Chapter 30, A Well Trodden Path

The Timers let out a roar of excitement, eager to see blood.

“I am clean. I am merciful,” Said Jack, his eyes glittering. Yeah right, thought Robinflight.

“I am not going to murder Willow. That would be cruel.” Groans came from the Timers. “I am going to push him off this ice cliff. It will be clean and soundless.” Jack tightened his grip on Willow’s shoulder and started to push him toward the ice cliff. It was a huge, steep thing with rolls of ice going down. You could see the separate layers, but you couldn’t see the bottom. A line of icicles hung off the edge of the cliff.

“Wait - you sure you don’t want to change your mind?” Jack asked. When he asked this, Willow looked away.

Robinflight stared silently at the cliff.

“Please, my dear boy, think fast. I don’t have all day.”

Robinflight made no movement.

“Kill him.” He said. Willow looked around at him with an anguished face, eyes stretched wide with fear. Jack nodded.

“Kill HIM! Kill HIM! Kill HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILLHIMKILLHIMKILLHIM!” screamed the Timers, jumping around and waving their guns.

Jack shoved Willow hard and Selena screamed.

Willow twisted and lashed out, scathing his claws across the slick ice. He was clinging onto the edge of the cliff, his legs kicking in the air. He pressed his cheek against the cold surface and stared furiously up at them.

“Help me, you fools!” he spat. There was a second where he clung to the ice edge. Then with a shout he let go. Howling, he fell down. He went into a blizzard and was gone from all sight.

Robinflight lingered at the edge a moment, before he turned around. Everybody except Selena had turned away.

Jack looked angry. “I had thought you would choose your own death, Robinflight.” He hissed.

“Then you thought wrong,” Robinflight snarled, his hands curled into clawed fists. He was furious at the price he had to pay to show that Jack wasn’t always right.

“But by golly, you should have chosen your own death. I am still going to take you away to my lab.”

“FREAKING BUNCH OF COWARDLY, SNIVELING SCUM!!!!” Robinflight screamed, lifting easily into the air and thundering down toward Jack. Robinflight was eight feet in the air, and he was sure he was going to crunch the scientist easily. Jack made a dodge and turned to run for the building. Robinflight, white with fury, streaked after him.

He tore through the building after Jack, who, with longer legs, had outpaced the winged mutant. Robinflight yelled in anger, banging into things. He came out in a huge, high roofed dining hall and leaped easily onto a table.

“WHERE ARE YOU?” He bellowed, “WHERE ARE YOU? COME OUT! I WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE!”

He saw a glimpse of something in a white coat flitting past.

“YOU COWARD! YOU STINKING COWARD! I HATE YOU!” Robinflight dove from the table and streaked after Jack, yelling himself hoarse.

“YOU SAID THAT YOU’D LET ME LIVE IF YOU KILLED HIM! YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE! YOU SAID YOU WEREN’T ONE TO BREAK YOUR PROMISES! DO YOU HEAR? YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE!”
He legs pounded, he was numb to them. He could not feel anything but the white wave of fury engulfing him.

“I LET WILLOW GO SO I WOULDN’T HAVE TO BE DOING THIS! ARE YOU LISTENING, JACK?”
He saw Jack running ahead at ease, far ahead of Robinflight. He snarled.

“I’M TIRED OF AVOIDING YOU ALL THE TIME! NO, THAT’S IT! I’M GOING TO COME AND GET YOU, AND I’M GOING TO KILL ALL YOUR TIMERS! I’M GUNNA KILL TIME! I’M GUNNA KILL YOU!”

He hated the way Jack ignored him; he wanted Jack to shout at him, so they could go down fighting, but no, all he did was run, as if he had robot legs.

Robinflight raced foreword, and tripped, hard, over something. He fell.

“AAAAARRRGHHH!” he had no energy to get up, and he was left sobbing into the carpet. Almost drowned in self pity and anger, he grabbed up strands from the rug and threw them at the direction Jack had gone.

“I HATE YOU!” he bellowed. His voice cracked and broke, “You wrecked my life!” he screamed hoarsely. Now he could barely whisper. His hands twitched with the impulse to kill himself again, but he fought it down. He could not do that to himself now.

He had absolutely no idea what to do next. He stayed there, crouching on the carpet, for a long time, and then he stood weakly up, trying to get his bearings. Jack had gotten away, escaped into a building Robinflight did not know well. Anger surged through him, and he unsheathed his claws, and on each side of him as he walked down the hall, raked the wall paper hard, watching with satisfaction as little curls of paper fell from the wall, huddling on the floor below.

He found his way out and then walked toward his pack. They were the only ones there. Selena stood in front of a trembling Mac. “What happened?” Selena asked.

“Nothing. I just yelled myself hoarse.”

“But you didn’t…catch him?”

“I tripped. He ran away.”

“It was wise to not follow him after you fell,” Cora said, as if she could read his mind.

“Yeah….I guess.”

“We’re alone,” Sylvester said abruptly.

“Yeah,” Steve said, glancing around.

Selena asked the question for Robinflight. “What’s your point?”

“We could slip away unnoticed.” Steve and Sylvester said at the same time.

“Yeah,” Said Robinflight, turned away, “Let’s go.”

As the pack opened their wings and cleaned the ice off them, Robinflight pulled the clipboard he had found in the store closet out of his pocket and glanced at it. Would he find out what it meant? He did not know. He tucked it away and opened his wings, wondering briefly what had happened to Logan and the other boys fro the dormitory. Then he realized that he did not care. He did not need to make sure everyone was alive and well and safe. His destiny was not to save the word.

The pack took flight. Cora zoomed up to him. “Let it go, Robinflight, let it go.” Then she whacked him with her ginger wing tip and sped ahead. He streaked after her and the pack moved like a flock of birds across the freezing winter sky.

The End

The sequel is called Small Expectations. My writing teacher pointed out that that sounds a lot like the title of the novel by Charles Dickens. I didn't copy, I didn't even know that book existed so don't worry. It is NOT Demon's Hollow. KK??

Ok, SORRY for the lack of updates! I've been caught up with school, but I have been writing. I just haven't been updating. Please review, if your still reading.

Remember, Small Expectations!