Chapter 9

"I'm not! We're just friends," I said defensively.

"Yeah, friends with benefits…" Terry said from behind me.

"Terry, shut up, you don't know what you're talking about. Nick, I swear, it's not what it sounds like." I said shaking my head.

"Whatever, you should go." Nick said sitting back down on his cot. I looked at him questioningly, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. Was this because of Damon? Terry led me away.

"Why's he in bars?" I asked once we were out of his ear shot.

"He's not taking the transformation as well as some of you are." Terry scrunched up her face.

"What do you mean?"

"He's not being cooperative; he's…fighting against it. He tried to rip the wings out, but ended up hurting himself." Terry shrugged.

"Well I don't blame him – it's like walking through Hell. It's different and some people don't like change. You know, the only reason I'm not fighting a whole lot is because…I've got to admit, it's pretty damn cool."

"And because of Damon," Terry added with a smirk. I didn't want to fight with her so I rolled my eyes and half nodded.

"Why do you experiment on kids?" I asked genuinely curious.

"Because they're easier to take, and to control," Terry shrugged – she was tired of answering my questions.

I nodded, agreeing that she was right.

"We've got to do a few tests on you, yet." Terry added after the silence that filled the hallway as we walked

"I know, but I'm sick of needles – can't I just go see Damon for a while?"

"Sure, that's fine, but won't Nick be jealous?" She laughed. I slapped her shoulder and she laughed some more.

"Damon, are you awake?" I asked, before poking my head into his room to see.

"Ray, I thought you ran or something," He sighed in relief and opened his arms, gesturing for me to hug him.

"Yeah right, and get you killed?" I laughed.

"Where'd you go?" He asked with his eyebrows up.

"Oh, Terry said there were others like us here and I went to meet them."

He nodded, thoughtfully. "Were they nice?"

I nodded cautiously. "I only met one…"

"Was he – or she – nice?" He asked again. He was trying to get me to tell him what gender they were.

"He was nice. But you already know that,"

"What do you mean?"

"It's Nick." I didn't know how to tell him that one of his best friends was here – in Hell.

"Raya, is he okay?" He asked anxiously, but trying to hold back.

"He's locked up, a little crazy I heard, but he seemed okay when he saw me." I tried to assure him.

"I'm going to rest, they're running more tests on me – you should go." He said not looking me in the eye. What was with people not looking me in the eye?!

"Oh, yeah same here…uh, bye." I gave him a quick hug and he hugged me back, but I could practically see him rolling his eyes.

"Bye," He mumbled.

"What's wrong with him?" Terry scoffed once we were out the door. I was beginning to realize that I was more mature than this middle aged woman would ever be. She was rude, snarky, and a bully.

"Nothing, let's just go do whatever tests you have and be done with them." I looked at the ground as I mumbled this.

"What's wrong with you?" She spat, annoyed. The question was rhetorical, and knowing that, I just ignored her. She led me to the lab room where doctors were awaiting my arrival.

"Alright," A bright and shiny doctor said smiling. "Raya, I'm going to draw some blood and then you're free to go." He grinned broadly at her.

"Okay," Raya didn't care for shots much, so this wasn't a big deal. "Stab me," She shrugged, smiling at him a little.

"I was afraid you would freak out a bit," He admitted, pulling a needle the width of a straw from behind him. It was twice the length of my index finger – and my fingers were long.

"Uh, is that safe to stick in my arm?" I slid back on the table, trying to get away from the giant needle and the man holding it.

"Sure," His smile flipped and he came closer to her again, annoyed.

"You're not sticking that in my arm." I promised him.

"I am, actually. Rather I knock you out or not." He smirked, knowing that it would come to this.

"I let you put wings on me – and I'm not fighting too much about that! Can't you just let me go now? Stay away from me?" I lashed my arms around; desperate to avoid the needle that was inches from me.

"Just hold still and I'll let you go. This is just to make sure that everything's running correctly." He growled through his clenched teeth.

"Don't touch me!" I screeched, the needle grazed my arm and blood spilled over. I jumped up on the table and stood up, stretching my twelve foot wingspan. I didn't know what to do after that, since I'd never flown before. Naturally, I flapped my wings, which was easier than I expected it to be. I jumped up off the table and hovered a few feet above the table, just out of the doctor's reach.

A sharp pain shot through my neck and I reached to scratch it, and pulled out a dart. It was small, bright orange, and had a little compartment in it that looked like it would hold a small amount of liquid, poison. I began to get light headed and my wings snapped close. I fell ten feet to the ground in a thump and everything went black.

"Wake up," My shoulder was being shaken. "Ray," The voice that repeatedly called to me was full of concern.

I slowly opened my eyes and found myself in Damon's room. He was shaking my shoulder lightly. "What, stop shaking me? My head hurts." I winced and he immediately put his hands up in the air, in surrender.

"What happened to you? Terry dropped you off here and said they'd knocked you out cold – then she ran off again."

"They tried to stick a straw in my arm – well it was a needle, but it was as wide as a straw. And I was scared…so I jumped on a table and hovered a few feet and they shot me with a dart. I guess it was a tranquillizer dart." I shrugged and rubbed my neck. There wasn't a bump or anything. Then I looked to my arm to see a band aid. I lifted one corner of it off and looked to see what the damage was.

"You're probably exaggerating on the size." Damon laughed; all anger and annoyance was gone.

"I'm not, really!" I saw a gaping hole and wondered why it wasn't bleeding. I showed his. His brows turned together and he looked disgusted and confused. "See, I told you."

"Well, I'm not looking forward to that one," He laughed.

"It doesn't hurt anymore." I realized.

"Damon, your friend has to leave; you're getting your shot now." A doctor announced as he came in.

He turned to me and took a deep breath. "Come back soon?" He asked.

"Of course, I'll just go look around – find Terry maybe?" I assured him, knowing where I was going already. He waved and I left and quickly rounded the corner to where I remembered being taken to see Nick.

"Nick," I whispered into his cell. He looked up, smiling when he saw me.

"Ray, I'm so glad you came." He turned his head to the side and looked at me with a thoughtful expression.

"What?" I asked after a minute of intense staring.

"Nothing, I just…I think they're letting me out of here today. I get my own room in a few hours." He smiled – still staring at me.

As if on cue, a man came up to his door, pushing me out of the way, and without a word, he unlocked Nick's cell door. Then he walked off, without a word.

"Oh, that was weird." I laughed and Nick rushed out of the room

"Yeah, but now I'm free." He grinned. He reached for me and gave me a tight hug. Then he grabbed my hand. I pulled my hand out and ran to a drinking fountain – the only way I could break his hold without hurting his feelings too badly.

"So," I came back from the drinking fountain, wiping my dripping chin, "Terry told me there were five of us bird kids all together – me, you, Damon, and two others. I think we should find them." I lowered my voice. "I think we should get together and try to get the hell out of here."

"Have you met them yet?" He asked, aware that I'd been able to wander the halls today.

"No, I was getting tests and with Damon today – not much time." I shrugged.

"Oh," His eyes fell.

"Want to find them with me, or would you rather go find your room?" I crossed my arms across my chest.

"I'll come with you." He eagerly offered.

"I'd imagine they'd be close by, but who knows?" I walked in one direction and pointed him in another. "We'll meet back here once we've each finished our hall." He nodded, not too happy to be splitting up, but agreed.

I walked past dozens of rooms, and peered in each one, looking for a bird kid.

I passed one room that had a dozen locks and a five inch thick, glass door. I looked in, curious, and jumped back when a boy with horns and scales came running at me. My heart quickened and I was shaking uncontrollably. He looked like a rhino, and a lizard of some sort. It was frightening, but I felt bad for him. He used to be a normal kid at one point.

I moved on, trying to avoid the anger in the boy's eyes.

Next came a girl with scales and a bathing suit – she was underwater. I watched her for a long time and she never came up. That's when I realized the gills that were on her next and rib cage. She was a fish girl. She looked content in the small fish bowl, though.

After that, a boy with wings. His back was to the door however. I knocked on the door politely. I didn't want to barge in, after all. He turned to look at me and I gasped. In horror and in shock, both.

"Raya?" He ran up to the door and put his hands on it. I wondered why he didn't just open it. I looked down. It was locked. I wouldn't have unlocked it for him, if I hadn't been frozen in shock.

"Ben?"

"Get the lock so I can talk to you," He said through the glass wall. I snapped out of my shock and got the lock for him. He opened the door and pulled me in a hug. I hugged him back – though I barely talked to him, it was good for him to see a familiar face, I imagined.

"God, how'd you end up here?" He asked letting go of me and holding me at arm's length.

"Kidnapped in the night and dropped of here with Damon. Nick's here too." I shook my head, trying to get my thoughts right.

"Nick and Damon!?" He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "What makes you so special that you get to wander the halls?"

"I'm not trying to escape,"

"Yeah, why is that?" He asked quietly.

"If I run, they'll kill Damon." I said slowly.

"Where are your wings? Or extra parts?" He asked turning me around to see my back.

"Inside of me."

"What's inside of you?"

"My wings." I stepped away from him and folded them out, holding my shirt to my chest. It ripped and under the tank I had just been wearing a tube top. The top was a five inch strip that just covered my chest. I dropped the pieces of my shirt and he glanced the tube bra and quickly glanced away again. My wings folded over at the tips as they brushed the wall.

"How do you fit them in you?! You're tiny," His eyes were wide in amazement.

"It's like they disappear, I could be totally normal looking with them in me. I don't know how it works; they just fold up and go in me." I couldn't explain the science of it. "Just close your eyes, and will them in you. Welcome them in, kind of," I did as I said and when I opened my eyes again, my wings were gone. It took Ben a few minutes, but he got it and he was grinning wildly.

"This is crazy! Can we fly too? Have you tested it out?"

"Mhmm, it's amazing. I only hovered a few feet, but it was great. I think they've hollowed out my bones or something, I don't get it. It's just wild." He shook his head, amazed and unbelieving. "Nick's down the other hall, looking for you and the other bird kid. I hope it's a girl."

"I do too." He smiled and I shoved him into the wall.

"Let's go find Nick again." I pulled him by his hand in the right direction and I was practically dragging him. He was walking too slowly for me.

A/N: Thank you all for reading(:

Kitty (that's what I shall call you) – thanks for sticking around!(: I'm glad you like it so far and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

Chels (that's what I'm calling you from now on...) - I love you too. And I'm glad you still like it as well.

As for the rest of you who didn't review the previous chapter...I hope I didn't scare you off with the twist. Please review and let me know if you're still reading it!