Read Online On Black Wings by Sylvia Storm - Free Book Online Page A

want to know where I am, what time it is, where my older self is right now, where my children are, where Brad is.
    I search the pockets of my shorts, no house keys. Just my dead phone. Of course I wouldn’t have any house keys, I didn’t have them when I went to bed. This was my parent’s house then, before we bought it and moved back in. They never really trusted me with the keys when I was growing up, and I felt like such a prisoner here. I’m just a teenager who doesn’t know better.
    I strike the thought from my mind.
    I do know better.
    I reach for the door handle, but it swings open in front of me. Timothy and Clarissa are dressed up to play in the snow, their eyes wide with anticipation, their smiles bright and happy. I want to cry when I see them. They look at me in shock, and I scoop the two of them up in my arms before they run outside.
    No, you’re not.
    I place them down and slam the door shut.
    I point at them, and they begin to cry. “Stay! Do not go outside!”
    They run away from me, afraid. “Daddy! Daddy! Some girl grabbed us and brought us inside! We can’t play in the snow!”
    My heart breaks again. Don’t they recognize their own mother? Am I that much of a stranger to them?
    “Excuse me, who are-” It’s myself, my older self, and she’s standing on the other end of the front hall looking at me. I look in my eyes. “You know who this is.”
    I storm past her, my black wings pushing her into the stairwell, chasing my…her kids. “Brad! Don’t let them out the back door!”
    “Sure thing Hun, what is so wrong?” Brad has them both in his arms, and he’s sitting them at the kitchen table. “You two listen to your mother.” He looks up at me and his jaw drops.
    “Jess? Is that you Jess?”
    He used to call me Jess back in high school.
    “Oh crap.” Brad blinks as the older me appears behind myself from the hall. “Jessica? Two?”
    “What, who are you?” the older me says from behind me. “These wings, you have wings, what’s with this, why are they black? Is this some sort of joke?”
    I turn to her, angry, “This is happening because you messed up your life! Sit down and shut up!”
    “Jess?” Brad walks over. “Jess is that you? Oh my God, what is going on?”
    “This isn’t me Brad, it’s some stupid kid!” My older self pulls out her cell phone. “It’s a costume. I’m calling the cops.”
    Gee, thanks.
    I knew I could never trust myself.
    “Listen to me both of you!” Jesus Christ why does this have to be so hard? “People are going to die today! This is some sort of natural disaster! Come with me.”
    The kids begin to get up. I point at them and say in my best stern and motherly voice. “You two sit there until mommy comes for you, am I clear?”
    They begin to cry, but dammit, I am not taking any crap from my kids today.
    “You have no right speaking to my children that way!” My older self is protesting, dialing on her phone. “Brad, get her out of here, she’s scaring the children! Miss, you better leave now before the cops come, you are way out of line coming in my house!”
    “Miss,” Brad says, grabbing my arm, his eyes flashing recognition when he gets close to me, “Miss, I’m sorry, I know you thought this was funny, but you have to go.”
    “Brad, listen to me. Tell myself over there to listen too. Come on, come with me!”
    “I am not you, Missy!” Myself dials her cell phone, gets a busy signal and scowls at me. “Brad get her out of my sight! 9-1-1 is not working. Get her out of my house!”
    I walk to the front door, wrestling away from Brad. He follows me, likely making sure I get out of the house. Dammit, when I need people to trust me, nothing ever works. It’s not like I have time to get to know my future self and discuss this calmly, I just saved my kids and likely the rest of them. Dammit, I can be so unappreciative and bull-headed at times.
    I open the front door. “Look!”
    Brad tries to step past me, but I put a hand