Chapter 17 – Flying in the Night

For most residents of Stratos, the night sky blanketed the city with a sense of calm at the end of the day. The hustle and bustle of people zooming through the skies ground to a halt as visibility dropped to the dim glow of light pollution illuminating the reflective structures of glass and metal.

Arwain threw off his apron to challenge that quietness. Given that he had been cooped up all day in some sweaty workshop, his wings were eager to find some action.

Although his desire to soar through the skies had been finally realized, gaining them through welfare came at an expense that he had to work off. For the next few years, he was stuck in mind-numbingly tedious labor.

Despite the fact that automation could craft nearly everything, there was a certain charm to hand-made flaws. As such, Arwain found himself sewing the final touches to emblems and tags on apparel and handbags. The more unpolished the B and M appeared, the higher it drove up the price. It was a trend that he never understood.

The dark maze of buildings barely outlined by OLEDs were hardly a problem for Arwain, who had memorized every shaft and pipe that impeded his path. Just because he had wings, that didn’t mean he had to avoid obstacles. He hopped over and swung around them all the same, never letting complacency get the better of him.

The clamor of a group of similarly rebellious Flyers appeared before him, running circles around the various structures that made up their aerial playground. Suddenly, someone swooped in, slapping Arwain on the back with gusto.

“Tag!”

“Not for long!”

Arwain gave chase, following his target through tight gaps between beams. The person ahead kicked off a ledge and did a backflip over him before letting a cheeky hoot. Not to be one-upped, he did the same, putting his parkour training to full use.

As the person ahead weaved up and down between the terrain, a chance appeared. Arwain bounced and swung more nimbly with each step, shaving off split seconds at a time. Soon enough, he could reach out to grab the other person by the heel.

“Incoming!”

A gang of Flyers intercepted, slamming into Arwain and sending them all whirling in the air. With quick reflexes, he kicked off one person and planted his hands on the shoulders of another to backflip over. With a strong flap of the wings, he dove forward, slapping each one of them on the back to end the skirmish.

“Got y’all! Think you can pull a fast one on me, huh!” Arwain beamed.

“Dammit, Arwain. You’ve gotten too good at this! Even five-on-one, you’re a slippery bastard!”

Wings were held high as Arwain glided by to give them each a slap. He had found a random bunch of fellow daredevils that loved to fly well into the night. They were a bunch with far too much energy and little place to expend it. Naturally, that led to some less than proper activities.

“Let’s hit up the mall and raid the stocks! Why should we be working all the time and not ever get to have fun?”

Their ideas were generally harmless. They break into stores, mess around with the merchandise a bit, and then be on their way. One of them could fire up the arcade consoles for some free play to waste a good portion of time. And occasionally, they moved in a group, hollering and horseplaying that annoyed the neighbors.

With security like Stratos, they knew not to trigger anything that would bring the police droids upon them. Not that they couldn’t outmaneuver the slow-ass, AI-driven tin cans, but they had flight stunners. It would ruin their fun if one of them were to retire for the night from a stray hit.

For the most part, the city was aware of this kind of delinquency, but they chose to turn a blind eye to it for the sake of allowing independence. Provided they contribute to society, a little disruption in paradise was in its calculations.

To Arwain, he needed to simply get out and blow off some steam. Particularly today, as he had a fight with his momma.

“What do you mean you held me off the list for two years?!” Arwain screamed.

“I did it so you wouldn’t have to work. Wings are a sign of adulthood. And you know that I can’t work to pay off the bills. Who do you think they’ll ask to cover welfare then?”

His momma’s gaze was stern and full of worry, even though she was the one bedridden. She didn’t believe that children should be lose their childhood on the account of their parents. As much as she wanted to work, the degenerative nerve disease that kept her confined indoors begged to differ. Flight tech had given her some mobility at first, but a rare bad reaction to it caused muscular degradation.

Arwain turned back, a defiant gaze in response.

“I don’t care that I have to work! You know how badly I wanted this! You watched me jump out of the window every day, praying that I could soar up high. I’m not like you. I’m healthy!”

“Of course, I know that. You come home late every night, sometimes like you’ve gotten in a fight with exhaust fans. I’ve let you do what you want! Because I’ve felt guilty for letting you be late to the game.”

“Whatever! I have work to get to!”

“Is it wrong for my baby to stay with me a little longer?”

Arwain froze for a moment, but then, he marched out the window, pretending to not have heard. He felt like time had been robbed from him, without being offered the choice. All he could do was keep his mind off it and let off some of that anger before returning home.

As he continued to horseplay with his random buddies, his phone rang. He paused and pulled it out, clicking it on.

“Arwain. Where are you?”

“Eh, Jolly? Why are you bothering me?”

Several hands clapped his shoulder, heads slithering close to peek into the conversation.

“Oooh, your girl’s calling you? Is it that chick you hang out with at the arcade? I hear that her parents are loaded. Good catch, I’d say!”

“I’ve seen them together outside the Bluey Muitton shop, brandishing his finest handwork.”

Arwain chopped each of them in the head before breaking free. He raised a middle wing to get them to scram.

“She’s not my freaking girlfriend! So what if we hang out together, that’s none of your business!”

Arwain bolted from the scene, leaving the boys to laugh at his expense. His annoyance grew as Jolly remained silent on the other end. Finally, she asked him flatly.

“Can you please head home?”

“Huh? Why are you telling me that? Do you disapprove of me feeling free in the night, too? Are your parents hounding you again that I’m not the right type of person to be your friend?”

“No… your mom called me. She was wondering where you went off to. It’s later than usual.”

“Ha, why does it matter? The old hag just kept me off the list to keep me grounded by her. I’m just taking back some of that time. Get this, her reason was that-”

“Arwain! She wouldn’t say it, but… her voice sounded in pain. Weren’t you supposed to pick up her medicine today?”

His throat went dry. In his anger, he had completely forgotten about it. With one swift motion, Arwain put on the brakes and did a U-turn. He made a mad dash to the nearest pharmacy, hoping that he could still do something.

Of course, no shop would be open at midnight. He pounded on the front entrance, dark and empty. It was a futile action, but there was nothing else he could let out his frustrations on. His phone binged, and he looked down to see a message.

Come home.

He couldn’t do that. Not when it was his fault that he had forgotten out of anger. He flew to another pharmacy and another, all closed and unable to help. After a couple, idle reasoning started to take over.

So what if I am a little late? She made me late by two years!

Just a few hours. And then, some place will open.

I did what I could. It’s not fault. Not at all.

She’ll be okay.

Right?

The morning sun felt brutal on his wings as they drooped from worry. No sooner than the pharmacy door opened did he dash inside to hound the counter for the medicine.

But as soon as he came home, the eerie quiet of his home despite charging through the entrance made him sweat bullets. He had been told before that missing a dose would be dangerous. He had promised her that he wouldn’t fail when they decided to cancel delivery service to save some money.

He had forgotten his priorities in his anger. The more he thought about it, the more foolish he realized his tantrum was. His momma had every right to keep his wings from him, as he was still acting like a child.

Yet, she decided to trust that child enough to let him grow up, even if it was a little bit late. Even if he chose to fail her.

Arwain bolted up from his bed, breathing hard at the memory of many years past. He knew that his past could never be changed. The only thing that could was how he chose to move forward with its weight on his shoulders.