Project Songbird

Chapter 35

Morning came rather quickly and I couldn't help but feel extremely nervous. I was happy that Tyler had found my mother but also another feeling that I couldn't explain.
"Not hungry this morning?" Rose asks as he moves my leg around.
"Hm?" I look at him.
"You've been staring at the plate all morning but you haven't made a move to eat it." He says.
"Not much of an appetite I guess." I lean back in the chair and close my eyes.
"Is everything alright?" Rose asks softly.
"Yes, yes, everything is fine." I try to convince him but I don't sound very confident. He pauses in his movements and looks up at me, "Did you get into a fight?"
"Huh?"
"You and Tyler." Rose says.
"Oh, oh! No no, not at all!" I waved my hands in front of me to get my point across, "The whole time he was gone, he was searching for someone for me and he found them."
"Oh?" He sits back on his heels, bringing my leg up a bit and we both pause at the loud crack from my hip.
"Oh shit, you alright?" He pauses his movements.
"Yeah, I think my hip might have just popped. It doesn't hurt like it broke." I said. He sets my leg down and begins to feel my hip, moving his fingers expertly.
"So were you born in the hospital too??" I lean back in the chair.
"Me? Oh no." Rose shakes his head, "No, they kidnapped me when I was joining my family at their new office building they were making for the company. It's where I learned about physical therapy."
"It's a family business?"
"Yeah, I've been learning since I was a young man." He smiles as he stands up, "Your leg seems to be doing much better, how is the pain?"
"Sometimes it feels unbelievably unbearable." I reply as I wipe my hand over my face and sigh.
"Pain is a good thing, it's letting us know that the pain receptors are trying to restore themselves. The unbearable part might be because they are healing and don't know how to regulate the signal to your brain." He informs me.
"Ethan, are you ready?" Tyler steps in through the front door and my stomach twists. I nod my head slowly as I can't trust my mouth to speak. Rose helps me stand and make my way to Tyler. Behind him stand Jack. His hair was combed and his clothes looked better than last night. He gives me a gentle smile, "Are you ready Ethan?"
"I...I think so..." I wring my hands a bit and then rub the back of my neck.
"Alright, this location is one I have been to as a young kid but due to how far away it is, it's going to take a lot of energy. I'm not going to be able to bring us back immediately." Jack explains.
"You've been there?" I ask.
"Yeah, as a young lad my family loved going to that meadow when we were done with chores at home." He explains.
"Huh, I wonder how we never managed to see each other." I shrug as he does as well. Jack steps forward and grabs a hold of both of us. Rose waves at us, "I'll keep an eye out around here while y'all are gone." He smiles, "I wish you luck."
"Thanks." I smile before Jack whisks us away.

We reappear in the large meadow.
Tall, luscious grass as far as the eye could see. Jack immediately takes a seat, "Woo, that was a lot of energy. I'll be here. Take your time." He waves us off. Tyler grabs my hand gently and wordlessly leads me through the tall grass. We walk quite a ways before we stop in the muddy dirt where Tyler had dug up her grave, the coffin half covered like he didn't mean to unearth the whole thing. Somehow her wooden coffin is still intact even after all these years. I can still see the engraved words. I bend down and bite my lower lip as I try to hold back my tears, "H-hi Momma," I reach forward and place my hand on the coffin. The exposed wood is warm due to the sun. "I'm sorry it took me so long to come back." I lean forward and rest my head on the warm wood and close my eyes, tears slipping down my face. I have so much to say but I don't know where to start. Do I start with what happened recently or what happened after you died? Should I explain about my stepmother? I have siblings now. I have friends now. I saved a whole bunch of people at the cost of my humanity. I'm not human anymore Momma, but I'm still your son. I'm still that beautiful little boy that you were always so proud of. I don't know if I accomplished what you wanted me to set out to do in life but I hope I did. Out of a technicality, you have a grandchild now. His name is Asher, he is an adorable little boy; he has such beautiful eyes.
I glance up at Tyler and reach towards his hand. He grabs mine and I carefully pull him down next to him. This is Tyler, he's my boyfriend.  He is the one that found you so I could see you again. I hope you approve of him because I really think that we are going to be together for a long time. Tyler shifts on his knees and looks at the coffin. His gaze slowly passed up and down the coffin before returning to me.
"I hope this helps your nightmares."
"Me too." I whisper. Oh yeah, I'm suffering from nightmares now. Something to do with the experiments that the government did to me. I'm what they classify as a Songbird. We start off as a winged human, with a singing ability, but once broken, we turn into what we call demons. I'm not really sure if this makes me evil or not. I don't think I'm evil. I feel like I've done a whole lot for the greater good of others. But I've also taken lives from others. Most of it was self defense. Do you hate me because of this? I promise I'm trying to be as good as I can. Over there in the distance is Jack, he too is a Songbird. He has teleport ability which brought me safely to you. There is so much to tell you.
"...we can stay here as long as you need. And if you aren't ready to tell everything, I'm sure Jack wouldn't mind bringing you back when you need." Tyler whispers as he takes a proper seat next to me.
"I guess I'm struggling to find where to start. There's so much to say. It feels like I don't have enough time." I admit.
"There's plenty of time," His hand moves to my face and gently wipes away the tears, "Even if I have to bring you here on foot, I will make sure there's plenty of time."
My nerves began to relax and the twist in my stomach eased, "How could I ever repay you for this?"
"Repay me?" He asks.
"I mean without being prompted you've spent your time looking for my mother. You cook for me, you are there when I need someone to listen to my problems, you're there when I need a clear mind-"
"Isn't that what love is?" He interrupts.
"Do whatever I can for you to make things easier for you?"
I let his words sink in.
"I don't need to be repaid. I did this for you out of love. All I ask is for you to stay by my side." He continues, his other hand takes mine; our fingers intertwine. Blue-grey eyes, like storm clouds brewing, hold a captivating depth that pulls me in. Their hue shifts like the sea, sometimes tranquil and serene, other times turbulent with emotion. Gazing into them feels like navigating uncharted waters, discovering new layers with each glance. In their depths, I find solace, mystery, and an irresistible allure that keeps me forever entranced. The breath catches in my throat as I try to put together any words. I feel my heart begin to thump against my chest in a heavy tone. The heat begins to flush my face. He leans in slowly and plants a small, but soft kiss against my forehead.
The warmth from my face begins to spread through my body and there's a new feeling deep in my heart. The pain that was usually there during the transformation was beginning to ebb away. He pulls back slightly, "I love you Ethan, I love you with my entire being. And I will do anything for you."
I shift my head to catch his eyes again. The emotion deep within them is nothing but love. It's overwhelming.
"I-I love you too, Tyler."
He moves his head down, his hand holding my face in place, until his lips collide with mine. As our lips meet for the first time, a rush of emotions flooded through me. The anticipation had been building, and as our breaths mingled, time seemed to stand still. The gentle touch of his lips against mine sent a shiver down my spine, and I felt a wave of warmth enveloping me. In that moment, it was just the two of us, lost in the sweetness of our first kiss, as if the world had faded away, leaving only the sensation of love and connection between us.
After what seemed like blissful eternity, we pulled back from each other. Tyler's face is beet red and he's grinning like a goofball, "Ah, sorry, was that too soon?"
I feel the grin spread across my face, "No, that was perfect."
I turn around and scoot to sit closer to him, wrapping his arms around me and resting back against his chest. "Is it alright if we just sit here for a while?"
"Sure." He hums.