That night, I couldn't sleep.
Ms. Kaya's voice was playing in a loop inside my head—
"You're welcome, my dear."
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to calm the storm inside me.
But the storm had grown into something bigger. Stronger.
Something was waking up again—something I had buried years ago.
My wings.
They weren't just a feeling. They were real.
Not the kind of wings you'd see in fairy tales. No feathers, no golden glow.
These were ancient, raw, and heavy—with memories, guilt, and truths I couldn't escape.
When I was younger, I called them my curse.
Now… I wasn't so sure.
I stood by the window, the moonlight soft on my skin. I could almost feel the weight behind my shoulders, itching to be released.
But I couldn't.
Not here.
Not when she was so close.
Because what if she saw?
What if she discovered who I really was?
And yet…
Part of me wanted her to know everything.
The next morning at school, I avoided her. On purpose. I stayed in the lab, pretending to arrange beakers and files. My mind, however, was floating somewhere else.
In her world.
Around lunchtime, I walked into the corridor and froze.
There she was, standing under the sunlight, talking to a student. She looked like she belonged to a different time—a painting, not a person.
And then… she looked at me.
Just a moment.
But our eyes met.
And something passed between us—something silent, invisible, but powerful.
My wings shivered again.
This time… not out of fear.
Out of longing.
And that's when I realized something terrifying—
I couldn't hide forever.
Not from myself.
Not from her.