Did It Hurt? (bxb)

XIV

Angel tripped and scrambled through forest. Brambles and ferns seemed to reach towards him like outstretched fingers. It was about three minutes before he had to stop and catch his breath. He had been so determined to escape the bus; to escape Oliver's mom and the prying eyes of the students, that he had just run. Now, he found himself lost, with no clue how to get back home. "Well, shit." Angel mumbled angrily to himself, trying to ignore the fear that was spreading slowly within him. "Great job, Angel. Now an eighth of the school district knows you have wings, you probably hurt Oliver's mother,-even though she totally deserved it-, and you've gotten yourself lost."

Angel fought back the urge to cry. Now if he returned to school, the news would've already spread about what he was. The police would be called, the SWAT team would come to take him away, and he'd be subjected to never ending experiments. His existence would be all over the news, people questioning and fearing what he was or if he was a danger. He would never be allowed to go home. He wouldn't be allowed to see his mother, Mikaela, Matt, George, Sadie, or Oliver ever again. They'd poke and prod at him with needles, X-ray him... 

Angel leaned his head against the trunk of a hemlock tree. Something cold and wet hit the top of his head, then another, and another. "And now it's raining!" He whispered, furious with everything. Despite this though, he felt ultimately defeated. Angel slumped down among the twisting roots of the hemlock. It was dry with the tree's needles forming a sort-of shelter. Angel didn't know when he eventually started, but soon his tears mixed with the rain. Folding his wings, he wrapped them around himself like a shawl to keep warm. He missed everyone dreadfully. 

The rain was falling harder now, minutes later, and Angel's head perked up at the sound of  rustling. Footstep like noises followed them. Angel whimpered and huddled closer to the safety of the tree. The rustling sound got louder and closer. He decided to pull himself onto a sturdy branch in the case that it was a dangerous animal. Once Angel was settled, he peered down at the ground below. He watched with surprise as a small puppy tumbled out of the brush, only a few feet from where Angel had been.

 The puppy-, no, wolf cub, was ginger colored, with puffy fur and muddy paws. It looked around, then sat down. Angel sucked in a breath as the wolf snapped its head up and stared at him. He watched as the puppy turned into a small girl. He couldn't really describe how he saw it work. It was like her wolf formed melted away, and then a human took its place. She looked to be about eight years old with back length ginger hair,-the same color as her fur-, and innocent hazel eyes. She was wearing a yellow raincoat over a pale green, knee-length dress and matching yellow rain boots. Her soft features were sprayed with freckles. She stared up at Angel like he was her whole world. A huge grin spread from ear to ear. 

"Hello." She spoke simply.

"Um... hello." Angel replied awkwardly. He slowly took his hand off the branch and gave a small wave. "Who are you?"

"My name is Lexi." The girl kept grinning. Her arms were behind her back, and she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. 

He looked at Lexi skeptically. The girl had literally come out of nowhere, and Angel had many questions. "I'm.... Angel." He braced his hand on the tree and looked at the girl. "I highly doubt this, but I have to ask." With his other hand, he swept a hand through his hair, and rested his hand on the back of his neck. "Are you going to kill me?"

Lexi's eyes widened, and she frowned in surprise before bursting out laughing. "No, silly! I haven't learned to hunt yet!" Angel frowned and rolled his eyes. After a minute, the werewolf cub stopped laughing and inclined her head to the side. "Why are you in a tree?"

Angel's eyes widened. The question caught him off guard. The child was so random, it felt like she was constantly ripping the carpet he was standing on right out from under him. Angel didn't want to offend her by saying that he had thought she could've possibly been a deranged mother and was hiding from her, so he thought over his words carefully.