Streamers, and an abundance of children gliding through the air, fell as the festival was beginning to end, the sky transitioning from dusk to night. Sidewalks were beginning to clear with satisfied customers, and a plethora of children adorned with medals for their hard work, skipped home hand in hand with their parents. Above, sky hermits and flying mongooses alike flew above MurrowsBrow watching happily at the habitual nature of the place. Tree leaves brushed against the wind calmly. Befitting the mood, the Jones’s household was beginning to unwind as well.

  Sammy and Jessy laid flat on their smaller bed next to their parents. Claudia, with nothing but closed eyes, and an active imagination had the two enthralled in her tale, their eyes big and pulsating from the bittersweet end they were hearing.“And finally, after their long awaited reunion, the brother and sister left behind their past, and never looked back. The end…” Claudia looked onto Jessy and Sammy, who although misty eyed from the story were still awake. Jessy who fought against her tears, unlike Sammy who let a few whimpers escape, asked stiffly,”Why… Why didn’t they stay with their family? Their mom was always right! She even knew they’d find each other after and go live happily ever after!” Claudia looked at the two, smiling sweetly, then to Cory, who was resting on Ave and Rey’s bed beside them. “Well… They both needed time to be their own adults. When you grow up, everyone needs that time. They’ll never stop loving their parents, they just-” Jessy interrupted,”Can you tell the story nicer? We can’t leave mom.” “Jessy…” Claudia’s hand gently climbed up Jessy’s arm. Unexpectedly however, her small body pulled away quickly, grabbing her cheek and easing into Sammy, her pupils dilated as if Claudia’s hands were lethal.

  “O-oh… I’m sorry… Yeah, sure… I'll change it for you Jessy… Just relax, I’m not angry, alright?” Jessy reluctantly nodded along, noting this, Claudia cleared her throat, restarting the ending of the tale.

  In stark contrast from above, locked away at the helm of their basement, Ave wrestled with the darkness, her skinny figure hastily swinging a pickaxe towards the ground. Although her aim was accurate, Ave struggled to cause any significant damage. Quietly, she paused, staring at her hands which were shaking with rage. “You’d better hurry kanoa…” She whispered under her breath. Although capable of releasing so much more, a familiar guilt overtook her intent. “Dang it…” She grasped onto her pickaxe. Through the veils of darkness, she watched as a droplet of sweat poured down her face, she grimaced. “Dang it!!!” She yelled shakily. With one fatal swing, the ground shook from underneath her, cracks began to form, sweat already dripping from her face. Over and over did she strike the ground, resenting how the world mistreated them, yet forgetting her children altogether. Though what brought Ave the most anguish, being Ms Friends' final words to her before they parted.

  After all had been confronted, Ms Friend finally looked away. A moment from Ms Friends ' judging eyes gives Ave enough time to suppress her festering rage.“Remember.” She pointed at the mountain in which Kanoa climbed. Playfully Ms. Friend wrapped the red string around her finger. “Remember this. The threads used to connect Kanoa to our girl Kanoa, to separate Rey and your bond, while not breakable, are susceptible to discord when drama is applied to them… As in, voluntary exploration of those suppressed memories.”

  Ave held her stomach immediately connecting the dots.“Y-you think- He’s- Right now?! He couldn’t be!”At first stone faced, Ms Friend grinned then chuckled extensively, her breath only cut off after a minute or so.“Come on. We both know the type of person he is… You knew it would only be so long, didn’t you?” Ave shifted slightly, uncomfortable by the implication- the surge of memories which may find their way to him, but a particular memory snatched her already rising blood pressure sending it bound higher. She shook her head refuting Ms. Friend's words. “I-I have to-!” “No. No.” She interrupted, grabbing Ave by both shoulders before she could scurry away, although she tried to fight against her unyielding grip, slowly, her words weakened her. “The reason I told you this was out of incentive. Your love is on the line. It’s like I’ve said. His feelings are merely conditional, a mirage. If you’d like to prove me wrong, then be my guest. Leave.” She let go of her, Ave’s feet glued to the floor, her lips clenched. “Or. You can try again. Use a piece of your love against him. Push Avery so far down, you save him from himself, as always. Am I wrong?” Having crossed the line, Avery raised her voice, “Shut up!” Though before she could even raise her hand to her, Ms Friend quietly said. “Avery Jones, Blvd, Aerthstreet, Social security 716547422, Mother to recently missing Kanoa Jones, husband to recently missing Avery Jones.” She quieted down as Ave’s fist lowered, she then leaned in. “A terrorist planning for months to coerce the public into disrupting the lives of our King and Queen… Lay a finger on me and our promise will be ruined. Don’t you want to save your family and Kanoa?”

  Slowly she nodded. “Good… Now go home. Go home and don’t leave until you retrieve the first spell you placed on him… Good luck.” She smiled. Ave did not.

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” As Ave’s mining continued to make the floor deeper, her voice began to carry despite the thickness of their walls. “Come on, where? How far down!?” Feeling annoyed by the familiarity of her own words, she half expected Rey to call her at any moment, obstructing her focus, but surely that wouldn’t happen, now would it?

  Shaking off the thought, she continued, every moment of misunderstanding for her feelings, their relationship, the so called “control” she held over him, all fueled each of her tensed muscles, pushing her beyond her limits,until finally the pickaxe snapped. Ave smiled excitedly at the deep hole she’d dug, readying to uncover the debris and retrieve Rey's item, that is until Claudia opened the door, sniffing at the air, a bit concerned. “So it was here! Thank the Phoenix!” She exclaimed with a slight whisper. “Ave? Are you down here? I put the kids down for beddy bye- I-I mean sleep. Mind if I come down to wish you goodnight…?” Observing the chaos around her she knew better than to accept the self invitation, although a sort of sentimentality came over Ave, particularly staring at a faint black feather staring at her from beneath the debris.

  “Sure. But I suggest you hold onto the railing.” Carefully, Claudia treaded down the stairs as any more of their weight surely would have entrapped her in a plethora of splinters. Her eyes readily gawked at whatever she could. “Sorry for being nosey- I just wanted to see the basement, I never knew you guys had one!” Ave leaned against the wall, wiping sweat from the bridge of her nose.

  “Well you can’t come any further, it’s a mess and I’m still waiting on Rey to clean it…” She said, plainly. “And didn’t he go out with friends you said? After you two found Kanoa at a friend's house?” She nodded along, hoping no sudden suspicions would arise. “I didn’t peg him as the type to hang out with his friends over an obligation...””He always gets the job done anyway…” Eventually, Claudia’s eyes finally landed on the small hole Ave had been mining through. “Speaking of. What are you working on? Do you need any water, you look parched! “ She shook her head, wiping dust from her face. “ No, I’m fine. With all of this space, we were just thinking of remaking this area for Jessy and Sammy to play in, get them some toys and whatever else.”Claudia smirked at the idea, even if she had only made it up from the top of her head.Their smiling, budding faces at a space this large. “That’s a really good idea! I’m sure Kanoa would love something like that too!”

  “Kanoa…?” Ave questioned, leaning off of the wall, a bit off put at the idea of Kanoa playing with the two in the kiddy arena she pictured. “Yeah! Maybe you could section some part of it for him to relax (assuming there’s enough space), maybe he can invite some friends over when he starts flying and they can hang out there!” Despite the image in her mind, Ave could hardly muster the same spark she had before. “Kanoa… Doesn’t need those things. Even when he does fly, what he needs to do is focus on what he can do to make things better down here. He’s playful enough as it is, some structure will do him some good.”

  “Yeah but…” Claudia paused trying to muster an argument towards what she knew to be flawed thinking, though it wasn't completely clear to even her.“Kanoa… is a kid. He’s old enough to fly, but don’t you remember how hard flying can be? The hours away from family? How boring it was to check off the list of resources? It was scary when we missed a day too…That reminds me! Before we left Earth I would always drop a croissant from the mesosphere then zoom straight down with my friends just to see if we could beat it!” She chuckled at the memory, Ave stared at her blankly. “Those were the days… B-but uh! My point is, he needs the free time, it’s healthy.”

  A bit chafed at the idea of being told how to parent Kanoa, Ave’s eyebrows furrowed, her posture straightened.

  “What’s healthy is a sense of responsibility. Kanoa’s spent long enough dawdling down here. And when he does come back- When we bring him back from up there, he’s going to work even harder to make this world better.” Not realizing her slip up, Claudia tilted her head. “I… I don’t understand what it is you want him to do but… Isn’t helping out with Jessica and Samuel enough?”Ave paused, partly from talking in a tone she never had with Claudia, but also from the idea of that being"enough ". “He’s such a good boy too… Well behaved, cooking, respectful to his elders, outdoorsy, kind. He honors you both well, don’t you think so? I hope my son will grow up to be a bit like that.” Her voice calmed at the image of her infant son waiting for her. Ave was a bit at a loss for words, her voice lowered.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten so upset. Kanoa is a good boy. A good son, but there’s no harm in wanting him to aspire for more, is there?” She asked, both as a question to Claudia, yet also herself. Claudia paused. Thinking it over. “I don’t think so… But… He’s still…” She struggled to find the words, eventually giving. “I won’t push anymore…” The tension in the air choked them both, their eyes jumping from place to place, their bodies stiff, Ave’s arms folded, Claudia relying on the banister for support, until finally Ave spoke up. “Claudia. I appreciate you. As a friend, and a God Mother to kanoa… And even in rare instances where you have to be our children’s babysitters.” She gave a forced chuckle, trying to encourage a lighter mood, though Claudia’s unease wouldn’t cease. “So let me ask you this… As two adults… If you were to find away from all of it. MurrowsBrow, the flying, the people above us. If I offered you a way out of every conceivable issue you could consider, would you?” Considering the question, she smiled, shaking her head,”Certain parts of that idea appeal to me…If my family said yes, I-”

  “You can’t tell your family. This is something only between you and I. It’s life or death.” “...” Noticing Ave’s silence, the room’s mood began to drag again. Quietly, she replied reluctantly, “I understand…”“N-no! There's nothing to understand, just… Forget it! I’m the one that should be sorry. It’s none of my business how you raise Kanoa, you’re doing a great job so far… I hope you find him. I have to go now, bye.”

  Before Ave could even return Claudia goodbye, she dashed away, likely from nervousness. Ave was left to stew with her own thoughts. On one hand a part of her could understand Claudia’s words, but another refused too. Her hair lifted, swimming along as if a breeze had been guiding it. She turned to the cocoons, a bit of frustration spread across her face. “… He’ll get it. He always does.”

  Stooping over, Ave walked towards her hole, pushing away the debris.

  —----

  The next morning, Kanoa and… “Kanoa” sat at the edge of a cliff behind the humble laboratory. Both of their hands shot energy bolts decisively at a wall of the pit MurrowsBrow had stayed encroached in, Kanoa’s arms shook, whereas Blue Kanoa watched him and her own ice-based attacks with a consistent close eye. Behind them, the new case of pills had three of the five pills gone, leaving only orange and green. They hadn’t spoken much, letting their energy do the talking. Although in the spaces of time Noa and Kanoa had brief intervals of discussion there was still a tone of hostility and annoyance in the air Noa had grit his teeth and dealt with it with a smile. Though as the star gazers proceeded to jet from behind the two alongside their friends, flying away from the starry night which sat above the two,Kanoa’s firing slowed his focus shifting completely to behind him where his view was obscured. At first anticipating a whack to the head or a list of verbal assaults, he quickly realized both of them cast away their overindulgent power obsession in favor of how pretty each figure looked skimming through the air then out into space.

  From behind the both of them, the shorter skinny man with his trail of long, gray beard hair, watched over the two, his eyes watching closely, as he jotted down their turning expressions methodically with a pencil and sketchpad in hand. “... Really makes you think.”

  Said Kanoa, his mind thinking back to Sam and his promise. Catching the reminiscent tone in his voice, the blue girl frowned with great displeasure.“Think about what?”

  “Stuff…. I promised a friend I know that I’d fly with him soon… And here I am promisin’ you we’ll finish off these pills…” He said, unveiling two out of the previous six missing. “The red one ain’t sitin’ right…” She said grimacing. “Makes me feel… Panicky.” “Ms Friend told me to wait weeks in between pill consumption. I’m wonderin’ if it was for our safety or-” Blue Kanoa snapped her fingers urgently in front of Kanoa’s face,”Hey hey! Quiet the baloney and keep firin’! Everything she said was a lie. Keep up!” As she stopped, Kanoa obeyed, firing his electrically charged blasts into the air. “How… Do you know for sure?” “I know because anybody who absorbs a lotta energy- which these are (duh), doesn’t get sick, they get crazy powerful! She’s just tryin’ to make you small.” “really…?” A bit relieved, Kanoa sighed. “It sounds like her… But I dunno…” Though as he extended his arms out further, steeling himself for the usual amount of pressure placed in his palms, a giant ball of energy was pulled out of not only himself, but the environment around him as well, bringing shock to himself while blue Kanoa smirked. “W-wait, this is too much! How do I retract this!?” “Send it, c’mon!” She cheered, in turn pushing Kanoa to do exactly that. He winced as the energy shot with the speed of a bullet, though with enough weight to push him onto his back. The two watched as upon a bare side of MurrowsBrow’s walls, the energy collided with the surface, scaring the wildlife, and bringing down a flurry of rocks.

  “Ha! That was amazin’! What more proof do you need from that?” She asked to help Kanoa up. “I… I guess it really is makin’ me stronger…” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I hope it didn’t hurt anyone though… electricity at that high of a voltage is dangerous.” He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortable with the thought. “Ah! Look at you, always worryin’... Ruins everythin’...” She pouted, continuing her ice blasts. “Forget I said anythin’...” Kanoa frowned at the response, some part of him wanting the conversation to continue. The children gliding above them, completely unaware of their tiny existence. Just then, some part of his gut twisted, as he’d realized with enough energy, the two of them would be able to do more than release bigger energy blasts… They’d be able to fly. Kanoa instinctively hugged his back, the foreign concept of flapping his wings, letting them tower above him as he flew, or even retreating them into his back disturbed him so much even Blue Kanoa began to notice. Although, unlike before, she hadn’t scowled at him, only saying to him while still shooting,”It only gets worse if you keep starin’. They’re the weirdo’s .” At first he hadn’t understood her last words, but it wasn’t until the part of him which was still connected to her, remembered the antagonism and ostracization of the world. Weirdly, he felt a smile come on, reinvigorated with her saying,”Yeah… They are… We’re only doin’ it to get out of here… They’re doin’ it for fun…” “Bleh” She said, sticking out her tongue and pointing her finger to her throat. Kanoa laughed at their shared disdain for flying, relieved by it, allowing him to continue withdrawing energy.

  Though quietly, he questioned himself. If they were to get away, how far could they leave? Could they survive space like the rest of them? He asked, hesitantly,”C-can we even fly like that?” She paused, fixated on Kanoa’s tone. “Well, Yeah. We’re all made up of the same stuff. Weird or not.” She said, matter of fact. “Weirdos? You say that people shouldn’t be able to fly.” He pointed out, curious. “It’s because they shouldn’t. We shouldn’t.” Her tone was neither indignant nor combative, she sulked, folding into a fetal position while holding her knees. “What do you mean…?”“I told you… I’m no good at explainin’ stuff… I wonder what it feels like…” She covered her mouth, her feelings spilling out seemingly accidentally. Kanoa felt a tad relieved as he himself had only heard vague descriptions which confused him, he had wondered whether she would feel the same.

  “It’s supposed to feel… Hard. Like the hardest thing ever. But not because of the flying itself, but from the transitions… I think.” “Transitions? She questioned, a bit of intrigue in her voice. “Yeah. Like going from here to space, then one planet then another. Star gazers don’t stay on the same planet for long, they have to keep moving or else they’re stayin’ stagnant… It’s hard… But the flyin’ itself… Even though it just happens- Nobody controls anything taking off, according to my dad, the sheer force of will to wanna keep goin’ is there… It’s really…” He stopped himself, not wanting to take over the conversation.

  “My bad… Some of that stuff is a stretch. Like the “force of will” stuff… Nobody told me that, it’s just when I see it that’s what I think.” Glancing at her face, Kanoa was shocked to see the same look of excitement stretched onto her face. “Dangit… I hate that you’re kinda good at explainin’ stuff… I wish I could explain why that stuff is bad even if it is kinda cool…!”

  “I can…” Their gazes shot up to the restless man, his pencil moving as restlessly as both of their pupils scanned the man's steady figure. “When did- you old geezer! Stop sneakin’ up on me like that!” She shouted, drawing farther than the cliff.

  He groaned at her incessant movement. “Go back to that position, quickly. I’m almost there…” He pleaded to her, obviously distressed. She folded her arms apathetic to his woes, whereas Kanoa, surprised by the determination in his eyes, took him a bit more seriously. “Come on… We were just sittin’ here anyway… What’s the harm in bein’ models?” “Models?” She scowled, the word leaving a bitter taste in her throat. “Models are the same as test subjects. I’ll never be anythin’ close to one again.” she said coldly, annoyed Kanoa wouldn’t know any better. “No! They’re not the same thing! Being a model is like… A form of endearment. They like how you look so much they just gotta capture it, come on! It’ll be fun, I promise!” Kanoa urged, grabbing hold of her wrist firmly, yet soft. After a bit of pleading, Blue Kanoa obliged begrudgingly.

  “Start talkin’ then. Explain, and make it snappy.” He continued to draw, though his pace slowed along with his tone. “Flying is corruptable.”

  He said coldly, the quickness and blunt tone of his words urging Kanoa to listen closely.“Both of you aren’t like everyone else living. You’re aware. Made of the essence of our wings, it’s a bit ironic, but it makes sense, dontcha think? Wings are a miracle biologically, they never should have happened, but they did. It’s not normal, especially with how Murrows Brow is.” He said, his pencil rubbing against the thick fabric of his notebook. “What do you mean sir?”

  “Murrows Brow is a pit in the ground. The entire world outside of this place is perfectly flat. There’s no evolutionary reason to fly. It just started cuz… It was cool, I spose..”Blue Kanoa rolled her eyes at the vagueness, though part of her felt intrigued having the words in her head finally being translated. More confident, she elaborated. “I guess that’s what I mean, but you guys-” She looked at both Kanoa and the older man.“Have your wings, to take over space, my people's home.”

  “Yes... And your people were born because of those unnatural wings. The dust in the air made them flyin’ through the sky. It’s a cruel fate how you were born to have your homes attacked. The question is, was it a design flaw, or somethin’ intentional? We’ll never know.” The wind brushed against the three’s hair, they sat in silence. Although the man’s tone eased, both Kanoa’s stood mystified yet a bit intrigued by the mystery.“It like… All comes together, but there are still missin’ pieces…” He raised his arm to scratch his head, only for the man’s voice to rise.“Stop. I’m almost there now.”“You sure do get invested, huh…?” Kanoa said smiling. Obediently he sat down. He turned to blue Kanoa. “Feelin’ tired or hungry by the way? We’ve been at this all day.” “Eh? What’re you talkin’ about now? We can stay up all we want, we don’t need sleep… I only do it cuz it’s fun, nothin’ else.” She said her eyes still filled with eagerness to seek Ms Friend.

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  He rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly.“Oh, okay…” He said, still feeling he very much needed to, even now. “Do you even know why that is?” I’m guessin’…” He thought, though only briefly. “Something, something energy, something, something powers would explain it?” “We don’t need to sleep if we’re regulating our energy. It can make up for not sleepin’.”

  “Ah, kay. Makes sense.” Kanoa said, shaking his head. After a few moments, the crickets and creatures flying above filled the thick coat of silence between the three. Kanoa’s eyes darted from every part of the external laboratory, his mind focused on the cheese still in his pocket, yet strayed from how the subtle movements of his bouncing knee was all but apparent. “H-hey! Wanna hear a joke?” “No.” Blue Kanoa said plainly, he groaned. Kanoa grimaced at the idea of having to leave with Blue Kanoa- The idea of not being related to his parents- never seeing them again. As much as the mention of wings and the origin of their people stirred a desire to know, he felt far more affected by his inability to make light of anything. Unprompted, he began to make clicking sounds with his tongue in an attempt to harmonize to a song. Blue Kanoa looked at him to shut up, though he hadn’t received the memo. It wasn’t until an icicle met his neck did he flinch, fearing he would fall off the cliff his arms swung recklessly. She chuckled.

  “Hold still…” The man pleaded, though she still laughed, Kanoa laughed awkwardly alongside her, happy that there was at least one moment where he could make someone happy, even if unintentional, the laughing quickly died down after that. Her eyebrows lowered, apathetic, annoyed. “Just… Sit in silence and wait for the little “portrait” to be over with. (It better be worth it…) After that we’ll be workin’ nonstop, so quiet. Or else.”“O-okay..” Kanoa sat timidly, at first wanting to argue back, noticing how the two would have to be silent no matter what, whether working or relaxing. He groaned after a while, not comfortable with the quiet. He belted- “Gotta go take a huge pee!!” he said brightly, as if excited. “Wait a minute.” “No really, I have to pee!” Kanoa insisted, holding his shirt tightly. Goofily, he jumped from the ground, flapping his legs a few times. “Aiyayay! AIYA! Ohmigosh! It’s comin’ it’s comin’!!” He yelped, blue Kanoa cringed at his ridiculousness, the old man’s pencil stopped altogether, his eyes. Hurt. Kanoa then skipped away, without the concern of either. In anticipation of livening up the mood, either for himself, or for them he looked back to a cold, impatient look on Blue Kanoa’s face. He frowned at the vitriol, his pace slowing as he re-entered the laboratory once more.

  He hadn’t even been told of where the Bathroom could possibly be, but he didn’t care. He clutched his arm uncomfortably, ashamed of not eliciting the response he wanted. As Kanoa wandered through the first floor though, he eventually found a shower in one of the rooms, though no toilet. He frowned at the lack of any toiletries, though was impressed by the pristine condition the area was kept in, stepping into the room and looking around, he found a queen sized bed laid against a navy blue wall, two night stands on both sides and a refrigerator Kanoa hoped inside laid some food, even if it were a naive hope. Walking wearily, he first turned on the shower, the water ran, steam rose, he smiled. Although hopeful, the refrigerator stayed empty, leaving Kanoa destitute to the energy based diet he had barely become accustomed to over the last five hours. Finally, with the shower running, Kanoa jumped onto the bed, not at all considering the leftover bacteria he would have normally thought of. Upon snuggling, he felt a deep imprint of a figure similar to himself, he ignored it not thinking too deeply about it.

  Instead he began to ruminate on Blue Kanoa’s eyes. Her name, the potential she saw in him, yet the clearly resentful, unfriendly demeanor Kanoa had never faced head on. His mother had been strict, yes, but with the face of someone who cares, not someone who hated him. He smothered his head with the pillow, his own thoughts causing him to suffocate.Footsteps approached him. Half expecting the water to freeze from her sheer anger, he removed the pillow from his face, quickly apologizing.

  “Sorry- I just…” His breath stopped. The stern red eyes which he had been curious about were replaced by the abject dull eyes of deceit and treachery Kanoa had loathed, he jumped at her wild blonde hair and slender figure encroaching upon him. “Y-you…!” Ms Friend closed the door behind her. Her eyes not acknowledging Kanoa, though her actions clearly were of someone needing to talk, she locked the door, uncertain footsteps haunting him. Like Kanoa, she headed towards the refrigerator. “No food… Huh?”“Wha- what’re you doing here… No… Why are you here?! I don’t want anythin’ to do with you!” She simply looked into Kanoa’s angered eyes, not saying anything for longer than Kanoa would’ve liked. Still far from Kanoa, she leaned closer, Kanoa held out his hand, ready to expel an attack if any malicious intent was shown. “It’s not…about what you want…” She said with a hint of a venom in her voice, though it was as if a particular emotion was being held back. Ms Friend took a step towards Kanoa, the energy swarmed around the palm of his hand, though she hadn’t cared. “I came for a surprise check in. How have the pills been treating you? Any negative side effects?”Despite likely knowing the answer, the inquisition in her voice and trailing pitch towards the very end of her sentence was filled with genuine curiosity, her hand began tapping the air readily. “W-what are you doing?” “This? This is how I always acquire information in the name of science… It’s different from being a doctor…But it does make me a bit drowsy… Come on now. Tell me. How do you f-” She yawned. “eel…” Kanoa snapped, shooting a wave of electricity directly next to Ms. Friend's head; she hadn’t flinched, though the jittering of her fingers continued to pick up pace.

  “Interesting…” She smirked, then gave a dry laugh at the warped expression from anger to the fear which should have been placed on her face. She paused. Her typing ceasing altogether.

  “I’m only kidding, relax. You’re strong, but you’ve been working all morning. You should relax..” She said, pointing to Kanoa’s own shaking arm, he held his forearm tight, holding himself together. “This isn’t about your health, Kanoa. This is about the world’s health.” The people who raised you, your neighbors, your siblings. This is about them..” She stared down Kanoa, whatever data collected from his actions was not at all satisfying as shown by the now serious tone in her voice. ”Why do you care?! Didn’t you say I was fun-?! Isn’t that why you’re doing this?” Although his voice raised and remained firm, his shaking and ineptitude to properly judge the situation was suffering. “Kids…” she shook her head dismissively. “The world is always so black and white. It was fun, I meant what I said. But I didn’t do everything I did for fun. I did it for this world.”

  Kanoa’s eyes widened at the clarity and laser focus she was holding with him. Usually she looks around, gets lost in her own explanations, mumble, acts somewhat tired. Though here there was a sudden reserve of energy that made Kanoa’s chest turn. “There’s no way someone like you could have been thinking about the world… What about her…? Our people?! You locked us away here and sent us through your messed up experiments! All we wanted was to feel normal- to be free! What about us?!” The room went silent. She groaned, rolling her eyes at the chore of a question. Kanoa once again fired a shot by her head, only for unsurprisingly, the same nonchalant expression and intensive shaking of his body to occur again. Though soon after, she spoke, slowly. “When I was twelve years old-” “I’m Fourteen!” He interrupted, angrily though she continued,” –like you I had body integrity dysmorphia.” She moved closer, both of Kanoa’s arms shook- Whether out of anticipation or recoil he could no longer discern.

  “The idea of flying made me sick. Doctors could not tell me why. My parents could not tell me why. But Science.” She smiled a bit, before wiping the sincere look off her face, as if to pull herself back from one of her intensive rants. Kanoa steeled his resolve, not accepting anything she said to be true. “Science has given me an answer… Like the elderly man said… Wings are a gift.”“Y-you were-!” “Yes… yes I was there. I’ve been here, watching… veeery Sad. I wish you wouldn’t be so soft. I wish you could follow simple instructions.” Upon finally reaching Kanoa, ready to send a blast of electricity to her face, the grabbing of both of his arms dismissed any leverage he may have had over the situation. He struggled as Ms Friend held him, her strength not too inescapable in itself, although the intention of her words made Kanoa fearful of what would happen if he were to break loose, bringing out a side of himself he hadn’t expected. He shut his eyes tightly, praying to the Phoenix.

  “I couldn’t fly until I was twelve no matter how badly I wanted it. I may not have liked the aspect of finding myself in an unfamiliar place, but I wanted to understand everything there- I needed it. And even though I am human, do you know why I wasn’t given my wings?” Kanoa paused, thinking about it for a few moments. “... Because you weren’t ready mentally.” “Bzz.”

  She playfully buzzed, then crossed her fingers to form an x. “Incorrect. It’s not psychological. It's physiological. The only problem was that I was never given enough energy to fly. The same energy you and the other one are made of, is the same energy humans need to inject into themselves to fly.” Kanoa shook his head, smirking cockily at the obvious lie. “No way! You must think I’m downright stupid, huh?! Flyin’ is a part of us…” he recalled the talk of evolution making it impossible for them to fly in a place like Murrows Brow, he cringed at the idea.

  “E-even if it's weird, people wouldn’t go so far to make everybody in the world fly! Why would they!? So many people are so sad when they can’t fly… And for the ones that can keep their wings, they put above everybody not cuz of some injection but cuz-!” “Because they’re special?” Ms Friend interrupted, curtly. “Well if they are so special, why can’t they fly? Why is it that everyone at a certain age is destitute to stop flying if this trait is meant to be? Wouldn’t flying always be around if it was really a natural part of us? Do your arms fall off after a certain age, Kanoa?”“...”“Flying is a forced evolutionary gift. Which is why, the older you get you lose your wings, as the more energy you exert and lose as a human. But you. You are different.”She sat on the bed, Kanoa inched away.“If anyone has the gift it’s you Kanoa. You alone out of humans and the other energy sources we’ve tested here are the only specimens that have the potential to keep you wings forever. “W-what do you mean? How do you know that?!” She stayed silent, silently staring at Kanoa, at first contemplating her next words, though her cheeks rose, her eyes filled with pride.“It’s a secret. But keep this in mind…. Your gift was given specifically to change the world, to fix it…” The earnestness in her voice coupled with her glossier eyes gave room to confusion, he flinched, wary. “The other ones were like you, but they’re not. Your origin is unique. But Humans, power sources, and you all coexist. Do you know why?” She grabbed Kanoa by the wrist, her nails slightly dug into Kanoa’s palm, forcing something soft and squishy into it.

  “It’s because it's humanity's will that we go into space. It’s a way of life that we continually grow, change and industrialize the world we live in.” Forcing another circular squishy material into her palm, she quickly backed away giving Kanoa the leeway of hopping off of the bed, only to have two more orange shaped pills in his hand, he stared at them a bit happy he now had more energy to absorb, though the sudden kindness left him at a loss for words. “Why…? You know we’re usin’ this to-”“Yes, I know. You want to beat me. You wish to beat me soooo bad, because I hurt you both in an awful way, I’m sure the thousands of people out there, or ancestors can’t relate at all… I’m sure the first scientists to realize humanity's potential greatness also never abducted any humans and experimented on them either, and I’m sure nothing like that still continues today either… No. Impossible.” The callous apathetic sarcasm, although true, hurt his perception of who was right or wrong, he vividly imagined the imagery of his neighbors, kids like the both of them struggling in an equally bad situation, even if it weren’t his intention, could he really leave them all behind in favor of revenge…?

  “... But the other one wouldn’t care about them. She only cares about herself. I know that.” She extended a hand.“But I’m sure you would care. Wouldn’t you, Kanoa?” She said, looking down at him, her tone softening. Quickly he got up without her help, already anticipating the next words out of her mouth.“I’m not doing that!” His tone softened, more “Think, Kanoa. And if you can’t think, let me think in your stead. Choose the world over this girl lingering on some grudge.”Taking in her words, Kanoa grimaced at the possibility of betraying her- He couldn’t. Though not out of fear of her anger and revenge being projected onto him, but in a strange way, it felt as if he would be betraying himself.

  “You’re only so old. I get it. It’s hard to understand what’s right, your brain is only still mush. And that’s fine. Let me help you. Defeat the girl, then absorb her energy. After, take the rest of the pills. Once you do, your power to fly will be forever, I promise you..”

  “I…” He clutched onto the squishy pills in both hands, he could tell a distinction between the feeling of when he held the pill case initially, versus now.“If your bein’ honest… Then tell me who these things belong to- Tell me who each of these pills belong to!” He flashed the case carefully tucked under his shirt and the pills given to him in front of her face.“You’re hidin’ somethin’ and I know it! There’s a reason you got to me when I’m all alone. If you really are actin’ all just and right, why do you want me to leave her?! She’s not bad, she’s hurt. Isn’t it obvious for a doc… No..” He pressed forward, the steam of the still running shower coating the air in a thick layer of water vapor, although this also made Ms Friends face harder to read, as her face was completely enveloped by the vapor.“You should know how to study emotions, scientist!”“Sigh.” She said aloud, throwing her hands in the air. “I really wish you had something to eat. Do you know how difficult it is to travel from Murrows Brow to here? (Even with shortcuts…)”

  “Hey! Bathroom breaks up, where the heck are you!?” Blue Kanoa yelped, racing down the hallway.“I-I’m IN HERE!” Footsteps immediately raced towards Kanoa’s direction. Ms Friend shook her head, though still not pressed by the situation. Methodically, she stooped to Kanoa's level, pressing down on the slightly loose glass case, before grabbing him upon both of his shoulders.“I won’t elaborate any further. You’re a straight laced, reputable kid, so I know you’ll do fine.” The words being thrown at him now in retrospect deeply irked him, though he listened carefully, readying to fire one last attack along with Kanoa as soon as she entered.

  “You have one week to make a choice, Kanoa. You may not believe me, and you may not even like how I acquired each pill, but once you understand her a little more- once you understand what this stagnant world has done to people like your family and friends, you’ll understand. Until then… “Quickly Ms friend let go of Kanoa, then swiftly slid under the bed, Blue Kanoa entered, her confusion arising at the foggy room.“What’s goin’ on you chump!? You tryin’ to hide or somethin’!?”“No! She’s here! She’s under the bed! We need to stop her!” Without doubting Kanoa for a moment, the heat of the room diminished as soon as the words left his mouth, urgently a slew of Ice spikes penetrated the bed, Kanoa backed against the wall fearful of the intensity of her attack. Blue Kanoa leaps towards the bed, kicking it over in pursuit of a cornered or at least hurt Ms Friend, only to find nothing.

  With an exceedingly more furious look, she grabbed Kanoa by the collar madly, pressing him for wasting her energy, though as his relief she had came to his rescue won over his building anxiety, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her. “W-what the!? Hey what do you think you’re?!” “Thank you-! Thank you… You wouldn’t believe it but she was here… She was tryin’ to get in my head, tryin’ to use me!” His words stung her, his grip tight. Though what hit her the hardest, being the faint moisture sitting upon her back. With her annoyance dying down, she built the courage to hold Kanoa as well, surprisingly relieved to be in the arms of someone she knew wouldn’t hurt her.

  Throughout the night, the two continued to rigorously pelt their attacks into the air, Kanoa had the quicker recovery compared to Blue Kanoa, though his attacks were weaker. The bolts of electricity are less fierce, obviously annoying Blue Kanoa. He felt embarrassed, though with all of his mind he started to feel more tired than anything. There were so many questions- Too many.

  “... Let’s take a break. Pass me one.”

  For every thousandth bolt the two threw into the edge of Murrows Brow, they agreed to take another pill. This had been their first set. Kanoa ingested a red pill whereas Blue Kanoa a green pill. Although she hadn’t cared for water, Kanoa struggled, nearly gagging to ingest his, though he tried to hide it, which Blue Kanoa scoffed at.

  “...”

  Noticing the silence, but this time wanting to encourage it, Kanoa kept his eyes diverted from her gaze. Silently he placed the newfound orange pills into the case, closing it. She stared at him, trying to understand where his head was at. Bluntly, she spoke.

  “... Do you wanna get hurt or somethin’?”

  “Huh?” Kanoa tilted his head, not expecting such a genuine question. “If you thought you were in trouble or somethin’ you should’ve yelled for help sooner. Duh.” Of course, he thought about wracking his brain over it himself. Why hadn’t he yelled for help earlier? Was he tempted to hear Ms Friend out so he could find a reason to leave her? “No, it’s just…” He deliberated, still not sure.“I was in trouble, she was there… I just… wanted to hear her out. Maybe save you. The least I could do…” He said, whispering the last words from under his breath, rubbing his shoulder. “I was so annoying before that I thought I could handle her on my own. Maybe capture her… Sorry. But everythin’ I told you was true, so at least we know more… That’s enough, right…?” Blue Kanoa continued to stare at him, whether she was finding her words or just annoyed. Kanoa felt bad all the same at her silence. He wanted- needed to know. “It’s enough. Yeah, sure… But… Lemme ask ya. Why are you always lettin’ other people decide what you should or shouldn’t do?”“What do you mean…? I don’t do that..” Deep down he might’ve had a clue as to what she meant, but to hear it spelled out was much too frightening.

  “Yes you do. What you said just proved that. Even the way you release energy proves me right! You copy me and try to match whenever I push out anything- you feel bad when your lightning looks bigger than my Ice, cuz you don’t wanna take up space and make me look bad, but really?”

  Kanoa held his breath. Expecting the worst. Expecting to be told he wasn’t being considerate enough, prepared to be told he was being selfish.“You’re being totally lazy with your powers! Don’t you wanna do this for you?!”“For me…? I mean yeah Of course, I want-”“Liar!” She cut him off before he could convenient himself any farther. “If you did you woulda called for me the second she was here! But instead you gotta be wrapped up in your “consideration” What’s that do!? To be totally honest, I’m shocked outta my dang mind you had the guts to stand up to me.”

  Her words struck something in Kanoa he hadn’t felt before. He felt at odds with himself. Of course there had been times where he watched his siblings when Ave and Rey had more than enough free time, and he didn’t want to be bothered. Though he still did it, but not because he was a pushover… There were also times where he may’ve been upset or sad and laughed it off so his family wouldn’t feel bad, but that wasn’t bad! It was being considerate.

  “Yeah- I’m just. I’m just tryin’ to be considerate…” “Oh! And another thing! Why’d you let me have your name? I still woulda taken it but you just gave it up. So soft.” “I don’t even care about that! See it’d be different If I cared!” She threatened him with a rage imbued gaze, sickened by his constant lies. “I don’t!” For a moment Blue Kanoa looked as if she were readying to fight; a surprise training lesson should set him straight, she might’ve thought. Though as she reminded herself of the boy’s sobbing eyes from yesterday she restrained herself. “... If you don’t care about your name…. What do you care about… How do you, like, make choices?”

  Never having been asked such a question, Kanoa took some time to answer. When he did, his whining from their back and forth ceased.“I care about my family. And being able to make…. Make them happy.” Eager to jump in and object to his reasoning, she stopped herself, his eyes genuine, fixed on the people he cared for, whether present or not. She grimaced, shaking the voices at the back of her head. “... Yeah? Well they’re not here…Make a couple choices of your own… It feels good to be selfish… If you're not, people are gonna eat you alive ....” She held herself, although not completely clear from her stern face, it was made evident by the crisp air and petite ice glaciers erupting from the ground that she had been holding back a person or two from herself. “That right…?”

  He asked, gently placing his hand onto hers for comfort. She pulled back slightly, before realizing the thoughts had slowed as soon as the warmth on Kanoa’s skin reminded her of where she was now.“Yeah….For real.” She said, staring at the ground, surprised and a bit shy that even she could soften around him. Her eyes landed on the two orange pills. “It’s just hard to be. I like helpin’... I like making my family happy. What do you do, to… Y’know? Make yourself happy?” He said, rubbing his arms intensely at how corny he knew he sounded. He thought of the face Sam would make to tease him. “Not much… Just been tryin’ to get rid of all of you- I mean… the traitors…”“Really?” He asked, slightly heartbroken.“Come on! There has to be somethin’!”

  She looked away for a few moments, knowing what to say but hesitant. “I… Sometimes I… Sleep more when I don’t need to and… I’ve eaten too…” As soon as the words left her lips her guard rose once more, her curls shot up becoming rigid, her red eyes steadying to find the perfect place to force Kanoa into submission had she laughed, but he didn’t. “Yeah! The bed on the first floor is super comfy! I wish you left some of the food though… I wish I had somethin’ to enjoy selfishly…”

  Feeling a mix of relief and guilt of what Kanoa could have, she spoke quickly, the words falling out of her mouth before she even processed them. “Let’s start small then. Like, uh. You can have your name just be your name. But for a little while, til I feel like it. Got it?” Tempted to urge how he really didn’t mind, or to tell her how the name suited her better, he held back his pleasing people and simply smiled at the kind gesture. “...Okay… Then I’ll call you… Lorna.” She sat up, off-put.“Ew! No! Why that name!?”“Cuz that’s what I wanted to name my little sister, okay!? It’s a cute name- But of course my mom had to name her Jessica… It’s stuck with me now though… But the name is just so cute!” He looked at her with big beady heart shaped eyes, she rolled her eyes, her grimacing shifting into a genuine smile. “Fine. Whatever, Lorna. I’m Lorna now, happy?”

  They both chuckled at the name. Soon after the conversation divulged into more topics about the other selfish wishes of Kanoa and “Lorna”, they laughed at the sharing of information, eventually continuing to shoot a hundred more energy blasts, though this time chatting and smiling along the way. “Y’know, your energy isn’t even from electricity at all It’s–!”

  Meanwhile, in the distance, the old man sketched the pair diligently, smiling to himself.