When Albaer was gone and they were alone, both Lialah and Raziel were quick to begin a vigorous exercise routine. Fearful of waking Albaer’s mother before her departure, they focused on core work and exercise that could be done in near total silence in the small shared space.

Certain that they could hear better at least, they spoke in whispers so soft it seemed unlikely that anything with less than magic enhanced hearing could have known they were there.

Their wings were wrapped around their bodies, and their muscles strained minute after minute.

Raziel held on to Lialah’s ankles, holding her feet flat against the carpet while Lialah took long, deep breaths, her hands behind her head, she dragged herself up so that her elbows touched her knees.

“One hundred and forty-eight…” Raziel whispered as Lialah dropped back.

“One hundred and forty-nine…” Raziel leaned closer and whispered in a higher pitch as her sister touched elbows to knees again, and began to fall back.

“Come on, one more, you can do this…” Raziel urged.

Lialah’s body struggled, wiggled, her torso twisted as she hauled herself up, touched elbows to ankles, and her sister’s fearsome fangy smile spread out over her red face. “One hundred and fifty!” She whispered with excitement, and Lialah dropped back down again.

Raziel stood up and extended her hand to the angel, who clasped the fingers of her sister and allowed herself to be helped to her feet, she popped up with a little hop and took a deep breath.

“How much are you going to trade for enhancements to magic?” Raziel said while reaching for the untouched juice and taking a sip, then taking the other, and handing it to her sister.

“All of it. I don’t like this. We can’t work, we can’t earn money, we can’t be seen, we can’t go out without serious risk, and we can’t look after ourselves properly. We got lucky with Albaer, but we’re basically a high risk burden. I don’t want to be a burden…” Lialah said and bit her lip, chewing on it uncomfortably. She glanced around at the four walls of the room which confined them perpetually close together.

“Is it reminding you of sharing all that space?” Raziel asked, recalling the long hours of instruction, the limited food, the utter lack of privacy.

“Kind of. It was nice being on our own. Being trapped doesn’t appeal to me any more than it does you.” Lialah replied and glanced at the bedroom door that split them off from the rest of the apartment.

“At least there’s stuff to do.” Raziel said and went over to the computer and sat down to read. Lialah had to acknowledge that much at least, Raziel was reading about electronics, leaning far closer to the screen than she had a need to, she unfurled her wings and let them flap with happiness enough that the remaining milk in the bowl of cereal began to ripple against the edge like a still lake over which the wind began to blow.

Lialah turned on the television, activated the console, scrolled to a streaming service, turned on subtitles, and began to watch something muted. The quiet was eerie, every creak and noise was cause to turn and look in alarm, their heads darted more than once to the ceiling, to the shut window, to the door to the bedroom. Their bodies tingled with the fear of being caught, being forced to flee.

Being on their own in a world that wasn’t their own.

But the company was good, and little by little, they relaxed until the tension melted away entirely on its own for the rest of the day.

It wasn’t lost on Albaer that Lisa wasn’t in class that day. Not in any of the classes they shared. Given that he knew that she knew that something was amiss, he wasn’t surprised.

Albaer endured the remainder of the day and began the walk home, “Hey, how’s your dad doing?” The voice started it off the way it always did.

“What’d you give your dad for father’s day?”

“Go cry to your daddy! Go on! Go cry!”

The taunts and steps followed behind Albaer, and every fiber of his being screamed at him to either turn and attack, or take off at a dead run. ‘Even if I can outrun them, and I’m pretty sure I can, their words will follow after, and I’ll be back there tomorrow again.’ He told himself, ‘And there’s no way I can take on that many, real brave, real brave that six or eight of you chasing after one of me, so brave! So tough!’ His hatred boiled up like bile in his gut, it churned like the waters on the rocks beneath a high waterfall. Roaring in between his ears like an air raid siren.

Only the gentle voiced admonition of his mother stayed his hand, and his desire to be what she wanted, to do what she wanted, to make her proud of him. ‘After dad, somebody has to do it.’ He thought, and so he hung his head and pretended they weren’t there.

There were fewer of them today, and a rush of gratitude toward Raziel hit him like a typhoon wind. ‘Her little scrap might not have made the rounds, but, but they’re not here, so that’s a few voices I don’t have to put up with.’ It was enough, not much, but enough, to make Albaer smile in spite of their taunts and shouts. So though his head stayed down and his back hunched as if his black backpack were heavier than it actually was, he walked just a little bit straighter until behind him somebody said what he was waiting for.

“I’m bored, let’s go.”

Whoever spoke took off at a run, Albaer heard them at his back and just continued the same steady trudge, hands smacked him one by one in the back of his head, knocking him slightly forward each time, with the last of them turning to look back at him and shouting, “Ask your dad to teach you to duck, asshole!”

Albaer gritted his teeth, clenched his jaw, and said nothing until he got home.

“I’m home!” He said as he unlocked the front door and walked past the kitchen. “Mom?!” He shouted.

No answer.

“Okay, you can come out!” He said, and Raziel exited the room, followed quickly by Lialah, they had warm expressions on their faces, their wings closed half way, and each of the two gave him a soft half embrace to welcome him home.

Raziel’s talon tipped fingers barely grazed his arms, she took exceptional care to ensure she did no harm.

“What’s with the hug, that’s new?” Albaer said when they had each stepped away.

“We saw it on some TV shows, it’s a traditional welcome home here, isn’t it?” Lialah asked, briefly blushing. ‘Did I get that wrong?’

“Kind of, but that’s usually for lovers, spouses, children, with friends it’s usually only if they haven’t seen each other in a long time, and I saw you two this morning.” Albaer said and tossed his backpack against the wall where it landed on the carpet with a thud.

“See, I told you.” Raziel smirked and put one hand on her hips, “She insisted.”

“I don’t mind. It was nice. It’s also used to make people feel better, and there hasn’t been a day out there that I didn’t leave feeling like crap, so if you want to hug me when I get home, that’s a welcome change.” Albaer said with a decisive nod to match his improving mood. “How about you tell me the important information, how did it go?” Albaer asked, and they knew immediately what he meant.

“We got back our ability to fly.” Raziel said with a relieved sigh. The pair flapped their wings lightly to demonstrate and gently hovered in place.

“Great, but is that, no, of course it is. If I could fly before and then couldn’t, that would be a big deal.” Albaer corrected himself and entered the kitchen.

“Very much so.” Raziel emphasized. “But that’s not all, I won’t bore you with the details-”

“Magic is never boring in a world where there’s none of it.” Albaer quipped and cracked open the refrigerator. “Are you two hungry?”

“Famished, for both things.” Lialah admitted.

“Right… of course. I don’t mind you taking some of my energy I guess, but wait until I’m settled down.” Albaer said and took out sandwich meat and bread, the crinkle of the wrapper and the smell of roast beef quickly made all three stomachs rumble with anticipation.