《Chrysanthemum》 Chapter 1 Chrys ¡°Dad, why do I have to go?¡± I yell. William James Johnson, head of the CIA, also my dad (not biological, of course), glares at me. ¡°Chrysanthemum, I told you already.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I get it.¡± I huff, my shoulder length black hair falling in my face. ¡° ¡®for science¡¯ I still think that''s fucked up. And don''t call me Chrysanthemum.¡± I stretch my black wings, glaring. A knock sounds on my bedroom door. ¡°Come in¡± dad says. Two military officers and Dr. Turow enter my room. ¡°Chrysanthemum, you will be going to a small town called Rypel, California.¡± the doctor says. ¡°You will be attending Monarch high school. We are going to give you $250 and we can replenish that as needed. Any questions?¡± ¡°Yeah, where am I going to live?¡± ¡°I trust you can figure that out.¡± I snort. The researcher hands me a camo duffel bag. I stuff in 4 changes of clothes, extra arrows, a phone, and an extra dagger. I survey my room, once a research lab, to see what else I could bring. Nothing. ¡°Alright¡± Dad says. ¡°Time to go.¡± *¡ï* I fly beside the helicopter, just out of reach of the blades. Dad signals for me follow as the vehicle descends. I hold back for a minute. The copter lands. I fold in my wings and fall, spreading them just in time to land safely. Dad, four military officers, and Dr. Turow exit the helicopter. ¡°Rypel is about 6 miles from here. As a safety precaution, we cannot take you the rest of the way there. Go south, and when you reach Lake Kane, turn east. Pass the first town you come too. The second is your destination. When you arrive, go to the police station and ask for Officer Abbot. She will help you.¡± Dr. Turow says.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. An officer hands me my bag. I Nod, and run off, taking to the sky. I find the forest and continue south. A town appears on the horizon. As I near it, my keen senses pick up on laughter and music. Strange smells waft up to me. I see parked trucks, which I can tell are the source of the smells. People are lined up outside the truck, though no one goes in. There are a few games people play, but most just sit and talk. ¡°Shit¡± I say. I can NOT be seen. It¡¯s a clear sky, no clouds to hide behind. I can¡¯t fly up higher and risk losing my sense of direction. I also can¡¯t risk keep going and drawing attention with movement. ¡°OH MY GOD!!!!!¡± I hear from down below. ¡°IT¡¯S AN ANGEL!!!!!¡± everyone looks up. I can hear the rumors passing through the crowd. ¡°Shit.¡± I say again. I analyze the wind conditions. Pulling out my bow and arrow, I shoot the man who noticed me square in the throat. He drops to the ground, dead. I glide gracefully to the ground, landing behind the dead man¡¯s body. He looks young, probably in his early twenties, with sun tanned skin and a mop of brown hair the color of wet sand. He would have been handsome, aside from the arrow in his throat and the pool of blood surrounding him. Everyone cowers, some pulling their young away from me. I take my dagger out and pass it idly from hand to hand. I flare my wings. ¡°Tell absolutely no one you saw me.¡± I say, just loud enough for my voice to carry and deathly calm. ¡°Or I swear, you WILL be next.¡± A man shoves through the crowd. ¡°What the hell are y-¡± I shoot im in the thigh with an arrow and take off, saying ¡°homo alatus¡± over my shoulder. His scream follows me as I fly away. Homo alatus what im called, meaning ¡°winged man¡± in latin. I arrive at Lake Kane and turn left. The first town is directly next to the lake, not even half a mile away. As i''m flying over the town a little girl tugs on her mom¡¯s hand. ¡°Mommy look at that girl! She¡¯s flying!¡± luckily, the mom ignores her. I breathe a sigh of relief. I pass the town without being seen. A hawk flies up to me and I outstretch my arm for it to land on. I have a way with raptors. Don¡¯t ask me how. The hawk is beautiful, with black-tipped wings and tail, otherwise brown with a tan belly and chest. He flies away as I near the town. I land outside the police station and walk inside. The lobby is empty. A middle age, dark skinned police officer walks into the room, a round, sweet smelling treat with a hole in the middle in his hand. His jaw drops. My hand instinctively goes to my dagger. In a split second I analyze exits, entrances, and threats. The officer aims his gun at me. ¡°Get on your knees and put your hands where I can see them.¡± he says. Chapter 2 Brooke¡¯s Character ¡°So, I heard we¡¯re getting a new kid.¡± Bellah says. ¡°Bitch¡¯s probably going to get terrorized.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Nailani says. ¡°Rumor has it she was raised by the CIA.¡± I snort. ¡°And why would that be?¡± ¡°I heard that she has wings.¡± I take a bite of my sub. No meat- I¡¯m vegetarian. ¡°Bet.¡± I say through my mouthful. ¡°Okay.¡± Nailani says. ¡°If she has wings, you owe me your silver nail polish, your disco earrings, and 20 dollars. If she¡¯s normal, I give you 15 dollars.¡± ¡°No!¡± I say. ¡°25 dollars and your hawaii stationery.¡± ¡°Deal¡± she says. We shake hands as the bell rings. *¡ï* I swing my backpack over my shoulder. Bellah, Nailani, Emma, and Adrian catch up to me as I walk out the door. ¡°So, her first day is tomorrow.¡± Adrian says. ¡°What do you want to do, note on locker, pants her-¡± ¡°Ooh! Pants her!¡± Emma says. Bellah smirks and nods. I stare at them in disgust. ¡°What is wrong with you guys?¡± I say. Emma gives me a light shove. ¡°Please, Brooke. It¡¯s just a joke.¡± ¡°Well I don¡¯t think it¡¯s funny, so you can count me out.¡± I shove past them grab my bike. *¡ï* ¡°Hi sweetheart, how was school?¡± My mom asks, getting up from her desk and wrapping me in a hug. ¡°Fine.¡± I shrug away from her and head up the stairs to my room. I flop down on my bed and stare at my sky-blue ceiling. Everything in my room is blue. The walls, carpet, desk, bedframe, sheets, pillows, etc. I have one stuffed animal, a blue bear I''ve had since I was a newborn. Ruby, my dog, comes into the room. She¡¯s a red heeler mix with a dwarf gene. I found her in a box on the side of the road when i was going for a bike ride. I called mom immediately. She had one sibling, a boy, who was really sick. He didn¡¯t make it to the vet office. The vet told us we could keep her. I named her Ruby because the first thing she did when we let her in the backyard is jump in our pool, and when she got out I thought the sun on her fur looked like rubies.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I lift her onto my bed and stroke her ears. After a bit I fall asleep. *¡ï* I jolt awake and check the time. 6:14. Almost dinnertime. Damnit! Mom¡¯s boss is coming for dinner. I brush my hair and put it in a bun. I would ask mom to put it in a waterfall braid but there''s no time. I slip into a black strapless dress and put on a pair of golden gladiator sandals. I put on my obsidian necklace and my golden stud earrings. ¡°Brooke?¡± I hear mom call from downstairs. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready!¡± I put on lip gloss and a spritz of lavender perfume and yell ¡°coming!¡± I open the door and run downstairs. ¡°Hi, honey.¡± My mom says. ¡°Daniel and Melanie are in the dining room. I made salmon for us and mac and cheese for you, since your a vegetable.¡± I snort. I decided to become a vegetarian when I was five, when my dad took me to his friend¡¯s matanza. I cried all day. I told my mom ¡°I want to be a vegetable.¡± I meant vegetarian, but my mom still teases me about it. ¡°Brooke, are you ok? You took, like, a four hour nap. I came in to check on you and you were conked out.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. I''m fine. Just a long day. And I got up early and went to the stables to hang out with Lizzy.¡± Lizzy¡¯s my horse. She¡¯s a missouri fox trotter buckskin. ¡°Jane? Brooke?¡± my dad calls. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready.¡± I walk into the dining room and sit down. Our table is made from oak wood. My grandpa made it before he passed. It has his initials carved in the corner. We have a glass chandelier that would hold candles, but our family is too lazy and modern to light real ones, so they¡¯re plastic. The floor and counters are granite, and the chairs and cabinets are oak. The handles for the cabinets are glass, so are other various details. The chair legs, dishwasher, fridge, etc. are all copper. My parents can¡¯t STAND things that don¡¯t match. ¡°Hi Daniel, Hi Melanie.¡± I say. Daniel is my mom¡¯s boss, and Melanie is his wife. ¡°Moooom, how come brooke gets mac and cheese? I HATE salmon.¡± my little sister, Molly, whines. ¡°Would you rather give up Chicken Quesadillas?¡± my mom asks. ¡±Cant have chicken if you¡¯re a vegetarian.¡± Molly scowls and glares at the frying pan. Chicken Quesadillas are my sister¡¯s FAVORITE food. She loves them like crazy. My dad wears a black and blue striped shirt and black and blue plaid jeans. ¡°Dad, your not supposed to wear plaid and stripes. It clashes.¡± I say. Dad smiles, shrugs and puts salmon on plates. Mom, who sits at the head of the table, grabs plates and passes them clockwise around the table, as is our tradition, until everyone has a plate. Dad brings me my mac and cheese and sits down in between me and Molly. Ruby lays down on my feet and looks up at me hopefully, wanting a bite of my food. ¡°Ruby, go lay down.¡± I say. ¡°You already had dinner.¡± she whimpers and goes to her crate, wrestling her stuffed animal. ¡°So¡± my mom turns to Daniel. ¡°How are your kids?¡± ¡°Ah, they¡¯re fine. Cory¡¯s going to NYU next year.¡± ¡°Really? I thought he got into UNM.¡± ¡°Yeah, he decided against it.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Mom says. ¡°Daniel, how¡¯s Ellie?¡± I ask. Ellie babysat me when I was seven. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s good. Next month she¡¯s moving to Alaska to become a Marine Biologist.¡± ¡°Thats cool!¡± I say, taking a bite of my mac and cheese. ¡°Hey mom, I have a truckload of homework, and I want to call grandma. May I be excused?¡± ¡°Sure, honey. Just put your bowl in the dishwasher.¡± she says. I nod and do so. I run upstairs and get started on my homework. Chapter 3 Chrys ¡°Oh, please.¡± I say. ¡°Don''t you think if i wanted to hurt you I probably would''ve done it as soon as you came in here? I would¡¯ve come through a back window or something. Murderers don¡¯t walk into a police station, much less through the front door. ¡°And I¡¯ve been trained to dodge bullets. You couldn¡¯t hurt me if you tried. Now, is Officer Abbot here?¡± That catches him off guard. ¡°Uh¡­ ok. Yeah. um. Let me go get her.¡± he backs off from through the door, eyeing me warily. I smirk. I also got trained to argue with flawless logic, and pose my body language as though i¡¯m not lying. ¡°Winged girl¡­. Didn¡¯t even blink when I drew my gun.¡± I hear the man on the other side of the door. It opens and him and a woman walk into the room. Her cold eyes rake over me. She has white-blonde hair, ice colored eyes, and sharp features. She is ridiculously skinny, and probably in her early forties. I recognize her. Dr. Amanda Clark. She was Dr. Turow¡¯s right hand man up until I was about seven. She was always nice to me in little ways, like being gentle with the needle for blood samples, or congratulating me on successes in training. She even let me call her Amanda when we were alone. She was the closest thing to a mom I ever had. I thought she left because of those things. It is restricted for anyone to show me any kindness or softness, they want me to be cold, hard, a warrior. ¡°You can leave us, Officer Arroyo.¡± She says. She crosses the room to me. ¡°Chrysanthemum.¡± she says, her voice thick with emotion. ¡°I- I missed you so much.¡± I take a step back. Thats¡­¡­ wow. ¡°Um¡­. Dr. Clark?¡± ¡°Erika Abbot, while we¡¯re here. At home you can call me Amanda.¡± ¡°What? Home?¡± ¡°You¡¯re staying at my house.¡± ¡°Ooookay. Chrys, please.¡± She does something unexpected. She wraps her arms around me, squishing me. I pull away. ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± I say. ¡°Oh my god, I¡¯m sorry! I forgot how little physical contact you get. You have a lot to learn.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. *¡ï* I watch as Amanda¡¯s car pulls into a garage in a house atop a hill. It is large for a small town like this. She has a three story baby blue mansion, a huge swimming pool and hot tub, roofdeck, and no neighbors, except for a VERY large, gray building with tinted windows and no doors except a hole in the roof. I swoop down and land next to her car. She gets out. ¡°Um. Hi.¡± she says. ¡°We have a lot to catch up on.¡± I nod and go inside. To my left is her living room, with a 55 inch TV, three couches, and an intricately designed cherry wood/glass coffee table. On the far wall is a bookshelf filled with many, many, many books, some of which I saw at the facility. Behind that is some sort of control or communication center, with three 45 inch TVs, countless computers, and a six foot file cabinet. Behind that is a hallway. To my right is an industrial size kitchen complete with two huge fridge/freezers, two dishwashers, seemingly infinite cabinets and drawers, and a large island. The hallway comes into the kitchen and there is another door that I assume leads to the garage. Next to the kitchen is a dining room that seats twelve. In front of me is an oak staircase. ¡°So¡± Amanda says, shutting the door. ¡°The hallway behind that techno junk is the guest bathroom, complete with heated toilets and an authentic japanese soaking tub, and door to the backyard. Third floor is bedrooms and office space, at the end of the hallway is a hidden door to a research lab of sorts, but I rarely use it. I do still have to take blood and feather samples, though. ¡°Second floor is guest bedrooms, a spare office, and an exercise room. You can have a guest room if you like, or you can hang in that gray building, which is more what you¡¯re used to, and has a gym like your old one. I know you don¡¯t sleep, so I moved the bed out of the spare room on the third floor just in case.¡± ¡°I''ll take the gray building. Are there security cameras in there?¡± I say. ¡°Yes, but there is a control panel so you can shut them off.¡± ¡°Ok, i¡¯m going to go check it out.¡± *¡ï* I swoop through the hole, which is barely big enough for my wingspan, and land on the ground. The width of the building is probably 45x45ft, and the height is probably 50ft. Hanging from the ceiling are monkey bars and a line of hoops for me to fly through, ranging from a few inches under my wingspan to less than my arm span, and at different intervals and heights. A huge fan is installed in the wall in front of me, with a row of four foot tall hurdles next to it. I see taller hurdles stacked against the wall under the fan. Next to that is a row of exercise equipment, including a treadmill, weights, various exercise machines for my wings, and more. Behind me and to my right is an obstacle course, complete with hurdles ranging from 2-15 feet, sand pits to run through/jump over, tunnels, a narrow hallway-type thing that has obstacles coming out of it, and more. On my right, against the wall, is lots of shelving stocked with bins and boxes of who knows what. Above that is a climbing wall, tinted windows, then an alcove type thing with a couch, a coffee table, a desk, a bookshelf, and a tv. Against the far wall is a kitchenette with cabinets, a mini fridge/freezer, a sink, and a microwave. On the floor is a teal shag rug. I fly up and land. I take off my black $180 Nike Ultraboosts and set them in the corner. I grab a coke out of the fridge and plop down on the couch. I¡¯ll train tonight.