What Kind of Fairy Tale is This?

Fairy Tales Have No Blind Mutant Bird Kids…Until Now

By: Edna B.

Chapter One

Iggy's POV

"Red wire," I demanded, my outstretched hand waiting impatiently. Gazzy uttered a small sigh of irritation, but I could hear the smile in it. He hastily placed the red wire in my palm. It had a smooth, hard feeling, like that of fire. I confirmed it was red and Gazzy was not messing with me. I set to work on our current explosive; my hands moving in warp speed.

"Blue wire."

"Screwdriver."

"Screw."

"Coke."

The warm liquid coated my throat, leaving a slick, sweet taste behind. I quickly downed the beverage and continued to create a masterpiece. I could feel my smile practically jump off of my face. This baby was going to be massive.

"Wrong," Gazzy said.

I frowned. "What?"

"You put the blue wire where the yellow wire should be," Gazzy concluded.

I quickly ran my hands along the death machine, confused. "This is definitely yellow, Gaz." I held up the wire. It felt bright and cool, like a sunflower or buttercup.

"Dude, Ig. You're blind. I see it. It's definitely blue. Not yellow. Blue," he corrected.

I furrowed my brow. "But it definitely feels yellow," I argued in a meek voice. "Are you sure?"

"Unless I conveniently turned blind in the past 15 minutes, then you're right. But I haven't. I can still see. I can see the wire is definitely blue, just as I can see the dumb look on your face."

I scowled. Even though I know Gazzy didn't mean it, every word felt like a dagger plunging straight through my heart. He could see. I was blind. I was stupid. I would never know. But God damnnit, that wire felt yellow. I swear it did. How could I be wrong? I've never been wrong about the color of something since I developed this power. Maybe I was losing it.

I shrugged and set back to work, my heart aching with want.

Max walked into the room, bringing a cold draft of air with her. She shook the snow out of her hair like a dog, showering me with freezing water. The tiny drops of water were like bullets pounding against my skin. I heard Fang's inconspicuous footsteps not far behind.

"Jesus, Max! How about not getting me wet before my date tonight," Gazzy exclaimed as he wiped the minuscule beads of water off his shirt.

"A date?" The three of us asked in unison.

"Yes," he said quietly, apprehension and humiliation creeping into his small voice. Max and Fang edged closer, their footsteps muffled by the carpet.

"With who?"

Gazzy fidgeted nervously in his seat. I could hear him scraping the bottom of the table with his fingernails, the scraps falling to the floor lightly, something he always did when he was nervous.

"Sarah. We met her at the real school. You know, when we were with Anne?" Gazzy's voice was barely audible, as if he was talking into his hand.

"I don't remember a Sarah…" Max pondered. "I don't know about this-"

"Stop being a fun-sucker, Max. Go have fun on your date, Gazzy," Fang said. Gazzy shouted with glee as he jumped up and fled to his room to get ready. I heard the prominent thump as Max smacked Fang in the arm. I smiled and returned to my work.

"What's that?" Max asked, plopping down beside me. I glanced sideways at her, snorting as I caught myself. Like that would do any good.

"Oh, I don't know. You're the one with the eyesight. What is it?" She punched me on the arm lightly.

"Gee, I'm going to take a stab at this one. Is it yet another one of yours and Gazzy's bombs?" Her fingers made a light sound as they traced along the wires. I smacked her hand away.

"Don't touch. And no, it's not a bomb. It's a bionic toaster." I smiled.

"A bionic toaster. Cool. What does it toast?" Fang asked.

"People. Specifically Erasers and all who are connected to them," I responded, my smile growing broader. Max ruffled my hair. I shied away from her, growling in response. I hastily smoothed it out, returning it to normal. Well, as normal as it could get. There was still that darn cowlick that was just as stubborn as I was…

"Instead of building death machines all day, why don't you find yourself a nice girlfriend? You know, like Gazzy?" Max asked. A blush crept into my cheeks. The boy under 10 can find a date but little old me couldn't. Talk about humiliating.

"Don't worry about me," I stammered. "I got my…bombs." Max put her hand on my shoulder and I shrugged it off.

"You should really keep your eye out for a nice girl-"

"Yeah, I'll keep and eye out for her. Hey, maybe I'll even look in the phone book. Maybe I'll see something." I snorted. "The day I look for a girl is the day I get my sight back."

"Iggy, just because you have a small fault-"

"A small fault?" I practically screamed, my voice cracking at the end. I quickly composed myself. "A small fault? Blindness is not a small fault. It's and even bigger fault when you count in the fact that, maybe, I don't know, I'm a mutant bird kid."

"Iggy-" Max started, sorrow dripping from her voice. I immediately recoiled. The last thing I needed was Goddamn sympathy. I hastily stood up and started for the door, desperate for some fresh air, no matter how cold. I brushed past Max just as Fang muttered, "Come on, man."

The anger boiled up inside of me, scorching and painful. I shoved Fang out of the way, just for good measure. But I had forgotten. When the two of them had come in from outside, they were wet with snow.

Wet people+ wood floor= puddle.

Puddle= Iggy slipping.

Iggy slipping= Ow.

I cursed as the floor mercilessly punched me in the face. And believe me, there is nothing more humiliating than getting punched in the face by an inanimate object, let me tell you.

Reviews are much appreciated :D