Chapter Two
A Scrapbook Full Of Short Stories
I crashed on earth with a bang. I felt a crack. The feeling ran all the way down my spine. Earth was colder than Heaven.
I shivered. Mortals passed me by without looking. I tried to spread my wings. I winced at the pain. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t spread
my wings. They had failed on me. I traced the wet footprints in my mind and I carefully looked around. Nobody was in sight.
So this was earth; damp and dark, with nobody taking any notice of one another. Many of them were preoccupied talking into
thin air, their hands cupped by their ears. With muddy feet, I crawled into a gap in the street. I looked around behind me to see if
anyone was there. There was. The man was old and frail, his hair hanging in clumps because of the rain. Poking through his skin
was a start of a beard that looked as sharp as the razor used to shave it. He looked back at me and lifted his hands above his head.
“Thank you! Thank you for bringing me an angel to draw me out of my dark days!”I tilted my head, watching the way he copied
me. I turned away, drawing my knees to my chest. Out of the corner of my eye, a cute mortal passed by me. Wait! I recognise him!!
I was about to call out for him when I realised it would seem strange if I knew his name.
The boy soon came back my way and cursed to himself. I reached out to grab his arm.
He turned to me, scrunching up his nose for a moment, and then stepped away from me.
“You don’t look like a homeless person.” His eyes scanned over my dress that was now dirtied.
I had opened my mouth to speak when he shook his head. “Or perhaps you’re looking for business.”
I blinked at him, not understanding what he meant. He sighed. “Never mind,” he took out a pouch and held out a few coins to me.
I took them, grateful for the coins he had given me. The boy had started to leave when I spoke up. “W-wait,” my voice was hoarse.
He turned to face me slowly. “I have nowhere to go.” I closed my hands around the coins.
“So? It’s really not my business, miss.” He went to leave again, when I stopped him again.
My grip on his arm was full of desperation. “Please?” I trembled. “H-help me?” I looked down at the floor bashfully, slowly
unravelling my wings as best I could, so that he could see them.
His eyes widened. “Oh my-” his hand flew over his mouth to contain his surprised reaction.
“Help, please.” I tugged on his arm, the way a little child would. The boy looked around cautiously before slipping into the gap with me.
Our bodies were almost touching due to the lack of room. The frail man was fast asleep now, snoring. I turned back to the young boy.
He frowned. “Why do you have wings? Is this some sort of fancy dress?” he was sceptical.
“Sir, I am an angel. My wings… they no longer work.” I explained sorrowfully.
He scoffed, staying where he was for a few moments. The boy held out his hand to me after a while.
I placed my cold hand in his and let him pull me up onto my feet. It felt weird to walk on them like mortals do instead of half-floating
back in Heaven. He removed his jacket and carefully slipping it over my back; not only to keep me warm, but also to hide my wings.
My eyelids drooped as I sat on the guest bed. I had my back to Yoongi. Behind me, he was cleaning away the blood.
We sat in complete silence. It was killing me. Yoongi pressed too hard on my wing.
I winced. I felt his hand pull away, but I didn’t hear him move. “How do these things work?”
“The same way as the soaring feather-lings in the sky use them.” I explained, tweeting.
Yoongi pulled a face. “You’re crazy.” He carried on wiping away the blood, though none was left.
“You would say that, you’re a mortal. You don’t know how it feels to fly like that.”
“Birds.” I tilted my head, lost. “Those feather-lings are called birds.” I heard him move about.
I held my head down. “Yoongi… I was banished.” Silence.
“You know my name?” he asked quietly. I didn’t reply, but I kicked my feet about.
“I was banished. I can’t go back now.” After a few moments, I pushed my hair to one side of my neck.
I took a deep breath. I had made my decision. “Take them away, my mortal.”
I felt Yoongi’s soft touch on my wings. “You want me to… cut them off?” he winced.
I turned my head to face him. “I won’t be needing them for a while. I need to fit in.”
His voice softened. “You know my name.” his voice was like a whisper by now.
I bit my lip. “Stop avoiding it. Take them off. Throw them away. I don’t need my wings.”
Yoongi roughly turned me around and stared at me with a frown on his face. “You stop avoiding it.”
I looked back at him. “You have pretty eyes.” He sighed in frustration. Yoongi stomped his foot.
“How do you know my name?” I squinted, reaching for his arm. He looked down at his arm.
“Up there,” I pointed my finger upwards. “I watch over the mortals. Sometimes they do silly things and it makes me
laugh, and sometimes the god of sleep gives them lovely dreams” Yoongi shook his head.
“Alright. I get it.” I sighed in relief. “You’re insane.” My smile sank. “I’ll get rid of your wings if you want me to.
Take a shower after and I’ll make you something to eat.” I widened my eyes.
“You’re letting me stay for a while? My mortal is very kind.” Yoongi patted my shoulder.
“Just call me Yoongi. Now, how can I remove these wings?” He paused. “Isn’t it bad to cut off an angel’s wings?
Is that against the other angels?” I took no notice of his sarcasm.
“But I am an angel, and I allow it, so please, do it.” I took the knife from the bed and handed it to him. Yoongi took the knife,
his hand shaking. “Take off the feathers first. That way you can see where to cut the wing.” As his hand moved closer to my wings,
my hands shook. One by one, white feathers fell around me. A white feather for a coward. My eyes stung. It was true.
I was a coward. I was too afraid of being important; of the pressure of being a goddess.
I was too much of a coward to face my father’s wrath, and most of all; I was too much of a coward to admit that I needed help.
I barely knew Yoongi, and I didn’t dare to try to ask him for help.
I wrapped one towel around me as I stepped out of the bathroom, drying my hair with another. Yoongi smiled at me awkwardly
and held out some fresh clothes for me to wear. “I have a female friend that sometimes stays round. I hope she won’t mind.”
I took them gently, thanking him. “I’ll make dinner, okay?” I nodded, unfolding the clothes. I wasn’t so used to wearing mortal clothes,
so seeing the large clothes was a surprise. Mortals aren’t any bigger than angels, are they? I shrugged and slipped out of my
dirtied dress, pulling the clean top on over my head. Pain shot through my body as I stretched my arms out. I clenched my teeth
and pulled on the rest of the clothes. I wondered if all mortals liked to wear such large clothes, but then remembered that Yoongi
always wore such tight clothes. Perhaps I should tie my hair up so it doesn’t look so messy. After a while of rummaging around for
something to tie up my hair with, Yoongi peaked into the room. “Thank goodness you’re changed.” Yoongi mumbled.
“What are you looking for?” My damp hair hung in front of my face, leaving just enough of a gap to see him through.
“I was going to tie my hair up. It doesn’t matter now.” I explained in a quiet voice. He leant against the wall.
“Dinner’s ready. You should eat something.” He paused at the doorway. “When did you last eat?”
I paused to think. “A few hours, I should think. I am not too sure of how much time has passed. That is Donggeun’s power,
not mine.” Yoongi blinked at me with a blank expression. “The god of time.”
Yoongi’s P.O.V
It had been a couple of days since the girl had left. It felt quiet and lonely in the house since then. I suppose it was uplifting to have
a new guest who wasn’t one of my childhood friends. I was a little curious of how she was coping. I wondered if she was staying in
a hotel nearby, or if she had a friend around here she was staying with. I scrunched my nose up, trying to imagine her in one of the
hotels. She would probably have to lie on a bed that feels like wood, or wrestle with a broken tap. It wasn’t the best area to be in,
especially if you were a girl like her. The only few places that were actually decent were the supermarkets and the sports centre.
I yawned and scratched the back of my head, opening the fridge door. I groaned and hit my head on my fridge door. I closed the
fridge, and with a sigh, slipped on a pair of shoes. I pulled my coat over my shoulders and went on my way to the nearest supermarket.
It was one of the nicest, with quality food and polite staff. I felt the blast of the heating as I stepped in. I sighed.
It felt nice on a raw morning like this.
Yeseo’s P.O.V
I wondered around the food place with an awed expression. There is so much food here! Is this where the mortals keep food for
he winter? Is it like a market that opens up every seventh day? I was so lost in looking around at everything, that I didn’t even notice
my body collide with another’s. “Oh, I didn’t think I’d see you around here again.” The voice sounded familiar.
It is Yoongi! “Y-Yoongi? What are you doing here? Is winter here already?” Yoongi paused.
“What? No, it’s still autumn, silly.” He chuckled and shovelled food into his basket. I followed behind him, watching as he
looked at everything and sometimes smacked his lips together in deep thought.
“This is a storage place for food in the winter, isn’t it?” I asked, surprised at how big the building was.
Yoongi laughed and placed his basket down. A lady placed his food into bags for him.
“No, it’s not. It’s a supermarket. It’s where you buy food.” He handed over some paper to the lady.
“Anyway,” he turned to face me while the lady counted the paper. “Where are you staying now?”
I lowered my gaze, my pride deflated. “Nowhere.” He took all of the bags in one hand.
“What?” he gritted his teeth. “Tell me you’re joking.” He clenched his fist by his side.
“No, I’m not.” I hesitated. “People around here are very generous. You’re lucky, Yoongi.” I smiled.
Yoongi growled. “You idiot. You should have told me.” He took my hand roughly, dragging me along.
“Are you stupid? Do you have no idea how rough this place is? You could’ve gotten beaten up, or worse!” he tugged on my hand,
not caring to be gentle. I pouted, tears welling up in my eyes. “You stay with me, okay? Stay with me as long as you need to.
All you have to do is do chores and I’ll leave you to yourself. You can have half of my room as long as you don’t wake me up, okay?”
I nodded, wiping my tears with my free hand. Yoongi stopped in front of his house.
His face softened. He let go of my hand to wipe away the last of my tears. “I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m sorry for making you feel sorry.” Yoongi smiled and let me inside.
Me and Yoongi put the food away in his ice box together. I watched him as he sorted the food expertly. My thoughts were broken
off when a bell signalled. “What is it? What is it?” Yoongi grinned, taking a drink from my hands. I put them down and went over to his
door, where the sound was. Yoongi stood behind me. “Go on then, open it. See who it is.” He shoved me lightly.
I opened the door slowly, learning from years of watching mortals, and blinked.
I stared at her. She stared back. “Who on earth is she?” the both of us asked at the same time.
Yoongi opened his drink, the noise breaking the awkward silence.
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