Free Broken Butterflies by Shadow Stephens

tingling feeling that creped across her fingertips. “You’re beautiful,” she barely whispered.
    She wanted him to wake up, but at the same time didn’t. The fear of not knowing what to say filled her. Ilisha wanted him, all of him, but he was holding back. She had to assume that meant he didn’t want to go there. Relenting for the night, she walked back to her room and shut the door. She grabbed her pillow and wrapped her arms around it.
    When the sun rose the tension was gone. Bram was all smiles, and his good mood rubbed off on her. She made them breakfast which helped to get rid of her food supply. Bram ate two heaping plates of French toast and sausage. Ilisha chuckled as he poured more syrup on.
    “What?” he asked, talking with his mouth full.
    “If you keep eating like that, you’ll discover the human joys of fighting weight loss.”
    “Can’t help it, I’m hungry.”
    “Aaalll the time,” Ilisha said, laughing.
    Boxes were stacked in almost every nook and cranny of the apartment. She had ordered the boxes online before they left Eldorado Springs and had them delivered here to save time. “It looks like a hoarder lives here,” Ilisha said as she walked the narrow path between them.
    Bram answered the door when the movers arrived.
    “I’m glad Amy helped me get this move set up,” Ilisha said.
    The two burly men jumped right in and with the four of them working hard, they had everything loaded in three hours. Ilisha called Amy and got the address of her new rental.
    “I can’t believe you’re taking it without seeing it first,” Amy replied.
    “I trust you.”

 
    Bram took his turn driving, knowing that the truck would take longer to get to Colorado than they would, he decided to take the scenic route. “I can’t believe you’re making me see the largest ball of twine,” Ilisha said as they traveled along Route 17 in Minnesota.
    “Hey, it’s pop culture.”
    “Stupid culture,” she corrected.
    “Not if you’re a cat.”
    Ilisha laughed so hard she snorted. “Sorry.”
    “Don’t apologize, I love it.”
    She rolled her eyes. Bram practically leapt from the car when they parked in front of the twine ball. His eyes didn’t blink as he read the plaque. Ilisha snapped some pictures of him. As they walked back to the car he said, “Let’s eat.”
    Stopping at a diner, they stayed just long enough to eat and move on. Bram tipped the waitress and drove them to their next destination, Mount Rushmore.
    “Now, this is something worth seeing,” Ilisha said, smiling. She turned her MP3 player to the band Kansas and played Dust in the Wind.
    “Nice song,” Bram said.
    “My dad loved this song when we went on road trips.”
    Bram’s mood shifted. His fingers curled tight around the wheel. “It’s time,” he said grinding his teeth.
    Ilisha didn’t say anything. Her eyes scanned the area around them.
    As they rounded a curve, Damon stood ahead in the distance. Ilisha grabbed onto the “Oh shit handle” and braced herself.
    Though the car drew closer, he didn’t move and Bram stepped on the gas.
    “What are you doing?” Ilisha asked panicked.
    “Trust me,” he replied.
    Seeing Damon smile through the windshield sent chills up her spine. Just before the car would have hit him, Bram cranked the wheel and the rear of the car swung around, just missing Damon’s knees. In the same moment Bram jumped out the door, and the car nudged into a guardrail. Ilisha sat paralyzed not sure what the best action would be. She didn’t want to be trapped in the car. As she exited, Bram took Damon by the throat and slammed him to the pavement as if he were a rag doll. Damon countered by rolling over and breaking Bram’s grasp. Within seconds, he charged Bram, slamming his back into a tree along the road. The force was so great the massive tree tipped over with a crack, exposing the roots.
    Both of their wings took full span at the same time, and they lifted into the air. Twirling circles of