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Chapter I

AWAKENED

Ex

The sun woke me up, but I was used to that.

Just because I was used to it doesn't mean I didn't like to be woken up in that manner. It was actually a pain, but a pain I had to deal with it every single day of every month of every year. Still, the heat warmed me up for the time being and gave me a clear indicator of what the weather was going to be like today. As I groggily opened my eyes, I groaned and rose from my bed, looking out my window, which was my usual daily routine. The sun stood high in the sky and large white, puffy clouds laid scattered across the vast blue sky. That was a sight I loved seeing.

It made me smile. I loved days like this. Though I was never allowed out of the compound, I just liked seeing the sky, sun, and clouds because they made my day just a little more worth it. Darker and gloomier days that forecasted rain usually had me in a slower and more kind of saddened mood. I wasn't sure why my body did that, but I never really paid it much attention. Knowing it was better to just let go of that stuff, I went about my business like any other day.

I sat hunched forward waiting for my body to wake up with me so I could start the rest of the day. Combing the long hair over my eyes out of the way with my claws, I stretched out my arms and legs before turning and jumping off of my bed. Though it was comfy, there was probably plenty of me to do for the day, and I couldn't spend the entire day just lying there and do nothing.

The rest of the room wasn't a complete disaster anyways, but I couldn't say the same for my bed. It probably looked the worst out of the entire place. I quickly got to work fixing it up, folding my covers inside the mattress before moving on to the next thing on my usual list: breakfast.

My attention focused to the pizza box currently lying on my kitchen counter, sitting on top of three other empty boxes. "Ugh, the force is not strong with this one!"

I walked over, wearing my usual pajama clothes consisting of teal sweatpants and a white T-shirt which fit my lean body nicely. The lid of the box slid open, so I grabbed the first slice I saw and took a bite. Oh, it still tasted fantastic! I looked at the lid of the box once more. Whoever these "Domino's" people were, they knew how to make an amazing pizza! I realized it probably wasn't very healthy to eat pizza as part of your morning breakfast, but with the genetics I had, my metabolism could burn the fat and calories off four times as fast as the average person.

That meant it was impossible for me to come close to becoming fat. I loved it at times, but I couldn't help but wonder what it felt like to be like that? There had to be a ton of downsides to that, but I could only imagine and picture what it was like.

Stuffing half the pizza into my muzzle, I held it there and made my way back to my dresser. With the push of a button, I watched the dresser slide out so I could change my clothes. I finally finished off my so called "breakfast" just after choosing my outfit for the day--a pair of snug, dark jeans and a plain blue shirt. I looked at the two long holes in the back and smiled, turning my head just to gaze at my folded wings. With some skill, I managed to slip both the jeans and the shirt on while fitting my wings through the precisely cut holes.

"Much better," I sighed from relief, flexing the muscles of my extra limbs, watching as they expanded a good eight feet just in wing span.

They were fully functional and, in some cases, an annoyance. Sleeping was sometimes difficult since I would lay on one for some time and wake up only to find it sore and asleep. Those days were not my favorite days flying. I found myself flying in near circles before my wing decided to wake up and help my fly straight for a change. Some days, I'd fall after taking off and others I'd fly in very jagged and erratic patterns.

I let my wings breathe for another few moments before folding them back in. Keeping them spread out and walking around was not a good idea. I had a lot of space, but when my wings were out, my space diminished considerably. I remembered one time I tried walking through a door with them, and I'll just say it wasn't a good idea on my part.

After my clothes were snugly fit, I finished off my morning by combing my hair better in place then brushed my teeth. With one look in the mirror, I was thoroughly impressed with my looks. I didn't look drop-dead gorgeous, as far as I knew with looks, but I could still see the clear blue tint of my eyes. My fur was a midnight shade of black while my body was primarily white.

Everything about me, my looks, my genetics, and my heredity all came from different genes. I had one dominant Siberian husky strand, but with it came different other genes spliced into it. On the outside, I looked like a normal husky...just with a set of wings no one else in my kind had. On the inside, I was a completely different person in so many ways.

I looked at my hands, willing myself to extend my claws an extra few inches. They couldn't match Wolverine with length, but they were still sharp enough to cut through iron like butter. With barely any effort, they slid back in until they were of decent length once more.

"Yeah, not weird at all," I shook my head. "This is completely normal."

That was what they wanted me to believe anyway, but I knew better than to believe something I could tell was a complete lie. I saw many more of my kind walking up and down the halls around the compound, not to mention the Special Forces patrolling the perimeter inside and around the base. They didn't have wings or claws that could slide out whenever they wanted to.

The wings and claws weren't even the tip of the iceberg! They didn't have an extremely freakishly high metabolism, or quick body healing, or extremely sharp eyesight, or night vision, or body producing camouflage, and many others. They were completely normal people who could walk around and be with people who wouldn't give them weird looks.

Even to this day, I still got weird looks from the people who worked with me. I wasn't even sure if they were weirded out with my wings or my abilities or if they were just astounded by them. I never assumed they were weirded out by me, but I always thought there was something about me they just didn't see correctly. They worked with me for the past seventeen years and created me from a tiny test-tube from the DNA of other species, and I couldn't understand why they never saw me as another regular person. I thought seventeen years of growing up to their tests would change their view on me completely.

I guess I was wrong, wasn't I?

My gaze shifted to the mirror once more. I looked normal, aside from having wings, but I was still a freak, yet I was okay with that since I had grown up as one. Even as I rubbed my face to get the thought out of my mind, I could still feel it lingering in the back of my mind.

"Get over yourself, Ex," I told myself, covering the reflection with my hand. "You've lived seventeen years a freak. Another eighty or so isn't gonna hurt."

With that, I walked away and grabbed my bag and quickly slung it over my shoulder. I walked out the door and slipped my hand inside it, bringing out my testing pad where I was given my list of tests for the day. I figured either Professor Alexander or Blake had something different cooked up for someone like me today. I skimmed up and down the list, finding it substantially shorter than what I was used to doing.

First on the list was camouflage testing. This was a newer one seeing as my pigment changing fur and skin finally settled in just under a week ago. Supposedly, and I wasn't practicing as much as I should have, all I needed to do was place my hand or any part of my body on an object and I could absorb its pigment and blend it to the environment around me. That wasn't it, though. From my understanding, and a long explanation from Professor Blake, if I concentrated hard enough, I could actually turn my body transparent to the point where I could become almost entirely invisible.

The next one on the list was one I wasn't so fond of. It was reaction time. Oh great. I wonder what I was gonna be dodging or catching today. Last week, I had been dodging arrows going a hundred miles an hour, and the week before that was trying to catch them going at the exact same speed. I received a great many cuts along my palms, but that was quickly fixed the next day after my quick healing kicked in. I suppose there were a few benefits to being a little above average freakazoid.

Even I had to admit, that was a cool ability to have. The only problem with that was that I had no idea what he meant by concentrating. The few times I did this, I could barely get my hand to turn blue after touching the floor. I was lucky enough to have my entire arm turn a different color. If I was having a bad day, my abilities would sometimes act up on their own. Hell, I was lucky my hand didn't become pizza after touching it.

So, long story short, I was not looking forward to the next test on the list.

Moving on. The third was probably one of my favorite ones. I got to test my speed, but I could use my wings. This was normal marathon running style. There was a difference when it came to the air to ground ratio. When I fly, I burn twice as many calories as opposed to when I sprint at full speed. I could still fly during long periods of time, but after about three hours, I'd have to rest or else I'd risk pushing my body too hard. With my cheetah genetics combined with my humane genes, I could run roughly at about sixty-five miles per hour. They expected me to get faster as the years went on, but I was perfectly fine going the speed I currently had.

The last on the list had nothing on it. It just "Test Number 4". There was no room number or professor who would be there for the procedure. That was odd. Whatever the test was, I was completely out of the loop.

"Well, guess I'll find out when it comes up," I shrugged, slipping the pad back into my back.

Considering I knew the location of the chambers by heart, I would have to be incredibly stupid to forget where they are. I passed a few scientists on the way to the first room and threw them a quick wave and a smile. They saw me but gave me a weak wave in return, turning around and returning to their work indefinitely.

My smile faded. I dropped my arm and walked on. Yeah, normal day apparently. I should've figured they wouldn't return the happiness I gave them despite my lingering feeling that they didn't deserve it. Still, I did the same thing every day and they still treated me like an unequal. They would look and gawk while I proceeded during my tests, but when I greeted them face to face, I barely even received a hello from them.

I didn't dwell on it. At this point, I was used to it. I woke up hoping that the next day would be different and they finally treated me with common decency instead of looking at me like I was some sort of freak of nature, which, even though I was, was not fair.

They disappeared as I made my way around the corner, passing by a few more scientists. I gave them a wave and smile while they walked by, staying close to each other and continued to discuss the papers in their hands, completely disregarding my presence.

I sighed. "Yeah, today will be different."

I was lying to myself. The only time they seemed to acknowledge my presence was when I was behind bulletproof glass twenty feet away from them, running through an obstacle course or dodging cushioned arrows coming at me at high speeds. That was the only time of the day I would actually get noticed, but other than that, I was pretty much a transparent being who just walked these halls without another's glance.

Scientist after scientist passed me by and each time they got close, I repeated myself like before, only to get the same negative response from them just like every day. Yeah, it was just another normal, humdrum, average day for my life. It took zero willpower to keep myself from cracking since I had gotten used to this treatment, but I was glad once I finally entered the room I was looking for and met the eyes of the two men who brought me up.

Their attention turned to me once I walked through the sliding door, and I finally received a smile. I had to give it to Alexander. The man knew how to make my day. He adjusted his glasses and walked over to me. The fox was only an inch or so taller than me, but I was still growing and soon, I would eventually be taller than him. He was a thin man but also very passionate about his work. I could count on him when it came to trust.

"You're up early," the man smiled.

I gave him a bright smile in return. "Thanks, as opposed to the past couple of days."

"Hey, we still got through the tests okay. I'm more than happy enough to stay up late and document your progress."

At least my day wasn't completely depressing. Even though I was shunned by basically everyone I met, I had one person who treated me like a person rather than a Project. Then again, he basically helped raise me ever since I was a tiny pup along with Blake and, even though the other scientists in the facility grew up with me, they never really got to know me or tried to even understand me. All they tried to understand were my abilities, and that was it.

"Yes, while you were sleeping, I was preparing your test," I heard another voice, this one also very familiar.

Alexander rolled his eyes, crumbling at piece of blank paper in his hands before throwing it at the wolf. "Oh, calm yourself, Blake. No need to be brash today."

The paper tapped him on the head, only cause the wolf to sigh. "Sorry, I told you I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Still no need to be grumpy," Alexander chuckled lightly.

The wolf rolled his eyes and turned to me. "Well, I'm glad to have you here, Ex. At least we can get started."

"Sure thing," I replied.

Blake seemed to be the complete opposite of Alexander, yet he retained his big brains and ethic. Though the wolf was how Alexander put him "brash" and sometimes hardheaded and serious, the canine still retained his affection and caring towards me. The way I saw it, Alexander was the good guy on a regular basis, and Blake was the bad/good guy depending who swayed his mood best. I could count on Alexander to put him in the right mood, but even some moods were unchangeable.

I walked out the door on the far right, opening my wings and jumped, gliding down with ease, soon touching the ground where I folded my wings in. I snickered softly. No doubt Alexander would scold me for using my wings for something as simple as that, and probably Blake as well. Well, they didn't know wasn't going to hurt them. It wasn't like I was taking my abilities for granted, though. I knew better than to abuse them.

I walked and opened the door to the facility, only to find the room darkly lit and covered from head to toe in thick vegetation. It looked like a tropical forest at the darkest part of night, and even Alexander did a fantastic job making it look like the ceiling was actually the night sky. I almost thought it was night time. The temperature dropped, and I could distinctly hear different sounds coming from the speakers camouflaged around the room. The room itself was huge; probably half a football-field long and laid nestled underground.

Immediately, decisively, and cautiously, I crouched and walked through the thick, simulated jungle open for me. Nothing in this room was designed to outright kill me, but I still had to be cautious, for there were still things in here that could hurt and probably injure me. It's happened before and, with collective knowledge, I hoped to not make that mistake again.

The forest was thick and heavy with the plants and simulated wild-life. I could feel the wet soil under my feet nearly sink my foot until I took another step forward, or backward. With each step, I had to push aside the large leaves around me, only to be swatted by thin vines and tree roots. I honestly couldn't tell if the temperature was going up or if I was just getting burned up from the humidity.

"It's just a test, Ex," I told myself. "Keep it together."

Another wine slapped me across the face, only provoking my boiling anger even more. Even though I had done this simulation a few times, I still hated the jungle environment. Every time I fought against it, the jungle just seemed to fight back twice as hard.

Mother Nature, though artificial here, was honestly a bitch.

About halfway through the jungle, or at least what I believed was halfway, I finally heard Blake's voice on the intercom. Well, he certainly took his sweet time waiting for me.

"Okay, Ex, we're going to start your pigment altering ability now," he stated.

I snickered. "You mean my camouflage trick?"

There was no way to tell if he was rolling his eyes, but with the pause, I figured he did. "Yes, that. Now I need you to concentrate on your surroundings. Place a hand on the nearest object you see and close your eyes. Try to feel the texture of the object and focus on absorbing the pigment. We're sending a drone to investigate. They can't see you nor detect you if you blend in perfectly in the environment, so please be as stealthy as possible."

"I'll give it a shot," I called back aloud, waiting until the PA shut off.

Now, I was on my own for the time being. I didn't know how long it would take for the drone to find my position, so I had to pick up the pace if I wanted to pass this test. I quickly made myself over to the nearest tree and did exactly as he instructed, placing my hand on the moist bark, feeling my hand tingle slightly while my mind went fluttering. A headache surged through my mind for a few moments but soon subsided, allowing me to see what was happening.

Only my forearm looked as though it was turning transparent. I cursed in my mind. Oh, no. This was a clear sign I should've practiced more often, but I procrastinated until the very last moment. I tried focusing more, only feeling the transparent and see-through pigment slowly linger up my forearm. I wasn't focusing solely on my arm, though. This time, I dug my feet into the ground and placed my hand on the tree as well, watching as my fur and skin slowly began to blend into the environment.

My ears picked up on a fast-approaching new sound. Listening carefully, I heard the faint sound of rotor blades and the buzzing of the air, and the sound was getting close. It had to be the drone. If that thing was getting closer, I was running out of time.

I picked up my pace and concentrated as hard as possible, watching my arms and legs slowly follow the pattern and crawl up the remainder of my exposed body up to my stomach. My body also ached as time went on. The humidity of the simulated forest warmed up my body more than I needed it to, slowly making sweat trickle down the sides of my face. The rate of my heart also went up until I felt it thudding against my chest, nearly to the point where it started to hurt. At the rate I was concentrating, I lost track of time and my headache slowly eased its way back into my mind, only doubling the pain I was feeling.

If I kept this up, I was going to put more strain on my body, and it would be evident later. Even with my fast healing, my body needed periodical breaks to keep from giving out. At this rate, I was already burning through plenty of calories, and I was to blame for it. Had I practiced like Blake had asked me to do, I could've probably been invisible and undetectable a long time ago.

Finally, the transparent ability finally made its way to my neck. I was ready to keep going until I felt something tape my shoulder. A cold chill shot up my spine as I turned around. The flying drone was right there, spinning its dual circular propellers right behind me. The camera and video feed laid in the front where the head was and, no doubt, Alexander and Blake were watching me right now through it.

"I almost had it," I managed a weak smile, feeling very lackadaisical in my confidence, and I was sure they weren't too happy with it.

A sigh of discontent could be heard from the intercom, and I had a feeling it was Blake. "If this was real, you would've been killed, Ex."

I sighed and turned my head away so they couldn't see me roll my eyes. "But this isn't real, though. You're not killing me."

That probably wasn't the best response I could've thought of, for I knew I was about to get a lecture from him about this training me to think critically and quickly if the need ever came up. He had given me the same lecture a week ago, and the week before that, and the week before that one. Basically, ever since my abilities settled in, which was around seven years ago. So, carry the five, divide things by pi, and that should be...a crap ton of lecture.

Even though I was right about him not killing me, a horseshoe-shaped object extended itself from the drone and, before I knew it, a bolt of electricity shot through my body. All of my nerves went on overload at that point, causing all my fur to spike up and force me to jump from the shock, which actually strung after a few moments.

Well, I should've seen that coming. I quickly fell onto my rear-end and slumped against the tree, still conscious and awake but stunned and shaken from the electric shock. My blood still felt tingly and I rubbed the spot on my chest where the shock struck me. Blake knew how much electricity to use to subdue me, and to even cause me to black out, or even to kill me. That was just a stunning shock used to teach me the consequences of failing a test.

I finally regained my composure and looked at the drone, letting out a huff. "Thanks, that felt great." I lied, and the tone of my sarcastic voice made it evident.

The trees slowly began to dissolve into the floor below me, along with the dirt, atmosphere, and dissipating sky above me. "We're running short on time today, so we're gonna have to limit you to one attempt per test."

I stood up as the tree behind me began to dissolve. "What's up with the last test anyway? It's blank on my pad. Is that a typo or something, or do I just need to get this thing updated?"

This time, Alexander's voice reached me. "It's a surprise, for the most part. You'll find out when the time comes."

The next two tests seemed to blur together like the mathematics classes they forced me to take growing up. I still had to take them on occasion, but I had to do more tests and exams rather than figure out how to Calculus test.

I digress, though. The reaction time testing wasn't too terribly bad. The arrows were padded this time with rubber heads, so, even though I was still hit by them, they didn't do as much damage to me as I thought. Certain parts of my body were still sore and bruised, but I could still walk thankfully, so that made up for it. After the reaction time was over, I had to make my way to my next test, which made up for being shot at for an hour. At least running helped get my mind off of the slight pain along my body, and I barely noticed the bruises and small burn marks begin to fade after another hour of quick running. Not only did I run, I was also forced to jump hurdles, distance jump without the aid of my wings, and full out sprint until I couldn't give any more.

Out of the three tests, the running had to be the most tiring one of all. Though using my transparent-camouflage ability did drain me a good deal, resulting in me having to drink plenty of nutrient rich drinks before my second test, the ability didn't drain me as much as when running did. I could actually push my lungs to their limits and push my heart rate and pulse up even more than I did with my ability, and I had to admit, there was much more of a thrill actually forcing my body to go past its usual limits.

In the end, I was pretty well spent and ready to pass out. Lunch was after this test, so I could restore my body after sweating up a storm. It was just the usual vitamin-rich food: apple, salad, water, and toast. I didn't mind it much, however. Though I wanted to just go to my room, heat up another slice of pizza, and lay down for about an hour and a half, I was still required to maintain a healthy diet because the Director wanted me in top-top shape.

I took my tray and went to the closest window I could find, which I dubbed the Usual Window. It was large enough to fit one of those military tanks, and had blocks inside large enough for me to sit on and look out into the distance. The sight never seemed to change, but I wasn't complaining. I set my tray down and bit into my apple, looking out into the distance.

The courtyard around the Division's two mile-long facility was massive. The facility that I mainly stayed in was known as Project's Ground, otherwise meaning it was basically a house made for me, yet I had little to no power inside of it, besides the power to order pizzas and a few others. The building was built around ten stories tall and extended a foot-field's length, and much more of it lay underground away from prying eyes. Near Project's Ground stood the Tracking and Military houses. Those were self-explanatory, but I'll just put it like this--the tracking facility was made to keep records of me and do general sweeps of the area around Delta's compound while the military was here to defend us in case we were threatened. They were very well-trained men equipped with the latest in military technology, and were trained to defend without mercy.

Besides them, the only areas left had to be the watch towers set along the walls of the compound and the helipad located behind Project's Ground. The rest of the unused space was mainly used for commerce, training for the troops, and the transport of supplies. From what I could see, the front of the facility where the large courtyard was just had troops jogging around the sidewalk and other workers just walking and talking to each other. Whatever they were chatting about, I had no reason to think about it further and focused more attention into my apple, quickly finishing it so I could move on to the salad.

I could already feel my energy coming back, but I continued to look out even more into the distance. The base itself was a beauty and a well-designed jewel, but that was a different story outside the walls. Here, we were practically in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by huge brown-colored stone structures that towered over the base by miles. I could see dust and dirt spin and fly all around the base, some forming miniature tornados which quickly dissipated after a few seconds. The only thing keeping the whirling dirt around us from entering the base had to be the see-through barrier around the base. It deflected pretty much everything, even bullets, with its strength. I was never really allowed to venture far out enough to actually see the wall, but I expected as much. They only let me outside PG's facility if I needed to meet with important people.

Sometimes it wasn't fair. I was almost eighteen and they still wanted to keep me behind thick walls where they believed I was safe. I could almost remember all the times I asked Alexander or Blake or the Director himself dozens of times if I could just have a few minutes of free time outside the facility where I didn't have to be watched like a hawk 24/7.

My salad was almost empty at this point, so I let out a soft sigh biting into my toast. They turned me down every opportunity I asked, but they never explained to me as to why. It was just dirt blowing in the wind. What damage could that do to me? Get my fur all matted and dirty? That's what showers were for. And the dirt wasn't blowing all the time anyway. There were days where it was clear and dirt-free, save for the ground which was always dirty.

I angrily mutilated my bread. "They never even give me a chance. I can do it."

In my mind, it was true. They could test, exam, quiz, force, and praise me from dawn until dusk every day 'cause they were my superiors, but if I asked for something, I had to be questioned about it, especially if it meant me going out to see the world around me. I wasn't even asking to see the world. Just getting out of this compound was good enough for me. I just wanted the chance to spread my wings and actually fly without a ceiling or a limit or anything like that. Everything had to have a wall, or something to keep me from going too high or too far.

My word didn't matter much anyways. Even though they gave me enough praise to last the rest of my freakish life, they could never give me something that I really wanted: a chance to live and be open. I knew it would probably never happen, so I finished my bread and continued to sit there for another few minutes, just imagining what it would be like to be free of the walls around me. I placed my hand on the window and traced it down, feeling my claws just tease against the surface idly until my hand fell against my thigh.

The minutes I sat there turned into long ones where I just stared out into the compound and then out into the distance to the dirt blowing all around this place. Just looking out there made my wings tingle with unrest, just like any other day, and I forced myself to keep them tucked in so I didn't accidentally shatter the window. I could still feel the feathers that made up my wing furl and twitch ever few minutes, sometimes going off with my emotions.

The hairs on my arms picked up a new presence. I guess it was some sort of defense-impulse that I honestly had no control over and just went off whenever someone came up to me or when danger was close. I turned my head, finding myself face to face with a man I knew all too well.

Director Johnson Kindle. He who controlled all of the Delta Division and made his word law for everyone who worked here to abide by was standing right next to me. The man was ambitious and smart, though everyone here knew that to be frank. He was a part of the Ivy League, which, from my understanding, was a group of high-level schools meant for exceedingly smart people--or, in other words, brainiacs.

Apparently after his work in the league, he got into the military and for ten years, he worked his way up close to the top guns of the country's military. He then put forth the plan to create Delta and start the Project, and so he slaved away for another twenty years, ten of those with the Division under another's care until he took full control. He was placed close to his late forties but he still looked pretty young despite the old age, and had a leaner body to go along with it.

The white tiger looked at me with his amber eyes and smiled. It wasn't some sort of creepy, middle-aged man smile that gave me the jitters, but I still didn't like it. He never showed me his bad side, so I gave him some credit on that, but he was still overly protective of me.

He stood right beside me, arms folded behind his back, wearing a contrasting black suit that showed just how highly he looked. I was scared of him, to be honest. Only a little. I had the muscles, not to mention the genes, to match him in a fight, yet I never used much of that strength day to day anyway. Next week would prove more fruitful on that.

"Good afternoon, sir," I greeted, turning my attention back to the distance.

I heard a bellowing, deep laughter that made me shudder, and a voice to match that tone. "A good afternoon to you as well, dear Ex. I hope everything has gone swimmingly today with your tests."

"Yeah, let's go with that," I mumbled.

He took a seat on the open section of the windowsill and looked out into the distance. "It's a beautiful day."

I couldn't deny that. The wind-blowing dirt around the base lightened up to where I could see the rock-formations around us more clearly. The sky was clear and I could see white puffy clouds hover over-head high in the sky. I had no idea how hot or cool it was, but I didn't care. Some natural, sun radiating heat should feel nice, right?

"Yeah," I nodded. "I wouldn't know, though."

Kindle had been outside the base hundreds of times in the past seventeen years, and probably more before I was even created. He knew what it was like to spend time outside this cage and feel the actual sun warm his body and the wind blow through his fur. The white furred tiger knew what it was like to be both hot and cold and what the world was like outside this place. He could describe it in great detail from sun up to sun down, and I would never get enough of it until I experienced it myself.

Kindle turned to me with a raised brow. "Is that implying a question?"

I didn't meet his eyes. "You could say that."

"You know I'll answer any questions you ask, Ex," the man responded slowly.

"I've spent seventeen years hearing that exact same statement," I replied with frustration. "But I can't believe it."

"You know that is un-true, Ex."

My frustration grew. "Is it? What about all the times I asked you why I couldn't go outside? Why do I have to be stuck inside the glass bubble with walls and be tested every single day of the week, of every month, of every year?"

He looked hurt, yet he still looked calm. "Ex, I've allowed you a great deal of freedoms. It's quite dangerous to venture outside the walls."

"You barely let me ten feet behind the wall!" I almost shouted, realizing we were still inside. The feathers along my wings tingled once more, some of them twitching and furling and shaking. They were directly tied to my emotions, and right now, I was feeling angry and hurt.

Despite my boiling anger, the feline looked as calm as when he first greeted me, yet I could tell my words had wounded him. I didn't intend to actually lash out at him, for he did give me life. He could take it away from me if he wanted to, but I gave him no reason to.

This wasn't the only time I gave him flack for treating me like some sort of bird with its wings clipped, yet I did hate myself after each time I did. Even now, I slowly regretted doing just that. My feathers slowly began to die away from the twitching anger, and, eventually, I had calmed down as well. I felt like a tiny child once again who just didn't get his way and threw a temper tantrum. As degrading as that was, it was true. Just because I don't get my way doesn't mean I have to lash out at others and complain to them for now giving me what I wanted. Now that I realized it, I folded my ears against my head and sighed, pulling my legs closer to my body.

I felt defeated, and Kindle didn't have to do a thing. We continued to sit there for another few minutes in silence with only the air conditioner to break the silence every now and again. Well, things got really awkward all the sudden.

The Director broke the silence. "I understand why're you're angry at me, Ex. Believe me, I do. Though I am not a Project like you, I sympathize with being restricted from a great deal of things."

"You don't even give me a chance," I replied softly, in a more calm tone.

He nodded sagely. "For good reason, Ex. We're still unsure whether or not you can handle the differences of the outside world versus the enclosed perimeter around you. However, I have reached a consensus."

I lifted my head, promptly listening in. "What kind of 'consensus' are you talking about?"

An impish grin grew across his face. "Would you oppose the idea of spending a couple of hours outside the wall?"