Kayla had massively underestimated how boring Mr. Donovan's class would be.

His monotonous drone swept over her in pulsing waves, until it became nothing more than indistinguishable noise accompanied by a few blurred PowerPoint slides. Blinking hard, she tore her eyes away from the flashing screen, tracing her finger up her cheek to press into her pounding forehead. She'd complained before about how the board gave her headaches, but they never seemed to do anything about it.

With her other hand, she tapped at the open page of notes on her desk. If she'd known that he would spend a whole lesson detailing the homework, she never would have done it in the first place.

Her restless gaze swept the classroom. Many students were bent over their books, hurriedly scribbling as their eyes flitted from the screen to their page, which showed how many had actually bothered doing the work set. There were a few more organised types scrolling on their phones under the desk, or doodling in a notebook.

But Kayla's bag contained nothing but school books. She mentally kicked herself for not bringing a form of entertainment with her.

Tracing her fingers absentmindedly across the side of the desk, she felt an unusual bump in the normally smooth texture. Desperate to escape the stiffening boredom, she snapped her eyes towards it.

An unusual shape was carved into the wood. When Kayla peered closer, she could see that it formed a sort of bird. Wings spread out, beak stretching upwards as it cawed silently. She felt its scratched-out feathers. Clearly whoever had painstaking etched the bird into the desk had extreme patience and talent.

As she felt the incision of a clawed foot, her headache suddenly increased tenfold. Biting back a cry of pain, she clapped her hand against her forehead, sinking lower in her seat.

For a second, she closed her eyes. Darkness greeted her, flashing with grey streaks. She pictured a black bird, much like the one drawn, its wings illuminated by dim lightning. Its agonised shriek seemed to ring in her ears.

Then, just as her eyes snapped open again, another noise sounded.

The bell. The one that marked the end of class.

Hands drifting away from her head, she glanced at the room, a strange daze overtaking her senses. As she rose slowly, sliding her book back into her bag, one of her friends nudged her shoulder playfully.

"Fall asleep there, Kay?" She smirked. "Can't say I blame you. Told you Donovan was mind-numbing."

"I didn't-"

But her friend was already gone, too caught up in her chuckles to notice Kayla's protest.

With a sigh, she shook away the questions. Maybe she had dozed off. She must have done. There had still been at least a half hour left when she'd found the bird marking.

And the flashes had been nothing but a strange dream.

At the thought, Kayla reached out and touched the scratches a final time, before shouldering her bag and jogging after her classmates. It took her a moment to realise that this was the free period she had alone, when all her closest friends were upstairs in their history class.

Her skin itched for some fresh air. After another glance back at Mr. Donovan's room, she dodged through the packed corridors and emerged onto the school field.

A cool breeze whipped through the velvety strands of her hair. She took a deep breath, raising her head to catch the full force of the wind on her face. Her eyes slid closed again.

Once again, the darkness flashed.

Gasping, she snapped her eyes open again before the time could slip away as it had before. She looked through the window, back into the school. Already, the halls were deserted. A boy had appeared on a nearby bench, book in hand. As her gaze rested on him, he gave her a curious look.

She shifted the strap of her bag. Perhaps she was just a little out of it today. The wind whipped again, and she chased it, running away from the boy and further up the field. As long as she kept an eye on the time, she could make it back for her next lesson.

Trees lined the grass at this point. She stopped to watch their quivering branches. A squirrel darted around the trunk, bringing a smile to her lips.

Something else moved amongst the leaves, and she peered to catch a glimpse of it. As soon as she did, shivers laced her spine.

It was a crow.

Or a raven; Kayla had never fully understood the difference. But that didn't matter. What terrified her was its scraggy wings, and midnight-black feathers, and the beady eye that fixed unwaveringly on hers.

Just like the one amongst the lightning.

Her heart raced. She stepped backwards. Her eyes remained fixed on the crow, and although it shifted its wings, it continued to watch her as well.

"Go away." Her voice trembled more than she would have liked.

The bird hopped further along the branch, in her direction. Its beak almost seemed to curve into a smile.

"Shoo!" She raised her voice, waving her arms frantically in its direction. "Fly off!" Why did it scare her so much? It was purely a simple coincidence that she'd come across the black bird. Right?

The crow cocked its head to the side. Its beak opened in a caw.

A caw that sounded much like human words.

"Rude," it seemed to rasp. "What did I ever do to you?"

Her jaw slackened. Stumbling backwards, her hands felt the air for something to fall back on. Only the dancing breeze tickled her palm. Still shivering, she stared at the bird, her mouth frozen in permanent shock. "You... you just..."

"Talked?" A cackle erupted from its dark beak. "My kind talk all the time. I'm the only one who knows how to make myself heard."

Slowly, Kayla shook her head. "I'm dreaming," she muttered to herself, her eyes never leaving the talking crow. "I've fallen asleep again. It's just another dream. This is all my imagination."

"A good dream, I hope," the crow commented. It glided downwards, landing in the grass in front of her. "I'd hate to be thought of as a nightmare." At her silence, it added, "I don't see why you want so desperately to be rid of me, anyway. It was you that summoned me here."

"S-summoned?" Kayla's legs finally gave way, and she collapsed onto the earth. The dew soaked into her school tights, dampening her skin beneath. Dimly, she thought how lucky it was that she'd encountered this strange creature at a place where other students didn't tend to come.

The bird hopped up onto her leg. Sharp claws dug into her skin, forming holes in her tights. Maybe she wasn't dreaming. "Yes. When you pressed my emblem, you called me here." It exhaled in what might have been a sigh. "I guess you didn't know that. A wasted journey," it added under its breath, only just loud enough for her to detect.

"I'm sorry," she told it, feeling a little calmer. The shock had subsided, but the strangeness still lingered. "I didn't realise." She gazed at the bird. A question rose up in her throat, and burst out of her mouth before she could stop it. "Do you have a name?" It sounded so absurd to speak it aloud.

"I do. Merle." The crow thrust its head upwards, its black eyes glinting. It looked rather proud.

"That's a... lovely name." The sunlight glinted off Merle's dark feathers, making them appear rather glossy. She smiled. "You're quite a handsome bird."

"I am, aren't I?" it replied, unfolding out its wings to catch more of the morning's warmth. After a moment, it peered at her again. "You're not so bad, as humans go. Most that summon me make ludicrous demands."

A short laugh escaped Kayla's lips. She spread her arms out. "I won't demand anything of you. You're just a bird, after all." As she heard the words out loud, she suddenly wondered how much of her statement was true.

It gave her a wry look - if birds could give such things as wry looks. "Well, I am grateful for that. It's nice to have a break every now and then. In fact..." Merle picked at her tights, widening a hole with its claw, as if thoughtful. "Wait here." Flinging its wings out, it soared into the air and back into the trees, vanishing from view.

In the moment of respite, Kayla clambered to her feet. Her head still spun a little, trying to comprehend the events of the past few minutes. She soon gave up. Perhaps this was the sort of situation where it was best not to overthink things.

She briefly considered walking away, but it was dismissed quickly. The talking crow had asked her to wait. And so she would wait.

That had to be the strangest thing she'd thought for a while.

Soon enough, Merle reappeared, a black feather clutched in its beak. It flew around her before settling on her shoulder. "Take this," it instructed, its voice muffled by what it carried. Nodding, Kayla slid the feather out of its beak, holding the delicate object carefully.

"Is this yours?" she asked.

"It is." Merle edged towards her cheek, shifting its grip. "Keep it safe. If you ever need me, for any reason - you're in trouble, or desire a certain possession - hold it up to the sky and call my name."

Hesitantly, Kayla nodded. She was in the middle of thanking the crow when, from further down the field, the bell sounded.

"I should go," she said, inclining her head towards the school as figures began to populate the corridors once more.

Merle lifted off, hovering in the air for a second. "Remember what I said. Until next time, Kayla." Then it glided away, wings shimmering more than ever in the golden rays.

She didn't have time to stop and think about it. All she could do was slip the feather as gently as she could into her blazer pocket, readjust her bag, and sprint down the field, all the while grappling for a suitable story to explain why her tights were so torn.

It only came to her later that she'd never given the bird her name.

* * * * *

Gentle relief settled on Kayla's shoulders as the melodious sound of the bell rang out, clear and crisp. That noise meant everything to her. Its shrill voice sang of freedom.

It was a jostling race to the door as every pupil fled as far as they could from the classrooms they'd been suffering in for so long. Spring break was only a few steps away.

Kayla was one of the last to leave. She wasn't the type to push and shove, and she actually enjoyed school, for the most part. Until she was slumped at her desk as teachers lectured endlessly, until her brain turned to mush. Which had been most of the last month.

It felt so refreshing to lift her head up and catch the wind in her hair once more. As she followed the path out of school around the field, she couldn't help glancing at a certain cluster of trees.

It had been more than two weeks since she had stood in that very spot, as Merle emerged from the leaves. She hadn't seen him since. Most of her was convinced that it had all been a simple figment of her imagination - something conjured up to entertain her at a time of boredom.

Yet there was a small part of her, the part that whispered when she was alone, that still firmly believed it to be real. The feather certainly was. Her hand drifted to her pocket to feel its soft texture. Somehow, she couldn't seem to go anywhere without it.

Shaking her head, she turned away from the school and jogged towards the crossing. Her thumb jammed into the button. She thanked the world every day that she was able to walk from home to school, but the journey across the road was her least favourite part. Especially when there were other students waiting with her at the crossing. Which was very common.

A group of boys sidled up to join her, as if hearing her thoughts and deciding to prove them right. She glanced at them briefly, before looking back at the lights. Unfortunately, she didn't recognise them, which meant no small talk was possible. Not that she would talk to them anyway.

The pedestrian sign flashed green, triggering the familiar beep, and Kayla hurried towards the opposite pavement. If she walked fast, she could lose the boys. Just in case they happened to be going the same way she was.

Strangely, as she took a turn and followed her usual path, she could hear their feet tapping behind her. Large groups very rarely moved quickly. She increased her pace, praying that they would turn off soon.

Instead, something much worse happened. One of the gang broke away and slid in to walk beside her. "Hey, Kayla."

It was very difficult to force herself to keep walking, despite her shock. "I don't know you," she muttered, keeping her gaze fixed on the pavement ahead.

"But I know you," he told her. A few seconds passed. She dodged down an unfamiliar path, hoping to shake him, but the whole group followed. His voice entered her ear again. "It's rude not to speak when you're spoken to, Kayla."

Before she could react, he had her pinned up against the wall, arm pressing into her chest. His elbow jabbed her in the ribs. "What are you doing?" she gasped, squirming halfheartedly.

"Giving you what you deserve, summoner," he growled. His tone dropped deeper, almost grating, reminding her eerily of Merle's rasping voice. Except the bird had felt a lot kinder.

"Summoner?" she repeated. At the thought of Merle, her trapped fingers felt for the special feather.

The boy released a long-suffering sigh. "You know what I mean. Where is the Alekto Crow?"

Her heart skipped a beat. Staring at him, she gulped, suddenly very aware of his fingernails pricking into the exposed skin on her arm. "You mean Merle?" She regretted the words the moment they left her lips.

A triumphant smile spread across the boy's face. "That's the one. Where is it?" At her hesitation, he pressed harder, compressing her lungs. "Where is it?"

"I don't know! I swear, I don't know!" she squeaked. Terror flooded her brain, quickening her breathing and making her heart thud uncomfortably against his grip. It was much more pure than the fear she'd felt at first seeing the talking crow. This was a fear that seized her, freezing her in place, cutting away all rational thought.

Except one.

"Liar," the boy grinded out. Kayla watched as the other three fanned out around him, fists at the ready. There was no chance of escape.

Unless...

But that would never work.

"Please, leave me alone," she begged, pushing uselessly at his iron grip. "I don't know anything. I... I promise."

"You promise." The boy laughed; his scraping cackle again reminding her of a bird. "Kayla, do you realise how much your little promise means to us?"

One of the others locked a malevolent on her. Cold shock zapped through her as she saw his eyes were completely black. "Nothing," he snarled.

As they advanced, Kayla clung onto her one remaining thought. Her one chance at rescue.

It wouldn't work. But she was out of options.

Using all her energy, she shoved at the first boy's hold. Taken by surprise, he staggered backwards, and for a moment, she was free. Just long enough to perform her task.

Her left hand flung upwards, and with it the object she pinched between her thumb and forefinger. A glossy feather, perfectly pristine, every strand still in the same place it had been when its owner had placed it in her hand. She thrust it to the sky now, as high as she could, and yelled, "Merle!"

The feather disintegrated in her fingers. Both her and the boys watched, caught in a trance, as the black dust floated with the breeze. The group broke out of it first. Within moments, Kayla's back was pressing even harder against the rough bricks behind.

Come on, Merle, she prayed. If they know you, you must be real. Please let your promise be real too.

Nothing answered.

Kayla's eyes slid closed as the boys forced her to the ground. A dull pain thudded into her side. She lay still, in her own darkness, waiting for the punching to begin.

It never did.

Instead, she heard a strange fluttering, like hundreds of wings, all beating at once. Dozens of squawks sounded. A whirlwind buffeted her face. She felt the pressing of the boys' grip loosen, then fall away together, as they shouted uselessly in the wind.

Opening her eyes, Kayla stared in wonder at her rescuers.

A dark mass hovered above them, swooping down as one. Beaks and claws tackled her attackers, forcing them away from her and opening thin scratches on their skin. The boy with the black eyes stumbled to the ground, yelping, his flailing arms ineffective against the swarm of feathers encasing him.

Kayla knew that this was her chance. The birds were allowing her time to escape. She should be leaping to her feet and sprinting as fast as she could away from them. But the paralysing mix of fear and shock kept her frozen in place.

It wasn't long before the first boy, the one who had pinned her against the building, was the only one left standing. His yells grew more frantic as he threw his fists at the birds. A few toppled out of the sky, but there were simply too many. He would be overpowered soon.

But then his gaze shot to her.

"Which one?" he hissed, as another powerful punch thudded into a bird's chest. Three more rose up to replace it. "Tell me which one you summoned."

Unable to stop herself, her eyes flicked to a slightly larger crow, right in the centre of the surging throng. The boy grinned.

"Thank you."

With an energy she'd never seen before, he launched himself up, the force carrying him through the black crowd and towards the bird she'd indicated. His hands curled around the creature, trapping its wings. As he fell to the ground again, he pushed the bird downwards, pressing it up against the pavement.

"You're mine at last," he whispered, and somehow the sound carried over the tremendous beating of wings. "You will grant no more miracles, Merle."

Before the other birds could stop him, his fingers were clasped around its neck. They twisted sideways, then released.

The crow collapsed, dead.

It was only then that Kayla found the strength to climb to her feet. The black birds fluttered above, a ripple of shock coursing throughout their ranks. They remained still as the two humans met eyes.

"A summoner should know better than to reveal the location of a summoned," he told her, the essence of a laugh mingling with his tone. "You failed, Kayla. After all this time, it was you who finally allowed the Alekto Crow to die."

Much to his surprise, she returned his smile, a laugh of her own bursting from her heaving chest. "No," she replied, her tone unexpectedly even. "It was you who failed."

Gradually, the boy advanced on her, hands raised. Lines of blood snaked across his cheeks and down his neck, trickling into his shirt. But the red stains on his palms were not his own. "See this?" he rasped, his voice growing dangerous. "This is the blood of the crow you summoned, Kayla. You saw it with your own eyes. Tell me, how did I fail?"

She snorted. "Because that wasn't Merle."

Its feathers brushed her cheek before she saw it. The same magnificent crow that had lingered in her mind ever since she saw it. It rocketed towards the boy, flinging up its claws to strike him right in the forehead.

He joined his comrades on the ground.

Instantly, every crow let out a caw of triumph. Kayla held out her hand to allow Merle to land, and it raised its head high, nodding to its fellow birds. With a final rush of wings, the black mass dispersed, disappearing into the sky.

"So you're the Alekto Crow, huh?" she said, unable to stop another laugh escaping. It was filled more with relief than humour.
"I am." Merle's dark eyes sparkled. "Unceasing crow, in the modern day."

"Unceasing?" Her eyebrows shot up. "So you're immortal?" Any other day, the fact would have surprised her a lot more. But she felt pretty much accepting of anything at the moment.

Merle flapped its wings. "Of sorts, yes. I can be killed like any other crow. But I've managed to avoid that so far, so I'm still alive. Two thousand years and counting." It cocked its head to the side, a sort-of-smile curving up its beak.

"Woah. That's old." Still grinning far too much, Kayla waved to the unconscious boys. "I'm guessing they're old, too?"

"Much younger than me, but yes. Those four are the current generation of Kares - spirits of an old species very similar to crows. Except much more power-hungry, which is what got them cursed." Merle jerked his beak upwards, and a grey shimmer cloaked the four Kares. Within moments, they had vanished completely.

"Are they... dead?" she asked.

The bird shook its head. "They'll be back. But don't worry - you won't be seeing them again. Or me," it added thoughtfully.

Kayla's smile faded. "Oh."

It shifted in what might have been a shrug. "I'm sorry, Kayla. It's the way things have to be." Lifting its wings fully, it soared down to the ground, and shifted the discarded black soot with a claw. With two taps, Merle sent the same shimmer that had engulfed the boys swirling amongst the dust, compacting it into a familiar shape. A delicate shaft and neat black strands. The feather was restored to its original beauty.

Flying back up to her arm, it held out the object. "Here," it said. "Keep this. It won't summon me again, but it might help you to remember me."

She took it carefully, brushing her finger along its side. "Thank you. It was... nice to meet you, Merle."

"Likewise." The crow gave her another slightly mischievous glance, before spreading his wings again and ascending towards the sun. In a few moments, he was nothing more than a black spec.

With a sigh, Kayla looked down at the feather, then slid it back into her pocket. Her gaze swept the street. It looked just as it would every other day. She searched for a twitch of a curtain, or a gaping face through a bedroom window, but no-one was about. Some magic that she would never understand had kept them from seeing.

As Kayla walked away, returning to her daily route with a little less haste than usual, she kept her fingers clasped over her pocket, pressing the feather into her heart. She knew that tomorrow, she would wake up believing that her imagination had created the whole thing. It would become nothing more than a niggling story in the back of her mind.

But for now, it was nice to truly believe it was real.