Sage's POV

We were going to do it. Iggy and I were gonna teach Arseny to fly. This morning, I saw him hovering a few centimeters above his mattress. Since he could walk without falling now, it was safe to teach him. Arseny seemed…different since the kidnapping. He was bolder and more confident in himself now. Before what happened, he had never dared to run. Now running was in his second nature. And remember those teeth that spontaneously came in? Biting things was a new hobby of his.

"You ready?" Iggy asked Arseny.

Arseny nodded his head, but since Iggy couldn't see I had to tell him. Iggy began demonstrating things, and Arseny would copy him almost exact. Before we let him fly, I flew around for a few minutes so that Arseny could actually see it done. In about an hour, Arseny had flying down almost perfectly. He was still a bit shaky on coasting though.

And you know what else he made progress in? Talking. After we had gotten inside for lunch, Iggy made sandwiches. When he gave Arseny his, Arseny said, "Daddy!"

Who knew?

Besides my son's astounding development, my day was fine.

"So, he like, talks now? That's really cool! I wonder if he'll be like me?" said Nudge in exactly one breath. Well, no offense to Nudge, but I hope Arseny turns out a bit quiet.

While Angel and Arseny were playing a game involving blocks and whatnot, I decided to run upstairs to get a load of laundry. While I was coming back downstairs, I heard a scream. It was Angel's. Quickly dropping the clothes I ran the rest of the way down the stairs. Her hand was bleeding and Arseny was in the corner looking guilty. I took a look at her hand before jumping to conclusions. Sure enough, there were bite marks. But you know, they looked like Eraser bite marks. Weird. I let Max deal with Angel's hand, and I took Arseny upstairs.

"That was mean. We don't bite people. That really hurt Angel. So now you're gonna sit here in your room for a timeout for five minutes," I said to him after putting him in his crib.

When I left the room he started to cry, and I felt bad, but punishing your kids came along with being a parent. I saw Iggy on my way downstairs.

"Don't go in our room, because Arseny is in timeout. He bit Angel."

"I heard. You know, I really think that the white coats did this. Everything that's happening, none of it is normal."

That's what scared me. I knew none of this stuff was normal, but I didn't want to admit that because that would mean knowing that Arseny had a problem. And sadly, after this incident, I had to come face to face with that horrible possibility. As if he was reading my mind, Iggy wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on the top of my head. This was not only our problem; it was the flock's too. Arseny could put us in danger. Iggy and I had to choose what to do. Keep Arseny, or leave the flock?

Iggy's POV

A few days later, Arseny got sick again. It seemed as if this was only the least of our problems. Yesterday we had a flock meeting. Guess what suggestion Sage had made? She proposed that she and Arseny leave the flock. It was an insane idea, I know. I was the first to object. She insisted that if Arseny became a threat, she'd leave with him. I couldn't tolerate that. She was basically my life. I loved her and letting her go was something that I couldn't cope with.

After the meeting, she was in our room crying on our bed. I took her by the shoulders and said, "Promise me that you'll never ever leave me. I need you. I'm not gonna lose you now. If I lost you, I'd die."

Which made her cry harder, and I regret saying that. But you know, regret wasn't always a bad thing. She fell asleep in my arms that night, and I'm pretty sure tears streaked her face. She was so vulnerable around now. Everything was perfect, and then her world fell apart right before her very eyes. That's not something that makes you chipper, to say the least.

Our relationship might be headed for the rocks. I was determined to hold it together for as long as I could.

"Iggy, I really love you. Whatever happens will be best for the both of us. If I leave, I'll come back and find you. It may not be soon after, but you will see me again if I have to leave. And don't give up because I'm gone," she said. Somehow, it had much more meaning than what was said.

"What if Arseny gets sick again? He's prone to that. And maybe we could try and teach him how not to be an Eraser. Sage, if worst comes to worst, you don't have to leave."

She was torn between leaving and keeping Arseny safe, or staying here.

"Iggy, don't tell the flock this, but I don't plan to leave. I think Max thinks that I need to step it up a bit so I just said I'd leave to make her happy," she said barely above a whisper.

Why hadn't she told me that earlier?

Sometimes she seriously confused me.

We heard Arseny a couple rooms over coughing. Earlier that week Dr. M. had gone to the drug store and bought some medicine for when kids got sick like this. Cough syrup, Tylenol, and other stuff was what she'd brought us. Arseny had already had some of everything, which wasn't good. His conditions had improved, though.

But, you know, last time Arseny improved, he had some unexpected changes.

sorry guys, but until i get a few reviews...no update. D: