All Mistakes

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    "Shot..." Kip repeated quietly, running over the past events in his head for revaluation. He had heard a shot, now that he thought about it, but he hadn't noticed it at the time. "A shot- yeah. D'you think..." He didn't finish the question, absently tugging the brown hat off his flaming hair. It seemed like everything was crumbling, all the chaos and trouble- no pun intended- and now the group was split again. "Becka went to look for her sister." He informed Soni, recalling this fact "And Skye said she'd catch up to us- she was talking to the officers last I checked." He looked like he was considering running off again, to look for them.


    "Are you an angel?"
    Mira had gone in without noticing Kip and Snoi at the door, and was startled at hearing a small voice behind her. She whipped around to see a wide eyed little boy with a cast around one arm. She stared at him for a moment, processing the question while her mind raced through the possibilities at hand. The little boy was pale, and frightened, but there was a large amount of curiosity in his hazel eyes, as was normal for someone his age- maybe a bit younger than Mira, though obviously, he hadn't had to grow up as fast as she. He had curly brown hair and a round face, somber and soft, surprisingly calm.
    "Can you talk? Why are you here? Did you come to get someone?" He asked, the questions flooding out as Mira just stared.
    "Yes." She finally choked out, as they had come to get Trouble after all. That was a simple question to answer. Except her mind had skipped over the first question, and she hadn't noticed that her wings were relaxed against her back, partially folded into a heart shape, pale grey, like a doves.
    The little boys eyes grew wider, if that was possible, as thought of his next question. "Who did you come to get?"
    "A-a friend."
    "Why?"
    "Because he was hurt."
    "Are you going to take him back to heaven?"
    "Where?"
    "Heaven- isn't that where people go when they die?"
    "He's not going to die!" Mira yelped, her voice leaping a pitch and going a bit louder than she'd meant.
    "But isn't that where you live?" The boy was confused, as he still though Mira was an angel.
    "I'm not dead either!" Mira said, taking a step back from the other child.

    Soni waited anxiously as Kip tried to recollect the background noises he remembered hearing on the way to meet Trouble and herself at the hospital, waiting to see if it had, in fact, merely been a loud bit of construction work a ways off or if she had recognized the familiar ring out a bullet being launched from a barrel. But to her disappointment Kip recalled hearing the sound to. It meant someone was dead, it meant of the stray misfits, one of them was laying dead on the sidewalk somewhere in the busy streets. All-in-all Soni was holding up rather well for having been through the trauma of the day, she held together her act, coming off convincingly. Soni felt the strain of every problem and possibility building inside her chest, but she wouldn't let it show, she couldn't let it show. She didn't bother to answer Kip because it wasn't needed, it went with unspoken words, that someone they knew had been shot and most likely killed. The number of casualties had increased, and the number if people they needed to rescue had increased. Soni could recognize the look that flood Kip's gaze when he had what in her mind would qualify as a risky idea, she'd been around him long enough to learn he had a plethora of stupid ideas, he'd even admitted it to her himself. But at this point, Soni wasn't sure, he'd been impulsive lately, which meant anything could have come from his ideas.
    "Kip, I thought we weren't going to split up. Aren't we already separated enough? We shouldn't split up any more, I think we've broken that promise enough already. But like you've told me before, you've got plenty of stupid ideas. I'm not keeping you from going, but…I'm just saying I'm not fond of the idea." Soni ducked her head, suddenly interested in the battered shoes on her feet, she knew there must have been something buried in her eyes that looked like she was on the verge of breaking, some bit of worry or concern for him hidden in her gaze that she hadn't managed to cover.


    David sat anxiously on one of the leather chairs placed in the seating area, tapping his foot against the ground and glancing out the window to watch Soni and Kip, trying to read their lips to no avail. Instead turning to watch the little boy confront Mira.

    Kip looked like he might just crumble, cave in, collapse in one loud bang, or simply run off. He clenched his hands into fists to keep them from shaking and forced himself to stand up straight, wiping his face clear of emotion for a moment, though there was still the battle of will going on behind his strangely golden eyes. "I-I'm sorry." He finally forced out, a lump of emotion stuck in his throat, making it difficult to speak. "I'm really sorry Soni- I shouldn't of let them run off. I thought they'd be safer if th-they got away-" He raked a hand back through his hair, making it stand on end. "...we aren't going to split up again- I know I've said that. I mean us. Trouble, Mira, you. Becka's got her own family to worry about, and Skye..." He hesitated, and shook his head "She can go where ever. I don't know- she's not exactly Skye anymore." he suddenly took a step forward, enveloping Soni in a hug- a proper one this time, not just a pat on the wing. "We'll get Trouble and...I don't know, go hide, lay low. Find a way to help the others." He was rambling now, just to keep from breaking down. "I screwed up again." he finished quietly, his wings drooping behind his back "You should of left me in the cage when you had the chance." He was referring to when they met- back at the School, when Soni held the choice of releasing him and Mira or not.


    "I thought angels were dead people though..." The boy was wondering why Mira was reacting so badly to this statement.
    "I am not dead!" Mira said again, taking another step away from the child.
    "What are you then?"
    Mira stared at the child, unsure how to answer this. Normally, by this point, she'd use her wings as a scare tactic, but obviously this wouldn't work out as the boy obviously wasn't frightened of her. "Who." She corrected with a tone of irritation.
    "What?"
    "No- Who. Who am I, I am not a what, but a Who."
    "...alright, Who are you then?"
    "Mira."
    "Oh. I'm Jay."
    "Jay?"
    "Yeah- like the bird. Have you ever seen a blue jay?"
    "...I've seen a blue bird..."


    In the mean time, Trouble was still seated on his dream porch, but the cup of lemonade seemed to of finally ran out, and the sun was beginning to set. He was feeling awfully cold as well, the temperature seemed to of plummeted. Suddenly, his dream setting changed, and he was flying through the sky, which was inky black, no moon, no stars, as if shrouded entirely by cloud. It was cold here as well, and silent- completely silent, he would normally be able to hear his heart beating in his ears, but strangely enough, there was nothing, not even the air rushing past his face. In the sky, out of nowhere- he was sure it hadn't been there before- was a spot. A spot of light, glimmering away, and growing larger as he flew towards it. And then there was a noise- a rustling of feathers, and as he looked behind himself, he found that he was trailing feathers through the inky sky, and they were glowing like the stars would. This would of been amazing, except that he now found himself falling, and there didn't seem like there was much to stop him. His back felt unnaturally bear, as he felt no pressure of wings there anymore, like they had been made purely of feathers and were now scattered through the sky.

    Soni watched Kip intently, her mossy green eyes flitting over his posture and his expression, noticing the way he appeared to be tearing at the seams. She could tell by the little movements and shifts he made to hold together, like closing his fist and straightening himself to look stronger. But Soni didn't buy into the act, for hidden deep within his eyes she could see his frustration and sorrow just before he wiped it clear from his expression. She could tell she was for the most part, holding together better than Kip-or at least hiding it better. "Kip, don't apologize to me, you haven't done anything wrong. It was their choice to go, I would've have let them go too," Soni affirmed, her heart twisting and ictching as she watched him struggle with his words. His vibrant hair caught her attention momentarily as it spiked up from his head, remembering suddenly how dull it had been before, but she shook her head at the little relevance it had with anything. Surprised by the gesture Kip made as he covered her in a hug, the winged-girl didn't respond at first, but none the less, quickly returned the favor, wrapping her arms around his neck and looking over his shoulder at nothing in particular. "Becka can handle herself, and once we take care of ourselves I'm sure we will be able to help her reunite with her family. And Skye…I'm sorry she isn't the Skye you and Mira cared for," she couldn't keep the reminded that one of them was dead from drifting back into her mind to taunt her. "Trouble will be just fine, he's quite stubborn. if anyone can hang on, he can, then we can go lay low. You, Mira, Trouble, and I. Soni pursed her lips and slowly closed her eyes, concentrating. "Kip, we all screw up, it's hard not to when you've for wings and every decision could mean life and death for you and the people you care about. What about all those cliché sayings like it's always darkest before dawn, that one isn't actually true…it's darkest at midnight…" Soni trailed off into a whisper, again realizing she could say better, more important things, things that she couldn't contradict. "I don't regret letting you and Mira out of that cage, Kip. I never will," Soni said firmly, gently smoothing the grey feathers on the ridge on his wing, as if trying to sooth a little kid who'd just fallen down and scraped his knee.

    "Alright- we're alright." He said quietly, as if convincing himself. He stayed, holding Soni for a moment, before pulling away and looking into the hospital doors at Mira speaking with the boy, both looking equally confused, though she was more stunned than the puzzlement shown on the boys face. He still felt like running, but knew that wasn't an option. Running was not an option until they all could run. He took a deep breath and managed a shaky laugh "This is a pile of crud we've gotten into though, isn't it." He remarked, trying to get his voice back into the usual casual tone, normal and even. As if nothing was going wrong


    "Oh, well maybe that was a Blue Jay. I like Blue Jays- oops, I've got to go." The boy said, looking over his shoulder as someone called out his name. "Nice meeting you Miss Angel!" he said over his shoulder, walking away cheerfully.


    Mira stared at him as he left, halfheartedly waving "...I'm not an angel." she muttered. She was not sure what to think of that encounter, and decided to dismiss it as her thoughts wandered back to Trouble. She also noticed that Kip and Soni weren't there, though her panics were shut down as soon as she noticed them outside the door. She almost went out to join them, then figured they were talking without her for a reason and hopped wordlessly up onto a chair next to David, looking absently at her hands.


    Trouble was not having such a quiet time anymore. He opened his eyes to see a very blurry figure in front of him, and felt someone messing with his arm. He tried to speak, but found that his mouth wasn't working quite just yet and let out a mumble instead, moving feebly as his body woke up along with his mind.
    "Oh! Hello, you aren't supposed to be awake yet." A voice said kindly, still holding his arm "Sorry about that. But I was just going to do a little blood test, so if you'll just hold still..." the figure had a needle- if anything was going to wake him up, that would be a needle. Coupled with the fact that the person had a lab coat on, he flipped out. The lanky avian rolled out of the bed, an IV jerking painfully out of one of his arms, as well as a number of sensors going off as he dislocated a couple of them from his body. The contact with the ground hurt, but he had enough adrenalin going through his sluggish body to set him back on his feet- if a bit unsteadily. He had his tawny wings flared for balance, accidentally slapping a few people in the face with them as he wobbled out into the hallway, despite the protests of the doctor, who he shoved away from. The world was spinning dangerously, as he was still low on blood- very low in fact, but they hadn't anything to replace it with for the moment. Stumbling and falling against the wall a number of times, he actually managed to almost make it to the waiting room out of pure luck, but was stopped finally as they caught up with him.
    "No!" he shouted, thinking that he was back in the school "No- don't take me back!" Trouble was kicking out with his feet and flapping his wings while doing his best to get free. "I-I can't go back! " His voice was raised, and then suddenly everything went black as his mind decided to shut down on him, with all the excitement he was causing it. "can't go back..." he murmured, mind drifting away as he went limp.


    [just so you know, I'll be off to camp tomorrow, for the next two weeks. See you when I get back!]


    [[edit- I'm back!]]

    Soni lingered in his grasp, closing her eyes to sort through her thoughts silently, pulling back and stealing a glance at Kip before looking through the glass doors and the stiff light flooding through them. For a moment everything felt calm, no one in trouble, no one was trying to kill them, no one was dying. But Soni knew they would have to go back through those doors any moment, and reality would sink deeper into her mind, the problem was, almost nothing felt real, but it was, at the same time, very real and threatening. Her heart ached, in worry for Trouble, and her longing for him to be alright, it even ached for Kip, in concern for the sudden wonder if he would lose it. And for Mira, who was staying together so well, and being so much tougher than anyone could have expected her to. "Kip, I don't honestly think there was a moment we weren't," she mumbled, her swirling green eyes looking dull, and it was disappointing for her not to see even a glimmer of hope of happiness from the avian standing next to her, he had always held together, and she didn't know how he normally did, but now, as Soni had expected, he had lost it for a moment, like all of them had. She needed Trouble to be okay, and she needed Kip to be alright, just like she needed Mira fine.


    David had been watching Mira and the little boy almost suspiciously. He was sitting to far away to catch their whole conversation, but for a regular boy, David was doing his best to snatch a few words here and there from their talk. Grabbing 'blue jay' and the word 'angel' from both the boy and Mira's mouth. He looked surprised as Mira came and moved herself up next to him, but he didn't protest. He gingerly brushed a few of her stray feathers back into place and looked over worriedly at her,"Y'know I'm sure your friend will be fine," after a long pause, David spoke again,"Who was that you were talking with, anyone cool?" He asked casually, trying not to focus to much on the chance her friend wouldn't be fine. David felt so out of place trying to cheer the little winged girl up, or even being with the avians. He didn't know them well enough to feel much of a connected emotion, and the girl with pretty eyes that he hadn't bothered to greet didn't seem to like him, nor did the red-headed boy who was addressed as kip, but he supposed he wouldn't be with them long anyways, so it wouldn't matter much.


    Soni hadn't expected for her ears to suddenly catch screams, and they seemed quite loud, and quite close. It took the girl a moment before she realized that the panicked shouts belonged to Trouble, and worry instantly knotted in her stomach, making it hard the speak. What could be going on that would make him panic so much? The school. Suddenly Soni remembered the first thing she had thought about the hospital; that it seemed a lot like the school. People wore lab coats and the chemical smell filled every hall. "Trouble!" She whispered loudly, locking her fingers around Kip's fingers and urgently dragging him forwards, the glass doors sliding open to welcome them. "Trouble!" She said a little louder, moving towards the corridor the noises were echoing from in time to see his limp body down the hall.

    The hallway was momentarily chaos- just complete chaos. Mira had ran as soon as she heard shouting, with barely an apologetic glance towards David- there hadn't been time to answer his question. While Trouble was being carted back off to a room, Mira was being restrained- easier said than done really, but a rather burly guard had her in a bear hug. Her wings were bent awkwardly behind her, and her arms were pinned to the side, and while she was kicking, it didn't seem to be doing much damage to the man, who was simply walking back to the waiting room. She was panicking, more than just indignity, or worry over Trouble, but panic. The smell was really setting in, and she was trapped, and someone was messing with her wings- that was a big no-no. Nobody could mess with her wings. Both her and Kip had the same fear of that, it was just a sensitive thing.


    Kip, slightly startled at being dragged along, stumbled and then ran along with. He looked like he was about to attack the man holding his sister, but rationality held him back. They wouldn't get anywhere if he got them thrown out of this hospital. Besides, now that he watched, she seemed to have a plan. Mira had now stopped kicking, and was wiggling, face worked into a frown up due to the fact that his pulled her wings into some odd directions. Pulling her feet up to the mans stomach, she pushed off him and bit his arm simultaneously. Bursting out of his grasp, Mira landed on the ground on all fours, and scrambled up, not running exactly, but standing ready, in case someone else came at her. The feathers on her wings were more ruffled than ever, and quite a few were bent- she looked like a bird that had just narrowly escaped being shredded by a cat, loose feathers and all.


    [eheh dying muse, sorry 'bout the short post]

    David jumped to his feet, not making any intention of moving. Though he briefly took in Mira's look with a understanding glance.
    Soni felt the need to rush to help Trouble, or at least offer a little reassurance. For a brief moment her grasp tightened around Kip's wrist, her worry evident in not only her grasp but her eyes. "Trouble!" She called, releasing his wrist and taking a few lurching steps down the hall, her gaze flickering as she watched Mira struggle with a guard,"They're helping you!" She shouted, but her voice faded almost as soon as the avian opened her mouth. Seeing Mira struggle sent her to the edge, making her toss glances after both the girl and the boy. But some part of her felt a little bit calmer as the little girl seemed the figure out a plan. It ensured her too that Kip was with Mira, because Soni knew he wouldn't ever let anything happen to his sister, and since Kip seemed to calm down so did Soni. Everything was so messed up, it always was, ever since the white-coats had laid wings on their backs. They had all sacrificed things, and had all been dragged through h-ll, it wasn't fair that they were frightened of people who were currently trying to help them.
    By the time Soni had organized her thoughts, Mira had escaped the guard's grasp and the avian had stumbled subconsciously down the hall. But with every step she took, Trouble was being dragged away at the same pace, so she couldn't reach him. Instead a reassuring smile flickered over her lips, and momentarily, she wasn't sure who she was trying to calm down, Trouble or herself. Soni stopped in the middle of the hall, her heart thumping so loudly in her chest she swore everyone must have been able to hear it. Suddenly she turned the the nurse at the front desk, her gaze cold,"You have to let us see him!" She shouted

    Mira felt like she had been dragged along, prodded, pulled and surrounded by people all to much. She wanted to get out- get out of the building, get out of the city, just leave. It'd been to long since she'd flown without fear, or had a conversation where she wasn't just trying to distract herself of someone else, just an honest conversation out of pure interest with the other person. The closest thing she had had to that was the little boy in the lobby, and she didn't count that. The roof felt like it was caving in above her, getting smaller, and the air seemed to be rushing out of the room, along with the heat. The panic was showing on her face, golden eyes wide as her hands clenched into fists to keep them from shaking- something that wasn't working. Her face was pale- paler than usual, that is, and she was biting down on her lip. Mira's ruffled grey wings were tucked in such a way that the curved about her shoulders, like the iconic drawing of an angel, though she looked far from one. A rumpled, small child, with shaggy red hair and dirt smudged face, streaked with tears.
    She ran.
    Bolting past the people in the waiting room, past Soni at the desk and Kip standing numbly beside. She heard him shout out to her as she ran, but Mira wasn't going to stop- she had to get out before the place caved in on her. The doors barely slid open in time as she ran through them, taking off nearly straight up into the sky- She wasn't going far. Just around the building a few times and then on the roof. She just didn't want to be back inside. Going far would be stupid, even in her panicked state of mind she knew this.


    Kip ran a few steps towards his sister, reaching an arm out to grab her, before he remembered- they weren't splitting up. He'd told Soni they weren't splitting up. But that was Mira, Mira the little girl who's wings were to big when she was small, Mira who was bright and cheerful, even after they made them split up in the cages. The little girl who had kept him alive- She had saved his life, without even knowing it. Without someone to protect, some sense of purpose, he probably would of just died in the labs. "Soni-" He choked, looking back at her, almost pleading her. He had said. They weren't going to split up- bad things happened when they split up. Bad things always happened.
    He had promised.
    But he had previously promised Mira-
    He would keep her safe, he wouldn't let anyone hurt her.
    This promise had been when she was very small- he'd broken it to many times.
    "Soni- I'll be right back." He said, and then ran back out the door.

    Soni was left standing at the mouth of the corridor. Alone, aside from David and the nurse at the front desk, who were both staring at her. They were merely staring, waiting for her to move, to do something, but she didn't, she couldn't. The air it's self was suffocating her, wrapping itself around her tongue as she parted her lips to speak. She had considered running after Mira and Kip, but she disapproved the idea before she could take a step. Besides, Mira didn't need her, Mira needed space, she needed Kip, and who was she to go barging and pestering the two of them. And on top of that, there was no way the girl would leave Trouble alone somewhere in the hospital. Mira was panicking, but Trouble has too. Even Kip was a little uneasy. Mira was breaking, the little girl who was keeping it together so well, just…broke. Just like the promise Kip had made to her, but Soni could forgive them for that, after all, when he had made the promise the girl had assumed Mira was an exception, it was his sister, his actual family, and the avian couldn't blame him for leaving to get her. Before she could settle down to think rationally, she took off down the hall, running the direction they had dragged Trouble despite the nurse as she shouted her protest. She skidded around the corner, and peered into every open room she passed, Soni strained to hear anything, maybe even a few more panicked shouts, but not a sound arose from Trouble.
    Soni felt obligated to find him, she had to feel not quite as alone, she had to know that he was alright, and she had to make sure they wouldn't split up again.
    Her thoughts and senses were so overwhelmed in the girl's attempted to find the injured avian, that the security guard that met her as she turned the corner surprised her when she should have sensed him there. The burly man threw his fingers onto the brim of her wing and tugged, causing Soni to stumble back into his arms and let out a shocked wail. She kicked and lashed out, but the man had a bruising grip on the arch of her wing, and was refusing to let go even though the girl twisted violently in his grasp. The man lifted the thrashing avian from the ground and commenced in carrying the girl to the closest vacant room, slamming the door behind them as her let her go and Soni scrambled to her feet. "You miss, have quite a bit of explaining to do," he affirmed. But before Soni could even try and shove past the man, he made it a point to slam the door behind himself as he left.

    "Mira!" Kip had his hands cupped around his mouth to amplify the sound as he was looking up. He almost heard her wings- just barely, which let him know she was flying, and due to the fact that she seemed to be above the street lamps, he wasn't able to really see her. She wouldn't of gone far, he knew that, Mira was smarter than to run off in the middle of something like this. "Mira!" He called again, stepping back out of the light to look up- there. He saw the shadow pass over through the stars, quickly, but it was to large to be a bird. His wings were still stiff, or the one that had been broken anyways, but it seemed like it would hold now. Maybe. Wincing, he took a running start and flew wobbly into the air, and just as he did, he heard a soft noise of someone landing on the roof. Perfect timing really, as he just cleared it. Circling around, he landed lightly, glancing around.


    "Mira? Are you alright?" He asked carefully, taking a step forward slightly. Just as he did so, there was another sound- more of a whirring, and someone landed in between them.


    "Haven't you said it before?" The voice was smooth, unfamiliar, the kind you might hear on an emergency broadcasting system, one that might of supposed to be calming, but wasn't due to what it was associated with. She held out one arm, pointed in the direction of Kip, and there was a popping noise. Darting to the side, he heard something whiz past his ear.


    "Hm. Pity." She said again, calmly pulling another cylinder off her belt and loading it carefully into her gun- that was what she had, though it was difficult to see, as there was no light. Obviously, she had no problem. She was pointed at Mira this time. Mira was frozen, staring, wings out slightly still, as if she was considering take off again, but waiting on something.
    Kip
    she was waiting for Kip. But this didn't happen. He was running, on silent feet, right at the woman. Of course, this had been expected, siblings were ever so predictable. At the last moment, she swung around and fired at Kip, a slight smile crossing her face, which was oddly reptilian. As Kip stumbled to a stop, feeling the needle sink into his shoulder, taking near immediate affect, the woman walked over to Mira, crouching down.


    "I suppose I'll have to get you another time. And you're friends. Shame really, I was hoping for a clean job." As she said this, she was gently trailing a pointed finger down Mira's cheek, leaving a cut with ease, as the finger ended in a claw (how this woman managed with usual life was a question that was asked of a subconscious part of Mira's brain). She was gone then, throwing herself off the roof, and disappearing into the air.


    Kip felt odd- he was thinking, but none of it seemed to really matter. Mira was there, yes, and he had just been shot with something, yes, so what? He sank to his knee's, slowly, feeling awfully tired as well. Cold- like his blood was slowly turning to ice, and it was seeping through him. Was he dying? Yes, perhaps that was it. That would make sense. There was something wrong with that- why couldn't he die? No, of course he could die, but why shouldn't he? There seemed to be some reason- some odd reason he shouldn't be dying right now, but it had all slipped away. Gone. The last face he saw before he fell sideways, mind flickering out, was that of his little sisters- white, and shouting, shouting something. Not that it mattered anymore. He was gone.


    "No- no no no no no, Kip! Kip!" Mira screamed for a moment, and then went silent. Her voice seemed to of deserted her. She didn't exactly remember walking to him, but some how she was there next to him as he fell sideways. She tried to haul him back up by the shoulders, but her hand brushed his neck and she recoiled for a moment. Ice cold- his skin was ice cold. That made her realize how dead he looked. His eyes were vacant, and there was no flicker of a breath coming from his chest. Blue lips, and pale skin- No, that couldn't be true. He couldn't be dead. But there wasn't a heart beat- no pulse either. He couldn't be dead. No sign of life- she didn't want to believe it.


    Mira's mind was reeling around in circles, as she sat on her knees, next to Kips crumpled form on the rooftop, looking as frozen as he did. She was staring, dry eyed, as this seemed beyond tears. Beyond crying, yelling, or any form of sorrow it seemed, he was gone- just gone, that quickly.
    Hadn't he said it?


    Bad things always happened when they split up.

    Soni could have easily handled the security man outside, if he didn't have a gun strapped to his belt; by the time she kicked open the door and moved close enough to attack the man, he would have had his gun out, and in close range it wouldn't have been hard to hit her. So now the only option she had left was to wait for whatever questions they felt the need to ask her. And that, in Soni's opinion was not an option she felt comfortable settling on. She had to get out. The girl would not sit in some cramped hospital room while she had no idea where Kip, Mira, or Trouble were. The whole situation was a disastrous nightmare, that the avian hoped she would wake up from. She hoped that she would wake up to Kip shaking her shoulder and telling her it was just a dream, she hoped she would wake up and see Mira with her wings wrapped around herself for warmth, and she hoped she would see Trouble, with his odd pink wings gathered behind him with he slept under a nearby tree. She hoped she would see anything other than the hospital room. Most of all though, she wished she could see all of them together again. But wishing wouldn't help anything, so slowly Soni returned to reality.
    She let her wide eyes bounce from object to object and corner to corner, searching desperately for a way out. Her dulled optics settled on a vent, nestled in a high corner of the room, the idea urged Soni forwards until she had ripped the slatted cover off of the wall, pulled herself off of the ground and slipped into the confining metal. Instantly she regretted her choice, there was enough room for her in the ventilation system, but all she could see was a shiny, reflective metal, that reflected the same metal. But she had to get out of the room, and she decided she could manage a few minutes in a confined space. On the slightly less dark side, she could hear everything from every room, which overwhelmed her senses, but it also meant she could find Trouble. It also meant she could find her way out of the building and to the roof, where a few of the vents should eventually lead to. As soon as she stretched her wings and stole a breath of non-chemical air she would come find the boy.
    After doing her best to focus on only the smell and sounds coming from outside the building, Soni crawled forwards, uncomfortably keeping her wings against her back as she turned a few sharp corners where the edges of the vent scraped against her side. And she diligently continued inching forwards, until the vent went straight up and and the smell of the night air drifted through the vent above her. After another minute, the girl had managed to slide herself into the upright vent, and kept her shoes firmly against the sides of the metal, slowly working her way to another grated vent and pushed up with her hand carefully, removing the cover with the little effort. She gasped as she removed herself from the tight compartment, wobbly getting to her feet and expanding her wings, thankful for the open space that the roof allowed.
    It was in the moment tranquility that her eyes swept over the surface of the roof; and in that moment that she realized she was not, in fact, alone. There seemed to be two other people at the rooftop, one looking much smaller than the form crumpled on the cement. Though the darkness of the night prohibited the chance of light, Soni didn't need light to tell her that it was Mira and Kip on the roof. Her heart clenched,"M-Mira?" She choked out, her voice catching in the back of her throat. The avian froze, and promised herself right there, in that moment as she reluctantly began stumbling over, that she would not break down in front of Mira. That was a promise that Soni broke rather quickly. As soon as it became clear that it was Kip on the ground, Soni threw her hand over her mouth to muffle a chocking cry, and she was quite glad it was dark, which meant the few tears seeping from behind closed eyelids would not be seen. "What…happened?" If only I had followed them, maybe he would still be alive, if only I hadn't let us split up. Her body was struggling to suppress the shakes that came along with her tears, and Soni was mad at herself for letting Mira see her so incredibly hopeless. And as she crouched down and pressed the tips of her fingers to the crumbled avian's wrist, only to find nothing, Soni buried her face in her hands. Kip was dead. He couldn't be. He wasn't. She wouldn't accept it. "Who did it?"

    Mira was almost as still as Kip, but only for a moment after Soni spoke. She flinched, as if the words had physically struck her, and sat back slightly, crossing her legs like a child in a kindergarten circle. Her dark, dove grey wings folded about her shoulders, and silent tears began to coarse down her face, stinging the small cut on her cheek and mixing with the blood. Who did this- she didn't even know. If she knew she wouldn't be able to say so anyways, as her voice didn't seem to be working. Maybe Mira didn't care if her voice was working or not- it wasn't like she had anything to say right now. So there she sat, trapped in a dark little bubble that expanded around her, she couldn't see the stars, or the roof below her. Just Kip, dead. Dead.


    "No." She whispered, looking down, away from Soni. "No- nonononono." There it was- the sound that had refused to come earlier. Her hands over her face, she let out a thin, small sound, building up to a wail, only slightly muffled by her hands, as she shook, the feathers on her wings trembling, shoulders jerking with each sob. "D-don't. Don't do this." She mumbled, taking her hands from her face and reaching out to Kip. She pulled out the needle- the one that had killed him, and let it clatter on the ground as she shook his shoulder in a useless motion. He was dead. She knew he was dead- but he couldn't be dead, he would wake up in a moment and everything would be fine. They'd go get Trouble, and they'd leave the hospital- go find a forest. They could curl up in a forest for a while and they wouldn't ever have to come back to a city again. "Kip, please..." She whimpered, shaking his shoulder again. "Please."

    If only I had followed them… He was dead, he was dead and it hurt Soni so much knowing he was dead. And it hurt watching Mira come to a realization that he wasn't coming back, it hurt to know that despite Soni's attempts to hold together for Mira she couldn't. Soni gazed blankly down at his limp body, his extremely cold wrist, that Soni hadn't realized she was still clutching, hoping that it would suddenly prove he was alive again, his paled face, it all seemed fake, but it was very strangely real. The girl closed her eyes, forcing the trembles beating her shoulders to subside, and she slowly crept over to Mira, resting a hand on her shoulder gingerly. Time lapsed by, and the girl knew Mira was to fragile to tell her which way the attacker had gone, and by now the member of the school was probably long gone, and if Kip couldn't take on whoever it had been, there was little chance that Soni could do it. Logic told her to go find Trouble, and leave before something worse could happen, but nearly every once of her body wanted to leap off the edge of the roof and just go, as far away from the cruel reality as possible. Soni moved closer to the little girl, enveloping her in a tight hug, that she expected to be rejected. Some small part of her knew, knew they would all end up dead at some point, though now that she had grown close to everyone, it was much harder to admit. A small clank brought her attention to the small needle that Mira had pulled from the dead boy's shoulder, and abruptly, the girl snatched it from the ground, turning it over. Skye. Skye had been dead. Kip had told her that Skye, had been dead, ice cold and very, clearly dead. She recalled talking with Kip about it in the small town store that they had met Collin in. If Skye had been brought back, then there was a chance that Kip would be too. But the hope that flared with this notion scared Soni, there was also a chance she was over thinking the idea, and merely getting her hopes up, she wasn't going to let the idea to though, it was too important.


    {I like the twist, as mean as that sounds. Did you have a plot idea with this or must I wait until later on the hear about it if there is one?}

    [[I had forgotten about Skye's demise, which gives me some better ideas now that you've reminded me- you have a fantastic memory, did you know that? Anyways, I sort of had a plot idea. It's fairly fluid and I think I'll save the idea to tell you for when it shows up ^^, it could go along well with just about anything, as long as they run into the School again.]]


    The little bubble, the walls that Mira had formed around herself had just been broken- but it was Soni. Now Soni was there. But that didn't help, not really. Just for the moment. For the moment she could hide, disappear into the dark, sink into her mind as she had when the yells penetrated the bars of her cage in the School. That shadowy little place, far in the back, where nothing mattered, nothing existed. Except eventually she would fall asleep, still in this little shadow realm, and she would no longer control it- the dreams, the nightmares, they would always come.
    But Kip was always there afterwards, and Skye near by.
    Not anymore.
    Not this time, not ever again.
    Because Kip was dead
    Dead and gone.


    The brief moment of tranquility that had been granted was gone, and a small sound escaped her lips with a rush of air as she remembered to breath- breathing was good. She had been holding her breath. New air filled her lungs in a shaky gasp, and then were exhaled slowly. Then another gasp, and she would hold it for as long as she could- until spots danced in the dark before her eyes, and then she would let it out, and wait a moment before taking another breath.


    Trouble was blissfully unaware of the going-on's of the world above him, his mind drifting in and out of sleep- neither of which were really all that comfortable. Sleep was plagued by shadowy figures in a strange world where everything was to bright, and difficult to see- and his eyelids were ever so heavy, perhaps he could just close them for a moment. And then he was at the school, hooked up to their machines- they must be running some sort of test. Injected him with one thing or another, that was why they were regulating his heartbeat, or something of the like. He wasn't sure which was worse, or even which was reality. Vaguely, he remembered something else- Someone else. People. Important people, on their way to do something just as important. Why weren't they here? Maybe they were in trouble. Or maybe they never existed, he wouldn't put it past himself to invent friends, an entire world beyond the walls of this establishment named a School.

    {Ah! I can't stand suspense! Cruel, cruel, Star Dust. Not even a hint, for your friend --k a r m a? Why thank you! I do by best to remember things, and I do believe Skye was shot and killed again, actually. I must ask though if you plan on bringing Kip or Skye back, or if they are staying dead.}


    Soni didn't realize she was crying again until she felt a stream if tears begin to leak down her face,"I'm sorry Mira, I'm so, so sorry, Mira. I should have followed you guys, I should have been here," she sobbed, her light hair quivering in a soft gust of wind that swept across the rooftop. She knew that she could never be there just as much as Kip had, she would try, but even if she managed that, she knew Mira wouldn't want her, she would want Kip. And Soni would never suffice, no matter how hard she tried to merely mean part of what Kip had meant to the little girl. Not that Soni would ever want to take his place. I'm sorry, Kip, I'm so, so sorry. I should have followed you, then maybe you wouldn't be dead, I should have been here, I shouldn't have let us split us. Mira needs you, I need you. I'll do my best to take care of her, I promise, I'll protect her with my life, just like you did. I'm so sorry. At least you won't have to jump through hoops, or keep running for a living. Mira is going to miss you, I'm going to miss you, even Trouble will miss you. I'm so sorry, Kip, I'm so sorry. The avian didn't want to leave his body, it felt so wrong knowing they would have to leave at some point, and that they would most likely have to leave his body where it was. No, no, Soni would make sure she at least got him to the ground, take him somewhere to rest. She unravelled her arms from Mira and clambered to her feet, pulling at her hair before moving a hair over her mouth again. The avian shouted into the palm of her hand, she shouted curses, and words she would have never used in front of anyone else, and she was very glad to sound was muffled and only part of her wailing was audible. Right there, Soni promised yet again that no one would ever see her so shattered again, especially not Mira, Soni had done her full of crying in front of anyone. As she stormed angrily around the edges of the roof, something caught the corner of her sorrow filled eyes, a needle, much like the one that was lodged in Kip's arm. It was the one shot that had missed Kip, and Soni crouched down and picked up the bullet-like needle, tucking it discreetly into the pocket of her jacket. Her lower lip still quivered with unshed sobs, but Soni held them back, only let tears roll down her cheeks, no noise, no trembles, just silent tears. "We need to find Trouble and go, soon," she choked, warning Mira as she looked back at Kip's body.

    [[Skye's staying dead, yeah ^^ what I had forgotten was how I killed her off in the first place- didn't notice the similarities to the two deaths, so you've actually given me a proper way for me to bring Kip back. It's about two in the morning as I type this so my apologies to any sort of mistake/typo and the general thing.]]


    Some how, in Mira's dark, quiet mind, Soni's words sank in. Dropping, like a pebble in a wishing well, sinking slowly to the bottom. The importance of this statement then reached her mind as well, like a buffering computer screen- ever so slowly, just piece by piece. She didn't want to move from her crunched spot on the cold cement. For a moment though, it was like one leg wanted to move, and then the other just decided against it, and while her leg wanted to move, her mind didn't, and she ended up falling onto her side, much like Kip had. Curling her legs to her chest, she ignored the awkward position of her wing, focusing instead on the stone against her cheek. There was a pebble pressing into it- how had the pebble gotten here? This was a roof. Perhaps people came up here every now and again to escape, like she had.
    That was when it struck her.
    This was her fault. She had ran away in the first place, leading him up here- only to get shot. He had been shot because he was trying to protect her, because he had been trying to make sure she was alright. Slowly, Mira stood up, wings folded tightly against her back again. The little cut on her cheek stood out starkly against her skin, which seemed pale under the dim light that seemed to come from nowhere. Trouble. Trouble was still alive, maybe. Maybe he was dead. He had looked awfully dead last she had seen. There had been a lot of blood- to much blood. Kip hadn't bled though, perhaps that meant he was not dead. No, this was silly, of course he was dead. While thought made her want to curl up on the ground again, she instead walked to the rim of the roof and just kind of fell forward, extending her wings as she did so. Fully aware that it took more than just this to fly, she recalled her ability to do so, and flapped, landing rather heavily on the pavement below- not that this mattered. It didn't hurt her permanently, just a sting. Something that would fade- something that she didn't feel right now. The automatic door slid open and she stood numbly outside it, wings extended and her arms hanging at her sides. Her hands were curled slightly, perfectly still. She wasn't shaking, and her sobbing had resided as quickly as it had come. No, Mira was just numb now. Empty. Cold, very cold. The breeze had a bite to it that she hadn't felt before, and the light seemed harsh, sickly.

    {I'm glad to be of assistance on planning the winged-dead-boy's return! It's about to same time over here too so a few mistakes few to lack of sleep can be expected. :)}


    The surface of her eyes gleams with tears and mixed emotions, sorrow and anger, defeat and lack of hope, and a few unidentified remained in the midst of her irises. Kip was laying there, dead, cold and pale. He looked asleep. And for a moment Soni wondered if it was all a really bad dream, that she would merely walk over and shake his shoulder and he would wake up and come with Mira and herself to go fetch Trouble before they vanished from the town, happily ever after. No. Not happily ever after. And Soni cursed at her own foolishness of ever thinking she could have one. She hardly heard Mira as she cascaded to the harsh ground. But Soni couldn't bring herself to move after the little girl. It felt so wrong to leave Kip on the roof, but even if Soni gathered enough strength to get him to the ground, there would be to many people there to see, to poke and prod and ask questions. An angry shout rippled throughout the tops of the buildings, and Soni hadn't realized at first that she had been the one who had let out the frustrated wail. She didn't stay much longer once Mira left, the avian couldn't help but roll Kip onto his back though, as if the dead boy might actually care if he was in an uncomfortable position. "I'm sorry."
    Soni's feet hit to ground heavily, and she actually lost her balance as she landed, stumbling forwards until she crashed onto her knees. She got up slowly and numbly moved past the sliding glass doors, her senses dry, she didn't even bother to glance at David as he got to his feet to greet her. "You," Soni growled bitterly at the nervous receptionist,"You're going to tell me what room that winged boy is in right now." The girl had managed to remove the tear stains from her cheeks, and had wiped any sign of emotion from her voice, leaving a cold snap behind, much like the icy winds on the rooftops. Her eyes were no longer red and watering, but now harsh and uncaring, the avians wings were extended just beyond her shoulders, stiff and rigid.
    The lady fumbled for for words, a look of utter confusion furrowing her brow,"R-room 124. Ve-very back of the building," she stammered.
    Not waiting for anyone's permission she followed the information down several hallways until she found herself facing the room described. Without a moment of hesitation she had shoved her way into the room. Soni ignored as a lingering doctor in the room tried to stop her, shoving him outside as she moved to wake Trouble. "Trouble, Kip's dead, we have to go," Soni said bluntly, pursing her lips to hold back any unwanted emotions.

    Trouble murmured something, still mostly out of it- being so short on blood, his body didn't have a whole lot of energy to exert on being fully conscious. The 'something' sounded quite a hit like him remarking on the fact that Soni really was real. It was a few minutes after that that what she had actually said sank into his mind, which was moving as if through tar. The slightly stupid smile that had briefly crossed his face faded as he considered this fact. Kip was dead. How could he be dead? Kip couldn't be dead, that didn't make any sense- for good was sakes, if anyone should be dead, it should of been him. Where was he anyways? The very panic at where he thought he was jerked him awake enough to function on a half working level, and his hands began to fumble with IV's and other such things hooked up to him, they had to leave, so he had to get disconnected. Luckily for him, as blood stained and tattered as they where, someone had saved his cloths, washed them and they sat, folded on a stool near his bed. Every movement he made felt surreal, as if through a dream, and he didn't actually recall getting dressed properly, though he must of at some point, as his cloths were suddenly back on him. Upon standing, the world lurched dangerously as his head spun and his side exploded into new pain. His face was nearly as pale as Kips had been as the blood rushed from his head and spots danced before his eyes. Wings out slightly for balance, he stumbled to the wall, putting a hand against it to steady himself.
    "Soni- I'm not going t'be flying." He mumbled finally, his voice sounding slightly odd, far away in his own ears. The boy could hardly walk a few steps- there was no way he was gettin himself off the ground. Yet they had to go, they had to move before they came back. Where would they go- what had happened to Kip? How had he died? Why was Mira staring at him like he was bleeding out on the pavement again? It occurred to his sluggish mind that she was probably worried that he might keep over and die. Her brother had just died, she was bound to be a little extra worried about anyone left alive close to her. He managed a comforting smile, and then promptly fell forward onto his hands and knees, trying to steady the world around him as it insisted on spinning.

    Her brow furrowed as she entered the room and was greeted by his ridiculous smile, not sure how or why he would be smiling. He was alive, that was always good, but as he began to tug the needles and suction cups from his arms and shoulders, silently she hoped he wouldn't die stumbling out of the hospital. There had already been two deaths within the day, not to mention the chance that Collin and his siblings had already been killed at the school. But then again, if the school had wanted them dead to begin with, they would have killed them on the spot. Then she recalled the fact they had killed Kip, the rational side of Soni prodded at the notion that the school wanted them all dead since they hadn't tried to take them, a merely shot him with whatever had been in the needle. The though of death made tears sting her eyes and words jump into her mouth, but Soni couldn't afford to be emotional. She had to stick to survival. Stay strong. She couldn't care that Kip was dead, not knowing she had to take care of Mira and Trouble until he healed more properly.
    Soni bent her knees and crouched down to sit on her heels, gripping the boy's shoulder to help steady him,"Trouble, you're gonna have to hold out, alright? You can rest as soon as we get out of the city, I know you're low on blood, but we've got to leave now. I promise I'll explain everything later. Can you stand? You've got to get up, come on," her voice still showed no sign of emotion, not even a sliver, though her eyes regretfully betrayed her, so her kept her head down, her hair slipping from behind her ears to shade her eyes. The girl did not trust herself to talk for very long, knowing something would slip that she hadn't meant to. She moved the avian's arm over her shoulder and heaved Trouble with her as she rose to her feet. She let out a heavy breath, taking a step forwards and hoping that Trouble would be able to carry himself for the most part.


    {sorry for shorter post. :)}