Are we... dead?
She was warm and felt safe. Wrapped in a silver spool of silk and chrysalis. Dani grumbled to herself bleakly as she pried her eyelids open. Sticky silk slips fall from her lashes as she extends her arm from her leg. Her entire body violently ached as Dani tore herself from a peaceful slumber. Dani wiggled her fingers and realized she was still touching the handlebars of Abby's wheelchair.
Abby. Is she....
Dani let out a stifled cry as she forced herself to lean forward. Her eyes frantically peeled at the surface of Abby's chair only to find it empty. Then, at the footrest, Dani spotted the girl's slip-on shoe. Splatters of blood soaked the edges, and the pink ribbon was unloved and tattered on the ground.
Hot tears spilled from her as she squeezed the handles. Her knuckles turned white as she felt anger and sadness begin to consume her. Just then- a swallowtail butterfly tickled her fingers as its blue wings dipped into her hand, draping her knuckles. The beautiful small framed creature rested in her hands as she focused on the insect.
"You," she spat quietly.
The swallowtail slowly opened and closed its wings as another joined the creature. The second butterfly- a golden brown monarch - began to spew a row of silk over Dani's hand as her cuts tore slightly from her grip. The bruising around her knuckles gradually disappeared as she watched in awe of the abundance.
"Every time I see one of you," she whispered, "something bad happens."
The sound of a multitude of wings prolonged in her ears. Dani glanced around at the strange silk walls as the butterflies left her hand. She spun around to see a towering crack begin to emerge from the top. Dani watched as the gold sheath dispersed slowly before her, and a tsunami of butterflies spilled out into the streets and sky. Steadily, she steps out of the decaying matter and finds herself standing on West 24th street.
That's right.. Dani pondered. We were at Howard's when it happened.
Dani turned back toward the nifty bookstore only to see that half of West St was engulfed in spews of silk and chrysalis. And what used to be carcasses of charred strangers were now relics of silk and chrysalis. She moved her hand to see cuts and bruises were gone and that thin slips of the butterflies silk hung from her fingertips.
They healed it.
Dani looked up at the city as she questioned the contents of the silky habitant she spawned from. Then- the sound of flutters filled her ears. Her body ached as she looked at the windowpane of Meryl's. Her gasp filled the silence of the street as she didn't recognize the woman staring back at her.
A spool of butterflies draped around her eyes as they rested and stretched over her entire body. Her once golden brown eyes were now blue. Her pupils were dilated, and the iris of her eyes was the shade of denim blue. She could feel the gentle flutter of their wings. Her clothes from before were torn and battered. But the tiny creatures had spewed layers of silk over her chest and waistline. Her long brown locks were held tightly in silk bands as butterflies rested there too. Dani ran her hand behind her back as the soreness ruptured, only to find her fingertips gracefully touching a pair of vast blue wings. The expansion of her wings fanned out as the black tips of her wings dripped from the sidewalk.
"I'm..." she trailed off as she glanced at her bare feet. The ruptured ground and fallen debris were scattered in patches throughout the street. "A mutant?"
Her eyes fell on what used to be the entry to Meryl's bookstore. Uncertainty grew in her chest at the thought of returning home without Abby. She couldn't help but wonder how she would explain the events that transpired to her family.
Dani placed her hands on the hard outer case of the chrysalis as she rested her temple against it. "Please be okay."
A siren filled the streets as chaos brought Dani back to reality. Her eyes shifted as she straightened herself at the sight of Talis. The rugged mutant desecrated the streets of New York and turned in her direction. She spotted Nico perched on a building as he carefully watched her. Curiosity bubbled in her chest as she turned her attention to Talus, who raised his hand to her just a couple hundred feet away. His voice alone could shake the ground in his monotone.
"Hey, freak of nature," Talus huffed in annoyance, "this is our turf. Get lost if you want to keep your wings!"
Anger boils under her skin as she clenched her teeth, "were their lives worth it?"
Talus laughs as he turns to his accomplices, "you hear the pipsqueak?"
Phoenix and Nico share a look of confusion together before turning their attention back to the girl with wings. Talus steps forward with a malicious grin, "I think it'll be fun crushing your head in. Right, Nico?"
Nico glares at Talus, "fall back. She's not our objective."
Talus sneered, "she is now!"
Phoenix spat in anger, "you bloke, you'll jeopardize the mission more!"
Ignoring his comrades, Talus charges at Dani like a bull. She throws her arms up defensively expecting her bones to shatter. But it never comes.
Instead, her ears are filled with loud deep screams of agony and pain. She opens her eyes to see a shield emerge and the rampant mutant was torpid. His heavy body toppled over in pain before her small frame. A swarm of butterflies filter around Dani as her gaze falls on Nico. They share a look of disgust as his green eyes turn a shade darker.
Phoenix steps in front of her partner, her wings blazing, "head back to base. I got this,"
Nico gave a reluctant look, "no, this matter belongs to Talus."
Dani gritted her teeth, seething in anger, "I'll ask one more time. Were their lives worth it?"
Phoenix rose to her feet with a sneer on her crimson lips, "careful little butterfly. You don't know who you're speaking to with that tone."
"Cowards," Dani retaliated, "lowlife cowards."
Before Phoenix could respond, Talus slowly gathers himself as he rolls his muscles in fury. Dani steps back from the growing mutant. Clusters of rocks roll to him and clash onto his thick pulsing body. Her hands shook as the round shield she unknowingly formed began to vibrate. Hues of gold and blue spilled into the tattered streets while Dani held the round shield to her side.
Cracking his hardened hands together, Talus jibed, "no one speaks to my girl like that!"
"Can it," Phoenix snapped, "I'm no ones girl. Especially yours."
Phoenix swooped down from her refuge, and strode to Talus's side. Her wings drooped down her slender sides. She smiled eerily. Lifting her long dark lashes with a look of disgust, "You suppose to be the next hero?"
"So what if I am?"
The small voice drifted in Dani's head again. Warning her of the danger she allowed to close in on her.
Rise.
Her palms began to sweat as her shield gradually dispersed. Panic rose in her chest as the scent of ashes filled her nostrils once more. Here she stood, so powerful in a way that she couldn't fathom. Her veins coursed with an energy she couldn't name or wrap her mind around. She was powerless with an ability she didn't understand or know how to use.
Rise.
"Then it looks like I'll have to clip your wings," Phoenix chirped.
Dani hissed, her eyes never leaving Nico's, "not if I cut yours first."