The School in the Middle

Prologue

The night was like any other; cold, dark, and relentless. If it wasn't for the moon, which shone in a brilliant blood-red, similar to the stained streets littered with bones and empty flesh, no one would be able to find their way through the planet. Cold, icy frost clung to the brick wall where Carmen, Ursa, and Isaac were.
Carmen, being a cardinal, was able to fly up to the top of the wall without any struggle. Ursa's bear claws didn't do much against smooth bricks lined with ice. And Isaac, although being a bird-human (specifically, a loon) like Carmen, a wing that was broken and torn doesn't do much good.
Carmen's eyes matched that of her wings; hot, fire, and a boiling pot of rage that had the lid on for too long.
Finally, breaking the silence, Ursa spoke, "Where are the others? We've been waiting here for two hours."
Her voice was energetic, not with anger, but also not with joy. But there was something in there, the tone of a caring and worried sister.
Isaac looked up at the red moon, "We've been here for half an hour." He said, his voice holding almost no emotion; but similar to Ursa, there was still a hint of kindness.
"Doesn't feel like it."
"Be patient!" Carmen snapped, fluttering her wings in a shower of sparks, glowing specks of fire brightening and fading in the cold night.
Behind the brick wall, there was another. Watching with interest and concern. She had blue wings, speckled with black and white feathers, similar to a blue jay's. That's what gave her away, bright wings in darkness, peaking out of a brick wall.

Glancing to the corner, Carmen noticed the feathers.
"One second." She said, before diving to the ground, ready to fight. Instead, the figure quickly flew up, flapping her wings quickly to get away. Devastated that she'd been caught.
"Who was that?" Ursa asked, slightly tilting her head as she crossed her arms.
Isaac shrugged.

Carmen gritted her teeth, quickly lifting her wings in anger, she said, "one of the daughters of that stupid blue jay I killed a few moons ago."
Isaac looked up at the sky, the moon catching his feathers in a glistening light show.
"Michael... His name is Michael. Right? That blue jay, the one that's dead?" He asked.
Ursa nodded, "Yeah, I think so."
Carmen shot a glare at them, with a quick "mhm".

Talking about the war, or anything remotely close to it, could make Carmen explode, like a bomb. It was a wise move to take a few steps back to avoid being burned.
Ursa, however, was too brave for her own good. Lucky for her, Carmen was similar to a mother, and she would do anything to protect Isaac and Ursa.
Carmen was the only mother figure Isaac knew.
Despite having a mom, Isaac never really talked to her, or knew who she was. Sure, she was there, existing near him. But they were never close emotionally, it was the complete opposite. She'd ignore him most of the time. Heck, she could've been dead for that entire time on the ship.
Isaac shook his head, getting rid of burning memories, hoping to not show any sign of emotion or stress.
Ursa could pick up on anything, the slightest shift in wind, the hair on someone's arm moving. It was an absolute nightmare to sleep in the same bed as her, she would notice every time the blankets moved because of a single breath of air. A year was enough for Ursa to know Isaac, and what all of his actions meant.
"You good?" She asked, her voice hinted the tiniest bit of concern.
Isaac jumped a little, being snapped fully back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Ursa frowned, "...alright. But I don't believe you. Talk when you need to." She hesitated, careful not to accidentally force Isaac to talk about something he didn't want to.
Isaac smiled, something that was rare to see, like a diamond.
Carmen looked up at the moon, which has reached the highest point in the sky by now.
"You two should get some sleep before the others get here. I'll stay awake." She said, It was rare for Carmen to allow any sort of rest. "Danger Is Always Near" seemed to be her unspoken motto.
Isaac used his wing to cover himself like a blanket, while Ursa just laid down on the cold cement.
Carmen lit a small fire close to the two kids (teenagers, technically. But they were still kids in her eyes.) to keep them warm.

"Sweet dreams." she muttered to herself, "the others will be here soon."