"Two birds of a feather

Say that they're always gonna stay together

But one's never going to let go of that wire

He says that he will

But he's just a liar"

-Two Birds, Regina Spektor

She hated it here. She absolutely hated it here. She wanted nothing more than to leave here and never come back, but she couldn't.

Not yet, at least.

Rook lived in the government facility, under constant surveillance while she endured grueling tasks that pushed her every inch of restraint. She was more powerful than she led the others to believe--more powerful than she believed--but she refused to give them more leverage over her. She kept it her secret, her only weapon left against the government that made her into who she was today. It was such a close-guarded secret that not even her so-called "brother" knew.

Knight was her responsibility, her problem, but it wasn't so bad once they got used to each other. They found some solace in being together, and they filled each other's weaknesses with strength. Like this, they could survive until their leash was less taut.

And Rook could wait. After all, she was patient and had been waiting all this time. But she was unsure if Knight would.

Knight was hot-headed. He picked fights and was determined to be as sassy and defiant as physically possible. It got him into a lot of trouble for complaining and talking back. Rook has bandaged the wounds from punishment more than once, and they weren't just his pride.

It was surprising how exactly opposite Rook and Knight were. Rook was always calm and quiet, even when she was hurt. She didn't mind keeping her mouth shut or clamping down on her attitude, she had survived this long because of it. Whenever something got in her way she simply hummed and quickly found a way around it.

And the government much preferred Rook to Knight, but they couldn't get rid of him. He was incredibly skilled at magic, he used every piece of it to his advantage. But he was very weak physically, and could hardly pack a punch without his powers. Rook kept her powers low, she purposefully tricked the government into thinking she was weak in all aspects except physical and mental. She only had a few things; her secret magic, her dexterity and visceral strength, and her perseverance.

But all this comes at a cost. Rook is becoming more and more replaceable as the government starts to control Knight. And what's not to like? His magic is strong, and direct training has made it lethal in his hands. Rook on the other hand, she's weak and can't even control what magic she shows.

I can just reveal myself if I'm ever about to be replaced. I can be useful if I need to. Rook thought to herself. I can wait until the time is right.

(However, what Rook never expected was to get her way at a price.)

______

"What do you mean, 'I'm acting differently'? Nothing's changed." He said, deflecting Rook's accusation quite poorly.

She had cornered him after magic training, he hadn't lost his temper once and that alone concerned Rook. (She had also admitted to herself that it scared her. It scared the very fibers of her being that Knight could be changing so completely and she didn't notice until now.)

Although now she was really concerned. Knight is terrible at lying and he's clearly trying to hide something.

"What I mean is that-" She crossed her arms and sent Knight a steely glare. "You haven't been acting yourself!"

He winced at her words, they were louder because of her scottish accent and stung a bit more because of her tone. He wasn't exactly surprised that Rook noticed, but he had hoped it would take her longer.

"Well what business do you have with how I act? So what if I changed! It still doesn't matter to you!" He shouted in retaliation, out of fear. And anger.

Then he remembered the past couple of weeks, and he shut his mouth so fast it made a snap! sound. He whirled around, covering his mouth. I can't do it again, I can't do it again.

And for a second, the room was silent.

Rook softly grabbed Knight's shoulders and turned him back around. "It's okay. I understand. Just..." She trailed off, more aware of what was happening to him. Her magic seeped out from her lost handle on her emotions. She could feel the wings crawling out of her back, her tail snaking from under the simple gown, the crown of thorns pushing their way out of her skull.

"Don't let them break you, brother."

Knight nodded, tears silently streaking his cheeks. He had transformed as well, the huge moth wings draped sadly at his side. His ibex horns shined in the sunlight, a dull rat tail resting beside him. Rook pulled him into a hug, hoping she could help, even just a little bit.

Knight chuckled sadly, "I won't. I promise, sister of my heart."

That night while Rook tossed and turned in her bed, she thought of Knight's words. She promised herself, no matter what, I'll make sure he gets out of here.

______

She could hear his footsteps. She could hear that he was following her and her new so-called "friends". He was probably here to bring her back, as much as that thought brought a sour taste to her mouth.

But she refused to let that happen.

She whirled around, catching Knight off guard and raising her hands for defense. She knew how he played, she knew that he would attack first with his magic. Always.

Rook was right, and she had raised a magic shield just in time for a lash of pain to bounce off of it. She cursed under her breath.

Knight slowly walked closer to her shield, smiling smugly while his mask's eyes displayed nothing but apathetic hollows. She waited for her opening, keeping part of her face blank while her matching mask did the rest of the work.

"We're tired of this game Rook! You should come back, before I have to kill you." It was all the same threat, the empty words that echoed through the clearing had lost their meaning.

(Waiting...)

"Did the Briar take your words as well? Or did it only rob you of your common sense?" His wings were wide open, displaying eye-like patterns that seemed to stare into Rook's soul.

(Still waiting...)

Knight took another step, the smug look on his face flashing with irritation and anger. It smoothed over quickly, and Rook felt like she was going to heave her guts out. What did they do to you? She almost asked.

(Now!)

Rook aimed a fist at Knight's stomach. It hit and she felt a sickening pop in his ribs. Shocked, she stepped back and disengaged from the fight.

That wasn't me, I didn't dislocate that. That was... That was...

That was a rib I relocated!

Rook felt the anger boil under her skin, carefully hidden and simmering silently. He had a dislocated rib, and they still sent him after me. What else has he been through, what else is hurting him?

Currently, Knight was doubled over in pain. He was panting heavily and holding the place she had punched. Rook could almost hear him seething internally, filling with rage until it boiled over. But it never came, the anger never flashed. And after a while, he simply unrolled his back and stood tall to face Rook.

Knight eyed her new outfit, a cloak that covered her shoulders, the short overalls cut mid-way down the thighs and thin grey sweater she wore. It was whatever Charli could get her, and she was incredibly grateful to be out of the rags she escaped in.

Rook could say the same for her counterpart, how he jumped out of his old "clothes" as soon as their captors gave him an inch of breathing room. He only had a short sleeved shirt that was cut just under his chest, and some long black leggings. That was it, other than the insignia of a stricken circle printed clearly on his shirt.

"You..." He hissed, entering a crouch. Rook stood taller, eyeing both her brother and the surrounding trees.

"They should have never sent you here. You're lucky I don't have enough time to knock you out and relocate all your bones right now." She said, her words slicing through the air coldly. I wish I could though. Oh how I wish to help you right now. But she kept that small longing to herself, it's only for now. I promise.

"Fine." Knight spat, his words coated in venom. "Just get over here and you won't be in as much trouble than when I have to break your arms just to get you to stop squirming." She backed up, already forming a plan.

Just one more step back...

"Hmm, I don't think I'm ready to go back yet." She said, and jumped into the tree she just walked under. She sprang from branch to branch, losing Knight In the thick overhead canopy.

"Wait! Rook!" She could hardly hear his cries, his voice desperate enough to let his guard down. But it was already too late, seeing as she had put an enormous amount of distance between the two.

Finally out of danger, Rook sat on a branch to try and calm her heartbeat. She felt all sorts of feelings wash over her, anger, confusion, surprise, hate, concern, and most of all, sadness. The feelings had finally beaten back the rage of seeing her brother like that, the strongest freezing her to the tree branch. She was upset that this was what Knight had become after she left. She certainly didn't know what to think about that dislocated rib. (Or the gut wrenching pop that accompanied it. She was lucky that she didn't break it.)

As she got lost in her thoughts, Rook heard a rustle from a tree to her side. She got up from the branch, prepared for whatever came out of the greenery. She didn't have long to wonder what it was, because the leaves suddenly sprouted Charli and he fumbled forward onto her perch.

She recoiled in surprise, How did he know where I was?? Having sensed her confusion, he tapped the headphones over his ears, the frequency on the side varying dramatically each second. Then, it clicked for Rook, and she remembered what Charli could do. How could I forget that he can sense emotions with those headphones? She internally facepalmed, but kept her cool and smoothed the feeling out of her face.

"You feel really..." He struggled to put her feelings into words. "...Upset right now. So I thought I should at the very least offer help." Charli commented sheepishly, settling into a hollow on the branch. Rook did the same, though she hesitated at first.

"What happened?" He prompted after a beat of silence. The other just grumbled and felt an ache in her back. Dammit, I don't want to transform now.

She took a deep breath, "I saw someone I love dearly for the first time in..." Rook fell silent for a moment, trying to remember the time past. "In a few years."

Charli could feel the pang of regret, loud and clear as if it was an open wound. (he figured it probably was, because Rook was never up to talking about her past. All he knew was the present and what she hoped for the future.) He almost winced from how strong it was, and reached out to offer her comfort.

However, he paused before he could move, remembering that Rook didn't like physical contact. Instead he piped up, "Wouldn't that be a good thing? You got to see how they were doing, right?" He instantly wanted to shove those words back into his mouth. Guilt and fear and hate and anger washed over Rook in waves so hard and fast Charli felt like he was going to black out from the intensity of it all.

"It's worse than I could have ever imagined, Charli." She said at last.

The other hummed sadly in agreement. "I know, I just wish I could help. Both you and your friend, Rook."

She nodded solemnly, "As do I, Charli, as do I."