A feather falls.

She watched it drift, and then turned to look at his hand upon her wing. "You must let me go," she said.

"You mustn't leave!" he hissed. He tried to use his leverage on the wing to make her face him, but his hand slipped on the black feathers.

She shook out her wings, still careful not to buffet him. "It is time." She looked away and up. "You know I was never meant to come this far."

He wanted to deny it. The proof was in the wings. His had shrunken and turned leathery, just as the others had. Hers were still strong and full- the only difference was the color. No longer were they pure white, nor were her eyes the pale colorless blue as they all had once. He knew his eyes had gone pure black- but hers were merely violet, and just as exotic. Her skin was still the milky pale, but her hair was as raven as the feathers. His own skin itched with green. He hated it. Hated the changes. Hated why the changes. She was all that was left that truly reminded him of how much they had changed, and he loved her as much as he hated her and what she represented.

"You will be more content with me gone." She stated it as a fact.

He hated how much she knew, but he had never kept anything from her. It would have been denying something essential within himself, and he never denied himself anything. "I will be more happy with you here," he insisted.

She looked at him then, the misshapen shadow of what she remembered him. She did not allow any emotion on her face. "You have forgotten happiness," she told him.

He remembered then that she never did lie. Never could. He hated hearing truth from those ruby lips. He wished then for a moment to rend her wings off so her choice would be taken from her.

Then her face betrayed her sadness as a tear gathered on her cheek. "As I have." She turned away before he could watch it fall like a diamond in the darkness. "It's time." She launched herself into the air, and flew away towards the light.

Alone again within himself, he watched a single feather fall, turning white before bursting to ash.  ¶ 7:40 PM