Nike had completely lost track of time. It had been minutes - or maybe hours - since she had flown away from there, prey to emotions.
It was she who started the conversation, who allowed those "friends" to offend her, and now she felt as if the world was about to collapse on her.
She had never had any hope of being like them, her confirmation had hit her in full without any mercy, and that had left a void inside her. Happiness was a feeling she craved, but never felt; Nike had not been granted this honor, her life was soon transformed into a slow and unbearable agony.
Arrived near a small river, Nike approached it with the intention of wiping her face, causing a few drops of water to mingle with the tears she continued to shed.
She always knew she was different, for example she had particularly beautiful wings. They were all black, with streaks of gold, while the rest of the Winged ones had milky white wings. Beyond that, she wasn't interested in what other people liked, which is one more reason why her classmates bullied her. She had never stopped believing in her belief that one day her life would change, but the more these thoughts continued to haunt her, the more she didn't notice her presence behind her.
The air she breathed suddenly turned cold, causing her a far greater discomfort than the lump in her throat, and everything about her beside her fell silent.
"I haven't seen you in a while, Nike."
That voice of hers sent a shiver down her spine.
"Icarus...?" She turned slowly and what she saw made her eyes widen in horror. That boy who always tried to protect Nike from others, who had mysteriously disappeared from circulation, was devoid of any trace of humanity; his ears had become pointed, his white wings that shone in the sun were now stripped, his eyeballs now black made his blue irises stand out... He was a demon. He had become one of them.