I gawked at him, my eyes growing wide. "What?"
"It was something that was happening more frequently, but from the rumors and articles, the hunts were planned or paid for. Hunters don't just randomly attack an entire town without a reason. I had a feeling that I wasn't simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. I think my stepmom paid for them to attack the town. I wanted to run, but there had been a festival going on and there were a lot of kids there. I couldn't imagine their wings being cut off, or the torment it would bring them trying to live without them. I fought the hunters for as long as I could, at least until all the kids were rescued. Myself and seven others were captured and taken as hostages. I think we were in captivity for a week or two? It's all a blur really."
He shrugged as though it wasn't a life-changing event.
"We were all tortured and they punished us by taking our wings slowly. Feather by feather, until we were featherless. Then they ripped them out of our backs. In the end, I was the only one who survived. The others killed themselves the night before I was rescued. One of the guards had left the machete they had used to cut our wings, and they all slit their throats and bled to death. Gruesome really, but as much as I tried to persuade myself to do the same, I couldn't. I knew I didn't deserve to die. Nor would I give my stepmom that satisfaction. My brother and members of S.S.S. were able to infiltrate the hunter base and rescue me, but the damage was done."
"Yuriel...I...I don't know what to say," I confessed through tears.
He looked at me with interest. "It's okay. It happened. Nothing to cry over."
"Yuriel. Your own stepmom planned for you to become a fallen angel. That's something to cry about...you had to deal with the pain and seeing others kill themselves," I stressed.
"Yes, but it can't be changed. Why waste your precious tears on something that can't be undone?" He shrugged again. "Only my brother, mom, biological dad — and, well…recently you and the others — have been nice to me. No one ever cared when I cried at home. No one batted an eye when I cried for my mom to return. Everyone did their best to avoid me after word got out that I'd become a fallen angel. That's how we eventually ended up living around here."
He reached out to fold more clothes as he talked.
"I knew my mom would hear the news eventually, but I didn't want to be neglected by her, too. I used the money I'd been saving to get the apartment here. I basically shut everyone out, even my brother. Daichi realized my depression was serious and somehow managed to get into my apartment, even with the bunch of barrier spells I'd put up. He wouldn't leave. Very annoying."
"Is that why he took two years off?"
"Yup. It took me about a year before everything really began to sink in. What had happened, the reality of what I was now, the hardship I'd endure in my own society. I'd already dealt with being an outcast due to my birth. Imagine now that I was a fallen angel? My brother had to sit me down and asked what I wanted in life. I wasn't sure, but I did wish to see my mom again."
A smile formed on his lips as his eyes closed.
"The very next day, I woke up to a pot of soup that I adored when I was a kid. My mom was the only one who could make it just right. I knew that meant she was in my apartment, but I felt as though that was impossible. I was a fallen angel. She wouldn't want to be around me, and yet, there she was with my biological dad and brother. They had a cake to wish me a happy birthday and it had black wings on it. I don't know why, but it meant everything to me. That cake told me they knew what I was and they still loved me."
He opened his eyes, the silver in them twinkling with joy.
"After that, my parents stayed with me for a full year, along with my brother. My mom would cook and make remedies that would aid in growing my wings back. My dad would put special ointments on my back to make the regrowth of my wings a lot easier. It's painful to grow them back. Like crippling pain. When I got pain spurts, Mom or Dad would hold me and sing to soothe me. It was weird at times. I thought parents would only help when their kids were young. Not when I was a grown-ass man, but they were there, just like my brother."
He smiled then. "When I got my black wings, it was hard to adapt. You always assume when people talk about these things that it's merely a legend, but the proof was there when I looked in the mirror and summoned my wings. I couldn't avoid seeing them because I had to stretch them out every day until I was completely healed, but again, my parents helped me out."
"What happened to your stepparents?" I asked.
"They still live in the same place." Yuriel shrugged. "We didn't have enough evidence to prove it was my stepmom and I honestly didn't care anymore. She thought she'd broken me, but I got the last laugh. I went over there with my brother because he needed something signed by his dad. We ended up having dinner, and Daichi made sure to rub in their faces that I'd gotten into S.S.S."
He began to chuckle. "The look on her face was pure gold. It made me feel like all the pain I'd endured had paid off. That I'd come out of this as the true winner. We went back to my apartment that evening and had a little celebration with my parents. That was the day I went to get my bike and stuff and then picked you up," he concluded.
"Yuriel. Wow...your story is...heart moving," I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek.
He reached out to stop the second tear on its descent down my cheek.
"Glad to know it's not a complete sob story," he replied. "First time telling anyone. Feels...nice."
"Thank you for telling me," I whispered. He nodded, and we continued to fold the remaining clothes.
"Why did you wake me up?"
"Because you're going to get sunburn!"
“Hellhounds don't get sunburn, idiot."
"And I have darker skin."
"Just because you both have darker skin has nothing to do with it!"
Yuriel and I both leaned over to see Ryuu, Wolfgang, and Dimitri down the hall.
"Have you ever seen a black person wear sunscreen?" Ryuu asked.
"No! But that's because you always say you're too dark to get burned," Wolfgang revealed.
"Exactly. See this smooth chocolate skin? The sun can't burn its glorious surface,” Ryuu said with pride.
"He's right. The darker your skin, the safer you are." Dimitri nodded before he yawned.
"Who the fuck taught you this shit?" Wolfgang groaned. "You know what? I'll ask Blossom. She's going to force y'all to wear sunscreen."
"It's already fall. Why the hell do we need it?" Ryuu asked.
"And where is Blossom?" Dimitri questioned. He began sniffing the air and his face brightened as he looked our way. "Blossom!"
I giggled while Yuriel rolled his eyes. "You could have looked down the hall and seen us," Yuriel pointed out.
The three of them came into the laundry room, glancing at the folded clothes.
"Holy. Silver? Did you wash all our clothes?" Wolfgang asked.
"And dry them?" Dimitri asked.
"Is Yuriel actually folding clothes? This feels like a rare moment," Ryuu commented.
Yuriel and I rose up, while Star moved to greet Dimitri by tugging at the ankle part of his sweatpants.
"Hey, guys,” I greeted. "Yeah. I like doing laundry when I need to think and decided I might as well do all of yours since the baskets were full."
"Aww. We could have helped. Sorry for making you work," Wolfgang apologized.
"Nah. It's my Sunday ritual. I really don't mind," I admitted.
"Sunday ritual?" Yuriel asked.
I nodded. "When my dad was alive, our family would do laundry every Sunday together. It was like my time to talk with my dad when things were bothering me. We stopped after he died, but I still kept the habit of doing my own laundry on Sundays."
Dimitri moved to stand next to me. "Is something bothering you?"
The others gave me their full attention and I gave them an appreciative look.
"I know it's taken me a few days to process what happened on the first day of class, but I wanted to say
thank you for not treating me any differently."
I bowed my head to them and smiled.
"Whenever I thought of telling anyone that Callister had used his power on me to do whatever, I was afraid of being...called a liar? I'd already seen the influence he had on our city and that he'd always be seen as the good rich boy. The word rape holds such weight in our society, and I guess no one thinks it can happen, especially when you agree to date an incubus."
I looked down to my hands that were slightly trembling at the thought.
"I assumed people would just call me stupid or a girl blinded by love. I can't say they were wrong. Not fully. I did love Callister. I cared for him and thought the attention he was giving me was pure. I assumed he actually cared for me and wanted the best. I thought if I did whatever he wanted, it would make him happy...but sex was the one thing I didn't want to give away. It was what made me feel like I had control of where the relationship was going, and I wanted to be the decision maker. Like, if I gave him my purity, that meant that I wouldn't have regrets because it was my decision."
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
"But I didn't get that choice. When it happened, it was like a blur. One minute I was sitting on the bed, and the next I was awake, in pain, and heartbroken. I couldn't confront the situation then and there, and by the time I finally had the guts to, my dad got sick. I've never really enjoyed being in a relationship. I don't know if I'm going too fast either."
I looked up to them, showing them the vulnerable part of me I'd always been scared to put on display.
"I love when you guys kiss me, like on the forehead, or when you hold my hand or hug me. The closeness I share with you is far different than anything I had with Callister. It's with good intention. I know that for sure. I'm just scared...that maybe we're going too fast? I'm worried I'll do something to fuck this whole thing up. I want this to work out, but what if my insecurities and fear cause it all to crumble down?"
I lowered my head and ran my hand through my hair nervously.
"It's just been hard to think about and I wanted today to do just that. I don't want to run away from this. To let the fear take control of what I truly want. I think this relationship among the five of us can work. I know it can. My gut has never steered me wrong before. I knew that Callister wasn't the one for me, but I ignored it. I don't want to ignore my gut feeling this time and lose you guys."
With a nod to myself, I lifted my head in confidence while I clenched my trembling hands.
"This is the time where I get to control my life. I'm not being manipulated and I intend to maintain that control. Each of you has given me the chance to learn more about you. I'd like to do the same. To live the best life in these four years while being oddly different."
I paused, trying to figure out exactly what I was getting at. "So...uh...hmm...I kinda don't know what I was going to say to make this sound all epic and motivating."
They all smiled, and Dimitri put his hand out.
"Everyone has hardships in their life, but we get stronger by facing them."
Wolfgang nodded, putting his hand out on Dimitri's.
"There's always light at the end of the tunnel, so no matter how dark our pasts may be, they don’t define our future. We are the ones in control of whether we remain in the dark or fight to reach toward the light."
Ryuu smiled and placed his hand next.
"We all may have just met a week and a half ago, but I've grown a lot already, and found a group of individuals who have made this journey a lot easier with a hint of fun. Our pasts may all be different, just like the colors of our skin and races, but in the end, we're together here and I wouldn't want it any other way."
Yuriel put his hand out next, his eyes meeting mine.
"You somehow brought us together, Silver. Even with our various personalities, strengths, appearances, and backgrounds. You allowed us not only to be your teammates but gave us a chance at love. We're all learning, or at least I am, but I know that being by your side has been amazing already. Our dark pasts are what molded us. They’re what guided us to one another and to this very moment. It's now our choice to walk forward toward a bright future, and I know just like the three guys here with me that our future includes you in the equation. We'll have fights and disagreements. Who knows what the future holds, but I'm hoping that no matter where this relationship goes, we'll always be together."
Dimitri nodded. "Whether it be as teammates."
"Or friends,” Wolfgang cheered.
"Or lovers," Ryuu added.
"No matter what we are at the end of our four years, let's do our best to support one another and reach our goal of becoming spy graduates of S.S.S.," Yuriel vowed with a wide smile.
The others were also smiling as they waited for me to make my decision.
"I seriously struck gold with meeting you guys," I said to myself, wiping away the tears that rolled down my cheeks.
I placed my hand on theirs, noticing the slight glow of the ring that acknowledged our union.
"No matter if we're teammates, friends, or lovers, I want this bond between us to be strong and impenetrable. We will have hardships and disagreements, but I always want us to remember that we're in this together. I may not have had control in the past, but I sure am able to make my decisions now, and I know we can do this. I know this relationship among us is molded by destiny. Thank you for accepting me, and I hope this Sunday vow can be the start of an amazing semester and four-year journey, together as one unit."
"Mewr!" Star hopped onto our joined hands and we all laughed.
"Star approves. That means we're official!" Wolfgang cheered. "This calls for a celebration!"
"We have school tomorrow," Ryuu groaned.
"Don't be a party pooper." Dimitri chuckled. "Let's help put these clothes back in our rooms and then we can have a big party!"
"We need cake," Yuriel declared.
"Approved!" Wolfgang declared. "Cake for Yuriel."
"For all of us," Yuriel corrected.
"You'll secretly eat it all," Dimitri grinned with a knowing smile. "You ate the cheesecake in the fridge this week, didn't you?"
"No," Yuriel said with a blank expression.
“Angels can't lie!" Dimitri pointed to him. "I swear that was a lie."
"Maybe you worded it wrong." Ryuu sighed. "Anyway, let's hurry up. I'm starving. We got to meal prep, too."
"All right. Laundry away, meal prep, party, cake for Yuriel," Wolfgang concluded.
"Perfect," Dimitri and Ryuu agreed.
They worked on getting the baskets full of folded clothes, each of them taking one and heading out the door.
I looked up to Yuriel, who shrugged. "They're weird."
"But?" I pressed with a smile. His face softened while his lips curled up into a confident smile. "But they're pretty awesome."
I giggled. "So are you." I slipped my hand in his and took a deep breath.
"Ready for us to tackle this semester head on?"
"As long as you're there, I'll always be ready," he replied.
With a firm nod, we headed down the hall while Star ran around our feet carrying Yuriel's socks in her mouth.
No more doubt. No more second guesses. I'm going to live my best life attending the school I've dreamed of being accepted into. There will be ups and downs. I'll have to face people I wish to never see, but I will be strong and conquer anything thrown our way.
I, Silver Spell Solange, will prove that I am a fighter and will graduate from S.S.S. school.
~SEMESTER ONE END~
27
First Dance With You
~ELEVEN WEEKS LATER~
* * *
"I can fix my own tie," Yuriel grumbled.
"Shut up and stay still, dammit," Ryuu snapped back. "Our asses didn't give you the 'Take Our Leader To The Winter Ball’ title for you to complain. I'll fix your damn tie if I want to."
"Hear that?" Dimitri asked. "It's Ryuu's heartache for losing the perfect
opportunity to dance with Blossom. Ah. This should be turned into a film."
"Who would even watch that shit?" Wolfgang roared. "I actually like seeing him suffer for once. Wait till they leave. He's going to mope all night until they get home in the morning.
"Morning?" Ryuu argued. "Who said y'all are staying the night?"
"I never said anything,” Yuriel groaned. "I wanna go back to sleep."
"No," the three of them replied.
I held back a snicker as I moved away from the cracked door of my room. Turning around, I headed to my vanity to apply the final touch to my extravagant appearance.
Reaching for the bright red lip gloss, I slowly applied it evenly on my lips, making sure there was enough gloss to really bring out the pink sparkles.
With a firm nod to my reflection, I put the lipstick into my small purse and walked to the standing mirror in the corner of the room to view the final product.
My long silver hair was in curls, the turquoise highlights having doubled with all of my magic usage of late.
I hadn't even known about that until yesterday, but it seemed to complement my hair in all its curly glory.
Zuri had come by to help ensure my hair was on point, styling the front and sides behind my ears so my Swarovski earrings would show.
They matched the massive snowflake necklace I wore, and combined with the snowflake bangle and ring, I was hitting the mark on the winter theme for tonight.
I wore my school watch but had used magic to completely change its appearance to suit the occasion and wore the charm bracelet Scarlet had given me.
The beautiful ring on my left ring finger was still golden, the one piece of jewelry that I wasn't willing to change to fit my appearance.
I wore a spaghetti strap mermaid gown that hugged every curve of my fit frame. The bodice had a sheer lace down to my cleavage and then transitioned to the sparkling white material.
On close inspection, the dress had tiny pink and red sparkles that glistened in the light and matched my white heels, which were glazed with pink and red sparkles.
SSS: Year One (Supernatural Spy School Book 1) Page 31