Flying is an indescribable feeling. Being so far above the ground with the wind flowing around you, through your hair and ruffling your feathers... there are no words. I simply closed my eyes and simmered in the carefree feeling. There was no different colored eyes, no experiment, no missing mother or kidnapping. Not even a certain annoying female who kept getting in the way. There was just me, the air, and the sky.

I soared higher and higher. The only noise was the wind rushing by, unable to keep up with my high speeds.

Suddenly, I snapped out of my trance, eyes wide. Something had crossed my mind and gotten me out of the euphoria. I was too high. I hadn't realized that flying higher meant less oxygen, oxygen I very obviously needed to survive. There was also a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I felt needed to be explored later. First, however, I needed to get lower.

Feeling as if I'd done it a hundred times and yet never done it at the same time, I dive-bombed the ground with careful accuracy and swooped upwards just in time. Despite my instincts, there are things that will only come with practice, and I flew way past my intended destination. Honestly, I didn't really have one. I just kind of saw a spot on the ground and went for it. That's when I realized...

I was lost.

And yet, that wasn't even my biggest problem. I had flown over a large city, by the looks of it, and there was a huge amount of people that could have seen me. Actually, anyone could have seen me, and a lot of people probably did.

And, to top it all off, because I was separated, I had no supplies that we were given. At all. This means no water, no food, and no way to get it without money, which- guess what- I also left back at the cave.

Yeah, I was screwed.

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^^ parker's point of view >>
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"What the..?" I watched, utterly confused, as Carson began to sprint. The girl leaped into the air after a mild trip, whipped her pitch-black wings out, and flapped until she got out of the cave entrance. I might have thought at first that she was just leading the way, but it wasn't that. There was something way too off about the way she did it so suddenly. Something off about... what was it? What was wrong?

Oh my God. Her eyes! They had both flashed to a bright, almost neon green when she had started running. Her green eye was on the side I couldn't see from my perspective at the time, so I was certain that both eyes were green. Was she possessed or something? No, that's ridiculous. Or was it? Who knows what was in that drug we were all injected with? An evil spirit, perhaps?

Oh boy. I really needed to stop reading all of those Sci-Fi Horror Mysteries while my parents weren't home. I guess it was just hard to find something to do when there's never anyone at the house to hang out with you. Who needs parents, anyway? I turned out just fine, didn't I?

...didn't I?

"Hello?" Delilah drew out the "O". "Earth to Parker?"

"Did you see her eyes?" I blurted.

Delilah narrowed her own. "No. Why were you looking at her, anyway? I should be the only one you have eyes for." As if to show off, the girl flipped her braid to the back and struck a pose. It looked pretty ridiculous, but I actually did think she was kind of cute. I would never admit it, but girls like her were kind of my type.

"I didn't see her eyes either," Dakota answered, looking between the two of us suspiciously. "Care to explain what was wrong with them?"

"So, you know how her one eye switched colors after we were drugged?" I asked. Dakota nodded. "When she started running, both of her eyes turned to that color and she looked almost like she was possessed."

"It's possible that their serum can have some unintentional side effects. All drugs do. Actually, their serum absolutely contains a lot of side effects; it's untested technology."

"Drugs aren't technology," Delilah scoffed. "Technology is like, phones and stuff. Not medicines."

"Actually Delilah, drugs are technology. Technology is just the making and usage of tools and machines. Drugs are tools."

"Wow, nerd alert."

He shrugged. "Call me what you will. I'm just telling the truth."

"Let's get back on topic, please?" When no one answered, I continued. "It's actually pretty likely that she was sort-of possessed when she flew out like that. And if she was, we need to find her before it happens again. People could discover us."

"Don't we want that to happen so we can get help?" Delilah asked, re-tying her braid. "I really don't feel like going through with all of this. It kind of runs into my schedule and I have a pretty tight one."

"No, Delilah," Dakota sighed. "People don't take kindly to genetic experiments."

"Oh-ho-ho, and how would you know that, Mr. I-Hate-Movies?"

"Common sense!" He snapped, causing the room to fall silent. Only the gentle drip-drip-drip of the water slowly falling from the ceiling broke the quiet.

Finally, I broke it. "He's right, Delilah." She turned her head sharply in my direction, anger evident in her eyes. "People tend to go against those who are different from them. Society preaches that we are all special and should stand out from the crowd, yet they judge us when we look, sound, or feel differently. It's horrible, but it's true."

"They would harm us, not help us. Even if there are a few out there with good in their hearts, more people exist that would either not do anything or go out of their way to hurt us." Dakota spoke with authority. He very clearly believed what he was saying. Delilah didn't answer.

After a few moments of no one speaking, I broke the silence once more. "Let's get back to where the ground is a bit wider."

Upon arriving, we began planning. We had to get to her fast, but we also had to stay relatively hidden. Side effects could occur in our bodies as well, Dakota reminded us, and it would be better if we were out of sight when they surfaced. Unfortunately, it was dark by the time we were finished planning. As I laid on the cold stone ground I found myself wondering what Carson was doing. Even if it wasn't her fault that she had flown away like that (or, so we assumed), I resented her for doing so. I hated taking charge, and I was having to do that now, or at least share the spotlight with Dakota. Everything's so much easier when someone else is telling you exactly what to do and calling the shots.

There's nothing I could do at nighttime, though. So, slowly but surely, I fell into a sleep that would be disturbed by nightmares the entire night. Just like every other night I've slept since I was six years old.

Sorry about the sort-of filler chapter. You've got to have some of them, though! I hope you enjoyed nonetheless. Thanks for reading!