"So, you doing anything over the weekend?"

It was a Friday afternoon, and school had just finished for the week. Two long, glorious days of the weekend stretched out in front of me. And of course, there was the matter of the equally glorious sight walking beside me. Josh Rickson.

Oh yes, believe it or not, Josh was actually paying attention to me! He was, in my opinion, anyway, the best looking boy in school, and although I had never had an official 'crush' on him, he had always been one of the better boys in my class.

"No, I don't think so," I shrugged.

"Oh, well there's a disco on down at the Nerve Centre tomorrow night, I was thinking that maybe you'd want to meet up there or something," he said, looking at me with those deep blue eyes of his.

I smiled. "Yeah, that would be great!" I said. "Here, call me tonight," I said, taking a pen out of my pocked. I unzipped my schoolbag, grabbed a book and ripped a bit of paper out of a book. I scribbled my number down and gave it to him.

"Thanks," he said, folding it up and putting it in his pocket. "I'll ring you tonight. See you then!" Then he smiled a wide, white-toothed grin at me, and turned around to get on his bus.

I felt bubbles of excitement rise up in me like, well, bubbles. I couldn't believe it. So far I'd been pretty unlucky in the love department, but now it looked as though my luck might just be changing. The Nerve Centre, by the way, is our local youth club - only it's only for people aged above twelve and below seventeen. At fourteen, it was one of the places me and my friends liked to hang out. But this was something else. I grinned and started on my walk home. It was only ten minutes, so I didn't mind. I liked the walk, it helped me to clear my head and offered some quiet time to think.

I tugged the bobble out of my light brown, annoyingly bushy hair, so it came free of it's ponytail and fell just past my shoulders. It doesn't look especially bushy when it's down, but when I tie it up little bits of hair escape and stick out. Usually I'm not vain, but it's just so annoying when all the other girls have this smooth, sleek stuff and I'm stuck with a bushy mop.

Anyway, I continued to walk along the footpath. It was relatively quiet around here, most people got the bus or were picked up, and most of their houses were in the other direction. There weren't that many cars, and none were parked except for a Hummer at the side of the road.

I wasn't really paying attention though, I was daydreaming, thinking about tomorrow night. I was excited, and I couldn't wait. I smiled as I continued to walk.

Suddenly, someone grabbed me. I only had time to let out a small scream, before I felt something jab into my arm.

I lost all feeling in my arms and legs, and my vision went fuzzy.

Then, everything went black

Gradually, I realise that I was conscious. With a groan I opened my eyes.

Then the pain hit me.

I screamed, and my eyes welled up with tears. The pain was immense, I hurt all over, but my shoulder blades burned like hell. I was shaking all over, curled up into a ball as if to somehow protect myself. For a moment, I just wanted to die, I just wanted it all to be over.

Then, through the haze of pain, I felt someone grab my arm and inject me with something.

I slumped back as the pain faded. I was still shaking though. After a few minutes I had regained enough composure to think clearly.

The first thing I thought was, 'Where the hell am I?'

I looked out through… bars. Bars? It looked like I was in a cage or something. I looked at the roof. Yes, there it was in black print. I was in a dog crate, size large.

Not exactly five star accommodation.

Right, now I knew I was in a dog crate, but a dog crate where. I edged forward and looked out through the bars.

And gasped.

It looked like I was in a… lab. All around me were things that looked as though they were human… once. Beside me there was a thing that looked like a baby, only it had scales, like a lizard, and large, bulging eyes on either side of it's head.

I felt nauseas, and leant back against the back of my cage.

Then I felt it.

Something on my back. No, not on my back - part of my back. I craned my neck around, and found that my school shirt was ripped, two large slits down the back. And there was something behind the slits.

Gingerly, I felt my back. What I felt wasn't skin… it felt like… but no, it couldn't be.

Gently, I tried to extend… them. And gasped.

As I tried, the two large, things, on my back extended slightly. I felt a sharp burst of pain as I did so. But I barely noticed.

It was impossible. It couldn't be! And yet it was.

I had wings.