Mae Hark, Fly

Chapter 1: 104 Breakfasts Later

"To have two lives is to be born twice. It also means to die twice. Which means you didn't do it right the first time!" 

Chapter 1: 104 breakfasts

Mae brought her knees closer to her face as the lights flickered. Her breath quickened. Like clockwork, they would come. She counted to herself. 11... 12... 13...

The small screen door opened and two bright green eyes peered through. Though she couldn't see the rest of the face, she knew it was smiling. "Number 3 is secure and ready for her breakfast." His voice was sweet, like syrup and menacing like poison.

Clockwork. 28... 29... 30...

The lower screen door slid open and a small tray emerged from the gap. It swiftly closed behind it as the upper screen door shut as well.

37... 38... Mae surged forward on her knees and grabbed the tray. She crawled back to the corner and shifted her back to a more comfortable position. They were aching and pressure was building on her shoulder blades. She rubbed her shoulders and tried to stretch her back, but nothing would work unless she could stretch her wings.

Breakfast was bland. Slimy oatmeal, or something resembling it at least. A hard muffin the size of a tennis ball. A cup of water. She ate it all. The first four meals she went on a hunger strike and only drank water. Bad idea.

The room she slept in had no windows, but four walls, a ceiling and a floor. A small mattress, a pillow and a blanket on the floor.

She stared at a small blank light above the door. It turned red and she bolted up, standing straight as the lullaby sweet female voice sounded over the intercom. "Attention," it cooed. "All subjects ready for removal from their rooms."

Maee figured out the routine within the first 48 hours. Hands behind your back and your back facing the door, on your knees, eyes closed and facing the wall. The intercom guided her through the motions on the first two days. The first day she didn't listen and screamed. The men came in anyway and she came back that afternoon with more bruises than she'd ever gotten in her childhood. She learned fast. Listen and no one hurts you. Disobey and everyone hurts you.

She followed the steps until she heard the door open. It's been more than two weeks and she still couldn't explain what they put on her back. She could best describe it as armor that medieval soldiers wore in the movies. Hands would grip her wrists as the plate was lifted onto her shoulders and her hands were cuffed behind her back. It was very uncomfortable.

"Up," the man commanded. She stood, wobbling slightly at the new weight. It was always the same voice. She named him Dan in her head. Dan was never gentle. She wondered if his mother ever loved him.

She didn't think Dan ever actually touched her. He always gave the orders and the two men who handled her never spoke a word. They only made harsh sounds and hit her when she did something they didn't like.

18... 19... 20... Left turn.

25... 26...

Another metal door slid open. Mae wasn't allowed to open her eyes. If the men caught her looking, they would punch her face. Sometimes they didn't notice, but she didn't feel like tasting blood today so she didn't dare twitch.

The door was on the right. Or at least she was pushed to the right. The room was always cold. Cold enough to make someone wearing a hospital gown and a heavy metal board on her back very unhappy. But the temperature was the least of her concern. If her count was right, today was her day.

The door slid shut behind her and the room filled with silence. 10... 11.... She opened her eyes.

Another room, seeing the same people she saw everyday since she got here except for Bald Boy. He arrived 12 breakfasts ago. He was the last one to arrive.