FSE

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Chapter VI

BLACKOUT

Ex

At first, I didn't mind waking up from a pure black, dreamless sleep. I minded it soon after I realized I was lying in a bed.

There were two things I noticed once I woke up. First off, my body was back to its regular sore state like when I had finished my training regimen when those government--I now call them killers--people came and evaluated me. It took me a second to remember why. Did I get hit by something? I had to or else I wouldn't have been knocked out. The second, which I found the oddest, was that I was in a very comfortable bed, and I was only in a pair of wet boxers. Now, I was shocked obviously, and I wanted to know where I was and why I was in a bed. I didn't mind lying here, but I still wanted to know why I was here instead of lying dead in the street.

My body refused to move from this position, so I didn't bother trying to move much. I then noticed my wings were spread out so I wasn't laying on them as well. Well, whoever found me obviously saw my wings and knew to spread them out. I can't say that made me feel better seeing as I had to stay incognito rather than have someone take me without permission. That scared me. Whoever laid me on this bed had to have known about these things, and I didn't like it.

First, I had to find my clothes. If I was going to get out of here, I didn't want to start walking around the neighborhood practically naked. I saw a stack of clothes settled on the night stand on the opposite side of the room, and I groaned remembering how much my body refused to work. Great, so that meant my plan was pointless now.

While I was awake, I decided to take a look around the place. I was lying on a single, queen-sized bed with thick covers draped over my body, and I had to admit that they looked pretty expensive. The few other things seemed to be the night stand right beside the bed, the lamp in the far corner, and the dozen bookcases lined around the walls close to the bed. I could also see a large TV turned off close to the lamp, which was mounted on the walls. The floors were hardwood while the walls were a deep gray color, but I could tell they weren't concrete blocks or something. There were a few lamps hanging from the ceiling and a set of stairs close to the lamp, telling me I had to be either below-ground or there I was on ground-level with an upstairs.

The temperature was cozy enough, at least. I didn't worry about freezing to death considering I had thick blankets cuddling my shivering body, and I was certainly glad the only fan in the room wasn't on. The mood was light for the most part, but I couldn't say the same for mine.

I continued to lay there with a nice set of covers laying over me. Though I was almost nude, I found comfort on the bed and decided to lay there until I could find my strength. I didn't take too kindly to the fact that I've been kidnapped, but I wasn't exactly held against my will--or not that I knew of. In case I was, then all I needed to do was gather my strength and attack. I wasn't chained to the bed, nor was I unable to move. I could move, but I needed a great deal of strength--something I didn't have--to move before I could retaliate. For now, I retained my position and stared up at the concrete ceiling above.

Where was I, for one? Even though my body didn't want to move, I listened closely for anything that might help. I concentrated and found the sound of the hard rain thudding against the ground, but, to me, it sounded like it was a level above me--telling me I was probably in someone's basement. I didn't like that. If I was locked in, I was going to have to bust my way out.

My ears couldn't pick up anything else aside from the walking around upstairs. At least I knew the home wasn't deserted. I wanted to feel better, but I couldn't. Until I could move my body freely, I wasn't about to let my guard down just yet.

Suddenly, the door opened. I went deathly silent and kept as still as a board. I closed my eyes and pretended to go back to sleep. This was the best plan I could muster right now, so I just went along just as the new person walked down the stairs. I heard the clicking and clanking of what sounded like cups and plates on some sort of tray. With my eyes closed, I couldn't know for sure. I didn't dare risk a peek though. I wanted to play the part until I knew it was a safe time to ultimately break character.

The figure's presence grew closer, and I could hear him hum. It sounded like a "he" at least. His tone was much lower than what I figured a lady was like. Okay, so this guy was holding something that made clicking and clanking sounds, but what was he holding?

Finally, the smell hit me. Th aroma of the warm food found its way into my nostrils and sent shivers throughout my body. I could feel my mouth watering on the inside as the scent grew closer. Rolls, meat, corn, and green beans. I then heard the sizzle of probably a soft drink, which only added to my displeasure of acting like a sleeping person now. Whoever he was, I wanted to just spring up and wolf down all the food he had, but I knew better and, painfully, remained silent.

I heard something roll across the floor until it was very close to the bed. Were those wheels? It grew much more difficult to stay calm. I just wanted to wake up and see who this person was and why I was in his basement or whatever. There seemed to be silence once he took his seat, and I wasn't very keen on the silence part of things. All I could hear was his slow, short breaths while his presence sat right next to my bed.

The silence was too much.

Groggily, I opened my eyes to his surprise. He gasped and turned to me, rolling back a few inches in his seat. There was a brief moment of pure silence until I groaned and sat up with all my strength. Moving that much did hurt for a time, forcing me to cup my side and hiss in pain, but I managed to sweat it out before turning to the guy.

I rubbed my eyes after taking a good look at him. He was lean but not fat by any means, and I figured he was slightly shorter than me. The fox blushed and looked away from me once my deep blue eyes met his grassy green iris's. I took his body movements into account as well, the way he was hunched over, keeping half his muzzle covered with the back of his chair, and his ears pressed flat against his head. He was shy or shocked.

The guy turned away from me, but I continued to look him over. He wore a set of khaki skinny pants, a tight green T-shirt which had some sort of design on the front with three triangles in the shape of one big triangle, and a watch on his left wrist. The guy was skinny but he was no twig, for I noticed he did have some areas where there was muscle definition.

As with most fox's, his orange fur was a mixture of red and orange and vibrant at that. His white fur started under his jaw then more than likely trailed down his chest and to his inner thighs. His forearms were the usual dark brown style gloves along with his legs--as a sort of a set of gloves and long socks. His brownish ears flicked about every few seconds while the minutes passed like the rain around the home.

We continued to stay silent for another few minutes. He looked into my eyes and I looked into his. What was he doing? Was he doing the exact same I was doing to him? I was studying all I could about him, and I couldn't figure out if he was doing the same.

He blushed, which caught me off-guard. I tried to squint and figure out why he did that, but I found myself doing the same shortly afterwards. Wait, why was I blushing? I shook my head and rubbed my muzzle, covering my mouth as I looked away from him. This guy wanted something out of me, but what it was, I couldn't say. He was just as silent as I was while we exchanged our own greeting of each other, but I was growing tired of the silence in the room quickly, and I still wanted answers.

After was felt like hours of staring without a word, he finally spoke. "H-how are you doing?" He sounded timid and shy with his higher yet still masculine tone, which was just what I was expecting from him.

I waited before responding. "Good. I...I mean I'm doing very good. Uh, thank you for asking."

"No problem," he smiled, turning away from my gaze.

Since I felt obligated, I asked him "How are you feeling?"

He just looked at me, unable to answer. "I, well, I'm feeling fine. I just...wanted to drop by and bring you some dinner so you wouldn't have to go hungry once you woke up."

I looked at the meal on the night stand, still aroused with its intoxicating scent. All of it was probably still warm and ready to eat. He looked towards my direction and jumped from his seat, grabbing the tray and handed it to me. I sat with more shock and confusion than I did before. Was he really looking out for my well-being or was he just waiting for me to take a bite to force me to return to favor afterwards?

My stomach growled once the smell of the warm roll met my nose. I was ready to eat, but I was still unsure if I wanted to. The guy finally saw my confusion and blushed, pulling his seat closer to me. I didn't want this to be some sort of charity, but I couldn't resist myself once my stomach painfully began to eat itself.

I grabbed the roll and took the biggest bite out of it I could. I looked to the guy with a weak smile. "This is delicious."

He blushed and smiled in return, this time revealing his perfectly white teeth. "T-thank you. My grandparents made them for dinner."

I wolfed down a few more bites before responding. "This is probably the best roll I've ever had in my life." That wasn't even a lie. The perfect blend of butter and bread made my mouth crave for more once I finished it off.

He smiled while I moved to the meat. "You're welcome. I...I'm glad you enjoyed it."

I nodded and stopped before taking a bite of the meat. I couldn't get swept up in all of this without getting some answers first. While I cut the meat, I looked around. "Where am I exactly?"

"You don't remember?"

"I remember getting hit by a car."

His ears flattened just as he looked away from my gaze. I had a strange feeling he knew something about that. That was the last thing I remembered, and he apparently knew something about that or else he wouldn't look nervous about me wondering now.

He finally came clean. "That was me."

I stopped cutting to look at him. "That was you?"

He held up his hands and looked flustered. "I...yes...that was me, but please let me explain!" Once he was sure I wasn't going to interrupt, he sighed. "It was purely on accident. I was driving home from one of my friend's house since I figured the storm was only going to get worse as the day went on. Even though I was already on my street, the rain was thick and it clouded my view even though my windshield wipers were maxed out."

"Wait, shouldn't be safer to drive slowly down a street when its raining?" I asked.

He nodded, letting out a pained sigh. "Yeah, I should've known better. I had to get home before things got worse and so I...I picked up speed down the road and...well..."

"You ran into me," I finished as he trailed off. "And you couldn't see a thing?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yes, I promise you I couldn't see much. After I hit you, I immediately got out of my car and was freaking out. I didn't intend to hit you, I promise! It was all so sudden and I didn't see you and...I..."

I held up my hand and looked at him. "It's fine, okay? I'm glad that's cleared up, but I don't see how I'm here and not in a hospital."

He twisted his fingers over themselves. "It was after I hit you that I knew I needed to get you medical attention. My grandmother was a nurse for fifty years before she had to retire ten years ago. I brought you here, to her and my grandfather's house, where she fixed you up. She said you might be sore and to take it easy for the next few days, but she also told me that you should've at least had a concussion but you didn't. You also should've suffered from a cracked rib from the impact but even that didn't happen." He sighed and shook his head. "The point is, she doesn't know how you managed to survive with relatively minor injuries, or really no injuries at all. No blood, no broken bones, no anything."

"My body is hell though," I groaned, rolling my arm.

"She figured you would feel that way, but she's still unsure of how I didn't hurt you." I huffed, taking a large bite of the meat. "I'm much more extraordinary than you think."

"Because of the wings?"

That once question made me lose my appetite. I still wanted to eat, but I immediately felt sick to my stomach. I really didn't want to answer that question, but I felt like I didn't have any other choice, either. Still, he already knew way too much about me for his own good. Once I had the strength, I would leave this place and find somewhere else to rest. I just couldn't stay here with prying eyes.

I looked at him. "I assume she was surprised to find those on me."

"More than surprised, I would say," he replied. "She told me in all of her life she's never encountered anyone like you. Not during Vietnam and not during the Cold War, and certainly not in this time either. Gryphons are a different story as well, but they can barely fly."

I huffed. "You'd be surprised at what these things can do."

"So they work?" He sounded excited.

I nodded. "Yeah. Fully functional, almost completely developed, wings."

"You're not joking me, right?" he asked, leaning closer.

Since I figured I could take him on if things went too far, I nodded. "If you want, I'll show you once the storm passes over." I flexed them for added measure, making the feathers furrow for a few moments before going flat.

The fox smiled, and I could see his tail wag behind him. "You'd really do that? For me?" He blushed again. "It's been a really long time since I've had someone ever do that with me."

"I thought you said you had friends," I countered.

He nodded. "They don't have working wings though."

"Point taken," I agreed.

"But...on a more serious note," he went on. "I'm really sorry for what I did. I figured I should bring you here so you can rest up and now have to go back out into the rain until you need to."

"And my clothes?"

"They're being washed as we speak. What's with the holes in the back?"

I flexed my wings, which got him to nod. "Got'cha." Waiting a few seconds to respond, he added "My name's Hunter, by the way. Hunter Lakeshire. Just, you know, in case you were wondering."

Well, at least I knew his name. That saved me some time from calling him something else entirely.

"It's, uh, nice to meet you, Hunter," I replied, realizing that I was still almost naked. I blushed once more and pulled the covers up to cover most of my lower body. "Can you, uh, you know...?" I gestured to the clothes.

He turned and gasped, quickly nodding. "Oh, yeah! Sure, sure!"

The guy quickly ran over to the night stand and grabbed the set of clothes and handed them to me. Once he turned around, I quickly dressed into my clothes so he couldn't get any peeks while I wasn't looking. They were my clothes considering they had two holes in the back and my jeans had holes right at the knees. I extended my wings until they reached the walls before pulling them back in, wincing at the pain. My body might've had quick healing characteristics, but I figured that only worked better if I was asleep, and I didn't feel like sleeping right now.

Hunter turned around once I was finished and nodded. "We dried those while you were sleeping so you wouldn't have to wear any damp clothes. I did say your other clothes were drying, right?"

I nodded, turning to face him. "Yes, you did."

"Oh, right," he rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, my mind isn't its usual self right now."

"Short term memory or something?" I asked.

He quickly shook his head. "No, no, no! Nothing of that sort! Just...well..." He sighed, shaking his head once more. "Ah, it doesn't matter. My mind has been elsewhere for the past couple of hours anyway."

"Oh," was all I could say.

He looked at me, but I couldn't meet his eyes. I wanted to feel friendly towards him--the guy brought me food and gave me shelter for fuck's sake!--but I was still apprehensive about giving him my trust. It had barely been two days after my escape, and I was figuring out quick that I couldn't trust everyone I met or else I was going to get burned.

Hunter noticed this and looked away with a saddened expression. "It's okay if you don't like me." He said in a very soft tone that I almost couldn't hear. "I just wanted to help you out 'cause I did hit you with my car and all."

"It's nothing like that, Hunter," I stepped forward, trying to reassure him, but he saw through me.

"It's fine, I know you don't trust me," he proclaimed. "I was just trying to help you out and all, but I know I can't keep you here forever. Just, when you're finished, leave everything as it is. I'll clean it up once you're gone, alright?"

He began to step out of the room. I immediately felt bad for the way I treated him, but I still wasn't sure if I could believe him or not. There was still a great lot I didn't know about him other than his name, that he was shy, and he had a good perception of people. Other than those things, I honestly knew nothing about the guy, but I wanted to, and that was the part that confused me the most. Do I let him go or do I tell him what's really going on?

My chest began to hurt as he neared the stairs. I wanted to stop him, but I couldn't bring myself to stop him. A part of me wanted to just stand there, grab my things, and get out so I didn't have to deal with this later, but I could feel another part of me want to stop him and tell him the truth--the real truth about me. I knew that was crazy, but what other choice did I have? He might've hit me with his car, but he took responsibility and took me in, gave me shelter, food, and a place to stay until the rain subsides. I still hadn't thanked him properly, but I could even muster the words to talk to him yet. Would I ever get this chance again? Maybe I was wrong about the world.

Maybe there were people who weren't so heartless.

Realizing that revelation, I glided forward and grabbed his wrist, stopping him right in his tracks. He stood there in shock but I could feel him trembling. Oh, no. Did I just scare him? Did he think of me as some sort of freak now? I couldn't bear to think that he would hate me now or else I knew I was alone in this world without someone to call my friend. I needed a friend if I was going to survive in this world, and Hunter was as close of a friend as I was going to get.

He wasn't so bad either. I kept my grip on his wrist firm, not too tight so I didn't crush it. The guy reminded me of myself when I was younger back at the Division and I was still trying to figure out who I could trust and who I couldn't, and it took me a long time before I realized the professors were the only ones I could seem to trust. He reminded me so much of Alexander, save for the shy characteristic.

I finally found the words I was looking for. "My name's..." I thought long and hard for a few moments, but I shook my head and sighed. "...Ex. Like, E-X."

Hunter turned to look at me. "Ex...Ex. Is it short for something?"

Shaking my head, I replied. "No, that's my name. There's no shortened version, no long name, and no last name. It's just Ex."

The fox locked his eyes on me, and I could notice the blush along his muzzle as well. "That's...quite a unique name, Ex."

I sighed, pulling him back to the bed. "I need to tell you something. Just...come back and I'll explain everything to you, but I doubt you'd believe me otherwise."

He took a step forward until we were foot apart. "Wanna bet?"

The look in his eyes rivaled that of a general of war--full of gravity and sternness. It was like I was looking at someone who would believe anything, or anyone, right now. Only one other man shared this look, and I was sad to say that is was the Director himself.

Maybe I could trust him.

I led him back to the bed. "Might wanna take a seat. This might be a long story."

"How long exactly?" He asked.

I smirked. "Get a seat, a pillow, and some covers."

Once I was finished explaining everything to him--and I mean everything--he sat there with his jaw agape, hugging his pillow tightly.

I made sure I covered everything I could in as much detail as possible, for I didn't want to skip out on very crucial details that might change his opinion of me in a bad way. I told him about Delta and their goals--to create the ultimate, perfect being and lead humanity into a new age of evolution to better prosper the world. I was supposed to be a catalyst, a sort of genetic creation from the traits of other animals with a base code to keep me from looking like a walking monster, which was the reason I had wings. I made sure to cover the Project and how I was the tenth in its line with nine other failures that had to die in my wake. After that, and I had to answer plenty of questions before moving on, I told him recently about the government people judging my fate only to find out that they were planning to kill me from the start and escaped the facility I once called home. Once that was done, I finished by telling him of my journey here and my experience of the city so far, which is to say a terrible experience.

He handed me bottle of water during the explanation, and I took a sip of it before finishing. "Then you hit me with your car, took me into your home, and here we are now."

Since I let him ask questions in the middle of my story, I was lucky I didn't have to be bombarded with more at the end. He sat there for a few minutes trying to process everything I told him, and I had to admit, I did tell him a lot. He didn't meet my eyes for quite some time, so I waited until he was ready.

"I almost don't want to believe you," he mumbled almost in audibly.

I nodded, leaning back against the bed. "You can believe it or not, but I know what I've been through for the past seventeen years. Believe me, or not."

He gave me a look. "You do realize how hard this is to swallow, right?"

I nodded, finishing my drink. "It was hard for me to swallow for seventeen years, but I managed it."

"But what you're telling me is that you're this genetic creation that was designed to become the newest breed of man? Most people would call you crazy on that, Ex."

I shrugged, standing up after such a long time sitting. "Like I said, I don't expect you to believe me, but my story still stands. I have the wings to prove it." I flexed them to better my point. "And since when have you seen my kind with a pair of wings on their back? Your grandmother even said she's never seen someone like me before and that's due to my stronger bone marrow, better muscle-tone, and my quick healing abilities. Look."

He watched as I placed my hand on the night stand, closing my eyes to focus my energy into my palm until I could feel my hand slowly begin to clear up until it looked like glass, and even then it looked clearer. The clear tone ran along my forearm until it reached my bicep, and I quit focusing once I felt my muscles start tightening up once more, giving me a clear indicator that I needed to stop or start causing my body some real pain. I slid my hand away, causing the clear, see-through properties of my arm to diminish until my fur returned and my arm was visible once again.

As I flexed my fingers, I turned to face a stunned Hunter, who stared at me with a look of shock and awe. I was almost sure I had blown his mind, if the wings already hadn't, and had him at a loss of words. He just stood there with his mouth half open and his eyes wide without a blink. I only figured as much, but I didn't expect him to be this surprised. I did mention I could do this with the right amount of concentration, but I just couldn't manage a full body transparency since I couldn't concentrate that long. It was a shame on my part, but I knew I would have to get better at it eventually.

I stepped closer to him and gave him a little shake. "Can you keep most of this a secret? I really can't have people knowing about my special abilities or else the Division is going to make this city their number one to go to list."

He looked up at me, and I finally saw how shorter than me he was. The fox was only about a few inches shorter compared to me, but I could still see confidence in his eyes despite looking as though he had just laid his eyes on god or something. I really didn't want him to think of me like that or else we would have some serious problems. I was no god. I could live and die just like him.

The fox finally snapped out of his daze. "Yeah...yeah, I can do that."

"Do you swear on it?" I asked. "My life is on the line."

He nodded with certainty. "You have my solemn word, Ex."

"I'm being serious here, Hunter," I looked him in the eyes. "If anyone finds out about me, anyone besides you, I'm going have an immediate target placed on my back. I don't want to die."

He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile. "Ex, I give you my word that no one will know of this. Your secret is safe with me, I promise you this."

This was my first time trusting someone foreign to me, but I didn't see any other ulterior I could use. He seemed trustworthy to me, and I was just going to have to place my faith in him and hope for the best. If he did end up betraying me, I wouldn't have to worry about him anymore, for I would be dead if anyone did find out. I was serious about not dying because I still wanted to see and explore the world and all its wonder despite my experiences from a few hours earlier.

Hunter stepped back and pondered for a moment. "You can't just go around with the name 'Ex'. You'll be found out much quicker that way."

"You want me to change my name," I stated, not so much as a question, because he already implied it.

The fox nodded. "You'll have a new identity to follow, and you'll lower your chances of being found. It'll be harder to track you down if they don't have a good description from the people of where you're at."

"But what name then?" I asked this time.

He thought for a moment and raised a brow. "What did you say the names of your two professors were?"

Confused, I answered him. "Alexander and Blake."

"Then Alexander Blake it is!" he stated with a cheerful smile.

"Alexander...Blake?" I asked him.

He shrugged shortly after. "Unless you have a better name to come up with, I'm all ears."

I held up my hand. "No need. I like it. It gives me an identity and I'll remember the two men who helped me escape. This will be my way of honoring them, I guess."

At least I had a new name to live under, even if it was a stretch to live by. I was glad Hunter suggested it, though. I would be able to keep those two in mind and one day return stronger than ever and save them, that is, if they needed saving by the time I returned--not that I wanted to. That place was a hell made real now, and I wasn't looking to go back any time soon. For now, I would have to live with my new name and stay with Hunter until it was time, for he already invited me to stay with the consent of his grandparents.

That reminded me. "Hunter, are you sure its okay if I stay here? I don't want to be a burden on you or your grandparents."

The fox shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no. While you were out cold a few hours ago, I asked them if you could stay if you agreed to take refuge here. They don't mind, Ex. In fact, they're glad that you're here."

"Why's that?" I raised my brow.

He sighed, folding his arms. "I have a few friends nowhere near a lot, and they believe that you can be a good influence on me. We've gotten along so far, though."

"I don't see how things could go bad," I replied but then went wide-eyed with him.

That was a stupid thing to say! I was a danger here! The Division could be watching from a distance or from the house across the street and we would never know about it. They were in danger while I was here, but I looked at Hunter, who just stared at me with a very serious face. Dammit, this guy knew how to paralyze me into a sense of fear that only compared to the Director. He was serious about me being in a safe haven here despite my checkered past, and I didn't want to tell his grandparents about my past either. From what Hunter had said, I was just some sort of homeless guy trying to find somewhere safe and my mom was a gryphon while my dad was a husky.

Yeah, the story sounded stupid even to me but apparently they believed every word of it to my surprise. They were already allowing me to be safe under their care and keep me here until I was ready to depart. In a sort of weird, unusual way, I was like a second son to them. I never had a father, besides Alexander and Blake who acted like my fathers--double weird?--and this was probably the closest I was going to get to one. I hadn't met them yet, but Hunter assured me they were old, kind, generous, and meaningful. So long as I abided by their rules, I shouldn't have much quarrel with them.

One mutant freak could only hope.

I walked back over to my bed and sat my things in it. All I had was a small bag full of things Alexander had packed for me. It wasn't much but it was a good start. He and Blake helped guide me out of the bas, and I now had to make do with the outside world for the very first time.

Hunter stood beside me. "You feeling well?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "I dunno how I'm gonna get through this."

He just chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't get killed along the way."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

I smiled. "Alright. And thank you."

He looked at me. "For what?"

"I dunno. Everything?" he still looked at me puzzlingly, which made me sigh. "You gave me a place to call home, I'm glad I can call you my friend, and you don't treat me like I'm some sort of hybrid freak. I mean, I've met very few people who never treat me like I'm some sort of monster, so you could say I'm not really used to meeting someone who already accepts me."

He shook his head. "It's fine, Ex. Believe me, I know how feel about being a sort of...freak." The fox looked away from my gaze and muttered something even my ears couldn't pick up before meeting my gaze again. "Yeah, I'm used to people not treating someone equally. It sucks."

I rolled my eyes. "I know what you mean, Hunter, but who's the last person you saw with working wings? Even dragons can't fly! I can and I can do all this weird stuff no one else can, and I had to deal with being treated like an abomination for pretty much my whole life. I don't know how it equates to you, but I'm sorry. You don't know what it feels like."

Seconds passed before I realized how hurtful my words were to him, and I regretted saying them. His ears laid flat against his head, he refused to meet my eyes, and he stood hunched over rubbing his arms. I stepped forward but he just trembled.

What if I was wrong? He couldn't possibly know how hard it was growing up a freak in a facility where they wanted to create me at first but hated me as I started to grow up and realize the world wasn't exactly black and white. No one could know how much it hurt every day to be judged and hated at the same time without any reason, right? For all I knew, I was probably wrong and he probably did feel a lot of pain--pain I didn't know about. Compared to my now open book status, he was like a safe inside of a safe inside of a safe to me. Just when I think I know about him, he ends up showing a complete new side I didn't see coming. He made it incredibly difficult to get a full check, and I suppose it was my challenge to figure him out.

The sadness I saw in his eyes made me realize how much my words really hurt him, and I needed to fix this. He stayed where he was while I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. He stayed as stiff as a board for a few moments until he wrapped his arms around me in return.

His body slowly began to loosen up, but his stance eventually snaked its way into mine. Suddenly, I felt really weird. It wasn't a feeling I had often, so I couldn't place my finger quite on it. My heart and stomach felt like they had things tingling inside, almost causing me to tremble like him. I felt stiff and I had no idea what to do now. Do I break the hug or keep it going? I was feeling odder while his arms stayed locked around me, and even my wings were beginning to fidget while the seconds ticked on.

Deciding I was getting too awkward for this, I helped ease him off of my body. When I saw his face again, I was welcomed to his kind smile once again even though he was still trying to let go of the sad part he showed a few moments ago.

I returned the smile and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Listen, I'm sorry I said that." I apologized. "I had no right to make an accusation like that, and I'm really sorry I didn't take your feelings into consideration. That wasn't right of me."

He waved his hand aside, sighing. "Aw, don't worry about it. Some people just don't realize how little they know--no offense or anything."

I huffed, smiling. "None taken. I've spent my entire life in a glass bubble, so I think I could use some real world tips now. The more I learn the better."

The fox smirked, raising a brow. "Is that so?"

Oh, no. I didn't like that tone. "Yeah? I think that is so. Why do you ask anyway?"

He chuckled, putting his hands on his hips. "Easy. In order to stay here, my grandparents want you to go to school."