goodness it’s ripping through my entire body. I don’t understand why I can’t heal myself. My head feels like it’s going to explode; my veins can feel the poison flowing through from the bites of the vampires, Zane and True. I heard Zane call her that, and I thought that was a weird name. She is beautiful: pale skin, long, red hair, and bright green eyes. She is tall for a girl; she could easily be mistaken for a supermodel. Zane has bright red eyes, which makes him more frightening than his girlfriend. They are having a field day drinking my blood; it’s like they are drinking the finest wine.

  I chuckle inwardly, because on the outside I am in too much pain. Two weeks ago I never believed in witches, vampires, werewolves, angels, or fallen angels. Now, I am two of them, maybe three if I become a vampire. I never believed in anything; not God, or the devil. Not heaven or hell. I never even prayed in my life. I did believe in Gods and Goddesses, because I loved studying about mythology—Freya was always my favorite. I read about her when I went to the library.

  Maybe I should have believed in something, so they could hear my prayers now. I just want to pray that they will take me away. Take me somewhere out of this body. I don’t want to continue on; I just wish that this ritual would end soon and I would be dead. I wonder why I was put on this messed up Earth. Was I such a horrible person in my past lives? Did I murder someone, steal someone’s boyfriend? Better yet, was I a horrible mother like Amelia? These are questions I want answers for, but I know they will never be. I just hope, if I am reborn again, I will be happy and loved. Or am I just cursed like Kaleigh and Cameron; doomed to forever be alone?

  My death is slowly approaching, and I am welcoming it with open arms. I will welcome Death like he’s my best friend. I want to hug Death and thank him for taking me away, because it will mean no more pain and loss. Maybe Death will take me to that field I had imagined and I can dance free in the sunlight, smell the flowers, and most importantly be happy. Maybe I will beg Death to take me there. Hell, he can join me and dance in the sunlight—unless sunlight would kill him. Can Death die? I shake my head at the silly thoughts running through it; what a thing to think when I am laying in wait for my own mother to murder me. I know Cameron will not join me, but maybe one day. And that day my life will be complete. I do have a request for Death, if he takes requests. I want him to make my bullies and all the people who have hurt me pay. Make their lives a living Hell. Let fire rain on their parade. I think I can make a deal with Death. After all, what is he going to do if I don’t keep my end of said deal? Kill me?

  Then I start to think about my mother, Lillian. Maybe Death was kind to her. She was never mean to me, just really depressed. I would be too if I were married to a bastard like that. I would have been hooked on Prozac and Xanax. I do remember her being nice to me when I was little before her depression kicked in.

  I was sitting in the backyard; I was about 6 years old. I didn’t have any toys to play with, so I took two flowers and began to play with them as if they were alive. I was so happy to have those flowers, and then my father came out and started yelling at me. He snatched the flowers out of my hands and ripped them apart.

  “Cordelia Rose, you are not allowed to be out here playing! Get inside and clean the kitchen.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “I want this house spotless when I get home from work! Do you hear me?” I nodded and headed inside to clean. I was washing the dishes and thinking about the life of those 2 flowers I was just playing with. Tearing filled my eyes. Why can’t I play like other kids my age? I secretly wished for better parents. When I was done cleaning the kitchen, I started to head to my bedroom, but Lillian stopped me.

  “Cordelia, Sweetie, come here!”

  I ran to where my mother was sitting in the living room. She was sitting on the couch, and I noticed that she looked so sad. She was a beautiful woman, with long brown hair and big brown eyes. She was short and very skinny; almost too skinny.

  “Hey, I have a big secret for you, but you cannot tell your father. Can you do that, Sweet heart?”

  I started to get butterflies in my belly. “I promise I will not.”

  “Wait right here; I will be back.” She got up and walked away. She returned with a box. She motioned for me to join her on the floor. She opened the box and it was filled with dolls and puzzles.

  “These are my old toys. Your father does not know anything about these.”

  I was so happy to have real toys. We sat there for hours, playing with them. Then something horrible had happened. My father returned home early. He walked into the house and paused when he saw us sitting on the floor playing. I was told to go to my bedroom and I was to not leave it at all. I heard them arguing. I think he hurt my mother. I heard her crying, and after that day I only saw my mom once a week. She had gotten so bad. She stayed in her room, and then she was put on medication. I miss that day; I miss her so much. She may not have been my biological mother, but she was my real mother; she was the one who nurtured and cared for me… unlike Amelia.

  Returning to the present day, my heart is breaking for her. To be honest, I am so glad she is in a better place, but I hate that it was Amelia who had killed her.

  “Reminiscing about Lillian I see. She was so fun to kill. I’m glad she gave you my message. I didn’t like the fact that she was so kind to you. Now, it’s time to kill your bodyguard, Cameron. You see, while he was on his way here he was lost in his thoughts and didn’t see Kale. So he was easy to capture. Now all that is left is to get Dean and Kaleigh.”

  “Please don’t hurt them. They have done nothing.”

  She starts to choke me and I see stars. “Yes; they have. It was their parents who helped Dean hide you.” She releases me and stands up straight. “Damn white angels,” she mumbles under her breath.

  “But they aren’t white angels.”

  “They are children of white angels.” The door opens and a girl with gorgeous red hair that just kisses her chin walks in.

  “Your highness, he is locked up. I don’t think he loves me anymore. Do you think we can mix up a love potion to make him love me?”

  “Anna, we have no time right now to worry about love potions; we need to get ready for the ritual.”

  “So, will this girl die tonight then? Cameron can move on from her then?”

  “No; she will die Monday, on her 18th birthday and the holiday of Samhain. Now, come; we need to have a council meeting.”

  They both leave the alter room and leave me with the vampires. Did I hear my mother call the girl Anna? Why does that name sound familiar? Then it hits me; that was the name of the young girl Cameron had been meant to protect before me. Did that mean that that Cameron was locked away somewhere and unable to save me? Wonderful, I think sarcastically. Death might as well take me now.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Kaleigh

  I finally make it to the White City. I can’t find Cameron or Dean and I am starting to get really worried about them. I reach the center of town and something seems off. I look around and see that parts of the city are burned and smoke raises in the air. I start to walk around to see if anyone needs help. I run into the fairy king and queen, Lerza and Betrica.

  “What in goddess’ name happened to the city?”

  Betrica starts to cry. “It was the evil witch. She has been going around saying the c
ountry will soon be hers and mumbling something about a ritual and a sacrifice. Who is she going to kill? She has kidnapped a couple of the fairies, but we don’t know why.

  “You remember her daughter that had died at birth? Well, that was a lie. Dean wanted to keep her safe, so he sent her away. The Old Ones found out she was alive and told Amelia. Have you heard about the prophet?” They both nod their heads. “Well, Cordelia is the one the prophet speaks of. She is a mutant from two different magical creatures and has powers of a witch and an angel. She is the one that will protect us all. Save us. I need to get to the Dark City and save her. Have you seen Dean or Cameron?”

  They look at each other, and Lerza then speaks up. “Honey, we heard that Kale attacked him in midair and took him to the Black Castle.” I try to hide my emotions, but find it hard when I realize that my brother could already be dead.

  Betrica clears her throat and steps close to me. “There is something else you should know.”

  Like what? What could be worse than Cameron possibly being dead? “Yes?”

  “Anna is working with Amelia, and she wants Cameron to love her.”

  My mouth flies open. How can this be true? I watched her die in Cameron’s arms. I take off running toward the Dark City. I don’t want to take a chance of being seen, so I retract my wings and slink in the shadows. I am so shocked right now. It was bad enough that Kale was in on this, but Anna too? How could two perfectly sweet beings become so evil? I gave Kale my heart and almost lost my virginity to him. How could I be so stupid? How could I really think he had changed his mind after the hateful words that he had said to me? I stop to take a break and to reminisce on that horrible day when someone passes my hiding spot.