Girl who Speaks to Birds

Chapter 24

"Birds know themselves not to be at the center of anything, but at the margins of everything. The end of the map. We only live where someone's horizon sweeps someone else's. We are only noticed on the edge of things; but on the edge of things, we notice much."
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"Ashlea, what do I do?" I asked.

"I honestly don't know. Jump out the other door and fly away, that's what I'd do."

"Can't you get arrested for that sort of stuff?"

"Does it matter right now? If that cop sees your wings you'll be sent back to that lab. And you can't afford to be sent there right now, what with Trinity captured by the hunters and Tyler's feelings for you."

"Right. So I do that now or..."

"Of course you do it right now!"

I looked at Tyler. "We're flying out the other door. Unless you want to be taken to the lab again, because you seem to be so concerned for our safety, and it'd be a shame if we were captured."

Tyler sighed. "Fine. But those infirmitatis have dangerous weapons."

"What does that mean?"

"It's the shifter word for human. It means weak creatures. Without their weapons and supplies, most humans wouldn't last a week in the wild."

"I find that kind of offensive, calling humans weak, what with me being a former human and all."

"Shut up and open the door already."

I sighed. We had limited time, and I didn't want to continue the argument. "Fine." I opened the door, taking flight. I heard whispers run through the crowd. Tyler flew up beside me.

Then came the bullets. They were being aimed at us, and I saw the same exact symbol I had seen at the science lab. I remembered it faintly, but when I saw it, I recognized it.

"Fly away!" shouted Tyler. I nodded, taking flight. Adrenaline flooded my veins, and my heart beated quickly. I zig-zagged, hoping not to get hit. I then went up, soaring over the range of fire. I looked around frantically, searching for Tyler. Where was he?

"You have feelings for him, don't you?"

"No, I don't."

"Sure, sure."

Seconds later, Tyler flew up to join me.

"I have come back. Did you miss me?" I shook my head. We flew there, adrenaline starting to give way and reveal exhaustion.

Seconds later, his face twisted into a pained grimace.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned.

"One of those men shot me in the arm." he managed to say. I glanced at his arm; blood was seeping from the wound. I shuddered, then looked at him.

From the many dystopian books I had read - I know, not a very good source, but what did I have to go on? "I think you need to apply pressure."

He nodded. "That is correct. I'll need to stop the bleeding. I have a wrap in my bag; I'll need to use your jacket until then."

I glanced at my jacket. It was old and rugged, and besides, it was spring! I took it off and handed it to Tyler. "Thanks," he muttered.

"No problem, though you won't need to use the wrap." I replied, then looked at the wound once again, spasms of disgust rippling through my body. I looked away almost as quickly as I had looked at the wound. He put my jacket around the wound. Tyler startled me when he spoke again.

"Oh, and why is that?"

"Should I say?"

"Why not? He IS a shifter like you."

"I have the ability to heal others and myself," I explained "Though it may not seem as impressive as your power, it actually helps a lot when you're trying to stay alive."

"I don't think healing is a bad gift. My sister had that gift. Sadly, the hunters were quite experienced; they had brought bronze weapons. She couldn't heal herself."

I watched as a single tear slid down Tyler's face. I wanted to show him that I cared, but I didn't want to take the chance of Tyler going without being healed any longer than necessary.

"Follow me, into the forest. I'll heal you there." I promised. He nodded, wiping away the tear, and I motioned for him to follow me. I flapped my wings, staying well above the shooting range. Tyler was behind me, his face still holding a grimace. He didn't have to wait long, because we soon reached the forest. I flew down cautiously, looking frantically for any sign of people or guns. When I deemed it safe, I helped Tyler to a sitting position. I unraveled the jacket, setting it aside.

The bullet was embedded in the side of his arm, and I didn't remove it for fear of further damaging his leg.

"Ashlea, help me here. Surely you know what to do."

"Don't try to remove the bullet, you'll only injure him more."

"Glad we both know that. But what will happen if I try to heal him with the bullet still in there?"

"It should become non-existent as you heal it, and then it'll close up as if the wound had never been there in the first place."

"And you're sure about this? Because the whole 'disappearing bullet act' seems a little far-fetched."

"Trust me on this."

I placed my hand over Tyler's wound, and focused on healing the wound. My thoughts seemed to clear, and images of the bullet disappearing filled my vision. I couldn't do anything but focus on closing that wound. I felt myself begin to tremble as I could feel Tyler's pain. There was no wound, but the pain was there, full force. I began to grow tired, and sleep tried to lure me into peaceful rest, but I refused. Tyler was more important; I needed his help if I was going to rescue Trinity and the others.

Then, everything went back into focus. It was how it was, except that Tyler's wound was gone.

"Ashlea, that was crazy. Tell me what it was."

"There's this one little thing I forgot to tell you. That happens when you heal and the obstruction disappears."

"So all that pain and exhaustion from getting rid of one little bullet?"

"Yeah. But look on the bright side; Tyler is healed. You'll be able to recruit some shifters to rescue the shifters."

"Can I rest now?"

"You don't have to ask my permission for that. This area IS safe enough."

As I was about to fall asleap, I saw a blurry image of a squirrel. But then, it changed. Standing before me was a man with a sly grin on his face.

"Found you." he said just as I fell asleap.

A/N- Don't have much time to type right now, but thank you so so much for the 283 in fantasy! I can hardly believe that a book that came from my bizzare daydreaming has gotten so much success! Thank you so much for that!

I've gotta go, but please comment, vote (see that little star button? Click it please), share, and I'll see you all in the comments! Bye for now!