I flew over the great lakes I wanted to go to Canada I was almost there when I glanced down and saw white wings spread across the water. Floating not moving, I flew in closer I was curious until I realized it was a young girl probably fifteen. I swooped down on her and pulled her into my arms and to the shore. I listened for her heart beat I could hear it but barely. There was a slash mark across her waist, like a raptor. She was a bird kid just like us and some one obviously wanted her dead. Just like me.
I was near dawn when she finally woke up. "What the hell?" She groaned, I stood over her and she near had a heart attack. I clamped my hand down over her mouth.
"Shh, I'm not going to hurt you I'm not here to hurt you or doing anything unnecessary. I was just passing through and I saw you in the water. I brought you out. I'm going to remove my hand, don't scream." I said quickly. She didn't but she did pull her wings in tight against her body, she was scared of me.
"Why?" She whispered hoarsely. I didn't know why, I just knew I couldn't leave her.
"I'm a Good Samaritan sue me." I said back, she smiled.
"It's you!" She gasped, I stopped did I know her?
"Do I know you?" I asked warily.
"You saved me from the institute." She said standing. Now I remembered she was the little bird girl who'd taken the others.
"What happened to the others?" I asked, I remembered her, she wasn't the enemy.
"They expired." She said quietly.
"Whets your name kid?" I asked quickly.
"Rose." She replied her hair was bright fiery red anyways.
"You want to travel with me?" I asked, I startled myself I was never like this I guess I really did miss the flock that much.
"Thank you." She said before standing, "We should go the other with come for you now." I stopped.
"Excuse me?"
"The others; there are more of us; but they're angry at the world all human lovers will die." She said before taking off. So this land belonged to the others who the heck were the others and I could see why they hated humans but not all of them where mislead like the evil scientists.
"Where did you go after you left us in New York?" I asked her.
"The subways one of the young ones was sick, he died that night. It took some months to go others only days after we where free. I was given an accelerated grow hormone before you freed us. It didn't react badly like in my panther friend. She aged too far and died. I stopped aging about a year ago." Rose told me. She looked a little lost; it reminded me of a puppy or my Angel.
"So where's the rest of your flock?" she asked trying to change the subject.
"Safe, I left them." I told her. She stared at me in shock.
"Why would you leave your flock?" Rose demanded.
"They were in danger because of me, and I had to leave." I told her. She touched my hand, and I pulled back.
"Sorry, I had to see." She said sheepishly.
"See what?" I demanded.
"When I touch someone I can see all they've been through. It's like seeing the future only backwards and limited." Rose explained.
"So you have a power too huh." I said, I didn't have one, but of course she knew that now.
"That's cool how Max found your families for you. Even if you didn't get a happy reunion." She said quietly. There was something she wanted to say but wasn't going to too I could tell. It was like trying to read Max only easier.
"And?" I pushed, I wasn't the pushy type but she was new too me and Max wasn't around to push her for me.
"It's a long story." She said.
"We have time." I replied motioning to the slowly brightening sky around us.
"I wasn't from a test tube. I had parents, but I was taken away. I'm not like you and your flock or Dylan. I wasn't born with wings. I'm the only successful avian child who had the gene splice at the age of six. I was at the park with my parents and my Big brother, until they came for me. My Brother has wings, he was born with them. My father was a scientist but after his first failure he stopped. To get revenge on him for taking Leon away from them, they took me." She stopped. I waited for her to go on; the memories wouldn't be much different from mine.
"They took me to the institute, and I don't remember how they did it but I was in a room full of birds. I only remember their cries of terror and defeat. After it was over, I could hear the birds, speaking. I thought I was crazy but they spoke to me, telling me they were sorry. I didn't understand what was going on or why it had happened. But they kept me in a room, an actually room. Nothing happened so they drew blood lots of blood and lots of tests. I remember the White coats voices.
'The splice took. It's taking too long, did we do something wrong, lets dissect her.' I hated them and I wanted my parents. I wanted my brother. But then it started they watched as I clawed at my back, it itched and stung. And finally the bones started forming." She shuddered her wings quivered in the air.
"They started growing just like that?" I asked horrified.
"Yes just like that, it took months for them to form fully but the White coats loved every minute of it. It hurt like nothing I've ever felt in my life. So they tried to on many others but none took like I did, they will keep trying. So long as I live." She said.
"I'm sorry." I told her quietly, she needed to hear that.
"Its ok, it's not like you had anything to do with it. But when you freed me I was going to go find my parent's but they were gone. I'm still looking for them, I found an address, and they left me clues. That's where I'm going, you can come you know. I know that you want to be far away from Max to keep her safe, and that you don't want to put any one in danger, but trust me, I don't mind." Rose told me. I stayed silent and so did she.
If I went with her, I could put her and her family in danger. Or this could be a trap, but some how I knew it wasn't. Maybe I was channeling Max, but I thought that maybe this could be the second chance I needed, and at the first sign of danger to Rose, I could leave. I could survive alone, but not for twenty years. At least not twenty years straight.
"Lead the way." I told her, she smiled. This was the beginning. And it was my beginning.
I found Fang, he was the one who'd saved me from the institute and now he was going to come home with me. Maybe he could help me explain to my parents what had happened. I wonder if I would get to see Leon, if he had expired.
"Oh, I should tell you they live next too Okanagan lake, in British Columbia."
"Canada, perfect." Fang commented, I remember that was where he was headed we he found me.
"Lets land here, I have to check something." I told him, I had to check my wound; it had healed up last night, and another one of the things I'd been gifted with.
"I'm going to find something to eat." He told me, before setting off toward the town.
I leaned against a tree and waited, I actually fell asleep. And I had a nightmare.
'No!' I screamed, I ran I couldn't fly my wings wouldn't work, they where chasing me following me. I'd survived their attack, He wasn't too happy about that. He wanted to kill Fang, they were the reason he was like this. But I didn't know who he was. I couldn't see his face. When he killed me I smelled cookies. Cookies? WTH? I woke up Fang was back.
"You got this really weird look on your face, about a minute ago." He commented shoving a cookie into his mouth.
"Yeah because I died and smelled like cookies doofus." I growled, He raised one eyebrow at me and then went back to eating cookies. I grabbed one and cringed. I smelled like death, like cookies.
Fang rose he sensed something.
"Lift off now." He growled. We launched into the air, something was down there.
"What hell was that?" I asked.
"I don't know but it didn't want us there." He said, "I didn't want to find out what it was."
"I told when you destroyed the school and opened up the institute and everything else you guys did a lot of us got out. It's mutant central in the wilderness. It's safer out there." I explained to him.
He nodded silently, i wonder if Mr. Silent had worn out his vocal chords talking to me.
"You are now entering Canada." I chirped peering down at border control. His eyes smiled but his face didn't. I was in a different country, now all I had to do was to Okanagan Lake.
"Hey Mom I'm home." I called inside the house. No answer she was probably out in the garden.
"Leon, go check on the roast in the oven please." She said, from half way inside her flower bushes. I grinned mom was always gardening. She had and amazing Rose garden. Rose. My sister, I hadn't seen her in god knows how long. I didn't even know anymore. But I knew it was my fault, I was the bird kid.
"LEON!" Mom screamed, I sprinted out of the house ready to fight what ever came my way.
"Mom?! What is it?" I demanded. I saw two shaped in the sky, two winged shapes. In sneakers. I propelled myself into the air my mom was talking franticly into in the phone.
"Stop!" I commanded them. The dark boy stopped and the girl squeaked.
"OH MY GOD! LEON!" the girl shrieked. I stopped, "Rose?" I whispered.
"What did they do to you?" I gasped; she had wings just like me.
"LEON?" my mom called up.
"Mom, Rose is home." I said loudly. She fell on her butt in shock.
"MOMMA!" Rose squealed before diving to the ground. The dark boy followed in silence, who was he?
"Rose oh my Rose my beautiful baby? What have they done?" She sobbed,
"They gave me wings momma it's ok. I came back momma. I came back." Rose cried I ushered them inside.
Dad ran through the front door, and started crying when he saw Rose. It was a cry fest; I turned to the dark boy.
"Who are you?" I asked him.
"Fang." He replied.
"Leon, don't be mean." Rose told me. I turned to her, "Rose you have to explain." My parents nodded.
"I was grafted and about a year after that, Fang and his flock freed me. I went my separate way and he found me again. He left his flock. So I brought him home." Rose explained simply. My Dad turned to Fang for an answer.
"Thank you." My dad said after studying his face. Fang just nodded, that all we got a nod? What a guy. What a guy. But Rose was home that's all that mattered. That's all that really matter.