by Cheree Alsop
“Yeah,” Seth swooped in. “Somebody had to stop them. Thank goodness we have our own Galdoni!”
The students around us nodded.
They escorted me like an honor guard to my next class. By the time I went to lunch, I had answered the same questions so many times I couldn’t remember speaking so much. I definitely never had at Crosby High.
The students filtered away to their normal tables in the lunchroom. I spotted Ava at a table near the back with her group of cheerleaders. My heart slowed at the sight of the football players with them. Randy Jenkins, the one who had walked with his arm around Ava’s shoulders, sat next to her. They appeared to be in a deep conversation.
I grabbed my tray and shoved the door open to retreat to my usual spot on the soccer field. A few seconds later, I heard a commotion following me. I turned, half-expecting to see Seth running to catch up. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of students pouring out the doors. Each had a lunch tray in their hands and was heading my way.
I sat at my tree and watched in amazement as nearly half of the student body sat down around me. The birds hopped and chirped in the trees, no doubt as surprised as I was to see so many students with food. Ava took a seat next to me and gave me a glowing smile.
“How’s your day going?” she asked.
“A bit different than the others,” I replied, unable to hide my astonishment at the turn of events.
Students laughed around us.
Alice pushed her red hair back from her shoulder. “Everyone just wants to know how you could be so brave. I think if we had wings like you, we would have all flown away.”
I was about to brush off the question like I had so many times earlier that day, but I couldn’t. The sincerity on the faces around me let me know how much my answer meant to them. They had been scared for their lives; somehow, I had become the source of their safety. Skylar’s words whispered in my mind. “You protected the innocent, Reece. Those students didn’t deserve to die, and you kept that from happening. At Crosby High yesterday, you were Superman for them.”
It was obvious by their expressions that her words were true. I let out a slow breath. “I’m just a student,” I said softly. The world fell silent around me. Nobody moved. I could hear the breaths of the students nearby as they listened. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I didn’t think of the gun or the blades, I only thought that if I didn’t do something, somebody I sat with at school or saw in the halls might not be there the next day.”
The following part was harder to admit. I looked around at the students, ready to be one hundred percent honest with them and myself. “Galdoni were raised for one thing, to kill. We kill to protect ourselves and to gain honor for the next life.” I lifted a hand as a few questions were asked. When silence fell again, I shook my head. “I know that last part isn’t true. It was hard for me to accept it; hard for every Galdoni to accept it. Everything we knew was smashed into a million pieces when the Academy was brought down.”
I stared at the grass near my tray. The tiny blades looked so simple from far away, but on close inspection, they were intricate and detailed, swaying with the wind instead of fighting against it. “I was floating, drifting without a purpose. The Reece you knew wandered these halls and sat in class because there was no place else to go. It was expected of me, even though so many of you didn’t want me here.” Voices rose in protest. I looked up with a smile and they slowed. “I couldn’t blame you. Who wouldn’t want to get rid of the killer that haunted your classrooms?”
I looked at Ava. “But I have a purpose now.” I met the eyes of all the students I could. “I promise to protect you. Whatever threat attacks this school, whatever danger threatens your lives, I will do anything I can to make sure you are safe.” I gestured toward the gymnasium. “I proved myself then, and I promise you now; you’re safe with me. I give you my word.”
A few students cheered, and the cheer spread like wildfire. Trays were thrown down and students jumped up, shouting their happiness to be alive. They had been threatened, and they had survived. A smile spread across my face as the cheers rose and the students took up a cry. “Reece, Reece, Reece,” they shouted.
Seth pulled me to my feet. The students interlocked arms, jumping up and down like I had seen the football team do before a game. “Reece, Reece, Reece,” they cried loud enough for it to echo against the school buildings.
I looked at Ava as we were jostled with the rest of the crowd. She smiled up at me with such pride in her eyes I had to fight back tears. There was love there, love and happiness for what I had done. Energy filled me. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I crouched on the ground, then pushed off with my wings so hard the force rocketed me into the sky.
I flew as high as I could until the circle of students below looked like a speck. I was one of them. I belonged in that ring. I was a student, and I was able to protect those around me. I had a purpose.
I tucked my wings in and dove. Cheering met me on the way down and the circle spread to give me room to land. I spread my wings at the very last second and landed on the grass so hard the ground dented with the impact. Students surged forward. Everyone tried to touch me. They tousled my hair, touched my feathers, and patted my back. I laughed as Seth pushed against them.
“Alright, alright, give the man some room,” he scolded. “Even the protectors need protection around here.”
“I brought a Frisbee,” Emily called. She tossed a strange yellow disc to me. It floated on the air like a bird drifting on the wind. “Throw it,” she urged.
The students around us spread out. Everyone was watching me. I glanced at Seth. He grinned. “I can never figure those things out. When I throw them, they go straight to the ground. It’s dangerous to play Frisbee with me. Someone might not survive.”
I laughed and tried to throw it to him. It curved to the left before heading to the ground. Alice ran over and caught it before it hit the grass. “Tip it up a bit more,” she said. “We’ve played with Emily’s brothers so many times we had to practice so we could beat them.”
“That was a good day,” Emily said with a glowing smile. She caught the Frisbee Alice tossed to her. I began to see how it worked. If given the right angle, the Frisbee could catch the wind and use it to stay up.
Emily threw it back at me and I caught it feeling more confident. I angled my wrist where I felt it should go. When I let go, the Frisbee floated across the heads of the students around us. A tall boy with blond hair caught it near the back. “Alright,” he shouted, “Let’s play a game!”
Teams were divided, and they taught me the rules to ultimate Frisbee. By the time the bell rang, even Seth was throwing it straighter thanks to some tutoring by Sam which left him grinning from ear to ear.
We walked together back to the school, my arm around Ava’s shoulders and the students surrounding us. Seth carried our trays proudly to the lunchroom for disposal despite my insistence that we could take care of them ourselves.
“I get some benefits being your friend, right?” he said over his shoulder.
“I don’t see how clearing our trays serves as benefits,” I protested.
He tipped his head. “Do you see anyone else doing it?”
Ava and I laughed as he dumped the remains in the garbage and slid the trays onto the pile. He then ducked between us and proceeded to walk with an arm around each of our shoulders to our fifth period history class. A note was on my desk when I sat down. I opened it and read, “There’s a party at my place after the game tonight. I’d like you and Ava to be there if you can make it.” It was signed from Alice.
I passed the note to Ava as Ms. Stacy began our lesson. Ava read it, then looked at me. I tipped my head in question. She nodded, excitement in her eyes. I looked up to see Alice watching us expectantly from across the room. I gave her a thumbs-up and she turned around with a smile.
***
“You guys coming to the game?” Alice asked when school was over.
“Definitel
y,” Seth replied. He smiled at Sam. Red ran across her cheeks, but she grinned in return.
“I was talking to Reece and Ava,” Alice said in annoyance.
Seth looked like he didn’t even hear her as he watched Sam. I wanted to tell him that if he stared much longer it was going to get creepy, but I also didn’t want to embarrass him.
“I’ve never been to a game before,” Ava said. She looked up at me. “Want to go?”
I had seen my share of games in an effort to live the full student life as Kale had recommended, but I didn’t really get the point of guys chasing each other around as someone threw a ball.
“Come on,” Alice urged. “It’s gonna be a good one. We’re playing the Antlions from Perry.”
“The Antlions?” I asked.
Seth laughed. “Perry’s farm country. You get some strange mascots out there.”
“Let’s go,” Ava said.
I couldn’t refuse the pleading in her eyes. “Alright.”
“Awesome!” Alice motioned for the cheerleaders around us to join her. “We’ve got to set up, but we’ll see you then!”
Chapter Eleven
“Where are you going?”
I paused outside the school’s front doors. Even Brayce’s voice couldn’t damage the lightness that filled my heart, but it definitely threatened to dull the edge a bit. “To the Center to let Kale know we’re going to the game,” I said, turning to face him.
For the first time, he was there without his little gang. Brayce’s bouncers were nowhere to be seen. Still, I didn’t want to risk it. “Brayce, after fighting yesterday, I might not be able to control myself. I—”
He held up his hands. “That’s not what I’m here for.” He glanced back at the school, then shoved his hands in his pockets uncomfortably and looked back at me. “I need to apologize.”
Surprised, I looked at the school also. “Did Principal Kelley put you up to this? Because if he did, it’s unnecessary.”
Brayce shook his head. “No. This isn’t for the principal and it’s not for the school. It’s for me.” He studied the sidewalk below our feet for a moment.
I could tell how uneasy he was with the situation, so I chose to give him the space he needed to collect his thoughts. I sat down on the grass nearby and pulled up a few blades, careful to keep my back to the wall and my face towards him in case he had a change of heart or his gang decided to show up.
After a moment, Brayce shocked me by sitting down as well. “You have a thing for grass?” he asked, his tone curious but also derogatory as if he thought it was strange.
I fought back a smile and let the blades sift through my fingers. “I spent the first fourteen years of my life with nothing but cement floors or sand beneath my feet. Sitting on grass beneath the sunlight and with fresh air around reminds me that I’m not a prisoner anymore. I get to live my own life.” My voice quieted. “And I think I just started to realize what that means.”
Brayce pulled up a handful of grass, bringing a clump of dirt with it. “My baby brother loves grass,” he admitted.
He didn’t look up, which was good because I couldn’t hide the shock I felt that he was opening up to me.
Brayce kept his eyes on the grass, pulling off small bits of dirt and rubbing it between his fingers. “He always giggles when I set him down on it. He lifts his legs like it tickles, but when I pick him back up, all he wants to do is get back down to the grass.”
I blinked, trying to take in the truth. I saw a different Brayce in front of me. Instead of the angry bully who was mad at the world and chose to take it out on anyone he could, I sat in front of a big brother who was proud of his sibling and the funny things he did.
Brayce frowned slightly. “That’s my job. The second I get home, Parker is my responsibility. Mom left after he was born, saying she couldn’t handle another kid.” His eyebrows pulled together. “I guess I had been too hard on her growing up.” He ran a hand across his face to wipe away any emotion brought by the words, but a short sigh escaped him. “Parker deserves better.”
“It sounds like he’s lucky to have you,” I said quietly.
Brayce looked up at me, his expression fierce as if he thought I was being sarcastic. I met his gaze calmly. “If I’d had an older brother at the Academy, life would have been a lot easier.” I tipped my head in the direction of the Galdoni Center. “As it is, Kale and Saro have sort of become my big brothers. They watch over me and help me succeed when I want to give up. I’d be a mess without them.”
“You’re a mess anyway,” Brayce said, though there was no bite to his words. He watched me, waiting to see how I would react.
I surprised us both by laughing. “Yeah, I am.” I shrugged. “What do you expect?”
He grinned, the first I had ever seen from the bully. “I guess you’re right.”
I chuckled. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect anyone to actually attack a Galdoni. That was a real surprise on my first day here.”
Brayce’s gaze dropped to the ground. “Yeah, uh, sorry about that. I’ve been an idiot.”
I glanced at him. “Why the change of heart?”
He crumpled the clump of grass in his fist. “I realized that if I got shot, Parker would have no one to take care of him when Dad’s at work.” He looked at me. “I never understood what a hero was until that moment.”
“Would you accept that I was just being a Galdoni?” I asked, my tone light.
He shook his head. “Only if you accept that I’m a fool.” I opened my mouth and he raised a hand with a laugh. “Alright, that was too easy. What I meant was, none of us humans dared to do anything, yet the Galdoni we’ve been shunning the entire school year puts his life in danger to save us when he could have flown away.” His voice quieted as though the question bothered him. “What makes someone do that?”
“Would you accept that I’m a fool?” I asked.
A smile spread across his face. He stood up. “Fine. We’re fools.” He held out a hand. I accepted it and he pulled me to my feet. “Thanks for being cool about things.”
“You, too,” I said, still surprised about the way the conversation had gone. I lifted my wings.
“Hey, Reece.”
I paused and turned. Brayce held up a finger. “Don’t tell anyone I actually have a heart.”
“You’re secret’s safe with me,” I replied.
He nodded with a smile. I flew into the air, unable to stop the answering smile that spread across my face.
***
Sitting in the bleachers surrounded by students who were jostling to sit with us was a new experience for me. Everyone was so excited and by the time the game started, I felt like I had a hundred new friends. I couldn’t stop smiling. Ava linked her arm through mine and practically glowed every time she looked at me. I felt like I was flying even though my feet were on the ground.
Seth and several other boys explained the tactics of football as the game began. I began to see the strategy involved. It was a lot more complicated than I had first thought. By the end of the first quarter, we were cheering for Crosby’s Nighthawks as loud as the rest of the students. I was really having a good time when halftime came.
Seth walked back from the concessions stand carrying hotdogs and sodas for everyone. Students paid him as he distributed the goods. He handed one to Ava and I. I protested. “I don’t have—”
He cut me off. “If I can’t buy my best friend and the prettiest girl at Crosby High a hotdog, then what good is our friendship?”
“Besides getting you close to the cheerleaders?” I asked with a pointed look at Sam who had helped him carry the drinks and was distributing them to her friends. She looked back at Seth with a wide smile.
Seth grinned. “There are other benefits.”
I laughed. He took a seat next to me while Sam sat on his other side.
Something was happening on the field, but I had my focus on the crowd and wasn’t paying attention until I heard my name.
I loo
ked at Ava. She was watching me with a big smile on her face. “Go on,” she urged.
“What?”
She laughed at my confused expression. “They want to give you a signed football in gratitude for what you did in the gym. Get over there or you’ll miss it.”
I stood hesitantly, searching out the small group that stood in the middle of the football field waiting for me.
“Reece, Reece, Reece,” the students around me began to cheer.
My heart thundered at the sound of my name from so many lips. I looked down at Ava. “You knew about this, didn’t you?” I asked above the roar.
She gave a cute little shrug, the red of her cheeks answering my question.
“Come on down, Reece,” Coach Andrews called into the microphone. Principal Kelley stood next to him holding a football, along with several other members of the staff.
I tried to pick my way down the bleachers, but everyone kept reaching up to pat me on the back and tell me thank you.
“Use those wings of yours,” Coach Andrews said into the microphone.
I looked at the principal in surprise. He nodded in agreement. I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. I jumped into the air and pushed my wings down hard to rise above the bleachers. Down below, they shouted my name like I was a rock star or something. I couldn’t believe it. Everything felt too good to be true. I was just a Galdoni. Somehow, I had also become one of them.
I landed in the middle of the field next to Coach Andrews. “Where do I get me a pair of those?” he asked. “And do they come in yellow and red so I can wear our school colors?” The students laughed. Talking rose from the other side of the stadium where students and family members from Perry watched the proceedings. I couldn’t imagine what they thought of a Galdoni being accepted so readily among the student body.
Principal Kelley took the microphone. “As many of you know, we have had the privilege of working with the Galdoni integration program. At first, there may have been a few struggles,” he threw me a smile, “But we got past it. I am proud to say that yesterday, Reece showed courage and selflessness far beyond that expected of any student when he took down attackers at our school and saved the lives of countless students. His bravery is an example to all of us of putting others before oneself and fighting for the good of all.”
