I'm sorry about the legnth.... I just kept going and going... I suppose it turned out okay, though.
Edit: I forgot to copy in the last line. xD I hope you like it.
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I looked up into the mirror in front of me and blinked rapidly. Is this me? I wondered, Is this really happening? I stared at the tan face watching me, the violet eyes, the long black hair. No, no, it couldn’t be! I looked at the clock on the countertop: a quarter past twelve. Just fifteen minutes earlier I had begun my early-morning routine; I had rolled out of bed, grabbed my clothes, and headed for the shower. But what I glimpsed made me stop dead in my tracks.
I was the perfect picture of a fallen angel. Or at least, what I thought one would look like. But I’ve only based that look on drawings I’ve seen online. I looked scary, yet eerily beautiful at the same time. For the past sixteen years of my life, I’ve only heard of beautiful. I can’t say I’ve ever seen true beauty, though, because it’s so superficial. People may look beautiful, but they’re generally the ones who have what I like to call a “me-me-me complex.” I can’t say I’ve ever been beautiful, either. Dull brown eyes, pale skin, and boy-cut brown hair don’t look too good on a girl. I’ve never had a boyfriend, or even been kissed. I try not to let it bother me, but I just can’t help it; I have no self esteem. So naturally, I stared into the mirror. For a long, long time. I heard weird things happened to you if you were born on the winter solstice, though I’ve never actually believed it. But today is December 21st, and I’m turning sixteen.
I finally finished me shower and stepped out onto the bath mat, wrapping a blue towel around my shoulders. When I had finished drying myself off, I dashed back to my room and pulled out one of the nicest outfits I owned: a pair of Delia*s jeans and a blue Abercrombie top. But when I tried slipping the shirt over my head, it stopped at my shoulders and wouldn’t budge. I shrugged it off, walked back to the mirror to investigate, and gasped. Wings! A pair of small, violet wings had sprouted out of my back. It was then that I decided I could never go to school looking like this. I would be the laughing stock of the sophomore cl*censored*! I groaned, imagining the taunts and teases I would receive throughout the day, mixed in with the usual comments. “Nice wings. Can you fly me to Fairyland?” or “I didn’t know Snow White liked tanning beds.” That settled it: I would just have to skip.
I had never missed school in my life. Once, while we were stuck down in North Carolina for my grandmother’s birthday, Mom drove me all the way back home so I wouldn’t miss school. It’s not like I’m a problem student, either: I’m just your typical, straight-A, ugly duckling. I slipped out the door with a wave goodbye to Mom, who didn’t even look up from her newspaper. Since her divorce from my stepfather, she hadn’t bothered doing anything, much less paying attention to me. She’d even forgotten it was my birthday.
I hid behind the bushes for a while and watched as the big, yellow school bus rumbled away down the street. I stood cautiously and looked around before starting the long walk into town. The house Mom and I share is pretty big for just the two of us, but it’s pretty far from town, so it’s a h*censored*le to do any shopping. I hummed to myself as I strolled along. I had been walking for about fifteen minutes before I stopped humming and stood still. There, in the park across the street, was Damon. I could tell by the way he was walking toward me; his hands were in his pockets, and his feet seemed to be moving in a sort of musical rhythm. Damon was always skipping school, and everyone said he was trouble. I’d never met him before, but when he bothered coming to school, he was in most of my cl*censored*es. I don’t know why I was surprised to see him, but I was. Well, I guess the real thing that surprised me was his face. His deep green eyes had been replaced by a piercing red gaze, and his long brown hair had turned silver.
“I thought it might be you, Chrissie,” Damon said once he reached me. I couldn’t respond; I want to blame fear, that I was afraid he might rat me out to the dean, but it was probably because he looked good. Really good. The look suits him, I thought, scrambling for an answer. But I couldn’t tear myself away from those eyes, and what I blurted out was the last thing I wanted to say right then.
“You’re one… a fallen angel… too? They exist? I’m not crazy?” I felt a blush creep into my tanned cheeks as soon as I said it. How stupid! Now he’ll think you’re a freak. But Damon just laughed, putting a hand on my shoulder. I felt a small chill of energy, almost like a tiny bolt of lightning, run through me.
“Maybe,” he replied, “But before you decide, there’s something I need to show you.”
~~~