Io knows that nothing will change even if he starts crying.

He knows that tears cannot wash such a darkness away.

He tells his hopeless mind to think of hope.

He tries to salvage whatever that is left of his dream.

He tries to recall its beauty and its perfection—

The image of The Floating Island in his dreams.

But just like dreams, they slipped out of his grasp and into the void.

For he could no longer remember his dream.

But then again—

That was always the case.

In which when Io wakes up, he fails to remember

Why there is a smile

On his face.

_________________________

Io found his feet rooted, head lowered; and realized that it was a sort of unconscious instinct. It reminded him of how he learnt to breathe. Then Io realized that he never did learn.

He wondered how he knew not to look at the predators as they passed the prey in strong, firm strides that slowed ever so subtly as they leered at the weak.

And for a moment—Io found himself thanking heavens for separation and segregation.

He stole a glance at Pipa, saw the glistening of her cheeks; and looked away.

The boy didn't know what to say.

'Don't cry'?

He couldn't even find his own voice.

The vice-like grip around his throat loosened as their footsteps faded, and all of a sudden, the rush of air into the small lungs of the boy felt as if it was the first breath he had taken in years.

Io wasn't the only one. Pipa collapsed, choking on the floor—

The boy behind her clutched at his chest, a painful grimace on his face.

Their counsellor, Mr. Callaghan, rushed to their aid—patting their backs and whispering words of encouragement with an occasional smile.

"It's okay...everything's going to be fine," Everyone could tell that his smile was indeed, very forced.

Despite so, and despite the deep curse that whispered thoughts of fear and uncertainty in their small hearts—the fresh prey of Flight School believed that everything was going to be alright.  

Because—

What other choice did they have?

_______________________

[Io]

"Pipa? Pipa...?"

The owner of the name failed to respond as I tugged at the sleeve of her shirt. Her beam of excitement reduced to a mere trembling of her lips, and without her singing voice, I felt as if the sun wasn't really there after all.

I reached for her arm, slinging it over my shoulder to support her weight.

"Pipa? Are you—"

"I'm fine."

"A-Are you sure? You're very pale..."

"I'm okay," She glanced sideways, slipping her arm out of my grasp and adjusting her uniform with a smile. "I'm fine."

"Alright...if you say so," I bit my lip uncomfortably, wondering what this unsettling feeling was.

Callaghan beckoned for the rest of the Prey to follow quickly—for fear they might meet another group of carnivorous Winged.

And this mere fear—so mighty, in truth—kept their feet going; though they were, in fact, on the brink of collapse.

"Is everyone alright? Yes? Yes—I hope," Mr. Callaghan answered his own question sheepishly, scanning the crowd of Prey. "We have arrived at the dormitories, of course—and here, you will find your names printed on the wooden plaques of your dorm; ah, below the doorbell—that will be where you will find it.

The rooms...are assigned, at random—worry not. Some time to find your room will be needed, which...which is now. I suppose. Off you go? Find your respective dorms—oh, you will be needing your fingers. They are finger-print coded. Don't...haha, don't lose your fingers!" He laughed tentatively as the group of Prey began to disperse.

"O-Oh, and if you ever...um, if you ever happen to not have a room, well—" Professor Callaghan paused awkwardly. "Well—...you will know then."

The lack of conviction in the Professor's voice gripped at my heart.

His anxious expression told me that this was all too common.

And even worse;

The fact that his right thumb was MISSING—

There was a shudder of clean terror that shook each and every one of our mental strength as we began to realize what it meant to be prey.

Ever—

So—

Slowly—

The thing in my chest began to pound fervently.

There seemed to be a slight possibility of not having a room.

Was there a lack of dormitories for the Prey?

Were there too many of us—

Or too few of rooms?

But what did that matter?

I didn't want to lose a finger.

And so, despite the simple heart that wished for nothing else but peace; it met another that was split into two.

The possibility of losing a finger?

Or a place to hide?

In fright?

I see now;

Why it doesn't matter.

Why Mr. Callaghan himself seemed to have

All hope sucked out—

Because there was nothing to worry about;

And even if there was—

Well...we will know then.

____________________

Turns out; I did have a room;

My name scribbled clumsily on a scrap of paper, stuck on top of the wooden plaque. The name below it was one that seemed foreign.

Utako Jiro

I started with a tentative knock, then placed my thumb on a scanner to the right, praying that it would remain connected to my palm for the rest of my time in Flight School.

There was a beep; followed by the click of a lock.

"Um...hello?"

Two single beds came into sight—and on one of them sat a petite Japanese boy with dark hair and darker eyes.

He blinked at the sound, head snapping up from the book in his hands to meet my gaze with slightly frightened orbs that inspected me warily.

Oh dear...d-did I just scare my roommate?

After a minute or so of me freezing in the doorway and him assessing my miserable qualities, the boy, Utako Jiro, raised a hand in greeting with a shy smile—bowing his head ever so slightly.

Inevitably, I began to feel very self-conscious around his polite behaviour.

"U-Um, I...uh...hi...again."

Done.

Gone.

Non-awkward roommate relationship—gone with the wind.

I was about to correct myself again and perhaps—perhaps—introduce myself without stumbling over my words; when my roommate picked up a small notepad on the study table.  

He proceeded to scribble something on the paper in ink.

I blinked, finally gaining enough common sense as to close the door behind me and take off my shoes before entering the neatly furnished room.

There was a tap on my shoulder, and I glanced behind to see Utako hand me the small notepad with a well-practiced smile.

Hello, my name is Utako Jiro. But you can call me Jiro ^0^/ Nice to meet you, and I hope we will get along well as roommates. (' v ')

I skimmed through the neat and orderly penmanship of Jiro, smiling a little as his little emoticons popped out of nowhere.

Assuming that I was supposed to write on the notepad to reply him, I scribbled something in return.

Hi Jiro! Nice to meet you too. My name is Iolani Tori, but you can call me Io ^^ My Avian is a sparrow—

My roommate looked surprised as he watched me pen down my greeting. Eventually he stopped me halfway.

Waving his hands as if to say 'not like that', Jiro wrote something else on the notepad.

Please feel free to speak, Io! Do not worry, I can hear you. It is because of my predator that I am using this method of speech. ^^

I blinked at the words that stared back. "What do you mean?" I proceeded to ask, concerned.

It took Jiro a while to pen down the explanation—

And when I finally realized what he was writing,

I wished he hadn't started.

My predator feels that I sing too well, and does not like it when I sing for others. He says that I should not speak at all, so I am forbidden to speak to anyone or let anyone hear my voice except him.

I was left with widened eyes and parted lips. A strangled voice rose from my throat, as if to say something comforting.

Instead, all it did was make out a choked sound of sadness, failing to perform its purpose of telling Jiro that everything was going to be alright.

"A-Are you...are you serious? That's just...that's not even human..."

My humble roommate laughed sheepishly.

He's not human, Io. He is a predator.

"But...but how do you cope? Does he torture you or anything? Am I—"

Am I going to end up like you?

"I-I mean... how long has this been?" I corrected hastily, bowing my head in a stressful state.

Three months after I came to Flight School. I am now a sophomore ^0^

His smile was sweet and gentle; and a part of me knew that if he were to speak, his voice would be as beautiful as that smile of his.

"So—um, uh...what's your Avian?" I asked with an encouraging smile, hoping to bring up a happy topic we shared.

As if answering my question, a tiny bird with hazel feathers and a reddish tail landed on the windowsill we were conversing nearby. The bird cocked its head to the side.

"Is this your Avian? She's beautiful!" I heard myself gush, drawing closer to the windowsill.

Jiro nodded happily, pausing for a moment to write on his notepad.

She's a nightingale. ^0^/

"Oh! They...they sing really well," I knew that as a fact, but the moment the words left my lips I felt the emptiness of a void crush my heart underneath its vicious claws.

Jiro's Avian stares at me; seemingly unable to acknowledge my presence without a chirp.

I'm sorry...she doesn't sing.

_________________________

[X]

Pipa wonders if there is anything she can say to lighten the mood—but she soon realized that it was impossible to solve a problem without knowing what the problem was.    

She tries for one of her sunny smiles as she tells Io about her new roommate. "She's a little quiet, but I think we're going to become great friends! We also happen to take the same subjects...I'm starting to feel better about the school you know?"

It was a lousy attempt at addressing the subject—but to Pipa, she thought it a desperate attempt at showing the light of the situation.

Io wondered if he could do the same;

Wondered if he would ever see light again.

"Is everyone gathered? Yes? Yes. Well, um...let us move on to the ceremonial hall shall we?" Professor Callaghan declared with a sheepish smile, leading the group of prey towards the main building.

"Professor, i-is there some sort of test we take in the ceremony? Do predators do it too?" A petite Indian boy named Vijay Krishnan asked, slightly curious—slightly fearful.

"Uh—no, not really," Callaghan replies with a soft smile, his answer receiving a warm sigh of relief throughout the crowd. "It's more like...a contract, I suppose. Yes. It is a ceremony performed on your Avian—and yourself of course—to establish a connection between the two. It will be the connection that enables you to take on the wings of your Avian and thus fly."

"Is that all Professor?" Pipa inquired incredulously, as if expecting a much more grandiose performance, or rather, one that included slight suffering and pain.

"W-Well," Callaghan stumbled over his words as he tried to follow the conversation and lead the group in the proper direction at the same time. "There is another name for the ceremony—ah but, it is...rather irrelevant."

Secrets—

Are the start of something unpleasant.

Io notices the look in his Professor's eyes, and decides that perhaps—it wasn't so simple after all. He begins to worry; but as the prey around him immersed in animated and joyful chatters of excitement, he couldn't help but wonder if joy was—perhaps, in fact, the highest level of helplessness.

Because hey;

There was nothing to worry about.

And even if there was—

Well...they would know then.

_______________________

The timid village boy hears his name at the back of his mind—and wonders if he is dreaming.

He realizes, soon, that it was the voice of his Avian, Lyra.

Io's gaze darts from corner to corner of the large empty room—the one that the freshmen (fresh prey, rather) had gathered in earlier. He notes the dimming lights of the sky; looks at the bright chandelier dangling from the marble ceiling, and confirms that the ceremony was due near.

As if to prove this imminent ceremony that seemed to be painted in such glory and magnificence—Avians start streaming through the open windows.

There was a swallow;

Followed by a canary;

Then a hummingbird;

A bluetail;

A magpie—

And many other birds that were small and petite and very obviously—

Prey.

Io hears Lyra before he sees her, fluttering through the window and landing on his shoulder to ruffle her honey-brown feathers.

Nervous?

Oh look at you...all tiny and frightened by...by such a m-mere ceremony!

The boy chews his lip in distress, glancing at the sparrow on his shoulder. "W-Well! Aren't you tiny and frightened too?" 

Io proceeds to scan the brightly-lit room, watching as the group of prey interacted with their Avians in preparation for the ceremony which they knew so little about.

Professor Callaghan was pacing in front of a pair of ten-feet-tall mahogany double doors, expression anxious as he waited for the orders to bring the group into the Great Hall.

Of course I am tiny in relation to your human size—but o-on what grounds do you claim me frightened? Lyra fidgeted uncomfortably as she perched on her Winged's shoulders.  

Io sighs, knowing for a fact that he would be unable to calm down if nothing came out of their conversation except the fact that both Avian and Winged were equally afraid of—

The unknown.

There was a sharp knock on the door and Professor Callaghan hurried to open it.

He received an order—which was loud enough for the rest of the prey to hear.

"Bring the Marks; Avians to the gallery above; Occupy the tables to the right—no pushing," He states firmly in a dead tone, proceeding to leave us to line into two's.

The students gathered anxiously in a weak attempt to get into two rows, as Pipa grabbed Io's hand and positioned him beside her straightaway.

"Ooh I'm so nervous and excited," She lowered her voice to a softer, high-pitched squeak. "I know what you're thinking, and you know what? I'm scared too."

Io gulped, nodding slowly.

"But hey, it's all in the mind, you know? You just gotta...just gotta look on the bright side! You have me, and I have you! We'll just...you know, we'll get through this together," Pipa beamed with a certain confidence that was contagious—for Io's couldn't help, but let slip a tiny smile out of the abyss of fear.  

"I'll always have your back," She added, turning to look ahead as the double doors to the Great Hall swung open to the blast of the school's brass band.

And perhaps that was all they could do, really.

Look ahead into a beautiful truth that seemed to lie.

__________________

A/N:  *rolls around happily*

What's Mark? You'll find out soon ^^

I love this book so much. I can't wait till it's really rolling into the excitement and fear and despair and everything :D

-Cuppiecake.