After a three-hour flight of pure silence, aside from the storm thundering below us for a good chunk of time, we landed in West Virginia just along the Appalachian Mountains. I have to say those mountains were freaking huge! I nearly crumpled up into another asthma attack we were so high. Thank god we were able find this nook in one of the ridges. It was high enough that no hikers could reach us, and low enough that I wasn't gasping for air.

I looked down at the sparkles on the ground of the distant cities and towns. It was really beautiful, aside from the cold drafts wafting through. It was strange to see the world this high up and not worrying about flapping every minute. My wings stretched behind me and gently rested against Speck's sleeping body. She softly groaned and rolled over to cuddle up next to me, her warmth against my side. I glanced at her just as a gust filtered into the cave, brushing her thin hair over her eyes. I awkwardly reached back to fix it.

I gently sighed and returned back to my view of the land. Would she ever forgive me for what I did? I really hoped so, she was all I had. God, what was wrong with me? How could I ever say that to her? Am I-? I choked on my thoughts and leaned my head on my hands. Am I finally going crazy? I mean I killed a guy – a murderous, wolf beast guy to be exact. Most people didn't kill, they just fought until the opponent passed out or gave up. Sure, Speck said he was intent on killing, but I didn't want to respond with the want to kill either.

I carefully rolled onto my side, feeling Speck's body move with me. And why did they have to change their protocol? Couldn't they just give up on us – on Speck? The pictures on the tv flashed in my mind and I let out a deep sigh. We were such idiots to believe that going to school was going to be safe. They were watching our every move. No wonder I never felt okay with it. Even up to the point of us walking onto the bus and looking prim and proper – I felt like I was a bright red sore on a bald guy's head. It made me sick to my stomach to hear Speck's words as I tried to fly us back home:

"I was so close..."

My throat closed. We were never going to live a happy, normal life. I couldn't change that, nor could I just cut off my wings and tail and ears and... God what was I thinking? If I were to do that, I would most likely die or have to go back to the place that made me this way just to do it. I was stuck with this, forever.

I looked at Speck who had a fistful of my shirt against her chest. She wasn't going to have a normal life either. Not with me around, and not with a target on her back. I had to at least do something to make her happy though. I didn't want her to keep moping around like she was now. She even fell asleep on the flight here, which I still don't know how she managed to do.

I placed my hand on her shoulder and she mumbled in her sleep.

"Mnn, wha-" one of her eyes peeled open.

"Shh, go back to sleep," I whispered.

She nodded and stretched her arms over her head before burying herself into me. I gently smiled and wrapped an arm around her to keep her warm. I knew what I had to do, but how was I going to do it?

"Hmm," the girl sang to herself as she browsed through the computer as fast as she could. At the rate she was going, no other person could read it, let alone understand it. She was just checking up on the news and possible information when she paused on an article. What caught her eye wasn't the title necessarily, intriguing as it was, but the pictures below it.

She blinked and narrowed her eyes. Was that... no way. She half-chuckled and clicked back to the main search engine, dismissing it. But she couldn't get the picture of the girl out of her head. She looked so much like Iggy, it was hard to ignore. They had the same facial features aside from some weird looking bruises.

"What is it Angel?"

The dark-haired girl glanced at the two siblings across the room sitting on the couch. Angel was halfway putting down her puzzle piece but her attention was somewhere else. The blonde boy next to her poked her shoulder. Her own blonde curls bounced as she turned to look at him, "Nothing." She proceeded to put down her piece in its spot. "You're turn, Gazzy."

"What was that, Nudge?" the girl at the computer blinked at Angel's words in her mind.

"Nothing, just a picture," Nudge thought back, not speaking aloud. She clicked on an article about natural hair styles and began reading.

"The zoo?" Speck inquired as we coasted over a nearby city. It was early morning, and the misty air made a chill run down my spine.

"Remember back at the restaurant? I promised you we'd do something fun," I replied, slowly making my way down to the ground in large circles. I was analyzing the ground, trying to find a good place to land without being seen. I couldn't recognize the city, but it was big enough that there were towers with lights to warn oncoming planes. I really hoped this place had at least a decent zoo, otherwise I was going to have to improvise.

"But-"

"No buts," I cut in, finally seeing a decent patch of land not too far from the city. I angled down a bit more, feeling the coldness in my wings, and finally touching down with not too much of a skid. I was getting better at this, and I inwardly cheered at my accomplishment. I still ended up on my butt though, which also managed to pull on my tail. Ow.

We quickly analyzed the area before making our way towards the city. As soon as we got close, I pulled out the laptop and searched for the nearest zoo and the map of the city. Speck just idly stood against a tree, fingering the hem of her jacket and staring at her shoes. I glanced at her, gulped, and turned back to the city map, deciding to memorize the most elaborate way to the zoo. We were going to hit shops, dress stores, everything that I knew Speck loved. I just hoped she would at least give it a chance.

I closed it up and put it back into the bag, "Why don't we get some food first?" The nearest ice-cream store was just on the path we were going to take. "Then we won't worry about expensive stuff at the zoo."

Speck paused, thinking a bit before replying with a straight, "Okay."

I bit the inside of my lip; this was going to be fun.

It took some work to get her to warm up to the trek within the city. Before we even finished at the café, her eyes darted to the brightest yellow dress anybody has ever seen. Seriously, it was like I was looking into the sun. And this girl gawked all over it – we even went inside despite the fancy interior. One of the workers there tried her hardest to make us leave in the nicest, customer-loving tones she could muster. Speck insisted looking at even more dresses while I reassured the gal that we were just looking, not planning to buy anything. When Speck returned to me holding an extra-small leather jacket bedazzled in diamonds, I really had to convince her we didn't have the money. And we didn't – it was way over our already shrinking budget.

Speck instantly shut down after that, sulking quietly to herself as I desperately tried to explain to her. She wasn't having it. Despite everything I said, from its flashiness to durability, she turned her nose up at me. I wanted to strangle this girl, but instead I had something else in mind.

"Want some sorbet?" I suggested as we passed a small sorbet business.

"I'm not hungry," she sharply said.

"You're always hungry," I narrowed my eyes at her.

She didn't respond and simply kept walking. I huffed and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the store. She complained but instantly shut up at the sight of over thirty-two flavors. Her eyes widened as she peeked around other customers to see them all. I rolled my eyes.

"Why don't you get three scoops of your favorites, and I'll do the same, okay?" I glanced at the line. It was jam-packed with uniformed kids and I couldn't help but think of the school chaos we went through. But it was the best for her to blend in, as their colors matched her green shirt. She nodded without looking at me and I gently sighed. It should take a while for her to order, let alone get somebody to notice her, so this was perfect.

I quietly slipped out of the shop without her noticing and glanced around. I knew there was a thrift shop nearby, I saw it on the map, and I would be damned if I couldn't find a jacket like the one we saw before. Something similar, but nothing too flashy or flimsy. I began walking until I saw the sign saying "Gina's Other-Wears." It was just a block away, thankfully, but I had to be quick just in case.

I strolled in only to be bombarded with a short brunette with a wispy pixie cut. "Hi there!" she said in a chipper voice. "I'm Gina, and welcome to Gina's Other-Wears! What are you looking for today?"

I really had to hold back my instinct to punch her, as I didn't expect this kind of service at a thrift store. I stepped back before clearing my unsteady throat, "I-I'm uh... looking for a leather jacket. For a kid, if you have one." I forced a smile which probably looked menacing to her as her grin faltered.

"Follow me! We have a couple leather jackets in the back right of the store, next to the fur-lined dresses," she pointed towards the back wall where even more clothes were stacked and pushed together. I gulped, seeing the edges of my vision becoming blurry just at the thought of being in a confined space. "Let me know if you need anything else!" Gina exclaimed before hurrying herself to greet another customer.

I let out a breath as I contemplated what I was doing. No, I had to do this for her. Speck's jacket prior was practically destroyed by breakfast and wasn't washing off well with the little water we had. I wish I could've changed Mom's mind about the fabric, but I wasn't thinking about the negative things then. Mom, I thought, before shaking it away. No, I'm here for Speck. And I was going to get that jacket for her, no matter what it took.

I weaved my way back towards the leather jackets, stepping on glitter stained shoes and nearly knocking over an elephant vase while also trying not to knock off clothes from their hangers. I left at least four in my wake, but I couldn't dare to turn around. Everything pressed up against me, enveloping me, as I tried to calm my racing heart. Once I felt fur, I knew I was there, so I pushed my hands out to look for the jackets. There were more leather jackets than I imagined, more colorful than anything, and only a couple black toned ones. I looked them over, my heart racing the more I realized they were way too huge for either of us, until I glanced at the floor. A black lump sat under a hot pink leather vest, so I reached to grab it. I held it up to analyze.

It was perfect.

I dashed as fast as I could to the register while keeping my breath steady. I fished out the cash on hand, using a good chunk of it but I didn't care. At least it wasn't over our budget. Once payed and given the receipt, I jogged out which in turn made her mouth open wide. Crap. I forgot for a second what I was doing but I kept going, making it back to the sorbet shop just in time to see Speck ordering. I panted as she turned to look at me.

"Weren't you in the bathroom?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh- yeah- I was I just-"

"Well I got you what I got, so here," she handed me a collection of icy colors in a bowl and a blue spoon sticking out of it. She glanced at me, waiting, until I realized I had to pay. Again, I fished out more cash and placed it on the counter, thankful that this place was cheap. I mean, how can you mess up sorbet? Speck quickly dug into her dessert as I grabbed the change. We exited the building and that was when Speck noticed the bag in my hands.

"What's that?"

"Oh- here," I set my cup down on a nearby ledge and pulled out the jacket. It nearly matched the one in the store we saw earlier, but its sparkles were flat and sparsely glued to the shoulders and pockets. Her eyes widened even more, and she nearly dropped her sorbet.

"Where did you get this?" she ripped it out of my hands and held it up, admiring its uniqueness. "Did you- you didn't go back to- "

"Of course not, I was able to afford this one," I cut in. I didn't want to tell her it was from a thrift store, despite the obvious imperfections, as she was lavishing it. "Go ahead, try it on."

She threw down her old stained jacket and pulled the new one on. It was a little long in the sleeves, but the cut hit her perfectly in the hips, and it made her look three years older. She oohed at it and spun around before settling her gaze on me. "Oh my god it's perfect!" she beamed. "Is it for me?"

"Of course, it is!" I lightly chuckled. "It's your size, right?"

"It is- oh thank you so so so much!" She threw her arms around me and I returned her hug.

"No need to thank me," I responded, my mind high-fiving myself. "You deserve it."