An Angel's Wings

He gaped at her. “What?” he demanded. “What do you mean, I’m being transferred?”

“Just what I said.” She smiled sadly. “I’m sorry, Red, but it’s for your own good. I know being bereft of the Institute and other trainees is going to be a major change for you, but it’s a necessary change.”

He trembled with fear, fury, and agony. A few feathers drifted lazily to the floor. This didn’t help the rising panic in his chest.

“I—you—why?” A whine was threatening his normally steady tone. His vision started to blur with tears. “Sapphira!”

“Red, I’m sorry, but I can’t change anything. The Director believes it’s the best thing we can do at this point. It’s for your own good…and the good of the Institute.”



“The Director!” Red barked a month later, walking to his new school with a dour sneer. “He made the decision to deploy Zach to the Andes last year—and look who never came back!!”

/Don’t be so down,/ Taylwynd thought at Red, perched on his shoulder. His wickedly curved talons were curled lightly around the hidden padding under Red’s shirt.

“How can I not be?” the human replied, turning his head so his bright blue eyes met the piercing black ones of the Harpy Eagle on his shoulder. “Sapphira sent me here and just dumped me off. I don’t know anyone, I’m alone, and the school won’t allow pets. You can’t come with me.”

/Pet? I am not a pet!/ Taylwynd ruffled his feathers furiously. /I have never been so insulted! I am a Harpy Eagle, genetically modified and trained from hatching to become a loyal and fierce—/

“Fine! You’re not a pet!”

/Don’t get so upset!/ Taylwynd calmed down and began to preen.

“So speaks the hypocrite,” Red muttered.

/Red, you must show fortitude, like Odysseus did for ten years in the Odyssey./

“I’m not Odysseus, Taylwynd.”

/I never said you were./

“And since when have you been a master of Greek mythology?”

/Since I became your partner./

Red puffed out a sigh and glanced up. The school was now in view. A shiver ran down his spine. The thought of going a full day without Taylwynd only augmented his trepidation.

/Don’t be scared, either,/ Taylwynd urged as if he could read Red’s thoughts. He spread his wings and shook himself out. /It can’t be as bad as you fear./

“It’s high school.”

/My point exactly./

“I wouldn’t expect a bird to understand.”

/Well, someone’s snarky today. I could try to sneak in with you—take the guise of a human or something…?/

“Taylwynd,” Red said, rolling his eyes, “you’re eighteen inches tall.”

/You’re seventy-one. What are we getting at?/

Red scoffed lightly and stopped in front of Redhawk High. It was an old brick and stone building with three floors, gilded windows, and the name carved into the archway over the entrance, which sat at the top of long concrete stairs. The front of the building was completely devoid of other students, which didn’t arouse any questions as to why Red had a Harpy Eagle on his shoulder.

Taylwynd hopped onto the ground in front of Red, reaching out and touching Red's leg with a wing. /I’ll wait for you here afterwards, okay? I’ll probably hang around the building in the trees and stuff…/

Red laughed and walked past him. “You sound like a nagging mother,” he teased. “See you, Taylwynd.”

The Harpy Eagle gave a low cry. Red heard the familiar rustle of feathers and saw him soar away, probably in search of a furry woodland creature.



And without aforementioned eagle, Red felt so alone.

He wasn’t even at his first class and people were staring, whispering, making snide gibes at him—the most creative of which he found to be ‘backcountry hick’. Sure, his dark black hair streaked with electric blue wasn’t unnoticeable, and the fact that his shoulders and back looked almost too muscular, and his five-eleven figure was almost unnatural for a sophomore, but they didn’t have to stare.

He found his chemistry class and slipped in as the bell rang. The teacher, a woman with salt and pepper hair who was probably in her fifties or so, looked up.

“Oh, you must be our new student…” She glanced at her paper. “Red Flyer, right?”

He almost flinched. His alias last name had seemed amusing when he and Taylwynd had thought it up—but now it just seemed careless.

“Um—yeah,” he stammered.

“You can have a seat next to Lila,” she said, pointing toward the back. A girl with waist-length, stick-straight blonde hair looked up. Her eyes were two different colors—one emerald green, one sapphire blue.

Red passed a jock as he went, judging by his football jersey and the cheerleaders around him. All of them were in their uniforms. The jock sneered and said loudly, “Another newbie, huh? All of this new blood is going to adulterate Redhawk High if we’re not careful! We don’t need anymore lowcountry hicks around here!”

The cheerleaders laughed meanly.

“Ignore them,” the girl named Lila said kindly as Red slid furiously into the seat on her left. “They’re always jerks. We have a test tomorrow. Would you like to copy my notes?”

“Yeah, thanks,” he said. She opened her binder and took out two sheets of notebook paper, covered in slanted, neat writing. She handed them to him and he picked up his pencil in his right hand, opening his notebook.

“Oh—are you right-handed?” She sounded anxious. “This won’t work. We’ll need to switch seats. I’m left-handed.”

“No—I can just use my left.” Red easily switched hands and adjusted his notebook accordingly. Lila looked impressed.

“You’re ambidextrous?” she said wistfully. “I wish I was. It would make my life so much easier.”

He smiled and glanced out the window. Taylwynd was sitting in a nearby tree, tearing apart a small furry creature with his hooked beak. As if he sensed Red, he raised his head and their eyes met. Taylwynd blinked before turning back to his meal.

Red grinned to himself. Maybe he wasn’t as alone as he thought.