The School, 4 years ago

The Whitecoats shoved Max into the cage roughly, too roughly for the little girl. She felt the pain but stayed strong, she did not whimper or cry.

She was strong.

Once the Whitecoats left she peaked through the bars on the too-small cage.

Five pairs of eyes peaked out of the neighboring cages.

"Nayagn?" She asked the others.

"Unish" Their voices answered.

"Qu nayagn?" They asked her.

"Unish" She said strongly.

The experiments spoke English. but they used their own primitive language when under watch. The Whitecoats still struggled to translate it. It seemed that the language was constantly changing and evolving.

The Whitecoats were able to translate this conversation though.

The girl had asked if the others were alive and they responded yes.

The others repeated this to her and she assured them she was fine.

The dark-haired boy looked over at the girl and only he saw the blood on her arm. Only he was allowed to understand that no she was not fine. He looked at her again and then stuck his fingers as far as they could go through the bars.

The girl did the same and the two were just able to touch.

The small gesture immediately calmed the girl. She looked over at him and the boy gave her the slightest smile.

And for a second she forgot. She forgot about the tests and about the pain. She forgot the experiments and the exhaustion.

For a second she smiled too.

Later, when the lights went out she shifted in the tiny cage to try and sleep.

But she did not take her fingers back and neither did the boy.

The darkness made the pain and exhaustion more apparent to her.

She remembered the boys fingers touching her own and relaxed.

And that was when she gave in. She gave in to the exhaustion and slept.

She let herself go, she let herself relax.

The one time she let herself relax.

If only she had known.

That night a man entered the room with the cages.

He was silent.

The children did not stir; they had not learned how to wake at the slightest noise yet.

He walked up to one cage. He looked at the girl, asleep. He noticed her fingers reaching to touch the boys.

He opened her cage.

"Hello, daughter" He whispered and pulled the girl out.

He felt the feathers of her wings against his arms and sighed.

She was so light and thin.

He looked at her and then at the others. The other bird kids in cages.

He thought about their language and how she had reached to just touch the boy.

She loves them. All of them.

He wondered what to do.

But looking at the sleeping children he knew he could only carry one.

"I'm sorry" He said "I wish I could save you as well. But I must save my daughter."

Jeb looked at the girl once again and knew he was right.

Because his own daughter didn't have a name.

Because he put her here and now he had to take her out.

So he left that night with one bird kid in his arms.

If only.

In another world maybe the girl stayed awake. Maybe she saw when the man entered. Maybe she agreed to go and he did not have to carry her out.

And maybe, in that world, the girl protested. Maybe in that world, the girl demanded that the others come with.

Maybe she would not leave without them

And in that world the girl would have friends, in that world she would not have been alone.

But that is not this world.

Thanks for reading!

-TT