by Cheree Alsop
A cheer went up at his words. Principal Kelley smiled at me. “Well done, son,” he said without the microphone. He gave my shoulder a squeeze. “I’m proud of you.”
Coach Andrews took the mic. “It is with our great pleasure and gratitude that we present this football signed by the team and coaches here at Crosby High to Reece for his selfless act. Thank you.”
I accepted the ball with numb fingers. Everyone was watching me and cheering. It was more than I ever expected. I could barely breathe. Coach Andrews slapped me on the back, always helpful. I carried the ball off the field with Principal Kelley at my side.
When we were away from the spotlight, I stopped and leaned against the back of the bleachers. Principal Kelley paused. “You alright?”
I stared at the football in my hands. “This is too much,” I said dazedly.
Principal Kelley smiled. “You deserve it, Reece. You put your life on the line for me, for the coaches, for the teachers, and for all those students out there.”
“Not for this,” I protested.
He nodded. “I know, and that’s why we did it. You didn’t care about fame or attention. You were just doing what you thought was right.”
I frowned, my thoughts scattered. “I was doing what I knew I could. There’s a difference.”
“What do you mean?”
I tried to put my feelings into words. “I knew nobody in the gym could stop those Galdoni, but I could.”
“Have you fought two Galdoni at the same time before?” Principal Kelley asked.
I nodded, but explained, “Younger Galdoni at the Academy, not full grown adults.”
“Have you fought a man with a gun before?”
I hesitated, then shook my head.
Principal Kelley nodded as if he had expected as much. “You didn’t know you could beat him.”
“Bullets pack a bit more punch than a fist,” I replied. I couldn’t help the wry smile. “No pun intended.”
The principal smiled back. “Reece, you might not feel like you deserve all this gratitude, but they feel like you do.” He gestured toward the stadium. “Saying thank you is our way of admitting we were unprepared for the situation and we’re grateful there was somebody there with the skills to handle it.”
I gripped the ball in both hands, allowing his words to sink in. He waited in silence, for which I was grateful. I finally nodded. “Thank you, Principal Kelley.”
“Thank you, Reece, for saving my students.” He shook my hand before turning toward the parking lot.
“Where are you off to?” I asked.
He turned so he walked backwards as he spoke. “We’re killing the Antlions. They haven’t scored since the first drive and we’re up forty. I’m going home to have dinner with my wife and daughter.”
“Have a good night,” I called.
He waved and disappeared between the cars.
Chapter Twelve
I had never been to a party before. Alice lived close enough to the school that everyone walked there after the game. The house was already lit up from the basement to the third floor balcony.
“Wow, Alice, this house is amazing!” Ava told her.
Alice smiled. “Thanks. My dad’s in the oil business. He’s going to get me a car when I pass driver’s ed. I’m pushing for a convertible Mustang.”
“Is that a nice car?” Ava asked.
“Best ever,” Amelia gushed from behind us. “She wants a pink one with a convertible top.”
“And a white leather interior,” Alice concluded. “I won’t let my smelly brother drive it because he’ll get the seats dirty.”
Ava and I exchanged a smile. She linked her arm through mine and we walked up the wide steps with the other students. Alice threw the doors open. Music rushed out to meet us. We walked through the tall doors to an entryway with marble floors and two sweeping staircases that circled each side of the room up to the second floor.
Students already spilled out of the kitchen carrying drinks and finger food.
“Awesome party, Alice,” Brian, the quarterback from the football team, said.
She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss. He kissed her back, pulling her to the side as he did so that the rest of us could get by.
“Come on,” Sam said, leading the way to the kitchen. Seth followed with a look in his eyes that said he would do anything she asked. She pointed out the food that was available along with an assortment of sodas and punch. “You can get other drinks in the pool house,” she said in a voice just over a whisper.
Seth glanced at me. “That’s okay. Galdoni aren’t supposed to drink.”
“Oh, right,” Sam replied with a wink. “The whole integration thing.”
Seth grinned. “More like the whole under-age thing. Getting Reece and Ava thrown in jail intoxicated would be the worst thing for the integration.”
Sam laughed as if he had just said the funniest thing in the world. He gave me a wide-eyed look. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the backyard. He shrugged at me with a helpless expression and followed.
“He’s sure smitten by her,” Ava said.
The excitement she felt at being at a party made her green eyes sparkle. I wanted more than anything to kiss her like Alice had kissed Brian. “I think I know how he feels,” I said.
She looked up at me. Her smile softened and the glow in her eyes deepened. She put a hand on my cheek. Heat flared where she touched me. “You’re amazing, Reece,” she said quietly. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me.
I closed my eyes and kissed her back, slipping my hand through her long silky hair to pull her closer. The feeling of her stole my breath and made me forget where we were. It felt like we were alone in the world, encircled by our wings and the embrace I never wanted to end.
“You guys are so cute!” Emily squealed.
I turned to see the cheerleader and several students watching us from the doorway. A blush ran across Ava’s cheeks and she ducked her head.
“Reece, Ava, come check out the pool,” Seth called from the back door. “The girls are already swimming!”
Glad for the chance to escape, we slipped through the back door and followed Seth down a set of stairs to the swimming pool set in the middle of a manicured lawn and bushes cut to look like swans.
“This is amazing,” Ava breathed.
The lights beneath the pool lit it in colors that changed in time to the music. Students were splashing and laughing. Several had jumped in wearing their clothes from the game, while a few girls had already changed into swimming suits.
“What’d I tell you?” Seth crowed. “This party rocks!” He handed Ava and I cups of punch. “Don’t worry,” he reassured us. “Sam showed me where the real stuff is. Make sure you don’t take anything from the bowl. It’s spiked.”
“What’s spiked?” Ava asked.
Sam appeared at Seth’s elbow. “Oh, you’re so cute!” she said in response to Ava’s question. They wandered away and left us confused.
“I never thought I’d hear Galdoni referred to as cute,” I said.
Ava laughed. “Yeah, and two times in the last ten minutes? You better punch someone to save your reputation.”
I was in the middle of sipping from the cup Seth had given me. Her words caught me by surprise and I had to take care not to spit punch all over her when I burst out laughing.
She grinned. “First one in the pool?”
“Do Galdoni swim?” Alice asked as she and Brian finally made their way from the kitchen.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ve never tried it.”
Alice’s face lit up. “Then let’s have a competition!”
Before I could stop her, she held up a hand and the music quieted as though someone had been waiting for the signal. A man in a black vest handed her a megaphone. I wondered how many others waited on Alice’s every need.
“Attention, please,” she said into the megaphone. When everyone continued conversing in their groups, s
he yelled, “Can I have your attention!” Everyone stopped talking. She smiled and flicked her red hair back from her shoulder. “Thank you. We have a competition. Reece, here, has challenged Brian to a race in the pool!”
Everyone cheered.
I shook my head. “Alice, I didn’t say I wanted to do that. I’ve never swam before, and—”
“It’s fine,” she replied, cutting short my protests. “Because Brian sucks at swimming.”
“Hey!” Brian protested.
“Don’t fish have wings?” Emily asked from my left.
“That’s fins, Em,” Alice corrected her with an impatient roll of the eyes. She grabbed the sleeve of my shirt. “Come on, Reece. You’ll do great!”
I looked at Ava. She followed with an encouraging expression on her face. “You’ll do great,” she mouthed.
I hesitated at the edge of the pool. Brian was already pulling off his shirt and pants, leaving him in white briefs. Several of the students whistled.
I couldn’t remember how I had gotten into the race. I slipped my shirt over my head, then paused at the silence that fell. I felt the stares of every student on the scars that lined my chest and back. I hadn’t been to the Arena, but growing up in the Academy where students fought with real blades by the time they were seven left many opportunities for scars. FH709 had given me a set of three deep scars across my chest from his favorite triple serrated blades. At the Galdoni Center, everyone had scars and so it was no big deal. I saw on the faces of those around me that this was a completely different situation.
A footstep followed by a soft touch on the shoulder heralded Ava. “You can beat him,” she said loud enough to tear everyone’s attention away.
Brian snorted. “As if,” he replied. He stood at the edge of the pool with his hands up and knees bent as if he dove into water every day.
“I may have lied about Brian being a bad swimmer,” Alice admitted. “He was captain of the swim team before he got interested in football.”
“Oh, great,” I replied. “Thanks for telling me.”
“You’re welcome,” she said.
I shook my head and walked to the edge. Ava followed. “Maybe it’s like flying,” she said, her voice hopeful.
“Maybe,” I replied doubtfully.
I lined up with Brian. He grinned and flexed his muscles for the crowd. The girls and a few guys cheered. Alice held up a towel. “On your mark,” she said, waving it in the air. “Get set, go!” She threw the towel down and we dove.
The second I hit the water, I floundered for a moment. My wings were quickly water-logged and I couldn’t make them respond; then Ava’s words sunk in. “Maybe it’s like flying,” I repeated.
I dove back under the water and pushed my wings like I did when I flew. I shot forward through the warm liquid. The lights danced around me. I could see Brian not far ahead. I pushed harder this time and flew past him. Despite the incredible length of the pool, the wall was coming up fast. I could either slow down, or try something that could turn out to be incredibly stupid. I never was the type to slow down.
I pushed my wings again angling for the bottom of the pool. The second my hands touched, I brought my feet beneath me and kicked while using my wings to propel me up. I broke the surface of the pool and flew into the air, showing the spectators with water. Shouts of dismay along with cheers and laughter met me when I landed on the side of the pool.
Brian’s head broke the surface. “Did I win?” he asked.
“He killed you!” Alice exclaimed.
I held out a hand. Brian hesitated, then a grin crossed his face and he took it. Alice threw him a towel. “Nice going,” she said.
“That was awesome!” Sam exclaimed. Several other spectators agreed.
“It was like you were flying under water,” Emily said with a giggle.
“That’s what it felt like,” I told her. “It was fun once I got the hang of it.”
Ava brought me a towel and my shirt. “Flying under water?” she said.
“It was you’re idea,” I replied with a grin. “You’re next.”
She laughed and handed me the towel. I dried off the best I could, but it was a warm night and air drying wasn’t such a bad idea. I took a seat with Ava on the lawn chairs that were spread nearby.
“That was beautiful,” a girl with green hair gushed.
“It was so graceful,” her blue-haired friend agreed.
“Wings would be handy in football,” a voice said.
I looked up just as Randy, the boy who had walked with Ava, dragged a chair over and sat down.
“Touchdowns would be a breeze.” He gave a wide smile. “Get it? It’s because you’d use the breeze.”
Several of the girls giggled.
I smiled at Ava. Her eyes twinkled with the lights strung on lines overhead. I wanted to kiss her again. I let out a slow breath, reminding myself that we were in a crowd.
I leaned on an elbow toward Randy. “This may not be socially appropriate to admit, but I wanted to kill you the first time I saw you,” I said amiably.
His eyes widened and he sat up; he didn’t look scared, just interested. “Why is that?”
“Well,” I glanced at Ava who watched us both curiously. “I thought you were putting the moves on Ava. I’ve never felt so jealous,” I admitted. I smiled, “But I know Ava’s mine now, so I—”
I saw Ava tense out of the corner of my eye. “I’m not anyone’s,” she snapped with true anger in her voice.
Surprised, I held up a hand. “I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant—”
Ava stood up. “Nobody owns me,” she said loud enough that the students across the pool could hear. Silence fell as she stalked across the backyard and into the house.
I looked back at Randy. He shrugged with the same wide-eyed expression as if he didn’t know what had happened either. I grabbed my shirt from the back of the chair and hurried after Ava. I ran through the house and caught up to her as she stormed across the front porch. “Ava, wait!” I grabbed her arm.
She turned and hit my hand away. “Don’t touch me like that!”
Caught completely off guard by her sudden change in demeanor, I held up my hands. “I’m sorry, Ava. I don’t know what I did wrong.”
The few students who were relaxing on the steps had the good sense to go inside. Ava leaned her head against one of the pillars. She was crying. I didn’t know whether to try to comfort her or leave her alone. My impulses hadn’t done well for me so far. Against every longing in my heart, I turned to leave.
“Reece, wait.”
The heartache in her voice ate away my doubts. I hurried to her and wrapped her in my arms. “Ava, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Whatever I said, I take back a hundred times over.”
“It’s not you, Reece,” she said, her tears falling on my bare chest. “It’s just. . .it’s. . . too many memories,” she concluded with a sob.
I led her over to the porch swing in the corner and sat down. She curled up against me, her legs tucked beneath her and her head under my arm so that she rested against my chest. Her dark gray wings spread along her body to chase away the chill of the night air.
I waited until she chose to speak. If it was memories that haunted her, I had enough of my own to know what a torment they could be.
“I just heard it over and over again,” she said softly. “She’s mine. She’s my property. She’s my right.” She stifled a sob. “Then they would take me. They would. . . hurt me. They had no right.” Her hands clenched into fists. “I’m nobody’s,” she shouted with enough vehemence that the words echoed along the porch.
I smoothed her hair, at a loss for words. Anger built up inside of me. I wanted to find whoever had hurt her and make them pay. They shouldn’t have gotten away with it. Nobody should leave a girl trembling in a fear at a touch on the arm or a word spoken without thought.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t know.”
“It’s not yours, either,” I told her. She kept silent. I could tell that she didn’t believe me. I willed her to understand. “Do you remember when you said all Galdoni are killers, and you had hoped I was different?” She nodded without speaking. I tipped my chin down so that it rested on her head. “I told you that you couldn’t choose your origin, only what you make of it.”
Memories flashed through my mind, boys crying as they learned to stitch their own wounds, knuckles beating against swinging bags, the soft snick of a whip cutting into flesh, the sound of boots walking past my solitary confinement room. “We were created to be victims, Ava,” I told her softly. “We were made to be products, me for a society that needed an outlet and a government short of money, you for power-hungry fools who don’t understand the meaning of innocence.” I took her hand. Her fingers laced between mine, filling me with warmth. “You might have lived through it, but you aren’t a result of it,” I told her.
She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “It feels like the same thing,” she said.
“You are far more than those men ever knew,” I told her. There was an expression in her eyes as if she needed to hear it, to be told the things she had hoped but never dared to truly believe. I told her the things I knew were true. “You are so strong, Ava. You are your own person, brave, defiant, beautiful, and full of grace.” I smiled. “Whenever I look at you, I’m filled with such peace and joy because the light that shines from you brings warmth wherever you go. It’s as if I’m Superman and you’re my sun.”
The cheesy analogy brought a smile to her face like I had hoped.
I continued, “Never settle for what they told you to be. You are so much more. You are here because you’re a fighter. You don’t give up, and you know there is something better around the corner. Believe in your dreams, Ava, because I believe in them for you. Whatever you want to be or do, you can. You are so amazing.” Tears burned in my eyes. I blinked to keep them from falling. “I’m not even worthy of you. I’m a Galdoni with blood on my hands. You deserve so much more. I don’t know why you even hang around me.”