Figment Writings

I figured I would place my contest entries here on FoG just because. Feel free to comment/criticize!


Beneath Her Wings
Pacing. Back and forth. Going to wear a hole in the carpet.


Mother wouldn't be happy about that. She'd ground me for weeks.


Flutter.


I groaned. I hated the way the feathers felt on my skin. I hated the goosebumps they caused.


The alarm on my phone went off without any warning. I jumped. She'd be coming to get me soon.


I didn't want to go. School just wasn't my thing. What was I supposed to do? Act like I was normal?


I scoffed at my own thought. I would never be normal. Sure, three in every six babies was born with some animalistic quality these days, but most weren't forced to go to public school. Those who were almost always went crazy.


Her footsteps echoed on the stairs. This was it. I had to go. With a small sigh, I picked up my phone and backpack, meeting my mother at the door. "Its time." She said softly. I only nodded and followed her to my ultimate demise.


School bells rang harshly in my ears. This was hell on Earth. No one noticed yet. If they did, no one said anything. For once, I was glad my wings were small. They were nestled comfortably under the veil of my long, brunette hair. I knew that my hair wouldn't hide them all day though. Someone was bound to notice soon.


I looked around the room, my green hues locked with shocking gray across the room. My god he was beautiful. I found myself lost for a moment before I heard a loud gasp. Turning away from his gaze, I looked to see a girl pointing at my back.


Oh no. I had gotten excited. My wings had fluttered, pushing away the locks that hid them. They were displayed for all those in the room to see. "She's a freak!"


"Oh my god. Are those real?"


"I can't believe they let her out of the zoo."


Other comments filled my ears but I didn't hear them. All I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears. Tears filled my eyes, threatning to spill over if I didn't escape.


I ran. He chased me down, the boy with gray eyes. He caught me in the hallway, grabbing my wrist and pulling me into his chest. His fingers touched the downy feathers on the back of my neck. "I've searched for you too long." He whispered. It was then he took off the jacket he wore. My eyes went wide, my mouth forming an 'o' as I looked on the most magnificent set of wings I had ever seen. "You aren't alone anymore. You've never been alone." In that moment, our eyes met and he was right. For once in my life, I didn't feel alone. He smiled down at me, his hand slipping into mine. "We all have secrets Pidgey. There is no reason to hide ours anymore. Together, nothing will hold us down." Hand in hand we walked, never looking back.

Street Lamps and Ring Pops

"To the moon and back Kara, that's how much I love you."

His words had brought tears to her little eyes. They were five at the time and held the world in the palms of their tiny hands. As they stood under the street lamp at the corner of the cul-de-sac, he slipped a grape ring pop on her finger and promised they'd be married some day.



Fifteen years later, Kara Womack found herself working a dead-end job as a waitress in the same little town she had been born in. She had swore after high school she was going to leave and never look back, but things don't always go as planned. Kara sighed softly as she was finally able to sit down for the first time in what seemed like weeks. Leaning back against the cool, green vinyl of the cafe booth, she let her thoughts wander. As usual, they took her back to that night fifteen years ago when Jason promised to marry her some day. Tears stung green eyes as she thought about Jason. She wondered what he looked like now.



Sometimes she imagined he'd be tall and rugged like the cowboys she saw in movies. Other times she imagined him to be a respected businessman with a degree. Her heart ached. It always ached when she thought about him.



"Kara!"



The sharp voice caused her to jump in her seat. Her boss, Dana, was giving her a dirty look. Kara hated her boss. There were days she wanted to strangle that hag. "Sorry Dana. I was just taking a small break." Kara rolled her shoulders as she stood up and fixed the gray skirt she was forced to wear as part of her uniform. Her heels clicked against the old linoleum floor as she greeted her newest customers. The couple ordered and went about their conversation. Kara felt jealous as she walked away. She had wanted that kind of relationship for years but any time a guy approached her, she pushed him away. No one could ever replace Jason in her heart. He was her one and only.



A ringing filled her ears. Someone had walked into the cafe. Kara turned to see a man in a hoodie slide into a booth. Her instincts went on high alert. The small restuarant she worked in had been robbed a few weeks ago. Luckily no one was injured but since then, anyone dressed oddly made the entire staff go on alert. Kara wiped her hands on the end of her white t-shirt before she spoke to the man. "Hello there. What can I get for you today?" While she tried to sound confident, Kara heard her voice crack a bit as she spoke. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as he glanced up at her. His eyes seemed to glow as he stared hard at her. She swallowed hard and forced a smile as she waited on him to speak.



"Just a soda please." He spoke softly, his voice just loud enough to be audible. She nodded quickly as she turned and walked away to get the soda he wanted. Why was her heart fluttering like that? Her palms were sweaty as well. Kara shook her head. No guy had ever made her palms sweat before. What was wrong with her? How could she betray Jason like that? Ignoring the fluttering in her chest, Kara took the man his drink and asked another waitress to wait on him until he left. The rest of her shift went smoothly and she was even able to leave a bit early for once.



Kara walked down the same street that haunted her dreams most nights. It took her an extra twenty minutes to get to her apartment going this way but she couldn't stop herself. She missed him so much. Sure, he had left the day after he slipped that ring pop on her finger but she had never forgotten him or his promise. The light was gone from the sky, the street lamps above were starting to light up. Kara looked up at them and wondered if Jason looked at street lamps too. A cough caught her attention. Someone was sitting in the middle of the quiet street with a bottle in their hand. As she walked closer, she could see the person better. It was the hoodie guy from the restaurant. Kara stopped mid-step. What was he doing here?



Slowly, the guy turned to look at Kara. A smile broke out on his face. He had waited so long to see her pretty eyes again. Fifteen years had been too long. His father had torn him away from her and he hated the old man for it. Jason had been searching for Kara for the last three years. He never thought she'd still be in this sleepy town. He thought she would have gone on to bigger and better things but when he saw her in that restuarant today, he thought his heart was going to explode. Calloused fingers ran through short hair as he got to his feet, leaving the bottle in the middle of the street. "Kara Womack. You've grown up." Jason said as he walked over to her, stopping short as she took a step back.



"How do you know my name?" He could hear the panic in her voice. His heart nearly broke. How could she not recognize him? "



"Its me Kara. Jason." As his name left his lips, Kara gasped loudly. He could see the tears that gathered in her eyes. They glistened in the light of the street lamps. She ran to him with arms wide open. He opened his and took her in, wrapping himself around her, promising to never let her go again. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried as her heart finally felt whole once more. "I waited for you Jason. I waited and here you are! How did you find me?" Kara pulled back to gaze into his beautiful eyes.



"It wasn't easy but here I am." They smiled at one another for a moment before he leaned his face towards her. Their lips met and each felt fireworks explode within. It only lasted for a few seconds but in those seconds, Kara was so thankful she had waited on him. "I still love you to the moon and back." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a rather large, velvet box. Jason placed it in her hand. His heart was beating rapidly. It felt like it was about to burst out of his chest as he watched the love of his life open the gift he had given her. Inside was a grape ring pop, exactly like the one he had given her fifteen years ago. "I said I was going to marry you some day. This was the only ring I could afford though." Kara didn't care that it wasn't a diamond ring. Hell, she'd wear a ring pop for the rest of her life if that meant that she would get to spend the rest of her life with Jason. "I ate the last one you know. I tried to keep it but my sweet tooth got the better of me."



They laughed together and it was magical. Kara pulled him close and kissed him again. She would never get tired of feeling his lips against her own. "Care to walk me home Jason?" She asked, a coy smile on her face. "Of course not Kara. Lead the way."


Kara slept peacefully that night wrapped in Jason's strong arms. She prayed he wouldn't leave her in the night like he did in her dreams. Only his heart beating with hers reminded her that this was real and he would never leave her again.