Rebirthing

I shot up from where I lie with a sharp gasp. Immediately, my hand went to my chest, but no arrow was found. The pain – like the arrow – was gone, as if I had never been shot. But how can that be? I felt it pierce my heart. There was not even a puncture wound. That is when I noticed the jewelry. Clasped around my wrists were bracelets of pure gold. I was not wearing them when I fell unconscious. On the bicep of my right arm was another gold accessory with pink strands veiling over it.

Wait a second…The pink strands…It was my hair! Letting out a startled cry, I tried to pull the wig from my head, but it was not a wig. My once blond hair was now as pink as the sky at sunset. My once warm attire had changed, too. The white toga still hugged my body, but the sleeves were shortened; and instead of warm shoes, I wore sandals, with black ribbons wrapping up around my calf. Around my waist was a new belt made of pure gold.

My heart was racing. "What has happened to me?" I asked no one. I was alone. I had changed. Even the altar was different. When I blacked out, everything was bright with the afternoon sun. Flowers and colorful strings had decorated the room. People were hustling about preparing for the day to come. But now it was night. Pews were flipped, mirrors and windows were shattered, no bright decorations in sight. From the open doors down the aisle, I could see it was snowing outside.

My breath came out in puffs before me, but I was not cold at all. Still, I pulled my cloak around my arms closer. Or I tried to. There was something on my back that made it hard to bring my cloak closer. Standing carefully, I realized I had become heavier yet lighter at the same time. I felt…weightless, yet on my back there was a strange mass. I reached behind me to check the problem. Instead of finding my now missing sheath of arrows, my fingers brushed against a feathery material. With a gasp of fright, I ran my hand down the bone of the wing and then spun in circles just trying to grab it. Wings were sprouting from my back!

In my spinning, I managed to topple over to the floor where the moonlight bathed me from a shattered window. Lifting myself to a sitting position, I looked up to the full moon. Suddenly everything started to click together. "Did…you do this?" I asked the moon. He gave me no answer, but I knew it was his doing. "What is going on? Please tell me," I begged. Again, no answer. Did I expect the voice of a god? Was that bright circle in the sky supposed to talk to me? He never did before.

Sighing deeply, I stood on my feet. I did not know what was going on, why I was still alive. All I knew was that I had to find Domitus and Aelia. Turning my back to the moon, I set off outside, but not even two steps ahead my foot kicked something on the ground. Blinking, I looked down and saw there was a quiver of arrows and a bow at my toes. I knelt down and picked up the sheath. It was not the one I had before. Mine was handmade by my father, out of the hide of an animal. This one was made of leather, sturdy. The strap was not one you could slip on – you had to buckle this one together.

The sheath was packed with arrows. I slipped one out and studied it. Metal and thick, with a white feather fletching. The arrowhead was red and in the shape of a heart. This seemed to be the case for all the arrows. Setting down the sheath, I then picked up the bow. It was all white and felt like it was made of pearl. Intricate designs marked it all over.

The moon did not have to directly talk to me to let me know that this weapon belonged to me. I slipped the sheath of arrows on my back, over my cloak and out of the way of my wings. Standing, I took the bow in my hands. For a split moment, I had wished I could put it somewhere so I would not have to hold it. As if reacting to my thoughts, the bow disappeared in a flash of sparkles. I jumped slightly, but assured myself I would be able to bring it back if I pleased. Exhaling shakily, I looked over my shoulder at the moon. He seemed to smile down at me, as if he was proud I was catching on.

Sighing once more, I made my way outside. Snow fell around me and I held my hand out to catch a few flakes, wondering why I was not affected by the cold. Across from me was the forest. To my right was a large pond. I went over to it and fell to my knees. Leaning over the edge, I looked deep into my reflection. As I feared, my eyes were not the same either. Once as blue as the sky, my irises were now the color of rubies. And sure enough, appearing behind my reflection, were my newly found wings.

I looked up to the moon, hoping for an answer this time. An answer never came. Catching my eye on the other side of the pond was a dove. My wings matched its color. It must have been one of the doves Aelia tried to show me before…before….

The bird stared at me and I stared back. I watched the graceful bird take flight and fly off into the night. I had wings just like it. Perhaps I could fly, too. I stood and turned around, going to the end of the hill where I could see the village I had lived in. I had no idea what time it was, but I knew I had to find Domitus and Aelia and find out what had happened to me.

First, I had to make sure I knew how to use these newfound wings. I willed my right wing to flex, and then did the same to my left, then at the same time. The light breeze caught my wings, but I stayed put. At full length, the wings must have been at least sixteen feet long. After seeing how far they could open, I checked to see how close they could come together.

I repeated this test until I was satisfied that I could control them. Now it was time to see how well I could fly, if at all. Bending my knees, I closed my eyes and willed the white wings to flap. The power behind the wings was incredible. Within a few flaps, I felt my feet leave the ground. I was so surprised by the sensation I lost my concentration and collapsed to the ground. Though it hurt my knees, I had to laugh.

This was insane. How could I fly? I refused to believe the one reasonable explanation I had. Forcing myself to reign in my hysteria and tears, I stood again and flapped my wings once more, this time leaving my eyes open. Soon I was lifted from the ground. I forced myself to keep calm. Opening my wings wider, I let myself gently glide to the ground once more.

Thinking back to the dove, I tried to mimic its actions. So, I opened my wings, bent slightly, and pushed myself off the ground. I began to flap frantically in the natural fear of falling. Much to my amazement, I was kept above the ground and propelled forward. With my stomach facing the world below, I took off into town.

It was a feeling like no other. I felt as light as a feather. The cold February air engulfed me, pushing against my face. To keep myself airborne, I flapped my wings whenever I felt myself going down, like I had seen birds do. It was an odd view from above; I had never seen the tops of the houses in my town. Domitus and Aelia's house was not hard to spot, even from above. Their new home was on farmland just outside of town. Once I spotted the fields, I leaned downward at an angle, thinning out my wings. Bird watching did not seem so odd now that I was the one with the wings. It was only because I had enjoyed seeing birds in flight that I knew how they came to a touchdown. Once I was nearing the ground, I swung my legs to a standing position, flapping my wings every few seconds to keep me from plummeting.

My feet touched the soft ground and I felt weak. Despite never flying before, I was surprised at how well I did. Still, it was a different experience and I was not yet used to it. I definitely would not be trying any tricks or testing my limits any time soon. For now, I would stick to the basic getting from point A to point B. Swallowing back fear, I turned and faced the tall house that kept my best friend and her new husband.

I tried the back door first and luckily it was not locked. Inside the home smelled like Domitus was cooking. To prove my theory, I saw a cauldron sat on the fire, warming up stew. "Domitus? Aelia?" I called out, but no one answered. Exiting the kitchen, I checked the living room, but no one was there. From the bottom of the staircase, I heard sounds of life. I carefully went upstairs, calling out, "Domitus? Are you here? It is me…"

Aelia and Domitus were in their room. Aelia sat on her bed, eyes buried in her hands, sobbing loudly. Domitus sat in a chair in the corner of the room, staring into nothing. I entered the room, a smile breaking out across my face, tears jumping to my eyes. I was so relieved so see them again, even if they looked so dejected. They must have thought I was dead. In their mourning, they did not notice me. "Aelia…Domitus, it is me," I said chuckled. "I am alive. See? I am still here!"

Still, neither of them said a word. "Aelia…Aelia, look at me," I said, going over to her and kneeling in front of her. "Aelia, please do not cry. I am still alive; I did not die. I-" I reached out to grab her arms…but instead, I went right through her.

I jumped up with a gasp. "No…No, no, no!" I tried to grab Aelia again with the same result. I scrambled across the room to Domitus, but just like Aelia, I went through him, too. Collapsing to my knees, tears began to stream down my cheeks. "Please, do not do this! I am alive! Can you not see me? Domitus!" I shouted.

However, no matter how much I begged, the truth was evident. I was dead. Why I came back, I did not know. At the time, I thought I would never know. After a few hours, Domitus and Aelia went to sleep. I did not part from them, even as the sun rose over the mountains. I was not tired at all. I never wanted to leave them. I wanted to do all I could to let them know that I was still there. "Please see me, please, please…" I begged silently, trying to touch Aelia's shoulder. Of course I went through her, causing me to shudder. It almost hurt to phase through people – both physical pain and emotional pain.

With the moon gone and the sun rising, I realized that there would not be much I could do to get them to see me. But I promised myself I would stay by their side. If I was an angel, I would make use of it and be their guardian angel.