Chapter 22

**Harper**

I woke to the feeling of being refreshed, but still with a small cloud over my head. I rolled over in the bed and came face to face with Kayla. I almost came up out of my skin. Her cute face turned up in a smile.

"Good morning Kayla." She smiled at me with childlike enthusiasm, but a tad bit of sadness that lingered on her face. And the promise I made her came rushing back to the front of my mind.

"I didn't forget Kay...it just got super crazy last night. We will go flying right after breakfast." Her smile got bigger if that was possible.

"I'm going to go get dressed." I smiled rolling back on the bed as she ran from the room. I felt my joints pop and stretch, giving me a small sense of release. I relaxed on the bed, trying to find my motivation to get up.

"Well, mom did make waffles?" My head snapped to the doorway and Gabe stood leaning on the doorframe, his hair wet from a shower, jeans giving his lower body definition and he wore a plain grey t-shirt that looked so comfortable. All of a sudden I found my motivation.

"Looking good, what plans we have today?" He chucked at me and I pushed the blankets away.

"Well I heard you promise Kayla a fly, and you know I'm not going to let you go alone, so maybe we should let her pick." I smiled, it made sense. I wanted to fly with Gabriel alone, we didn't get to often. I mean we had flight class, but that was training. It wasn't...quality time. He pushed away from the doorframe with a single shove of his shoulder.

"I'll be downstairs." I nodded and got out of bed pulling open my little suitcase pulling out my clothes for the day. Slipping into the bathroom and I looked at myself in the mirror. It didn't feel like I looked any different, and the woman that looked back at me was familiar, but what if she wasn't? I lived my entire life thinking I was an angel...I can heal. I am at least part angel. But what if I was more than that? How does that fit in with who I am? Does it change who I am? Trying to understand it was already giving me a tension headache where my skull met my neck. I turned away from the mirror and started the shower.

Walking down the stairs pulling my sweatshirt down over my stomach, walking into the living room I felt eyes on me. I paused and looked around the living room. Empty, that was weird. I walked into the kitchen. Kayla was tearing into her food and I felt my heart swell watching her. Callie sat a plate down at the island for me, and I tucked into my food.

"Mom said I can go to my friends and spend the night...I was wondering if you would take me over?" Kayla pushed her sausage patty around on her plate.

"Finish your food first, and then we can get ready to go. I can fly you over. " She nearly vibrated out of her chair with excitement. Her mom smiled at me, and it was the least I could do for her. She quickly ate the rest of her food and jumped to go pack a bag.

"I have a few errands to run while you take her, so don't hurry home." Callie smiled at her son. Kayla came back down zipping up a small pink bookbag. Her hair half pulled up in a messy ponytail.

"Let me fix your hair, Kayla." I held my hands out and she bounced over to me. I carefully tugged out the little purple hair tie and gathered all of her hair into a tight ponytail.

"When you fly you always want to keep your hair out of your face, how else will you see where you're going?" She stood very still and waited for me to release her hair. I stood from the table after finishing my own breakfast. Kayla hadn't left my side, waiting...not really patiently, but she was just a child. She didn't know what patience was.

Tossing her book bag to Gabe, he put it on his arm and looked to Kayla.

"No misbehaving, you sit still." She nodded and cuddled deeper into my back. I arched my wings up preparing for my downstroke to me off the ground. I looked at Gabe and he had a worried look on his face. A small nod of his head had me pushing down and Kayla and I jumped into the sky. I felt her squeeze a little harder and I smiled. Her giggling was muffled by her face buried in my back.

"Open your eyes, Kayla." She picked her head up and I pushed higher up into the clouds. My goal was to get her high enough that she felt like she was on top of the world.

"Oh my god!" She squealed in excitement. I held onto her legs as I felt her hands let go. Her hands shot out to the sides like her own wings, and I flew through the clouds and she just laughed. And my heart started to ache, it what it must be like to not be able to fly. I weaved in and out of the clouds. Gabriel burst up after us as his momentum slowed at the peak of his launch his wings flared straight out to keep him upright. His mind touched mine gently, letting me know he was going to scoop her up off my back. I released her and his hand came under her arms pulling her from my back. And pearls of laughter rang out. I pushed down with my wings and went up into the sunlight just above the first layer of clouds. The sun warmed my wind chilled skin and it was so quiet here. So peaceful. I titled back down through the clouds and my body cut through like an arrow, and I saw them on my dive downward, before flaring my wings out to stop and pitched back to Gabriel's side. Kayla was watching me with wide eyes.

We landed at her friend's house and Gabriel let her down to run inside. She was going to brag to her friends I was sure. Gabe touched my hand and I thread my fingers through his.

"Let's go fly."