Page 3 of Scars Like Wings

Walking through the woods, I never let my eyes stay in one place for long. I searched between, in, and above the trees. Even behind me, just to make sure Everett and I didn’t miss anything. I looked for any tracks in the fresh mud, among the early autumn leaves, or any broken branches. I’m sure Ever was doing the same, along with his heightened senses. I willed there to be some sign of Mom, something to relieve the sinking rock I had in my stomach. I hoped to see Mom’s large, long afro trailing behind her as she ran through the trees. Perhaps I would hear her laugh, loud and deep from her belly, at my silly worries about her.

The tall pine trees soon broke to reveal a waterfall feeding water from the mountains into a large lake. The lake was a deep blue, reflecting the tall evergreen pines above and around. Usually, I felt an overwhelming sense of calm and beauty whenI was here. But today, my panic rose as I saw that my mother wasn’t here. Where could she be?

Uncle Everett approached the shore of the lake, and I followed to escape my growing dread. Here, crystals and gemstones often washed up on shore for me to pick up and take home for tumbling and polishing. Tiny rose quartz, ruby, amethyst, and even a few tiny shards of diamond came ashore, like treasure bits laid right at one’s feet.

This was one of our favorite spots. Neither me, Mom, nor Pops came here without the rest of the family. Although Mom preferred her shiny things to be fancy purses and shoes, and Pops liked chains and watches, they would both indulge me as I collected gems and rocks. Mom would bring her violin and play the same cheery, yet profound tune that never got old. Pops would always be eating on one of the many snacks Mom packed in her large picnic basket for us. Both would listen intently while I named each stone and what they could be used for before putting my favorites in my own basket. Their eyes would light up as I went on. I never felt more loved than in those moments, as I captivated them with something I adored.

Uncle Everett bent on the shoreline, and I looked over his shoulder. The water lapped at some distinct footprints I knew too well. They went past the lake and deeper into the woodland. But there was no other sign of Mom. I stuffed my shaking hands in the pockets of my jean jacket. I couldn’t… I refused to even entertain what my body seemed to already be trying to process.

“Hey, kiddo,” Uncle Ever said. “We don’t know anything yet. It’ll be alright, okay?”

I nodded.

“Come on, her tracks lead this way. Deeper into the forest, yeah?”

I nodded again. That’s all I could do.

I led again. The sky began her weeping as a small drizzle, but I knew it would soon worsen, like it had been doing all day. Deeper into the forest, the roots rose from the ground, as if the trees were trying to step out of the dirt. The further we went, the higher the roots lifted, creating tiny caverns under the trees. To cross, I had to jump up to sit and bring my legs over to the other side. Uncle Everett had to help me cross over some knees of the trees as we pressed on.

As I sat on one particularly high set of roots, something twinkling below caught my eye. I wiped my glasses of the raindrops to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. It was a touch of gold, slightly buried in the dark mud of the forest floor. I climbed down to pick it up.

My heart sank.

It was Mom’s necklace. A long, thickish golden chain led down to a heavy, rectangular obsidian pendant larger than my entire hand. In fact, one hand couldn’t even completely close around it. Mom never took it off.Ever. Not even to shower or sleep. Why did she take it off this time? What could’ve happened?

Nothing good.

“Uncle…” I called, barely above a whisper.

Uncle Everett had what Pops called the best poker face in the world. When he needed, he could put on a mask and hide any trace of what he was really feeling. It was incredibly useful in his line of work as a professional bodyguard and security officer, but it was annoying usually, especially during Family Game Night. From the moment I told him about not being able to find Mom, his face was determined and strong. Perhaps even hopeful. But as his eyes connected with the necklace, his mask melted away instantly.

He was worried. Uncle Everett was actuallyworried. He knew Mom better than anyone. Sometimes, even better than Pops.

If he was worried…

I didn’t want to admit how badly that scared the heck out of me.

I clutched the necklace close to my heart and rose from the ground. Everett blinked. The mask descended once more, but it was too late.

“Byrd—”

I didn’t hear what he had to say. I didn’t stay for it. Holding tight to Mom’s necklace, I jumped onto the next set of roots. As Mom often reminded me, I was not a full supernatural yet, and my coordination often showed it. On my best day, I was a klutz, tripping over my feet and catching corners with my body. My best feats of athleticism were from sheer luck. Pops often joked I would be the most beautiful and powerful dragon with how clumsy I was before manifesting.

And yet, when I leapt onto the roots, my feet landed perfectly on the next root with a precision I had never experienced before. Awed, but chalking it up as a one-off, I skipped to the next one, only to land where I wanted again. I gained more speed, moving in half the time. But the time for me to marvel at my skills would be later.

Ihadto find Mom.

Once my feet connected with the ground at the end of the high-rooted forest, I ran as fast as I could. I heard Everett’s voice calling out to me, but I didn’t listen. I kept running. I wanted to blame the wind blowing into my eyes through my glasses, or the shower growing in intensity for my tears, but I couldn’t blame it for the sobs that wracked my body. I didn’t want the sharp chill coursing through my body to be true; I would much rather it be from the dropping temperature from the rain. I didn’t want myworst fear to be real. I pushed myself to run and willed myself to escape from everything that the sick feeling in my stomach was telling me.

More than anything, I didn’t want this. I just wanted one more yesterday, one more normal day. I wanted this to not be as real as it felt.

I just wanted my mom.

It must have been the tears and rain clouding my glasses that made me finally trip on a rock. It sent me flying into the dead leaves, fallen twigs, mud, and dirt as I came to a full stop. Mom’s necklace almost slipped through my fingers from the force, but I held tight. My jean jacket, shirt, and matching jeans ripped all over. I felt the tiny beginnings of scrapes and scratches through the rips. I laid there for a moment to catch the breath I had lost.

“Byrd! Kiddo, are you okay?” Uncle Everett slid down in the leaves to a crouch beside me.

I sat up, shaking my head and still sobbing. “No! I’m not okay! Where’s Mom? What’s happened?—?”

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