CHAPTER FOURTEEN

14

“OH, MY GOD! DANIEL, CATCH ME!” I panicked. Legs and arms flailing in the air. I was headed straight for the ground, the dark, black, barely-visible ground. I moved my arms in front of my face, bracing myself for the impact. Then I hit the ground . . .  and bounced back up? I landed on a huge trampoline. And bounced about eight times before I settled to a stop. 

I patted my back searching for my wings. “My wings . . .” Tears started to claw at my eyes, “My beautiful, glorious wings . . . They’re gone.” I could feel the tears as they began rolling down my cheeks; and I slowly closed my eyes.

“Phoenix, please be okay, please be okay, please, please, please,” Danny said, suddenly next to me. I opened my eyes and looked over; his eyes were puffy, dark semi-circles surrounded them and he looked tired. “I’m so glad you’re alright, I stayed here with you all night, I was so worried about you.” He was sitting in a blue chair next to me, holding my hand.

I looked at him, feeling sore, pain throbbed throughout my body. “I lost my wings,” I said quietly.

“What wings?”

I looked at him quizzically. “What do you mean ‘what wings’? I JUST RESCUED YOU!” I was practically yelling at him.

“Calm down, Phoenix. I seriously don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Then, before my eyes, the dark smoky room melted into a bright white, sterile room. The trampoline I was on had turned into a white bed. I heard a steady beeping in the background. My ankle was in a pink cast, in a sling hanging from the ceiling.

I looked at Danny. “What just happened?” My eyes grew wide, taking it all in.

“We’re in a hospital,” he quietly said. “You were almost killed.”