Feather Bound by Sarah Raughley Page A

length. The feathers were thinner than mine were; long and almost oval with a faint black line stretching up the vein. They came out of his shoulder blades, just like mine had, draping down half his back, but I could see more of them peeking out of the skin itself, all the way down to his underwear. They were matted to his back in one continuous unit.
    The girl chattered throughout the close-up in a frighteningly upbeat, tour guide-esque tone as if this were some sort of educational video appropriate for middle schools and bondage rooms everywhere.
    It was like pulling a carrot out of the ground from the stalk. She yanked the feathers from the main stems and they all came out together. With a hand, she smoothed the cape over her forearm as it dangled there, limp, luscious and pristine. All the while her friend gazed up at her. The light was gone from his eyes.
    â€œTurn it off,” Ade said in a voice so small I figured it was the last time she’d have the energy to tell me. I did.

9
    CAPTURE
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    â€œDeanna? You OK?” My dad hesitantly opened my bedroom door Tuesday evening and came in with a bouquet of flowers.
    â€œThis is a first.” I turned over in bed and sat up. “Usually when you feel guilty about something you buy us donuts.”
    Dad hunched his shoulders and scratched his head, clearly avoiding my eyes. “Well, uh.” He cleared his throat. “It’s not from me.”
    â€œIt isn’t?”
    When Dad tossed the bouquet onto my bed, a white envelope slid out from between two posies. It was from Hyde. Dad stood there awkwardly as I let out an ugly sigh. Hyde had been calling nonstop since Anton’s party. So he’s moved on to flowers, huh?
    It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the concern, but I just wasn’t in the mood and there was something particularly vile about a guy who refused to take a hint.
    â€œThanks Dad,” I said and threw the bouquet in the trash.
    But that was just Tuesday.
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    â€œHey, Dee, someone’s stalking you.” It was Ade this time, because it was Wednesday morning and Dad was at work. I looked up from the couch and had to throw out my arms quickly when Ade tossed the bouquet of flowers at me.
    â€œAnother one?” I flipped over the card. “Ugh.”
    Ade shrugged. “Well, he’s persistent,” she said before scouring the cabinets for another bag of chips.
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    Hyde certainly was: he sent three more bouquets throughout the day and upped the ante with chocolates Thursday morning.
    â€œWait!” Ade said as I began clicking on my phone. “Don’t call him!”
    I frowned. “Why? He can’t keep doing this.”
    â€œAre you mad?” She waved the now empty heart-shaped box of Belgian truffles in my face. “Chocolate! Let’s just… wait and see where this thing goes.”
    We did. The next day brought Adrianna much joy: chocolate boxes, this time carts of them. Giant teddy bears, enough to fill a small storage room. All this capped off with DVDs of all the most popular movies of the past year. Of course, Hyde couldn’t have known what I was into so he was probably just covering all the bases.
    â€œNice to see he’s making good use of his dead adoptive father’s money.” I lay back on the couch while Ade debated which comic book movie to put into our brand new DVD player.
    â€œThat kid did always have a soft spot for you, Dee,” Dad said once he came back from work and saw our new treasures.
    Sure, except his soft spot had the tendency towards creepy obsession.
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    Friday followed along the same track: cupcakes from that shop on Utica Avenue I used to love as a kid and more flowers – a garden of them. I didn’t think he could top himself after the DVDs. That was before the bell rang that evening. Wearily, I crept up to the door while Ade bounced on her feet behind me.
    The Mariachi band started playing as soon as I opened