I slip out onto the balcony and shift into my harpy form. Being like this makes me feel incredibly free. As I approach the railing, my eyes drift over the city. There’s something deep inside me that wants to go down there, to explore the streets and everything this place has to offer.
It’s strange for me to be drawn to a place like this. I normally avoid big cities because they remind me too much of home—somewhere I never intend to return. But the longer I stand here, the harder it becomes to avoid the desire to look around.
With it being daylight, I’ll have to be careful to keep myself out of sight. Usually, I hide within the clouds, and if there aren’t any, I fly as high as I can, so I look like any other bird. The problem right now is that if I fly too far outside the city, I’ll have further to walk back into the city limits. However, if I land in the trees nearby, someone could see me. That would be a disaster in itself. Too bad there isn’t really a happy medium.
I launch off the balcony without another thought and begin my ascent. Once I’m high enough above the city, I reassess my options. It’s still early enough in the day, and it’s the weekend, so there isn’t much going on yet. Everyone is saving up their energy for Halloween in a few days, which just so happens to be one of my favorite holidays. I love seeing how humans imagine us supernaturals and all the other crazy things they come up with. Some of the little kids also look freaking adorable dressed up.
With the fact that I see only a few cars on the streets so far, I decide it’s safe enough for me to land in the woods on the outskirts of the city. I’ll still keep an eye out for pedestrians and whatnot, but I should be fine.
I fly just above the trees and look around again for anyone who could spot me. Thankfully, no one is there, so I swoop down and shift into my human form quickly. My eyes drift around,still concerned someone is around me. Let’s just say that being discovered by humans has always been one of my biggest fears. When I’m absolutely certain no one is nearby, I adjust my clothes and wander out of the trees.
The first thing that greets me is a series of small-business storefronts. The one that catches my eye immediately is a bookstore boasting its selection of new and used books. It looks like the store itself was once an old greenhouse repurposed as a shop. Clear windows bubble out from the building, showing off rows of books both inside and out. I’m itching to go inside, but I know that if I do, I’ll want something, and I don’t have any money at the moment.
One thing I refuse to do is steal from small businesses. They already work so hard to stay afloat. Big-name companies are another story in my book. They can afford to lose a few items here and there, so I don’t feel as bad about stealing from them when I need to. At least being on the move means I don’t need as much.
Reluctantly, I continue down the street, looking over all the shops. While all the shops are adorable, nothing else truly catches my eye, so I continue down the street. I mindlessly pass building after building, letting my feet carry me wherever they please. Jack-o’-lanterns litter every doorstep, even trickling onto the sidewalks in places, because there are just so many of them. Part of me likes to think that means the area is full of big, happy families.
As I walk, I admire the mix of old and new buildings, which is quite unusual for a city of its size. One side of the town has older brick buildings with windows in perfect rows and columns. The other side has newer buildings, primarily constructed from metal with massive windows that fill the majority of the walls, much like Adrestia’s penthouse.
And then there are the mansions on the outskirts of the city, which are fucking stunning. I’ve never seen anything like them up close, but I guess that’s the thing about avoiding places like this—I’ve missed out on a lot of the unique infrastructure that big cities have to offer.
Truthfully, anything is better than what I saw while I was in the nest.
Circling back, I head toward the city center, where there’s a massive park with a gorgeous marble water fountain in the center. I’m just down the street, stuck in my thoughts, when I trip on one of the jack-o’-lanterns that rolled onto the sidewalk. I try to catch myself, but there’s nothing for me to grab onto, so I prepare to hit the ground.
But I don’t. Instead, I land face-first in the chest of an unsuspecting woman. When her arms wrap around my body to steady me, I right myself and scramble back.
“I-I’m so sorry,” I say, but then pause when I look at the woman. She’s wearing a tight-fitting black dress with an uncharacteristically thick black veil covering her face. Through it, I still catch a glimpse of her vibrant, slitted, emerald-green eyes.
Jumping back, I gasp, but another woman is behind me before I can make any other movements. “Interesting. Someone else who doesn’t turn to stone by looking at you, Roxi.”
Roxi’s eyes flick to the other woman. “My veil is covering my eyes.”
My brows slam down. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
The woman behind me snickers. “You just looked a gorgon straight in the eyes. And you’re not a statue now.”
I stare wide-eyed at the woman before me, her eyes now focused on her feet. “Like she said, she has a veil on that’s covering her eyes, so if she is a gorgon—which I’m fairlysure she isn’t because they’re extinct—that’s impeding it from happening.”
Another laugh rumbles at my back as the woman leans in and sniffs me. “Is that a challenge, little bird?”
“You guys are insane, and I’m leaving now,” I say, trying to step away.
A hand wraps around my bicep, and I swing my other arm back to elbow her, but she grabs that, too. Then she’s pulling me backward, to I don’t even know where. The supposed gorgon follows us, making sure to avoid eye contact with me.
I’m fighting to get away, but the woman behind me tsks. “The more you fight, the harder this will be on you.”
“Where are you taking me?” I demand through gritted teeth.
“Away from prying eyes so we can talk for a moment,” she whispers in my ear.
“Let me go and I’ll happily fucking walk,” I hiss.
Now, both of them are laughing. The supposed gorgon finally speaks, “We all know you’re going to try to run if she lets you go.”
“More like fly,” the woman holding me says.
“So that’s why you called her little bird. Makes sense,” the gorgon says with a shrug.
