Winter & Wing

Chapter One

"Hey, Lonan?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss you."

"I miss you, too, Dove."

***

Today is strange.

I am given a bath, and I watch in amazement as my pink skin turns red with irritation as the nurses scrub dirt off my body.

I am dressed in a thin white cloth wrapped around my chest and a matching white skirt that barely touches my knees.

My wings are clipped, which is normal, but then they are brushed.

I am fed fruits and vegetables that I've never had before, more than I've ever been allowed.

No one tells me why this is happening.

The nurses do not say a single word to me, but their hands are gentle as they take care of me. And that's all I can sum this up to-they're taking care of me. And I don't understand why.

Finally, I am led to an empty chamber that is cleaner than the one I've grown used to. While it still has the same grey stone walls and flooring, a large bed sits against the wall on the other side of the room.

I've never seen such comfort in a place like this. A bed that looks so soft that I could sleep on it for days.

But I don't want it.

"Wait," I call out to the last nurse filing out of the chamber. "What about where I used to be? Will I go back?"

She shakes her head. "This is your new quarters."

That's the first thing anyone has said to me all day.

"W-why? I want to go back and stay with the others." I want to be able to speak to Lonan.

She ignores me now and leaves, shutting the iron door tight. A lock slides into place, and now I'm stuck here.

I hold my breath.

I wasn't necessarily fond of living with other hybrid girls my age. Sure, we were all in a similar situation-ripped from our families and tossed into a prison-but I never wanted anything to do with them. I watched day after day as they let our captors perform tests and trials on them, poke and prod their bodies like it was part of their purpose in life. When I fled from the nurses upon my arrival, retreating to the furthest corner of the chamber, the other girls dragged me out.

I would cry, and they would offer no comfort.

But the one thing about that chamber is that it is directly next to the male hybrid chamber. Where Lonan is.

The joy I felt when I found out he was still with me was so overwhelming that I sobbed like a newborn in front of everyone. There were enough cracks in the walls that we could still talk. Though his voice was always muffled, we could still communicate.

But we have never once seen each other since we've been here.

I heard his voice change over the years, growing deeper and warmer. He would complain about how his hair was getting too long, and then he would complain when one of his cellmates chopped it short for him.

He would tell me about his meals, if they were good or not.

He would sing me a song he learned from some of the elder hybrids during recreational periods.

He would tell me that he hopes I'm doing okay, and that he'll find a way out of here for us.

That we won't be here forever.