'But...I wasn't even supposed to be here.' Those were supposed to be the final thoughts of Wren Bianchi as she plummeted down from the 35th floor. Despite the concrete below quickly approaching, everything seemed to slow down. The big city lights blurred, and the wind stopped. Even the birds passing by seemed to flap their wings in slow motion.
They say that your life is supposed to flash before your eyes before you die but for Wren, well she just felt numb. She wasn't sad or mad. Wren didn't even have any ill-will towards the man who had thrown her off the balcony moments ago. People always told Wren how lucky she was. Any other girl would be happy to be in her position. She never felt very lucky though. 'Maybe this...is for the best.' Wren thought.
--- ★ ---
Wren Bianchi was a rising star. They had just wrapped up filming her first full-length movie. At every interview her manager proudly told the tale of how he found this diamond in the rough in some unnamed town in the middle of nowhere. He just knew she was full of potential when he saw her striking silver hair and bright blue eyes. Wren just needed a little help. The imperfections could easily be covered with makeup. "And that's how I polished a piece of coal into a beautiful diamond!" Leon exclaimed with a hardy laugh. He was surrounded by a crowded mix of B-list celebrities and production staff. "Hey now," Leon scanned the crowd. "Where is that girl anyway? Renata!"
You see, this wasn't exactly Wren's scene. This was her first wrap-up party, and it was a bit overwhelming to say the least. Wren constantly found herself uncomfortably squeezing between people, her body brushing against who knows how many other party goers. Everyone smelled like booze, and she was positive that at least two guys tried to grab her butt as she made her way towards her manager. "Right here sir." Wren said as she managed to get to the front of the group.
"Ah, there's my girl. Isn't she gorgeous everyone? Just you wait, Renata here will be the leading lady next time you see her." Leon proclaimed. He immediately put on hand on Wren's shoulder, causing her to flinch.
"Renata...sir?" She asked, taking a small step away. 'Is that supposed to be me?'
"What? You're Italian." Leon said as he lit up a fresh cigar. "We should play into that more. Renata is a beautiful name, and here in Hollywood it sounds far more exotic to the average American viewer. So, from now on whenever we're out in public you'll go by that."
"But sir, I-"
"Besides, I already talked to the director to have it updated in the credits." He said, taking a few puffs from his cigar.
'Great.' Wren sighed. "Yes sir." She knew she was being a doormat, but she didn't want to let her family down back home. Every day they called her, asking about how the high life was treating her. Wren didn't have the heart to tell them that this industry wasn't for her. Being an actress seemed like every little girl's dream back where she was from. But here she was, having what everyone else wanted and hating every minute of it. How could she be so ungrateful for such a 'wonderful' opportunity?
"That's my girl."
Wren forced a smile. Her manager then started to boast about some new opportunities he had caught wind of. All the attention was solely on him once again. Wren decided to use this opportunity to get some fresh air. So, she weaved through the crowd once again to make her way to the balcony door. Stepping outside felt like a completely different world. It was peaceful, the thick glass doors were somehow able to muffle the mind-numbing music from inside. The air was so clear she could hear the sound of her own heals tapping against the floor as she walked.
Now alone, Wren was able to take a breather. As she approached the railing though, she paused. There at her feet was a long raven colored feather. Wren picked up the feather, gently tracing her fingers along its bristles. 'Beautiful.' She thought. Wren took the feather with her to the balcony railing. She leaned against it, gazing out at the city lights for a brief moment. The city lights were blinding. 'But...' "They're nothing compared to what I left behind back home." Wren whispered. Surely anyone else would admire all the sights the city had to offer, but not Wren. She was far more captivated by the feather. Wren teased it between her fingers, letting her mind wander.
"There you are."
Lost in thought, Wren hadn't heard anyone else come outside. "I'm sorry?"
"Who else would I be talking to? It's just us." Said an unfamiliar man.
It wasn't uncommon for Wren to not know everyone. Ever since her manager had brought her here, she felt like she was lost in a sea of strangers. But this man...well...Wren couldn't even recall seeing him at the party. She didn't even remember seeing him during production.
"Renata, right? Renata Bianchi?" The man questioned as he came closer. He reeked heavy of cheap cologne.
"Actually its..." 'Damn.' Right. Her manager had just changed it. 'How does he already know about that?' "That's right." Wren corrected herself. She was nervous. The strange man was now uncomfortably close, their chests nearly touching at this point. The smell of his cologne was practically burning her nose.
"Perfect." The man said with a grin. He started to reach out to Wren.
'No.' Now this was way too close for comfort. Wren instinctually moved away when the man tried to touch her. 'What could he possibly want with me?' She thought. Wren's best friend back home, Camilla, had warned her about people like this at Hollywood parties. Older men who were just itching to take advantage of a young beautiful actress like Wren. "Stay away!" Wren exclaimed, backing up against the railing.
"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon."
"I'll scream! Someone will see you!" Wren shouted, but the man continued to corner her. "Stop! I'll...why I'll-" The man grabbed Wren's thighs. His touch felt like two devilish serpents wrapping around her legs. "Wait!" She reached around the man in attempt to claw at him, anything to free herself. But then it happened so fast...
The man thrusted Wren right up and over the railing.
'What...' Wren's eyes widened in horror as she felt herself falling. She was prepared to fight off a lone pervert. This though, was something the starlet would have never expected. Who could have possibly predicted a crazy man throwing you from a high rise?! Not her, not her manager, not even her friend who had gone into great detail about all the sleezy things people in this industry get up to.
As she fell backwards, the man looked over the railing as if to make sure she hadn't been able to successfully grab onto something and save herself. Wren watched as he stepped away out of her sight, his strange mission had been accomplished. And there she was, falling so slowly that she swore some divine entity had hit the pause button. It didn't take Wren very long to let go and come to the conclusion...
'Maybe this...is for the best.'
--- ★ ---
Time suddenly started working properly, the pause interrupted by a sudden sharp pain in Wren's side. The sounds, the wind, even the birds were all in motion around her once again. 'But why...' Wren stared down at the concrete below. Cars raced down the streets, but Wren still wasn't moving, hovering in place by an unknown force. 'How am I not...'
"Ahhh!" A quick scream could be heard as another body flew right past her to the ground below. The desperate cry was short-lived, followed by a silent crash into the concrete.
'Wait...was that...' It was! It was the man who had thrown her, finding himself as the new victim of her fate. Wren didn't want to look anymore, quickly fixing her gaze elsewhere. Out of her peripheral vision she saw the outlines of what looked like a rather large pair of wings. They were lit up by the glow of the streetlights, giving them a heavenly aura. Wren gasped. "An Angel." Wren found herself being carried by this angel. She was lifted higher into the night sky, the gruesome scene below disappearing into the distance.
--- ★ ---
Maybe it had been the fear of her near death finally catching up to her, but Wren had blacked out. When Wren came to, she found herself on top of the roof of her hotel. "Where am I?" Wren said out loud. The sun was rising over the Hollywood hills. "Was it all a drea-Ah!" Wren suddenly gripped her side, the sharp pain she had remembered after being caught by the angel was very much real.
"Don't move." A deep and mysterious voice could be heard.
Wren's eyes darted back and forth, searching for the source of that voice. Even though she was told not to, she forced herself to her feet. When Wren did, a little bit of blood seeped through the fabric of her dress.
"I said not to move."
"But you saved me!" Wren called out, finding herself spinning in circles as she tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. "You're an angel, right?"
"An angel?"
"Yeah! You're my guardian angel. My mama used to tell me all about them when I was a little girl. She always said that everyone had one watching out for them." Wren said. She smiled, thinking back to those days. "I guess I never believed it, or at least that one would ever bother worrying about someone like me."
"That's funny." The 'angel' scoffed. "There's no such thing."
"Don't be shy." Wren replied. "I saw your wings. They were very beautiful."
The voice went silent, unsure of what to think. No one had ever complimented his wings before. 'What a strange girl.' He thought.
"Come on, I won't tell anyone."
"You won't like what you see." 'No one ever does.'
"I think I'll take that chance. I need to thank my angel properly." Wren said with a smile. There was another long pause. Had he left? Wren did another quick turnaround, her eyes searching for any sign of her angel. But there was only silence...until...
The quiet sound of sharp nails tapping against the ground started to approach the actress. 'Are those heels?' Wren recalled the sound of her own shoes. No, this was a different noise. As the sound got louder and closer, she turned towards it in anticipation. Wren's eyes lit up as the familiar outline of a wing peeked out from around the corner. As the figure revealed itself though, Wren's gaze followed it. The smile soon disappeared from her lips.
"Gah!" Wren gasped, backing away and ultimately slipping backwards. Her body trembled, not even the man from last night had made her shake in fear. Stepping into the light revealed the large sharp talons that had made that distinct tapping sound. There before Wren was a man- no, a monster! A monster with large unholy wings for arms and talons that could crush any prey.
"I told you that you wouldn't like what you see." 'Typical.'
Wren covered her mouth, feeling as though she was going to start hyperventilating.
"Calm down." The creature said. "You're going to start bleeding again." He looked ashamed, averting his gaze. That wound Wren had felt had been from his own talons. He hadn't meant to hurt her, but he was in a hurry to catch her.
"Bu...wha...I..." The words wouldn't come out. Wren tried to take some deep breaths. "What...what are you?" She finally managed to get out.
"A harpy." He replied.
"Harpies aren't real."
"Hey! Just a few minutes ago you thought I was an angel!" The harpy retorted. 'How annoying.'
"Well...that's..." Wren just didn't know how to reply to that. She was still afraid but above all else, in this moment she felt really stupid. "So, what now?"
"Pardon?"
"Are you going to eat me?"
"If I was going to do that, don't you think I would have done so while you were still out cold?"
"I...guess so." Wren said. She took another deep breath. He did have a point. Against better judgement, Wren attempted to regain her composure. "Well!" She was definitely still very afraid. Still, Wren forced herself to get up and walk towards the harpy.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" The Harpy was shocked by Wren approaching him. He was almost intimidated by her, flinching when she held her hand out.
"Well thank you, Mr. Harpy." Wren said. He had was shaking as she held it in the air. 'What am I even supposed to grab?! Oh no! What if this is some sort of insult to harpy-kind?!'
"It's Cyril." The harpy replied. He gently reached out with the hook on the joint of his wring. Much like the common bat, he used them to grab onto things. Well, finer things. Typically, Cyril used his feet to grab things, much like Wren's little body last night when he flew them over here.
'Oh.' Wren took the hook into her hand and shook it slowly. It was smooth and cold to the touch. Wren was surprised by how much she preferred this over the sweaty palms of casting directors and interviewers. "Cyril..." Wren whispered, trying to remember that. She looked up, her gaze meeting his for the first time. Her cheeks transitioned into a light shade of pink. Wren had been so focused on everything else that she hadn't given him a proper chance. Looking at him now though, she just saw well-dressed man. He was actually quite handsome. 'But how does he get dressed.'
"You're probably thinking, how does he get dressed?"
'He read me like a book!'
"Well, that should be the least of your worries."
"What do you mean?" Wren questioned.
Cyril leaned back against the wall, watching the horizon. "You didn't think that saving you was coincidence, did you?" He said, pulling his wings in like a human would do if they were going to cross their arms. "You could say my boss is a big fan of yours."
"A big fan? But my movie hasn't been released yet. We just finished filming. I didn't know that I even had any fans yet."
"What can I say? He's a strange man. He sees a new pretty face making the rounds and he's sold." Cyril said. It was clear by his tone that he was actually really annoyed by his boss's silly endeavors.
"Huh..." Wren paused to reflect on that. 'I guess I'm more popular than I thought.' "Well, who is he? And...And why did he said you to watch me?! That seems awfully stalkery!"
"Hm?" Cyril turned his head to look at Wren. "Well, I'm not allowed to say his name."
'Of course.' Wren rolled her eyes.
"But, to answer your second question...word on the street is someone wants you dead. So, my boss had me keep watch of things. I figured it was just a rumor but, turns out his hunch was right."
'I never wanted any of this. Now I have two pyschos after me. One that loves me and one that wants to kill me! Why couldn't I have just said no to Leon's proposal?! I could have just stayed home and lived a peaceful life where no one knows I am!' Wren anxiously tugged her hair.
'You have to do this!' Camilla's words echoed in Wren's head. 'It'll be the opportunity of a lifetime!'
"Well, I should be on my way." Cyril said. He stretched his wings, showing the true size of his wingspan.
"Wait!"
Cyril turned back to Wren.
"Are you still going to uh...be around?"
"Well, I AM your guardian angel, aren't I?" Cyril teased her.
"That's not funny..."
Cyril laughed and shook his head. "See you around." He spoke. With one large flap of his wings, Cyril shot up into the sky. He was so fast that a gust of wind blew Wren's hair back.
"See you..." Wren watched as the harpy disappeared high into the sky.