Angel: Scene 4

6 May 2054

She woke, stretching and yawning. Four days had passed since Ed had walked into her life and she had healed his injuries. She was glad he was there. They were both mutants, she accepted that now, and that forged a bond between them, a bond of trust between unlikely bedfellows.
She blushed as she realized the double entendre of her thoughts. Then she blushed again as she recalled the dream she’d had just before waking; Ed, standing like a sleek Greek god in her bathtub. Not a chance, she thought savagely as she threw the blanket aside and stood. She peeled off her nightgown and stalked naked into the adjoining bathroom to stare at her reflection in the mirror. I’m fat and as plain as dishwater, she thought. I’m setting myself up for yet another fall, she added with brutal honesty.
But he is so beautiful, and so gentle, she thought, tears welling up. The back of her shoulder itched. She raised her hand to scratch it and froze, then snatched her hand away.
A lump! Oh, no! Panic filled her mind as she recalled the hideous, runaway cancerous growths she had seen on television when the mutants first appeared. “Oh my God, no!” she cried, cowering to the floor in terror. That first mutant, deformed and covered with scaly lumps, the light of madness in his eyes as he shambled across the screen; the lump on her back seemed to feel the way that poor mutant’s had looked.
Ed charged into the bathroom at the sound of her cry. “What’s wrong, Alaina?”
“I … I can’t look,” she gasped. “I … I have lumps growing on my shoulders and … I’m afraid to look. I’m … turning into a monster! I … I need you to look for me. Tell me what you see.” She turned, oblivious of her nudity in her fear.
“Alaina,” he announced mournfully a moment later, “you’re growing wings.” He grinned as she spun around, searching his eyes for deceit. “They look like dove’s wings.”
“What? You’re kidding!” she exclaimed. She turned and stared into the large mirror over the sink. “You’re right! They … they aren’t hideous at all. They’re darling!”
“Yes,” he replied, standing by the bathroom door. “But you know what this means now, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she answered, suddenly sober again. “I know.”
“You can’t stay in this town any more. The hunters will definitely kill you if they catch you now. You can’t hide those wings. Not for long, anyway.”
“I know. What do you suggest?”
“Move south, like I was doing before you rescued me.”
“Of course.” Immediately, they started packing food and clothing for the trip.
“Ed?” she asked, looking down at a long sleeved shirt she was about to fold. “If my wings continue to grow, these shirts are going to bind them up. What will I do then?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “You could just start going topless.” She made a face at him. “Of course, then your blue jeans would clash.”
“I suppose you’d prefer that I run around naked!”
“It would make for more interesting scenery,” he agreed gravely.
“Men!” she exclaimed, throwing a pillow at him, a blush suffusing her face and neck. Several minutes later, she paused. “I’ve got it!” she said, and ran out of the room. She came back a minute later with a pair of backless evening gowns in light, satin-like materials, once her mother’s. “I can wear these.”
“True,” he said approvingly. “Of course, they will spoil the view.”
She pretended to ignore him as she added a large raincoat to try to hide the obvious deformities that her wings would make under ordinary clothing, at least for a while. By the time they finished, everything fit into two manageable packs.
“It’s getting dark. I don’t think we should leave until late, eleven or twelve o’clock, anyway,” Ed said. “Why don’t we try to get some sleep now?” She agreed, leaving his room for her own.
Some time later, Alaina opened the door to Ed’s room. “Ed? Are you asleep?” she asked in a soft voice.
“No,” he replied, sitting up. “What’s wrong?”
She came into the room. She wore a soft, white bathrobe. “I’m scared, Ed. I was born in this house. I’ve lived here all my life! I’ve known these people. Now I have to leave.
“I’m a mutant, now. I’ve got nothing left but this house. No family, no friends, and now, no home. I’ll have to run and keep running until some mutant hunter finds and kills me.
“I know I’m not very pretty, but I feel so alone. Can I curl up beside you, just for companionship?” He could see tears on her cheeks.
He swung his feet over the side of the bed and sat naked in the muted glow of the night light. “Come here, Alaina.” She came obediently. He took her in his powerful arms, hugging her gently.
“I thought those mutant hunters had killed me and I ended up waking in your bathtub, healed. You risked yourself, dragging me to safety and healing me. You’re brave, kind, gentle, caring. Whatever happens, I will always be your friend. You may not be very pretty physically, but spiritually, you are beautiful.”
He untied the belt and opened the bathrobe. Slipping the robe off her shoulders, he stood, kissing the side of her neck as his hands caressed her back. “I would love to lie with you.” He picked her up in his arms, laying her down on the bed.
“Be gentle with me, Ed,” she whispered.

#

They waited until midnight, then left the house, keeping to the shadows on their way out of town. The night seemed almost as bright as day to her now. Hours later, they were well out of town, traveling south through the sparsely wooded country and staying well clear of the roads.