<untitled short story>
An unforgiving, bitterly cold wave of raindrops were casting themselves on the city. It had begun to pour sometime around the early night, a light drizzle that had overstayed its welcome, harsher and rougher by the hour. Even with an umbrella, you'd be lucky if it were just your shoes that got hit. Mostly anyone who had planned to go outside was now dreading the very idea; they were either resigning themselves to hearing the rough -- though oddly calming -- steps of raindrops clanking against their windows, or had put on a heavy raincoat and quickly dashed to their cars. To many, however, it was nothing but a storm that would soon pass -- the clouds would clear, the sun would rise, and once again they'd greed the same old city, bustling with life as people walked around. Going to see the movies, booking a reservation at your favorite restaurant, or admiring the greenery and serenity of the park -- whatever it was, almost everyone in this city had something to look forward to, something to, at the very least, gently nudge them into having a place to go, and a place to rest.
One such girl, however, would not have that luxury. And to her, it was a question of whether the raindrops pouring onto her clothes would be her last sensation.
Raincoats, umbrellas, sunrises, parks... in this little girl's mind, none of this mattered. And for all she knew, it wouldn't matter anymore. Hurriedly dashing through the freezing, rough rain, the girl's pitter patters were leading her aimlessly. She didn't know why she even bothered taking off. What good would it do in the end? All she remembered was how her heart would not stop racing. How short her breath was, how everything had blurred, blurred, blurred.. until she lost herself. She lost herself and ran, ran. Ran as far as her mind could take her, ran as far as her legs could still hold her. She painfully slowed down, her lungs weathered, as she found herself in an alleyway, the only place of temporary refuge her mind could think of. She fell over, her chin grazing against the concrete, her arms slamming against the thankless ground. Her clothes were tattered, soaked by the rain, weak against giving her body any type of comfort against the weather. It was so cold.. so bitterly, bitterly cold.
Tears had begun streaming down her face, joining the countless barrage of raindrops hitting her face. She knew that if she lay here, she may not be able to get up again. What difference did it make, though? She couldn't outrun the authorities that her parents had called. Sooner or later, through days, weeks, or months of hiding, she'd make one tiny mistake, and it would get her dragged back to the household she had so desperately fled from. A part of her had hoped this would be her end, succumbing to the harsh cold. At least then, it would be her own choice.
Suddenly, her face began to dry. Having been lost in a mental spiral, she did not even notice how she suddenly felt warmer, until a soft, gentle whisper had cut into her ear. "You..." the voice spoke, bearing equal amounts curiosity as it did concern. "You're tired, aren't you...?" The little girl suddenly sprung up. An endless array of dazzling, soft feathers could be felt on every inch of the little girl's body. In front of her was a figure far prettier than any dress she could have hoped of purchasing in secret. Standing proudly above the figure's curly, poofy hair, was a halo that gave off such a gentle, warm vibration, that you could bask in its heat during the winter season.
"A-Are you...?" the little girl began to speak, before the figure gently placed a finger on the girl's lips. "You're exhausted. What were you thinking, going out in... this?" the figure said, as she gestured broadly towards the sky. The girl curled p a little bit, burying her face in her knees. She was at a loss of words. Not only embarrassed, but bewildered at what was transpiring in front of her very own eyes. Her eyes wandered a bit, wondering if this had all been one giant delusion.
"Hey, it's okay..." the figure spoke, placing her hand on one of the girl's knees. The girl peeked her eyes up, as the figure said, "I'm not exactly the smartest either. But, please.. take care of yourself. Your bodies aren't strong enough for this. You're lucky I peeked down when I did, or you might have..." the figure's voice trailed off, as the girl continued staring at her. Quickly changing the subject, the figure asked, "You know, I bet someone as adorable as you must have a really pretty name. What is it?" She spoke, with a softer, more inviting tone of voice.
The girl's cheeks flushed red, a silence hanging in the air, before she answered, "L-Lucy.. it's Lucy.." The figure smiled, giggling a bit. "Lucy... that's a very pretty name for a very pretty girl. Are you happy with it?" The girl nodded. "It's not.. the name they gave me. But I thought it was prettier, so.. I call myself Lucy!" The figure cocked her head to the side a little bit; "The name "they" gave you? Who's...?" she spoke, before taking notice of the girl beginning to bury her face into her knees again. "...It's okay, Lucy. I think it's wonderful. Likely as wonderful as..." the figure would say, before placing a finger on the girl's nose. "...this girl!"
Lucy giggled, showing her face again. The figure had a sigh of relief, although she was unsure what to say next. The two of them sat together like this for the next few seconds, Lucy tightly wrapped in the figure's wings, before she asked, ".. What aboouuuut.. you!" Lucy asked curiously. The figure paused for a moment, unsure what to say. She had no name -- why would she? For, up until now, the figure would have no reason to meet someone like Lucy. After a moment's hesitation, the figure had an idea.
"...You know, why don't you give me one?" she asked, equally as curious as she was slightly anxious. "You gave yourself such a pretty name. You should give me a pretty name, too!"
Lucy's eyes beamed, as she began to flap her hands, loosening her curled-up position. "Oooh! Oooh! R-Really? I can... I can...?!" Lucy asked, as the figure giggled. "Of course, Lucy. You're such a sweetheart." Lucy paced her eyes around the figure's body -- her soft wings, her lustrous halo, her silken robe -- before excitedly responding, "Caroline! Caroline would be so pretty! So pretty like your feathers, your glowing little thingy and your eyes and.. y-your..." she trailed off, as she found herself discovering her shyness once more. "I-I mean, if you want to, you don't have to, I just, I--" Lucy would be interrupted by the figure's gentle encouragement. -- "Caroline sounds lovely, dear. I'm very proud of you!"
"Hee-hee...!" Lucy said, flapping her wings once more. "Caroline is so lovely too!!" she beamed. Caroline wrapped Lucy around her arms, as she whispered into Lucy's ears: "Do you want to go on a journeyyyy?~"
Lucy's eyes began to spark up, as she exclaimed, "Please, p-please!" Caroline smiled. Lucy was wrapped within Caroline's comfort. So much so, that she had forgotten about the minutes and hours ticking by. The sun began to rise, as the rain had completely cleared out by this point. Caroline pulled away from their hug, turned her back to Lucy, and kneeled down, inviting her to hop onto her back. "Come on... we're gonna go flying!"
Lucy squealed, holding tight, tightly onto her back. Before they took off, Lucy had asked Caroline one last question.
"Those feathers, and your glowy thingy... does that mean you're a, a..?"
Caroline giggled. "You're a very smart girl, Lucy." She paused, before answering,
"Of course, silly. I'm an angel. I'm not supposed to let you see me like this. Do you know what that means?"
Lucy would hesitate, "N.. no.. am I in trouble?"
Caroline giggled even more. "Of course not, silly! It just means you're a very special girl. Keep this secret, okay?"
Lucy's eyes beamed, as she nodded excitedly. "Y-Yeah, yeah!! I will! I will!!"
And as quickly as Lucy had climbed Caroline's back, they took off, Lucy's hair brushing against the soft, morning breeze, the city skylines shining beautifully from above. The skyscrapers towering alongside the two of them, the busy cars trickling underneath, the gentle sun greeting the city. Lucy had begun to tear up once more. This time, however, there was a smile for the tears to stream down onto.