What I Wish

The Experiment

"Aria!" Alec screamed. "Stop it!"

Aria, the sweet, charming girl he's been traveling with this whole time...is beating someone up.

Aria wasn't listening, her eyes stared coldly at the bird girl. Her arms rose up, only to thrash down on the kid's face. No matter how much the kid screamed, Aria wouldn't stop, and kept hitting faster and harder. Soon, Alec thought he could see...blood?

She just wasn't stopping.

"Aria, get off her!" Alec yelled. He ran up to her and tried to yank her off the bird-kid, only to be greeted by a glare.

"Let go."

In a flash, he was sent flying back by a giant gust of wind, smacking his head into the concrete floor.  The wind got knocked out of him as soon as he touched her shoulder.  He struggled to get up, and found Dane and Benjiro by his side. 

"Alec, are you okay?" Benjiro asked.  He set a protective hand on Alec, but his eyes never left Aria.  But Alec couldn't focus on how much pain he felt from being knocked back.  She is out there.

"Aria!" Alec screamed once more. 

Aria flinched.

She heard him.

She stopped all of her movements, still lying on top of the bird-girl.  Both were breathing heavily.  She didn't turn around for a second, until Alec called her name again. 

"Aria." He said.

Only then, did she turn around, her face full of tears.

She looked down at her shaking hands, and saw blood dripping off of them.  Not her blood, but the girl she was beating up. She looked back at the girl. She was barely conscious. Slowly, her head rose to meet Alec straight in the eye.

"Alec," Aria said in a quiet, soft voice. "What... did I just do?"

"Freeze!"

Out of nowhere, cars came from all sides, blocking all exits. Solid black cars. Out came people dressed in the same color, all holding guns up in the air.

"Capture the bird," One of them said. "And the one who's with her."

"No!" Aria screamed as they grabbed her. "Let me go!"

Alec was up in an instant. "Aria!" He bolted to her, only to be punched in the face by one of the guys in black.

Second time he flew backwards today, he should take up a sport or something.

Dane tried sprinting to Aria too, and he was rather quick. But, he was not strong enough. As soon as one guy got a hold of him, he was done for. Benjiro too, tried for it, but he was even worse.

Soon, both Aria and the bird-girl were taken into one of the black cars, with Alec, Dane, and Benjiro doing their best to fight back.  No matter how much they thrashed and punched, they couldn't make it in time, and the car drove off.  Then, they were pushed to the ground, and the men started walking away.

"Wait!" Alec yelled, grabbing one of the guy's foot.  "Tell me where you guys took Aria!"

Another cold hard glare.  "In the case that the lass has nothing to do with the situation, we may release her.  Otherwise..." The man trailed off.

"Otherwise what?"  Benjiro said from behind Alec.

"Nothing," The man in black concluded.  "Good day."

He ripped his foot away from Alec's grasp and walked away, leaving the trio on the ground covered in dust. 

'Oh no," Dane said, crouched on the floor.  "Oh no, no, no."  Benjiro himself was just as shocked, and kept shaking his head at the situation. 

"Why did this happen?  What happened?"  Dane asked.  "Alec! What are we to do? Aria... Aria just...!"

"Calm down." Benjiro said. He then turned to Alec. He was waiting for Alec's decision.

"There's no doubt about it." Alec said. "We go after them, Aria is in trouble. But this can only happen with your power, Dane."

"Me?" Dane asked.

Alec pondered for a minute, staring at Dane. "Yeah," He finally said after a long pause. "Only you."

************

"Are you finally awake?"

Aria felt dead inside.  She slowly opened her eyes to see the bird-kid staring at her.  They were both on the cold hard ground, locked in a cage.

"You... Where are we?" Aria asked, looking around. Pure white.  She recognized this place.  This was the same laboratory they just left.  Why was she back here?

"You're an idiot aren't you?" The girl scoffed.  "If you would have let me rob you and get away, you wouldn't have been caught with me."

"Robbing isn't nice." Aria scolded her.

"The world isn't nice, honey.  You look like you're just figuring that out, with the way you handled me."

Aria flinched.  Yes, she knew exactly what the girl was talking about.  She couldn't stop hitting, punching, she wanted an all-out brawl with the girl. 

Alec saw her fight like that.  How would he feel looking at her now...? 

"Anyways, we're locked in here now.  Thanks a lot.  After I tried so hard to escape this place."

"Why are you escaping?  Why are you on the run?" Aria asked.

"Stuuupid, do you have eyes? See the wings?  They think I'm their property."  The girl said, mocking Aria.

"Then why... would they want me?" Aria asked quietly.

"I don't know, but frankly, they don't care.  All they know is that you are acquainted with me, the experiment, and that's all that matters to them."