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Chapter V

DISTANCED

Ex

"You're both going to shoot yourselves just so I can escape?" I exclaimed, having to shush myself once Alexander told me.

Blake held his hands up. "We're not going to kill ourselves, Ex. A simple bullet to the knee will only wound us."

I shook my head. "But...you're gonna get hurt because of me..." I trained off, trying to process this plan of his through my head. It was a bold and crazy plan that probably couldn't work, but we didn't know and that was the bad part.

He started by saying that he would head back to the control center and activate the systems, throwing the guards off outside enough for Alexander to create a diversion by shooting himself in the knee, making it look like I shot him in the leg to get out. With making me look like the villain, they would go unnoticed as I bolt out the door and fly as fast as I could for the exit but Blake would somewhat sabotage the defenses to focus non-lethal fire on them. Once they were in disarray, he would then activate the gates and let me out, soon taking a bullet in in a non-lethal spot on his body and make it look like I shot him as a ploy to stop him from seizing me.

Confusing? Yes. Crazy? Yes. Could we get away with it? Possibly.

I wasn't too happy about Alex and Blake taking a bullet just to give me some time to escape, but I also wasn't too keen on leaving this place after all these years. True, I wanted some extra freedom, but I wasn't ready to just leave this place entirely.

Then again, I didn't have much of a choice. Either I was getting out of here alive, or I was leaving in a body bag. Hopefully Alexander and Blake would be alright once I was gone. All I could do was follow along for the time being because I couldn't stop it from happening. Blake was already gone once he had finished explaining. Both Alexander and I stood waiting for his signal, watching the lights slowly gain their power once more.

My body trembled at the thought of leaving. I looked over to the professor, who now held the gun Blake was once carrying. He didn't meet my eyes, but I figured he wouldn't want to once shit hits the fan. Even his fingers trembled over the trigger, just telling me how frightened he was, and I was the fault of it all.

I looked away and sighed, waiting for Blake to give us the cue. Alexander turned his gaze to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. His touch was definitely reassuring, but I knew it would take more than that to help get my confidence back up.

He spoke. "Sorry it has to be this way, Ex."

I sighed, shaking my head. "You couldn't have known I would only be created to die seventeen years later. It's not your fault you have to go through this, professor. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Don't say that, Ex," he insisted.

"But if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be risking your life right now," I countered. "I'm sorry."

He sighed, bringing my gaze to him. "Listen, Ex. I don't care that my life could be on the line. All I care about is whether or not you get out of this glass bubble. I'm willing to put my life on the line for you any day of the week."

"But why?" I asked. "Why do you think I'm that special?"

"It's not about being special, my friend. We both carry humanity within us, and with that humanity we must show kindness and selflessness towards others to achieve inner peace. One should not judge another. A person doesn't have to feel or be special to do such a thing because we were born to be honorable to each other."

"Shame not everyone sees that way," I muttered.

He nodded sagely. "Those who do know it keep the world from turning upside down."

I wanted to believe him, but there were people out there ready to shoot me on sight. They all had humanity within them, but I doubted they agreed with the professor's principle on the subject. Dartha had already swayed their minds to shoot me once they saw me, so I couldn't trust that even one of them still cared about my existence. Besides, she probably paid each one of them off to do it anyway, so I couldn't give them the chance once the plan went into action, but I still hated the situation regardless.

He kept my eyes on him. "Everything will be fine, Ex. Don't worry."

"You telling me not to worry is making me worry," I muttered softly.

"And that's something you have to fight," he stated, flicking his ears intently to a new sound.

Even I caught it. We both listened carefully to the soft note of the systems quickly returning to normal. The lights finally switched on to full power, the front gate slid open, and the soldiers outside were now lost in disarray and confusion at the sudden system reboot. At least the first part of Blake's plan was working, and all we had to do now was put phase two into action.

Alexander gripped his gun and stepped back from me. "Time to go Ex."

"I...I can't..." I trailed off, stepping closer to the door.

He handed me the backpack and strapped it onto my body forcefully, and then stepped back and placed the nose of the gun against his knee, staring me dead in the eyes. "I'm not giving you the choice."

With that, a loud pop rattled the room and Alexander fell onto his side, clutching his leaking knee in agony. He groaned and held it in pain, and I was forced to watching the blood quickly spill out all over his thigh and leg and fur then pool along the floor. The professor, still looking like he was in great pain, stared me right in the eyes and told me to run--without saying a word.

I stood there with teary eyes for a few seconds and sniffled, knowing good and well I was running out of time. I closed my eyes and turned around, pushing through the door to head to my fate. I took three steps into the open area and opened my wings, jumping forward before beating them against the air, sending me high into the sky. From behind, a single bullet shot through the glass doors and missed by a few inches. No doubt it was from Alexander who was trying to keep the ruse up about me shooting him in the leg, but I wished he didn't have to shoot so close to me.

Unfortunately, he grabbed their attention with that shot. I was halfway through the courtyard before I felt swarms of bullets begin to miss me, many of them getting too close for my comfort. I rolled to the side and evaded a string of them, only to miss another group which grazed the tip of my wings, and that seemed to be the worst of it. I dove forward, pulling my wings in, and flipped forward, unfurling them once more only to beat them quickly against the air to shoot me forward, right through the glass doors. More swarms of metal jackets hounded me from behind, but I felt most of those shots miss me by a few feet, but they got closer as time wore on.

I was out in the open now. They were all charging through the open doors, giving me hell with their hurricane of bullets. I spun to the side, folding my wings in for a split second, then opened them up and beat them against the air, taking me higher in the sky. They didn't seem to ease up on their attack. I saw a fist sized object coming right towards me, and, knowing what it was, flapped my wings as fast as I could to take me higher. The object quickly exploded and sent me back with the ricochet. I grunted and saw even more coming right at me.

Gulping, I brought my wings in and fell down diagonally from them, closing my arms in which helped me pick up speed. I evaded the ongoing bullets with ease, hearing the ear-piercing explosions overhead and the heat that came from them.

Once I felt the ground get too close, I pulled my wings out and turned around, letting the wind carry me up while I went at my constant speed. The bullets no longer reached me, and I was far away from the facility now. This was my chance to get out of here. I banked to the left towards the large rock formation and flew around it towards the road I saw a week ago, using my sharp vision to see the lighter shade in the path. From behind, I could hear an alarm blare throughout the facility, and I looked back just to see a slew of trucks start driving right for me. Though they were still a good distance away from me, they were gaining speed very quickly.

I needed something to distract them or else they were going to get the upper hand really quick. Looking at the ground, I remembered that the land here was more dirt than it was dry. This was the only option I had left other than knock down a fifty ton rock and hope it blocked them off, and I didn't have enough strength to even try that.

Hastily, I dropped altitude until I hovered a few inches above the ground, almost able to touch the ground with my hands. They fired a barrage of high velocity bullets right at me, cutting through my clothes while just barely missing a clean shot right through me. I let out a pained breath and began to strike the air as fast as I could, bringing my hands down with my extended claws as I raked them through the dirt and, with my wings, began to create a massive dust cloud in my wake. I banked to the right and continued to dug my claws into the dirt while my wings created the cloud behind me, soon creating this large vortex of dirt that I had to circle around dozens of times. Their gunfire was sporadic and jagged, some of them calling out for directions for where to go and who to group up with. One thing I knew for sure was that they had no idea where I was anymore. They were completely scattered, leaving me with the perfect chance to hide.

While the dust vortex stayed completely thick, I picked up speed and left the trucks in the backburner. I flew to the nearest rock formation and hid behind it, which had to be at least a thousand feet tall, making it close to impossible for them to see. I stayed close to the top and waited for the massive dirt funnel to clear out, which only took a few good seconds. The trucks were all scattered in different locations, some close to each other while others were far off near the rim of their brief prison.

For the next few minutes they grouped together and apparently had a light conversation, eventually turning off their sirens and heading in different directions, and I noticed none of them headed down the road. This was my one and only chance to get away without being seen. I waited a few more minutes until their lights faded into nothingness, and I took that opportunity to jump from my perch and descend down to the road. Even though I was scared to take a risk of flying during this time, I recalled Alexander and Blake telling me to get as far away from the facility as I could. They were right about staying as far away as I could from Delta, even if it had been my home.

They were just trying to kill me a few minutes ago, I told myself while I hovered over the ground once again. I had to keep in mind that they were going to kill me if they were given the chance, and I couldn't allow them to have that opportunity else the entire escape would mean nothing. Just remembering Blake and Alexander taking a bullet for me...I would feel completely terrible if I was caught now.

I sighed. Where could I go now? Was there even a place where I could go and start a new life? Actually, now that I thought about it, how could a seventeen year-old boy survive in a world filled with unknowns?

My wings continued to beat against the air every few seconds, and I just loomed over the ground while the road took me to who knows where. The dark gray road I spotted a week earlier just grew closer and soon I would have to make a decision on which way to go.

I pulled my wings out and softly landed. Once I had my wings pulled in, I looked both ways down this better paved road. It was a single strip of dark gray with a yellow line dividing it into two different lanes. I looked down to my left then down to my right. There was nothing going down either strip and that was where I felt scared. Which way to go? Neither Alexander nor Blake really told me which what I was supposed to go, and I didn't want to walk down a long gray strip for forever.

Just before I felt my body tremble with fear, I heard this loud horn blare from behind. It wasn't from one of the trucks that were chasing me previously, but a quick look back told me this one was much bigger. I realized it was heading down the strip I was walking on and I quickly darted to the side to avoid being hit. The monstrous vehicle passed by a few moments later where I finally caught a good glance at it. I figured this thing was heading somewhere, so I decided to let it be my guide for right now.

I caught up to it shortly after it passed me and perched myself upon the top of the bed of the behemoth. The actual vehicle part seemed to be only the front while the part I sat on was the load it was carrying. Wherever this person was going, I hoped we would arrive there soon or else I was bound to get caught up here sooner or later, and I didn't want them calling anyone else, who Delta could be monitoring, and tell them they had a freak with wings taking a ride on their truck without consent.

It did feel good for the most part. I didn't have anyone trying to tail me from behind and shoot loads of high powered bullets right after me. Even if I managed to find somewhere to hide, I would still have to survive despite going under a new identity. They would be looking for me--a husky with a set of wings that were fully functional. By no means could I let them catch me and put me down. I was already a runaway and a target that they had lost sight of.

Feeling the cold air blow through my fur, I rummaged through my backpack and slid my jacket over my body. Even if I was found, my wings would be covered so they didn't see me as a freak and that was the last thing I needed right now. Being seen with these things was no something I wanted.

The night quickly donned on me. I sat there for what felt like hours, but the stars I could clearly see and curled up, eventually falling asleep.

???

I woke up several hours later to a fat man shaking me.

My vision was blurry and I was still trying to wake up from my terrible sleep. Every muscle in my body was still asleep as far as I was concerned and I could tell my wings were still in a lulled sleep. I looked over my shoulder up at the dark figure looming overhead. At first, my vision was foggy but at least I didn't have the sun in my eyes. Once my vision focused, I saw that there were clouds covered the sky for as far as I could see, and the man standing up above me was fat and sleazy.

He wore a plaid red shirt, torn jeans, and a ball cap, and I saw a cigarette lit in his mouth. Talk about gross. He looked to be in his late forties and had a gut to prove it. The Rottweiler looked down at me with confusion, and I quickly realized I was still lying on top of his truck.

The man reached down at me, but I felt my reflexes kick in and jumped back, escaping his grasp. He just eyed me with confusion but I ripped through my jacket with my wings and took off into the air, without saying a word. Once I was high enough, I took in my surroundings and found that he was at some sort of rest stop with other trucks. Closer inspection showed me more vehicles driving up and down the gray strip of road--now two strips with yellow lines splitting them apart into four lanes.

My wings still felt sore, but they were much better than they were a few hours ago. While I was okay with that, I had no clue what time it was or where I was. That didn't matter now, though. I had to be far away from the Division by now even if they were looking for me. I didn't realize how tired I was until I was half a mile away from them, heading down the same direction the truck as heading before. My stomach growled, I was beginning to feel lightheaded, and I could tell my body was growing weary without any energy ever since the ordeal a few hours ago. If I didn't find someplace to rest and replenish myself, I could feel my body slowly fading in and out.

I looked far ahead of where I was going, and found even more to my surroundings. The land was no longer just dirt but now large areas of grass and metal poles with lines going down the path. I saw more buildings as I flew overhead, some had some of the most tantalizing scents that almost made me fly down and check it out, but I flew on. More vehicles seemed to go down the highway as well. Either I was getting somewhere high in population or they were late to someplace else.

Looking up, my jaw dropped. "Hello."

I went with the first option once I saw the massive cityscape dozens of miles ahead. The dozens of buildings extended high into sky while others could barely compare to the massive skyscrapers. The strip of road quickly split off into swirling intersections, almost reminding me of a kiddy toy I used to play with as a kid. More cars drove down them. Many of them were heading right into the city, and I figured I would be joining them.

The city extended far to the left and right with plenty of skyscrapers lining the outer and inner walls of the metropolis with the extending strips of road leading into the city by the bucket load. The clouds continued to loom overhead but the city still looked beautiful from my point of view. I pulled my hood over my head and picked up speed. This place looked promising as far as I could tell, and I hoped it was as good as I was thinking. What I needed to do first was find something to eat or I was going to drop like a fly really quickly, so I flew high over the wide roads and winding strips and headed for the outer rim of the city, finding smaller buildings outside the massive landscape. They must've been homes.

I flew down near the rim and touched down on the nearest, non-packed road I could find. Wherever I was, the buildings looked worn, torn, and badly damaged; some looked like they had caved in on the inside. I saw few people wearing baggy clothes walking with short steps, holding their pants just above the middle of their thigh, and I could tell they were not happy to see me. The strips of road looked cracked and unused with patches of grass sticking up near the cracks, only proving that this part of the city had to be the least used. Since I was at the outer-most part of the city, I figured going in closer would provide me a better understanding of where I was.

Quickly, I extended my wings and shot into the air, flying right towards the center of the city. Before I reached what looked like the center, my body felt weak beyond my better judgement, and I quickly lost altitude until I had to touch down again, but I figured I was in a better part of the city considering the busier traffic and the much better looking buildings. I saw more people walking up and down the streets and more cars driving up and down the roads, so I used this as a chance to blend in to my best abilities.

I stayed close to the shadows in-between the alleys where the tall stone buildings almost met and kept my extra appendages from causing too much un-needed attention. Some small kids giggled and jumped around the side, throwing red, plastic balls and making bubbles out of straws and soap. I remembered doing similar things like that when I was younger, and I smiled when they walked by barely noticing me. For right now, I figured I needed to stay out of sight for the most part considering how much attention my wings would bring. Keeping my hood over my head, I walked through the streets with my wings folded in as tightly as I could manage.

My stomach still grumbled despite my incognito attitude. How long had it been since I had last eaten? I remembered the last I had eaten was the night before I went to bed, and I had burned off more energy than I cared to burn off during my escape. I looked around and tried to find something to eat. There had to be a place around here that had food to sell, especially to someone like me.

I continued to walk for what felt like another few hours, completely ignoring the looks that were thrown my way after they got a clear look of my back. I didn't have time to worry about looks right now. My stomach was starting to eat itself. I would worry later when I wasn't so focused on trying to find some food.

The smell hit my nose like a slap to the face. It smelled so good and it was a smell I had never smelled before! It was just as intoxicating as it was alluring, and I was drawn to it almost immediately. I darted forward past the small groups of people and headed to where the scent came from. If this was a chance to finally grab some food, I wasn't going to miss my chance.

My full out sprint led me to one of the busiest places I had ever been in my life. I saw dozens upon dozens of people walking around this fountain; some were sitting on it, some were in deep conversation around it, but I saw most just walk by and head somewhere else entirely. They were all dressed in a variety of clothes and I noticed some wore clothes that didn't exactly go well with their gender.

I put them aside and turned my attention to the small cart where the smell came from. As I quickly made my way towards the cart, I saw the man behind the thing handing a couple two hot dogs, but they were lathered in ketchup, mustard, and jalapenos. The smell was something I was completely un-used to compared to the hot dogs they served, rarely, at the facility. I grabbed a quick glance at it and almost had my mouth watering for two reasons. Reason one: the thing had a scent that made my mind go wild, forcing me to get one. Reason two: I was too hungry to care about the ramifications.

He finished cleaning up the metal counter before noticing my arrival. He wore a white apron, hairnet, and an old pair of jeans and shirt. I looked past that and looked mainly at what he had to offer.

"Can I help you?" the man asked in a sort of rusty voice.

Taking my attention away from his food, I looked at him and instantly grew nervous. This Doberman looked kinda scary. "Um...one hot dog?"

He huffed. "Any special toppings?"

"Uh...jalapenos?"

"Anything else?"

"Ketchup?"

He chuckled. "Gonna ask everything with a question?"

"Yes," I answered without thinking, but I caught myself and groaned. "I mean no. Sorry."

"That'll be five bucks, kid," he stated, quickly heading to work on the hotdog. The canine turned to me halfway into the food. "Uh, you did hear me right? That'll be five dollars, kid."

"Five dollars?" I asked sheepishly. Good thing I knew what money was or else I would sound even more like an idiot. "Oh, right."

I rummaged through my bag, praying that Alexander didn't skip out on the money while he was packing for my escape. I could feel beads of sweat pour down my forehead while I tried to look for any money. Please tell me he did not forget to pack me money on a trip like this!

The man looked at me holding the hot dog. "You having trouble, kid?"

Trying to sound as convincing as I could, I turned to him. "No, no, no. I'm good. Just...hid it in here somewhere."

"Uh-huh," he rolled his eyes, waiting for me to find my money.

Where was it? I would've thought he would've packed me even just a little bit of money just before sending me down a path where I would need it. In any event, I figured this was a bad time to tell the guy I had no money. That would mean going hungry for the rest of the day until I could find some, just when I needed it most.

After searching through every pocket, I felt something papery. Knowing that this was the last thing in my bag I hadn't searched, I pulled it out, only to find a wad of a few twenty dollar bills held together by an elastic band. All the hope returned to my face instantly, and I quickly handed the man the money and jogged off to somewhere secluded, quickly devouring my warm, juicy, and unusual meal from prying eyes. It tasted just as amazing when I smelled it! I wished I had added more items to it, for I knew the man had more than just jalapenos, ketchup, and mustard. I figured I had weirded that guy out enough, though. I stayed away from that area now.

I quickly headed out from the fountain area and walked around the sidewalk part of the city, only to find more crowds of people following my wake. I quickly realized that these people were rushers from their pushing and shoving to their quick chatting between each other. They shoved me aside and made plenty of rude comments when they walked by.

"I hate tourists."

"What are those things on his back?"

"Can he possibly go any slower?"

"Kid's a walking freak show."

Though I hated the comments, I couldn't really disagree what they were talking about. I was a walking freak show, for one, and I did have things on my back that most people didn't have--not unless I was a gryphon, which I wasn't. I caught quick glances from them when they walked by, but I did nothing to stop them. If they wanted to look at me, then they could look at me and judge all they wanted to.

I stopped exactly where I was, only to be pushed and shoved by the people behind me.

This was just like the treatment back at the facility. I remembered feeling this way and have others treat me like this. The only difference between the people here and the scientists back at Delta was that I had spent all my life there and they knew me but saw me as a freak, but these people didn't know one thing about me but already disliked me because I couldn't figure out how things worked around these parts. They already hated me without knowing me.

My body went cold. If things here were the same like back at the facility, could I ever find anyone to befriend? I couldn't survive without some form of help. There had to be people here that understood my plight. I trembled just thinking about being resented again.

The tears formed within my eyes, and I bolted forward, pushing as many people aside as I could. They all shouted at me, cursed at me, and some even chased after me as if I had done something wrong. They did the exact same to me, so I couldn't understand why they were mad at me. I supposed they were already mad at me, but I couldn't care about them right now. My emotions were taking over, and I didn't want them to stop.

I pushed more people aside and let the tears fall from my face, just feeling the pain build up within my heart. Why couldn't I be accepted just because of who I was? I couldn't help that I was a laboratory created being that had wings, special abilities, and grew up in a facility hundreds of miles away. I couldn't help having wings. They were a part of me that wanted to stay, but I didn't want them if they were going to cause me a mountain of problems. The tears continued to fall down my cheeks even after I was done crying about it.

My hood covered my eyes but it couldn't cover my emotions. I wanted to find some place dark and quiet where I could just calm down and...sit. That was all I could do about it, but I ran and I didn't know why. My legs wouldn't stop even after I tried. Turn after turn, I ran as fast as I could despite my lungs burning with hurt. My body hadn't recovered from a simple hot dog, but I wasn't ready to stop running just yet.

I turned at the next curb and ran down the sidewalk, not having to push by people as much as I did. The feathers along my wings twitched, nearly begging to be used. No, no, no! Not now! Not now! My emotions were building up again, and I couldn't stop them. My wings twitched and tried to extend, but I put every ounce of energy I had left to make sure they didn't extend. I couldn't become more of a freak than I had already become. They were begging me, but I couldn't hear their pleas. I was too busy running in the streets.

A car came rushing at me, but I dove forward and evaded it with only seconds to spare. My heart raced and I crawled away on my hands and knees, trying to get back up on my feet, which I found were shaking just as much as my body. I looked up and found myself surrounded by a large crowd of people all standing along the sidewalk of a large, square-shaped intersection. The buildings around them were lit up like Christmas trees, each advertising something different every time I blinked. The lights shined so bright, but I felt miniscule compared to them. The dozens of cars honking at me, the hundreds of people all gawking and yelling at me, and the lights that blazed around the city all became too much.

In the end, I cracked and freed my wings from their prison, shushing everyone almost instantly. I was scared out of my mind and shook violently, staring back at the crowd around me with uneasy eyes. I could see dozens of them begin to slip out small, rectangular objects and cameras, quickly taking pictures of me and my wings. Luckily, my face was covered by my hood, so I doubted they could see my face.

They couldn't see the fear that stayed nestled in my eyes. I had no clue what I was supposed to do. Just a second ago they were pushing me aside and cursing me out, but now I was standing before them with my biggest secrets extended and they were taking pictures of me as if I had just gone from nobody to somebody in just a short amount of time. I didn't want to matter to them now just because I had something to show off.

No, they didn't care about me--just my wings. My sadness immediately turned into anger where I snarled and beat my wings against the air, quickly shooting into the air and darting throughout the massive skyscrapers around me. I heard many scream and some just call out for me to come back. Of course I wouldn't. They didn't seem to care about me before I showed my wings, so why would I accept their request and do what they wanted me to do?

I left them behind and headed for a more secluded area within the city. While I looked for somewhere to land, I felt drops of rain begin to pelt me, and those same drops turned into bullet-like pellets really quick. I hadn't even noticed how dark the clouds had gotten, but I looked back and up at the sky to find the grayness looming over me, and they were pelting me harder and with thicker volleys by the minute. My clothes were quickly getting damp from this, so I banked to the left and began to gradually fall towards the earth. There were long rows of medium-sized houses lined up down the street, so I took this as an opportunity to blend in instead of stick out.

Gracefully, I landed in the middle of rainy street and began to walk. My hood eventually grew very damp but I kept it on because it kept the rain out of my eyes. The cold water splashed against my body and blocked my field of view for a few yards. I didn't care about the rain right now--I walked through it with my hands in my pockets. Though my clothes were getting really damp and heavy, I pressed on and let out very soft, nearly inaudible, sighs.

Where could I go now? Everyone had already gotten a good look at me and my wings, so I couldn't just show them around in public without someone stopping me. I did have some spare clothes in my backpack, but I was in no shape right now to change. Besides, I needed to conserve on them. If I just started tearing holes in them, there would be no point in hiding my wings if I could just fit them right through the holes.

Okay, if I'm going to survive out here, I'll need to get through with the necessities first off. First off, I'll have to find shelter so I won't have to sleep in the rain when it comes, plus I'll have to make that my home for the time being until somewhere new springs up. Secondly, even though I had plenty of money right now, I'll need to ration it and, when I run out, I'll have to scavenge for more once the need comes up. Thirdly, I'll have to keep flying to a minimal so I don't wear myself down and have to eat constantly--which links to the money problem. If I keep my eating at a good minimal as well, as well on constant vigil, then I should be good as well.

I looked to my left, then to my right. All I could see were houses covered with a thick layer of cold rain, and the only lights I could see came from the windows of those homes. The sight saddened me, but I stayed as far away as I could from the homes. In case news had gotten out about me, I didn't want to be seen by anyone. I had already failed to stay out of sight and out of mind, but I could now stay in seclusion with the rain as my ally.

"If I am seen, I can just fly away and no one will ever know," I muttered in a monotone voice.

Staying out of sight was key right now. I didn't need the Division looking at this city as a possible hiding place for me, and I didn't want to take any more chances at this point. If the Division was to find me, I was going to make it very difficult for them to pin-point exactly where I was.

I still hoped Alexander and Blake were okay. It had been a day, right? That was a full twenty-four hours, if not more, of me on the run trying to escape their sight. They were probably still searching long and hard for me, and I knew it was only a matter of time until they looked at this city. People had already seen me and they were going to blow my cover in just a few short hours, or maybe they already had. I don't know. For all I knew, I was probably on the front page of some sort of news report right now. I assumed I was.

Angry, I kicked the puddle in the ground, yet the rain filled it back up seconds later. I sighed and moved on. Why couldn't I catch a break? First, I had to deal with upper-class government officials studying me for a full day, then I have to escape the place I once called home and had to fly away from chasers, and I finally hitched a ride on a truck and flew all the way through this city only to be spotted and be forced to fly away, again, and end up here. The universe had a very odd way of throwing things my way, and I for one didn't like it anymore.

I wanted to see more of the world a week ago, but I was dreading that now. I had no friends, no allies, and no place to call home. I was a freak with wings and abilities without a place in society.

The tears formed in my eyes again, but they melted away with the rain just as quickly as they formed. I had already cried once today, so I couldn't cry again, especially in the state I was in. I had to hold out for as long as I could, but I couldn't go on forever--not without help.

"Yeah, who would help someone like me?" I huffed in spite.

Suddenly, my ears perked up to a new sound. It wasn't the sound of the ongoing clamor of pelting rain around me. It was a new sound I was unfamiliar with and didn't understand. It came from behind me, so I turned around and gasped in shock.

All I saw were two bright lights and fell unconscious.