"A happy soul is the best shield for a cruel world."

~Atticus

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It felt as if I was in the back of that ambulance forever. My body had finally relaxed as my mind fell in and out of consciousness. At one point I thought I heard a woman talking but didn't want to open my eyes. The darkness felt too good. I didn't want to leave the warmth that I felt there.

When I did finally open my eyes, I found myself laying on a soft bed with covers laid upon my body. Everything was so bright I couldn't bring myself to open them all the way. Where was I? After a few moments, my eyes adjusted and I glanced around the room. The walls were a beige color. There were no photos or decorations anywhere. A single tv was mounted onto the wall directly across from me, along with a single chair right next to it.

I attempted to sit up but something stopped me from getting out of bed completely. An IV was attached to my arm. A bag of fluid dripped down from beside me. My eyes widened in realization.

A hospital. I was in a hospital.

Wasting no time, I ripped the IV from my arm and stood on shaky legs, moving over to a window to look outside. Dark clouds moved across the sky, covering the stars. My hands shot to my back to feel for holes as I suddenly realized that I had been changed out of my clothes.

"No. No, no, no." I shook my head and stepped away from the window. I had to get home. Mason would be waiting for me. If he knew I was gone, he would think I tried to run away. He would make sure I couldn't escape. I couldn't let them come and get me. They weren't going to take me with them.

"Ms. Port?"

I practically jumped out of my own skin, yelping in surprise and fear as I whipped around. A tall African American man stood in the doorway behind me, wearing a dark grey suit with a white button-up shirt and striped tie. He tilted his head at me before slowly closing the door behind him.

Everything about this man screamed confidence and determination. My eyes glanced towards the file tucked neatly under his arm as he slowly reached into his suit. I took a step backward, unsure of what would happen next, but the man simply pulled out a badge.

"I'm Special Agent William Fowler," he tucked the badge away and inspected me closely. As if he knew I was wanting to sprint towards the door. "Do you know why I am here, Ms. Port?"

Despite his order, I couldn't get my legs to move. Agent Fowler simply sighed, taking a seat on a spare chair and scooting it towards the bed. "I understand you were injured recently, and I have come to investigate. Why don't you have a seat?"

Cautiously, I shook my head. His chair was too close to me. I didn't like the lack of space. Quietly, I inched towards the bed before climbing onto it. The man frowned. "I am well aware of your current situation, Ms. Port. You were found injured in Jasper High by a couple of friends a week ago, and-"

"A week?" I blurted out. My eyes were wide.

Agent Fowler frowned. "Yes, a whole week. Like I said, you were seriously injured- you had internal bleeding and had to have surgery."

He watched my reaction. I simply sat there, wondering why my body had given up on me. Rather than healing, I had almost died. Internal bleeding. Surgery.

Without meaning to, I reached towards my back again. The blue hospital gown I was wearing, though baggy, felt too tight around my wings. I needed to escape. All I needed was some air.

Agent Fowler seemed to recognize my rising panic. "I do not intend to harm you in any way. In fact, I want to figure out who harmed you. So it would be helpful if you could give a little insight."

"No one hurt me."

Though the excuse dwindled over the years, I had had to use it back when I was younger, when school teachers actually cared. After a few attempts they realized the police wouldn't find anything, so they stopped asking.

"I'm not sure I totally believe that, " Agent Fowler said as he raised an eyebrow.

"A car hit me," I blurted out. It was the only excuse I could come up with.

That seemed to perk his interest. "Really? Did the vehicle have any strange insignia on it? Do you remember the color? A license plate number?"

"I-I, uh, no. I don't." My eyes trailed to the white bedsheets that I now clutched in my shaking hands. Agent Fowler glanced at them before looking up again.

He pulled the folder in front of him. "Right. Ms. Port, I'm sad to say that I have seen incidents like this before- though I've never found a case exactly like yours."

With the click of his pen, he began to scribble something down. "You are an orphan, with no family, yet you live alone with a grown man aged forty-three who has never had a job, gotten in trouble with the law- I think you are seeing where I am going with this."

His eyes skimmed over the notes he'd just written before nodding in satisfaction. "I can say that those injuries were definitely not the result of a car accident. I would like to ask again, if you'd like to tell me the truth?"

I pulled the blanket closer to me and shook my head. All of these questions were making me nervous. I had been waiting so long for someone to actually care and ask questions about Mason so he could be locked away forever; but now that it was actually happening, I was absolutely terrified.

Terrified of what Mason would do to me.

The file snapped as Agent Fowler closed it, but a paper was still held in his hand. "I must say, Ms. Port, you are a strange case. Upon surgery, my people found some interesting... things. I am compelled to ask, have you ever seen this man before?"

The paper was flipped around, and a gasp escaped my lips. Scar-face was looking back at me. His eyes were just as cold and dark as I remembered. My bottom lip trembled and I gently bit it, trying to restrain my emotions. Taking a deep breath, I shook my head as I continued to stare at the picture.

Agent Fowler hummed and slid the paper back into place, but not before writing down one last note. With a deep sigh, he stood up whilst giving me a smile.

"Well, Ms. Port, that's all I have for you right now. The doctor will be with you in a moment to go over and discuss your surgery and the details that pertain to it. I will be seeing you soon."

There wasn't anything threatening behind his last statement. He simply walked towards the door before opening it and sliding out. I let out a breath I hadn't even know I'd been holding. My eyes traveled towards the window. It was big enough for me to fit through. And I felt strong enough to fly-

Why not?

The last thing I wanted to do was talk to a doctor about my surgery or my wings. It was strange Agent Fowler hadn't mentioned them. Maybe he truly hadn't known. But how could you not see them? Especially after changing my clothes.

All of his questions put me on edge. I felt like he knew exactly what I was thinking and already knew my answers despite the lies I had given him. I glanced around the room, trying to find my old clothes. They were nowhere to be found. How was I supposed to fly if I didn't have holes in my gown?

The sound of the door opening pulled me away from my thoughts. A woman with black hair walked in. She was wearing nurse scrubs and had a stethoscope around her neck. A kind smile was on her face as she walked over to me.

"Hello. My name is June Darby. I have been your nurse for the past week."

I slowly turned around and plastered a weak smile on my face. "H-hello. I just needed some air. It's getting hot in here."

"I understand." June nodded her head. She placed a tray I hadn't even noticed down on the end of the bed. "I've brought you some food. You looked very malnourished when you came in."

There was a bowl of fruits, toast, and eggs. My mouth watered at the sight. So much for hospital food. All I'd ever gotten was some strange oatmeal and jello for dessert.

Hesitantly, I sat on the bed and crossed my legs. My stomach clenched in pain but it was nothing compared to what I'd felt before. It felt nothing more than a pinch.

Nurse Darby glanced at my middle. "You should be sore from the surgery. Are you okay?"

I nodded as I stuffed an egg into my mouth. The middle had been left runny and the top slightly salted.

"I feel fine," I said softly. "What hospital am I in?"

She smiled at me. "You aren't exactly in a hospital, sweetie."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Where am I?"

Nurse Darby cleared her throat before standing up. "We aren't located that far from Jasper. Maybe twenty minutes. We are in a building specifically used for," she paused, "special cases."

I squirmed uncomfortably as she looked at me again. I couldn't quite meet her eyes.

"Well," she said, "the doctor should be here within a few moments. We plan on keeping you for a few more days to make sure you are healed completely, from both the surgery and your- your car accident."

She turned and headed for the door, but I called out to her before she could twist the door handle. "Do you have a pencil and paper I could use?"

Confusion crossed the woman's face before she patted her pockets. Surprisingly, she had a pencil that was used so much it had shortened significantly, and an even smaller notepad that was about the size of her palm.

"I use it to keep notes." Nurse Darby shrugged and smiled softly, "How many pages do you need?"

"J-just one, please."

She handed me the pencil and paper gently, and I made sure no part of my skin touched hers. I pulled back quickly, but her hands remained in place.

"I hope you will feel well soon, Hope."

I nodded shyly, surprised she had even used my first name. Everyone seemed so formal.

When Nurse Darby left I quickly slipped the gown off before stabbing the pencil into the back to create two openings. I struggled with the second one and pulled as hard as I could to finally get the slit just right.

Knowing the doctor would be there soon, I quickly scribbled a note thanking Nurse Darby and the doctor for taking care of me, placed the gown back on, and then moved quickly towards the window to open it.

A knock sounded just as I perched myself at the opening. I took no time jumping out into the open air. My wings jarred the moment I flapped, making me cringe in pain. They were definitely stiff. Especially since I hadn't flown in over a week.

Dread filled my body at the thought. Those men probably came back for me and couldn't find me. I would be a sitting duck if I simply returned home. This would be my chance. Mason probably had no clue where I was at now, so why reveal my location to him?

My thoughts trailed to Agent Fowler. He had asked me about scar-face. He'd known who that man was. The look on his face had been stern, and it made me wonder just what he knew about the man. Probably a lot if he had an entire case file on him.

The sky began to clear up after a few minutes, and I stared at the sky in wonder. I always loved to gaze at the stars. The universe was so beautiful- constructed in a way where one couldn't look at it more than once and say it looked the same. A soft smile trailed fell upon my lips as I felt the cool air hit my skin. A few loose feathers slowly detached as I continued to fly, and I watched them drift away.

Nurse Darby had been right. It took around ten minutes for me to reach the edge of Jasper, and another ten minutes to reach my house. Everything was silent as I swooped down, touching my hands to my window before carefully sliding it up.

I tucked in my wings and slid inside. I gasped. My bedroom was trashed. All of my belongings were thrown about, and the majority of my clothes had been shredded. The mattress was flipped and leaned against the wall closest to the closet.

Who had done this? Who am I kidding? I knew exactly who'd done it. Shaking my head, I pushed my thoughts away before quickly going through my torn clothes. There was only one shirt that had yet to be torn apart, along with my leggings and a blue jean jacket. I quickly slipped my hospital gown off before getting dressed and grabbing my backpack, which was surprisingly unharmed.

There really wasn't anything left for me to take besides a few pairs of underwear and a single bra, my concealer, and a thin sodoku book. If I had known my clothes were ruined, I would have just stayed away.

Footsteps sounded suddenly, making me freeze. They weren't very loud, and I knew Mason was probably somewhere downstairs. I quickly made my way towards the window before stopping and rushing back towards my closet.

Falling to my knees, I picked at the old carpeted flooring before peeling it up and reaching my hand down through the broken floorboards. A smile fell upon my face as I finally grasped the chain I had been searching for. How had I almost forgotten to grab this?

The footsteps grew closer. I quickly placed the object into my backpack along with my jacket. My hands grasped the window for balance after climbing up. I glanced around the room one last time before jumping.

A breath of relief left my body as I flapped- one, two, three times and soared into the sky. I closed my eyes in bliss as the wind whipped my hair around this way and that. It was as if a giant weight was being lifted off of my chest. Like I could breathe again.

My gaze fell towards the house one last time, but it was lost beneath the clouds. A giggle escaped my mouth as excitement filled my entire being. I tilted my wing and twirled in the night sky, watching as the stars as they swirled around and around.

Maybe I was celebrating too early. Part of me knew that I wasn't home free yet, but I was proud. I was proud of myself. I was leaving. The rational part of my mind was screaming at me. Asking about the important stuff. The police, the school, my grades- Rafael and Miko.

The other, less rational part of me was giddy. I didn't know where I was going, but it wasn't near Mason or scar-face. At that moment, I knew. If they wanted me, no matter the reason, I was going to make them work for it.

I wasn't going to cower and do nothing. I was going to fight back and try harder. If I fought and lost, then I would still be satisfied. Fighting back and losing was still a million times better than giving up.

Slowing to a stop, I flapped while reaching down towards my backpack. I'd learned to just slip it over my front rather than the back. It made it so much easier to grab everything while I was flying.

I unzipped the front pocket and reached inside, pulling out the locket I had left hidden inside my closet for years. The locket itself was rather small. I always had trouble getting it to open, but there was nothing inside anyway. Instead, a small engraving on the back of the heart-shaped locket was what I treasured most.

Mary

A simple name. There was no last name. I'd always had it with me. Part of me wished it was my mother's, but I knew that was a long-shot. The silver chain was shorter than most necklaces as if it was made for a child. Really, the chain had been longer at one point, but I had broken it and stolen someone else's in fourth grade.

It had been the only time the rumors about me in school were true. I did steal Jessica Rowlrey's necklace, and I didn't regret it.

Mason never knew about it. If he had it would have been destroyed a long time ago. I wanted to keep it with me all the time, but I had been too afraid he would find it. So it was kept hidden under the carpet in my closet for safekeeping.

The clouds began to clear as time passed. I was too high up to worry about anyone spotting me. Even if they could it was probably way past midnight now. No one would be up besides maybe drunks or druggies. Not that they'd remember much of anything.

Jasper was a good town, really. I just sometimes felt like it was too good for the people living in it. I would do anything to live in a smaller town, away from a large crowd of people and just live peacefully.

As I began to tuck the necklace back into the pocket, I heard a strange noise. It was similar to the humming of an engine. Eyebrows furrowed, I tried to look all around me.

Why would a plane be flying this low?

The hairs on the back of my neck raised as the noise grew louder. It didn't sound like a plane engine. Honestly, I wasn't exactly sure what it sounded like. But it was too close to me. Sweat trickled down my brow as I flapped harder, wanting to distance myself from the sound as much as possible.

But fate had other plans- pretty sucky plans, I have to say- and suddenly a giant object flew by me. I slammed my hands over my ears and winced at the thundering noise of the jet's engine as I watched it twist in the air and soar above me.

It tilted and nose-dived before looping around and leveling its wings. What is this guy doing? He could seriously hurt someone.

Well, he could seriously hurt me.

A high pitched noise rang out and I felt something fly by me. I felt too shocked to react. Only when the jet fired again did I let out a scream. A large ball of red light was heading directly at me. Realization hit me as another ball of light flew towards me.

The pilot was trying to shoot me out of the sky.

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Word count: 3,189

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