Metamorphosis: Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Matriarch

I felt the wind in my face after a while. I opened my eyes slowly, trying to figure out what was going on. The sky was black, but there were stars out. A lot of them actually. We were probably in the country, away from the big cities. Helia came into my sight next, as he carried me in his arms, his dark wings flapping.

“H-hey,” I croaked.

He smiled shyly, his lip split. “Hey there.”

“Wh-what’s going on? Where are we headed?”

He looked over at Riv, who was leading the way. Before he could answer, I snapped.

“I said you’re in charge if anything ever happened to me!”

“I know,” he said, nodding. “I was freaking out. You passed out, Jade was crying, Mittens was talking a mile a minute after we went back to the house...” He looked away for a moment.

I held onto him tighter. “You guys went back? Why?”

“Jade wouldn’t go without Mittens.” Helia smiled, looking over at Jamie who was holding Jade as she was fast asleep in his arms. Mittens was in her grasp, sleeping as well, which was odd since he was usually a motormouth.

“Susan freaked, didn’t she?” I was referring to--oh, you know--the wings on our fucking backs.

“No,” he said. “She said she knew. She saw Stella and Riv asleep with their wings out.”

“And she was cool with it? Oh, you know, just freakish orphans with wings?!” I blurted out.

He chuckled. “She thought we were angels, like actual angels sent from Heaven.”

I looked over at Jade. “Well, one of us is very cherubic.”

Helia nodded his head. “Susan gave us some jackets and money and told us to go and be safe. The Secret Society was at her house a few minutes later...” He trailed off but found his voice again after a moment. “I guess you can say they arrested her, or something.”

“Shit,” I huffed.

“Stella said they might have taken Kairi as well. Riven heard her scream when they came to the school. Before we got rid of our phones, Shane texted Stella. Kairi never came home.”

“Hostage situation, you think? We give ourselves up they’ll let her and Susan go?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted with a shrug. “I want to be Iceland, but I punched a guy earlier. I was a pacifist up until this mission.”

“Switzerland,” I laughed.

“Oh.” He smiled. “That makes much more sense.”

Helia flew closer to Riven, as he led us to safety.

“Hey, Red.” He smirked.

“So, who put you in charge?” I asked.

“Well, you’re still injured, and I know where to patch you up.”

“Where? You never actually told us where we’re going,” Helia said.

“Back to Idaho.” He looked at the map.

I realized. “When you left us and got hurt? The same place?”

“Yep,” he said. “One of the people that helped me is a nurse.”

Riven seemed to be, for lack of a better word, nervous. He looked off. I mean, he wasn’t pale or sick, just different. He was sweating, sure, from flying so fast for so long. But a little too much.

“You okay?” I asked.

He was focused on the map. “Yeah.”

“No, you’re not,” Helia said. “Your thoughts are jumbled.”

“I’m just worried about Kris is all.”

“That, and you’re scared about seeing these people who saved you.”

“Dude, drop it. Stay out of my fucking head,” he almost growled at Helia.

“Hey!” I said. “What’s your problem? You can talk to us! I know you’re worried about everyone in Kenton. We all are!” I shouted, getting out of Helia’s arms and flying on my own. It hurt like hell, but I could handle it for a little while. I noticed Stella’s light, soft shawl wrapped around my shoulder tightly so my wound would bleed less.

“I...I...” Riven just looked at me with an expression of not only fear, but of true hurting. His fists became weak, limp hands, and his breathing calmed down, slower and slower. He was close to breaking down and crying. I’ve only seen him cry once, and that was in my arms. I knew that was one of the few times I would ever see him at his weakest. Now, was another.

He let the map fall from his hands and glide with the wind. He looked as if he was battling with himself. His mouth wanted to speak, but no words came out. The way he rubbed his face and pushed his hair back, his eyes all the way open. As if he had a major epiphany.

Helia said his the words he was trying to say because Riven couldn’t.

“Y-You think the nurse that helped you...is your mother?”