Wings Of Silence

  Wings of Silence

  Elise H. Ford

  Copyright Elise H. Ford 2020

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the express written permission of the author. This book is licensed for your enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

  The story in this book is the property of the author, in all media both physical and digital. No one, except the owner of this property, may reproduce, copy or publish in any medium any individual story or part of this novel without expressed permission of the author of this work.

  All Characters in this novel are fictitious and any resemblance to real people either living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to Dionna.

  Thank you for all the help that you have given me in life.

  From watching my kids to helping us out when we were without.

  You are truly loved and appreciated!

  Thanks for being my friend and family!

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Elise H. Ford 2020

  Dedication

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  Elise H Ford

  Chapter 1

  I’m flying high above the trees in the woods near my parent’s house. I feel the wind whipping against my butterfly wings. The beautiful wings that have grown against my back shoulder blades when I was fifteen are a mixture of purple and blue. Just like my eyes, I was born with heterochromia. One of my eyes is purple and the other is blue. I have never felt a sensation quite like the wind beneath my wings. My brunette hair flies up and around my face and tickles my cheeks.

  I was suddenly awakened by my foster mother's screaming voice yelling at me to wake up from the hallway outside my bedroom door.

  “You can't sleep all day, get up already Elmery!” Her gravelly voice grates through my ears and I realize that me flying was just a dream.

  I would never actually use my wings, ever. No one can find out about them. Not even my foster parents can find out about them. They would think I was some kind of freak and ship me off to some hospital somewhere, where I’d be poked and prodded for the rest of my life. No… My beautiful wings must be kept secret. A silent secret that no one can ever find out about.

  A fist pounds against my door sharply twice. “You hear me, girl? Get your ass up!” My foster mother yells again. She’s usually a pretty nice lady, Joanie. But sometimes, just like everyone else in the world, she gets into a mood. She turns the doorknob turning to get in, but I have it locked, just like I do everyday.

  “Yeah, I heard ya. I’m up. Calm down.” I yell back. I hear footsteps leaving from in front of my bedroom door and I breathe out a deep sigh. What’s the big deal anyway? Why can’t I sleep in? After another sigh, I whip the blanket off of me and stand up. I let out a big yawn before I lift my arms up to stretch. My wings flutter behind me, my light pink spaghetti strap tank top not restricting their movement at all and feeling free now since I’m not laying on them anymore. Cracking my neck a few times, I then walk barefoot to my dresser. I grab my leather girdle that holds down my wings so they cannot be seen under my clothes and put it on over my tank top. Another t-shirt goes on over the girdle and a baggy hoodie goes over that. It may be a lot of layers but you can never be too careful with a secret like this.

  I’ve looked up my condition online and can’t find another single case of someone growing wings on their backs like I did. Now that it’s been five years since they appeared, they have grown more beautiful than I even imagined something could be. I really wish I could share them with someone, show someone, anything! Just to know that I’m not a freak, because that’s all I feel like I am.

  My own birth parents didn’t want me. I was jostled around foster home to foster home until I was eight and the Mitchell’s adopted me. I have no real close friends and at the age of fifteen I started to grow these weird bumps on my back. The weird bumps started to grow bigger and longer then grew into full blown wings. No one has ever seen them, and they never will.

  I start to walk down the hallway out of my room, when my foster dad opens his bedroom door, straightening his tie.

  “Oh, Elmery.” He smiles at the sight of me. “Finally awake, are we?” Cyrus, my foster dad, has short cropped greying hair that grows into a widows peak. His brown honey eyes are welcoming and he’s been the best foster dad I’ve ever had.

  “It’s not that late. Only ten in the morning.” I say with a yawn. “I was up late working on another piece.” I tell him, which is true. I did stay up way too late to finish a painting but I’m very proud of how it turned out.

  “I can’t wait to see it after work. I’m running late as it is.” Cyrus grins and walks away from me quickly, grabbing his briefcase from the closet before turning down the hallway and down the stairs.

  I follow behind but at a much slower pace. Once I reach the bottom of the stairs, the smell of maple and sugar hits my nostrils. I follow the scent until I’m in the kitchen. Sitting at the kitchen table is my foster mom, Joanie, and my foster brother Daniel. Joanie became pregnant with Daniel about a year after adopting me. They didn’t think they were able to have children, and Daniel was their miracle baby, so he is much younger than me.

  “Hey, Squirt,” I comment as I ruffle Daniel’s hair as I walk by. I can’t help but to tease and prank him. It’s just something that comes so naturally to me.

  “Stop it!” Daniel yells, “Mom! Elmery’s bugging me!”

  Joanie looks up from her paper and gives us both the stink eye, warning us to not let this bickering continue. “Knock it off, you two. And eat your breakfast… We have a busy day today.”

  I look at my foster mom confused, “I don’t really have any plans. I finished the piece last night.” I mentioned.

  “Don’t you remember? Today’s the day where we are going to check out some apartments and townhouses for you.” Joanie says in a slightly calmer voice.

  “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” I mention.

  “Daniel has to join us though, since your father had to leave for an emergency work thing.” Joanie shrugs.

  “Aw, mom! Do I have to? Can’t I just stay home by myself? I’m twelve now and don’t need a babysitter!” Daniel whines loudly.

  Joanie looks at her son, and seems to contemplate if that’s a good idea or not. “I don’t know… last time I left you home alone, you somehow made the toilet overflow and the bathroom was destroyed with water damage.”

  “That won’t happen again!” Daniel screeches, “I’ll be good, I swear! Just let me stay home, and I’ll stay outside the whole time and play in my tree house.”

  “Okay, fine.” Joanie relents. “You can stay home, but don’t leave our property, you hear me?”

  “I won’t!” Daniel says with a wide grin, his blond hair shimmering in the morning light that’s shining into the window.

  A light chuckle escapes my lips as I grab a few slices of french toast on my plate follow
ed by a couple of hard boiled eggs. I sit at the table with my foster family and begin to eat my breakfast. The talks continue between Joanie and Daniel but I keep my mouth shut and stay out of it.

  “Why does Elmery need to move out of the house?” Daniel asks, his brown eyes getting a little teary and he sniffs loudly. “I don’t want her to leave!”

  “Oh Honey, Elmery is a grown woman now. She wants her own place and I’m helping her get the best place that we can. Elmery is always welcome here and she knows it. It’s not like she’ll be gone forever.” Joanie tries to calm down Daniel but I can see a few tears building in her own eyes as well. “If it was up to me, Elmery would stay here forever with us, but this is her decision.”

  Both Daniel and Joanie then look up at me. I’m in the middle of taking a bite and stop mid-chew.

  “What?” I say with food muffling my voice. I hurry up and swallow my bite. After a loud gulp, “I’m twenty now. I should be living on my own. I promise to visit, little man. And maybe, once I get settled in, we can have a sleepover and watch scary movies all night long!”

  That seems to appease my foster brother for now, his wide smile stretching across his face and he continues to finish his breakfast in silence. After that he runs off outside to play in his tree house. Joanie sets her sights back onto me.

  “So we have a few different places to look at, all three in different locations but all close enough for a day visit. One condo, one townhouse, and the cabin from the link you sent me.” Joanie comments with indifference but I can still tell that she is a little upset that I want to move out. I just feel that it’s time… I should have been on my own when I turned eighteen but I didn’t have enough money saved up then. Now I do.

  “Sounds great. I’m ready whenever you are.” I tell Joanie.

  Joanie gives me the once over with her eyes, “Don’t you want to take a shower and get dressed first?” She asks.

  I shake my head, and shrug, “Nah, I’m good.”

  “Sweetie,” Joanie says, her face pulled down in a frown, “You know you are so beautiful already… but a little effort on your part and you’d really shine!”

  “Ah, Joanie.” I shake my head, “I look fine. I’m not trying to impress anyone.”

  “You never know who you might meet in a day!” Joanie counters.

  “Whoever I meet, if they don’t like the way I look now, then they wouldn’t like me anyways. No need to gift wrap this package.” I laugh.

  Joanie sighs, “Well, whatever. It’s your life.”

  I nod my head, “Thank you.”

  Joanie holds up her mug, “Let me just finish this coffee and then we can get a move on.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll be waiting in the backyard.” I tell her as I get up from the table. I walk through the house until I get into the backyard.

  I sit on Joanie’s garden bench and take in a large breath of fresh air. The sun is shining with little cloud cover and the flowers are in full bloom. The scents coming from all of the different flowers around consumes me and I lose myself to my thoughts, my eyes losing focus of reality around me. I sit there for a few minutes just lost in thought when I hear my name being called out. I focus back into the here and now and see Joanie looking around the yard for me.

  “I’m here.” I wave from the bench as I get up and walk towards her.

  “Oh, that’s weird… I didn’t see you.” Joanie scrunches her eyebrows.

  I follow her to her car and get into the passenger seat. Joanie pulls out of the driveway and drives to the first destination. The townhouse on Wickery Lane is squished together with so many other townhouses. Tiny patios attached to each unit, and a single bush adorns the entrance. I grimace at the cookie cutter establishment. Joanie pulls up into a parking spot in front of a townhouse that looks exactly the same as every other one around it.

  “I can tell you right now that I hate it and don’t want to live here.” I blurt out.

  “What? Really? Why? These are pretty nice, each has two floors and your own washer and dryer in the unit.” Joanie replies surprised.

  “There are a couple reasons. First, I don’t like how close the neighbors are. Second, I hate the cookie cutter look. There is no originality. Third, there isn’t even a space to have a garden.” I huff out loudly.

  Joanie lets out a sigh of her own, “Fine, we won’t even look at this place then.” She pulls the car out of park and drives away.

  We travel another twenty minutes before we pull into a condominium filled with a community of little houses. Each condo has its own attached garage and a little plot of land. I can see some of the residents' charm that they have added to their gardens.

  “Now this is better.” I comment as I look around.

  Joanie parks in front of the unit that is for sale and we get out of the car. My foster mom is a realtor so she can really help me out with this quest of mine to find my own place. Joanie taps in the numbers on the keypad and the little black box next to the doorbell opens to give us a key.

  Once inside the condo, I can smell bleach from the fresh cleaning of the place. The brown carpets are cleaned of everything, not a dust bunny to be found. The walls are an ugly beige with no hint of personality at all. The whole place is just a big blob of disappointment. I hate the aura that surrounds it.

  I shake my head, “I don’t like this.”

  Joanie snaps her head back and looks at me, “Why not?” She asks.

  I shrug, “I don’t know. I don’t like its energy, and there is no personality whatsoever… It’s not bad… Just not me.”

  Joanie’s eyes soften as she looks upon my face. “I get it, dear. It's not like you have to pick a place to live today anyways… We’ll keep looking until we find the perfect place.”

  There isn’t any point in looking around this condo anymore so we leave out the way we came in. Getting back into Joanie’s car, my wings start to itch something fierce so I sway back and forth in my seat, trying to get the back of my chair to scratch the itch for me. I succeeded and then played it off like I was dancing in my seat, turning up the music on the radio and starting to sing along to the tune. Joanie laughs and shakes her head at me.

  We start the drive towards the property that I am the most excited about. I found this cabin that is for sale for pretty cheap out in Foxlorn Forest online. From the pictures it seems like there are no neighbors so pretty damn secluded, exactly what I want. The main road turns off to the right and becomes dirt. Overgrown trees block the path to the house so Joanie parks the car and we walk the rest of the way towards the house.

  “This doesn’t look promising…” Joanie comments on our walk up to the house but I ignore her, simply too absorbed by the beauty before me.

  The cabin is quite large made out of huge logs with windows adorning every side. Vines grow up the side of the house giving the look that the house is alive. Wildflowers grow along with the grass making the whole yard a beautiful meadow of blues and yellows and greens and reds. The house is circled by miles of Foxlorn Forest, keeping it out of prying eyes.

  “This is perfect…” I say with wide eyes.

  “I got to say… It does have its charm.” Joanie smiles, “But let’s go check out the inside of the house first before you get your hopes up.”

  I follow behind Joanie as she unlocks the door to the cabin and we step inside. There is a slight earthy smell as I step across the threshold and it brings a smile to my face. Sun shines through the drapeless windows letting a bit of light in. There is old furniture laying around under blue faded and dusty tarps and a fireplace that is filled with soot. Joanie flips the switch to turn on the lights. Once she does, the lights flicker a few times before they stay on for good. A large film of dust covers everything inside the cabin, but I can see the potential within.

  I look back to Joanie with a twinkle in my eyes as she gives me a forced smile. I delve deeper into the cabin, opening doors and checking out each room. The kitchen is small, but it will work for just me. There are three
bedrooms and a rather nice bathroom with a clawfoot tub. Next, I drag Joanie upstairs with me to the attic. Once in the attic, I pull the cord to turn on the light. Suddenly, a medium sized black bat squeals and flies off one of the beams in the ceiling, trying to get out of the light. Joanie screams bloody murder and runs down the stairs and out of the house. I burst out in laughter so hard that it hurts my side. Once I’m able to calm down, I open the window and let the bat out into the wild.

  “Fly away little one, this house is now occupied!” I say loudly with a chuckle. I can still hear Joanie screaming outside. I run down the stairs, laughter still in my throat. Once I’m outside and in the meadow of the yard, I look around for Joanie. I see her running around in circles, running her hands through her blond short hair.

  “It’s in my hair! It’s in my hair!” Joanie screams at the top of her lungs. I ran over to her, trying to calm her down.

  “It’s not in your hair, never was. You’re okay!” I calmly repeat over and over. Finally Joanie slows down and calms her breathing.

  “You are NOT buying this place… it’s infected and falling apart.” Joanie grunts out.

  “One little bat does not mean it’s infected.” I shake my head, “And it’s my money. I can buy this house if I want to… And I do!” I yell a little.

  “This house will be too much work! There is so much to do before it is livable and that kind of work won’t come cheap.” Joanie huffs.

  “I can do all the work myself. And I won’t move in until the work is complete… You’re the one who said I’m welcome to stay at home as long as I want.” I comment back to her. “I am so in love with this place.” My eyes are wide and pleading.

  Joanie looks at me and then back to the house, then back at me. Her expression softened, “Oh alright… If this is the place you really want… I guess I’ll get the paperwork started.”

  I gasp and yell out, “Yes!” before doing a little happy dance. This beautiful piece of land will be all mine soon.