Wings

“You’re a plant. You’re not human, never have been. Blossoming is only the most obvious manifestation,” Tamani explained, more calm than Laurel thought he had any right to be.

“A plant?” Laurel said, not bothering to hide the disbelief in her voice.

“Yes. Not just any kind of plant, of course. The most highly evolved form of nature in the world.” He leaned forward, his green eyes sparkling. “Laurel, you’re a faerie.”

Laurel’s jaw clenched as she realized how stupid she’d been. Taken in by a handsome face, conned into letting him lead her far into the forest, and even half-believing his outrageous claims. She stood, her eyes flashing with anger.

“Wait,” Tamani said, lunging forward to grab on to her wrist. “Don’t go yet. I need to know what your parents are going to do with this land.”

Laurel yanked her wrist away. “I want you to leave,” she hissed. “If I ever see you here again, I will call the police.” She turned and ran, tugging her shirt back down over the petals.

He called after her, “Laurel, I have to know. Laurel!”

She pushed herself to go faster. Nothing seemed more important than putting as much distance as possible between herself and Tamani, this strange person who stirred up so many confusing emotions within her.

When she reached the clearing where she’d been before following Tamani, Laurel paused for a few moments to wrap the petals back around her waist and secure them with the scarf. She picked up her guitar and lifted the strap over her back. As she did, her hand crossed a beam of sunlight. She paused and stuck her hand out again. Her wrist glittered with tiny specks of shimmering powder. Great. He left some sort of residue on me. That’s a stupid trick.

When she got within sight of the cabin, she paused, her chest heaving. She looked at her wrist again and anger bubbled up inside of her as she rubbed at the glittery powder till all traces of it were gone.

NINE

THE NEXT DAY, LAUREL FELT LIKE A ZOMBIE. SHE didn’t want to believe anything Tamani had said. But she couldn’t help but think about it and wonder. Was it possible? Then she would get angry with herself for being ridiculous, and the whole cycle would start again.

David tried to catch her several times in the hallway, but she managed to duck into her classes ahead of him.

But she couldn’t avoid him in biology.

He hurried to claim his usual seat beside her. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is it spreading?” he whispered before she could turn away.

She shook her head and her hair fell around her face like a wall between them.

David scooted his chair a little closer as the rest of the class noisily took their seats. “Laurel, you’ve got to talk to me. You’re going to drive yourself crazy holding everything in like this.”

“I can’t—” Her voice choked off as tears welled up in her eyes. “I can’t talk right now.”

David nodded. “Can we talk after school?” he whispered as Mr. James started the class.

Laurel nodded and tried to subtly wipe away her tears without attracting attention.

David patted her leg under her desk, then started doodling in his notebook. Laurel wished he’d take a few more notes for her to copy.

The day dragged by as Laurel went back and forth in her mind, berating herself for promising to tell David, then being relieved that she had someone to tell. She wasn’t sure how to even start. How does one just come out and say, “Oh, hey, I might be a mythological creature”?

“I’m not,” Laurel whispered under her breath. “It’s stupid.”

But she couldn’t quite convince herself.

After school, she and David walked toward his house. David seemed to sense she wasn’t quite ready to talk, so they walked in silence.

He was especially gentle as he helped her over his back fence, his hand studiously avoiding her back. He held onto her arms when she jumped down from the fence, and once she’d landed and was steady, he still didn’t pull his hands away.

Laurel felt the urge to curl herself up against his chest and just forget about all this nonsense. But she knew that was impossible. He stared at her unblinkingly until she shoved her hands into her pockets and forced herself to turn away.

“This way,” David said, taking the lead as they walked out to the twisted tree.

Laurel looked up at the dense canopy of foliage above her. It was October now and the leaves were in a perfect state of half-transformation. The edges were orange and red — with some branches boasting yellows and pale browns, the centers still fighting to remain green. It made the forest beautiful with the blends of colors, but Laurel was a little sad to see the green lose its battle to the more flamboyant hues.

It made her think of her own blossom. Would it slowly die like the leaves? Would it hurt? she thought suddenly with a clench of fear. Even if it did, it would be worth it just to have it gone. But Tamani had also said she would grow another one next year. She hoped most of what he said was true. The rest of it…she didn’t even want to think about it.

But her thoughts kept wandering back anyway. And although she hated to admit it, it wasn’t just because the information was so bizarre; it was because of Tamani himself. He had shaken her — introduced emotions she’d never experienced. That sharp sense of wanting someone without even knowing them — she’d never felt that way before. Not with anyone. It was exciting and exhilarating but also a little scary. A part of her that seemed totally out of her control. She wasn’t sure she liked it.

He was so…was beautiful the right word? It seemed like the right word. Whatever he was, she could hardly pull her eyes away from him. That’s the part that really made her wonder if he had been some sort of mirage. A super-realistic dream.

She glanced down at her wrist where she’d rubbed the glittering powder away. That had been real. She’d found a small streak of it on her jeans when she got home. He had to be real.

And then there was the nagging suspicion that she’d seen him before. She couldn’t shake it. And he’d certainly acted as if he knew her. Why would he know her? How could he know her? The whole situation was making her head spin.

“So, what happened yesterday?” David finally asked as they came into sight of the tree.

Laurel groaned, thinking how silly this had all started to seem after she’d agreed to talk to David. “It’s so ridiculous, David, I don’t know why I’m so worked up over it. Probably because it makes me feel stupid.”

“Does it have to do with the, uh, flower?”

“Sort of, maybe. I don’t know,” Laurel said. Her words spilled out as she started to pace. “Only if it’s true, and I can’t believe that. I’m starting to think I made the whole thing up, like a dream I don’t remember falling asleep for or something.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Sense,” Laurel said with a snort. “When I tell you what he said, I’ll be making even less sense.”

“Who?”

Laurel stopped pacing and leaned against a tree. “I met someone. Up at the land. A guy, sort of.” A man almost, but she didn’t say it out loud. “He said he lives there.”

“On your land?”

“That’s what I said.”

“What did your parents say?”

Laurel shook her head. “They didn’t see him.”

“You met him alone?”

Laurel nodded.

“Some strange guy all by yourself? You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt!” He paused for a second, then asked quietly, “Did you get hurt?”

But Laurel was already shaking her head. “It wasn’t like that.” For a moment, she remembered the feeling she’d had while sitting in the small glade. “I felt safe; I was safe. He…he knew me. I don’t know how. He saw the flower and wasn’t surprised at all. He told me it’s a blossom.”

“A blossom?”