• 1

    The car hit a bump and sent my head to the top of the car, causing me to bang it.
    “Ouch.” I muttered. The girl beside me curled up tighter against the wall.
    They told us we were special. They told us we were different. If by different they meant the wings growing out of our backs, then yes. When I was born, they injected the shot into me, and I grew wings. Looks like they tried it out on four others.
    Now I was on my way to a school meant just for that, to train us. The girl next to me was a few months younger. When they picked me up, they filled me in. I knew it was going to happen for three months now, and here I was, in a car on my way to a school in Oregon.
    “So uh…” I said, trying to start a conversation. The girl swept her auburn hair into a ponytail and ignored me. “I’m Beck.” I said. She glanced back at me.
    “I’m Athena.” She said. I raised an eyebrow.
    “Like the Greek goddess?” I asked. She nodded. I smiled, amused. Then she turned back to her window, silencing. I sighed and leaned against the window, thinking hard.
    “Ok, guys, we’re almost there.” I thought the driver, Gus, was really nice. He talked to me a little bit on our way and gave me a handful of skittles that he kept hidden in the glove compartment.
    “What’s it like?” I asked. He looked back at me in the rear-view mirror.
    “It looks like a school, pretty much.” He said. I swallowed and looked out my window at the fields we were passing. “Look, Beck, I know you’re scared. But don’t be. These people are very nice, and they’ll take good care of you.” He lectured. I smiled for him but it faded as we drove up in front of the IFK (Institute for Flying Kids). It did look like a school, with red brick and big front doors. There were three buildings, each connected by a series of hallways.
    We got out of the car, and Athena and I followed Gus inside. At the front desk sat a lady with graying blonde hair.
    “Hello.” She said in a flat voice.
    “H-hi.” I stuttered. She raised a plucked eyebrow and gave Gus directions. He smiled and motioned for us to follow him. We walked down a hallway that had flickering bright lights, pictures of the owner and different achievements on the walls. When we got to a big door, Gus turned us over to the doctor waiting on the other side.
    “See you guys soon.” He said, giving us each a handshake. I watched him walk back down the long hallway.
    “Hello, children.” The doctor had jet black hair and glasses. We all shook hands. “First, we’ll need to sterilize you, and then you’ll go through a check-up, like at the regular doctor. You get one each week.” He led us through the door. Since Athena was a girl, she got a girl doctor and I was stuck with the dude.
    Before Athena and her doctor could walk away, I heard, “When do you get your period?” Athena’s face flushed and she glanced at me. But I never got to smile reassurance at her before the disappeared.
    “Ok, Mr. Beckham—”
    “Beck.” I said. He nodded.
    “Beck,” he corrected himself. “Just follow me.” He led me to an office and made me sit on a patient table. “Ok.” He snapped his gloves on. “Now tell me, Beck, do you have any allergies?” he asked. I nodded.
    “Cinnamon.” I said. He scribbled it on a form. Then looked up.
    “Do you take any medicine?”
    “No, sir.” I muttered.
    “Okie doke.” He pulled his stethescope out of his pocket and listened to my heart. “Very nice. It pulses fast, like it does for a bird-person.” He said. I shrugged. He looked in my ears, then my mouth, then checked my reflexes. “Wings.” He said. I unfolded them and spread them out to their full length, about six feet. They were brown and gold, with tawny streaks.
    “Very good.” He said, feeling the feathers and recording their color and weight. Then he smiled at me, pulling a little cup out of his lab coat pocket. “Urine test.” He said. I blushed red and took the cup from him. He directed me to the bathroom.
    I quickly took the sample and went back. He took it and went to put it in the lab while I sat down and let out a deep breath. When he came back he nodded.
    “Next, let’s get you sanitized. He led me down another hallway to a room marked, “Sanitation. Doctors, do not enter without proper gear”. “Go in there, strip down, and put the hospital gown on. Then they will come in and clean you.”
    “Wait… I have to have someone else wash… my body?” I asked in disgust.
    “I know, I know, it seems weird. But it has to be done.” He opened the door just as Athena stepped out in a towel. Luckily it was big and showed nothing but her arms and neck, then from her knees down.
    “Oh shoot.” She cussed, blushing hard. Dr. Whatever-his-name-is smiled and directed her to where the girl doctor was standing. Athena didn’t look at me, embarrassed. I took a deep breath and went inside.
    I looked around. It was like a locker room with a big window opening up to a giant shower with three big water nozzles. The doctor closed the door and slowly I stripped down, pulling the hospital gown on. Like hospital gowns do, it showed my butt.
    I blushed hard as two female doctors entered in bio-suits with big cleaning devices. One smiled at me through her mask. They directed me into the shower and I swear they were looking at my butt. They started the water and took my gown off, washing me from head to toe, scrubbing my feathers. I was SO embarrassed.
    When the torture was over, I wrapped a towel around my waist and opened the door. The doctor led me down a completely different hallway, to the second building.
    “This is the apartment wing. This is your room.” He handed me the key to the door three doors down from the main door. I unlocked it. It looked like a college dorm, with a double bed, a TV, a dresser, a desk, and two lamps. My stuff was already there and unpacked. All my posters, clothes, my computer, everything. The doctor left and I got dressed, sitting down on my new bed. I swallowed hard, looking around. I was scared, I realized.
    “Aw man…” I said, grabbing a pillow and sinking down in the big closet. I closed the doors and sat in the dark, tears pricking at my eyes. I felt like I was four, not fifteen.
    Then I heard a knock. I opened the closet door and went to answer the door. There stood a guy about seventeen, with black converse, skinny jeans, a graphic t-shirt with the words ‘Things Change’ on it, and gloves with the fingers cut off them.
    “Hello.” He said, smiling. I looked at his hair, which was black and covered one eye.
    “Er… hi.” I said. He reached out a hand. I shook it.
    “I’m Shia.” He said.
    “Beck.” I said. He grinned.
    “I know. I’m here to help you.” He explained. “I’m one of the other bird-people. Me and Marissa are the others.” He frowned. “You ok?” he asked. I blinked, realizing I probably looked a mess.
    “I’m fine.”
    “Look, you’re probably scared, I know I was.” He soothed. “But it’s all ok.”
    “Ok.” I replied. He smiled again.
    “Ok, so lets fill you in. This is the apartment building. That middle building is the lab building.” We went inside and sat on the bed.
    “And the third?”
    “That’s the training building. It’s also where we have meals. In this building, after you go down a hallway, there’s a game room.” He said. I nodded, half listening. He smacked his hands together. “Ya hungry?” he asked. As if an answer, my stomach growled. We both chuckled.
    He led me down the hallway to a different room and knocked. A sixteen year old girl answered. She was… hot. He had brown hair that was pin straight and halfway down her back with red streaks, and pretty blue eyes. She was dressed in a black and white plaid tank top, skinny jeans, and Converse.
    “Hello.” She said. I looked over her shoulder where Athena was sitting on her bed, face buried in her hands.
    “Hi…” I said. The girl smiled at me, shaking my hand.
    “I’m Marissa.” She said.
    “Beck.” I replied. She giggled.
    “It’s a very nice name.”
    “Thank you.” Marissa glanced behind herself at Athena, then turned back to share a look with Shia, who sighed.
    “She ok?” he mouthed. Marissa shook her head.
    “Pretty upset.” She mouthed back. She let us inside. “Athena? Are you hungry? We were just going to get dinner…” she said, sitting down beside Athena. Athena shook her head. I could see her shaking.
    “I just wanna go home.” She whimpered. I bit my lip. Shia sat down on the other side of her and reached out to rub her back.
    “Are you ok, sweetie?” he asked. Athena sniffled and looked up. Tears ran down her cheeks. She sobbed and closed her eyes. Shia leaned over to hug her.
    “Aw…” he said. I fidgeted, sitting down in her desk chair. WE sat there a minute… me watching Marissa and Shia try to talk to her. Finally she calmed down and we all walked over to the training/cafeteria place. That’s where I met the last person like us.
    “Hey Hunter.” Shia said to the boy sitting at the table. He glanced up. He looked about fourteen years old, with blonde hair and red streaks in it, like mine but my streaks were orange. His eyes were purple.
    “Hey Shia.” Hunter’s voice was soft. His eyes traveled to me and Athena. He raised an eyebrow. “These the newbies?” he asked. Shia nodded, sitting down in the seat beside Hunter. Marissa sat down across from Shia, Athena sat on one side of her, and I sat on the other, facing Hunter, whose purple eyes were scanning me.
    “Your name is Beck.” He said. I gaped.
    “How’d you know that?” I asked. He smiled and looked at Shia.
    “Hunter can see the future. He’s the one that told us you were coming.” Shia explained.
    “Oooohhhh….” I drew the word out, feeling stupid and casting my eyes down to the TV dinner that was set in front of me by a lady with black hair and a smile. I poked at the macaroni, which was still de-frosting.
    I jumped as Athena burst into tears on the other side of Marissa, who sighed sympathetically and hugged her, obviously liking getting to play mom. Hunter’s eyes traveled to Athena, and what I saw was amazing. His eyes lit up, like he was seeing the sun for the first time. I saw him mouth, “Whoa…”
    I cast my eyes back down. It was dead silent except for Athena’s sniffling. I then looked up at Hunter, who was staring openly at Athena.
    “So uh… how old is everyone?” Shia asked, trying to make conversation.
    “I-I-I’m fourteen.” Athena sniffed.
    “Fifteen.” I heard myself say mechanically.
    “Oh, cool. I’m seventeen, Marissa is sixteen, and Hunter is fourteen.” He said. Athena whimpered and got up, running off to the bathroom that was just off the lunch room.
    “Athena—!” Marissa called after her, getting up to follow. I watched her leave, feeling bad for Athena. I felt scared too, but obviously she’d had worse experiences than me. Hunter bit his lip, then looked at me.
    “She ok?” he asked. I shrugged. Shia fidgeted, poking at his chicken. Hunter shook his head and scooped up a spoonful of half-frozen pudding. I sighed, not knowing what to think. Then when I thought about it… I realized I was upset.
    I took a shuddery breath and uncapped my drink, taking a sip.
    “You ok?” Shia asked. I just shrugged my shoulders again and looked down at my lunch.
    “I’m gonna go back and lie down a while.” I said hoarsely. Shia looked worried.
    “You want me to come?” he asked.
    “Only if you want.” I said, and started walking. I heard him get up and come after me.