I barely make it. The second I land on the branch, it snaps. The girl with wings is instantly at my side as I fall. We land on a sturdier branch, and I just stare at her as she holds my arms tightly.

"Darling, I'm so sorry that happened; are you okay?" she asks, blowing a leaf away from my hair.

"I'm fine," I mutter.

"Good. Now I know you have a million questions. I'll just start from the beginning, and you can ask along the way."

I nod.

"So. My name is Val. My brother is Morrin. You know him. We're not biological siblings, but where we come from, everyone is family. Speaking of where we come from, we live all over the place. Morrin and I lived right beyond the lake, though," she points to the trees across the lake, as if I can't see them. "Any questions so far?"

"Yeah, uh, what's up with your wings?" I ask.

"Oh, yeah. Morrin and I both have wings. Where we come from, everyone does. Well, not everyone everyone. But everyone does in theory. I know, doesn't make sense. But not everyone needs wings, necessarily. Some people can just get around without wings. Like you. But you probably do have wings. People who don't have wings have hollow bones like us, so they can glide and stuff, but they look normal."

"Wait. I have wings. What?"

"Darling, have you ever wondered why your shoulders are the way they are?" Val asks and sits up straighter.

I shake my head.

"Well, I'll tell you simply. It's anatomy. Why are my shoulders so wide, my shoulderblades so jutted-out? So I can support my wings," she explains as she pokes at my shoulders. "You look like you have wings. Weird that they  haven't shown up yet. Have you felt any pain in your back lately?"

"Uh, not really."

"How much do you weigh?" she pulls my arms up over my head and tilts her head.

"Maybe one hundred twenty or one hundred thirty pounds," I reply, flinching when she pulls me to my feet by grabbing my waist.

"Does this hurt?" she asks when she grips my shoulders.

"Ow, yes!" I hiss and pull away.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just trying to figure out..."

"Figure out what?"

"On average, girls start showing signs of growing wings between nine and twelve years. But you're a teenager. I mean, it's entirely possible you're just a late bloomer. Still, it doesn't even look like you're fully developed. Were you born premature by any chance?" Val has me hold my arms out level with my shoulders.

"Yeah, by a few weeks," I reply.

"Of course. Now jump off the tree for me, please."

I raise my eyebrows at her, but do as she says. She's one of those people who you can't really say no to.

Val meets me on the ground with one of her not-quite smiles. "Good. Thank you. You're quite graceful, even without wings. You could do just fine without them, even though you look... Different."

"Okay, so why does it even matter? It's not like I can really do anything--" I start, but she presses her hand against my mouth.

"Be quiet. Hold on. I need to leave. Go to Morrin. Talk to him. He'll explain as much as he can. Tomorrow. Same time. Same place. Tell Morrin to come, too. I'll see you later, Darling," Val promises and flies away.