ã€ŠCodename Seraphim: Archangelã€‹


 Error: Door Not Found

    <u>Prologue</u>

    <u></u>

    Ey¡¯os was beautiful for a world that was about to die.

    From its colorful, luminescent foliage came the eerie howls of alien beasts sensing their impending annihilation.

    The distraught sounds rang in Dr. Ki¡¯cyllus Agoka¡¯ta¡¯s ears and he grit his teeth against them as he flew overhead. With piercing blue eyes and salt and pepper dusting his pale red hair and beard, the man appeared human, excluding the expansive pair of bronze and blue feathered wings flowing from his shoulders. He flapped hard and soared towards the glistening glass and white clad spires in the rapidly approaching distance. As Head of the Av¡¯rahn¡¯ey peoples¡¯ science division, there was only one place he wished to be for the end of his world. In his laboratory completing his magnum opus ¡­ his people¡¯s last hope ¡­ the Genesis Project.

    Shoes skidding briefly on the landing pad, Agoka¡¯ta regained his footing and broke into an urgent run. The familiar corridors were deserted. Papers were strewn and blowing across the floor. Chairs had been left in a state of disarray, pulled out haphazardly or upturned. The middle-aged man was panting for breath by the time he entered the core of the building ¨C the only part of his lab not deserted.

    A handful of Agoka¡¯ta¡¯s fellows and technicians loyally remained, focused on the task at hand. He stood in the doorway for a moment, taking in the sight of them all. Their pensive expressions and efficient movements were a stark contrast to the normally happy and chaotic workspace he¡¯d come to love. Taking a breath, he composed himself and strode to the heart of the room, an internal geodesic chamber, where thick masses of cable converged around the machine in the center. Something that had become known as a bio-pod. A huge white oval, like a giant egg. Fifteen feet long, eight feet wide, and five feet high. The pearly outer shell glowed faintly, the light pulsating with the machine¡¯s gentle humming.

    Stood beside it was an elegant woman. Her willowy form was robed in royal attire, the silken fabric dyed in an ombre from turquoise to ultramarine, each piece edged in gold ribbon. When she looked up at Agoka¡¯ta¡¯s approach, her luxuriously long brown hair swayed like a river between her sleek, pale wings. Her feathers were light cream, tipped in chartreuse, and peppered with blooms of rosy pink. Pain was obvious in her piercing jade green eyes and the tightness of her regal features. Dr. Agoka¡¯ta pulled her close, his hand on the back of her head, pressing their foreheads together as their minds connected.

    Ki¡¯cyllus, I¡¯m afraid. Her mental voice trembled.

    I know, Ma¡¯hyelle. Stay strong for just a bit longer, then we¡¯ll be at peace, my queen. Agoka¡¯ta comforted.

    To Ni¡¯hila¡¯aba the Father be the glory. The Av¡¯rahn¡¯ey matriarch nodded as she fought to keep her lower lip from quivering. Let¡¯s make sure our daughter is ready.

    Stepping back a bit, Dr. Agoka¡¯ta lay his hand on the flawless surface of the bio-pod. The technology imbedded in its shell flickered to life and biometric sensors formed a luminous green mandala under his fingertips. There was a soft rushing sound as a seam appeared running horizontally along the length of the pod. The upper half split from the lower and retracted into it without a sound. Both Agoka¡¯ta and Ma¡¯hyelle knelt close to the girl that lay in the pod¡¯s midsection, Agoka¡¯ta gently brushing a strand of her long auburn hair away from her forehead. In response to his touch, she stirred ever so slightly, her wings flickering, at the moment still tender and useless. Opening her eyes and blinking blearily, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she recognized the faces of her parents.

    Ma¡¯hy¡¯nami ¡­ Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai.

    Dr. Agoka¡¯ta and Queen Ma¡¯hyelle flinched as, even in her semiconscious state, their daughter¡¯s telepathy almost overpowered them.

    Agoka¡¯ta smiled, tears in his eyes. That¡¯s my girl.

    You¡¯ve gotten so strong. I¡¯m so proud of you. Ma¡¯hyelle added.

    Something¡¯s ¡­ wrong? She asked.

    No, no, Genesis, everything¡¯s fine. We just wanted to make sure you were still feeling well.

    I¡¯m okay, but I ¡­ I¡¯m just still ¡­ so tired. She closed her eyes, exhausted from the mental effort, but her vocal cords were still too delicate to be used.

    I know, sweetheart, but listen. We¡¯re going to put you into stasis one more time. When you wake up, you¡¯ll feel better than ever, and we¡¯ll finally be able to take you out of this bio-pod. How does that sound? Agoka¡¯ta asked.

    You promise? ¡­ We¡¯ll fly together? She smiled weakly.

    I promise, we¡¯ll fly together. He struggled to keep his voice from cracking, but his daughter had already slipped back into unconsciousness.

    Tears now flowing freely down her cheeks Ma¡¯hyelle gently pulled Agoka¡¯ta off the platform, and he resealed the pod¡¯s protective shell. The two halves slowly closed and became seamless.

    Not a second too soon.

    A blinding flash exploded through the windows, shattering them, and the floor pitched like a ship on rough seas. Agoka¡¯ta and Ma¡¯hyelle staggered against one another before the former took the latter¡¯s hand and dove to the nearest computer. Holograms flashed past, appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye as the man¡¯s typing fingers poured code through the luminous display. His fellow Av¡¯rahn¡¯ey clung to their stations, refusing to leave, heads bowed as their voices filled the room with wailed and whispered prayers. Within moments, the bio-pod assumed a steady glow, its cables detached, and the machine became self-sustaining.

    The Genesis Project was complete.

    Clutching Ma¡¯hyelle as she gripped him in return, Agoka¡¯ta looked up and fixed his gaze on a single sapphire shard peeking through a widening crack in the ceiling. As the world literally crumbled around them, he uttered a final prayer of his own.

    ¡°Sa¡¯ahk ba, aye, Ni¡¯hila¡¯aba. Sa¡¯ahk ba.¡±

    Protect her, oh, Great Triune Maker. Protect her.

    ***

    It was a plea that didn¡¯t go unseen.

    Hundreds of thousands of miles above the planet¡¯s surface, a massive interstellar cruiser hovered poised like an arrowhead. Admiral Malek Xias sneered as his battleship¡¯s targeting system locked in on Dr. Agoka¡¯ta. His keen reptilian eyes read the dying man¡¯s lips. The also human-looking being flexed his huge draconian wings, iridescent red scales gleaming. The spade shaped tip of his tail flicked viciously around his legs as he growled in the Jallak language of Yaeta.

    ¡°There will be no protection for your pathetic little science experiment, you hopeless fool.¡±

    The gaze of his cold, dark eyes slid to the right. Dominating the viewing shield, a massive column of searing light pulsed through space, toward the heart of Ey¡¯os. In mere minutes, the beam would burn its way to the planet¡¯s core and the insignificant world would be obliterated. Xias grinned at the thought of what this victory would bring him. At long last, he would end the battle, and the thorn in the side of the Jallak would be wiped from the stars. The seemingly tireless Av¡¯rahn¡¯ey mission of faith and healing in their singular, triune god, would die in the inferno of their last remaining home. Snapping himself out of his premature revelry, Xias turned his eyes to the panel of technicians in front of him.

    ¡°How long until complete destruction?!¡± he barked.

    ¡°Estimated time is three minutes, sir,¡± answered one of his underlings.

    ¡°That¡¯s not good enough. Increase the power!¡±

    ¡°Sir, if we go above sixty percent, we risk the thermal core overheating,¡± another lackey ventured.

    Xias¡¯s eyes locked on the man and cocked his head in a predatory lean. ¡°You¡¯d rather risk a ¡­ demotion ¡­ then?¡±

    The technician¡¯s copper scaled wings trembled as he paled and hurriedly turned back to his station. Gripping a lever on the sprawling console, he slowly began to push it forwards. The laser¡¯s intensity magnified, its white center surrounded by an angry red-orange corona. The planet Ey¡¯os at last began to split. Canyon sized cracks appeared over its entire circumference, spewing tsunamis of magma over the surface.

    ¡°Approaching seventy percent. Two minutes and thirty seconds until planet destruction, sir.¡±

    ¡°Increase it again,¡± Xias insisted.

    His lesser officer swallowed nervously as he clicked the control bar up by another factor of ten. ¡°Output levels raised to eighty percent. One minute and forty-seven seconds until planet destruction.¡±

    With a growl worthy of his half-dragon appearance, the irate commander stormed down from his admiral¡¯s deck.

    ¡°I SAID ¡­ INCREASE IT AGAIN!¡± he roared and thrust the lever to maximum.

    The battleship trembled as the blinding column of energy dilated to its ultimate width. Gleaming fissures erupted across the skin of the planet. Then a blinding explosion ripped through the solar system. When Admiral Xias and his crew uncovered their eyes, Ey¡¯os was nothing but a halo of asteroids and dust.

    They all failed to see the sparkling white comet hurtling away from the blast.

    ¡­

    <u></u>

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    <u>One</u>

    Error: Door Not Found

    ¡­ Wake up, Genesis. It¡¯s time ¡­

    My eyes snapped open.

    Was that a voice, or had I just been imagining things?

    I blinked, trying to kickstart my senses. There was little more than an inch gap between the tip of my nose and the layer of gel padding above me. Its pale greenish glow was soothingly familiar, as were the sensations of the life-support tubes suctioned to my limbs and torso. At that moment I felt them gently detach and retract to some deeper recess of the machine. I winced as I rotated my arms and tried to turn my legs, my joints stiff from lying in the same position for an unknown period of time. Other than that, everything seemed operational. My ears pricked, spine tingling as the rest of my faculties came online. I was sure I heard muffled noises beyond the thick shell. If I was awake, shouldn¡¯t my father have opened the pod by then?

    I wet my lips. ¡°Ag ¡­ Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai? ¡­ Ma¡¯hy¡¯nami?¡±

    My voice came out faint and raspy, my tongue feeling like sandpaper, but at least I knew my vocal cords finally worked. I was sure I was hearing muffled noises outside now. Curious, I closed my eyes and stretched my telepathic field into a big bubble that reached through the surrounding layers. The outlines of shapes slowly materialized in various intensities of gold against a black background, coalescing to form a picture of what was going on outside. Most of the images kept shifting in and out of focus, but one thing was crystal clear ¨C I was somewhere new.

    There was a huge tent around the pod, with metal walkways stretching around its interior that branched away into four corridors. Blurry, indistinct figures hurried along the raised trails. More of them paced slowly around me ¨C or, well, the bio-pod to be more specific. Some had tablets and looked to be writing things down. Others carried hand-held devices that scanned my shell¡¯s surface. They were talking to one another, but I couldn¡¯t make out any recognizable words. While using my telepathy mainly to see, their emotions were indistinct, but I was able to sense a general aura of wary curiosity, awe, and fear. An involuntary shiver zigzagged down my spine. I pulled back my mental sight and opened my eyes to stare at the plush jade-colored walls of my prison.

    I struggled and pushed at the bio-pod¡¯s upper half. Where¡¯s the door on this thing?

    As I tried to turn my head, I encountered resistance from something against the back of my neck and froze. After a second, I reached over and felt a thin cable running up from the gel bed. My fingers felt up the plasticky wire to the back of my neck. I traced the dull edges of something hard embedded just under my skin at the junction between skull and spine. The cord¡¯s small, rectangular head was fit into the spot. I could feel a hum of what I could only describe as data streaming in and out of me, like the cable was wired right into my nerves, bypassing my brain completely. Focusing more on the sensation, I physically felt something in the bottom of my skull go ¨C

    *tch!*

    It was like a switch flipped and that informational hum gushed up into my head. Little bits of white light flickered before my eyes, soon solidifying into diagrams, shapes, and words. I could see my heart rate, blood pressure, as well as the status of most of my other organs.

    Okay, uh ¡­ Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai never told me how to work this thing. Can you tell me where I am? I asked in my mind.

    A new little screen popped up in the middle of the ensemble displaying two words in bright red letters.

    Alkba Mehjan

    Request Denied? What? Why? I frowned.

    A reply materialized:

    Piyo Katamahnte

    Data Unavailable

    But WHY is the data unavailable? I asked again.

    A second rebuttal appeared:

    Sehnkeba Shioshsen Kiok Pahnkete eo Tehkente Ehloto Untejah

    Biological Sustainment Unit Incapable of Locating Viable Information

    I scrunched up my lips with an irritated scowl, wriggling my shoulders in discomfort as the feather shafts along my spine were pressed deeper into my skin. Lying on my back was not an optimal position. I had to get out of my pod somehow. I needed to go find my parents.

    Alright, fine. If you won¡¯t tell me where I am, I¡¯ll just go look for myself ¡­ Open the doors. I ordered.

    ¡­

    Nothing happened.

    The icons on my mental screen shifted lazily. Everything remained quiet. The numbers indicating my blood pressure ticked up a few times. I let out a squeal of frustration and tried to kick and punch my way through the bio-pod¡¯s lid. Given my proximity to the padded ceiling, I could only raise my arms and legs a few inches. Not nearly enough to do much of anything. I flopped back and puffed away a strand of hair that had gotten in my face.

    Stupid piece of junk. What¡¯s the point of keeping me alive in here if I can¡¯t even get out?! I silently fumed.

    After a few seconds, I closed my eyes and reached out with my telepathy again, feeling beyond the boundaries of my imprisoning shell. This time, I encountered an empty tent, no life-forms within my mental sight or sense.

    Okay, let¡¯s try this again. I took a deep breath. Come on, you can do this. Just one word. Just tell it what to do.

    I focused all my concentration on the information streaming through the cable in my neck. I could almost picture it, like a glowing river of electrical impulses shooting through the winding mass of wires, mirroring the synapses of my own brain. Locking onto that feeling, I followed it to the mainframe¡¯s core. Its rhythmic humming pulsed in time with the double beats of my twin hearts. I opened my eyes, a single word on my mind and lips.

    ¡°Tojkah.¡±

    (Open.)

    There was a series of repetitive clicks as a number of locking mechanisms disengaged. With a hiss, a seam split open above me, letting in a gust of fresh, cold air. I gasped in a deep breath of it, blinking and squinting as bright light flooded in to assault my newly awakened senses. It made me reflexively bring my arms up to shield my face until the cloudiness faded and everything came back in sharp focus. I then maneuvered my hands under the long feathers at my sides and pushed myself into sitting up. The cord still attached to my neck spooled out to allow my movement, so I left it alone for the moment as I looked around.

    There wasn¡¯t really much to see ¨C just four blank fabric walls, four hallways winding out of sight, and the metal catwalks leading into them. It reminded me of the little portion I¡¯d seen of Dr. Agoka¡¯ta¡¯s lab during the few times I¡¯d been conscious there.

    I wonder if this is a new workspace somewhere. I pondered as I massaged the stiffness out of my legs.

    After a few seconds, I scooched across the pod¡¯s gel bed until I was sitting on the edge, my feet dangling over the bare ground below. I winced as I slipped down and pulled my wings after me. My shoulders felt exceptionally tender. I couldn¡¯t help but notice as my feathered limbs moved that I had more than one pair. There were three identical wings on either side of me, a large, medium, and small one stacked together, all shiny and golden.

    I stared. I don¡¯t remember Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai or Ma¡¯hy¡¯nami having more than two wings. Did Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai¡¯s tests make me this way?

    Deciding that would be one of the many questions I¡¯d ask when I found my parents, I turned towards the nearest doorway. I¡¯d just put my foot onto the first of the three steps leading to the catwalk when I felt a tug on the back of my neck. I reached back to feel the cable still plugged into me was now taught.

    I guess that¡¯s as far as you go.

    Tightening my fingers around it, I gave the cord a yank and felt it smoothly pop out. A sudden rush of freedom washed over me as I was completely released from the bio-pod¡¯s leash. The medical holograms surrounding my vision slowly faded as I let go of the cable and watched it zip back to the pod and disappear. The pod itself then began to luminesce and hum as its doors began to close, sealing shut with a click and a hiss. I was really on my own now.

    Alright ¡­ let¡¯s see what¡¯s out there. Taking a deep breath, I stepped up onto the catwalk and slipped silently down the hall.

    I reached out with telepathic feelers, trying to get a deeper sense of this strange, new place. The first twenty feet of corridor was deserted, nothing but cold metal framing under plastic and canvas skin. The material rippled every once in a while, like there was a breeze outside. I had to resist the urge to tear through it and go galivanting into the unknown. I had no idea what might be waiting for me on the other side. I called out instead.

    ¡°Hibjah?¡± (Hello?)

    A light wind whispered outside the tent.

    ¡°Ot sobeo tahu?¡± I tried again. (Is anyone there?)

    No answer.

    The feathers on my back fluffed in excitement, wings twitching and flexing at the anticipation of running into someone. It wasn¡¯t until I was almost at the end of the passage that I did. Too focused on my surroundings, I¡¯d half forgotten to look ahead. A flicker of movement in front of me caught my attention and I stumbled to a stop. I stood frozen for a second before my ears reddened in embarrassment when I realized who I was seeing. At the end of the tunnel was a door with a very reflective surface. The person I was seeing was me.

    ¡°Aye¡¯yah,¡± I breathed and shook my head with a smile of relief.

    I stepped closer to the door, curiously looking myself over. I¡¯d never seen what I looked like before. My hair was an odd shade of copper ¨C just like Dr. Agoka¡¯ta¡¯s ¨C and came down almost to my waist. In contrast, my skin was a warm ivory, like Ma¡¯hy¡¯nami¡¯s. I looked a lot younger than them though, and my eyes were different too. Instead of my father¡¯s rich sky blues or my mother¡¯s pale jades, my irises were all different colors. The hues spiraled around my pupils in opposite directions in each eye, blending from vivid scarlet to bright orange, lemon, peridot, cyan, violet, and magenta.

    Then I shivered and noted I was a little lacking in the wardrobe department to say the least. A simple wrap of white, silky, elastic material hugged my chest and ribs. Matching shorty-shorts were plastered around my waist, hips, and thighs, leaving my middle exposed. My cheeks suddenly felt hot and my wings tightened against my body.

    I can¡¯t leave here looking like this. I glanced around for something to cover up with. Maybe I should just go back to my pod and wait for Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai to come get me.

    As I stood contemplating what to do, something suddenly came within range of my telepathic tendrils. Every feather prickled down my spine. There was an odd ¡­ flexing sensation ¡­ somewhere behind my eyes. My vision rapidly sharpened to an almost painful degree of detail. Combined with my telepathy, it was like my consciousness was moving while my body stayed in place. Just beyond the door where I stood, down a short section of corridor, and around the left fork in the tunnel, there was a figure ¨C a middle-aged man with greying hair and square glasses dressed in a floor-length white coat. He stood with his back against the wall, clutching a clip board so hard his knuckles were turning the same shade as his coat. Even from a distance, I somehow could hear his heart hammering as he took shallow gasps of air and nervously glanced toward my hallway. A second later, I snapped back into myself.

    Is he one of Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai¡¯s assistants? I wondered. Maybe he heard me shouting, but if he did, why isn¡¯t he coming to help me?

    ¡°Hibjah?¡± I called softly, creeping forward.

    My bare feet made no sound as I tiptoed closer and peeked around the bend, just as the man turned his head. He all but stopped breathing, and his eyes went so wide they might¡¯ve fallen out of his head if given the chance. A thrilled smile spread across my face at the sight of another living person. I raised a hand in a wave.

    "Secsan! Se¡¯hale ishitekta. Sa¡¯a hale ua¡¯tu sec kiagk sai,¡± (Hello! Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to hurt you).

    The man let out a garbled yelp and stumbled back, tripping over his own feet before picking himself up and running away. At that point I gasped and recoiled too, because as he turned, I saw his back.

    He didn¡¯t have wings!

    I stood in shock, staring down the now empty hallway. He¡¯d looked otherwise like my kind, but ¡­ but no wings?! What was he that he didn¡¯t have them?! Maybe there were other beings in existence that were born without them. But where would people like that even come from?

    Then a new thought hit me with a hurricane ton of force.

    Was I even on Ey¡¯os anymore?

    I was jolted back to my present situation when my senses started tingling again.

    A new presence had entered my still extended telepathic field. Before I could center on it or even turn around, there was a faint puffing noise. A sharp burst of pain bloomed in my lower thigh.

    ¡°Pahla!¡±

    Yelping a mild expletive, I caught myself before I could crumple and clutched at my leg. I stared down in utter bewilderment at the small, neon-orange-plumed metal cylinder with its needle tip embedded in my skin. Suddenly I started feeling dizzy and tired. My vision blurred and concentration faltered. In a rush, it dawned on me what was happening and my two hearts pounded in panic. I¡¯d just woken up! No way was I going to let anyone put me back to sleep!

    Gritting my teeth, I shook off the dizziness, adrenaline pumping through me like high-octane fuel. I grabbed the dart, yanked it out of my leg, and whipped in the direction it had come from. The shooter crouched just behind the fork of the next corridor with the barrel of a tranquilizer gun aimed straight at me.

    ¡°No! Not again!¡± I shouted at him.

    He froze, eyes widening behind his helmet¡¯s face shield. I didn¡¯t even know if these weird wingless could understand the Av¡¯ohken I was speaking, but I wasn¡¯t about to stay and ask. I used the man¡¯s momentary hesitation to my advantage.

    Whirling, I took off in the opposite direction and dodged down another passage as a second shot clipped the wall behind me.

 Elevator To Nope

    Two

    Elevator To Nope

    I learned very quickly that I did not like being cornered.

    Another gunman had joined the first. Both were much bigger than me. Both were wingless. They were dressed in thick, black clothes and wore helmets with clear face guards. I¡¯d never seen expressions like the ones they made as they stared me down. My primal instincts were screaming the word ¡°predators¡±, and I did not like the implications of being their prey. I tented all six wings until I looked like a giant puffball of metallic feathers.

    Where are Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai and Ma¡¯hy¡¯nami?! Why haven¡¯t they come to rescue me yet?! I thought desperately.

    Then, I heard that forewarning puff of air. In a flash, my wings curled forward, and I ducked into them, feeling a solid thump as the dart hit. The needle slipped harmlessly through my feathers and clattered to the floor.

    ¡°Stop! Please!¡± I pleaded, peeking out from my wings.

    The men flinched at the sound of my voice, but they obviously didn¡¯t understand. They kept coming. When they were no less than six or seven feet away, there was a faint buzz of static from something inside their helmets. The two froze like statues, eyes never wavering from me, but clearly, they were focused on something else for the time being.

    I seized the opportunity and desperately scanned for a way out of the corner they¡¯d backed me into. There was more space between the man on the left and the wall. Could I make it past him? I ran the scene in my head. If I tucked my wings and dove down, I could slide across the floor, recover on the other side, and make it to the end of the hall before either man could fire. I¡¯d just decided to chance it when one of them raised his weapon.

    Don¡¯t hesitate ¡­ RUN!

    My feathers slicked down flat as instinct took over and I bolted. The wingless shouted in surprise as I blasted past, parkouring off the wall and barreling forwards. I didn¡¯t dare look back. My feet clanged on the catwalk, head on a swivel looking for escape. Every tunnel I glanced down seemed to spawn more black clad wingless or white coated ones huddling in fear. Before I knew it, I¡¯d gotten completely turned around. I stumbled to a halt, leaning against metal railing, staring in dismay.

    There was my pod, the big, white oval sitting there, serene and silent. To me, though, it was like it was saying, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back already? That was fast¡±. I let out a growl of frustration, turning and running down a different hallway. More than just my footsteps rattled beneath my feet. Heavy boots seemed to come pounding from around every corner. Loud voices were shouting in a language I couldn¡¯t understand. Something sharp grazed my left shoulder. I ran through another doorway and came face to face with my pod again. I didn¡¯t stop this time, picking a different route and plowing ahead, only to be forced back. Every possible way out was being blocked up. I was running out of options.

    I can¡¯t go anywhere! What direction do I have left?!

    The answer hit me right after.

    UP.

    I got a running start and leapt from the catwalk onto my pod. Balancing on the smooth, curved surface, I then jumped straight up, grabbing hold of the roof frame. I dug my fingers into the tough canvas and it ripped open easily. Wriggling through the tear, I climbed out just as a hoard of black-suited wingless charged into the room beneath me.

    Panting hard, I slowly stood as the scene around me came into view. I was now perched atop the center of a maze, a labyrinth of white tunnels winding and branching, connecting rooms and reconnecting to each other. No wonder I¡¯d gotten so lost. But the land around the sterile habitrail ¡­ there was something very wrong about it. The ground was nothing but bare earth. A huge circle of raw soil stretched out hundreds of feet in every direction. At the radius edge, the dirt was all mounded up and filled with rocks, branches, and the remnants of trees. The tops of a forest barely peaked over the rim. I looked down at the tent I perched on and my pod bellow, then back at the bizarre landscape. I was standing dead center in the middle of the circle.

    Where ¡­ am I? What is this place? I stared in confusion as my heartbeats pounded in my throat.

    Then ¡­

    *pth! ¨C pth! ¨C pth! ¨C pth! ¨C pth!*

    A line of darts stabbed all the way up from my hip to my shoulder. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out. My mind immediately felt clouded as I became uncontrollably dizzy. Whatever was in these tranquilizers was way stronger than the first batch. The world blurred and spun and I wasn¡¯t even aware that I was falling until my face hit the dirt. Even then, I felt nothing. The last thing I remembered were thick black boots stepping into view before my vision dissolved.

    ¡­

    For a while it felt like I was floating in a strange, empty dream. I caught flashes of sound and movement, feeling people around me, my body coming into contact with different surfaces. I wanted to fight it. I wanted to wake up. The split seconds of clarity were moving so fast by the time I realized one was there it was gone before I could hang onto it. But I kept trying.

    Next thing I knew, I was awake. My eyelids felt welded shut, but my consciousness was grounded and aware. I no longer had that weird, weightless feeling. After that, the rest of my senses decided to join the party in an almost overwhelming flood of sensory information. I was lying on my back on a surface that was soft in texture but uncomfortable to lay on. There were wide bands of something firm wrapped around my wrists and ankles. I felt a thin tube lying across my face that poked up into my nose, delivering air that had an odd chemical smell.

    My eyes shifted rapidly under lids that just wouldn¡¯t lift. What¡¯s going on? I¡¯m awake now so why can¡¯t I move?

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    I could hear a few people chatting now, but the words were still gibberish to my ears. Maybe if I could get into their minds I could understand whatever this weird language was. I reconstructed my telepathic field, immediately picking up on a swirl of emotions. The strongest were feelings of apprehension and amazement, intermingled with curiosity, confusion, wonder, and fear. But their mental voices were still in that odd, slightly garbled blend of ¡°r¡±, ¡°sh¡±, and ¡°ch¡± sounds. Just when I thought I could get a hold of their meaning, the beings¡¯ thoughts shifted. In fact, the more I probed around in the wingless¡¯s minds, the more paranoid, anxious, and stressed they seemed to become. Suddenly, there was a metallic crash and shouts and I pulled back in surprise.

    What was that all about? Does my telepathy hurt them? I wondered.

    I sensed someone standing close to me and experimentally reached out again. There was a wave of intrigue, hesitance, then shock followed by a brief scream. The person quickly moved away. Even though I was scared and confused, the thought of hurting someone didn¡¯t sit right. Keeping my mind¡¯s reach within the confines of my body, I delved inwards, straining to kick in my body¡¯s instinct to burn fuel. After a few seconds, I felt the effects of whatever drugs were in my system begin to lose their hold. There was only silence and the feeling of an empty room around me now. Taking a deep breath, I peeked open my eyes.

    Well ¡­ once again ¡­ the room¡¯s different.

    Instead of an entirely opaque tent, a plastic rectangle surrounded me with large clear viewing panes taking up a majority of each wall. Outside, I could see a windowless, grey paneled room with white tiled floors. Light came from the fluorescent bulbs in the ceiling. Their buzzing made me want to dig my fingers into my ears. To my sides were plain curtains running on a track that looped all the way around the bed I was laid out on. I could hear clicking and whooshing and beeping noises emanating from something off to my right.

    Still feeling a little woozy, I struggled to get my hands under myself properly, but instead encountered resistance. I turned my head to see thick, brown bands fastened around my wrists. Based on the sensations, I knew the same things were holding down my ankles. Mustering up my strength, I pulled, and with a faint creak, the material broke and I wriggled my hands out. I sat up and pulled away the small rubbery tube that had been resting across my face, seeing it had two tiny prongs venting the source of the odd chemical smell. With it gone, I immediately felt the last of the cloudiness fade away.

    I traced the tube down to a large metal canister sat in a trolley with a few others. Beside it was a machine that seemed to be a pump and what was responsible for the clicking, whooshing sound. A little further away was a stand laid out with a variety of other medical implements, none of which looked pleasant. Looking to my other side, I saw several more machines, the beeping ones, with black screens covered in squiggling, horizontal lines. They had wires coming from them that ran up over the side of the bed and I jolted a little when I saw they were attached to me. Round, white patches were stuck to my chest, under my ribs, and across my stomach, so light I hadn¡¯t even felt them. There was one on each of my wrists and ankles too. I quickly ripped them off, breaking the restraints on my ankles too, and fenagled my wings out from under me as I pushed myself off the bed.

    Alright, let¡¯s try this whole escaping-and-finding-mom-and-dad thing again. I quickly scanned the room.

    Across to my right, there was a transparent door leading to a wide tunnel of some kind of crinkly greyish material. I followed its curve to a second opening in the outer wall. Stepping over to the first door, I found the thick, clear material was split in the middle by a metal frame that bordered the two sections. But there were no knobs or handles or anything. Just a rectangular panel in the wall beside it that displayed the outline of a hand traced in green. I put my hand on it, watching as a bar of light panned back and forth beneath my palm. A second later, the hand outline turned red, and I jumped as the panel emitted a disdainful beep.

    So that¡¯s not going to work. I scrunched up my lips as I puzzled for a second. Maybe I can force the doors themselves open?

    Turning my attention to the metal-edged partitions, I adjusted my stance, put my hands back-to-back, and rammed my fingers into the center seam. The frame groaned and creaked as I pushed my fingers further and further until ¡­

    *CRACK!*

    Spider-web fractures splintered through the clear panels as the metal bent like putty against my hands. The next moment, everything was washed in red light as a piercing, beeping noise filled the air. I ignored the sensory overload and kept prying the doors apart. It didn¡¯t even cross my mind that the almost two-inch-thick transparent panes might have been heavy. They didn¡¯t feel like it. When there was a gap big enough, I sidestepped through and sprinted down the tunnel. At the end was another set of doors like the first, except these looked like solid metal. The seam in the middle was barely there, but I jammed my fingers into it anyway. With a grating sound, the panels gave way and slid back into the walls.

    I looked out into an empty hallway stretching off to my right. There was a pair of large beige doors with big round windows at the end. Slowly I crept out and began making my way towards them. The red lights were still flashing, but the blaring beep had stopped. I didn¡¯t hear any yelling or running. It was eerily quiet. All the feathers on my back were bristling.

    Pushing through the doors at the end of the hall, I walked a little further, emerging into a crossroads. To my right and ahead were identical short passages leading to identical bubble-windowed doors. The square space around me had a pair of chairs sitting in each corner. To my left, though, was another long corridor ending in metal doors like the ones I¡¯d forced open moments before. I¡¯d just taken one step towards that direction when I suddenly heard the soft clunk of another set of beige doors closing. I whipped around to see two tall men in blue clothes and long white coats. They looked to be in a hurry while at the same time having a debate over something on the clipboards they carried. When they caught sight of me, however, they froze and their expressions turned shocked. The next second, one shouted at me and they both charged.

    I screamed, turning and sprinting for the metal doors. ¡°No, stop, please! Leave me alone! Please, just, let me go!¡±

    Tears welling in the corners of my eyes, I ran desperately towards what I hoped was successful escape. When I was nearly there, I heard the ding of a bell, and the doors slid open. A man in a dark suit started at the sight of me barreling down the hall and yelled something, but I wasn¡¯t about to stop. I ran right up to him, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and heaved him over my head at the other two wingless chasing me. They went down in a flailing heap as I dove into the tiny room the metal doors had revealed. On the narrow strip of wall beside them on the inside was a panel full of buttons. A symbol on one looked to be pointing up and I knew up was a good thing. Up meant freedom. I mashed my finger against it repeatedly until the doors began to close. They sealed shut just as one of the men got to his feet. The small room shuddered for a second before I felt it begin to rise. Letting out a shaky breath, I stepped until my back pressed against the far wall, legs trembling as I stared at the doors.

    Wherever this moving room is taking me, as soon as it opens, I¡¯m just going to run. I told myself. I¡¯m going to run straight out of this place. Not gonna look back. Just run. Run until I¡¯m safe.

    I forced the muscles in my legs to brace. My wings lay so tight against my back my shoulders were starting to hurt. What I assumed were numbers seemed to be ticking down on the small screen above the doors. With a lurch and thump, the room came to a stop. I lowered my stance, touching my fingertips to the wall behind me, ready to take off the second the doors opened.

    The same bell sound dinged again ¡­

    ¡­ the doors parted ¡­

    ¡­ and my hopes fell like the tear that dropped from my cheek.

 You Say Suspicious? I Say ... Please Help Me, Im Scared

    <u>Three</u>

    You Say Suspicious? I Say ¡­ Please Help Me, I¡¯m Scared

    I dared not move an inch.

    I was completely surrounded. Dozens of wingless men in black uniforms and helmets crowded in front of the tiny moving room, some crouching, the others standing behind. Their eyes and weapons were aimed solely at me. Unblinking. Unwavering. I could feel my heartbeats pounding thickly in my throat, so heavy I could choke on them. As it was, I hadn¡¯t taken a breath in what seemed like hours. It felt like time was frozen in that moment for an eternity, but really the standoff only lasted less than a minute.

    *¡­ bing! ¡­*

    The sound of the bell might as well have been a bomb going off, it shattered the deafening silence so suddenly. All at once, I gasped, the wingless unleashed a volley of darts, and the metal doors began to close. Rolling against the wall, I dodged out of the way as the place I¡¯d just been standing was peppered in orange-plumed needles. The small room sealed up again and began to descend.

    I slumped into a corner, pulling my knees up to my chest as the urge to cry became unbearable. My feathers rustled as my body shook, tears pouring freely down my face. Why was all this happening? Where were Dr. Agoka¡¯ta and Ma¡¯hy¡¯nami? Who were all these wingless people and why didn¡¯t this world feel like home?

    It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. I stared down at my lap, watching tears drip onto my skin. I was supposed to have woken up back in the lab with my parents and the nice technicians there to greet me. They¡¯d been going to teach me how to fly.

    Suddenly the moving room rumbled to a stop much sooner than I¡¯d been expecting it to. Had I really gone back to the bottom already? No, it didn¡¯t feel right. I was stopped at a different floor. The bell rang once again, and the doors started to open. I buried my head in my arms and braced to be shot at or attacked in some other way, but after a few seconds I realized nothing was happening. Sniffing and blinking the bleariness out of my eyes, I slowly peaked up.

    A younger looking wingless man and a woman stood in the doorway, staring at me. I stared back, eyes flicking over their fully maroon clothes and the faces of a few other people peeking out from behind them. The woman whispered something to the man who muttered back while shaking his head. Then she took a tentative step towards me. I shifted back out of instinct, feeling another round of tears welling up. Seeing this, she held up her empty hands and made soft shushing sounds, I felt in an effort to calm me down. Still apprehensive, I built up my telepathic field again and let a wave of it roll over her. With a little gasp, the wingless woman froze, her jaw dropping a bit. Our eyes met as I touched at her mind, sensing strong feelings of concern and a willingness to help. We came to a thread of understanding. She reached out and I took her hand, letting her pull me to my feet and walk me out of the moving room.

    These wingless people are different than the others. I noted. Maybe not all of them want to hurt me. Maybe it¡¯s just those ones in the dark uniforms. But why?

    The woman motioned to another behind her, who reached behind a nearby counter and handed her a bundle of fabric. She unrolled it to reveal a simple white and blue gown with bits of string at the top, middle, and bottom. I gladly accepted the offered covering, slipping my arms through the almost elbow length sleeves. The young wingless man tied the strings behind my neck, back, and the backs of my knees.

    ¡°Ahpta sai,¡± I dipped my head. (Thank you)

    They nodded, then the three of us flinched when the moving room¡¯s bell dinged again. The doors started to close, but the young man lunged and stuck his hand between them. They stopped and opened all the way again. He held his hand against one side, motioning and seeming to tell his female companion to go. She took my hand and the other wingless moved out of the way as she started pulling me down another hallway. We turned right and came to a door on the left that the woman quietly pushed open. Beyond were staircases going up and down. I could hear voices and footsteps echoing somewhere above and clung tighter to my helper¡¯s hand. She squeezed my fingers in return and we took the lower stairs.

    I don¡¯t understand why any of this is happening, but I¡¯m gonna trust it. Maybe there¡¯s a reason. I thought.

    I followed my guide down four levels to a landing and a pair of big grey doors with a black and yellow striped boarder. We both peeked through the long, narrow windows near the center seam. Through them I saw a huge room where wingless people were controlling machines carrying stacks of boxes. They were taking them out or putting them into the backs of even bigger machines. The woman crouched down close to me, pointing to the large vehicles then to the left. I followed her finger and saw that the space gradually sloped upwards. At the end, I could see a gleaming point of light.

    Oh ¡­ Oh! If I get into one of those big things, they¡¯ll take me out of here! I realized.

    My eyes lit up and I nodded vigorously. Smiling at me for a moment, my rescuer tapped a finger to her lips and slowly pushed open the door. She stuck her head out, making sure the coast was clear before inching out, and I crept along in her footsteps. We ran low and ducked behind a palate of boxes, waiting for a machine operator to drive past, then scooting over to the next bit of cover. We repeated the process until we were right beside one of the big mechanical beasts.

    The woman turned to me and gently held my face in her hands. She looked me in the eyes and spoke, but still the words just wouldn¡¯t click. I could tell by her tone that she was really trying to tell me something. I desperately wanted to understand what it was. As my telepathic field focused on her again, I saw one of her eyes twitch a little, but she didn¡¯t feel afraid at all. Instead, she seemed to push her words at me from her mind too. I didn¡¯t even know if these wingless had any mental powers of their own, but this woman, for whatever reason, could get through to me just a little bit. Though our languages were worlds apart, I understood what she meant to say.

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    ¡­ I don¡¯t know who you are, where you came from, or where you¡¯re going, but just know that you¡¯re going to be alright ¡­

    Her emotions felt so convinced and sure.

    I believed her.

    Something made a banging sound in the back of the room and we jumped as barking voices grew louder. The woman poked her head up and looked around rapidly, motioning me to move. It was time to go. I scurried around her and she helped me climb the bars on the back of the big machine into the almost fully loaded container. Holding onto her hand a second longer, I pushed my own words into her mind.

    ¡°Ahpta sai. Sa ohte kahtah dehapte sair sadite,¡± I whispered. (Thank you. I will never forget your kindness.)

    She smiled with a nod and I let go of her fingers, slipping back into the safety of the box machine¡¯s interior. Peeking through a gap between the stacks of cargo, I watched her sneak back the way we¡¯d come. My hearts thudded as on the opposite side of the cavernous room I saw a bunch of the black armored wingless being bossed around by others in dark suits. I didn¡¯t get to see if my friend made it to safety or not. A man appeared and I ducked as he hoisted himself up onto the back of the machine. He reached up and grabbed a rope dangling from the top of the container, pulling down a flexible metal sheet. The inside of the container was plunged into darkness as the rolling door clanged into place, and I heard it be locked from the outside.

    I guess there¡¯s no turning back now. I blinked as my eyes adjusted.

    Suddenly there was a roar that faded into a rumble and the machine began to vibrate. I faceplanted into the boxes in front of me as the container lurched before starting to move steadily forwards. I tucked myself into a relatively stable spot, wishing I could see where I was now headed. I¡¯d never used my telepathic field while in motion before. With everything moving, I doubted I¡¯d be able to get a clear mental picture before the scenery shifted again.

    I was overcome with the urge to yawn and nestled further into the secure niche. The motion of the machine and its constant rumble was oddly soothing, the dim, contained atmosphere something I hadn¡¯t experienced before. Tucking my legs up and pulling my new dress over my knees, I decided to close my eyes for a bit.

    ¡­

    Everything was loud.

    The blood pumping through my ears, my heartbeats, the blaring sirens.

    I sprinted down the black hallway doused in red light, sweat pouring down my face. My lungs felt like they were on fire with every heaving breath. The soles of my feet stung from the force of contact with the ground. How long had I been running? I couldn¡¯t remember how any of this had started.

    Glancing over my shoulder, a wave of terror gripped me.

    Hordes of shadows filled the corridor, shaped like people with glowing white eyes. They were haggard and hideous. Nothing but spindly limbs and spidery hands clawing at the air where I¡¯d just been. Sometimes they had gaping greyish maws, then the next second were featureless. Either way, they kept screaming, filling the already deafening air with a grating static sound.

    I had no thoughts other than to run. Keep running. If I stopped ¡­ I didn¡¯t know what would happen if I stopped. What would these things do to me? Would they kill me? Rip me apart? Or just overwhelm me, dragging me and everything into their amalgamous black void? I didn¡¯t want to find out.

    My legs began to turn heavy. Soon it felt like I was trying to run through viscous mud. The shadows were still behind me, but not getting any closer. At the same time, I wasn¡¯t moving any further ahead, the whole world moving but simultaneously stuck in place. A repeating frame of fear and uncertainty. I tried to jump and get my legs moving again. As I fell back down, there was a slight gust of air under my wings. Gasping, I had a sudden glimpse of hope.

    I could fly! I could just spread my wings and get away! I thought.

    Now with a smile I flung my arms open and expected my wings to do the same. But an ache ran down my back. My wings were now as heavy as my legs, drooping towards the floor, dragging and slowing me down. I reached forwards, straining, and slowly they lifted, making my shoulders burn. I tried to extend them more and flap, but my avian limbs seemed locked in place. I could barely even feel them, like they weren¡¯t really attached to me. Not mine. Just an illusion.

    Fly! Come on! Fly! FLY! I screamed at myself.

    I grabbed the edges of my wings and held them up, arms trembling under the weight. It was as if they¡¯d been turned to solid metal. Finally, I felt the wind begin to catch under my unfurled feathers, my body lifting ever so slightly. With desperate determination, I flapped my arms and wings with them, and rose a little higher.

    The world around me distorted. Rough ground battered my feet, damp grass tangling around my toes, threatening to trip me. Burning hot sunlight beat down on my head. Squinting against the light, I thought I could see a pair of winged forms hovering in front of the sun. My hearts leapt to my throat. I couldn¡¯t see their faces, but the blurred colors of their beating wings looked so familiar. Had Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai and Ma¡¯hy¡¯nami finally come to rescue me? I flapped harder, fighting against my burning tired body and the apparent weight of gravity itself. I glided ¡­ glided ¡­ glided ¡­ then dropped. Ran and jumped and glided some more. Bit by bit I climbed higher and higher, though it all felt wrong and disjointed, like I wasn¡¯t really flying and everything around me was moving instead. Looking up, I saw the hovering silhouettes reaching for me, smiling, their soft laughter an enticing promise of safety.

    I reached for them in return, letting go of my wings ¡­

    ¡­ and fell.

    I plummeted away from the freedom of the big, blue sky, the sun, my parents. Flailing, my wings were limp, paralyzed, and useless. I screamed as I careened downwards faster and faster. The wind whistling in my ears quickly phased into the shrieking of the shadows. They reached for me, clawing, grabbing, sucking the breath from my lungs as I plunged into their darkness. I hit the ground with a jarring shock to my shoulder ¡­

    ¡­

    I gasped at my eyes shot open, heaving for breath, sweat pouring down my face.

    A wingless man was bent over me, his hand gripping my shoulder. He yelped and staggered back as I screamed, shooting to my feet and bolting in the opposite direction. I punched through the side of the container, not even stopping for a millisecond to ponder the fact that I¡¯d torn through solid metal. Tripping and rolling, I tumbled down a slope into prickly brush, ripping myself out of it and continuing to run.

    Eyes stinging with sweat and tears, I could hardly see where I was going, but I didn¡¯t care which direction I was heading anymore.

    There had to be some way to escape this nightmare.

 This Is Why We Stay Hydrated Folks

    <u>Four</u>

    This Is Why We Stay Hydrated Folks

    It took me a while to realize everything was quiet.

    My ears were filled with the thunderous double-rhythm of my heartbeats, drowning out the silence. A misplaced step and a particularly grabby tree root finally got my attention by acquainting my face with the mossy ground. Spluttering and gasping, I moved to get up again, but exhaustion had caught up with me and the effort was too much. I flopped back down on the cool dirt, breathing in the rich musk of damp soil and vegetation. Squeezing my eyes shut, I slowly felt my panic subsiding, my body and brain catching up with each other.

    Had what I¡¯d seen not been real? The shrieking shadows and the winged silhouettes. My wings being so heavy I had to hold them up. It had all been in my mind, hadn¡¯t it? Was that what Dr. Agoka¡¯ta had called a dream? Maybe the opposite of a dream. I¡¯d always slept so deeply I never remembered anything between closing my eyes and waking up. Whatever that had been, I hoped I never had to experience anything like it ever ¡­ EVER ¡­ again.

    At last, I opened my eyes and picked myself up off the ground, brushing dirt and wet leaves off my dress.

    Then I froze when it finally sank in.

    I was outside.

    Staring in wonder, I looked up at the huge trees surrounding me. They stood motionless and serene, only their highest boughs swaying in the light breeze, their tips seeming to touch the sky. Their fibrous trunks were bare up to a certain point, and a coppery reddish color that was curiously similar to my own hair. Where they did have branches, a lush canopy spread, so vibrant green and soft looking, like a living blanket protecting everything below. Velvety plants and fluffy bushes sprouted up from among the winding roots of the towering giants. A handful of small leaves flickered golden as they fluttered down through the few rays of sunlight able to pierce the verdant wall.

    I slowly turned in a circle, afraid that any sudden movement might shatter the blissful scene. There was an indescribable reverence suffusing the whole forest. Something sacred that permeated even the smallest bits foliage. Somehow, I¡¯d stumbled my way into a pure oasis of untouched nature and every fiber of my being felt overwhelmingly honored to be there.

    A sudden rustle in the bushes beside me made me gasp and jump back as something darted out. In a split second, I glimpsed a tiny creature skitter across the ground on two incredibly thin legs ending three clawed feet. It had a round body covered in mottled brown feathers and beady black eyes on either side of its pointed face. Then spread its ¡­ wings! The creature had a pair of wings, not quite the same shape as mine, but proportional to its size. It popped up off the ground like it was nothing and flew away, dipping and bobbing between the trees so fast I could hardly keep track of it.

    ¡°Hib¡¯eh! Masce! Bai ejet! Bue nahn sai se pase?!¡± I shouted, trying to run after the little thing. (Hey! Wait! Come back! How did you do that?!)

    I spread my own wings and for a second, fragments of my distorted dream came flashing back with a painful twinge of my muscles. Hearts pounding again, I reached back to my shoulders, looking over them as I carefully flexed my wings, feeling them move under my fingers. My three left wings smoothly unfurled, not at all heavy or paralyzed. I checked the right ones and they too felt securely attached and under my control. Breathing a sigh of relief, I spread all six to their full span and tried to flap down hard.

    ¡°Pahla! ¡­ aye¡¯yah ¡­ aye¡¯yah, pahla,¡± I whimpered as burning spasms rippled through my shoulders.

    I pulled my wings in, massaging the joints in an attempt to get the aches out. How was I going to learn to fly if there was no one around to teach me? I didn¡¯t know what I was doing. Was I even going about it the right way?

    Obviously there are creatures here that can fly. Maybe I can find ones that can talk to me and ask them for help? I mused.

    Sighing, I kept rubbing my wings as I began walking deeper into the forest. I wasn¡¯t going anywhere in particular. My yet again new surroundings were just so beautiful and fascinating I wanted to keep exploring them. The leaves of the trees were like small, more bristly feathers and gave off a wonderfully calming scent. I remembered Dr. Agoka¡¯ta once telling me some of the trees of our world would glow at night, some pale blue, others light green, or orange, or pink. I wondered if the flora of this world would do the same.

    I looked up at the pinholes of light casting thin beams through the canopy. It reminded me of the one good part of my nightmare ¨C the silhouettes of my parents hovering weightlessly in the streaming sunlight. Their hands reaching for me. The unspoken promise of home and safety. A wave of sadness welled up in my chest and filled my eyes with tears.

    Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai ¡­ Ma¡¯hy¡¯nami ¡­ I really wish I knew where you were. I thought to the sky, then balled my fists in determination. I¡¯ll figure out how to fly and maybe ¡­ maybe that¡¯s what you want. You want me to learn on my own, so I¡¯ll be stronger.

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    Clinging to that hope, my unguided steps somehow felt a little surer as I continued to explore. The buzzing of tiny, unseen life filled my ears. I saw small, featherless, yet fluttery things hovering around flowering bushes, their wide, flat wings shiny and colorful. There were more of the feathered creatures too, some bigger and others smaller than the first one. Their plumage was mostly earth tones, but certain ones had splashes of yellow, red, orange, and one was even dusty blue. Then I saw a four-legged animal seeming to be covered in short, fluffy, grey hair. It had a long, bushy tail that flicked as it bounded from tree branch to tree branch, its movements frantic and hyper. Two similar things scurried by on the ground, except they were light brown with tall, upright ears and round, white tails.

    I laughed and shook my head. The creatures of this world sure are strange!

    The next second, I jumped a bit as a rumbling sound bubbled up from my own body. I stopped, pressing my hands to my middle. My stomach felt uncomfortably hollow. When I¡¯d been attached to my bio-pod, I hadn¡¯t had to eat anything thanks to the support system. I hadn¡¯t thought about what I¡¯d do if I didn¡¯t have access to food. Or water for that matter. Was the food of this world even safe for me to eat? I frowned in thought, glancing around at the plants and bushes and trees. None of them looked edible.

    Guess I¡¯ll just keep going. I¡¯ve got to reach the end of this forest at some point. I reasoned. I¡¯ll find food then I bet, and figure out how to fly, and then ¡­ then I don¡¯t know what.

    I was starting to feel oddly lightheaded, and my mouth was dry. I spread my wings a little as I skipped down a craggy slope. Unfurling my feathered limbs to their full spans again, I attempted a few more flaps, not hard ones this time. There was a little less pain, but the trees were too close together and I kept feeling my feathers snag on the low branches. I needed a more open space to practice.

    Some brambles snagged on my dress, and I stumbled a bit when I pulled away. My clothes, which had felt comforting and soft at first, now felt dry and scratchy against my skin. As time dragged on, the cool of the forest began to feel more like a clammy oppressiveness, trapping a suffocating layer of moisture around me. The ambient buzzing of creatures grated in my head along with a slight throbbing that was growing harder to ignore by the second. Was I going crazy? Or was the very air of this world poisoning me somehow? And why now all of a sudden? My wings and shoulders still ached, the feeling spreading down to my arms and the backs of my legs. Another growl echoed in my belly.

    I bumped against the trunk of a tree, scowling like the inanimate lifeform had run into me instead. Shaking my head, I unpeeled my tongue from the roof of my mouth, trying to wet my lips and focus. Walking was so slow. I needed to find a clearing big enough to stretch my wings out and get a handle on this flying thing.

    The winged creatures here make it look so easy, but it can¡¯t be that hard, can it? My kind are born to fly too. Even with no one around to teach me, I should be able to figure it out on my own, right? I thought.

    Stumbling some more, I clambered over a few logs, up a couple inclines, and down some places where weather had worn away the earth. Carefully jumping from one of these eroded points, my legs almost gave out when I hit the ground. My head felt so light the whole forest looked like it was rocking back and forth. My stomach groaned loudly one more time before a wave of nausea sent chills down my whole body. I teetered on my heels, swallowing the sickening feeling and regaining some balance.

    Ugh ¡­ what¡¯s happening? Why do I feel so awful? I shook my head again, forcing my trembling legs to move.

    I walked on and, at last, came to an open space of relatively flat ground. Looking up, there was a straight shot past the trees to the sky. Dragging my feet to the middle of the clearing, I rubbed and stretched my shoulders one more time before bending my knees and spreading my wings. With all the strength I could muster, I jumped and flapped all my wings in succession from smallest to largest. For a moment I felt gravity lose its hold, my hearts leaping to cling to the sensation. But a second later, the planet regained its grip on me and forced my feet back to the ground. I grit my teeth, another surge of nausea threatening to bring my knees down too. Fighting it off, I jumped again, gaining a little more height, then fell and tried again. Over and over, I repeated the cycle. Minutes or hours could have passed, but I didn¡¯t care to pay attention. No matter how many times I tried, it seemed like I never got any closer to the sky. I never even reached the tops of the trees.

    On my last jump, I fell hard.

    My legs buckled on contact with the dirt, and I collapsed, all the wind knocked from my lungs. I was soaked in sweat and my skin felt like it was on fire. There was a metallic taste in my throat when I coughed. My mouth and lips were so dry it was like they¡¯d been turned to leather. My insides felt like they were collapsing.

    Blinking blearily, I forced my eyes to somewhat focus when I heard a twig snap off to my left. I could barely make out a largish animal emerging from the foliage. It was beige and white and had four long, thin legs ending in small, dark feet with no discernable toes or claws. Its body was a sinuous rectangle, and it had a fairly long neck leading to a triangular head, teardrop shaped ears sticking out at the sides. The creature gently stepped closer, bending its neck to study me with its large, round, dark eyes, its squarish black nose snuffling.

    What is this thing? I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s dangerous. Is it going to eat me? I pondered deliriously.

    My vision was swimming with blurriness now, but I swore that, behind the beast, I could make out the now all too familiar shapes of wingless people lurking behind the trees. Another crunching sound came, and the entity in front of me jerked back in alert before leaping over me in a single bound. I tried to move, but it took everything I had just to twitch my fingers. The two-legged forms grew larger as I felt footsteps in the dirt. I thought I heard men¡¯s voices, but my ears were filled with the same throbbing pressure that had taken over my brain. Something lifted me and my head slumped against it, my cheek meeting warm fabric that smelled both musky and clean. It was an oddly comforting smell. The rim of a container was pressed to my lips and sweet, cool relief washed into my mouth. I could barely move my jaws to drink, in a second feeling the lifesaving liquid overflow and run down my chin. I just didn¡¯t have any more energy.

    Am I seriously going to pass out again? I wondered.

    Then I fainted.

 Confused But Happy To Be Here

    <u>Five</u>

    Confused But Happy To Be Here

    When my consciousness eventually returned, I felt oddly safe, even though strong, unfamiliar arms were holding me.

    Whoever it was, they were supporting me very gently with one arm under my wings and shoulders and the other over top of me, their hand at my side. My legs were folded and resting on something soft spread on the ground. I couldn¡¯t move at all, my skin achy and tight like I was trapped in it. There were no tranquilizers to blame this time. This was purely my own body¡¯s way of telling me ¡°you¡¯ve overdone it and you need to STAAAHP!¡±. I was too exhausted to protest.

    But I wanna look around ¡­ and I¡¯m still thirsty ¡­ and hungry. I started trying to peel up my heavy eyelids at least just a crack.

    At last, they lifted enough for a thin sliver of light to hit my eyes. Through still murky vision, I slowly processed that I was looking up. The trees looked like fuzzy greyish green blobs against the darkening lavender sky. Then something moved to my right, and it almost hurt to slide my eyes in that direction. I could make out the barest details of a man¡¯s face as he was crouched down looking at me. For a second, I was overwhelmed with joy, thinking it was my father, but this man¡¯s hair was dark, and his beard was different. He seemed to be talking in a hushed tone to someone on the opposite side of me, to my left. I panned my gaze that way and saw another man. My slight movement must have caught his eye because he then looked down at me and realized I was semi-awake.

    ¡°¡­ ooroh ¡­,¡± I barely managed to breath out the word. (¡­ water ¡­)

    I knew they couldn¡¯t understand me, but I guessed the general meaning came across because the second man quickly reached off to the side and grabbed a bottle. He held it up to my mouth and I took as many sips as I could before I ran out of breath. The uncomfortable gnawing in my stomach eased and brain fog lifted a bit, my sight clearing along with it. I blinked a few times to further regain my senses, noticing that there were now more than two men with me. Another two were standing over the one with the water bottle, all four in total looking somewhat similar ¨Cmiddle-aged with shades of dark brown hair that was trimmed down the sides of their faces into various degrees of beards. They wore earthy, green, or reddish clothes and hats with brims in the front, their feet clad in tawney or olive boots smeared with dirt.

    Who are these wingless now? More different ones? Why are they out in the forest? Were they looking for me? I puzzled.

    I attempted to sit up a little, but stopped when every muscle in my body very loudly relayed how sore it was. The man holding me spoke gently and motioned for me to stay lying down as he shifted me from his lap. He took off his jacket and rolled it up, placing it under my head while another of the men came up with a smaller bundle of fabric that he nestled against my chest and moved my arms to hold there. Whatever was inside it was freezing cold and the second I held it I realized how burning hot I still was. I curled up around the icy cloth ball as much as my screamingly sore limbs would allow, watching my four new wingless rescuers tend to the area.

    The clearing we were in was different than the one I¡¯d passed out in. It was smaller and surrounded by more foliage, giving it a more sheltered feel. Around the edges were four tents, looking only big enough for a single person, and in the middle was a shallow pit scattered with blackened and crumbling pieces of wood. The first man I¡¯d seen stepped into my field of view again and knelt by me, holding up the water bottle and saying something. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess that he was asking if I was still thirsty. I nodded and he helped me take another drink. He kept talking to me and it seemed by the tone of his voice that he was trying to ask me questions, but the language barrier was very securely in place.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just can¡¯t understand you,¡± I murmured as I lolled my head. (Sa¡¯a ikkiteti, Sa hale yhanda¡¯ta evurikina sai.)

    My fever had gone down significantly and I felt myself starting to shiver, taking note of the much darker sky. The other wingless had been putting more pieces of wood on the blackened pile and now one was pouring something on it. Another was making something flash in his hand and when he brought it close to the pile, the wood suddenly was covered in flickering, yellowish-white light. A wonderful warmth was radiating from it, pushing back the chill air and helping normalize my temperature again.

    My wingless companion sat me up against his side, smiling at me, apparently amused at my fascination with this phenomenon I¡¯d never seen before. Was this wood eating light a common thing in this world? I noticed the other men sitting down around it too, opening bags and unwrapping things covered in thin plastic. One handed a smallish rectangular thing to the man beside me. He took it and peeled away the crinkly, metallic covering, revealing a brown bar appearing to be made of several things mashed up and pressed together. Bending it in half, my new caretaker broke off a piece of the bar and held it out to me.

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    What¡¯s this? Food? Is it safe for me to eat? I hesitantly accepted the brown chunk.

    The man took a bite of the other half and looked at me, nodding that it was good. I almost wanted to hesitate a little longer, but just then my stomach pinched so hard it felt like it was trying to eat my other organs. I raised the food stuff to my mouth and nibbled off a corner. It was soft and chewy with some crunchy bits, mainly tasting sweet but also rich with other flavors I couldn¡¯t place. It was the first actual solid food I¡¯d ever eaten and in that exact moment it was the most delicious thing in the entire world.

    ¡°Ufudesh!¡± I squeaked in delight. (Yummy!)

    My wingless friend laughed and said something to the others who chuckled too as I shamelessly stuffed my face. I licked my fingers clean then grabbed for the other half of the bar that the man was still holding. He leaned back in surprise before grinning and laughing again, letting me have the other piece. I was so hungry there wasn¡¯t a thought in my mind about whether or not it was proper or improper to take someone else¡¯s food. I was just thrilled I¡¯d met someone with food who was willing to give it to me!

    Ufudesh ¡­ ufudesh ¡­ ufudesh!

    Yummy ¡­ yummy ¡­ yummy!

    When I¡¯d scarfed down every last bit of the sweet, chewy substance, my caretaker reached into a bag and pulled out a piece of something that almost looked like tree bark. My mouth flooded with drool at the savory scent wafting off of it. As soon as it was offered to me I snatched it, finding I had to use my teeth a bit more to get through the tougher material, but the salty, musky flavor was worth it. With the sating of my hunger, my rational mind started working properly again, and I began to think about all the strangeness that had been happening to me. It seemed like the flow of events was leading me somewhere. Like an invisible force was guiding the actions of the people around me. Even now, it seemed there was a fifth presence among the wingless men sitting there with me, silently observing, waiting. Had it always been with me? There had been that odd sound that I¡¯d thought was a voice telling me to wake up when I¡¯d been inside my bio-pod. Maybe this thing following me was trying to help me. The place it had me now wasn¡¯t too bad. The fact that the people of this world were wingless was weird, but a lot of them seemed good and I liked their company. It was nice to not be alone.

    Though ¡­ I do wish Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai and Ma¡¯hy¡¯nami were here. I sighed, looking up at the deep violet sky.

    One of the men then stood and stretched with a yawn, saying something to the others and twiddling his fingers at me. I shyly waved back, watching as he went into one of the tents, zipping the flap closed behind him. He rustled around inside for a little bit before quieting down. A few minutes later, the second man did the same. Then the third got up.

    They must be going to sleep. I reasoned. Is it weird that I don¡¯t feel tired at all now?

    My caretaker then began to get up as well, holding his hand out to me. I took it and he helped me stand, though my legs felt a little stiff and weak. He gently walked me over to what I assumed was his tent and motioned for me to go in and rest. While I wasn¡¯t tired, the thought of lying down for a little longer didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea given how shaky I still felt. I looked at the inside of the tent, then down at my feet, which were covered in dried mud and bits of moss. My face suddenly went hot in embarrassment. I didn¡¯t want to get my kind wingless friend¡¯s tent all dirty.

    The man looked at me and seemed to understand, tipping his head with a laugh and lightly tousling my hair. He began making motions again and I watched intently until I understood he wanted me to sit in the tent with my legs over the edge. I lowered myself down into the little covered space, pushing my feathers back so I wouldn¡¯t sit on them. My companion reached over to a bag beside me and grabbed a package from which he pulled out a thin, damp cloth and began cleaning my feet. When he was done, he put the package back and from the same bag fished out a ball of brown fabric. He unfolded it into a pair of vaguely foot shaped sleeves that he then pulled over my feet and legs a little more than halfway to my knees. They were warm and cozy and I giggled at how stumpy they made my feet look. The man smiled and I pulled my legs into the tent, maneuvering to stretch out comfortably on my belly.

    I had to move my wings to do so and winced as a deep ache rippled through my shoulders. I reached back and let out a soft hiss of pain when I pressed my fingers near my wing joints, my skin tender to the touch. My caretaker leaned in and I let him hold open one of the seams in the back of my dress, feeling his fingertips carefully lifting the feathers on my back. Even that hurt a bit.

    I don¡¯t think I could even lift my wings all the way right now. How long will it be before I can try to fly again? I bit my lip as my friend lightly smoothed my feathers and dress back down.

    He got up and walked a few steps away to a blue box with a white lid, opening it and reaching in. When he came back, he was holding a flattish, rectangular, white plastic package that seemed damp. He took a piece of clothing from his bag and wrapped the package in it before placing it on my shoulders. I all but melted into the ground as the same soothing cold as the previous cloth ball now poured into my aching muscles, my wings shivering in delight. The man said something in a questioning tone and I assumed he was asking if I felt better.

    ¡°Yeucso,¡± I sighed as I nodded. (Better.)

    He smiled again, patting my arm, pausing for a moment before raising his hand to my folded wings. Curious, I held still as he ran his palm over my avian limbs, stroking my gleaming feathers. Their golden hue almost seemed to glow in the dancing flickers of the wood-eating light still crackling in the pit. After a few seconds, the man let out a sigh of his own, shaking his head with a chuckle and getting up again. He walked back over to the pit, sitting beside it and taking a long stick to prod at the crumbling bits of wood.

    I watched him watch the tendrils of light sink down further and further.

    By the time they¡¯d disappeared completely, he was fast asleep.

    Smiling, I watched over him and the other three tents until I noticed the sky beginning to lighten again.

 24 Karat Magic In The Air

    <u>Six</u>

    24 Karat Magic In The Air

    The whole forest woke up before my friends did.

    Even before there was a hint of light beyond the trees, I could hear the distant, musical sounds of the feathered creatures. Several soon zipped by overhead, their soft brown wings fluttering effortlessly. I felt a surge of envy as I watched them, and my shoulders involuntarily tensed to ready my wings. I winced as an ache pierced my muscles, but I did notice I wasn¡¯t as sore as I had been the day before. Relaxing my wings, I felt a now slightly damp fabric bundle shift on my back and I reached around to grab it. Whatever had been in the cold package must have thawed because now it felt floppy and full of liquid.

    Maybe there¡¯s more in that blue and white box. I wondered.

    I quietly inched to my feet and stepped out of the tent. Reclined on the ground by the blackened wood pit, my caretaker stirred but kept on sleeping. The soft, brown foot covers he¡¯d given me made my steps even more muffled as I crept past the other tents. I knelt by the box and popped open the lid. Inside were a handful of glass bottles filled with amber liquid, the white plastic packages packed all around. I gently pulled one out, unrolling the cloth bundle and putting the melted package back, hoping it would get cold again. Putting the new freezing block in the fabric, I figured out a way to hold it against my back while I was moving around, the material long enough to wrap over one shoulder and under my opposite side like a sling. Tying it over my chest, I closed the box and stood as I heard a rustling in the bushes on the edge of the clearing.

    It was like the creature I¡¯d seen before the wingless had found me; an animal with light brown and white fur and four spindly yet strong legs. It had the same kind of neck, angular face, and teardrop shaped ears, but while the first I¡¯d seen had nothing on the top of its head, this one had a huge pair of what looked like bare branches. They were slightly off-white in color and almost symmetrical, mirrored to one another with a bunch of long points growing up from the top of the main branch.

    This much larger and horned creature strode through the foliage with an air like he owned the whole forest, then paused to turn and look at me. I stared in fascination, taking a little step closer. The creature flicked its ears before doing the same and in a few strides, it was standing right in front of me. It bumped its wet nose against my cheek with gentle snuffles and I giggled and reached up to stroke its neck. Under its fur I could feel a solid wall of muscle. Whatever this thing was, it could certainly do some damage if it wanted to, but it clearly had no intentions of doing so at the moment. I sat on the blue and white box and the animal bent its legs to follow me down. It made a pleased sounding grunt as it rested its heavy head on my knees, closing its eyes when I started scratching it behind its ears.

    ¡°Sa knuedun alo sadiu eo keette sai dak,¡± I mused aloud. (I wonder what kind of creature you are.)

    It didn¡¯t open its eyes and just kept faintly grunting as I rubbed its forehead.

    (Everything in this world is so new and strange to me. Even the animals don¡¯t look familiar. Not that I got to see a lot of animals on Ey¡¯os.) I muttered, resting my chin in one hand.

    I looked up between the trees as a whole flock of small, black, fluttering creatures dipped by. Way up high past the canopy I could see another winged thing soaring. My hearts swelled with jealousy and longing, and I carefully tensed my wing muscles again. The cold package had numbed them a little, but it seemed like the soreness was just about gone. My wings only ached with the need to be stretched by the wind. Today was the day for sure. Today I would fly and find a way home.

    My daydreams poofed away when I heard a whisper behind me. I turned and saw all my wingless friends were awake now. They were crouched near the ground and hardly daring to move as they stared at me and the creature with its head in my lap. I smiled at them in confusion. Was this thing something dangerous to them? Had they never gotten close to one before? I¡¯d felt how strong the animal was, but I figured there was something else I didn¡¯t know.

    There was a lot I didn¡¯t know honestly.

    As though sensing we weren¡¯t really alone anymore, the animal opened its eyes and lifted its head. It froze when it saw the wingless men and I swore I could see the fear come over it. Heaving itself to its feet, the creature lightly licked my cheek in passing before leaping away into the forest as fast as it could, disappearing in seconds. I stared after it for a bit, wondering why it had reacted like that, then sighed as I added that thought to my ever-growing list of questions.

    ¡°Sansoh. Hante eijin,¡± I murmured. (Goodbye. Be safe.)

    Then I looked up as I felt a hand brush my arm, seeing my caretaker also staring in the direction the creature had gone. He glanced down at me, still seeming completely puzzled, but all I could do was shrug. A second later he shook his head with a chuckle, ruffling my hair and handing me a wrapped-up food bar which I enthusiastically accepted. As I ate it and downed another bottle of water, I watched the men begin rolling up their bedding and dismantling their tents. Within a few minutes they¡¯d taken everything down and folded it up into packs that they then slung over their shoulders. My wingless friend took the handle of the blue and white box and motioned me along as they began to walk. Curious and not wanting to be alone again, I followed them, clinging to my caretaker¡¯s hand as he offered it. They all seemed to know where they were going, heading in a specific direction and not wandering aimlessly as I¡¯d been doing.

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    The wingless must not live in the forest all the time then. I wonder why they were out here. Is it just something the men do? I pondered.

    We walked in relative silence for a while, the men occasionally gesturing to various things and making brief small talk about whatever it was they found interesting. There was a whoosh of wings close by me, making me gasp, and I stopped and looked as a feathered creature landed on a nearby branch. It was bigger than the little fluttering ones, with creamy brownish grey feathers and a few darker marks. Its head was small and round, beak short and pointed, and eyes perfect spheres of pure, inquisitive black.

    It''s so cute. I thought as I stared at it.

    My wingless friend stopped to see what I was looking at. After a second he slowly raised his arms and cupped his hands together, pressing them to his mouth. He took a breath and blew through his hands, doing a motion with his fingers, making an echoey sort of whistle. I was fascinated. Then I heard a similar noise, but not from my caretaker. Looking back, the creature dipped its head and its chest puffed a little as it made the same kind of warbly coo. I gasped in delight, raising my hands and trying to cup them like my friend had. When I blew into them though all that I managed to produce was a muffled splutter. The winged thing startled and flew away. My shoulders slumped in disappointment, my cheeks flushing as my companions chuckled, but my friend just ruffled my hair and took my hand again.

    I smiled to myself as I walked along. I think Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai would like these wingless. They¡¯re nice and funny like him.

    A few minutes later we reached what looked like a well-traveled trail of packed dirt that stretched to both our left and right. The men headed left on it and after hiking up a short slope, I could see the path winding down to what seemed to be the way out of the forest. There was a huge clearing of nothing but soil and gravel with cut logs placed around it. A small building sat on the opposite edge where the ground was divided by a wide swath of some sort of black stone that wound out of sight again on either side. Sitting in the baren clearing was an odd four wheeled machine. It was similar to the big container machine from before, but much smaller, with metal panels covering the front, sides, and back, but only a few thick bars caging over the middle. There were five seats inside, two forward and three behind, and the back was an open bed. My friends led me down to it, opening the doors and piling their gear in.

    I stood by nervously watching them get ready to apparently leave. They weren¡¯t going to leave me behind, were they? Retrieving something from his bag, my caretaker came over, pausing when he saw how concerned I was, then smiling and taking my hand again. I felt a surge of relief as I followed him to the machine, the others gathering around as my friend held up a small, flattish, rectangular device. On its screen, I could see a perfect reflection of the five of us. The men all grinned and I managed to smile too before my companion tapped a white circle on the device and the image of us froze in place.

    What was that? I stared as he showed the still image to me. How did he do that? Did he just freeze a moment in time? What kind of technology do the wingless have?

    My friend put the rectangle in his pocket before I could study it more, the others climbing into the seats in the machine. He tapped my shoulder and motioned for me to get into the open bed in the back. Using his offered hands for balance, I climbed up, following his further instructions to hang onto the bars that covered the seats. He went up front and slid into the other empty front seat, sticking a small, metal piece into a panel of gauges and buttons. There was a weird, rapid metal sound before the machine rumbled like it was coming to life. My friend shifted a leaver then started turning a large round hoop in front of him. The machine bumpily rolled backwards a little, then stopped, the wingless moving the leaver again. He controlled the machine forwards and towards the stretch of black stone. The ride became much smoother once on it and the machine quickly picked up speed.

    My hearts were pounding. I hadn¡¯t been able to see out of the box container before. Had it been going this fast? It was equal parts exciting and scary, seeing the trees whipping by on either side, the wind blasting against my face and against my ¡­ my wings.

    My eyes widened.

    I could feel the air curling against my wings, almost like a hug. Like hundreds of gentle hands rolling up under my feathers and lifting them up. Keeping one hand on the metal bar, with the other, I untied the cloth holding the cold pack to my back. I tested my muscles, feeling them tighten all through my neck, chest, ribs, and shoulder blades. My wings ¡­ were finally ready.

    I looked at my friends who were turned around in their seats and I guess they could see it in my face because theirs lit up in equal excitement. They held up their hands for me to keep my balance as I carefully stood, taking deep, trembling breaths as I slowly let my wings unfold. I felt the air slicing between my feathered limbs, almost creating the sensation of a vacuum, holding all six together. It was a lightbulb moment.

    Of course! Why didn¡¯t I try doing that earlier?! I couldn¡¯t fly before because I wasn¡¯t moving all my wings at the same time! I realized.

    With a giddy grin, I let my wings be pushed against one another and in a spine-tingling moment of weightlessness, my feet left the floor of the machine¡¯s open bed. My friends let out cheers of amazement as I laughed in breathless awe, floating above them as I still held onto their hands. Then one of them gently let go. I felt a little adrenaline jolt of fear, thinking I¡¯d somehow drop back down if I was untethered, but the steady wind never faltered. The man pointed to the sky and held up his thumb with beaming smile. I looked at the others and they nodded in encouragement. Staring for a moment, I finally realized what they were trying to say.

    I guess this really is goodbye. I felt tears welling in my eyes.

    Then I smiled sadly, shook it off, and grinned in determination. They were giving me the greatest shot at getting back home I ever could have dreamed of. I wouldn¡¯t let their help go to waste. My caretaker winked as he waved at me in a mirror hanging from the machine¡¯s front glass panel. The man holding onto me gently kissed the back of my hand before stretching out his arm and letting me go.

    I pumped my wings in unison, catching the air and feeling myself propelled higher. My friends whooped and cheered and waved and I waved back, watching them and their machine grow smaller and smaller beneath me. My hearts panged, part of me wanting to reach out and grab them again, not wanting to let them go. Not wanting to think I¡¯d never see them again. I let out a sob and pressed my hands to my chest. What was I thinking? Of course I¡¯d see them again! There was no way I¡¯d ever forget them. Their faces were etched in my mind like the frozen image they¡¯d taken. Them and the woman from before who¡¯d help me escape. When I learned to speak their language and found my family again, they¡¯d be the first ones I¡¯d find.

    Then something truly dawned in me ¡­

    I was FLYING!

 No Rest For The Tired

    <u>Seven</u>

    No Rest For The Tired

    A noise of pure, unbridled euphoria, something between a scream and laugh, burst from my lungs.

    I pumped my wings again and they beat the air with a powerful ¡­ *wooOOOSH-SWOooosh¡­wooOOOSH-SWOooosh¡­wooOOOSH-SWOooosh!*. The sensation of was just ¡­ effortless. The wind was like an extension of me while also pushing me up, cradling my body in a silken, invisible cushion. I stared at the glistening gold edges of my wings, feathers slicked back by the wind, all six limbs extended out straight and full. My hearts skipped as I leaned to one side and glided that way, doing the same in the opposite direction. Giggles of delight welled up in my chest as I swooped and dove and rolled and twisted for the fun of it, testing my newfound strength.

    This is freedom! The air, the sky ¡­ it¡¯s like they¡¯re singing! I tossed my head back and laughed as I let myself fall for a moment.

    I unfurled my wings again and shot forwards out of my dive, using the momentum to soar higher again. I was up so high I could see the curvature of the horizon, land stretching out before me for miles, seeming to be broken by something in the distance. The air felt thin and ice cold, but oddly enough it didn¡¯t bother me at all. The sun was bright and warm against my back. Gauzy clouds streaked the sapphire expanse of the sky still higher above me. Puffier ones seemed to float motionless and weightless off to my sides and in front. I let my wings carry me towards them until they loomed beside me, giant masses of white, tumbling vapor that tossed curls of mist up at me as I flew over them. In playful curiosity I dipped through a chunk of one, immediately finding myself surrounded by impenetrable haze and gusts of wet air. I spluttered as I pulled up out of it and found my feathers beaded with thousands of tiny droplets. Shaking them off, I banked away from the clouds, feeling a nearby river of wind and turning so it settled under my wings.

    With the endless blue sky above and the velvety green patchwork below, I could truly see how beautiful this world was. It was beautiful ¡­ but it wasn¡¯t home. I could feel it in my bones. This was an entirely different place than Ey¡¯os. Where was I? Where were my parents?

    I need answers. But how do I get them? Where do I begin? I chewed my lip as I tried to wrack my brain.

    I¡¯d left my bio-pod behind, and the cable I¡¯d wrapped around my wrist was long gone, as was the mental display I¡¯d seen while connected to the machine¡¯s system. Maybe it had only been a short-term side effect of being hooked up to it for so long. Logic dictated that there must be more information buried somewhere inside my pod, but I had no idea where those other wingless people had taken it. I shuddered at the idea of running into them again, but sooner or later, I¡¯d have to if I wanted to get back what they¡¯d stolen.

    First thing first, their language is definitely something I need to learn. I reasoned. I wonder if there¡¯s some kind of information center or some place with technology I could get to.

    Dipping closer to the ground, I scanned the still forested landscape for any sign of civilization. Soon I saw long, grey paths snaking through the trees and decided to follow them. Every once in a while, I spotted some four wheeled machines rolling along the solid stretches, noting the various shapes and colors of their metal shells. Then I noticed more of them as other paved lines intersected the one I was following. Small buildings cropped up beside them, gradually growing in number and proximity to each other until all of a sudden, the forest thinned, and I found myself soaring over a town.

    I stared in wonderous curiosity at all the people, clinging to the hope that maybe I¡¯d see someone else like me, but to my disappointment, they were all wingless. I watched them meander down paths beside the ones seemingly only for machines. Some were in groups, talking and laughing so loudly I could hear them all the way up where I was. Others were in pairs chatting more casually or just sitting with one another. There were a few loners going about what I could only assume was their daily routines. I couldn¡¯t help but notice some of the buildings they were going in and out of appeared to be filled with others sitting and eating. I was startled when my stomach vibrated with a jealous growl. My mouth watered at the sight of food more varied than a prepackaged bar of ambiguous brown. Now that I¡¯d left the care of my friends, I¡¯d have to figure out how to fend for myself. Easier said than done, but there had to be a way to get food on a strange world with ¡­

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    ¡­ strange people ¡­

    ¡­ who spoke a strange language ¡­

    ¡­ and seemed dead set on shooting me with strange tranquilizer darts.

    It was all strange.

    Taking a deep breath, I singled out a cluster of larger buildings surrounded by secluded suburbs and gently drew my wings in tight to my shoulders. I dropped a little faster than I¡¯d intended, hearts pounding again at the sudden rush.

    Whoa! ¡­ Ok, easy, easy now ¡­ you can do this. I coached myself.

    I wobbled and dipped bit by bit until I reached a pass behind the first row of buildings that were closest to the trees. As I flexed my wings in and out to control my speed, my shoulders screamed at the sudden new forces being exerted on them. I hissed through my teeth as I haphazardly fluttered and flailed and finally stumbled onto solid ground, dropping to my hands and knees with my heartbeats drumming in my ears. I closed my eyes and relaxed my wings, steadily breathing till the pain went away. When I no longer felt like my muscles were burning in acid, I got up on adrenalin-shaky legs, creeping to the corner of the nearest building.

    Peeking around, I saw a few wingless strolling by on the other side of the machine path, too far away to notice me. Life went on as I¡¯d viewed it from the sky, completely oblivious to my arrival. I was calculating my next move when a door creaked open into the pass and a man stepped out.

    I pulled back, watching curiously. I still don¡¯t know who I can and can¡¯t trust here. I¡¯ll just wait and see what happens.

    The man turned away from where I was hiding and opened the lid of one of the many large black and green bins that were pushed up against the sides of the buildings. He tossed a few bags inside before returning to the same door he¡¯d exited from and letting it clunk shut behind him. For a second, I froze where I was, hardly daring to breathe, waiting to see if the man was going to come back. He didn¡¯t, so I crept out, intrigued, and snuck over to the bin and lifted the lid. I plunged my hand in and grabbed the bags before the smell could fully hit me. As it was, I gagged and staggered back, clapping both hands over my nose. Loud voices came my way, making me dodge behind the building where I took a few gulps of clean air. Then, I plopped down on the ground with my prize.

    I was now a little hesitant to untie the plastic pouch, given the contents of the container I¡¯d just rescued it from, but the gnawing in my stomach eventually drove me to look. Inside were four paper sacks. I unwrapped one to find bundles of a brown sort of paste and yellowish gooey stuff enveloped in a soft white shell. They were warm and smelled bread-like and savory. I took an experimental bite. Salty, earthy, creamy flavors hit my tongue and everything after was a blur. I scarfed down the remaining contents of the bag, completely starved after the adrenalin rush of my first flight.

    Then, I just sat there on the ground, taking in the new scenery from a closer perspective. There were some different trees here, their mottled green contrasting with the turquoise of the sky. I¡¯d seen different variations of trees before, through the windows of the lab when I¡¯d been conscious enough to open my eyes. I remembered them being brighter, almost like they¡¯d glowed. The air had always smelled sweet and briny, giving me the impression that there¡¯d been some kind of water nearby. There¡¯d been a big, glowing band through the sky, too. And a pair of moons, one slightly smaller than the other.

    I sighed, staring up into the blue abyss. Dr. Agoka¡¯ta ¡­ momma Ma¡¯hy ¡­ where are you?

    After letting my sated stomach settle for a bit, I got up and took stock of nearby resting opportunities. It was getting dark and cold, and even though my feet were still snug in the soft, brown coverings, the light dress didn¡¯t help much. Turning around, I looked up at the top of the building behind me. I didn¡¯t see how anybody could climb up, so it seemed like a good option.

    Contrary to my first attempt at liftoff, I synchronized my wings again and left the ground in a powerful rush, alighting on the roof with only minor flailing. From that vantage point, I could see almost the whole town. There was no way anyone could sneak up on me and ample opportunity to escape in the off chance someone did come up. Fine gravel crunched under my bare feet as I made my way over to the center of the space where a huddled group of large squarish machines sat emitting a droning hum. As the sky transitioned from lazuli to indigo, I got down and crawled into the gap between them. I pressed my back against one, folding my wings like the halves of a clamshell around my body. Yawning, I tucked my arms under my head and lay there quietly, listening to the steady, monotonous thrum of the machinery.

    My two hearts pounded rhythmically, adrenalin still lingering in my system from the days excitement. Little spasms ran through my wing muscles as the limbs worked to repair themselves from all the sudden strain, but they no longer ached so deeply. Still, I was just a fledgling whose egg had been stolen and had no idea where her nest was. Blinking tears away, I fluffed my feathers and snuggled into the soft downy bits, curling my body completely beneath my wings.

    I¡¯ll figure something out. I reassured myself. Dr. Agoka¡¯ta made me to be strong. When I wake up tomorrow, I¡¯ll find out where I am, where he and momma Ma¡¯hy are, and figure out how to get home to them.

    That thought settled in my mind, I slowly began to relax. Exhaustion caught up and pulled me down into the dark, peaceful depths of natural sleep. My eyelids flickered up every once and a while when a sound would work its way into my subconscious. Each time it turned out to be nothing more than the apparent ambient noises of the area and soon I drifted off again.

    I was just getting the first good natural sleep of my life when a deafening roar worked its way into my fogged mind.

 Howdy Do Fellow Kids

    <u>Eight</u>

    Howdy Do Fellow Kids

    My eyes snapped open.

    I bolted up with a yelp, pressing my hands over my ears as my eyes adjusted to early morning light. Whipping my head back, I saw three black machines with bulbous bodies and thin tails held aloft by whirling blades on their backs. They hovered over the rooftop, kicking up swirls of dust and debris. Then their sides opened and long ropes were tossed out, followed by men in dark uniforms sliding down toward me.

    ¡°Pahla!¡± I spat and scrambled to my feet.

    I dodged through the ropes and sprinted for the edge of the roof, leaping into the air. That wonderful exhilaration hit my outstretched wings, but I didn¡¯t have the time to enjoy it. Flapping hard, I risked a glance over my shoulder and saw two of the flying machines had rotated, chasing after me, and the third wasn¡¯t far behind. My hearts thudded so hard that they might as well have been having a boxing match in my chest. I shot through the sky, flying faster and harder than ever. Still, I could hear the machines gaining, their ominous thrum seeming to be right on my heels and growing louder with each passing second. All of a sudden, the thunderous noise was on top of me. The trifecta of terror moved in, one on each side, and the last cutting off escape from behind. Their open sides were just a few feet from my wingtips. One of the men crouching inside aimed his weapon at me and fired. I dodged and heard the projectile ping against the side of the other machine with a loud, sharp sound.

    That wasn¡¯t like what they shot at me before!

    I stared at my attacker in horror and shock.

    That wasn¡¯t meant to put me to sleep, that was supposed to knock me out of the sky!

    I swerved frantically when I saw the man in the flying machine take aim again. I was already flying as fast as I could. If I went up, I¡¯d be shredded by the roaring blades. Going back was not an option. The only way out was down. Clenching my teeth, I braced as I tensed my shoulders and pulled my wings tight. A second bang resounded in my ears as I plummeted out of the sky like a stone.

    Gasping, I hurtled towards the ground, desperately scanning for somewhere to hide. Another, slightly larger, town materialized from the landscape, and I aimed my body towards it. Diving like mad, I practically hurled myself at the buildings and plunged into a dark, narrow gap between a row of them. I haphazardly grabbed onto a metal latticework affixed to the side of one structure. The brittle railing snapped under my weight and sent me yelping and flailing to the damp, dirty ground below. I was sure I¡¯d hit every possible obstacle on the way down. My aching body seemed to agree. I pushed myself up with a groan to peek up at the sliver of sky high above as my pursuers rumbled overhead. Their black forms glided past, but didn¡¯t reappear, and I listened in relief as the sound of the thrumming blades grew distant. For a good few minutes, I lay where I¡¯d fallen, trying to calm down before attempting to pick myself up off the ground.

    Ow, ow, ow! Everything hurts. I winced, leaning against the closest wall for balance.

    My bare legs were already starting to develop some dark, tender splotches, as were my arms. I could feel more everywhere else. Brushing the sharp flakes of crumbly metal off my hands, I looked around for somewhere or something I could use to hide. A large piece of blue material caught my eye, and I dragged it out from the pile of rubbish it had been dumped in. It had been folded up, so the outside was dirty, but the rest was intact and fairly clean. I wrapped myself in it like a trash wizard and just curled up against an outcropping of rotting boxes, too scared to move. Feeling tears trickling down my hot cheeks, I pulled my wings tight around my body, rocking gently back and forth as I buried my face in my feathers.

    ¡°Sair¡¯dak beniki ¡­ sair¡¯dak beniki ¡­ ahlla tombe ¡­ sair¡¯dak beniki ¡­,¡± I whimpered softly, over and over. (You¡¯re okay ¡­ you¡¯re okay ¡­ calm down ¡­ you¡¯re okay¡­)

    I rocked myself into a trance, muttering my little mantra of self-reassurance. So focused was I on the simple phrase that I didn¡¯t even hear the small group of people approaching. That was until one kicked a discarded bottle and clocked me squarely on the side of my head.

    ¡°AAAH!¡±

    I let out an involuntary yelp of surprise and pain, scrunching myself up even tighter under the tarp. Somewhere to my left, I heard the faint scuffle of feet and hushed voices. Squeezing my eyes shut, I waited for the inevitable sting of a needle, at that point assuming all the weird wingless people just casually carried around syringes of sedatives. After a moment, I did feel something, but not what I¡¯d been expecting. A gentle tug at the tip of my largest left wing. Someone was pulling at one of my primary feathers.

    Whipping my head around with a gasp, my eyes shot open to see a hand grabbing my golden plumage as it stuck out a bit from under my covering. Then I saw another pair of fingers curling under the edge and begin to lift it up. I flexed my wing, yanking my feather out of the intruder¡¯s grasp. The voices gasped and feet shuffled again, a moment of silence held taught in the air before warily curious whispers reached my ears. I sensed a presence drawing closer. Trying to control my breathing, I prepared to reach out with my telepathy, remembering how it seemed to hurt the other wingless. However, before I could unleash my defense, my covering crackled loudly and lifted from around my head instead. Yelping, I jerked around and came face to face with an equally as startled teenage girl.

    ¡°¡­ ah! ...¡±

    ¡°¡­ aye yah! ...¡±

    We stared at each other for a double heartbeat, as though bewildered by one another¡¯s expression of surprise. Her green eyes were wide, not in horror or fear, but instead ¡­ mesmerized. Our gaze held for what seemed like several minutes as my hearts pounded thickly, their beats drumming in my ears. The inevitable awkwardness slowly began creeping in but fortunately, we were both distracted by one of the other voices piping up. I peeked out from behind the flap of tarp the teenager was still holding. Behind her was another girl and three boys. They also took on the same look of awe when they locked eyes with me. Coming to my senses, I quickly retreated back into the lengthy folds of my rubbish wrap.

    ¡°Ua topte! Sohermu ¡­ hale ua topte,¡± I whimpered. (Go away! Please ¡­ just go away.)

    A moment later, someone started pulling at the material again, this time very gently. My body was screaming to bolt into the air, but my mind held me back with an odd feeling. Something that made me realize I felt no hint of ill intent in the actions of the young wingless people. As my meager shelter was once again lifted, I let the edges slip from my clenched fingers. Still wary though, I hid my face behind my hands, just catching glimpses through the cracks between my fingers.

    The girl holding the tarp was only holding it with one hand.

    Her other was held back, palm up, nonthreatening.

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    She was smiling softly and saying something.

    My eyes widened as I remembered. I¡¯d done the very same thing when I¡¯d encountered the first wingless I''d ever seen. The man in the long white coat in the halls of the tent I¡¯d woken up in. I stared at the girl and even though I didn¡¯t understand the words she was using, I knew exactly what she meant to say.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re not going to hurt you.¡±

    I slowly lowered my hands from my face. She crouched down to my level, pushing more of the tarp away. Feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, I pulled myself into a tighter ball, letting my wings arch up, providing a greater sense of comfort than my robe of refuse did. One of the boys audibly gasped. The others quietly echoed his expression of wonder, as though they¡¯d just realized the golden feathers surrounding me were actually attached to me. The girl spoke again, but all it sounded like to me was a bunch of weird syllables I couldn¡¯t put together.

    I sighed and scowled, frustratedly gesturing from her lips to myself and my ears and head, shaking my head to try to convey my point. I had to repeat the motions several times in various different combinations before I saw the lightbulb click on, at which point the teen turned to the others and relayed the message in a single sentence.

    Groaning inwardly, I resisted the urge to facepalm. Aye yah, pahla. Father, why didn¡¯t you tell me I¡¯d have to learn a whole new language before you put me on this weird planet?!

    As I sat there, silently raising my complaints to the sky, a growing rumble made my instinctual gear box do a hard shift into fight-or-flight. Starting to panic again, I dove into the folds of my trash cape as another whirling-blade machine beat the air overhead. I squeezed my eyes shut and stuck my fingers in my ears until it passed. Only when my shabby shelter was lifted did my eyes snap open to meet those of the teenage girl again. I must have looked utterly terrified because she paused in a worried way before reaching out and hesitantly touching my arm. She glanced back at her friends and the group nodded at each other as though exchanging a telepathic message, though I felt no energy from them. The girl patted my arm, then motioned to herself and the others, made an upside-down cup with her hands, and pointed at me. The intended meaning clicked in my head pretty quickly.

    ¡°We¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    There it was again.

    That weird, invisible, nearly intangible presence beside me.

    I felt it drawing me to the five teens, as though it had put them there just to help me. Why? What was this extra sense? Did the others have it too? Without going too deep, I telepathically searched them out. I felt amazement and excitement from them, and an oddly strong urge to protect me from whatever I was afraid of. They clearly had no connection to the men with guns and flying machines.

    I don¡¯t know why, but I trust them. They¡¯re like the men in the forest. For some reason, I need to go with them. I thought.

    The girl held out her hand and I let her pull me to my feet. A four-wheeled vehicle whooshed past on the street a few yards away, making me flinch. Every feather on my body was pressed flat in an attempt to make me look as small and inconspicuous as possible. The teenager still holding my hand was giving instructions to the others and I watched curiously as the boys and remaining girl picked up my covering and made a tent around us. They then began guiding me towards the other end of the space between buildings. Both girls kept murmuring what sounded like reassurances and the guys had lapsed into lighthearted conversation. Surrounded by their emotions, I started to relax, still nervous and confused, but much less panicked than before.

    Alright, this is happening now. I sighed to myself. Guess I¡¯ll just go with the flow. Maybe Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai and momma Ma¡¯hy want me to learn about these wingless? Study them somehow?

    Continuing to ponder, I walked with my new protectors all the way to the other end of the pass and across a narrow side path into the bottom of a big multi-leveled grey building. It was all open inside with only thick columns holding up the floors above. Dozens of the four wheeled metal machines sat silent in spaces marked by white lines on the ground. The teens lead me around to the back of a greenish-brown one with a squarish front and long, low rear. One boy tugged on a latch on one of its metal panels, lowering the whole thing like a sideways door. Then he and the others lifted the material over the vehicle¡¯s open bed. Feeling suddenly exposed and vulnerable, I didn¡¯t waste another second, and quickly crawled to the back of my new mobile hiding place. The second girl scooched in beside me and the others closed the vehicle¡¯s rear panel. I listened to their footsteps and voices move up to the front and more doors opened and closed before there was the sound of an engine and everything began to vibrate. There was a gentle lurch, then I felt us begin to move. The teen hunkered next to me patted my arm and kept up a reassuring smile.

    We rumbled and bumped along for what felt like hours until I realized I couldn¡¯t hear any other machines around us like I had before. After another few minutes, we slowly glided to a stop and the engine ceased its noise. The doors creaked and slammed, and the rear hatch opened again. I was ushered out amidst hurried chatter, catching a glimpse of seemingly endless rows of different sized structures surrounded by trees and grass, before I was herded through a door into the interior of one of them. The boys closed everything behind us, and a layer of tension seemed to release.

    So, this is where the wingless live. I stared around in total curiosity.

    Completely forgetting I wasn¡¯t alone, I began poking around, exploring the space in my immediate vicinity. There was furniture and knickknacks and the different flooring under my feet was fun and new, all squishy and soft. Hallways branched off to other intriguing places. On the walls were pictures of one of the boys with other wingless. A girl that looked older than him and an even older man and woman. Their smiling faces made me pause, my memories reaching back for my parents, their expressions, their voices. Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai had a warm voice with a particular tone that was like anything he said would be right with the world. I remembered mama Ma¡¯hy¡¯s laugh was fun and bouncy and musical. How long it would be before I¡¯d hear those voices again?

    A touch on my arm almost made me jump clean out of my feathers.

    The girl beside me was once again equally as startled.

    ¡°Aye-yah pahla,¡± I breathed with a flustered half smile.

    She muttered something similar and lightly patted my arm in apology. The boy whose pictures I¡¯d been staring at came up beside me, talking in a friendly tone and looking awkward but welcoming. More embarrassed than anything, I just smiled and waited till he seemed to realize his words were still nothing but gibberish to me. Seeing this too, the girl still standing next to us laughed before again beckoning me to follow. I shuffled after her up a flight of stairs and to a back room. She sat me down on a big comfy thing covered in thick fabric and standing on squat, wooden legs while bossing orders to her friends. Soon several more oddities were acquired that the girls began to run through my hair, untangling it, and I was handed a large, damp cloth. When I saw myself in the mirror on the opposite wall, I gladly accepted it. I was bruised and covered in silt and grime. There were smudges all over my dress.

    The boys disappeared while the girls helped me clean myself up. They kept talking and giggling, making gestures to me as though trying to include me in their conversation, and I followed along as best I could. Their excited, lighthearted emotions were about the only thing I could understand, but I was thrilled. I¡¯d never gotten to interact with girls my age before. Wings or no wings, in that moment there were no differences between them and me.

    I just really wish I could actually understand what they¡¯re saying! I mentally lamented.

    After a few minutes the three of us had managed to degrease me and tame my mane into a thick braid. At that point our guy friends returned with a few stacks of clothes. Bottoms were sorted out quickly, but tops were a little more complicated given my extra appendages. A bit of puzzling, arguing, and cutting later, I had a shirt to wear. I twisted and turned in front of the mirror in delight before throwing my arms around my two girlfriends and wrapping the boys up under my wings.

    Then I yawned and slouched back, letting my wings stretch out and feathers fluff up. For the first time since arriving on this strange, new world, I started feeling content and happy. My companions got up and stood just outside the door, talking amongst themselves. I watched them for a bit, gradually sinking lower and lower on the cushy fabric. Unlike the squishy, putty-like texture of my bio-pod¡¯s gel, the blankets were soft and plush. I shifted my wings over and flopped against the smaller, cloth-covered things piled near the wall, smiling as I snuggled into them. The voices of my rescuers in the background further deepened my newfound sense of security and my eyelids drooped. After everything I¡¯d been through that day, I was exhausted. Was it even still the same day? It felt like I¡¯d been awake for weeks.

    But I don¡¯t wanna be rude and fall asleep now! I thought as I yawned again. These wingless have been so nice to me. And I ¡­ I don¡¯t wanna ¡­ so ¡­¡­ tired¡­

    I was out like a light before I knew it.

 Confused? Yeah, So Am I

    <u>Nine</u>

    Confused? Yeah, So Am I

    I woke in a panic, thinking the flying machines would be thundering above me again.

    But I looked up to see a roof over my head. I was lying in a warm bed, dressed in the new clothes the wingless teens had given me. In a rush, it all came back, and I relaxed with a sigh of relief.

    That¡¯s right, those kids helped me. I¡¯m at their house. I¡¯m safe.

    I sat up, pulling at my braided hair, and looked around. I had no idea how long I¡¯d slept, but the bedroom door was now closed, and I couldn¡¯t hear any familiar voices behind it. Scooching off the bed, I stood and stretched, my wings almost sweeping everything off the low table behind me. I hurriedly fixed all of it back in place, then stood there feeling awkward and embarrassed for a second. Thankfully at that moment I had an attention span the width of a feather and my curiosity was soon piqued by a noise outside. I stepped around the bed to the window on the far wall and peeked out.

    A vehicle cruised down the road at a leisurely pace. Some middle-aged looking wingless were out across the street, maintaining the foliage surrounding their homes. Their lives looked so calm and simple. I looked down and saw several small wingless running around on the pavement, chasing each other and squealing.

    I giggled at that but seeing them was so odd. I¡¯d never been that small, or if I had been, I couldn¡¯t remember for whatever reason. I¡¯d always just been ¡­ me ¡­ the way I was and seemed to have always been. The first memory I could recall was waking up somewhere indistinct, with Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai and momma Ma¡¯hy leaning over me, smiling. I could retrace almost everything that had happened to me from that point on. But why was there nothing before it? Why hadn¡¯t I realized that sooner? What could have happened to me that I¡¯d forget my entire childhood?

    There has to be a good reason it¡¯s blocked out. I rationalized. If it was important, Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai would have told me, or momma Ma¡¯hy. That¡¯s all that matters. They¡¯re the only thing that matters.

    The next moment, my stomach made it known that it was empty, and I gladly accepted the distraction. I left the window and approached the door, turning the handle and peeking out into the hallway. No one there. In fact, the whole house felt devoid of anyone but myself. I soon reasoned that my friends had gone out to do whatever the wingless did during the day and left me where they knew I¡¯d be safe. I opened the door fully, taking a step out, and something thin crunched under my foot. I leapt back like a wild thing, only to look down and see a harmless piece of paper lying on the ground in front of me.

    Aye-yaaaah. I mentally face-palmed.

    I stooped down and picked up the white sheet and examined it. It was covered in a series of fairly well drawn images of figures that resembled my friends, their house, and other symbols that I had to guesstimate the meanings of. After going over them several times I managed to understand that my wingless friends wouldn¡¯t be back until later that evening. I folded up the note and tucked it in the pocket of my new shorts before continuing on my mission for mana.

    Creeping downstairs, I snooped into rooms and peeked into rows of smaller doors, eventually ending up in the same space I¡¯d been in upon first entering the wingless dwelling. I went through all the little doors that pulled out, finding nothing edible until I reached a pair of shiny, silver ones attached to a big humming box standing in its own alcove. A rush of cold air fluttered against me when I opened them. The platforms inside were crowded with containers of various sizes and contents and I picked one, prying the lid up. Whatever filled it looked and smelled delicious, making my mouth water uncontrollably. I grabbed a few more of the opaque boxes, making myself comfortable on the floor and digging in. Some things were savory, others were sweet, all the textures and flavors making me bounce in delight. A few minutes later, all the containers were all empty and I was full to the brim. Sighing in satisfaction, I gathered up the cleaned-out containers and put them in the metal basin sunk in the counter with the others piled there.

    No sooner had I done so than my ears pricked at a distant thud somewhere close by outside. Curious, I crept to one of the front windows and peeked through the thin slats covering it. A different machine than my friend¡¯s had pulled up in front of the house, and a tall, middle-aged woman was getting out. My mind flashed over to the picture hanging nearby of the one wingless teen I knew standing with the others that looked like his family. The woman had been one of them. As I watched, she slung a fancy looking bag over her shoulder and started walking up the path towards the main door.

    Towards me.

    I panicked. Aye-yah, pahla! Pahla, pahla, pahla, I gotta hide!

    I scrambled back from the window and whipped around frantically for some place to run. There was a clicking sound behind me and when I looked back, the door handle began to turn. Booking it for the stairs, I half ran, half flew up them, wincing when my wings knocked into some of the frames hanging on the wall. As I heard footsteps below, I dove into the back bedroom and slammed the door behind me, pressing my back to it. Now muffled, the woman called out what sounded like a question, and I held my breath. There was a bit of silence before she yelled again, this time a little closer, and then I heard her coming up the stairs. I sprang away from the door to the other side of the room, ducking behind the bed. I had no idea what she would do if she found me, but I didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d be as kind as her son. Squeezing my eyes shut, I compressed myself into the tightest ball possible, feeling the woman¡¯s presence getting closer.

    I¡¯m not here. You can¡¯t see me. I willed to the aether. You can¡¯t see me. I¡¯m invisible.

    And suddenly I was overwhelmed by the most incredible feeling.

    I swore I heard a sound like a tiny piece of glass breaking and it felt like it broke inside me. The lights in the room briefly flickered on and crackled. There was a moment frozen in time and then an intense warmth exploded through my body. It wasn¡¯t a burning heat. It was more like an all-encompassing friction. Like every molecule in my body had simultaneously become charged and was vibrating out of control. I opened my mouth in a silent gasp as it surged through my arms and down to my legs, consuming me from the top of my head to my toes and the very tips of my wings. Opening my eyes, I froze when I saw the wingless woman now standing in the room, just a few feet away.

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    Her gaze panned around, for sure roaming over the place I was sitting several times, but she didn¡¯t seem to see me at all. After a few seconds, when I was sure my hearts had stopped completely, she sighed, shook her head, and walked away. The bedroom door closed, and I jumped up, frantically looking myself over.

    What is this?! What¡¯s happened to me?! I trembled as I stared at my arms.

    My skin and clothes were now covered in a shimmering aura like a pale golden mirage. I moved my hands, and several translucent afterimages of my fingers followed, falling on top of one another. Reaching out, I touched the blankets on the bed, watching them depress under my hand. Then after a moment, an even more bizarre sensation tingled under my palm. A static-y, pins-and-needles feeling that crept up to my wrist before my whole hand just ¡­ sank ¡­ straight through the bed like it wasn¡¯t there at all. I almost fell through it as I lost my balance, quickly stepping back. I didn¡¯t know what I was shocked by most. The fact that I¡¯d just become a functional ghost, or that it felt completely natural.

    I don¡¯t know why, but this energy feels familiar. I looked down at my light-veiled hands. It¡¯s like it¡¯s ¡­ me. But how come I¡¯ve never seen it before? Did I trigger it somehow?

    Taking a deep breath, I calmed down and let my body relax. The overwhelming warmth fluidly receded from my limbs and became a pool in what felt like a deep well somewhere within my chest. It almost felt like it was in the core of my hearts, beside or even between them, but not quite inside them. Experimentally, I held up one hand and simply just thought about the warmth flowing again. It reacted instantly, zapping through my arm to my palm and fingers. An iridescent white-gold glow appeared in my palm, quickly spreading until the whole surface of my hand was covered. Luminous tendrils curled away and were reabsorbed like flares on the surface of the sun. I thought about focusing it upwards and no sooner had it crossed my mind than the light lifted, condensing into a loose, lazily spinning orb floating a little bit above my palm.

    ¡°Chohkoh,¡± I breathed. (Pretty.)

    I put my other hand over the sphere and slowly lifted upwards. The ball grew, retaining a solid white core but gaining several translucent golden layers. I shrunk it back down and then wondered if I could just leave it floating. When I pulled my hands away, the glowing orb remained where I¡¯d formed it. I pointed a finger at it and directed it to move in a circle. It followed my thoughts and movements exactly.

    By some instinct I knew that this this energy ¡­ this power ¡­ came from a source infinitely greater than what I felt inside me. I couldn¡¯t even physically describe what I felt inside really. It was beyond me. And yet whatever it was, it was solely mine. It would do whatever I willed it to do. But where had it come from? How had it gotten into me? Had Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai put it there? I remembered my father was telepathic like I was. When I¡¯d been in my bio-pod, still too weak and sore to physically talk, he and I had had private conversations in our minds. I¡¯d done the same with momma Ma¡¯hy, and the other scientists I¡¯d seen, I¡¯d felt them mind-speak to Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai dozens of times.

    But this power?

    This was so much more intense.

    And it had been made for me.

    I opened my hand and returned the sphere to myself as I slumped down on the end of the bed. My mind was teetering in the odd border between shock and calm. I stared down at my now normal hands and body.

    There¡¯s still so much I don¡¯t know. Not just about this world but about myself. What am I supposed to do here? I feel like there has to be a reason.

    Feeling the need to do something to distract myself, I looked around the room. The instrument my wingless friends had used to cut me a new shirt was still lying on the table beside the bed. On a chair a few feet away was the stack of extra clothes the boys had brought in. I grabbed them and set to work, experimenting with all the different ways I could cut wing-holes in the fabric while leaving most of it intact. My hands and lap were covered in cloth scraps, thread, and fuzz by the time I heard the voices of my friends return. I¡¯d never yet felt such a wash of relief, but it was quickly followed by apprehension.

    Should I tell them about my powers? I wondered. I don¡¯t know how they¡¯d react to that. I¡¯m already a lot different than them. Would they be scared of me if they knew what I can do?

    I soon heard their footsteps and laughter coming up the stairs. The door opened and the group greeted me with beaming smiles. A wave of emotions hit me and I rushed forwards and hugged them, unable to stop myself. They seemed a little surprised but didn¡¯t try to push me away, the girls lightly petting my feathers. When I was finally able to get ahold of myself, I realized they and the boys were holding a bunch of different books and a large, folded tablet. They spread out on the floor and motioned for me to join them. I sat and one teen scooched next to me with a short, thick volume in his hand.

    While the girls seemed to be intently researching something in their larger books filled with lines of letters, this smaller book was completely filled with sequences of drawings. They were of various stylized people, some looking more like animals and others ¡­ some others even had wings! They were way too small and disproportionate but still. Wings! I was mesmerized. Between the characters were boxes or bubbles of text but no matter how long I stared at the lines, they made no sense. I found it easier to understand by looking at the figures and their faces and body language. The story seemed to be about a wingless man who somehow got turned into a strangely powerful ball of goo and started building a town in a world full of other weird wingless people. It was silly and made no sense, but I found myself immediately addicted. Then I froze when I saw the next series of images. The whole thing was in black and white, but the character was holding up his hand with a swirling sphere floating in his palm.

    This story isn¡¯t real, right? If people this powerful live here, wouldn¡¯t they have come after me? I stared at the fantastical drawing. That means the wingless must have made up these stories. Does that mean they like people with powers? Would they not be afraid if I showed them mine?

    I felt my hearts beating thunderously, the hot friction inside pulsing like it had a life of its own. The invisible presence seemed to flicker in my mind like the very whisper of an echo. I swore it was smiling. Taking a breath, I reached out and pointed to the character on the page. My friend stopped, glancing at me in confusion before calling over the others. They all seemed equally as puzzled when they saw what I was pointing at and looked at me for an explanation.

    Okay, I¡¯m going to show them. Please, please, don¡¯t freak out! I prayed.

    I held up my hand, palm up, and the energy inside me flashed through my arm. My friend¡¯s eyes widened, and faces went slack as the white-gold glow appeared and covered my hand. Again, I formed it into a small sphere, just holding it over my palm for them to see. One of the boys slowly reached out and nudged it with his finger. The orb simply displaced a bit, then drifted right back to where I was holding it.

    The girls gasped with their hands clapped over their mouths.

    I just shrugged in equal confusion.

    Your guess is as good as mine!

 Ask And Ye Shall Receive ... A Headache

    <u>Ten</u>

    Ask And Ye Shall Receive ¡­ A Headache

    The boys¡¯ faces were filled with awe as they let out breathless laughs of wonder.

    I lifted my lightly shimmering hands, and their bodies floated a few inches higher into the air, giggling as this elicited more exclamations of excitement. After a moment, I lowered my arms and the trio gently descended back to the carpet. One of them then reached over and grabbed his folding tablet, tapping in something before turning the screen to me. I watched an animated figure hold out their arms and a transparent, blue sheet appeared in front of them, protecting them from the debris of an overdramatic explosion.

    A shield! Ooh, yeah, I can try that! I grinned. Ok, ok, calm down. Focus. Shield.

    Closing my eyes and concentrating, I felt inside the warm well of energy pulsing in my chest and drew out a surge. I looked up and raised my arms, moving my hands in an arc. A glassy, golden film appeared in the air and solidified into a slightly convex square panel hovering in front of me. Another teen dragged over a pillow and swung it at my new barrier. The plush cushion made impact and with a bright ripple, bounced away, emitting a low, vibrating *FWPONNGGGG!*. The boy flopped back, all three laughing.

    Ever since yesterday¡¯s initial spark, my powers had continued to grow, as had my control over them. With the guys showing me clips of these odd images called ¡°ah-nee-may¡±, I¡¯d managed to figure out now two different ways I could direct the flows of energy pouring from my body. The girls, on the other hand, seemed more interested in figuring out what I was rather than what I could do. As I dispersed and reabsorbed my new shield, they came over and shooed the boys off to the side, laying out their research. I squinted at the lines of little shapes on the pages, but no matter how long I stared at them, they still didn¡¯t make any sense. My girlfriends pointed instead at the pictures printed beside the text and made gestures to try and help me get an idea of what they were saying. There was one word they kept repeating, like they thought it might be what I was.

    ¡­¡°ayn-jel¡±¡­

    I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. ¡°Na, na, noct ¡°ayn-jel¡±. Av¡¯rahn¡¯ey ¡­ AV¡¯ ¨C RAHN¡¯ ¨C EY.¡±

    The girls looked just as frustrated as I felt and pointed to the pictures in the books again. They were of light skinned women wearing flowing white robes with red or blue sashes. Most were depicted with long, blonde hair and sorrowful faces as they hovered over or around wingless people on their oddly disproportionate ivory wings. I did find it interesting that there was some sort of history of winged beings on this world where it seemed they no longer existed. Surely there were other winged races besides the Av¡¯rahn¡¯ey? Maybe these ¡°ayn-jel¡±s and the wingless used to live together and then they left the planet for some reason? Who knew? I certainly didn¡¯t, and I wasn¡¯t about to get wrapped up in other people¡¯s problems before I figured out my own.

    My friends and I sprawled out on the carpet, unsure what to do next. I scratched at the tiny feathers on the back of my neck, my fingers brushing over the little metal inlay sunk in my skin. At the same time, I absently watched one of the boys get up and walk over to the counter, picking up a small, handheld device and unplugging it from a thin cord. A cord whose opposite end very closely resembled the end of my old bio-pod tether.

    All the feathers along my spine stood on end.

    My pod! How had I completely forgotten?! I had to get it back so I could figure out where Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai and momma Ma¡¯hy were! But before that, could I use that cable to just ¡­ download whatever language the wingless spoke? Or any information about where I was? Knowing only a tiny bit more would be worlds better than the vague assumptions I¡¯d been running with this whole time. I leapt up and unplugged the cord, intently studying each tip of the thin cable.

    This end is way too small, but this one looks like it would be a perfect fit. I mused.

    Pulling my still braided hair aside, I raised the end of the cord to the back of my neck. I heard the click of metal on metal and gently pressed, shivering as I could feel the connector slide into the slot imbedded in my skin. Then I looked around for something to plug the other end into.

    The folding tablet the boys had been showing me ¡°ah-nee-may¡± on was still sitting where they¡¯d left it. I went and snatched it up, examining its sides for any inlet that would fit the bill. This caught the others¡¯ attention, and they came over to see what I was doing. They once again looked utterly befuddled at the fact that I now had one of their cords plugged in my neck, but somehow seemed to understand what I was trying to do. One of them made motions for me to wait before he ran off down the hallway. He returned a second later with an even smaller bit of cable. Taking the other end of the first cord from my fingers, he fit the shorter piece onto it, then clicked that end into the folding tablet.

    I inhaled sharply as I felt a cold rush of adrenalin shoot down my spine. The tablet¡¯s screen lit up blue with rows of gibberish flashing and scrolling across the left side. Then a long, white bar appeared in the center with a thin, black line blinking expectantly in its middle. I assumed I was supposed to type something there, but I couldn¡¯t make any words out of the characters on the keys. Pursing my lips, I tried focusing on the cord in my neck and the ambient flow of energy I could feel trickling just at the edges.

    Show me ¡­ everything.

    The screen flickered again. Images began flashing up and overlaying, faster and faster until they blended into one another, and I could see nothing else. A tidal wave of data crashed into my mind. I was paralyzed. I had a nanosecond to regret jumping straight into the deep end before I was totally overwhelmed. It felt like my head was a balloon floating away into the churning storm of information raging through my brain until ¡­

    ¡­ everything ¡­

    ¡­ went ¡­

    ¡­ black ¡­

    ¡­

    But then ¡­

    Then I felt warm.

    There was sunlight on my back. A light breeze ruffled my feathers, blowing my hair down by my face. I opened my eyes and blinked, at first seeing nothing but a blur of green and blue and white. With surprising ease, I moved my arms and pushed myself up, shaking my head to clear the fog. The green around me came into focus as grass. The blue and white became sky and clouds.

    Getting up, I found myself in a huge field, the ankle deep, soft emerald expanse extending to the edge of a forest several hundred yards away. Closer off to my right was a lone tree with long wavy branches drooping down to lazily drag through the placid water of a large pond. Beside the tree and in front of the pond was a stone bench. The whole scene was so entirely pure, clean, and untouched, so overwhelmingly beautiful it almost hurt my eyes too look around. As I breathed, my chest ached with the crispness of the air. Then I heard a sound behind me.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    The sound of wingbeats.

    I whipped around and froze in awe as a man with large bronze-and-turquoise-banded wings alighted in the grass. A woman landed beside him, her white wings marbled with peridot and rose. She wore a long dusky rose gown and he was dressed in tan linen pants and a simple white shirt, but for me, it was impossible not to recognize them.

    My hearts pounded.

    ¡°D...daddy? ¡­. Momma?¡± I whimpered.

    The man¡¯s smile seemed brighter than the sun as he stretched out his arms to me. I didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, so I did both as I ran and flung myself into my father¡¯s arms. He held me tight as I bawled against his chest, gentler hands and fingers stroking my hair as I was enveloped in my parents¡¯ wings. I wasn¡¯t even aware we were moving until they guided me to sit on the stone bench by the pond beside the tree.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright now, sweetheart. It¡¯s ok. We¡¯re here. We¡¯ve got you,¡± Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai murmured, wiping my cheeks with the corner of his shirt.

    ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m so confused! What¡¯s going on?! What¡¯s happening to me?!¡± I sobbed.

    Momma Ma¡¯hy took my hand with a reassuring squeeze. ¡°Genesis, calm down, baby. It¡¯s ok. You¡¯re just dreaming.¡±

    ¡°This ¡­ this is all a dream?¡± I looked around and then looked at them. ¡°You¡¯re ¡­ just a dream?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re part of it, yes,¡± Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai nodded.

    ¡°But ¡­ why does this all feel so real? I thought you were with me again,¡± my voice cracked a little as I stared at my mother¡¯s hand wrapped around mine.

    ¡°Oh, my precious girl ¡­ I will always be with you. No matter how far apart we are, your mother and I will never leave your side. Never forget that,¡± my father lifted my face, tracing my cheek with his thumb.

    I smiled and held his hand there. His blue eyes sparkled, and he chuckled as I moved to curl against his side. After what felt like a moment, momma Ma¡¯hy playfully tugged at my hand.

    "C¡¯mon, Geni, let¡¯s go fly together! We did promise we would, didn¡¯t we?¡± she grinned.

    She got up and I laughed as she started dancing and pulling on my arm, my dad helping and pushing me up. I held their hands and we ran together into the field. My parents then stopped before together picking me up and tossing me into the air as I spread my wings. I was boosted higher on a gust of wind, giggling in delight when I looked down to see them spiraling up after me. We wheeled and swooped and soared, turning the sky into our playground. I was filled with joy. I didn¡¯t want it to end. My father swept his wings over me as he dove and I gave chase, skimming over the field as it rippled and glistened like silk under the wind we kicked up. Gliding over my dad¡¯s back, I playfully tackled him into the grass where we rolled and sprawled there, giggling, dizzy, and out of breath. Momma Ma''hy soon joined us and we all lay on our backs with our wings spread, making shapes out of the clouds that went by. I wasn¡¯t sure how long we lay there like that. The dream place had no concept of time. There was only the grass and the droopy tree. The sky, the pond, and us.

    Then, Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai reached over and stroked my head. ¡°Genesis, you have to go soon, you know.¡±

    ¡°Go? Go where? Why? I just got you back! I ¡­ I don¡¯t want to ¡­ I can¡¯t just leave!¡± I protested, sitting up and looking back at him, my eyes again filling with tears that threatened to spill.

    He sat up too. ¡°Sweetheart, this is only a dream. You can¡¯t stay here.¡±

    ¡°Will I ever see you again?¡± I quavered.

    Smiling, my father stood, and helped me to my feet. Suddenly, the pond, tree, bench, and forest were just gone. The world seemed to have shrunk to our immediate vicinity and nothing else. Everything beyond was empty white haze. My parents held me close and kissed my forehead.

    ¡°One day, Genesis, we will all be together. You, me, your mother, and all of Ey¡¯os,¡± Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai said.

    ¡°For now, don¡¯t worry about what you¡¯ve left behind,¡± momma Ma¡¯hy smiled. ¡°Keep on flying, and we¡¯ll meet you at the horizon.¡±

    ¡°Stay strong, and follow the voice of Ni¡¯hila¡¯aba.¡±

    The white haze started creeping in.

    My father and mother began drifting away.

    ¡°Wait! Wait, dad! What do you mean?! The horizon? Who¡¯s Ni¡¯hila¡¯aba? ¡­ dad! Daddy! Momma!¡±

    I screamed and cried but everything was quickly fading. My parents became distant, indistinct shapes. The warm whiteness turned blotchy grey¡­

    ¡­ then black ¡­

    ¡­ then cold ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡°Wake up! ¡­ Wake up! Please! Just ¡­ WAKE UP!!¡±

    The ear-piercing scream shattered the darkness, and I opened my eyes with a jolt.

    I sucked in air like my lungs had never had it before and coughed, a weird, burnt metallic taste lingering in my mouth. Sitting up, I clutched my head, my skull pounding as if I¡¯d gone ten rounds with a sledgehammer and lost. I could feel my body shaking. I felt hot, cold, and numb at the same time and my face was soaked with tears. Reaching back, I found the charger cable still plugged in my neck and yanked it out, seeing its end was scorched black. Off to one side, the laptop I¡¯d been attached to was in worse condition. Its screen was warped, keyboard misshapen and buckled at the seams.

    Charger cable.

    Laptop.

    I knew these words now.

    Looking up, it suddenly dawned on me that, that whole time I¡¯d been able to understand what my friends were shouting.

    ¡°Oh my God, she¡¯s alive!¡±

    ¡°What the hell just happened?!¡±

    ¡°Is she okay?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t tell!¡±

    ¡°Go toss your computer somewhere before it explodes!¡±

    Still panting for breath, I watched the teens scramble around, yelling at each other. The girls sat close, trying to calm me down, one cleaning my face while the other tightly held my trembling hands. One of the boys paced while the other two looked fidgety and jittery, wanting to help but not knowing how. But their stress was stressing me out. Shaking my head, I took a few deep breaths and gently pushed my friend¡¯s hands away.

    ¡°Okay, okay, stop, please. I¡¯m okay,¡± I said.

    They all froze and stared at me, faces going slack in surprise. Their reactions were so sudden and in sync it was comical.

    ¡°Ooooh, my gosh, you¡¯re talking in English now,¡± the girl beside me stared.

    ¡°Yeah, I, uh ¡­ I guess I am. That¡¯s new, huh,¡± I blinked, trying to process.

    One of the boys leaned in excitedly. ¡°That¡¯s awesome! Now you can tell us what your name is! Who are you? Where¡¯re you from?¡±

    The other girl smacked his arm. ¡°Dude, shut up! Can¡¯t you see she¡¯s still in shock? Let her breathe for a sec.¡±

    She helped me to my feet and led me to a stool at the kitchen island, pouring me a glass of orange juice. I had slightly less of a headache now, but my mind was still reeling. Everything I looked at just sparked a new line of thought as I identified what things were and their function and history, the tangent bunny trails spiraling out of control. I knew so much and so little at the same time it was dizzying. I felt like I was losing my grip on reality. The only thing keeping me anchored were my friends and the emotions I could feel radiating from them. I took a deep breath, hands trembling as I lifted my glass and took a few sips.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± the girl beside me asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I ¡­ think so. What ¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡± I looked at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m Brynn. That¡¯s my sister, Brooke, and the others are Conor, Matt, and Lucas,¡± she answered, pointing out who was who.

    ¡°Brynn, Brooke, Conor, Matt, Lucas ¡­¡­ thank you, for saving me. I know you must be just as confused as I am. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve caused you so much trouble,¡± I winced. ¡°And to answer your question from before I¡¯m¡­ my name is , uh ¡­ I guess the closest translation is ¡­ Genesis.¡±

    ¡°Trouble? Are you kidding? This town is literally the most boring place on earth. You¡¯re the best thing that¡¯s ever happened to us!¡± Conor grinned.

    ¡°It¡¯s like we get to be in our own real life sci-fi movie, rescuing a totally badass alien with epic otherworldly powers!¡± Lucas added, making sound effects and karate moves like he was fighting off invisible enemies.

    I managed a grateful smile, then glanced back down at my glass. ¡°Hey, um ¡­ what happened after I tapped into your computer? How long was I out?¡±

    ¡°After you plugged into the laptop, your eyes rolled back, and you went down. You were like that for almost twenty minutes,¡± Matt answered.

    ¡°You started crying a lot and we couldn¡¯t wake you up!¡± Brooke looked like she¡¯d been crying herself. ¡°Then you just ¡­ it looked like you stopped breathing, and we were panicking! Please don¡¯t ever, ever do that again!¡±

    I managed a weak chuckle. ¡°I won¡¯t, I promise.¡±

    ¡°When you were crying, it sounded like you were trying to say someone¡¯s name. Do you remember?¡± Brynn asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I remember,¡± I looked out a nearby window, up at the clear, blue sky. ¡°I was having a really ¡­ really good ¡­ dream.¡±

    ¡°So, what planet are you from?¡± Lucas asked, then laughed. ¡°Holy shit, I can¡¯t believe I asked that as a serious question!¡±

    I laughed too, tracing shapes in the beads of condensation on my glass. ¡°I¡¯m from a planet called Ey¡¯os.¡±

    ¡°How did you get to Earth?¡± Matt leaned in.

    ¡°Did you have a spaceship?¡± Lucas then gasped. ¡°Did the Men-In-Black steal your spaceship and you ran and that¡¯s why you were in the alley where we found you?!¡±

    My wings flickered and relaxed a little more as I giggled. ¡°Well, they did take something from me, but it isn¡¯t a ship.¡±

    I pursed my lips with a frown.

    ¡°Weird thing is though ¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know exactly how I got to Earth ¡­¡±

 I Channel My Inner Avatar

    <u>Eleven</u>

    I Channel My Inner Avatar

    With my friends listening intently, I told them my story.

    How my last memory of my home world had been my parents putting me to sleep in my bio-pod. Then waking up in the big, white tent and encountering the first humans I¡¯d ever seen. The ones in the blue clothes, that I now knew were called scrubs, who¡¯d helped me escape. My time in the forest with the hunters, my first flight, and the men in helicopters shooting at me with actual bullets, leading up to the group finding me in the alley. I explained that I¡¯d never known I had powers until the day before, except for my natural telepathy and apparent strength. Seeing Matt plug in his phone had reminded me how I¡¯d been connected to my pod and its data stream.

    ¡°Now, the only problem is, I know more about Earth than I do what happened to me,¡± I fidgeted with my braid. ¡°All I can think to do next is try and get my pod back and see if my parents left me any clues about how to get home.¡±

    Lucas cracked his knuckles. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I¡¯m getting some serious Race to Witch Mountain vibes here.¡±

    ¡°Lucas, no,¡± Brooke glared.

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m thinking Lucas yes!¡± he grinned.

    ¡°What are you gonna do? Break in to the nearest, heavily guarded, government facility and be all, ¡°Hey, guys! Do you have any stolen alien pods around here?¡±. You¡¯d get shot before you even reached the front gate,¡± Brynn scoffed.

    ¡°The girls have a point,¡± Matt agreed.

    Lucas tossed his hands in the air. ¡°Well, you guys got any better ideas?! We can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing!¡±

    ¡°You might have too.¡±

    They all stopped and looked at me. Chewing on my lip, I¡¯d been tapping my finger rapidly against the counter and bouncing one knee, unable to sit still as I thought. The people who¡¯d captured me before had been more than willing to use lethal force. With my new ability to generate energy into shields, I was confident I could take them on again. But if my friends got involved? I looked around the counter at them.

    ¡°You guys have already done so much for me. A lot more than I think any other humans would have. If you keep helping me and end up getting hurt ¡­,¡± I shook my head. ¡°Like Lucas said, I have powers and now I know how to use them. I can protect myself.¡±

    ¡°But there has to be something we can do. We want to help you, Genesis. Or at least I want to,¡± Lucas eyed the others.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to help, we just don¡¯t know how,¡± Brooke said.

    ¡°We¡¯ll save Lucas¡¯s plan for later, just in case we can¡¯t think of anything else,¡± Conor winked.

    Then the six of us nearly jumped out of our skin when the doorbell rang. My friends glanced at one another, and I didn¡¯t need any telepathy to realize they weren¡¯t expecting anyone. I let a surge of power fill my body and ripple me into invisibility as Matt went to the front door. He pressed his face to the peephole before turning the handle and pulling the entrance open a crack. What I glimpsed through the sliver made my blood run cold.

    Standing behind the front door was a pair of very intimidating men. Hair cut short and slicked back, their eyes were hidden by dark glasses. Both wore spotless black suits with white undershirts and black ties. My mind flooded with yet another onslaught of new information, Men-In-Black becoming the central theme. There were a ton of fictional liberties taken with them in the media, but that didn¡¯t cover the fact that their existence and purpose was very real, as was their presence on my friend¡¯s doorstep. I could imagine Matt¡¯s nervous swallow as he stood face to face with the two sinister looking spooks.

    ¡°Um ¡­ can I help you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Is this the Barringer residence?¡± the black-suited meat robot in the lead inquired.

    Matt postured uneasily. ¡°Who wants to know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Agent Cullen, this is Agent Verbek. We¡¯re here on behalf of the Louisville Federal Bureau of Investigation,¡± the man pulled a shiny badge out of his inside breast pocket. ¡°We received a tip of some suspicious activity in the area. We¡¯re just going door to door to see if anyone¡¯s seen anything.¡±

    ¡°Dude, this is the most boring neighborhood in all of America. If something weird is going on around here, it¡¯d be an improvement,¡± Matt scoffed.

    ¡°Regardless, would you mind if we came in and took a quick look around?¡± Agent Cullen removed his glasses in an oddly intimidating way.

    Matt glanced over his shoulder at the others and where I still remained invisible before cautiously opening the door all the way. ¡°Um, yeah, okay, I guess.¡±

    The two agents nodded to him as they stepped inside, surveying the cozy suburban home like it was some dusty desert hideout ¨C looking for threats. Matt returned to the counter, strategically standing in front of where I was, all of us watching the pair mill about the living space and poke their heads into the adjoining rooms. After about a minute or so, Agent Cullen sauntered over and took up a casually dominant stance leaning with one leg slightly propped on the back of the couch. He pulled a notebook and pen from somewhere in the void-like interior of his suit and began flipping through it in search of a fresh page. All the while I couldn¡¯t help but notice Agent Verbek out of the corner of my eye as he silently crept up the stairs.

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    ¡°So, you folks haven¡¯t seen anything out of the ordinary lately?¡± Agent Cullen began scribbling notes on his pad.

    ¡°What exactly would you describe as being out of the ordinary?¡± Brynn crossed her arms, studying the man with no attempt to hide her suspicion.

    ¡°Oh, you know, unusual activity from your neighbors, flickering lights, power surges, things of a similar nature,¡± he shrugged.

    Conor huffed a laugh. ¡°So, the FBI¡¯s investigating paranormal activity now?¡±

    ¡°I almost expected him to ask if we¡¯d seen any green spectral trails,¡± Lucas leaned over and muttered with a smirk.

    This drew a few snorts and snickers from the others. Agent Cullen just watched them like he¡¯d had his sense of humor surgically removed through his nostrils several years prior. Then Agent Verbek came back down the stairs, and my hearts dropped to my stomach when I saw what he was holding. A feather, bright gold and as long as his forearm. He handed it off to Cullen who stared in fascination for a moment before looking at my friends again with a renewed aura of a man who knew he had the upper hand. My wings flinched as he flipped his notebook shut.

    ¡°Withholding information from law enforcement can be considered a crime, you know,¡± he purred, twirling the shaft of my feather between his fingers.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that only in criminal investigations?¡± Brooke hesitantly peeked out from behind Conor¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°What crime are we being accused of?¡± Brynn demanded.

    Agent Cullen steely met her fiery glare. ¡°Harboring a fugitive.¡±

    The tension in the air was so thick I could practically feel it on my energy-covered skin. I could feel my friend¡¯s thoughts racing, trying to think of some way, any way, they could talk themselves out of this situation. Then Cullen¡¯s expression softened, his posture changing to convey something akin to trustworthiness. This only made me frown, my fists clenching as I felt his mindset hadn¡¯t shifted in the slightest. It was all just an act.

    ¡°Look, kids, we¡¯re not the bad guys here,¡± he said softly, filling his voice with false reassurance. ¡°We¡¯re just trying to keep innocent people out of potentially dangerous situations. We don¡¯t want to see good, young people like you getting in over your heads and getting hurt ¡­ or worse. And I¡¯m willing to bet you don¡¯t want that either.¡±

    ¡°Our job is to protect you, even if that means taking you down to the county jail and booking you for obstructing law enforcement,¡± Verbek added.

    I ground my teeth. These men sure knew how to back people into inescapable corners, and corners and I didn¡¯t have the best track record. This time, however, I could do more than just run away. I had friends to protect. Cullen and Verbek were intimidating, but I had a power stronger than physical presence alone.

    Get out. I growled in their minds.

    Both men flinched and went ridged. I don¡¯t know what they saw, but for a second, their eyes seemed to focus on me before unfocusing and darting around. I took a step forwards.

    Get out. My voice resonated louder.

    Cullen and Verbek shrunk back, their poise shattered, everything about their movements screaming fear. My friends just watched in confusion, unable to feel the full force of the telepathic waves I was bombarding the two agents with.

    Leave ¡­ my friends ¡­¡­ alone.

    I leaned right into Cullen¡¯s face and snapped into full visibility. The grown man choked on his own primal scream of terror as he flailed backwards over the couch. Verbek was frozen in place with his jaw hanging open, staring at my huge golden wings filling the room. The next moment, Cullen came back to his senses and stumbled back to his feet and drew his sidearm. My body moved before I could even think, my leg swinging up and kicking the pistol out of his hands. Verbek snapped out of his trance and reached up, grabbing the edge of my wing.

    Nope! Nope! NOPE! My body screamed.

    I yanked my wing back, the momentum pulling Verbek forwards, right into my primed fist. At the last second, I remembered how strong I was and flinched, but my punch still landed. Verbek went flying across the room like a ragdoll, slamming into the front window so hard the glass cracked. Cullen lunged at me, and I caught him in the stomach with all three left wings, flinging him right into Verbek. As both men slumped into a groaning pile on the floor, I felt Brynn grab my hand and pull me with her, the others already making a mad scramble for the garage door.

    ¡°Oh, my God, oh my God! That was awesome!¡± Lucas cackled.

    ¡°C¡¯mon, we¡¯ve gotta get Geni out of here!¡± Brynn shouted.

    Brooke fumbled getting one of her shoes back on. ¡°But where do we go?! There¡¯s nowhere around here that we won¡¯t get caught!¡±

    ¡°I know a place, just get in the truck!¡± Matt swung into the driver¡¯s seat and jammed his keys in the ignition.

    The truck roared as we all piled in, my friends in the cab, and me in the bed. The tarp was still back there, and I dove under it as the tires screeched, launching us out of the garage and onto the street. I peeked my head up, looking back towards the house, eyes widening when I saw Cullen and Verbek stagger out the door and trip over the lawn towards a black sedan parked at the curb. The lighter, sleeker vehicle was soon on our tail and quickly closing distance. I felt Matt put the pedal to the metal, swerving the truck out of the suburbs and into town. I turned around and crawled towards the back of the cab, lifting the tarp up so I could see through the rear window. We were heading straight for a river of cars and a traffic light about to turn red.

    ¡°We¡¯re not gonna make that light!¡± Brooke screamed.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not stopping for it either!¡± Matt answered.

    I slid open the partition and called out. ¡°Just keep going! I¡¯ll make sure no one gets hurt!¡±

    Turning back around, I pressed my fingertips together, closing my eyes, concentrating. The well of power in my chest rose from simmer to rolling boil. Time seemed to slow as I extended my mind, mapping the oncoming vehicles and gauging potential points of impact. Brakes screeched and horns blared as Matt barreled towards the intersection.

    Bringing my fingers and palms flat against each other, my energy rushed and pooled along the sides of the truck just as it plowed into the flow of traffic. In my telepathic vision I saw a car that was going to hit our left side. I moved my corresponding hand away in an arc, gently pushing the smaller vehicle to the side. A second came up fast on the right. Another languid wave of my and it was harmlessly redirected. Matt¡¯s knuckles were white as he wrangled the steering wheel like his life depended on it, which at that moment, was entirely possible. He swerved back in and out of the lanes as soon as a gap opened up, pouring on more speed when we reached the head of the line. My mind was several seconds ahead at the upcoming intersection. Two cars were going to come up on either side, a third from dead ahead.

    ¡°Geniiii¡­!¡± Matt shouted in a warning tone.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± I answered.

    I put my hands flat against the truck bed and gathered all my energy underneath it. At the last possible moment, I slammed the power cushion downwards and launched us into the air. I heard my friends screaming as the other cars shot underneath. I couldn¡¯t stop a grin from spreading over my face, adjusting my energy to balance our fall. The tires hit the pavement with a screech and a plume of smoke accompanied by the smell of burnt rubber. I opened my eyes as the tarp slid off my head, looking up to see the FBI agent¡¯s car perfectly boxed in by the collision we¡¯d just avoided.

    Giggling triumphantly, my friends cheered as we sped off out of sight and left the town behind us.

 Oh Yeah, Its All Coming Together

    <u>Twelve</u>

    Oh Yeah. It¡¯s All Coming Together.

    Matt kept on driving for a few hours.

    The highway turned to roads-less-traveled that gradually became tracks far away from the beaten path.

    The sun was low on the horizon by the time my group of friends and I were bouncing along a rutted trail carved deep through the surrounding woods. I had no idea where we were and quite frankly, I was comforted by that for once. The forest was cool and green and peaceful. After another five minutes or so, a structure materialized out of the brush. It soon revealed itself to be a squat, moss-covered cabin tucked under the canopy of several towering pines. Matt pulled the truck around beneath its vine-veiled carport and finally let the engine rest. I hopped out and put my feet on solid ground again for a much-needed stretch, as did the others.

    ¡°What is this place?¡± Brooke asked.

    ¡°My uncle¡¯s family cabin. He and my dad used to bring me up here during the summer. I don¡¯t think they know I remember how to get here, so we should be safe for a while,¡± Matt answered.

    He stepped up to the shack¡¯s side door and reached to the top of the frame, retrieving a hidden key. Unlocking the entrance, he invited us in as he went around turning on some lights. Despite its decrepit exterior, the interior of the little lodge was clean and well kept. We passed through the small kitchen and dining area to the living room where a screened-in porch separated us from the darkening forest to the left. On the opposite side, a towering stone fireplace stood guard beside the hall that presumably led to bedrooms and bathrooms.

    Lucas and Conor bee-lined in that direction with their hands between their legs. Brooke, Brynn, and Matt busied themselves with closing the blinds and lighting the fireplace. I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, feeling overwhelmed and hyper all at once.

    ¡°Guys, I ¡­ I need to go get some air and stretch my wings. I¡¯ll be right back, I promise,¡± I turned back to the kitchen door.

    ¡°Wait! Here, take this,¡± Brynn hurried after me, gently grabbing my wrist and pressing something into my hand. ¡°Take my phone. I can use Brooke¡¯s to text you if we need to.¡±

    I gave her a grateful nod and squeezed her hand, slipping the phone into my pocket as I stepped out. The forest was dark and quiet, the natural elements incredibly calming after my mental sensory overload ordeal. Branching off to my left, I saw a path leading deeper into the woods, and I followed it. My feet were bare, but the ground was covered in soft moss and mulch, the rambling, root carved rabbit trail eventually leading me to an open space. The small clearing was just wide enough for me to spread my wings. One solid, downward thrust launched me into the air.

    Rushing higher and higher, I closed my eyes, feeling tiny ice crystals sting my cheeks as I lofted through the clouds. I tucked my wings in and rolled, swooping into a turbulent stream of wind, the force of it making my stomach drop with spine-tingling thrill. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself soaring over a floating vista of towering nimbus anvils. For a moment my breath caught in my throat, staring around at the massive piles of water vapor floating motionless and glowing bright pink and orange in the last remnants of the sunset. I carved a path around them, ever so carefully dipping my wingtips through the clouds. Skimming just inches from the cottony forms, I ran my hands through the mist and watched the water bead on my skin like tiny, spherical diamonds. Everything just seemed ¡­ perfect ¡­ gliding up where the only sounds were my wingbeats and the wind in my ears. I was weightless and free. Nothing could touch me. No gun toting goons. No FBI spooks. I looked down at the ground several thousand feet below and wondered how they¡¯d found me again.

    Cullen and Verbeck said they¡¯d been investigating flickering lights and power surges. I don¡¯t remember seeing anything like that except maybe a little when ¡­

    The lightbulb clicked on above my head when I recalled the moment I¡¯d accessed the well of energy living inside me.

    Power surges! It wasn¡¯t until I started using my powers that they came after me! And the men in the room I escaped from before, they reacted to my telepathy. Can they sense my energy somehow?

    I felt the weight of Brynn¡¯s phone in my pocket and took the thought a little further.

    Maybe they¡¯re not sensing me at all. Maybe not physically ¡­ but electronically ¡­ satellites ¡­

    Then my musings were abruptly interrupted by a cascade of pins-and-needles poured down my spine from the back of my neck. One that had nothing to do with the bone cold chill of the atmosphere. I banked and swerved, dropping out of the sky towards the familiar tinge of energy that had suddenly gripped me. Directly below was a cluster of multicolored lights set in the currently pitch-black landscape. Fragmented images flickered in my mind¡¯s eye. Remnants of my digital deep dive.

    A building complex in Virginia.

    Langley.

    CIA headquarters.

    How had I already flown so far? I didn¡¯t know where my friends and I had come from, but I hadn¡¯t thought about how close it might be to state lines. I took the air under my wings and descended towards the tree line, the invisible line still reeling me in towards the plaza. Keeping out of range of the lights, I carefully dropped onto the boughs of a huge oak, feeling my hearts pounding. I¡¯d finally realized what that familiar energy I was sensing was.

    My pod! It¡¯s here!

    I could feel its presence somehow radiating up to me through the layers of dirt, metal, and concrete, from somewhere just underground. An almost overwhelming urge to just smash my way down to it momentarily consumed my mind, but I forced it back with my voice of reason. I couldn¡¯t just barge my way in. That would cause way too much trouble. Besides, once I got to my pod, where could I take it? It wasn¡¯t like I could carry it all the way back to Matt¡¯s cabin. But I at least wanted to make sure my precious machine was safe.

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    I could just turn invisible and walk right in but then they¡¯d know I¡¯m here! I ground my teeth in frustration. There has to be a way I can at least see inside ¡­ cameras ¡­ what about cameras? Maybe I could get into them.

    Pulling Brynn¡¯s phone out of my pocket, I opened an internet page, beginning to dig into the code behind it. Dialogue boxes and data streamed in shifting columns of ones and zeroes, soon filling the small screen. After a few seconds I was only half aware of what I was doing. It was like instinct. Like I¡¯d become just as fluent in polymorphic programing as I had in everyday English. The CIA¡¯s firewall was beefy, but it was no match for my mind. In less than a minute, I was in.

    One by one, I accessed the security cameras until I found the room I was looking for. A basement level, not quite beneath the building, but slightly dug out to the side. Cradled in a metal frame, my pod was the central focus of the large, sterile-looking space. Its glossy white shell appeared undamaged, though covered in a bunch of adhesive sensors whose wires trailed back to several computer arrays. No one was in the room at the moment, so I moved on to the other areas visible through the cameras. The majority were office suites or cubical filled accommodations, but one in particular piqued my curiosity, and not just because it was at least three times bigger than the rest. The far wall was covered floor to ceiling in television screens all displaying something different. Against the perpendicular walls were four desks, each one occupied by two people and a computer setup. Everyone present seemed intensely focused, and my nosey self wanted to be part of the action.

    This seems like the hub of everything. I decided. Now, who¡¯s running it?

    My eyes focused on a male duo lurking in the shadows back by the door. The first was an older gentleman with thinning grey hair, and an odd air about him that made me think I shouldn¡¯t underestimate him. Close to his right was a younger man, tall, fit, and athletic, his short, black hair thick and curly and skin like burnished bronze.

    A glance at the CIA¡¯s employment records informed me that the older was the agency¡¯s director, Nathaniel H. Wayland. The younger was his high-ranking right hand. A special agent by the name of Markus G. Avari. Both stood, stoic as statues, studying the techies who were busy typing. As I watched, director and special agent began talking, and I scrambled to link into any available audio. Jumping on the Wi-Fi, I found and enabled a wireless conference microphone closest to the two.

    ¡°I want this handled, Avari,¡± Director Wayland growled in a hushed tone. ¡°I¡¯ve got the DOD breathing down my neck about it. If we don¡¯t neutralize this situation soon, I¡¯ve been informed that more drastic measures will be taken.¡±

    ¡°This case is the agency¡¯s top priority, I assure you. I¡¯ve pulled in every agent I can. Surveillance is running 24-7. If she shows, we¡¯ll find her,¡± Special Agent Avari answered.

    Wayland produced a phone from his pocket and glared like it was a lemon he¡¯d just bitten into. ¡°I have a meeting to brief the heads of the other agencies. We¡¯ll need all the manpower we can get.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll inform you if the situation changes,¡± Avari nodded, and the Director left the room.

    I angled the camera and focused it on Avari. Something about him brought up images of a panther. Maybe it was just his jet-black suit, dark skin, and the way his eyes scanned the room. I wasn¡¯t exactly afraid of him though. He didn¡¯t seem to have any malicious intent toward me. He just wanted to catch me. It was his superiors who had other intentions.

    If Special Agent Avari catches me, that¡¯ll be it. His bosses will ship me off to Area 51 so fast I won¡¯t have time to react. I started bouncing my knee again. And if this is one of Dr. Agoka¡¯ta¡¯s tests, if I get caught, I bet that¡¯ll mean I¡¯ve failed.

    Assuming it was a test.

    Assuming Dr. Agoka¡¯ta was still out there.

    Aye yah, stop questioning.

    I ground the heel of my hand against my forehead. If only I could just get to my pod, the information buried in it could give me the answers I so desperately needed.

    But not tonight. I took a few deep breaths and calmed back down. I need to think this through. Plan it all out. Make sure I don¡¯t get caught.

    Disconnecting from the CIA¡¯s system, I erased any and every trace I might¡¯ve left behind, making sure Brynn¡¯s phone was clean. I perched on the roof for a few more minutes, just watching and listening. The only sound I ended up hearing was my own stomach voicing its needs. I hadn¡¯t eaten anything since that morning and neither had my friends. Given that it was almost midnight, I was sure they must¡¯ve been starving too.

    Tipping forwards a bit, I braced my legs on the edge of the roof and launched away as I spread my wings. It was then I realized I had absolutely no idea where I was or how far I¡¯d flown. Everything looked the same from the sky, even more so in the darkness, and I hadn¡¯t exactly been charting a map along the way. Another cluster of lights materialized below and I dipped down to scope it out. As luck would have it, I spotted a man crossing a street with two bags stuffed with take-out containers. He momentarily placed them on the roof of his car while he rummaged in the back seats. I kamikazed like a hawk, snatching the bags and shooting right back up in one swift, smooth arc. Securing them in one arm, with the other I retrieved Brynn¡¯s phone again and found Brooke¡¯s number in the contacts.

    ¡°Genesis? Is that you? Are you okay?¡± Brynn picked up immediately.

    ¡°I¡¯m just peachy, and I managed to snag some dinner! But I seem to have gotten a little lost. Is there some way you can guide me back?¡± I asked.

    There was a pause and some muffled discussion before she answered. ¡°Ok, the guys are going to find my phone on Brooke¡¯s tracker. Don¡¯t hang up and we¡¯ll keep you heading in the right direction.¡±

    Following their callouts, I flew through more floating cities of clouds, reveling in the beauty and thrill of flying. My wings had gotten so much stronger. I hardly had to flex them to elicit a burst of speed. Twenty or so minutes later, I spotted the tiny blip of Matt¡¯s family¡¯s cabin. It really was in the middle of nowhere. Even to my eyes its lights were just visible under the thick surrounding canopy. I saw my friends come out the front door, watching in wonder as I circled above their heads several times, figuring out the best way to land. At last, I stretched my wings back and dropped down in a dramatic gust of wind and dust.

    ¡°Awe, yeah, superhero landing!¡± Lucas fist-pumped the air.

    I laughed, puffing a strand of hair out of my eyes. ¡°More like never had to deal with tall trees landing, but it''ll do.¡±

    ¡°Did¡¯ja see any cool stuff while you were up there?¡± Conor asked.

    ¡°The clouds were pretty incredible, but you won¡¯t believe what else I found,¡± I grinned.

    We went back inside the cabin and as everyone dished themselves up a late-night dinner, I told them how I¡¯d stumbled across the hornet''s nest. The next few hours were spent in deep debate over a rough building schematic I managed to piece together from my memories and a whole pad of memo paper. By the time dawn light was coloring pink on the horizon, my friends were sprawled asleep in various positions on the couch and floor, but we had a plan. It was a half-baked, semi-based on several action films amalgamation of a plan ¡­ but it was a plan nonetheless.

    I stepped out onto the cabin porch as the sun shone through the trees.

    The light making my feathers shine like fire as I grinned up at the sky.

    Wait for me, my family ¡­ I¡¯ll be home soon.

 And Here I Thought Things Were Going So Well

    <u>Thirteen</u>

    And Here I Thought Things Were Going So Well

    The first step of the plan was the hardest.

    Wait.

    As much as I ¨C and Lucas ¨C wanted to, we couldn¡¯t just charge guns blazing through the CIA¡¯s front door. For one thing ¡­ we didn¡¯t have guns. Not that I would use them if we did. I was nice that way. Maybe a little too nice. I didn¡¯t want anyone to get hurt, but the way things were, more and more it was seeming like everything wouldn¡¯t turn out the way I wanted it to. But I had to focus on doing one thing at a time. So, for the time being, my friends and I had to wait until the search for us died down. Though that in itself brought a new set of challenges.

    ¡°You said there¡¯s a town just a few miles down the road, right? Why can¡¯t we just swing through, grab what we need and get out?¡± Conor asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s been five days. Our faces are probably all over the news by now, papers too. If someone recognizes us, the CIA will have this place SWATed up in a heartbeat and we¡¯ve got nowhere else to run,¡± Matt answered.

    ¡°Well, then, how come we can¡¯t have Geni go all invisible and sneak into town?¡± Lucas suggested.

    Brynn glared, leaning back from behind the door of the cabinet she¡¯d been rifling through. ¡°She¡¯s not a toy, Lucas. We can¡¯t just ¡°have her do¡± anything we want her to do.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and she just found out she has powers too. We shouldn¡¯t pressure her into using them if she doesn¡¯t want to,¡± Brooke chimed in.

    ¡°And if I use my powers, the CIA will find us again anyway,¡± I added.

    ¡°So you say, but have you actually found that out for sure?¡± Lucas pressed. ¡°Maybe the CIA was already canvasing our neighborhood and you using your powers had nothing to do with them showing up. We won¡¯t know if we don¡¯t test it, right?¡±

    I pursed my lips. ¡°Either way, I don¡¯t want to take the chance and risk you all getting hurt because of me.¡±

    ¡°Hey, just because we¡¯re normal, boring humans and not superpowered, winged aliens doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t fight back too,¡± he scowled.

    ¡°What? No, Lucas, that¡¯s not what I ¡­,¡± I tried to rephrase, but he waved his hand and cut me off.

    ¡°No, no, I get it. It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll come up with another plan,¡± he went to the front door and shoved it open, stomping out onto the porch.

    ¡°Lucas ¡­ Lucas, c¡¯mon man,¡± Matt went to go after him, but paused and turned to me. ¡°Sorry about him. He gets frustrated really easily. I¡¯m gonna go make sure he doesn¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±

    He left and Conor followed him. I hung my head, clenching my fists, confused and sad and trying to figure out a way I could make things better. I¡¯d only had my friends for a little over a week. I couldn¡¯t be letting them down already. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and Brynn gave me a sympathetic smile, her sister stepping over and scowling in the direction of the door before shaking her head with a chuckle.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t let Lucas get in your head,¡± Brynn said. ¡°He¡¯s just as stressed and scared as we are, and probably getting a case of cabin fever.¡±

    ¡°Cabin fever?¡± I puzzled.

    ¡°It¡¯s when you go a little crazy from staying inside too long,¡± Brooke explained.

    ¡°Oh, heh, well, even if he doesn¡¯t, he did have a point,¡± I stared down at my hands. ¡°I really don¡¯t know if the CIA is tracking my powers or not. After I tapped into the internet, I remembered something about satellites orbiting the Earth that could detect energy bursts, and just assumed that¡¯s what had happened.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Geni. Between the boy¡¯s and us, we¡¯ll come up with a way to keep us all off the radar until we can get your pod back,¡± Brynn reassured.

    ¡°Or if it still really bothers you, maybe we could go out and test your theory? I¡¯m sure Matt knows a really secluded area in the forest where it¡¯d be safe,¡± Brooke suggested.

    That thought stuck with me as the day dragged on. The girls and I took stock of all the supplies in the cabin, determining that we had enough food for three more days if we rationed it properly. There was a direct pipe from the well, so water wasn¡¯t an issue. After about an hour, Matt popped in to let us know he, Conor, and Lucas were rigging up an early warning system with the trail cameras hidden around the property. If anyone tried to sneak up on us, we¡¯d know about it.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief,¡± Brynn sighed.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go take a break, then?¡± Brooke suggested. ¡°Matt said there¡¯s a really nice picnic spot just down one of the trails with a great view.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a fabulous idea,¡± her sister grinned.

    I leaned in between the two of them curiously. ¡°What¡¯s a picnic?¡±

    A few minutes later, the three of us were meandering down the winding forest path with a blanket and a bag packed with a light lunch. It wasn¡¯t hard to find the spot Matt had recommended. The trail led right to the spacious, grassy clearing, the wide canopies of the surrounding trees letting in just enough rays of sunlight to make the whole scene positively enchanting. The opposite edge of the meadow was a cliff looking out over a rolling landscape of cool valleys and neighboring bluffs covered in every shade of green imaginable.

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s beautiful!¡± Brooke voiced our collective thought.

    ¡°It looks like something right out of a fairy tale,¡± Brynn turned in a circle, gazing at the trees.

    ¡°Earth has some really pretty places,¡± I nodded thoughtfully.

    We spread out our blanket and I giggled at my friend¡¯s funny stories or asked questions about the world in between mouthfuls of sandwich and chips. The afternoon then grew quiet as we basked in the beauty of our private picnic spot. A warm breeze flowed through, ruffling the feathers along my back. The next second, a cluster of dry leaves shot up over the bluff, dancing high into the air before another gust of wind fluttered them away. A minute or so passed, then it happened again, a little whirlwind of twigs and debris spiraling almost all the way up to the canopy. Curious, I scooted closer to the precipice and peeked over the edge. No sooner had I done so than a blast of air hit me in the face, blowing my hair almost straight up. Laughing and spluttering, I leaned back, puffing several wild strands out of my face.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Brooke asked.

    ¡°An updraft!¡± I got up, brushing the grass off my knees. ¡°The valleys must be channeling the wind straight to the bottom of the cliff and blasting it up!¡±

    Spreading my arms and wings a little, I leaned out over the drop. The powerful current hit me immediately and filled the sails of my feathers. I bounced on the wind, teetering with my toes planted firmly a few inches from the edge of the cliff.  I laughed, my weight tipping me forwards again, and the air in my wings holding me up.

    I grinned over my shoulder. ¡°Brooke, Brynn, come over here! You gotta try this!¡±

    ¡°You do realize we don¡¯t have wings, right?¡± Brynn chuckled.

    ¡°Just come over and lean against my back. I¡¯ll keep you safe, I promise,¡± I smiled.

    After a hesitant pause, she got up and edged closer. I reached up and tapped my hands against my shoulders, motioning my friend to put hers there. Brynn muttered nervously but did so and I pulled her arms down around my neck. I felt her go rigid when she looked out at the twenty-foot-plus drop right beneath us. She shuddered, scooting her head back behind mine and pressing her face into my hair.

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    ¡°Is this a bad time to mention that I¡¯m scared of heights?¡± she squeaked.

    I laughed. ¡°Scared of heights? Why? It¡¯s so beautiful up here!¡±

    ¡°Careful, Brynn,¡± Brooke cautioned from behind us.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brooke. I¡¯ve got her,¡± I gently squeezed Brynn¡¯s arms. ¡°See? Look, you¡¯re safe. I won¡¯t let you fall.¡±

    Slowly, I felt her peek around my head again. Her breaths were shaky at first, but gradually started to calm as she leaned against my back. Brynn put her feet behind mine and rested her chin on my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw hers were tight shut, lips pressed together in a nervous grimace. Then bit by bit, she opened her eyes. Instead of looking down, she looked out, and I beamed in delight when I saw the wonder fill her gaze. The sun was starting to set and its amber rays cut across the valley, the light and shadows painting the landscape in warm yellows, oranges, and velvety purple-green-gray.

    I stretched my wings out even more, leaning just a little further into the wind. Brynn still clung tightly to me but laughed in amazement as she felt the powerful gusts hold us up. After a second, her white-knuckle grip on my hands eased a little and she let go of one. She reached over and ran her fingers along the edge of my largest wing, and I giggled at the ticklish sensation, Brynn gasping as my feathers visibly raised. We half floated on the updraft for almost a minute before I felt the shift in the air. My hearts plunked to my stomach. I grabbed my friend¡¯s arms again and held them tight to my chest.

    ¡°Geni? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Brynn asked.

    ¡°Um, well, I promised I wouldn¡¯t let you fall, but I kinda, sorta forgot that I¡¯m in front of you,¡± I winced. ¡°So, hang on tight, ¡®cause we¡¯re running out of wind.¡±

    ¡°Huh? ¡­ wait, WHAT?!¡± she yelped just as the last of the breeze blew by.

    ¡°BRYNN! GENI!¡± Brooke shouted.

    Both girl¡¯s screams rang in my ears as Brynn and I plunged headfirst off the bluff. I tucked my wings, preventing us from spiraling out of control, turning the fall into a dive. With my friend¡¯s extra weight on my back, I was dropping faster than usual. Gritting my teeth, I caught Brynn¡¯s legs between mine and as the forest rushed up at us, I forced my wings back open.

    ¡°GYYYAAAAHHHHH-WOO-WOOHOO-HOOOOOOO!¡± my scream of pain turned into a whoop of joy as I swooped away from the trees.

    Feathers slicing the air, I banked and angled up, flapping hard to gain some altitude. My shoulders strained a little, but in a double heartbeat I was soaring smoothly. Giggling like mad, I glided back to the bluff and hovered in front of it, just above the canopy. Brooke stared up in shock as I simply waved with a stupidly big grin on my face, Brynn¡¯s arms locked so tight around my neck I was surprised I didn¡¯t feel like she was choking me.

    ¡°You okay back there?¡± I glanced over at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ we¡¯re ¡­ we¡¯re flying! ¡­ We¡¯re FLYING!¡± she panted in disbelief.

    I chuckled. ¡°No, I¡¯M flying. You¡¯re riding shotgun. Sorry for the scare. I didn¡¯t think the updraft would just go flat like that all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ it¡¯s okay,¡± Brynn¡¯s eyes were about as wide as saucers.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get you back on the ground,¡± I dipped down to land.

    Then my friend squeezed my hands again. ¡°N-no! ¡­ No, Geni, wait! Please!¡±

    ¡°Brynn? What¡¯s the matter? Are you hurt?¡± my wings almost went completely stiff, and I looked back at her in concern.

    She met my eyes with a wild gleam I hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°Don¡¯t land yet. Can ¡­ can you keep flying?¡±

    For a second, I stared in total disbelief before letting out the most maniacal cackle I¡¯d ever be capable of. ¡°You bet I can!¡±

    Then I called down to Brooke.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Brooke! We¡¯re okay! I¡¯m just gonna take Brynn on a few laps around the block!¡±

    Without waiting for an answer, I pumped my wings and put some distance between myself and the cliff. I swirled higher, catching an airstream and rushing forwards through the invisible river. In one long smooth arc I circled the valley ¡­ once ¡­ twice ¡­ three times before doubling back with a gentle roll. All the while, Brynn was laughing and cheering just as much as I was, our thrill heightened when I passed the bluff again and saw the boys had gathered there too. At last, I landed, helping my friend regain her land-legs, only to almost be flattened by a lunatic Lucas and equally crazy Conor. The former had seemingly completely forgotten that morning¡¯s argument as he all but bounced out of his shoes and begged me to take him flying too. I was more than happy to oblige, and I spent the rest of the evening giving my friends a bird¡¯s-eye view of the world we now shared.

    ¡°Phew!¡± Conor flopped back on the grass. ¡°That ¡­ was hands down ¡­ the most amazingly epic experience of my life!¡±

    ¡°Best alien abduction ever!¡± Lucas grinned.

    I laughed and playfully smacked the top of his head. ¡°Abduction?! I flew you around the forest, not all the way to space, ya goof.¡±

    ¡°Can we do it again tomorrow?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Depends on how sore my wings are in the morning!¡± I chuckled, bending down and stretching my avian limbs straight up in the air.

    After a few more minutes enjoying the fading sunset, the boys headed back to the cabin with the excuse that they were going to go warm the place up for when us girls were ready to go back inside. In reality, they were the ones who¡¯d gotten too cold to stay out. Brooke packed up our picnic and went with them. Brynn, however, came over and sat with me on the edge of the bluff, dangling her legs over like mine were.

    ¡°Today sure was fun, wasn¡¯t it?¡± she smiled.

    ¡°Yeah, it really was,¡± I chuckled as I looked at her. ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay sitting like this? I thought you were scared of heights?¡±

    My friend laughed, glancing down at her swinging feet and the drop below. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not that afraid anymore.¡±

    A little moment of silence passed before Brynn lifted her eyes again.

    ¡°Hey, Geni¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°When you get your pod and figure out how to go back to your home world, do you think you¡¯ll ¡­ ever come back? To Earth?¡± she asked.

    I stared in surprise. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t even considering leaving Earth as part of the plan. I¡¯ve been assuming my father sent me here for a reason. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Well, I was thinking this morning that, even though all this crazy stuff is happening, even though we¡¯re out here in this cabin in the middle of nowhere hiding from our own government ¡­ I don¡¯t regret a second of it,¡± Brynn smiled at me. ¡°From the moment we found you in that alley and started helping you, I had the strangest feeling we were doing exactly what we were supposed to do, and as I¡¯ve gotten to know you, I¡¯ve realized that I really like having you as a friend. And when you leave ¡­ if you leave, I¡¯m really going to miss you.¡±

    My expression of bewilderment at the sudden admission slowly phased into one of understanding. ¡°I really like having you as a friend too, Brynn. You and Brooke, Matt, Conor, and Lucas. All you guys have made me feel like I belong somewhere in this world where everything is weird and strange to me. My only regret is that I can¡¯t do more to protect you. If I ever do leave Earth, I promise, I¡¯ll come right back and make sure you all stay safe forever! You¡¯re not gonna get rid of me that easily!¡±

    I hooked one arm around her neck and pulled her close, mussing up her hair with my knuckles. She laughed and playfully shoved me, smacking at my wings. I let her go, but she leaned in and wrapped her arms around me. With a happy sigh, I hugged her in return. A second later, Brynn shivered, goosebumps rising on her exposed arms and legs.

    She rubbed her hands against her skin. ¡°Brr! The guys were right, it is getting cold out here. We should head back to the cabin and warm up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not cold. I¡¯m gonna sit here for a little longer if that¡¯s alright. I like looking at the stars,¡± I smiled.

    Brynn smiled back. ¡°Just don¡¯t stay out too late. You might get abducted by aliens.¡±

    I snorted as she giggled and waved, heading back down the trail through the trees. My smile faded with her footsteps. For a few more minutes, I waited until she was totally out of earshot, my arms tense pushing my hands against the grass and fingers digging into the dirt.

    ¡­

    ¡°Or if it still really bothers you, maybe we could go out and test your theory?...¡±

    ¡­

    Brooke¡¯s words still echoed in my mind.

    Stupid, stupid, stupid, what you¡¯re thinking is stupid. I mentally chided.

    It was reckless, dumb, and could potentially put my friends in even more danger than they were already in, not to mention throw a serious wrench in our plan, but the thought was eating me alive. I had to know if my theory was right or not. Steeling myself, I braced my hands and feet against the bluff and shoved off, wings slicing into the biting night wind.

    I flew hard for at least an hour, scanning the ground at lightning speed for a secluded enough place to conduct my experiment. The farther from any populated area, the better. At last, the landscape broke and revealed the barren hollow of a quarry. I circled the huge crater of giant stone steps, making absolutely sure no one was there, noting what few pieces of equipment were left looked rusted and crumbling. The place was perfectly abandoned. Spiraling down, I alighted on a large boulder near the center of the pit.

    If I do something big, I can¡¯t be sure if the CIA actually tracked it or if someone reported it to them. I reasoned. I¡¯ll have to do something small enough to not be noticed but still give off energy.

    Sitting cross-legged on my rocky perch, I held one hand out in front of me. I focused in on the constantly swirling well of anomalous warmth inside my chest and felt it leap at my thoughts. A little gasp escaped me as I felt just the smallest of cracks open into the churning pool and what gushed out, surged down my arm like a wildfire. My face pulled into a giddy grin. It had been a hot second since I¡¯d used my powers. I¡¯d almost forgotten what a soul-penetrating thrill it was. As my skin began to glow with an increasingly bright golden aura, I channeled the energy to a place just in front of the palm of my hand. A tiny prick of light swirled into existence, curling in on itself and growing larger until it was the size of a basketball. When I lowered my arm, it remained hovering there, spinning and shining like a miniature sun, emitting a soft, metallic noise.

    What are you? I quietly wondered.

    I sat staring at the sphere, half holding my breath as I waited for something to happen. An owl hooted in the distance. Other nocturnal critters rustled in the brush. The air was utterly still and peaceful. Sighing, I buried my face in my hands and shook my head.

    ¡°Stupid. This is stupid! What am I doing out here?!¡± I whined aloud. ¡°I should be back in the cabin with my friends, not in the bottom of an abandoned quarry freezing my butt off.¡±

    Getting up, I¡¯d just held out my hand to reabsorb my energy sphere when something stopped me in my tracks. There was a sudden, icy breeze. A growing vibration was making its way through the calm atmosphere. A rumbling frequency that had made all other ambient night noises seek shelter. An electric chill raced down my spine as I recognized the telltale chopping roar of helicopter blades.

    No sooner had I realized it than five huge, double-rotored airbuses thundered into view, with their spotlights ¡­

    ¡­ trained directly ¡­

    ¡­ on me.

 I Destroy More Government Property

    <u>Fourteen</u>

    I Destroy More Government Property

    The giant choppers descended on me with the sound of a thousand swarms of angry bees.

    Rope ladders dropped down, men in heavy military gear scrambling to take up positions around the quarry. Tense, I watched them surround me, pistols and rifles drawn and cocked. Shielding my eyes from the blinding light, I looked up as one airbus loomed over my head. I was shocked when I recognized the man leaning just inside its open bay doors.

    The man CIA Director Wayland had tasked with hunting me down.

    Special Agent Marcus Avari.

    Our eyes met and I set my jaw, holding his gaze as the chopper landed on the outer ring of the tiered crater. The incessant whirling and whining of the near dozen rotors gradually came to a stop. In the silence that followed, the air of wary hostility was so palpable the feathers along the length of my spine stood on end, quivering. Avari stood on the ledge above, regarding me with no emotions visible on his face, but I swore I saw something perplexing in his eyes. The next instant, whatever it was had vanished as he moved one arm from behind his back and lifted the newly revealed megaphone to his lips.

    ¡°Attention foreign citizen. An order has been issued for your immediate arrest for trespassing on American soil and the damage of government property. I must ask you to remain where you are. Get down on your knees, and place your hands behind your head. Any attempts to escape or resist will be met with lethal force. You have sixty seconds to comply,¡± he announced.

    I couldn¡¯t stop my face from forming an amused smirk as I called back. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a good thing I learned English a few days ago, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have understood a thing you just said! What would you have done then? Just blasted me to smithereens anyway?¡±

    Agent Avari blinked and stiffened a bit, eyes widening a fraction of an inch. For a few seconds, the only sound was the faint creaking of Kevlar as the surrounding men shifted uneasily. When I lightly jumped down to the ground, the gravel crunching under my feet seemed three times too loud.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna stand here until you give me an answer,¡± I cheekily tipped my head and crossed my arms.

    Avari snapped out of his sudden trance, lifting his megaphone again. ¡°Lethal force is only employed as a last resort. We have no intention of harming you as long as you cooperate.¡±

    ¡°And if I don¡¯t?¡± I pressed.

    ¡°If you insist on making the situation difficult, you leave us no choice,¡± he glared. ¡°However, I do intend on bringing you in peacefully, with or without your consent.¡±

    As he lowered his hand, he brought his other to his ear, and though he was several hundred feet away, I still heard his muttered command.

    ¡°Capture unit ¡­ Fire at will.¡±

    I whirled around as I heard a loud *THWOUMP!*, turning in time to see a large canister hurtling towards me. The metal casing burst apart and unfurled a large nylon net. Adrenalin fueled instinct surged through my body and I ran for the boulder I¡¯d been sitting on. Drawing one arm back like a spring-loaded cannon, I curled my fist tight, then let it loose. My clenched fingers hit the giant rock with a god-awful cracking sound, but of stone not of bone. The mass of mineral shot off the ground and plowed into the net a split second before it would¡¯ve hit me, both hurtling away and slamming into the other side of the quarry with an explosion of rubble and dust. I slowly straightened and glanced up at Agent Avari as I blew the powdered slag off my knuckles.

    ¡°If you think it¡¯s going to be that easy to catch me, you¡¯re going to be very disappointed,¡± I shook my head with a sneer.

    Though I couldn¡¯t determine where the first shot came from, someone¡¯s itchy trigger finger set off a chain reaction. Avari¡¯s startled shout was completely lost in the ensuing hail of bullets. I opened my eyes, staring down at the ground, my body having moved so fast I hadn¡¯t even registered it. Every projectile was now being flattened against the circular shield surrounding me, hovering inches from my outstretched arms. A second later, the euphoria-inducing adrenalin rush of power hit me, the massive surge greater than anything I¡¯d experienced yet. I looked up at Agent Avari and grinned.

    In a singular heartbeat, I launched backwards off the ground and swiveled in midair. My first target ¨C the net launcher ¨C its steel barrel crunching in my hands like a Pringles can. Then I turned my attention to the so-called capture unit. As I landed the last punch, I spun, grabbing the barrel of a rifle and wrenching it out of the hands of the brave soul who¡¯d thought he could get one over on me. I snapped the weapon over my knee with a mustard seeds worth of effort, appreciating the brief look of shock in the soldiers¡¯ eyes before karate chopping him in the neck. Another small burst of gunfire bit the dirt at my heels and I whipped around, charging towards the remainder of my assailants and their airbuses.

    With a shield in front of me, I barreled through the mass of men without skipping a beat. I broke clear and spread my wings, leaping up with a solid downstroke, landing hard on the back of the first giant helicopter. However, I underestimated the amount of force I¡¯d massed under my feet, and the machine¡¯s metal shell practically turned to tinfoil. There was a great groaning, crunching sound as its middle compacted into the ground and its ends went skyward.

    Yikes! I grimaced as I held out my arms to avoid getting flattened.

    I shoved myself up and back out of the tight spot just in time to end up in another as a particularly large man came out of nowhere and sucker punched me in the stomach. A startled wheeze left me as every cubic inch of air was forcefully evacuated from my lungs. The next second I¡¯d recovered from my surprise and gave my attacker one of his own as I locked my arms around his head and heaved him like a throwing axe. After that, it just became a blur of dodging, punching, kicking, flapping, bullet deflecting and helicopter smashing. The chaos became so overwhelming in fact that for what felt like a split second, I forgot what I was doing.

    Then it was like someone just gently tapped me on the shoulder.

    My ears hummed like I¡¯d heard a voice say my name, but I didn¡¯t remember hearing anyone speak.

    Eyes wide, I froze, feeling a trickle of sweat running down my forehead as my breath came in raspy gasps. I found myself surrounded by more destruction than I remembered. That and the fact that I was holding the fifth and final airbus over my head. Very slowly, I tipped my head back. My hands were sunk against the cold metal belly of the ten-thousand-pound machine, indents around my fingertips and the heels of my palms. I felt hardly anything. It was like I was just lifting a small suitcase packed with nothing but a change of clothes and a toothbrush. Sweat rolled down my temple, not from any exertion or strain, but instead from the heat of the burning gasoline around me.

    Looking back, I saw a trail of carnage, one airbus turned into a twisted hunk of scrap, the other two exploded and still on fire. The soldiers left standing were running away from me. Some were writhing on the ground screaming amongst others who I first assumed then desperately hoped were only unconscious. My eyes widened as I realized there were small puddles and drops of dark red liquid all over the ground.

    Suddenly feeling a bit nauseous, I began carefully lowering myself enough to put the chopper safely down and backed out from under it. Closer, more agonizing grunts caught my attention, and I glanced to my left. A young man sat rocking back and forth, stomping the dirt with one leg while clutching the knee of his other, his face contorted in agony. Through a blood-soaked rip in his pantleg, I could very clearly make out a jutting spur of broken bone. A sight that made my stomach turn into a bucking bronco with the sole urge to kick out any contents it had left. Then a huge surge of guilt and shame quelled my queasiness.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    How could I have done something so awful?! I didn¡¯t want to hurt anyone that badly. I have to make things right. I shook myself and stepped towards the man.

    The second he caught sight of me walking towards him, he let out a different scream and tried to push himself away.

    ¡°G-get¡­GET AWAY! GET AWAY FROM ME! STOP! GET BACK!¡± he shouted.

    I winced and paused. Previously I had enjoyed the expressions of shock and awe in the men¡¯s faces when I overtook them with ease, but the way this man was looking at me now ¡­ his eyes were filled with fear and pain. And it was all my fault. Eyes welling with tears, I sank to my knees a few feet away, wings flattening in the dust.

    ¡°I ¡­ I-I¡¯m so, so sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to do this to you,¡± I choked. ¡°Please, don¡¯t ¡­ don¡¯t be scared of me. I need to make this right. I won¡¯t hurt you again. I promise.¡±

    The soldier froze, staring at me, still shaking from the adrenalin combating his injuries, but his expression softened just the slightest. Then he squeezed his eyes shut, hissing and screaming through clenched teeth as he clutched at his leg again. I scooched on my knees through the rubble until I was within reaching range. Gently grabbing the ankle of his boot in one hand, I held my other over the man¡¯s leg. Energy filled my hand again and I directed it down with determination, putting all my will into healing what I¡¯d broken. The golden light glowed more fervently, saturating the soldier¡¯s skin. His eyes shot open with a gasp as he watched the nebulous aurelian strands pull his bone back down into place. I could tell by his face that he wasn¡¯t feeling any pain, and my hearts swelled in relief. I traced my finger over the tear in his skin, leaving behind a bright line that faded into a faint scar before I pulled any remaining energy out like a suture thread.

    ¡°Huh ¡­ uh ¡­¡­ th-ank ¡­ thank you,¡± he stammered faintly.

    I nodded and smiled, intending to set off and right the other wrongs I¡¯d unknowingly caused, but then a chill raced down my spine. I heard footsteps ¡­ walking footsteps ¡­ coming up behind me. Jumping up, I turned to see a dark figure, half crouched, keeping to the shadows on the side of the airbus. A pistol was in his hands, the barrel pointed down but one finger beside the trigger. Special Agent Avari had never looked more like a panther than he did in that moment as we locked eyes ¨C predator to prey, hunter to hunted.

    I took a slow step back.

    He took a slow step forwards.

    I turned invisible so fast I scared myself.

    Some subconscious part of my fight-or-flight instinct must have triggered it, because in all the emotions and chaos I¡¯d completely forgotten I had that ability. I almost laughed at the complete look of utter confusion on Agent Avari¡¯s face as he stood upright, blinking and squinting at the spot where, to him, I¡¯d just been standing. Composing myself, I tiptoed back a few feet to spread my wings and took off. For a few seconds I hovered over the quarry and the warzone now surrounding it, extending telepathic feelers towards the bodies that still lay unmoving on the ground. I breathed a great sigh of relief when I detected life signs in every single one. The man I¡¯d healed was now standing and testing out his leg.

    At least I was able to do something good. I frowned, looking down at my shimmering, translucent hands. I need to get a handle on my powers somehow. I can¡¯t lose control like that ever again.

    Easier said than done, because now I knew every time I used my energy, Agent Avari would know exactly where I was. Me and my friends.

    I gasped and almost dropped out of the sky. Aye-yah, pahla! Brynn and Brooke and the guys must be worried sick! How long have I been gone?!

    I flapped around and flew off in the direction I¡¯d come from, roughly remembering the landmarks that marked my path. Soon the smoke plume of burning airbuses was just a sooty smudge in the dark sky behind me. Something in my gut said it was the very early hours of the morning now, everything still pitch black and silent, almost deafeningly so. Thankfully I had the rush of wind in my ears and the faint rustling whoosh of my wings to provide a bit of relief. My wings, however, began to ache something awful after a few minutes and then I realized my whole body felt like a giant bruise. There was a weird, painful spasm in my right thigh too.

    Limping through the air, it seemed like it took ages before I finally saw the little clearing on the bluff that I¡¯d had so much fun on just hours ago. My ankle twinged when I hit the ground, but I pushed on and ran into the forest, tripping and stumbling over roots and rocks in the darkness. The sight of the little moss-covered cabin made me want to cry with happiness and I pounded up the porch steps, almost crashing through the screen door and nearly pulling the front one off its hinges. I collapsed onto the floor with a groan, the pain in my leg getting even worse, propping myself up on one arm as a light clicked on in the living room.

    ¡°Genesis!¡± Matt leapt up from the couch and ran over to me. ¡°Oh, my God, where were you? What happened? And why do you smell like someone poured jet fuel on a campfire?¡±

    ¡°Erg ¡­ long story short, I went and tested out Lucas¡¯s theory,¡± I winced as he helped me sit up.

    I heard more footsteps and looked up to see Brooke, Brynn, Lucas, and Conor come running out from the back bedrooms. They gasped at the sight of me, so I was sure I was in just as bad a shape as I felt. Brooke looked about ready to burst into tears as she clapped a hand to her mouth.

    ¡°Geni, your leg! You¡¯re ¡­ you¡¯re bleeding!¡± she exclaimed.

    I looked down at the aforementioned part of my body and stared in confusion. There was a round hole in my jeans the size of a nickel, the fabric around it soaked with a long smear of ¡­ gold. The liquid oozing from the now incessantly throbbing wound in my upper thigh was the color of honey, glassy and yellowish, sparkling like it was full of powdered pyrite but had the opalescent rainbow sheen of oil. I pressed my hand against the injury and sucked in a sharp breath, the golden fluid gushing hot between my fingers. It was most definitely my blood, but why was it gold?

    ¡°We were so worried when you didn¡¯t come back! Where were you? How did this happen?¡± Brynn questioned as she snatched a roll of paper towels from the kitchen.

    I held up my hand, studying the glittering substance on my skin, mumbling almost to myself. ¡°I must¡¯ve gotten shot when I ¡­ when I wasn¡¯t paying attention. I didn¡¯t even feel it until now.¡±

    As Brynn and the others helped clean my wound, I explained most of what had happened at the quarry. When they were done, I looked back down at the puncture in my thigh. Now that it was clean, I could see how my muscle had been pulverized, making my insides curl up in knots. What was even worse was I could feel something inside the hole in my leg. Something hard and smooth buried in my flesh, just out of sight. The nausea I¡¯d experienced at seeing the soldier¡¯s broken leg came back plus interest and I felt the color drain from my face as I wobbled a bit.

    ¡°Whoa, hang in there, Geni. You¡¯re gonna be alright,¡± Conor steadied me with a hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°There¡¯s no exit wound, so the bullet must still be in there. Lucas, go get the needle-nose pliers from the bench out back,¡± Matt instructed, also telling Brynn and Brooke to retrieve rubbing alcohol, scissors, and boil some water.

    ¡°Are you sure you know what you¡¯re doing, Matt?¡± Brynn asked as she handed him the scissors.

    ¡°Trust me, I¡¯ve seen this done in every classic action movie there is. Don¡¯t worry, Geni, we''ll have you patched up in no time,¡± he reassured as he cut a wider section out of my pants.

    ¡°Okay, just ¡­ please ¡­ hurry,¡± I whimpered, becoming woozier by the second.

    Lucas came back with the pliers which Brooke helped sterilize in the boiling water. She then handed Matt a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and he poured a little over the wound. I clenched my teeth and muffled a cry, squeezing Conor¡¯s offered hand so hard his fingertips turned purple and his eyes watered. As I mouthed an apology, Matt took the pliers and delicately poked them into the bullet hole. I tried desperately not to pass out or completely bite my tongue off as I heard and felt metal touch metal.

    ¡°I got it, I got it, hang on,¡± Matt murmured as he adjusted his grip on the pliers.

    Then he pulled out a copper shell no bigger than a pencil sharpener, and it was over. I let out all the air I¡¯d been holding in, my nausea immediately lifting. A warm, tingly feeling bloomed around the wound, and I watched the puncture knit itself back together in a matter of seconds, leaving nothing but a slightly pale and perfectly round spot. The blood I¡¯d lost also dried up in an instant, becoming a dark bronze dust that crumbled off my skin and clothes.

    ¡°Huh ¡­ I guess my body just does that,¡± I blinked blankly.

    Brooke dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around me. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re okay, Genesis. Me and Brynn were so worried. The guys went back to the picnic spot and called for you for like an hour after it got dark.¡±

    I hugged her arms, leaning my head against hers. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I made you guys worry so much. I knew going out there was stupid, but I thought I could handle it. Guess I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just glad we could be here to help when you came back. If I were you, I¡¯d be a mess!¡± Brynn shook her head with a laugh.

    As she, Brooke, and Conor helped me up, I realized Matt was still sitting, studying the bullet he¡¯d removed.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Matt?¡± I asked.

    He scowled, prying at the edges of the slug with his fingernails. ¡°There¡¯s something off about this bullet. It doesn¡¯t feel right.¡±

    ¡°You think there¡¯s something inside it?¡± Brooke questioned.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Matt tugged at it again with no effect.

    ¡°Here, let me give it a try,¡± I held out my hand and he tossed it over.

    Finding the seam he¡¯d been fiddling with, I pinched the bullet in my fingertips and pulled. The crack widened and my friends gasped, leaning in more. With a metallic popping sound, the projectile split open, revealing its contents.

    ¡°No way! It¡¯s got a microchip in it!¡± Lucas exclaimed.

    There was indeed a small green square of circuitry surrounded by a soldered framework of metal bits and some plastic components. My blood ran cold when I looked closer. Inside one of those tiny boxes, a little red dot was flashing. Energy surged down my arms and my hands glowed white hot, the bullet melting right out from between my fingers. Matt scurried back as the liquid metal dripped onto the floor by his feet.

    ¡°Geni, what are you doing?! I thought you said those CIA guys can track you when you use your powers?¡± he yelped.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now.¡±

    I stared out the still open front door at the sky growing lighter by the second.

    ¡°That bullet was a beacon. By now, they already know where we are.¡±

 Americaâ€™s Most Wanted, Live And Coming Way Too Close

    <u>Fifteen</u>

    America¡¯s Most Wanted, Live And Coming Way Too Close

    It was a mad dash to throw everything we had in the truck.

    The tarp I¡¯d hid under before was ditched in place of an old camper shell Matt had found stashed behind the cabin. Brooke, Conor, and I slid under it as the other three piled in the front. We bumped back down the rutted trail as fast as Matt dared to go, seeing signs of civilization in a little over an hour and a half. As he pulled onto the highway, Brynn twisted around in her seat and pushed open the partition window.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan? Where¡¯re we headed?¡± Conor asked.

    ¡°We need to go off grid again. There¡¯s no way we¡¯ll be able to get Geni¡¯s pod back with the CIA on our tails,¡± Matt said.

    ¡°Not to mention we¡¯ve been gone for what ¡­ a week? I¡¯m sure our faces are all over the news by now,¡± Lucas added.

    Brooke clapped a hand to her mouth. ¡°Oh, my gosh, our parents! They must be losing their minds over us right now!¡±

    ¡°I know, but we can¡¯t let them know where we are,¡± Brynn reached over to her sister¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Those FBI guys saw all of us at Matt¡¯s house with Geni. I¡¯m sure all of our parents are being monitored in case we try to call them.¡±

    As my friends talked, I scooched to the end of the truck bed to look out the tinted back window of the camper shell. In the distance, I thought I could see a black helicopter circling the forested hills. My hearts were chugging like a freight engine. Would we be able to put enough distance between them and us in time? Where were we going to go now? Turning, I sat with my knees held to my chest, folding my wings close to my shoulders and arms.

    All this is my fault. I knew going out to test my theory was stupid. I scowled as I chewed my lip. The second I call up my power, the CIA will know exactly where me and my friends are. If they get hurt in any way, I won¡¯t be able to help them. Not that I can show myself anywhere in public either. Every human that sees me, panics. I¡¯m not safe here on Earth. I need to get to my pod. I have to find my parents. I have to ¡­

    ¡°Uh ¡­ Geni?¡±

    Brynn¡¯s voice pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts, and I looked up. I was confused to see not just her but Brooke, Conor, and Lucas all staring at me. Matt too was casting long glances at me in the rearview mirror. Straightening up a bit, my wings flattened a little more as I fidgeted with my hair.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You ¡­ I ¡­ I swear you were talking, but we looked over and ¡­ your mouth wasn¡¯t moving,¡± Conor blinked.

    I stared at him, then gasped and my hands flew to my head. ¡°Aye-yah, my telepathy! I must¡¯ve connected with you without noticing! I-I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you!¡±

    ¡°Geni, calm down. You didn¡¯t hurt us,¡± Brooke laughed softly as she pulled my hands down with a smile.

    ¡°I ¡­ I didn¡¯t?¡± I murmured.

    She shook her head. ¡°No, it was just kinda weird and tingly.¡±

    ¡°Once we realized it was you, we weren¡¯t afraid or anything,¡± Conor shrugged.

    ¡°But ¡­ the men from before reacted like my telepathy hurt them,¡± I puzzled.

    ¡°Probably because they didn¡¯t realize where it was coming from,¡± Matt caught my gaze again with a grin. ¡°Since you¡¯re our friend, we weren¡¯t freaked out. It was kinda cool actually.¡±

    ¡°Totally trippy! I never thought I¡¯d hear someone¡¯s voice in my head and not my ears!¡± Lucas cackled.

    I let out a chuckling sigh of relief. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that mystery got solved.¡±

    The roar of a car engine suddenly made us jump. In the next lane, a sporty vehicle of some kind rushed by with an obnoxious amount of revving, shooting past in the blink of an eye. The wailing of a police siren rapidly followed, making me sink lower in the truck bed out of instinct. Only once the flashing red and blue lights were fading into the distance did I let go of the breath I¡¯d been holding.

    ¡°We should find a place to regroup and stock up on supplies,¡± Matt spoke up. ¡°Truck¡¯s running low on gas and the fewer times we have to go into places and risk getting recognized, the better.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Geni. We¡¯ll help you get your pod back and find your parents,¡± Brooke smiled as she scooched down next to me, running a hand along my feathers.

    I let my wings floof a little, resting my head on crossed arms with a sigh. ¡°You guys are so different than everyone else I¡¯ve met so far. I don¡¯t get it. Why do you want to help me so badly?¡±

    Conor shrugged. ¡°I dunno. I guess we were just raised to be good Samaritans.¡±

    ¡°Samaritan? I thought you were Humans?¡± I looked up in confusion.

    Brooke laughed. ¡°We are! It¡¯s just a Bible phrase. A good Samaritan is someone who purposefully goes out of their way to help someone in need.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the Bible?¡± I asked.

    For the next hour and a half, she and Conor, with the others chiming in occasionally, told me about the incredible book. A book written by multiple people called prophets over almost fifteen hundred years, who¡¯d been given their words by the very Creator of humans Himself. An all-powerful triune Maker called ¨C God.

    Entranced, I listened to my friends recount the verses they had memorized about God forming the Earth and everything in it in only seven days. How He had formed Adam, the first human man, out of dust, and breathed life into him. And that the first human woman, Eve, had been made from one of Adam¡¯s own ribs. Then there had been the Fall, when the perfect garden God had planted was invaded by another of His creations who had been consumed by his own pride. The tainted being convinced Adam and Eve to do something called ¡°sin¡±, which separated them from God and cursed the entire world. But the great, all-knowing Maker had planned a way for the humans to be freed from this ¡°sin¡±, by turning a part of Himself into a perfect human named Jesus. He was filled with power to do things known as ¡°miracles¡±, like walking on water and healing hundreds of people.

    My hearts pounded so hard it felt like they were dancing. I was practically vibrating under the strain of keeping my energy suppressed as in my chest it pulsed and churned and seemed to leap at every scripture recited. That mysterious additional presence attached to me had never felt so real. I didn¡¯t know how or why, but I felt connected to my friend¡¯s words at what might as well have been a molecular level. I had to know what happened. I had to know more.

    ¡°So, what happened?! Did Jesus use His miracles to heal every human from the sin?!¡± I bounced in excitement, my wings almost completely filling the camper shell.

    Conor spluttered a chuckle as he pushed my feathers aside. ¡°Well, yes and no. Jesus made us free from the consequences of sin, so we wouldn¡¯t be separated from Him forever, but He didn¡¯t make the world perfect again. People can still sin.¡±

    ¡°Then ¡­ how¡¯d He free you?¡± I puzzled.

    ¡°By performing the greatest miracle of all,¡± Brynn chimed in from the front seat.

    Brooke nodded in agreement. ¡°Jesus came to take our punishment for sin by dying in our place.¡±

    ¡°What?! No!¡± I gasped, horrified.

    ¡°Oh, Geni, it¡¯s okay! He¡¯s so powerful that He defeated death and came back to life three days later,¡± she said quickly, reaching out to take my hands.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°R-really?¡± I stammered in surprise.

    She nodded. ¡°Really! He showed up to all His disciples and hundreds of other people and proved He was alive.¡±

    ¡°Then He went back up to Heaven to get it ready for when He comes back to Earth and makes everything perfect again,¡± Lucas spoke up.

    ¡°But until then, we can call on His Spirit to help us try and live a sinless life like He did,¡± Brooke said.

    ¡°We may not be able to physically see or hear Him anymore, but He¡¯s always with us,¡± Matt tossed me a smile through the rearview mirror.

    ¡°How do you call His Spirit?¡± I asked.

    Brynn looked over her shoulder. ¡°He tells us in Romans 10:9, ¡°If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.¡±. We believe and have faith in Him, so now His Spirit lives in us.¡±

    I glanced down, one hand drifting up to my chest, fingers barely curling into the fabric of my shirt as I felt my pair of vital organs pumping beneath my palm. ¡°Do you think I could have Jesus¡¯s Spirit too? Even though I¡¯m not human?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never read any verse that says you have to be human. John 1:12 says, ¡°But as many as received Him, to them He gives the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.¡± Conor said.

    ¡°Do you want to accept the Holy Spirit, Geni?¡± Brooke asked.

    ¡­

    ¡­ My energy sang inside me ¡­

    ¡­ The dance of my hearts became a ferocious flamenco ¡­

    ¡­ But my body seemed to shrink into itself ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡°I ¡­ I don¡¯t know yet. I¡¯m not ready,¡± I murmured.

    Just then, the truck bounced and rocked over a speed bump, sending Conor and Brooke flopping into my wings, and I flailed as their weight knocked me over too. As we untangled ourselves and sat up, I saw we¡¯d pulled into a gas station on the edge of a blink-and-you-miss-it sort of town. A main street that was only a few stores long soon disappeared into the forest on the other side, a handful of old houses peeking out from the densely wooded landscape. On the opposite side of the interstate, was a truck stop and a neighboring motel that seemed seconds from collapsing under the cubic ton of moss blanketing its roof. Pulling up beside an equally rust-encrusted pump station, Matt cut the engine.

    ¡°Alright, gang, let¡¯s make this quick,¡± he unbuckled and twisted around. ¡°I¡¯ll fill the tank. Who wants to make a snack grab? If we all go, there¡¯s a higher chance people might notice us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll go! I really gotta pee,¡± Lucas opened the passenger door and jumped out.

    ¡°And I¡¯ll go with him to make sure he doesn¡¯t load up on junk food,¡± Brynn rolled her eyes.

    Matt nodded. ¡°Remember to pay in cash and make every dollar stretch. We don¡¯t have a lot left. Geni, you need anything specific?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m alright. Thanks, guys,¡± I smiled a bit bashfully.

    As Brynn and Matt disembarked, Connor, Brooke, and I stretched out in the truck bed, enjoying the moment of stillness and quiet. Now that I knew my telepathy wouldn¡¯t hurt them, I gently touched at my friend¡¯s minds. Like me, their emotions were all over the place ¨C excited and stressed and curious and apprehensive ¨C the surface of their subconscious bubbling like a cauldron. After a few minutes, Connor squinched his eyes shut with a grin.

    ¡°Hey, Geni, are you poking around in my brain? You¡¯re making my spine tingle!¡± he snickered.

    ¡°Mine too!¡± Brooke giggled.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± I laughed.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it feels really cool!¡± Connor glanced over. ¡°If we thought an actual sentence to you, would you be able to hear it like in the movies?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it sounds in your movies, but if I extend my mind to you and you think something to me, I¡¯ll definitely be able to hear it,¡± I nodded.

    ¡°Can I give it a try?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Me too?¡± Brooke chimed in.

    ¡°Sure!¡± I chuckled and let my telepathic field extend around them. Alright, you¡¯re both in my range now. You still feel okay?

    Yeah! It feels like the inside of my brain is having pins-and-needles, but it definitely doesn¡¯t hurt. Connor answered.

    Whoa, I can hear Connor¡¯s voice too! Brooke exclaimed.

    Since you¡¯re both in my field you¡¯re technically using my mind as a conduit. I explained.

    Cool! They grinned at each other.

    I smiled, then sighed. My mom and dad and I used to talk like this all the time before I was strong enough to talk physically. It feels good to do this with someone again.

    I can¡¯t imagine how much you miss them. Brooke squeezed my hand. Then again, I also can¡¯t imagine being an entirely different planet than my parents either.

    Still ¡­ I can feel how much you miss yours too. I looked over at her. I¡¯m confident I can take care of myself now. Are you sure you guys don¡¯t want to just go home?

    Of course we¡¯re sure! Helping you is way more important to us right now. She answered.

    Besides, do you have any idea how much crap we¡¯d get if we bailed now and missed out on the adventure of a lifetime?! We¡¯d be out of our minds! Connor flailed dramatically.

    Brooke and I laughed out loud. Just then the passenger side door opened, and Brynn and Lucas hopped back in with a full shopping bag each. Refreshments were distributed and a debate soon arose regarding which types of snacks were the best. As I was a literal alien and had never tasted anything similar before, it was decided I¡¯d make the perfect tiebreaker to end the quarrel. Unfortunately for my friends, they didn¡¯t take into consideration that all their preferences would be equally delicious to me. All the while, in my periphery, I¡¯d noticed Lucas peeling the plastic off a smallish box he¡¯d been keeping close to his side. He pulled out something thin, rectangular, and black. It wasn¡¯t until I heard noises coming from it that my brain clicked on what it was, and apparently so did Brynn¡¯s.

    ¡°Lucas what are you doing?! You can¡¯t use your phone! The CIA¡¯s gonna know where we are!¡± she exclaimed.

    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s not my actual phone! It¡¯s just a burner,¡± Lucas explained. ¡°I saw something on the TV back there but couldn¡¯t stick around and see what it was, so I figured I¡¯d just get a phone that wasn¡¯t ours and Google it.¡±

    Intrigued, we sat munching our various junk foods while watching Lucas fiddle with the burner. After a few minutes, he got it fully activated and opened an internet tab. He typed and searched several key word phrases until he found what he was looking for. A segment from a local news station. He cranked the volume to max and turned the screen so we could all see it. In between a scrolling headline banner and a backdrop of wavy blue screens sat a man with his hands folded over a stack of papers on a glossy white desk. Beside his head materialized some stock image of police tape and missing-persons fliers.

    ¡°Now we bring you back to Jackson County and the ongoing investigation into the case of a group of missing high school students,¡± the reporter announced. ¡°For those of you just tuning in, the story began almost a week ago when a commotion broke out in a suburban community near Elk Valley, Tennessee. The three young men and two young women were seen shortly afterwards, driving erratically down main street. The highspeed chase with law enforcement ended in a nonfatal collision between drivers and agents from the local branch of the FBI. Sources say that a yet to be identified fugitive is to blame for the student¡¯s erratic behavior and kidnapping. Now, several families are left in emotional wreckage, rumors circulating as to what exactly went down on that by-all-accounts ordinary day. The teenagers were last seen driving an olive-colored, 2013, Dodge Ram 2500 belonging to one of the boys, heading north on I-75. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of these missing people, their families urge you to contact the Jackson County Police Department as soon as possible. We¡¯ll keep you updated should any further updates be added to the case.¡±

    As he spoke, the picture beside him changed to show helicopter footage of the boxed in FBI car and what looked like a CCTV clip of Matt¡¯s truck. Then the scene was replaced by still photos of my friends. I noticed Brook and Brynn exchange glances and the boys fidget in various ways at the mention of their families. The segment ended shortly after. A clunk from outside made the girls and I jump a bit.

    ¡°Looks like the tanks topped off,¡± Matt cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯ll go cap it up and then we can get outta here.¡±

    As he left, Lucas popped a little card out of the burner and turned it off. ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯re officially on the wanted list now.¡±

    My wings drooped as I dropped my head into my hands. ¡°This is all just so crazy and confusing! I didn¡¯t think your own people would come after you just as hard as they are after me.¡±

    ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be fine, Geni. We¡¯ll all get home safe eventually, I promise,¡± Brynn reached out and squeezed my arm.

    ¡°Yeah, and besides, we haven¡¯t done anything technically illegal, so the cops probably won¡¯t throw us in jail or whatever,¡± Connor shrugged.

    Then Matt tapped on the window. ¡°Um ¡­ hey, guys? ¡­ I don¡¯t think we were the only ones paying attention to that news report.¡±

    We all snapped to attention, heads swiveling to every window. Just inside the doors of the convenience store, I saw two men casually gesturing at Matt¡¯s truck as they talked. One motioned to the TV mounted above the cashier. The clerk then leaned over the counter, squinting at his phone, then the truck, then his phone again, before nodding and pointing at us. Then the pair of burly customers slowly started walking out, their eyes fixed on our vehicle.

    ¡°Matt ¡­ get in. Get in, get in, get in!¡± Brynn hissed.

    Without wasting another second, Matt flat out dropped the gas pump and leapt behind the wheel. At that, one of the men let out a sharp whistle and began waving and yelling at other patrons in the parking lot.

    ¡°HEY! HEY! THOSE KIDS ARE ON THE NEWS FOR BEING KIDNAPPED! STOP THAT TRUCK! BLOCK IT IN! BLOCK IT IN!¡±

    As Matt put the pedal to the floor, several other engines roared around us. The truck¡¯s tires spun up a cloud of burnt rubber before it leapt forwards with a screech. Brooke, Connor, and I were sent tumbling into a heap in the back of flat bed. We poked our heads up, clinging to one another and shouting as we saw other vehicles headed straight for us. Matt frantically cranked the wheel, swerving and dodging between two big SUVs by a feather¡¯s breadth. I heard a crunch and breaking glass and looked up in time to see his driver¡¯s side mirror fly past. We lurched to one side as another truck clipped the rear bumper. A fourth sped out ahead and we T-boned before Matt could hit the brakes. He threw it in reverse and whipped around in his seat, driving with one hand as he floored it backwards.

    ¡°Brace yourselves!¡± he shouted.

    I held Connor and Brooke under my wings and put my head down. There was a huge bang and it felt like the whole back half of the truck bounced five feet in the air. We slammed back down, tires screaming, my friends and I tossed to one side, then the other. When the jostling stopped, we looked up and immediately regretted it. All of us screamed as a semi-truck blasted its horn right at us, its huge front grill slamming into the side of the camper shell. The glass cracked and metal dented but held as we bounced to the side and our path was cleared.

    Matt tore out of the lot, plowed over a curb, and swung out onto the freeway onramp.

    Once again, we were on the run.

 Allow Me To Add A Little â€¦ Foreshadowing â€¦ To That

    <u> </u><u>Sixteen</u>

    Allow Me To Add A Little ¡­ Foreshadowing ¡­ To That

    Matt sped down the freeway like he was qualifying for NASCAR, trying to put as much distance between us and the gas station as possible.

    I held on to Brooke and Connor, staring out the back of the camper shell, my heart dropping when I saw one of the SUVs from the gas station was following us. Weaving between lanes, Matt tried to shake our pursuer, but the other vehicle was incredibly persistent. Soon it was neck and neck with us. I could see the driver yelling and motioning at Matt and the others in the cab, trying to get us to slow down or pull over. Matt stoically faced forwards and kept his foot solidly planted on the gas pedal.

    We¡¯ve gotta find a place to hide! But where? I don¡¯t even know where we are. I don¡¯t think the others do either. Where could we possibly go? I thought frantically.

    Then a faint wailing noise caught my attention. I looked back and saw two pairs of flashing red and blue lights in the distance behind us. They were rapidly getting closer. My hearts dropped and I whipped around to face the cab again, staring out the windshield for any hope of escape. There was nothing but crowded freeway as far as I could see, both sides hemmed in by untamed forest.

    There was no place to go.

    Nowhere to hide.

    My friends and I lurched as something suddenly hit us from behind. One of the police cruisers had caught up to us and was now riding our bumper. Matt grit his teeth and gripped the steering wheel, fighting to keep the truck on course. The sirens were so loud they were making my ears ring. Over them I could barely hear one of the officers yelling something through his loudspeakers, but I was so overwhelmed I couldn¡¯t understand what he was saying. I felt absolutely helpless, cornered, unable to use my powers to protect my friends. If I didn¡¯t do something, they could get hurt, but if I generated any amount of energy, Agent Avari would find us again.

    What do I do?! I hate this feeling! I can¡¯t do anything! I felt the metal rim of the partition window begin to warp under my clenched fingers.

    There was another loud crunch and jolt from behind and Matt had to wrangle the steering wheel harder this time. The truck¡¯s tires screeched as we tottered back and forth on the edge of swerving out of control. Then I started to notice something odd. We were passing cars and trucks, but they weren¡¯t on the road anymore. They were all pulling off to the sides, clearing the road ahead, and over the next curve, I saw why. A barricade of five police SUVs were completely blocking our path. On the ground in front of them were about a dozen spikey strips of metal almost blending into the asphalt. If we hit those, even the very last hope of escape would evaporate.

    ¡°We gotta go around!¡± Lucas yelled.

    ¡°Where?! We¡¯d go right into the trees!¡± Connor looked around frantically.

    I leaned forwards and stretched out my hand. ¡°I can get us through. I¡¯ll push those trucks out of the way.¡±

    ¡°No, Geni, don¡¯t!¡± Brynn grabbed my wrist. ¡°Don¡¯t use your powers. It¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll get through this alright, okay?¡±

    She met my eyes with a smile filled with uncertain determination and even though I wasn¡¯t using my telepathy, I could almost hear her unspoken words.

    If you use your powers, the CIA will find you again and we¡¯ll all be right back to square one. We know we¡¯re getting cornered, and we¡¯re scared too, but we¡¯re going to keep going. We¡¯re going to protect you, even if it means we might get hurt.

    I pulled my hand back to squeeze hers.

    If it ever comes to that, I¡¯m going to defend you with everything I¡¯ve got.

    The truck jolted as we were rammed harder than ever, but this time Matt couldn¡¯t keep control. I felt the vehicle begin to spin, then tip, and suddenly the two left tires were off the ground. Brooke, Brynn, and Connor screamed, and I let out a sharp gasp when it dawned on me why it seemed like I was floating upside down. There was a deafening crunch and screeching slide of metal on asphalt as the roof of the truck hit the road and the momentum carried us once ¨C twice ¨C three times we rolled over before grinding to a stop.

    For a few seconds all I could hear was the rush of blood in my ears before the dinging of the truck¡¯s warning gauge and warbling wail of its broken security alarm joined the din. Spitting my own hair and some silt out of my mouth, I gently opened my wings and let my grip relax on Brooke and Connor. When and how I¡¯d grabbed onto them, I couldn¡¯t remember. As they regained their bearings, I crawled up to the partition window, which was now ninety degrees from its usual position. The airbags had gone off and a now dusty but unharmed Matt, Brynn, and Lucas were pushing them back, hanging sideways in their seatbelts.

    ¡°Is everyone okay?¡± Brynn coughed.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re alright. Geni protected us,¡± Brooke brushed some glass shards off her shirt.

    Connor wobbled to his feet. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get outta here before the cops catch up.¡±

    Lucas unbuckled himself and began climbing out through the passenger side window, the others following, while Connor opened the back hatch of the truck. The six of us stepped out into the middle of the road and were immediately met by an ear-piercing choir of police sirens and nearly two dozen men in uniform. They¡¯d surrounded us, standing behind the open doors of their vehicles, sidearms drawn and at the ready. But they weren¡¯t just aiming at me. Their guns were pointed at my friends too. I knew the CIA must have woven some story about why we were on the run, but the sight of trained marksmen, aiming their weapons at a group of completely innocent teenagers made my blood boil.

    I stepped forwards.

    Not caring about hiding myself anymore, I spread my wings, taking my friends out of the line of sight. The tension I felt radiating from the officers shifted and refocused with that now familiar under layer of wary curiosity. I heard Brynn move and begin to protest, but I shot her a pleading glance and she stopped. Then I let that warm thrilling well in my chest spill over and focused a surge of energy down my arm as I waved it in a wide arc. A glassy golden shell materialized in an instant, encircling the area around the truck, my friends, and I in a paper-thin impenetrable dome. I heard the officer¡¯s stunned murmurs as they stared, lowering their weapons a little but not their guard. One even stepped out from behind his car door to tap and push on the barrier, but the transparent golden surface didn¡¯t budge an inch. I let out the breath I¡¯d been subconsciously holding as I let my wings fold, staring at the ground peppered with pieces of Matt¡¯s truck.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    I clenched my fists. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry we¡¯re in this mess. It¡¯s my fault. I should have protected you from the start. After all you¡¯ve done for me, I go and get us backed into a corner. I¡¯ve let you down.¡±

    ¡°Geni, no, don¡¯t think like that. None of this is your fault,¡± Matt came over and put a hand on my shoulder.

    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t here, you¡¯d all be back home, safe. You wouldn¡¯t be out here risking your lives for ¡­ for someone who isn¡¯t even human,¡± I looked up at him.

    ¡°Human or not, you¡¯re still our friend,¡± he smiled.

    As my vision swirled with tears, I planted myself against his chest and he pulled me into a wonderfully tight hug. Brynn and Brooke squeezed in too and I felt Connor ruffle my hair and Lucas pet my wings. My protection instinct was going nuts. I wanted to scoop all of them up and fly to the farthest corner of the world where no one could ever trap or capture us again.

    But it was a fantasy I knew couldn¡¯t be possible, as in reality, I could hear the rumble of more vehicles approaching. My friends and I looked up. The police officers too had turned to watch the pack of five black unmarked SUVs roaring in our direction. They pulled to a stop behind the law enforcement cruisers and out of the first one stepped none other than CIA Special Agent, Markus Avari. We locked eyes as he strode forwards to the edge of my shield, more agents piling out and taking control of the scene. Avari¡¯s face was, as always, a mask of emotionless observation, but his eyes kept giving things away. As we studied one another, I could see something in him beginning to change. He was becoming more sure of something. Before I could try and deduce what that was, I felt someone press something into my hand.

    I looked over Matt¡¯s shoulder to see Lucas curling my fingers around the box containing his burner phone. He didn¡¯t give any explanation but just grinned with a wink. I glanced at the others and even though I knew they had no telepathic powers, it seemed they¡¯d all come to some silent agreement. Brooke met my gaze with a meaningful nod and I let my mind touch hers.

    Go, Geni. Go get your pod back and find your family. We¡¯ll be alright. She thought.

    I stared at my friends. You mean leave you behind? But I can¡¯t! We have to stick together! I can¡¯t lose anyone else!

    You¡¯re not going to lose us, silly. Brynn chimed in, smiling and shaking her head.

    Yeah, this isn¡¯t goodbye, just, see ya later! You know, after you¡¯ve kicked some butt and shown the whole world how awesome you are! Connor snickered.

    Matt and Lucas silently nodded in assent. Wiping my eyes, I wrapped my arms around as many of them as I could, my wings around all of them. They still had complete and utter confidence and trust in me, even though I felt I¡¯d let them down. There was no way I¡¯d let their faith go to waist.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come back, I promise,¡± I whispered aloud.

    I don¡¯t know why, but in that moment those words seemed to etch themselves into my soul. The second they left my lips, I swore I heard them echo with an unseen weight, like I¡¯d just triggered some key event. I felt a shiver run through my body and I knew without question those words had become my paradigm.

    I¡¯ll come back.

    I will always come back.

    As more tears ran down my cheeks, I turned away, taking two big steps before dropping to a crouch and unfurling my wings with a tremendous rush. I launched off the ground so hard I felt the asphalt shatter under my feet. Rocketing into the sky, I could hear the ecstatic whistles and cheers of my friends gradually fade into the distance. I felt the energy of my shield return to me, but I didn¡¯t look back. I couldn¡¯t. If I looked back, I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep going.

    I clutched the box of Lucas¡¯s burner phone as I punched straight through the safety of the clouds. I just wanted to go up. Only up. I pumped my wings hard, tears stinging the corners of my eyes as they turned to ice crystals. The sky started to get darker, but I kept going higher and higher, until I couldn¡¯t feel air against my skin anymore. Then I realized my body felt weightless. I blinked like I¡¯d come out of a trance, staring into a black void dusted with innumerable stars. Lightly flapping my wings, I slowed my momentum and just hovered in place, gradually turning to look down. The vibrant blue and green sphere of Earth stretched out beneath me and in stunned silence I realized ¡­

    ¡­ I¡¯d just flown straight into space!

    Aye-yaaaah, how am I still alive?! My hearts pounded as I took shallow breaths.

    It felt like there was a delicate film around me, like a soap bubble. I could breathe. I didn¡¯t feel like I was getting crushed by a vacuum. It was as though I were somehow generating my own personal atmosphere. I clapped a hand over my eyes, my head starting to hurt from all that was happening. Again, I¡¯d made human friends, and again I¡¯d been forced to leave them. Again, I was being reminded of how much of an anomaly I was. Six wings, powers, the ability to survive in space. What was I?! Could I even still be considered Av¡¯rahn¡¯ey anymore?!

    Curling into a ball, I sobbed until I didn¡¯t have any tears left. When I finally opened my eyes again, I was surrounded by a cluster of tiny droplets that reflected the stars. My own little galaxy of sadness and confusion. A few feet away I caught sight of Lucas¡¯s burner phone box and had a moment of panic as I flailed over to grab it. I stared at it before a glint of metallic movement caught my eye. I looked up to see a satellite several hundred yards away drifting by in its orbit. That gave me a game changing thought.

    Sniffing, I wiped my face and opened the box. The CIA has been having it way too easy. It¡¯s high time I had the upper hand.

    I put the battery back in the phone and powered it on. This time I didn¡¯t have to worry about needing an adapter to plug into. The charger fit the phone and slotted perfectly into the access port in my neck. The screen lit up blue with a dialogue box and cursor and I started the hack. After several long minutes, I¡¯d gained access to a dozen different satellite networks. Then I took a deep breath and let my energy flow out to form a sphere the same size as the one I¡¯d generated in the quarry. Sensors in several satellite groups lit up and I methodically went through each one, just slightly reprogramming the coded commands. Whenever I used my powers, whatever system detected me, would display nothing. I¡¯d be completely invisible.

    Letting out a sigh of relief, I unplugged myself and put the phone in my pocket, feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I reabsorbed my energy but didn¡¯t tamp it so firmly down in the heart of my hearts this time. Looking out at the stars, I clutched a hand to my chest, willing a thought to the universe.

    Agoka¡¯ta¡¯jai ¡­ momma Ma¡¯hy ¡­ I¡¯m really gonna go try and make you proud.

    Then I turned, facing down towards the Earth again.

    And as for you, Special Agent Markus Avari of the CIA ¡­ consider this, game on.

    I stretched out my wings and with a powerful downstroke, surged forwards. Then I streamlined my wings back as I entered the atmosphere again, letting gravity take hold and pull me down. The wind roared around me once more, an amber shell of friction fire surrounding me. I couldn¡¯t stop an exhilarated grin from spreading over my face, letting my wings slowly open again as I reached my desired altitude and soared forwards on the powerful slingshot of momentum. It was night now, but I aimed myself towards the faint glow of civilization looming on the horizon.

    If there were no more places left to hide, I¡¯d hide in plain sight.