Chapter 4 - 4

Seven more years passed with no signs of my other forms. Clara and I didn’t mind. Often times at night, we would sneak out of the house and fly deep into the forests and over the faraway cities. Pa grew weaker during this time, and the doctors told us he had come down with lung cancer from his youthful habit of smoking. We watched sadly as his spirit failed him and after fighting for three years, he died. Clara took over the housework and I would spend the day trapping. We kept up with all of the work and bills, but Clara and I had never spent so much time apart. It felt strange coming home and seeing her there in a small dress and an apron instead of her usual jeans.

Clara was now 26 years old, and by far one of the most beautiful people in the county. It seemed every night someone would stop by the house to ask Clara on a date or to bring her flowers, and I found myself wearing the cowbell more and more. It bothered me that so many people visited her all of the time. She was a part of me and the other people just couldn’t see that. Every time somebody came over, she would look at me with her misty blue eyes and her face was filled with sadness. I never could figure out what that look was for, but it bothered me that the visitors forced her to wear it.

Luckily for Clara and myself, I had become a strong young man at 17 years. My black hair was streaked with white in the front but everybody thought I had dyed it on purpose so nobody thought of it as strange. In fact, it helped us because it made me look meaner and tougher than I really was. Most men didn’t try anything with Clara when I was around because they were all terrified of the strange boy that wore the cowbell, but I wasn’t always around to protect her.

I had gone out for the evening to try and trap foxes, which were more active at night, and though Clara begged me to let her come with me, I made her stay home due to a slight cold she was coming down with. I left around nine o’clock and caught my fox within ten minutes, so I started home earlier than I thought I would. It was a calm, quiet night, where the only sound is the soft chirping of crickets and the beating of moth wings. I slung the fox over my shoulder and walked into the house. Clara was still up, sitting at the table and reading a book.

“Tom called.” she said quietly when I opened the door.

Tom was a muscular fellow, and one of the few men Clara liked. He was always gentle with her and had never tried to take advantage of her. I nodded my head in indication that she should continue.

“He asked if he could come by. I told him it was okay, so he should be here in about ten minutes.”

I nodded again and walked over to the cupboard. I withdrew the cowbell and it slid into place with a gentle clank.

Clara smiled up at me. “You don’t mind him do you?” she asked.

“No” I said. “I like him a lot better than most of the other guys that come here.”

Again, she smiled and I laid the dead fox by the door. “Anything to eat?” I asked her.

“There’s some bread and turkey if you want to make yourself a sandwich.”

I pulled the contents out of the fridge and as I was spreading the mayonnaise over the bread, there was a harsh banging on the door. Clara rose delicately to her feet and answered it.

“Tom!” she squealed, and he came in and embraced her with a bear hug. I gritted my teeth and slapped the mayonnaise loudly on my bread to let him know that I was watching him.

“Hey Al!” he sang cheerfully.

I ignored him.

He shrugged his massive shoulders and took Clara by the arm. “I brought you something” he said and he lifted up a large bag. He kissed her lightly on the cheek and I heard her giggle softly. My tense face relaxed a little bit. What did I have to protect Clara from? It was Tom. He would never do anything to hurt her and she actually loved him in return. I smiled lightly to myself and folded my sandwich in place. I grabbed a plate and walked out to the deck to sit and eat. The stars all glittered gleefully in the sky and I leaned my head back on my hands. Ten minutes passed and I started dozing when I heard a muffled cry and the scraping of shoes on wood. I opened my eyes and sat, glaring into the darkness and trying to hear better.

Something was happening, but whoever was doing it was doing a very good job of covering it up. Had I not the sharp senses of a deer, I probably would not have even noticed the subtle sounds. I quietly stood up, opened the screen door and slid inside. The sounds were coming from the washroom-almost a clicking, sliding sound. I crept closer and heard Clara whimper followed by a hasty shushing.

“Mustn’t make noise now should we. We don’t want little Al coming to your rescue.” Tom spoke so softly that I doubted Clara had even heard him.

Again Clara whined and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise, not in fear, but in anger. My electric powers began charging and the whole kitchen felt thick with static.

The clicking rattled one last time and I heard Tom shift his weight.

“Now,” he said smugly. “You take that dress off Clara.”

Clara began to cry but her sobs were muffled by what might have been a rag tied in her mouth.

“Don’t make me shoot you Clara. Take it off.”

Clara cried a little louder.

“Do it.” Tom said and I could tell his patience was running thin.

Clara choked now and though she tried to hold back the tears, she let herself slip and a shattering burst of sobs broke the silence.

“Shut up!” Tom yelled, and he fumbled madly with something large in his hand.

I couldn’t wait any longer and I jumped around the corner, the electricity flaming around me. A purple haze filled the room and I stared madly at Tom.

“What the frack?!” Tom bellowed and he raised the rifle and fired.

I stepped in front of Clara, who had bowed her head and was sobbing into her hands, and shot my hands out in front of me. With a vibrating tsa-chan a force field flew around us and the bullet ricocheted off and smashed into the ceiling. Tom loaded again and aimed, but I slammed my hands forward and threw the force field at him. The energy blasted him back, and he crashed threw the wall and spilt out into the grass. I bowed my head and heard the cowbell fall on the floor with a clank as I took off after him, the aura around me growing. Tom grabbed his gun again and pointed it at me, but I flung my mind into his and pulled hard at his thoughts. He screamed and grabbed his head, trying to pull me away from his mind, but I persisted and switched on ever nerve ending I could find. He shrieked in pain and flung himself backwards on the ground, twisting and rolling in agony.

Behind me Clara had pulled the rag from her mouth and began screaming at me. “No Al! He knows! Now he knows! Run!” I blocked her pleas and continued to torture Tom.

She became increasingly desperate in her yelling, and finally, she began to sob shrilly. I looked back at her and the look of horror on her face.

“Please stop Al. Please don’t hurt him anymore.” she begged.

I gave him one last jolt of pain and wrenched myself from his mind and watched in discussed as he wriggled and squirmed on the ground.

Clara came up to me and buried her face in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her protectively and glared at Tom. He looked up at me between his shuddering and a look of hatred and fear reflected from his glassy eyes. I held Clara in my arms as she sobbed and walked her back inside through the hole in the wall the blast had created. When I had settled her and came back outside, I saw Tom crawling and limping back to his car and out of sight.

Now that the anger had passed, I felt fear settle in as it was when Clara and Pa first found out about my being a pegasus. Tom was sure to go back to town and tell everybody, and though I knew none of them could do much to hurt me, it sickened my heart to think that Clara would have to suffer because I had lost control and tortured Tom.

I turned and walked back threw the hole. My dragging feet caught the cowbell and it clanked sharply as it flew foreword a few feet. I stooped over and picked it up, feeling it with my fingers and carried it inside. Tom would have seen my horn too.

“Is he gone?” Clara asked. She was sitting up in the bed with the covers pulled as high as they would come.

“Yeah, he’s gone.” I walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed. “He’s gonna tell. You know that right?”

Clara nodded her head.

“I’m sorry Clara. I didn’t mean for it to go that far. What was he doing to you anyway?”

Clara looked down. “You know how he said he brought me a present?”

I nodded.

“It was a gun, a rag and some duck tape.” Her eyes were so blank I wanted to cry. “I would have called to you sooner, but with the rag I couldn’t talk. Then he said he’d shoot me if I made any noise so I couldn’t get you.” She paused. “I’m just so glad you have such good hearing Al. He would have raped me tonight had you not come in.”

She started to cry again, and I hugged her head just like she did with me when I was little. She sobbed for a couple of minutes, then pulled her head up and looked at me. “Thank you so much Al for saving me. I’m glad you did it-even if they know now.”

Even if they know now…I thought about what she said as she fell asleep in my arms. I laid her head down on Pa’s old pillow and got up to look out the kitchen window. The clinging darkness crawled into my skin and I shuddered. Tom would have gathered most of his buddies by now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they came to the house to settle scores.

I should have killed him. I thought bitterly, but when I glanced back at Clara, I knew that I couldn’t have. She had a soft spot for others, even if she knew that sparing Tom’s life could mean losing one of ours.

The clouds overhead were slowly building and a thick haze formed over the crab grass growing in the yard. I opened my eyes wide and shut my other senses down to concentrate on my vision. No sign of life, but the world was too unchanging for my liking. I looked back at Clara again and tightened my jaw. Without waking her, I crept out the door and ran into the yard, feeling the heat and pain that channeled threw my body rip my limbs apart. My massive white wings flung open wide and I took off into the darkening sky.

It only took several minutes of flight to find was I was searching for. I was looking for Tom. I wanted to find him before he found Clara and did something horrible to her. It tore my heart out to think of leaving her behind but it hurt even more to think of her in trouble. I had made my choice, and I only had Clara in mind.

Tom was easy to spot. The creep had indeed gathered his friends, and the group was walking on the dirt road that led to the house. Most of them were carrying flashlights, and all of them were talking in hushed voices. When they turned to each other, I could see the light reflect off of metal. They had brought weapons.

I landed with a thud and transformed back into my natural form as I ran toward them. By the time I had reached them, I was dripping with blood, shaking, and pissed off. Tom lifted his head with a jerk and blinked at me, startled that I had come out to meet him, and that I was drenched in blood.

“Tom!” I yelled. “If you want me, come and get me!” I spread my arms and stood panting at him.

He smiled and turned to his buddies. “Meet Al everybody.” he sang cheerfully. “This is the little bastard we’ve come to kill.” Tom turned to look me straight in the eye. “And when we’re done, we’re gonna rape the dog outta your sister.”

I fought back tears as I glared at them. “Over my bloody carcass.” I whispered. Tom straightened and looked down at me. “You sure talk tough for a kid.” he spat.

I narrowed my eyes. “Touch her,” I said, “And I’ll tear your mind apart. You know I can.”

Tom’s eyes widened as he fully remembered the pain I had caused him and he took a few steps foreword. “I got back up this time punk! You can’t--” He stopped when he saw my horn.

“What the hell is wrong with you!” he squealed and he fell back and started to crawl away. “You’re some kind of demon!”

I smiled at him and began to slowly walk towards him. “I’m more then that.” I said, but I transferred my voice into his mind. Tom reached up and began clawing at his face.

“Oh, you don’t like that do you?” I said softly, almost mocking his panic stricken face. He began crying and yelling violently and his comrades looked at each other worriedly. I could tell by their faces they were terrified. One by one they dropped their weapons: lead pipes, kitchen knives, and even a chain saw, and ran yelling back towards the town. Tom still lay on the ground, crying helplessly and clawing at his face and the air around him.

“I’ll let you go Tom,” I said, “but you can’t come back here. I’ll know if you do.”

Tom nodded wildly and I began to trigger the flow of dopamine in his brain to ease the fright and pain he felt. Then, before I left entirely, I branded the image of torture into his memory if he were to ever approach Clara again. From then on, she would be safe.

I left Tom’s mind and returned to my own body. He sat on the ground, looking around him with a slightly entertained and confused expression plastered on his face. He laughed at some unseen object in the air and fell back, giggling to himself.

“Demon.” he said happily. “I see it! He’s a demon. Frickin’ devil thingy!”

I realized he was talking about me, and though I had protected Clara, all of the men that were here tonight, including Tom knew I wasn’t human. There was no way I would be able to return home. Tears filled eyes that had not truly cried in 17 years and I ran. I wanted to block out every memory I had had here. Clara, Pa, my mother and father, everything. I would never be able to return here, and I felt the burden of being an outcast once more.

While I dashed away uncontrollably, I felt my body change, and I knew I was taking on another form. The lower part of my body split open and a horse’s end flared out. The body was much leaner then my flying horse form, and instead of being built for power, it was built for speed and agility. I had long thin legs, high hocks and thin cannons. The horse’s back was high set with large, thin whithers and a sleek buttocks. This body was that of a thoroughbred, and it was a rich chestnut color.

I hadn’t even noticed the change until I had stopped running, hours later, and lay panting on the ground. When I tried to stand up once again, I fell sideway and turned around to stare at the bizarre body I now owned. When I went to a poll of water and looked in, a completely new face stared back at me.

The thing that shocked me the most was my face had changed, and I had lost the horn. My new face was slightly leathery looking, as if the person spent most of their time working in the sun. He was slightly handsome though, and his hair color was a beautiful shade of red. My new face was very kind looking, not something I would expect from a creature that would be considered a freak by the rest of the population, but it was gentle none the less. I stood over the water, looking at my profile for 10 minutes. I almost liked the idea of being a centaur, but I liked the opportunities it opened even more.

Because of the fact that my new face had lost the horn, it opened a new window to me. If I could somehow conceal the bottom half of this form, I might be able to interact with people--maybe even find a new life for myself. I couldn’t use my natural form because I had left the cowbell back with Clara.

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