Page 14 of Scars Like Wings

In this moment, let’s find our okay.

Let’s find our okay.

Those words sliced through Mom’s words, the strange voice in my head, and the heavy pit in my stomach. I coughed out one last sob before I sighed. There was still a weight in my chest, the pains in my back, but…

Through the stabbing in my back, I mustered all the strength I could to pull my arms from holding my shoulders to grab Pops’ neck. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around me, holding meclose. His embrace was actually cool around me, like fresh dirt. His heartbeat was loud and steady.

“We’re going to be okay,” Pops said, his beard tickling my ears. “Now, let’s go home.”

I chuckled. We were home already. But there was something about his comfort that made it still ring true.

Around us, the air calmed. The breeze that snapped my braids stilled, leaving just the soft winds from Pops’ wings to brush my braids back behind my shoulders. The lines of rocks and crystals and glass encircling me started to flow away piece-by-piece. The glass shards flew to the empty window, door, and glasses frames. Each shard stuck itself to the frame and joined with each other. My glasses returned to my face, adding clarity to the world. Stones from the fireplace returned to their home. The crystals danced around me and grazed my skin before returning to their homes. Like my Advanced Sciences teacher described, the universe always wanted to return to neutral when it strayed too far into chaos or good. This was the world returning to normal.

To okay.

“Attention, passengers. We are beginning our final descent. Please ensure your tray tables and seats are in their upright, locked positions. We know you have a lot of options out there, so I thank you for choosing Air Pops.”

“Please, Pops. It hurts too much to laugh.”

Pops gripped me tighter as we approached the ground. By the time we landed, the house looked like it had before, maybe even better.

Aunt Max looked around the house with wonder. “Talli, this you?”

Talli shook her head. “It’s all from Byrd. It’s incredible that it’s coming from someone so young.”

“Like mother, like daughter!” Pops declared proudly. “Doe’s powers manifested early for her age, too. She’s like a clone of her momma.”

Pops’ eyes twinkled with pride again, and my heart warmed. Everyone had always said that I was the spitting image of Mom. My mudpie brown eyes and light-skin were the only things I got from Pops. Everything else was Mom. Between us, we had the same straight eyebrows, large upturned round eyes, black nose, high cheekbones, and full lips. Our hair was full of the same tight kinky ringlet curls. We were the same height and had the same curvy build. Our voices were even similar. Mom always said that was how the women were on her side of the family. Maybe there were a few differences, like the eye color or the hair color or some freckles, but you could always tell that they were Pierce women—our bloodline so strong, men took our last name instead of the other way around. I always loved when people said we were just alike. To me, that meant I was going to be like Mom. I would have her grace, her strength, her power. I would become a dragon like her. She was perfect in every way, and I wanted that for myself.

I tried to act like I always act when I hear those words. I wanted to beam and hold them close to my heart like the truth that I wanted them to be.

But then, a lightning bolt struck me.

The pain… It was the worst yet. It hit me so hard that I felt torn in two. It flared from the storm in my back so brightly that I was blinded. My breath was stolen, and it threatened to take my consciousness, too. My body was alive like a live wire. Everything from my fingers to my toes pulsed like I was being electrified. I couldn’t move.

I think it finally happened. The pain won. It controlled me now. And I couldn’t even scream.

“What’s happening? What’s wrong with her!” Pops shouted. I must have fallen over when the pain struck because I could feel myself in his arms. I wanted to lift my head and look into his eyes, but the pain wouldn’t allow for it. It kept me still inside my shaking body.

“I don’t know. I don’t?—”

“You have to know, Tallis! Youhaveto! You are the only one whocouldknow!”

A crack thundered through the room. I heard a scream. Was that mine? It couldn’t be, could it? I couldn’t move a finger, let alone scream. Right?

“What was that?” Auntie Max asked.

“Turn her on her front.” Talli’s voice was monotone, distant.

“Why? What is going on—” Pops pushed.

A crunch. This one louder than the last and followed by a few tiny pops. My blood chilled. Thatwasmy scream. The pain must have sent me somewhere else. I felt and didn’t feel all at once.

So much at once.

“I need to see her back! Turn her overnow!” Talli commanded.

I felt my body turn over.