Эприлинн Пайк: Wings

Laurel’s mom stared openmouthed at her. “Where did you get that?”

Laurel looked at her mother with a weary smile. “You didn’t ask about your present,” she said, avoiding the question.

Her mom sank into the armchair beside the bed as Laurel pushed her stool around to sit next to her. She paused for a few seconds, not sure where to begin. Where do you start a story this big? She glanced at the clock and cleared her throat. “Mr. Barnes isn’t coming this morning.” Her mom leaned forward to say something, but Laurel continued, speaking over her. “He’s never coming, Mom. I hope you never see him again. He’s not what you think he is.”

Her face had turned white. “But…but the land, the money, I don’t know how…” Her voice faded and tears started to slide down her cheeks.

Laurel reached out to place a hand on her arm. “It’ll be fine, Mom. Everything will be fine.”

“But Laurel, we’ve talked about this. There’s no other way.”

Laurel pulled the diamond out of her other pocket and held it in the palm of her hand. “There is another way.”

Her mom’s eyes bounced warily from the diamond up to Laurel’s face and back down. “Where did you get this, Laurel?” she asked sternly, her eyes on the rough, glittering gem.

“I’ve been asked to deliver a proposition.”

“Laurel, you’re scaring me,” her mom said, her voice a little shaky.

“No, no. Don’t be scared. Everything’s fine. There is”—she hesitated—“someone…who wants the land to stay in our family. Specifically, for me to own it. They are willing to let you have this diamond in exchange for you signing the land into a trust in my name.”

Her mother stared at her silently for a long time. “Your name?”

Laurel nodded.

“In exchange for this?” she said, gesturing at the gem.

“Exactly.”

“And saving your dad?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand.”

Laurel stared down at the diamond. During the whole drive to Brookings from Orick, she hadn’t been able to decide just what to tell her mom. Now that the moment was here, she still wasn’t sure. “Mom? I…I’m not like you.”

“What do you mean, not like me?”

Laurel stood and crossed to the door. She closed it, wishing it had a lock. She walked slowly back to her mother. “Haven’t you ever wondered why I’m so different?”

“You’re not different. You’re wonderful — you’re beautiful. I don’t know why you’re suddenly doubting that.”

“I eat funny.”

“But you’ve always been healthy. And—”

“I don’t have a pulse.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t bleed.”

“Laurel, this is ri—”

“No, it’s not. When was the last time I cut myself? When was the last time you saw me bleed?” Her voice was louder now.

“I…I…” Her mom looked around, suddenly confused. “I don’t remember,” she said weakly.

And then everything, everything in her life suddenly made sense. “You don’t remember,” Laurel said softly. “Of course you don’t remember.” They wouldn’t have let her mom remember the dozens of times she must have suspected something was wrong. The hundreds of times something was just a little too weird. Laurel felt suddenly weak. “Oh, Mom, I’m so sorry.”

“Laurel, I haven’t understood a word you’ve said since you walked in this room.”

“Sarah?” A scratchy, weak voice made both of them turn.

“Mark! Mark, you’re awake!” her mom cried, forgetting her confusion. They stood on each side of her dad’s bed, clasping his hands as he blinked hesitantly.

His eyes slowly came into focus and traveled around the room, taking in the myriad of medical equipment beeping and whirring all around him. “Where the hell am I?” he asked in a gravelly voice.

When Laurel walked back out to the parking lot in one of her mother’s clean shirts, David was sitting on the trunk of his car waiting. “Is everything okay?” he asked quietly.

Laurel smiled. “Yeah. Or it will be.”

“Did your dad wake up?”

Laurel smiled softly and nodded. “He’s still kind of out of it because of all the morphine and tranquilizers they’ve had him on, but as soon as they wear off, he’ll be good to go.” She climbed up onto the trunk beside him and he wrapped his arm around her. She let her head rest on his shoulder. “How’d your mom take it?” she asked.

David laughed. “Pretty well, considering I lied through my teeth. I told her I left my phone in the car all night and we slept in your dad’s room.” He looked down at the small phone in his hands. “Well, half of that is true.”

Laurel rolled her eyes.

“She lectured me for a while and told me I was irresponsible, but she didn’t ground me from the car or anything. That’s thanks to you, I imagine. She knows I’m helping you.”

“Yeah,” Laurel said with a sigh. David’s mom would never know the half of it.

“I don’t know what she’s going to do when she sees this though,” David continued, pointing to the large bruise on his face. “And this,” he added, looking at the gash on his arm. “In fact, considering I have no idea what was in that river, I should probably go in and get a tetanus shot or something. Stitches, maybe.” He laughed morosely. “I guess I’ll have to come up with something to explain that too.”

Laurel stared at the wide, red gash for several seconds before she made her decision. If David didn’t deserve it, who did? She removed the bottle of elixir from her pocket and carefully unscrewed it.

“What are you doing?” David asked.

“Shh,” Laurel whispered, turning his head so she could reach his cheek. She dabbed one drop of liquid onto her finger and rubbed it across the purpling bruise. “This might sting,” she warned as she let another drop fall into his gash.

By the time she finished stowing the bottle back in her pocket, the bruise had almost disappeared and David was staring openmouthed as the cut faded from an angry red to a soft pink in front of his eyes. In another few minutes, there wouldn’t even be a scar.

“Is that what you gave your dad?” he asked, still staring at his disappearing gash.

Laurel nodded.

David grinned. “He’ll be on his feet in no time. Which is a good thing,” he said with feigned offense. “I’m getting pretty tired of the way you drive me like a slave in that bookstore. I have rights, you know,” he added with a laugh as Laurel slapped his shoulder. He held her wrists till she gave up and they both fell into a subdued silence. “When will you come back?” David asked.

Laurel shrugged. “I can’t imagine Dad will be here for too long. Maybe they’ll release him this weekend.”

“You’re sure that stuff will fix everything?”

“I’m sure.”

David grinned, looking down at his smooth arm. “I’m pretty sure myself.” He paused for a few seconds. “What did you tell your mom?”

Laurel sighed. “I started to tell her the truth, but then my dad woke up. I have to tell her something. I’m not sure what though.”

“I think the truth is your best bet. Well, not about everything. You may want to skim over the trolls and how your parents had a murderous monster in their house.”

Laurel nodded.

“But they should know the truth about you. You shouldn’t have to hide in your own home.”

Their fingers twined and David squeezed her hand. “Faeries, trolls, what else is out there that I’d never have believed? Magic medicine, apparently. Thanks, by the way.”

“It’s only fair,” Laurel replied. “I’ve put you through a lot. And I don’t just mean the troll fiasco.”

“I knew what I was getting into when I signed up.” He shrugged. “Well, I guess I didn’t know everything , but I knew you were different. From the first time I saw you, I knew there was something…something special about you.” He grinned. “And I was right.”