Airborne

by Constance Sharper

  In the moment, she absentmindedly drew more stick figures in the surrounding sand. Except on her figures, she smeared the sand for wings and used her nail to detail the feathers. The picture now depicted harpies descending on her from both sides.

  “They’ll just find me again then, won’t they?” She asked.

  He neglected to reply for a long, agonizing minute. His eyes cast down toward the illustrations in the dirt and he finally shrugged gently.

  “Sooner rather than later I’m sure. Our time is running out.”

  His words hung in the quiet air and the steady thumping of waves did nothing to sound them out. Having no words to reply, Avery engrossed herself in the picture and stayed silent. Mason seemed content with that too.

  The beach calm, Avery let the bitter implication sink in. The time she’d actually plucked the amulet up seemed so long ago. It took all the way until the end of the October for the magic to even work and for Mason to show up. The memory of school brought Leela to mind, and Avery bit her quivering lip hard. Even Leela seemed impossibly far away now. So did Chase. So did her school and her normal life. Every step she made to be closer to her old life only took her one step farther away from it.

  She reluctantly let herself wonder if she’d ever see her ivy covered stone walls of Crepuscule hall again or even graduate in the flowing black gown like she’d planned. If they were on the run, she wouldn’t be able to go back there. But then, as Mason said, they wouldn’t be able to run for long.

  “Why do you keep helping me?” She asked as it occurred to her. “I knew you did it before to save the magic and the amulet. Now you’re just putting yourself in danger. If you didn’t have me, the others could never find you.”

  His face didn’t change expressions and he only shrugged. His brown bangs hung rowdy in front of his eyes and his thin pink lips curled up into half a smile.

  “Honestly, I have no idea. I guess the little human girl is all I have left now. And we’re probably going down together.”

  Avery snapped her mouth shut before she could stutter. Flushing quickly, her heart threatened to jump up through her throat. A million thoughts raced through her head but she couldn’t settle for a single one.

  “Anyways, get some rest. When we take off, the trip will be a hard one.” He said and Avery forced a smile.

  The lapping waves of high tide finally reached them. Avery didn’t move when the warm water sloshed between them and beneath them. It finally pulled away, back into the ocean, and smoothed the sand in its wake.

  The tiny stick figure of Avery had smudged and washed away.

  Twenty-four

  She came too slowly with the blissful ignorance of first waking. Cool, she snuggled into the covers that smelt of baking bread. The air conditioning hissed in her ears and the sun peeked in through the windows lighting the entire room. Keeping her eyelids tight shut, she stretched and yawned.

  A male voice caught her off guard. Sitting up in a flash, she blinked at her surroundings. Lying on the moist sand, she’d had Mason’s heavy trench coat drawn over her shoulders. The hissing she’d heard came from the breeze snaking through nearby palms. The light had come from sun reaching down through the tree shade instead of her dorm room window. She’d almost been convinced she’d been sleeping in her bed.

  Coming too completely, she searched out Mason. They hadn’t left the beach where they’d landed. Mason said something about resting for a few hours. She knew why now. While she’d napped, he crouched over a familiar blue mist and broken glass. Putting two and two together, Avery stayed silent. Mason spoke into the mist, using a harpie communication amulet to commune with someone who wasn’t on the beach with them.

  “We’re off of the north coast of California right now. I can’t give you a city name.”

  “Mason, don’t do this to me.” Adalyn’s clear voice returned to them through the harpie telephonic device.

  Her tone gave away that she was desperately upset. The air grew thick with palpable tension. Avery couldn’t see Mason’s face but his muscles had tightened considerably.

  “You’re actually thinking about running off for the human’s sake? You can defend yourself at trial but you can’t if you run away.” Adalyn whined again.

  Feeling like too much of a voyeur now, Avery glanced for a new place to go. She would happily die before getting involved in a harpies lovers’ quarrel. This side of the beach was calm, too close to rock lines for swimmers to enjoy and too small a beach for sun bathers. She could probably walk through the thicket of trees behind them and stumble upon civilization. Unsure, she stayed still before gaining any undesirable attention.

  “You know I can’t go back there either way!” Mason shouted into the fog.

  “I don’t care. The murder trial doesn’t mean you’re guilty! It’s a trial. But if you run off now, then there will be no hope.” Adalyn’s voice hissed with heavy agitation. “You’re just feeling guilty about your father. I get it. But she isn’t him and this won’t bring him back.”

  He growled, deep and furious.

  “It’s not that...” He said.

  “Mason, at least...at least tell me where you are. I’m worried okay.”

  His attention finally shifted and he noticed Avery for the first time. Eyes catching with hers, he gave her a long, blank look. Then, after a moment, he rattled off a few coordinates into the fading mist.

  “Ten minutes. Give me ten minutes.” Adalyn said before the line went dead.

  “Come on,” Mason abruptly whirled on Avery while stomping the broken glass into the dirt.

  “Where are we going?” She pushed the trench coat off her lap and stood up in a hurry.

  “Inland. Somewhere with a bunch of people. It’s harder to track down a single person, especially if they have to get into the city on foot. Come on.”

  She’d swung the coat over her shoulders. If Mason was really considering going to the heart of some human city in mainland America, they’d need to hold on to his only disguise. Mason opened his wings to full mass.

  “Aren’t we waiting for Adalyn?”

  “Yea. Apparently we’re all gonna run away together.” He laughed though the statement was far from funny. Twitching his wings, he performed the familiar procedure of readying himself for a long flight.

  She lingered off to the side with a rush of mixed thoughts. Though she didn’t savor the idea of having Adalyn anywhere around, it would help prevent the other harpies from getting a drop on them again. The plan was already formulating in her mind. They’d take to a city where harpies couldn’t outright fly and they’d be harder to pick out of the crowd. She had half a college fund in her name but she didn’t have the account numbers. That was only the beginning of the complications. She was still a minor and if she never showed up, a missing person’s report would be filed. Humans would be looking for her too. They definitely couldn’t stay in California. Getting a headache, she pushed the details to the back of her mind. One thing at a time.

  “Are we flying or are we walking?” She asked Mason. “We could get a car but I’m technically not old enough. Stealing one would be too dangerous.”

  The harpie seemed to have thought of that. He paced back up to her and shook out his wings.

  “We fly inland and then take to the streets. What are the big cities within four hundred miles?”

  Avery struggled to remember. “Um, I know there is Las Vegas.”

  He cocked his head, not recognizing the city. She shrugged innocently. He’d be in for a surprise.

  “One state over, south east” She amended.

  He reached out and touched her forehead without warning. Fingers molding over the bandage on her head, he felt the white cloth. His hands dropped down through her curls and down to her shoulders.

  “Are you feeling well enough to fly?” He asked, clearly concerned.

  “Great.” She whispered.

  For the first time, she realized how utterly close he stood. She could smell the peppermint on
his breath and feel the distinct heat of his skin. His hands lingered on her shoulders and his eyes studied her face. A startling tender feeling stirred from inside Avery’s chest and her heartbeat sped up. Her throat went dry but she licked her lips wet.

  The rational part of Avery’s mind disapproved instantly. She should have backed up and put a hearty berth between them. Mason had a fiancé, her mind told her. But then she began to think. The guard in the prison had said he’d read Mason well. He’d said that Mason liked her and Mason continued to risk his life to help her.

  Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt. She wanted to kiss him but the height difference was noticeable. Instead, she turned her cheek and leaned into his chest. Her arms went around his neck like they were going to fly but lingered in his hair. Though she couldn’t see his face, she knew that he had no intention of pushing her away. His arms looped behind her back and drew her closer. One of his hands slipped onto the small of her back and the other into her hair.

  They’d held each other once in the prison when Mason had his break down. But this was different. This was absolutely different. Close together, their combined body heat grew hot and their individual scents mingled. Avery’s mind threatened to go blank in the moment. She finally drew her head back and tilted her chin up to look at him. On her tippie toes, the height difference wasn’t so severe. His lips were mere inches from hers. She let out deep breath, ready to take the chance.

  Mason’s head suddenly snapped to the side. So jarred from the moment, Avery didn’t understand. Only after a minute did she notice that the sun light flickered with shadows, and she looked towards the horizon. Then she heard the flapping of wings before she saw the specks on the horizon, but knew that no single harpie could make that roaring sound. Gut already sinking, she didn’t need to see the mass descend on the horizon. A hoard of harpies headed directly for the beach line without a moment of hesitation.

  Backpedaling, she grabbed for him.

  “Mason, we can’t wait! We have to go!” She shouted.

  He didn’t budge. Wings falling in, he stood stiffly.

  “Come on!” She begged him, giving his hand a sharp tug.

  Unmoving, Mason stared out to the horizon with an empty expression.

  “She did it.” He whispered.

  The harpies descended, dropping onto the beach line like comets. Avery didn’t watch them come, instead caught staring at Mason’s face.

  Pale, his lips quivered.

  “She turned us in. She double crossed me.” He said.

  The blue uniformed harpies circled them in. Still clenching Mason’s long fingers, she begged him from his stupor.

  “What do you mean? Adalyn?”

  “She lied to me. We might die because of her.” Suddenly, his lips twisted into a bizarre, sad smile. Heartbreaking at his crippling expression, she wanted to reach out and touch him. The harpies beat her to it.

  A police harpie choose the moment to wrestle Avery backwards. With practiced skill, he spun her with barely a touch. Then from behind, he latched on heavy metal cuffs. She didn’t fight anymore. They sprung on Mason and he went down in a mass of shrieking bodies.

  “Ease up!” She groaned when the police harpie jerked her off the floor, going airborne. The launch of sudden height left her heart in her stomach.

  With limited mobility, she hung with reluctant obedience all the way back to the prison island. Avery eventually found herself in a dimly lit damp cell reminiscent of the one Mason and she had first stayed in. This time was different though, Avery was a prisoner. She was on the basement floor and placed far away from Mason. When she’d demanded to know where they’d taken Mason, the guard gave her a shove backwards into the concrete wall. Avery didn’t protest again.

  The guards had since left her alone but she’d naturally assumed they hadn’t left the hall. Cautiously, she crawled on her knees over the wet ground and pushed her head up against the rusty iron bars. The lights were kept so low that she could only see vague silhouettes. Other prisoners paced in nearby cells, muttering and hissing nasty things, scaring Avery more by the second. The tiny dorms of Mayweather Academy were luxurious compared to her current circumstances. She couldn’t live in a cell like this the rest of her life-- especially when she hadn’t done anything wrong.

  What would her mother or brother think of her missing? And Leela, what would become of her? Avery tried to control her thoughts. The threat of hysteria still loomed above her but she refused to cry.

  Her fingers curled around the bars and lingered there. The magic still hummed in her chest and she could feel it giving her strength. Avery had to wonder if she could break her way out. The bars would give easily but even if she got out, she’d have to get past the guards posted on the corridors. Then she ran the risk of getting captured again, if not killed on sight. How would Avery explain attacking the guards twice? She needed to get out of here but forcing herself not to react prematurely, she released the bars and waited.

  In a few minutes, sharp footsteps echoed down the hallway until they were just outside her cell. Avery looked up to find Adalyn, standing at six foot something, towering above Avery. Avery jumped to her feet and pressed against the bars again. She never would have thought she’d be happy to see Adalyn, but there she was.

  “Hey, what’s going on?”Avery rushed to ask but Adalyn didn’t rush to answer. The harpie female gave her the stare down before looking back at her face.

  “They’re calling court to emergency session. They need to try you three quickly.”

  “Three?” Avery begged for details to determine who exactly would be going on trial.

  “You, Eva, and Mikhail.”

  Mason wasn’t included. Relief washed over her. He probably wasn’t a prisoner and he probably wasn’t on the same floor.

  “Good.” Avery admitted.

  “Yes, I’m looking forward to it as well. All of Mason’s problems gone after just one trial.” Adalyn said coolly, her attention turning down the hall momentarily.

  Avery followed her gaze. Maybe Mikhail and Eva had been housed on the same floor as Avery all along. The thought made her shudder and she pressed herself back against the wall. She knew they’d be out to get her if they could. Avery was the primary reason they’d been caught, not to mention that she lost Mikhail’s allure amulet.

  “Okay, so what’s the plan?” Avery asked eagerly. She had no intention of staying in the cell any longer.

  “What plan? You go to trial.”

  “I don’t understand.”Adalyn was here to help her, right? Adalyn had helped her before.

  “I’m not here to save you. You deserve what you get. You’re the one that attacked the police officer. You’re the one that made your dangerous presence so utterly apparent to the government. Humans are foolish.” Adalyn spit out.

  Avery rocked back on her heels. Light headed, confusion struck her first. Avery opened her mouth but couldn’t find an appropriate response. She’d expected Adalyn to be rude but this was different.

  “If they charge me, they might sentence me to death! I can’t die here!” Her voice echoed off the closed in walls. Eyes burning, Avery didn’t care. “Mason wouldn’t let me die.”

  “Don’t even bring him up! He’s helped you enough.” Adalyn snapped, her wings opening and her appearance seeming bigger.

  Avery backed against the farthest wall.

  “Is that why you turned us in?”

  “Of course. Mason is putting himself in danger to help you. Haven’t you ever thought about that? The last thing he needs to do is to run off with some human girl. Besides, I helped you get Jericho’s book under one condition-- you would leave my fiancé alone. And running away with him isn’t doing that.”

  Avery closed her mouth for a moment while thinking of an appropriate retort. She wouldn’t let Adalyn make her feel guilty about putting Mason in danger. This entire thing was Adalyn’s fault and Avery brazenly pointed it out.

  “You’re the one who put him in danger
in the first place. With your ex fiancé.” Avery didn’t specify but the ugly look on Adalyn’s face confirmed that they both knew the truth.

  “Well you know girlie.” Adalyn came closer to the cell and wrapped her fingers around the bars, digging her claws into the rustic metal. “I won. You’ll be sentenced to death and Mason will never see you again. I will get him off his murder trial and then we’ll be together while you’re buried six feet in the ground.”