Lonely Birds [Carrick]

She adjusted her other arm. The kestrel fidgeted with a wing. The bird cocked its head a degree. The girl followed suit. She blinked; the predator’s gaze did not waver. A smile’s shadow ghosted across her face: there was one thing the bird refused to imitate. The slight mirth trickled across their bond into the feathered partner, adding a different flavor to the emotional pool already lying within.

Yet ripples soon formed in that shallow pond as a strange object began whizzing by. With a round circumference and a flattened form, a snippet of Elizabeth’s attention identified the construction as a Frisbee. That meant people. Playing. In groups. Most likely with large amounts of talking and laughing. And the disk would summon them to her abode like flies to honey, laughing all the way. And they would see her and continue laughing, even as she used her powers.

With a surprisingly massive effort, Liz forsook that thought and returned her attention back to the complacent falcon. Smouldering in the birds mentality burned a defensive rage. The mutant’s thought reflected on her own attitude. I’ve caused another emotional response. She needed to work on that. She did not want to further inflict her burdens upon her friends.

“It’s okay,” she faintly whispered, knowing it would be more than loud enough for the bird’s keen hearing. besides, it was the tone that was important, not the words. She channeled more tranquility into the bird, as if shushing it with her mind. The blonde chose to ignore the Frisbee and the ominous signs of the people to come and averted her full attention back to the bird, praying to lose herself in its glossy, black eyes. She wanted its predatory fierceness and lone wolf nature to steel her for the incoming people. She would’ve possessed the bird, but her body would still be left behind. Helpless. And that was something she never wanted to be again.

Of all things to possibly expect, that was not it.

As the shape of a winged boy soared overhead, a powerful wave of displaced air rolled over the girl and bird, occurring simultaneously with a loud voice yelling something. The shock of the sudden assault of air, sight, and sound caused the same feeling to bounce back and forth between Elizabeth and the kestrel: shock and fear.

The girl spun in her seat and threw her free arm against the side of the bench, supporting herself against the sturdy metal. The kestrel, although remaining on her wrist, let out a piercing shriek and beat its wings hard, puffing up its feathers in a dramatic display of dominance.

It was a moment before the blonde was able to grab a hold of herself and calm her breathing. Her accelerated heartbeat she could do nothing about. Realization of what had just happened swept over her as she finally sorted out what her senses had informed her of. While channeling a stream of more tranquility and assurance into the avian, Liz softly shushed her, using a soothing tone as well as a calming empathic link. It was okay. It was only....

Carrick.

Carrick. The Irish lad who’d shared a first kiss with her. Who’d been the second person she’d met at the school. Who looked like an angel or could be a conglomerate entity of two of the noblest creatures on the planet. The guy who’d always been there for her. As she watched him ascend out of the disturbed pond, the water streaming off his hair and causing his shirt to cling to his body, Liz turned her back to him, momentarily gaining privacy. “Go. Fly free, my friend,” she whispered to the bird on her wrist, who’d been staring at her with a puzzled tilt that only a bird could truly do. She gently stretched her arm out and slightly jerked her fingers back towards her palm. Whether or not the bird understood her words or her actions, it seemed to get the message and swiftly flew away. A single strand of contentment and calmness trailed between them for just a moment longer before the mutant raised her barriers (those for her powers and those for other people) before turning back around.

A small smile curved up on her lips, even as a glimmer light sparkled in her eyes. Yet anyone who knew her could tell that something was different about the girl. Something....subdued. “Hey, Carrick,” she greeted softly.

His actions were....a bit unsettling. Not because they disturbed Elizabeth, they just weren’t what she’d been used to dealing for the last year. Which was....nice. With water and wind flaring everywhere, her friend appeared before her. Up close, Liz was able to notice several changes about the boy. For one, he seemed to have hit a growth spurt somewhere along the line. And his features were more animalistic and pointed. The effect was striking to be sure. The blonde could feel her pulse speeding up a bit.

“Yeah, it’s me,” she confirmed, partially spreading her hands from her sides with a hint of a shrug. “I guess I’ve been....okay.” It wasn’t really a lie. This last month had been liveable, for sure. Before....well, Carrick didn’t need to know about it. Nobody ever did. Unconsciously, Liz adjusted the wristbands on first her left wrist and then her right, making sure the named areas were completely concealed.

“Yeah, I went back to my old school for a year. But now I’m back. I just really haven’t felt up to being around people, though.” Was that a tint of sadness in her voice? Or a wistful desire? Liz ambled over a step or two, taking her gaze off of Carrick’s. “It’s not you; I just need to get through some things.” She paused, peeking over her shoulder to look at him with a hesitant inquiry. “Although, I wouldn’t mind hanging with you....”

The angel’s remark about the bird puzzled her for a moment, though. Her right eyebrow arched as she wheeled completely around. “What?” Did Carrick know that bird? It wasn’t likely, but one could never tell what sort of wild creatures a winged boy might befriend. She asked him about it. “Do you know that bird?” A single finger offhandedly pointed at the rapidly shrinking bird. It was a rather sensible question, to be sure.

Elizabeth listened to Carrick speak, a slow smile creeping across her face. Oh, how she’d missed the winged lad and hadn’t ever really discovered it! So carefree and open; it was like rain after a drought. Even with his admissions of punishments for things she most likely would not have approved of, Carrick was still willing to include her in his life. And the other things he said, it was like he cared for her.

She really needed a friend.

She smiled brighter at his roar, speaking a barely audible “Nice.” It was another way in which Carrick had changed so much yet remained the same. And although she was no true bird whisperer, she shrugged modestly and half-spread her hands again, as if Carrick had caught her in the act. Tension poured off of the girl, just as water had sluiced off of the boy. Carrick’s charm was so infectious and Liz felt so comfortable and....safe, just by being around him.

But at the second reference to an explanation of where she’d been, a flash of fear crossed her eyes and her smile froze like a deer in headlights. For a moment, Liz was caught up again in the turmoil of her junior year, but she managed to veil it behind a much less fake-seeming smile. She was striving for serenity but was unsure of how well she truly performed. In hopes of covering her lapse in mood, she assented to his suggestion.

“I’d love to go flying with you,” she stated suavely, conveniently neglecting the rest of the subject entirely. She zipped up her jacket, knowing that higher altitudes were often chillier than terrestrial norms. It was up to her angel, now.

To be flying. The ultimate expression of freedom, when now even gravity, one of the four fundamental forces of the universe, could make you do anything. And this was no shadow of the true thing, such as when she merged with animals and hitched a ride in their bodies. Her body had always stayed behind, lifeless and grounded while her spirit soared.

But, in her angel’s arms, she was able to be free, free from everything, free from everyone. She cuddled even closer to Carrick, desiring to just draw closer to him as well as to warm up a bit. She managed genuine laughter for his commentary on the Pond kid, somewhat startling herself in the meantime. To laugh, openly and without fear of attracting attention, oh it was just the grandest feeling in the world! And Liz offered up a silent prayer, giving thanks for Carrick not pushing the subject.

He was just what she needed.

“I can’t say that I have,” Liz replied to her friends query/statement, straining only a little bit to be heard over the wind. Even when possessing, she hadn’t been flying. In fact, her possessions were relatively few in number since she’d left, and several of those had occurred only after she’d returned. And she certainly hadn’t flown like this. “I really missed this!” she said with a gleeful seriousness. The wonders of flying were hers! And she needed fear no machine failures or Carrick dropping her; she knew she could depend on him.

“Where are we going?” she asked, just a moment later. It was clear they were heading into the city, but that left a lot of possibilities. Perhaps the park? That should provide a bit of rest and solitude. If they just found a bench in a semi-secluded spot....

She belatedly responded to Carrick’s squeeze by pressing herself even harder against him. Just being close to him was all she really wanted at the moment.

His evasive answers left Elizabeth a bit quiet as she attempted to puzzle out what they meant. Somewhere he’d threatened to leave her before? Well how on Earth was she supposed to remember that? All she could really narrow it down to was some place in New York. She didn’t really know how long he could sustain flight, especially when burdened with a passenger, but she figured he’d would fly too long, since they’d both probably want to be back at the mansion before midnight. So without any further information, Liz just picked a place and set her mind to it.

Carrick was clearly going to take her to the Statue of Liberty. If he didn’t, she was going to be disappointed and would probably tap her toes a few times.

Once her problem was solved, Liz contented herself to just settle in her angel’s arms as she took in the sights of the city. It was an excellent tour, and surprisingly not too much of a different view than the normal, mundane, landcrawling human one she was used to. But then again, Liz had flown above the city before, getting many literal bird’s-eye views of the place.

But nothing compared to seeing it with her own eyes. The urban sprawl and strange grandeur of the land nearly took her breath away.

‘Twasn’t long before the duo came near their destination, as announced by her winged transporter. It was Lady Liberty, but the Empire State building would do just as well. She allowed a short peal of laughter to ring out after his playful threat and attempted to respond to his later statement by yelling over the rapidly increasing winds. “I’ll take your word for it!”

The acceleration and constant wind in her face inspired Liz to close her eyes tightly and turn her face away, practically burrowing it into Carrick’s shoulder. She kept her legs tight together, trying to prevent any draughts from escaping up the skirt. Fortunately for her, though, when Carrick had picked her up, the skirt had ended up folded between her legs and his strong arm, preventing them from flapping and shredding in the wind. Carrick O’Connor, always the gentleman.