Fate : 12

You need to flap harder. The air is stagnant here, so you need to compensate. Thomas flew underneath me. I panted and tried to focus on my wingbeats. Following the natural curve of the city was easy enough, I just needed to maintain my speed.

I know. I shot back. Thomas had me practicing for two hours every night. After weeks of banking, coasting, taking off, landing, and diving, his constant reminders were beginning to wear on my patience. But because of his persistence, flying had become more natural, more intuitive. I felt confident in my abilities, even though Thomas still said I looked choppy.

I dipped my right wing and tilted my body, turning smoothly to face the bright center column. The winding road wasn't enclosed entirely and had a gap about 6 feet wide. It reminded me of the parking garages that stood at nearly every corner, just completely circular and vertical. Landing inside the structure was a fun challenge and helped me learn just how long and wide my wings were.

I aimed for the column. Thomas was silently watching me from below. His green wings glinted in the orange light. I took a deep breath as the column got closer, I could see the gap. I backbeat my wings to slow down, then pulled them in close to my body. I ducked my head and pivoted my feet forward. The concrete was hard and smooth, but I ran to a stop in the middle of the road without stumbling. I smiled and looked back to see Thomas slip through the gap easily, landing just in front of me.

"I'd say you've got the hang of this." He beamed and raised his hand for a high five. I clapped his hand and then leaned onto my knees to catch my breath.

"I wish Lizzy could do this with us."

"I don't think she really cares." Thomas scoffed. Lizzy had stopped coming out to watch us a while ago. She liked helping Mrs. Wren bake cookies, played with arts and crafts, and talked to some of the other hybrid kids her age. Thomas, Ben, and myself were the only ones with wings, and I was the only one with a tail. So she found comfort in talking to kids more like her. More normal.

I straightened and folded my warm wings against my back, then walked to the edge of the column and leaned my hands on the concrete wall. It barely came up to my stomach. The city extended out as far as I could see. Rows and rows of concrete, clock houses, worn streets, and dark walls.

"Have you ever been out of the city, Thomas?"

He walked up next to me and looked out as well. "No."

"Why not?"

"They don't let hybrids leave." He looked straight down at the column sections below us. A few cars were traveling up and their headlights flashed against the surface.

"There's a huge world out there, far bigger than you could ever imagine." I sighed and leaned my elbows onto the barrier. "I miss it. It's so dark in here, and you can't see the sky or get fresh air."

"I go up to the gardening level a lot."

"It's not the same. You need to feel the wind."

Thomas hesitated, thinking. I looked over at him and my eyes widened.

"Can we get through it?"

He met my gaze. "Maybe. They've been trying to repair it for over a year, but it keeps cracking."

"Show me."

Thomas flew ahead of me, his wings outstretched wide as he coasted. The air rushed past me and whipped my hair back. I couldn't help but look down occasionally at the city floor. How could I have spent the first 10 years of my life trapped on the ground?

It's on the left, up near the ceiling. Thomas pointed his hand out to show me the general area. A huge scaffolding rig was attached to the wall very close to the ceiling. Thick beams of wood, iron, and cabling held it in place. The wall had a large crack running down it, about 10 feet long and 4 feet across. Its jagged edges were rusted and sharp, like the gaping mouth of a monster. We flew past and I got a tiny glimpse of the starry night sky halfway up the crack. Dirt, gravel, and rock blocked the lower half and marked the edge of where the city went underground.

What happened? I beat my wings hard to catch up with Thomas as he banked to the right. He was coming about to pass the area a second time.

They say it's just old.

We can fit through it.

No way, you can barely land in the column.

You said I got the hang of it!

Thomas flew past the scaffolding again and I got a better look. Repairs had already been made to the very bottom of the crack, but it hadn't held together very well. The metal sheeting was just like the material they used on the collapse, but it had stretched and cracked past it. Now it looked like they had tried to put a Band-Aid over it and dirt spilled out and onto the scaffolding.

Landing in the column is different then getting through a 5 foot gap at ground level. Thomas began descending. He neared the roof of a large warehouse and landed. I dropped down next to him, breathing hard from the effort.

"Can we land on the scaffolding and climb through?" I asked through breaths.

"No, they have the whole area set up with sensors and alarms just in case anything tries to get in. Animals, and whatever." Thomas moved his wings back and forth slowly, cooling them down.

"We're trying to get out, though."

He looked at me wearily, but I could see his mind working. He wanted to. He had been watching the crack get bigger for months.

"If we fly straight for the hole and tilt sideways, we'd get through without touching anything." I tried to explain.

"Tilt sideways?" He raised his eyebrows doubtfully.

"Thomas, come on. We have to at least try. You can't spend your entire life underground." I didn't wait for his response. I jumped into the air and beat my wings hard to get airborne. I clipped his head with my wingtips on purpose and he ducked, raising a hand to block them. I gained altitude as fast as I could, aiming straight for the scaffolding site. Thomas was close behind me, I could feel his excitement and nerves. I wanted to try and get through first. I could do it.

The scaffolding was close. I banked to position myself just in front of it. I just needed to get enough speed, tilt, tuck my wings, and slip through. It would be easy. I beat my wings hard. The 5 foot gap grew larger and larger. It was too late to pull away. I pulled my arms and legs in, held my wings in tight, and leaned to the side.

My foot clipped the metal railing for the scaffolding. Instantly my balance was thrown off but I was still moving forward. My head and shoulders made it through the gap but my stomach hit the dirt hard. I cleared the gap and crashed into the ground on my chest. My wings flared open automatically as I tumbled head over heels for nearly 20 feet. A huge crash echoed behind me. I jumped to my feet, shaking with adrenaline.

Thomas?

He didn't respond. I closed my eyes and tried to reach him, pushing hard. He had been right behind me when I hit the scaffolding. But I had hit it so hard that the section had collapsed and broke off the wall entirely. Thomas was flying back around to try again. An alarm was screaming from the top section of scaffolding remaining, loud and crisp. Thomas approached the gap again. I opened my eyes in time to see him dart out of the hole cleanly, missing the sharp edges with expert precision. He opened his wings wide to slow down, backpedaling as his feet hit the soft grass.

"We need to move, now!" He panted, grabbing my arm. "They'll send people up to investigate."

The ground sloped upward into a large hill. Boulders and stray rocks littered the ground and gave way to a tree line. I ran as fast as I could. The grass felt foreign after so many months inside the city of concrete and metal. It was the middle of the night, so I only had the dim light of stars to navigate by. Thomas stuck close to my side as we moved.

Eventually we stopped running to catch our breath. The trees towered above us and their branches bristled with pine needles and moss. They stood thickly together and provided decent cover. Thomas flopped onto the ground at the base of one, his chest heaving.

"Now you've done it! They'll be after us now!" He panted, glaring up at me. "You just had to kick the damn thing."

"How could they possibly know it was us?" I leaned onto my knees.

"They won't know it was you," He gulped air. "But they'll know it was me. Whenever those alarms go off, cameras automatically start recording everything."

I sat down into the dirt. "What happens then?"

"They know where I live. They'll go to Mrs. Wren's." He looked up at me with a pained expression. "We're in serious trouble, Newt."

I ran my hands over my face and tried to think. If we went back, we'd be caught. I didn't want to know what happened to hybrids who escaped the city and destroyed a construction site. But if we didn't go back, Lizzy was there all alone. We didn't have anywhere to go out here. I dropped my hands and looked over at Thomas.

"So what do we do now?"

"I don't know."