Page 135 of Pretty Broken Wings
Looking up, I see a massive black raven sitting on the railing, only feet away. I freeze, staring at it. What the hell? Was it there when I walked up? My heart races, and the bird just stares at me with its beady, black eyes. Is this Poe?
I can’t move. Fear holds me still. I can’t move, or it’ll claw my eyes out.
It’s gotta be Poe. Poe always hated me, and this one looks like it’d eat my heart out and laugh.
The sliding door opens behind me, and I jump.
“What are you doing?” A voice—Raven—asks.
Poe hops a little, and I jump. “Shhh.”
“What are you–oh shit.” I hear her step outside.
“Don’t–”
She closes the door.
“What are you doing?” I hiss.
“Looking. What are you doing?”
I swallow. At any minute, Poe will have had enough and will come swooping at either of our faces. I inch to angle in front of Raven.
“I’m waiting for it to go so I can leave,” I grit.
Raven is silent for a second. “Are you… scared of it?”
“No,” I spit, but Poe ruffles her feathers and cocks her head. I freeze.
“Oookay,” Raven drags out the word.
“What are you doing?” I swallow. Why the fuck isn’t she scared of an animal that’s clearly bigger than her head and can move fast as fuck?
“Other than discovering you have ornithophobia, I’m getting some air.”
“Arith–whatever. Why aren’t you sucking loverboy’s air?” I can’t keep the bitterness out of my tone.
She says nothing. I risk a glance back at her, and her lips are tight. And fuck, she’s just as beautiful as I remembered.
But she looks pissed with a sort of haunted look. Like she’s been fighting.
“Are you fighting? Again?” Jesus, these two need a fucking therapist on standby.
“No!”
I angle so I can see her while still keeping Poe in my periphery. “Then why are you hiding?”
“I’m not hiding.”
I snort the tiniest bit, and it makes the bird jump. It hops down the railing, and I back up, getting in front of Raven again.
“It’s not going to hurt you.” Raven steps out around me, and I grab at her, but she just shakes off my hold. “Ravens are smart. If it wanted to hurt you, it would have done it already.”
“That does not help.”
She just laughs.
“This is Poe. Gage raised it.” I glare at the animal that has followed me like a specter throughout my childhood.
