I love having Guest Writers :)

this was written by Sarah! (in response to the last challenge!)

Avery got home from his field-trip a little early. His mom was sitting on the couch with his grandfather, her father, having a conversation. They looked up when he entered the room, his mother was particularly surprised to see him. 

“Honey, what are you doing home so early?” His mother asked.

Avery knew that the school was going to call soon, and he knew that telling her was inevitable. “I said a few controversial comments to the teachers at the museum today, and they didn’t find my attitude beneficial to the group’s learning.” He restated exactly what his teacher had told him before they had left. 

“Avery. What have i told you about smarting off to people, especially those in place of authority?” She thought a minute, “But what i don’t understand is why they sent you all the way home for a few rude comments.” 

He laughed nervously as he noticed for the first time that his grandfather was still in the room. “They didn’t.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

Avery took a deep breath, “They sent me home, because i pulled the fire alarm.”

His mom was on her feet faster than he could blink, “WHAT? I can’t believe you! You pulled the fire alarm! In a museum of all places, how much priceless art did you ruin? Do you understand what you have done?”

He couldn’t answer, but luckily he didn’t have to, the phone rang. His mom turned toward the kitchen, then glanced back towards Avery, “Do not move, i imagine that is the school.”

He had never seen her so mad, not when he broke the vase, or ran away to find his dad, or broke the window in the church. He let out the breath he had been holding the entire time since he had entered the door, and shuffled over to sit by his grandfather. 

“I don’t know why she is so mad,” Avery said, “There wasn’t anything there except that stupid statue.”

For the first time since he entered, his grandfather spoke, “I have been to that museum, and i’ve seen that statue. You know, it has an interesting story, would you like to hear it?”

“I don’t know if this is......” 

But he was interrupted by his grandfather, “Of course you do.”

“Um...ok.” Avery agreed hesitantly. 

“Hundreds of years ago, in England their lived a woman named Victoria. She was beautiful, kind, and lovely everyone she met seemed to love her. Victoria grew up in the countryside with her father, and little brother. One day her father decided it was time to take her daughter into town in order to be presented to society, and hopefully, eventually find a husband. They traveled the long road the next morning, and everyone stopped to look at the young girl, but she gave none of them even a passing glance. 

Over the next few years as she grew older, every spring and fall her father would take them into the town in hopes that she would find a husband. But everyone who dared court her, she turned down, coldly. During this time her brother was growing up, and becoming a very handsome man, when they would make their journeys to town he would catch the eyes of many women in the street. 

The spring of Victoria’s twenty-first year they traveled, as always, into the city. Without fail, over the next few days men came to her, asking for her hand, but without fail, she always denied. On the eve of their departure Victoria left the inn, where they were staying, and walked through the dark streets of the city. She had never been out at this time and saw a different manor of human prowling the cracks and crevasses of buildings. 

A man approached her, appearing from an alley-way, she hadn't even known he was there. He was old, and dirty, he looked as if the streets were his home, as smelled like it too. 

“Excuse me, miss?”The man said. 

Victoria tried to walk passed him, but he cut in front of her. “Miss, I just would like to talk. Your so beautiful, like a blissful morning breeze after a cold night.”

“Excuse me sir, but you are standing in my path.” She said curtly, and tried to go around. 

“So I am.”He laughed, and blocked her once more. She nearly got around him the next time, but he caught her arm and she cried out. At that moment a great weight, like that of a bull hit the man, and sent all scrambling to the ground. 

She looked around, slightly dazed, it took her a minute but she realized that the bull was actually her brother. He had come to her rescue and was now fighting with the old man, who seemed to have the upper hand, at first. 

The fight was short- lived because the old man soon ran out of energy, and could no longer fight. Her brother hit the man on the head with a rock that he found lying in the spreading crumble of a nearby building, but not before the old man bit her brother on the arm. 

Once the old man was unconscious her brother jumped up, ran to her, and embraced her. She could feel the heat radiating off him, he pulled back only to scream. Victoria couldn’t tell what had happened, but her brother took off into the night. 

Victoria went looking for her brother, but didn’t find him. In fact, she didn’t see her brother for another fifteen years, until one night, he visited her. They talked for hours, but all in the cover of darkness. When light began to peak over the horizon, her brother became anxious.  

“I must leave,” He turned toward the open window.   

“When will i see you again.” Victoria pleaded.

“I cannot return, it is too dangerous.You are better off without me”

“Brother! I cannot believe you would say such a thing.” she gasped and slapped him across the face. 

He became angry, Victoria could tell something strange was happening. One moment he was hugging himself on the floor, the next he stood tall and proud before her, with wings sprouted out his back. She fell to the floor in astonishment, he just stood, growing more aware of the ever increasing light behind him. 

“Victoria. Sister, do not be afraid, it is me, your brother. That night so long ago, when i was bitten by the old man, he must have been something truly unnatural for he turned me into this.” He tried to walk toward her, but she coward in fear, making him stop. 

“What exactly are you, brother?” she asked hesitantly. 

“That is the question i have been trying to answer since the day i left you, i know that i do not sleep, i do not eat, i grow wings when i am angry, and i enjoy dark, damp, positively dreary places.”

“Brother, how do you live?” Victoria asked. 

“You need not concern yourself with that, Victoria, for you would not like what you heard.” He knew his time was waning, the light was coming closer. 

“Kiss me, sister, before i’m gone.” He said. She got up from her spot on the floor, and reached out to kiss her brother, even with his new revelation. Just as they embraced, the sun came up over the horizon, and hit Victoria’s brother in the back. 

“But Grandpa, why would it make them both turn to stone, Victoria wasn’t like her brother.” Avery asked, after his grandfather finished the story.

“Because it was said that she loved her brother so much that the spell didn’t know they were separate people, and turned them both to stone. They were moved to America after the original house they were in, burned down. But that Avery, is a story for another time.”

“I should probably go apologize, right?” Avery asked.

His grandfather smiled, and Avery heard his mom hang up the phone. “Thanks grandpa.”