Chapter 11
11
The golden rays of dawn gently brushed across Gabby’s eyelids. She opened her eyes to a pink sunrise. The color was a perfect match to Lyla’s hair. Gabby had a sinking feeling in her gut that she’d never see her friend again. Suddenly, she regretted that she hadn’t asked Lyla to go to the party. The thought became needles in her brain. She shook the feeling away as her tummy growled. There wasn’t time to forage for food. She needed to get back. And fast.
She stretched out all four of her upper limbs. It was slightly easier to control them but still awkward at times. Occasionally her brain signaled the wrong set to move. She nearly fell from the air a few times last night before spotting the vacant nest in the oak tree. With a shake, she ruffled all her feathers, ready to face whatever horrors the new day might bring. Hopefully none, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared. Gabby found it best to lean toward being realistic instead of optimistic.
Her sharp eyes scanned the ground for any creature that didn’t seem to belong. Robins and chickadees hopped around, searching for worms. The morning welcomed her like an old friend. Birds chirped and called all around. Before taking flight, she scanned the skies. A hawk flew in lazy circles above the yellowing grass of the nearby field. Her stomach leaped into her chest. Sandy, her previous captor from last year, shifted into a red-tailed hawk. But this one appeared to be of the wild variety. When Sandy shifted, she was a human-sized bird. This creature could easily perch on the outstretched arm of a person. And while hawks sometimes did go after smaller birds as prey, Gabby was a crow. They were seldom bothered by birds of prey.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. And if there was anything she’d taken away from camping as a kid, it was that if the birds were chirping, there were probably no predators—or pesky humans—lurking about. The songbirds urged her out of the nest with their cheerful melodies. She needed an early start to the day to get back to WANC and ask for help. If she could make it that far. Gabby wasn’t used to solely navigating as a bird. True, she took small trips around her neighborhood, pre-kidnapping, that was. To her, it was like taking a walk around the block. But she never flew distances this great. And she was a year out of practice. But what choice did she have?
She spread her arms and nearly hopped out of the nest to her death. So much for having control of her new limbs. Then a crazy thought occurred to her. What if she shifted back and flew while in human—or was it now angel— form? Could she travel faster that way? Maybe. But it wouldn’t be safe. Who knew what could happen if the humans caught sight of a naked woman, soaring through the skies on black wings. They’d think the end of days had come. She could possibly start a panic. No. It was easier to be a crow even it if took her longer to get back. Plus, she didn’t want to think about the trouble she’d be in trying to explain to both FUC and ASS why she thought it would be a great idea to fly around looking like an angel who forgot her heavenly robes. She’d be in big, big trouble for sure.
Not to mention, that semi-shifted form would make it easier for Dr. Asshole to find her.
Part of her wanted to be found, though. She wanted to make him pay. He needed to never hurt anyone again. She would break him like he’d almost broken her. She shook her head, swallowing up the wickedness that wanted to bubble up inside her. Gabby couldn’t cross that line. She wasn’t a bad guy like those who hurt her and the others.
After quite a bit of focus, Gabby spread her wings and took to the skies.
Her shoulders ached from flying. The hot sun rained down heat from its zenith, baking her black feathers. Gabby needed a break. If her bird body could sweat, she would.
She spread her wings, feeling the breeze trickle through the edge of her feathers as she floated down back to the Earth. The heat from the ground below rushed up at her as she neared the edge of a field bordering a park. Children ran, chasing each other across the playground. Gabby would have to stay away from them or risk someone seeing her arms.
A seagull gulped down water from a puddle in the parking lot. She walked over, eyeing the water. She could see the bottom, and it didn’t smell bad. It had rained the other day, so hopefully it was fresh enough for her to drink. She leaned over it, letting her black beak scoop up some hydration. The seagull gave her a sidelong glance, squawking at her human arms. She gave it her middle finger. The bird blinked before taking off. Maybe the arms were useful. She cawed out a chuckle before lapping again at the water.
She glanced up between sips. The humans took no notice of her, but the birds stood clear. A set of robins gave a shrill cry in her direction before taking off. It was a call to warn other birds of possible danger. Was she what they were all afraid of? Or was something else amiss?
The children continued to play in the distance. It looked like a new game. Instead of tag, they tried to get around the park without touching the ground. Some parents watched their kids, chuckling to themselves, while others played on their cellphones. No one took notice of the crow with arms drinking from a puddle.
Maybe she didn’t smell like a bird, and that had the fowl keeping their distance. Though most birds didn’t have a good sense of smell. She leaned in to take another swig of the warm water but noticed a shadow in the reflection. Something tall stood behind her.
She ran as fast as her bird legs would carry her under the bumper of a nearby car as a pair of arms swooped toward her. The hands splashed in the puddle. The hem of the man’s khaki pants was just visible beneath the bumper of the vehicle where Gabby hid as he crooned, “I’m not going to hurt you.”
The hell you aren’t. She’d heard that voice before. In her hospital room. And after her last run-in with the shrew, Dr. Grimm gave her wings. Who knew what other concoctions the lunatic wanted to try out on her next? No thank you.
“Ow. Ow! ” the young man suddenly yelled. Gabby peeked her head out from under the vehicle to see a bright pink hummingbird stabbing the man over and over with its long, needle-like beak.
Lyla! It must be!
The man flapped his arms, but the bird was too fast. She pursued him, not stopping until he was well out of the park. Then the little bird zoomed back to Gabby, landing on the ground beside the parked car.
Gabby observed the tiny bird’s chest heaving with exhaustion, but she wasn’t ready to rest. With a tiny buzz, Lyla ushered Gabby away from the parking lot and the screaming children in the park to the tiny slip of woods beyond. She looked from Gabby to the greenery beyond. Gabby understood her meaning. With any luck, they could find a place to hide and work out a plan. The two took to the air, landing in the brush of the small forest.
Before Gabby could caw a thank-you, the hummingbird transformed. It grew in size, losing all its brilliant feathers, with the exception of the ones around its head. Soon Lyla was standing before her, naked, sweat glistening on her olive-toned skin. She leaned an arm on a nearby tree, struggling to catch her breath. Gabby thought back to the IV bag that always accompanied Lyla. Hummingbirds were known to need a lot of energy to move as fast as they did, and if Lyla’s captivity was anything like Gabby’s, she was barely fed. That would mean Lyla risked physical burnout to find her. She could have easily run out of energy and gotten stranded somewhere.
Gabby shifted and threw herself toward Lyla in one swift motion. She needed her to know how thankful she was for the rescue and how relieved she was to see her again.
After knocking the tops of her wings on a low branch, she threw her arms around Lyla, sobbing into her sweet-smelling hair. Lyla’s warm and safe body welcomed her. It was so good to be with her friend again, but it didn’t solve everything. Most specifically, How soon before he finds me again?