Species Unknown [Book 1: Aves]

TWENTY-SIX

IF SOMEONE ASKED me a year ago what I thought my life would be like, I am certain I would have never guessed this. Actually, I am very certain that I would not have imagined I would be a fugitive hiding from a mad man who played with the laws of nature for fun. Nor would I have ever guessed that I would end up meeting one of his 'experiments,' escaping to Oregon with said 'experiment,' and meeting my grandmother, who only a day ago I thought was dust in the ground.

But hey, it could be worse.

Right?

Without thinking, I gave Elias's hand another squeeze which he responded by looking down at me. My eyes met his, and I watched as he looked over my face, trying to examine my expression. After a moment, it looked as if a light switch flipped on behind his eyes.

"Cold?" He whispered, his brows creasing in worry.

Now to think about it, I was so consumed in my thoughts that I had actually forgotten about the cold. Failing to think of a response, I simply shrugged and looked ahead. Not even a moment later, I felt him shift beside me. Before I could look over at him, I felt the soft feathers of his wing brush my arm as it draped over my shoulder. To my surprise, the wing tightened around me, drawing me closer to shield me from the crisp night air. Instantly, I snapped out of the dark place my thoughts had brought me to.

I smiled.

Yeah, it could definitely be worse.

The blanket of warmth Elias provided made the rest of the walk more enjoyable, and I found myself wishing it would never end. I think Elias felt the same because his hand never left mine as we walked. Sometimes I would even catch him staring at our conjoined hands. One time he saw me watching him and met my gaze, making me blush.

It's funny how something as simple as holding hands could feel so intimate after everything we had done.

Maybe it was because, for the first time, we weren't alone. Just a few paces ahead was my grandmother, my family. Suddenly I was reminded of her presence, and I felt a question forming on my lips.

"So...does this mean that roadblock was yours?" I finally called to my grandmother's figure, walking a few paces ahead of us.

She didn't turn around. "Sorry about your car, but if it helps, that's how I was able to find you. Just followed your tracks from the crash," She explained, continuing down the path.

"Oh," Was all I could think of as a response. I couldn't believe I was stupid enough not to think of covering up our footsteps.

The rest of the walk was silent, and I found myself looking around the forest and enjoying the trees.

Finally, I heard my grandmother let out a long sigh of relief. "We're here," she announced, stepping past a row of trees and out of our line of sight.

My eyes widened at her sudden disappearance, and I looked to Elias, who looked equally surprised. Driven by curiosity and with nowhere else to go, we carefully made our way to the thick line of trees my grandmother vanished behind. Once we were close enough, we could see hints of a large clearing blanketed by plentiful branches and dense trees. Squeezing Elias's hand, I took the first step through the layer of branches with Elias following closely behind. Once I was through, I took a look at my surroundings.

My breath caught in my throat.

Directly in front of us was a paved road lined with street lamps that lit up the area. My gaze followed the path that went down the center of what looked to be a small town. The path broke off into smaller streets that led to individual cabins ranging in size. I couldn't believe it. It was like a mini village.