"In another news, Duncan forty-second Street is heavily blocked up by news media and other spectators. The police are trying to keep the crowd in order, but there are several outbreaks of people crossing the property lines illegally, which are set up by the Redil family. The authority is refusing to further comment about the situation."

Click.

"And as you can see here, outside on the lawn of the Redil's, there are a huge amount of people waiting for the news about Tobieaz Redil. Now let me give you a brief history of Tobieaz. According to the data, which is what you see in my hand here, he is currently fourteen years old. Black hair, brown eyes-"

Click.

"... and scientists believe that it is a genetic disorder. But just how can human DNA change to bird DNA, this still remains a mystery. In addition-"

I shut off the TV as I groaned out loud. Fifty-two channels and only three of them were not about me!

I got up to my feet and stretched. Spending the whole morning away doing nothing was not fun. It was especially not enjoyable when you were locked up in a small room like mine. I yawned as I scratched my head. My hair was definitely getting longer. I wondered how was I going to make it short again. I could use a scissor and trim it a little, but I was not a barber.

The doorbell rang, once, twice, three times. Finally, I heard the locks on the door clicking open, and my Dad's voice exploded.

"I told you to stay away!"

"Wait! Wait! I am John Flake! I am not one of them!" A man shouted.

I pressed my ear against the bedroom door.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Dad asked coldly. I could hear the iciness in his voice.

Voices out in the streets were roaring. When people saw John had crossed the line, they, too, wanted to get closer but the team of police around the perimeter stopped them.

"I believe that we have not met each other before. However, I have met your wife, Linda Redil. I am the assistant of Dr. Triden, wait, wait! Don't close the door!" John paused. Then he continued: "I know that doc has made a huge mistake-"

"More than a mistake!" Dad snapped.

"But I am here to help Tobieaz. I know what he is going through, and I really want to help him."

"So that means you are going to imprison him for life?" John argued.

"As long as I deem it necessary. Although Dr. Triden has let loose this disastrous news to the outside world, but he has told me that they might have found a way to separate Tobieaz and his wings with a surgery."

I heard John gasped in shock and surprise. I found my mouth was hanging open as well. I closed it.

"You can't be serious? Those wings are a part of your son's body! They are like limbs! Are you going to chop his arms off? Are you going to chop his legs off-"

"Those are just wings, damn it!" Dad interrupted. "They are a curse to this family! My life is screwed and my wife's life is screwed! We can't even get out of the house to go to work! And even if we can, we are hindered by those morons out there, which, as a result, we are late for work! What else can we do? Now because of those wings, I have to take a few days off and my salary has decreased by twenty-five percent! Twenty-five! We don't have that much money left to feed all of us-"

I heard loud bang, and Dad stopped short.

"You disgust me! All you think is about yourself and your wife. What about your son, Tobieaz? Doesn't he need care? Doesn't he need his parents to help him get through the worst time of his life, which is now? And where is Tobieaz? I want to see him. Is he upstairs? Tobieaz! Get down here! I want to talk to you!" John shouted into the house.

I didn't answer. Before, I would have shouted to get him to unlock the door leading into my room. But I was so stunned at losing everything that all I could do is staring down at the floor. My wings moved slightly as I stood frozen.

"Look! Get out of here right now! Or else I am calling the cops outside to throw you out!" Dad threatened. "He doesn't need you, and he doesn't want to see you! Now out! Out of here and never come back!"

The front gate slammed shut. All was quiet except the muffled clamor raging on outside. A dull ringing was sounding in my ears. I slowly sank to the floor, with my right shoulder against the wooden door.

Without thinking, I reached up and reverse-locked the doorknob. By doing that, Dad couldn't get into the room, even with a key. Staring at the bright, blue sky through the window, I observed the ever-changing clouds. They were shifting positions and changing shapes. They were abundant, soft, and free. They didn't have a mind. They didn't need to think. They didn't need to endure this kind of hardship. They... just didn't have to. I loathe the big bundles of floating mists. I loathe them for being free of this corrupted human society...

I didn't know how long had I been watching the sky. I heard the bolt on the other side of the door was being unlatched. The handle rattled a few times before Dad knocked on the door.

"Tobieaz! Open the door! I have brought you lunch!"

I didn't answer. I didn't want to answer. My heart was so empty. My head was so empty. They were just so empty that I didn't want to do anything right now. All I wanted was to be left alone. It was better being a nobody before I grew my wings. No one would pay any attention to me. I could even walk into a casino, and no one would see me.

"Tobieaz! You better open this door! Don't you dare ignoring me!"

I could feel the wooden board beside my shoulder vibrate with each hit. I closed my eyes tightly and brought my knees up to my chest. I huddled them with my arms, and my wings swung around me. I curled up into a ball, sat on the carpet, and disregarded all the cussing shouted outside in the hallway.

"Fine! If you don't want to eat and starve yourself to death, then that's fine with me! Don't come crying later on saying you are hungry!" Dad kicked the door one last time before stomping away.

I didn't hear what he said...

I trotted through the damp forest, barefooted, I heard a thump on my right. I turned around, and all around me was nothing but eternal darkness. The ground was covered with leaves and pines and mud. It smelled of rich earth. I continued on more slowly, cautiously. Brushing against a scrub, its dew dripped onto my back. Its long foliage swept against my bare shoulders, tickling me. All was quiet save for the small insects that were making sounds.

Another thump. This time, louder. I twisted my head around again, and saw no one. Not even a single creature was out during the night. I began to walk faster, gaining ground deeper into the foreign rainforest. The air was moist and warm. I loved this kind of air. It was like a mother holding her child close against her. I relished the reposing sensation that was on my skin.

Now more thumping and rattling traveled into my ears.

I woke up, and found myself sweating from head to toe. I was still in the sitting position that I had made during the late afternoon. I guessed that I must had fallen asleep. I looked around, letting my eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight. In front of me, I saw a dark figure moving outside my window. I forgot to close the blinds.

I gulped down the choking sensation in my throat. "How about my Mom-"

"She's barely home! Can't you see that? Have you even seen her face for the past three days? I phoned her bank. They told me that she is always staying in her office, refusing to go home!"

That was true. It was mostly Dad who was home that took cared of me. It was mostly Dad who brought me food. Mom was never in the house. She was never around me. I felt that same old hurtful feeling in my heart again.

John crept closer to me. He laid his large, rough hands on my naked shoulders. I moved back a little, not used to being touched by another person. My wings fluttered.

"Look. This is not a place for you to stay. Until things have quieted down and until everyone accepts you as who you are right now, you shouldn't stay here any longer. Remaining here will only rot your mind. You will experience the agony of rejection day after day. I don't want to see you hurt."

"Why are you so nice to me?" I asked softly.

John sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "I am thirty-three years old now. I once had a wife and a son, who is nearly the same age as you. We lived happily together, in a small town far away from here. Then one day, two years ago, both my wife and my kid fell sick. The virus was a new strain at the time. People started to shun away from them, even doctors were refusing to cure them." His eyes were watery as he remembered about his past. I looked closely at his face. "If only... if only they would accept my love ones and help them, my beautiful wife and son would have survived the dreadful illness..."

"But what does this have to do with me?"

"Maybe because I don't want you to end up like my son. Maybe because I love birds, and I love their wings. Or maybe because I want to help a poor, innocent boy. Who knows?"

"I'm not sick though," I said bitterly.

"I never said you are. I am just saying that your situation is comparable to my wife's and my dear son's," John quickly explained.

I dangled my feet around the edge of the bed. This news was so sudden, so... breathtaking, that I didn't know what to say.

"You better decide right now. If you want to get out of this prison cell, you tell me now so I can drive you away in my jeep. Otherwise, I won't have a second chance of taking you away from this hellhole without alerting someone. I have lots of research and projects to do, and also, today is the only day when reporters and cops aren't surrounding the whole house. I don't know why, but outside, there are only a few mini vans parking around the curb."

I took in a sharp breath and let it out slowly. Living in the rural forest by myself wasn't so bad, was it? It was sure a lot better than staying here, where all the unwanted attention was focusing on you.

Finally, I nodded. I hoped that my choice was correct. "I'll go with you."

John smiled as he rubbed my head. "That's a smart choice." Then he looked at me oddly. "How come you don't have your shirt on?"

I laughed grimly. "You just noticed?" Then I said: "Mom took a long time to modify my clothes. Took her around three months. And by that time, I am already used to being half-naked. My wings can keep me warm. At least I still have my pants on."

John grinned as he nodded. "You sure you're not cold?"

I shook my head.

"All right. Still, I'll give you some spare jeans later on. There are also some blankets and some other warm clothing that you might want to take with you. Come on, I'll carry the bag. Let's go out through your window."

"But... how are we supposed to get down?" I questioned when I pointed out that our height was currently two stories tall.

John winked as he said: "I got a rope tied to the tree branch, the one that I have hold on for my dear life while knocking on your window, trying to get you to wake up. Come on, let's go. Don't make too much noise and try not to bump into things. We don't want your Dad to come rushing in and spoil this camping trip."