Wingless Read Online Free PDF Page B

whisper behind me. Inside, I'm panicking. Something is wrong with me. Surely, this is just a mistake. Maybe the timing is off? But I know that's not the case. I've memorized my birth time since I could count to five, so I know it can't be a fluke.  
    I look into Tab's eyes across the table, trying to seek comfort but he's emotionless, an empty vessel of questions. His eyes are wide, his mouth dropped open in horror. He's just as stunned as me. I look to Perry—same face. I look to the random guy that my Guardians must've invited—same face. Nobody can believe what is happening to me.
    What is happening to me?
    Then, hysteria erupts in my home.
    "We need to call the Archers, or at least the Chers," a man in the back of the room announces loudly, wildly swinging his arms. Others shoot down his idea, saying we need to just wait a little longer for them to come in. I look from Angel to Angel, but nobody's even looking at me anymore. They're all trying to theorize what went wrong with me.  
    Wrong.
    Something is wrong.
    I turn and sprint up to my room, needing to get away from the nightmare that's turning into my life almost instantly. I hate that I can't fly up to my room. I hate that I'm still glued to the ground. I slam the door shut behind me and lean against it, sinking onto the floor. I bury my head into my hands as an unwelcome sob erupts from deep within my chest.  
    When I got my wings, I should've gotten my powers. I should be able to control elements. I should be stronger and faster than what I started as. I try to conjure up air, like I've been shown in my prepatory classes, but nothing is happening to me. Another sob explodes from me as I accept defeat at life. I've failed as an Angel.
    "Annie, let me in," a familiar voice says.
    "Go away!" I yell back, wanting to be alone. I bury further into myself.
    "I'm alone," she answers, and I crawl away from the door. She flies in, hovering just an inch above the floor and sits down next to me, holding me in her skinny arms. She's not upset or crying, like me, but I don't expect her to feel my pain.  
    I'm unbelievably jealous of her right now. She got everything she ever wanted and she didn't even have to work hard. I do everything to become a Fighter—I train, I run, I practice countless hours each day—and I don't even get a pair of wings.
    "Can you make me a miracle?" It's my last ditch effort to be normal. Reluctantly, she shakes her head, and I don't ask for an explanation. I knew asking would be out of line, but I did anyway, being the selfish little Angel that I am. "What's going to happen to me?" I ask her, but before she can answer, Tab storms into the room, banging the door against the wall.
    "Oh, Rem. I'm so sorry, Annie." He, too, comes next to me and sits down, wrapping me in his arms. I cling to him, knowing that everything is going to change now. Who ever heard of an Angel without wings? Is there such a thing? Surely, they can just give me some magic Angel powers to sprout my wings and move on after I'm back to normal. The Angels can fix this. The Chers are all knowing; they have to know what's going on with me. It gives me a little comfort knowing that.
    But my relief is short lived.  
    Two Domineers that I've never seen before storm into my room, knocking the door off of its hinges with their expansive wings. I look up, wide eyed, terrified of their towering frames. Their silver wings shine in the white Veil air, but I'm not fooled by the glitz. They're here to take me away from my family. I can feel it deep in my gut.  
    The man closest to me nods, as if listening in on my inner thoughts.  
    "It's time to go," he tells me, his voice deep and taunting, almost daring me to defy him so he can fight me. Domineers are known for their aggressive attitudes. They're usually the guys in prep school who start fights just for the thrill of it.
    "I'm not going," I tell him, feigning power even though I know that I have none of in this situation. But I'm not