I slept for a couple of hours along with Speck, having no intention of going anywhere anytime soon. She woke up before me, and I woke to her trying to set my ankle and yelping in response. It was difficult but I ultimately wore a heavily bandaged boot with a couple of markers and pens to keep it steady. I couldn't put pressure on it, and my wings still ached from the horrible bruise at the base of them. Speck avoided speaking, and had a hard time swallowing but assured me she was fine. Her neck was horribly bruised, and I knew I had to get something to reduce the swelling. Our water was somewhat cold, so she used them to help as I browsed the internet.

"Dammit," I cursed, seeing news articles about the "Brutal Homicide off Western Blvd." They highlighted small details to avoid grossing out their readers and covered the two witnesses' reports. Their descriptions about me were on point, and many reporters included my photo from back home as a possible suspect. They encouraged others to aid the police in finding me as well as reminding the people to be vigilant, since I was deemed a wild case.

"Well, duh," Speck whispered as I finished reading the report.

"Shh, watch your voice," I reached over and gently massaged her neck. She flinched but leaned into it, hoping it would go away soon. I hoped so too, and with our mutations I assumed we would both be fine in two days' time, but it was still not fast enough.

"We still need to meet up with Fang," I muttered, concerned how he would react to finding out the news. But how were we going to get there? I couldn't run, and I doubted I could fly well with the beating I got.

Don't forget.

I frowned, remembering Jacob's face and trying to push away the thought. He was dead. I killed him. And I had to not linger on that, but my brain was telling me otherwise. Even in my few hours of rest, my mind pelted me with the last few minutes I had with him along with all the other memories. A part of me didn't want him to die. Why? He hurt me, used me, and treated me like an animal. God, I should have never caved into him. I should have never believed him and his interest in me at school. I shouldn't have fallen for that. If I didn't do what I did, I wouldn't be where I am now. I wouldn't be who I am right now. I know who I am.

And I am a killer.

I swallowed my thoughts, trying to push them down but the more I did the more they kept coming back full swing. I can't dismiss them anymore. They were always there, and now they were here to stay. I thought it was just an accident the first time, but this time was intentional. I wanted him dead, and I wanted to kill him myself. So I did, and there I was, the person my thoughts wanted me to be. I wished it didn't have to end this way, but it did, and I had to live with it until the day I died.

Amber Skyy: A Killer.

"I think we can make up lost time by hiking the trails," I clicked the other tab open. A map of the area around us displayed before me. I traced the brown lines with my finger, "It'll take a day at most though, and I'm not sure how bad the trek will be."

Speck replied with a thumbs up and handed me a gray shirt. I quickly changed and stuffed my stained one into my bag's pocket as she packed up the leftover bandages. My pants were still splattered, but the red was now a dark brown and faded in some areas. A band-aid covered Speck's cheek, though it didn't completely hide the pink line across her face. She didn't let me heal her at all, but I did manage to pass energy to her as I helped her out of the cave. She gaped at me and I shrugged; it wasn't like I couldn't take it back. Plus, she kept wanting to talk to me, mostly about what happened, but we both knew that would worsen her vocal cords.

So, we hiked in silence, following the improvised trails towards Telluride until I could extend my wings without hurting. I was able to jump into the air without harming my ankle, but my wing knocked her over in the process. We were finally in the air, and with a somewhat better mindset and me subtly giving Speck energy, we headed towards the meetup point.

Ratchet stomped up to Fang with a harsh look in his eye. Fang rose his brow as Ratchet set down the laptop in front of him and opened it to a Breaking News report, the main headline reading "Homicide by Suspected Runaway Teen." Fang paused in the middle of his bite.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Ratchet voiced as Fang began reading the article. "She's just as bad as those ITex people!"

"Just because she's a suspect doesn't mean she's the killer," Maya stated despite her voice slightly wavering. She must have read it before Fang had.

"They have eye-witnesses!" Ratchet hissed, crossing his arms. Kate caught ear of the conversation and tried to listen in. "And I bet they have footage too. Who else would kill a mutt like that? No normal person would."

He was right, but Fang didn't want to admit it. The last thing he needed was to face a murderer who wanted information on Iggy's whereabouts. She seemed so different in her messages, so there had to be an explanation for this. But it was so extreme that he was hesitant to meet up with her. What if she tried killing him next?

"Listen, we're still meeting her," Fang finally uttered, much to Ratchet's disbelief. He saw Kate turn back to whisper to Star and Holden. "This may have been an accident-"

"Nobody kills somebody by accident."

Fang shot him a look and Maya shrunk down a little. Of course, that was possible, he could vividly remember when Max broke Ari's neck back in the sewer systems of New York. She was devastated, unable to cope with killing somebody even though she was just defending herself. "In defense, they could."

Ratchet instantly went quiet and returned to his seat, though visibly pissed they were still going through with it. Fang let out a staggering sigh and glanced over the article again. That same picture was there, despite being in black and white, and that same look of the School stared back at him. With the trauma the School inflicted on him and the flock, he knew none of the flock would want to kill somebody. Maybe Max, with the crazed scientists and shady companies she faced, but her morality would step in to stop her. It stopped Fang before, too. But was that the same with Amber?

He sighed and checked the time.

"You ready?" Maya slurped the rest of her soda.

"Let's go," he stood and told the gang they would be back in an hour. They nodded and mentally prepared themselves if that hour lasted longer than usual. Ratchet stared at him as he and Maya walked out of the café door and into the late day sun.

Twilight finally arrived and I strangely felt more at ease in the densely packed forest of the ski slope. It wasn't terribly cold, but the altitude wasn't helping in keeping back the autumn winds. My hair swirled around me as I struggled to tuck it behind my bandana. Speck's hair frizzed but she didn't care as she hopped a little on her feet. My tail stiffened at each gust of wind, stuck in my pants since I didn't want to show off when he got here.

Why he chose the ski slope area was beyond me, but I could understand regarding what just happened earlier today. From what I read online, the police surrounded the area but couldn't do much because "secret forces" arrived before them and already took the body. Raiden was nowhere in the reports, so he must have bounced before people showed up. I feared him returning to avenge Jacob, but I had to put that aside. Now was not the time because I heard a crunch of leaves not too far off.

"He's near," I breathed, trying to keep my voice low just in case I was wrong. Speck stepped closer to me with one hand on her leg, hovering over her knife. The nervousness I had was different from approaching my parents for the first time. I felt more on edge, ready to bolt rather than break from the stress. I guess the adrenaline from earlier still simmered, and the pestering thoughts came back again.

You're a killer, why would he want to talk to you?

After everything I've been through, after all that I've faced with my parents, ITex, Jacob, and the Doomsday Group, you would think I would finally catch a break. Sure, having a couple of hours enjoying the sunset was amazing, but the next day I'm killing a man. I hung my head. I killed a man.

Murderer.

Who would want to talk to a murderer? I would've thought he'd seen the news by now, second guess his decision to help me, and never contact me again. Why would he still want to see me? I clenched my fists, wondering if he was just doing this to turn me in. I should just back out now, run while I still can. But my ankle was still busted, and I bet he could fly much better than me and catch me in a heartbeat. What was I doing? Was I really going through with this? His last message telling us to meet in the middle of nowhere, that we have to say the code word, and to come unarmed was just screaming ITex to me. Who else would do stuff like that? Middle of nowhere? Nobody will know I'm dead except Speck, unless he kills her too. Code word? That's some ITex militia bullshit. Unarmed? What, I was going to approach a possible hostile situation without defending myself?

I jumped when Speck grasped my hand, and she looked up at me with concern in her eyes. Yet she didn't say anything, and the memory of us standing in front of my, our, parents' house flashed before me.

"You can do this," I heard Speck next to me.

"C-Can I?" I stuttered, still staring at their front door wishing they would just come out and welcome me into their arms. But no; the saturated blue door stayed shut. Were they even home? What if they think I'm just a solicitor? Or a kid asking for signatures for a cause? Or burglars? Or crazy kids at the wrong house? Or-

"Amber!"

I blinked and looked down at Speck's hard determined face, "You. Can. Do. This." She stared intently into my eyes and I started to realize how shaky I was. She was holding my hands and was still as a tree; I was shaking like a broken lawn mower. "I'm right here," she said, squeezing my hand.

"Thank you," I told Speck. "For being with me."

She squeezed my hand just as she did then, "I'll always be." Her voice still a little rough.

My heart swelled amidst my other emotions as another gust of wind rolled through the area. Just as it did, I caught sight of a figure in the distance. No, two figures. Both were tall, in dark-ish clothing, and were taking cautious steps towards our location.

I gulped and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer towards me. He never said he'd bring somebody with him. My heart picked up yet again, and I felt my muscles pulling at my skin, ready to move. I didn't like this, not one bit. The figures said nothing as they got closer, but I could hear their breathing. My tail twitched as I brought my wings in closer as they got nearer.

I tried to move Speck behind me, but she stayed rooted where she was, determined to face our suspected attackers. If these two were associated with ITex, we had to react fast. But they were too thin to be Erasers, let alone Excers like Jacob said. I blinked away the thought again, letting a small, low growl escape my throat.

The figures paused, and I could see more details of them despite the growing darkness around us. One was a girl, brown-haired with a pinkish highlighted streak and defined cheekbones. Her eyes were hard, like the boy's, but her face aired more on the caution side as well. The boy's dark hair matched his clothes, stretched long and brushed his shoulders but styled like he went to the barber's recently. It covered part of his face, hiding what could've likely be a gear behind that eye, and I took a step back.

Before I could turn and hobble into a run, the boy stepped forward, leaving the girl behind. My heart was in my ears now, and I instinctively stepped in front of Speck despite her retorting gasp. If he was going to do anything, I had to be first, no matter what. I wasn't going to risk her life again.

He stopped short of six feet and matched eyes with me, allowing me a better look at him and him at me.

He was tall, at least six feet, and wore a black jacket, black pants, basically everything was black aside from the skull t-shirt. His olive skin was like Speck's, though had more hints of toughness to it, as I saw some muscle on his thin frame. His dark eyes analyzed me up and down as I tried to study his straight face. It was impossible, since I was eager for him to react to my scales or the makeshift cast around my ankle. But I read nothing; it was like staring at a statue.

"Maximum?" he asked. His voice sounded rough, but not scary. It was slightly deep but had the hint of puberty still left in it. I wondered how old he was, since he looked like a swimmer who rode a motorcycle in nice clothes. His demeanor was steady, as if he wasn't nervous at all. But he said the code word, now I just had to decide if I wanted to commit.

I gulped, "Maximum."

His shoulders relaxed along with the girl several feet behind him. I felt Speck relax too; she let go of her knife and stepped to my side. I wanted to join all of them, but I couldn't. How could I believe him, how could I really know this was Fang?

The girl stepped up to his right and I instantly growled. She froze and glared at me as I clapped my hand over my mouth. Dammit instincts. I bit the inside of my cheek and examined her as well. She was shorter than him and had more expression in her eyes. She was on the balls of her feet, still a bit tense, and had a bit more pride in her stature. Her hair wasn't entirely brown this close, as I could see hints of blonde contrasting against the magenta stripe. Her skin was a light tan and dotted in scars and scratches. With her pose and emotions on her sleeve, I felt kind of intimidated by her.

"We're not going to hurt you," her voice was husky and determined.

I lightly scoffed as the guy spoke up in support, "Don't worry."

I nearly rolled my eyes. Did they really think I was going to fall for this right off the bat? Anybody could have hacked into our conversation and replaced them with ease. I gingerly nudged Speck and she shot a glance at me.

"Here," he stepped back and the girl did as well. He adjusted his jacket and shuffled his shoulders to reveal a large mass behind him. I couldn't not react as he began unfurling his large, black wings. They were shaped much like a petrel but four times the size. She copied him, her wings a light brown with an ivory underside and black and white primaries. They looked just like the Harris' Hawks back at the canyon. It was odd to see them this large and attached to a person, but I guess that's what we were. Kids with wings.

The boy locked eyes on mine and my skin shivered in fear.

I guess I had no choice.

I felt just like how I did in front of my mom and dad, but this time it was with complete strangers. The stakes were higher, and my life was more at risk here. Sure, I had the night sky and the dense forest, but I didn't know if they had guns on them. I shakily stepped back, my hand leaving Speck's as she got out of my way. My throat closed, the memory syncing with me.

My insides were swirling like soup, and I could feel my heartbeat in my ears. A soft nudge registered on my arm, and I knew I had to show them. I tried to calm my racing heart, then let out a shaky sigh as I rolled my shoulders.

I didn't hear them gasp, but I could clearly hear their breaths quickening as I extended all fourteen feet of my cardinal wings. My heart raced as I inspected their faces. Hers was more amazed than anything, like she's never seen a kid with wings before, while his was blank like before, though I swore I saw his eyes slightly widen. All the same though, their reaction was expected: awe, wonder, amazement…

I quickly removed the bandana and they both blinked. My ears twitched as another gust ran through my hair, revealing all their furriness. When I pulled my tail out of my pants their expressions changed to that familiar look:

Fear.

My heart wrenched, and again I was back standing in front of my mom, in our living room, exposing everything about me in one go. It was the first time I told anybody aside from Speck. The second was for dad, and now, I was doing it again for strangers. Closing my eyes, I tried to push the memory away.

"W-What..." she put a hand to her mouth and I took a step back, holding my arms close and feeling like all blood left my body. I blinked away the tears coming in. Of course she wouldn't. She never would. I'm a freak, a freak of nature, and I can't do anything about it. I closed my eyes and turned away from her. She wouldn't accept me. Not with this, not all of this.

"I-I'm s-sorry..." I mimicked my past self, feeling tears coming in.

I wasn't like my brother. I wasn't like anybody. I was a freak.

My body began shaking as small arms wrapped around my waist. I blinked the tears away, realizing I wasn't back home. I was in the middle of a forest, shivering, in front of two mutants, one being a well-known blogger, and Speck was hugging me tightly. My skin tingled as I slowly came back to my senses and felt the familiar breeze.

I shakily breathed out and put my hand on Speck's shoulder, quietly thanking her for grounding me while both teens patiently exchanged looks. I swallowed despite my throat seizing up, trying to at least hide the nagging fear inside.

The boy carefully bent his wings to avoid hitting the girl and walked forward. I froze, despite my natural flight response to things like this, as he held out his hand to shake and said a calm tone:

"I'm Fang. Nice to meet you."