Me: well, I ate the hot dog!

Hot dog: No you didn't!

Me: yeah, but I broke your mind control after a few days.

Hot dog: I'm still trying to figure out how you did that.

Me: I watched mind-corroding television 'til my brain exploded. You know, shows like Invader Zim that are so awesomely messed up that they drive you insane.

Hot dog: wow. Well, you did it too late!

Me: In case you're wondering what the hot dog is talking about, he's currently sitting in my hot tub filled with ketchup with his friends, hamburgers and French fries.

French fry: J'aime ce spa.

Me: Apparently French fries only speak in French. I have no idea what they are saying.

French fry: qui est cette personne bizarre?

Me: *gets out a French/English dictionary* Hey!

French fry: personne ne possède ici Maximum Ride.

Me: Ok, I can get this, give me a moment, *flips through dictionary* "no one here owns Maximum Ride"

Hamburger: I want a pickle.

Me: not gonna happen.

Hamburger: You will give me a pickle.

Me: Mind control doesn't work anymore! Ha! Anyway, hope you enjoy this next chapter!

The world is blurry and dark. I can't see straight. Weird images float through my mind.

Ok, try to sort through the mess. Think simple, easy thoughts. I have a name. What was it?

Sky.

Someone gave it to me.

My sister.

And I named her...

Maya.

Yeah, good so far. Man, my head hurt. What happened?

Blurry images and sounds filled my mind, making my head pound. Ok, ok, baby steps. Think about simple thoughts. I'll work my way up to the big stuff.

What else do I remember?

Blue. And white fluffy clouds. The feeling of freedom.

Something sweet and warm in my mouth. Chewy, chocolaty, moist...

Cookies. I remember cookies.

Why do I remember cookies?

My head's starting to feel a little better. What is the last thing I remember?

Watermelon, laughing, juice dripping down Maya's chin...

Bang, bang!

Oh, no, what happened next? What was that noise? I know its important!

Blue again. With more clouds. I'm in the sky.

Sky. My name. It has two meanings: My name. And the blue sky, my freedom, my home.

Other people are there, too. Kids with wings. So I have wings.

Wings. Brown. Feathery. Yeah, I have wings. I like my wings.

But I way flying. With others. While stuff happened below me.

Yes, this is good. I'm remembering now. What happens next?

People running and screaming. I know them.

My pack. My family. But they can't fly like me. So who's in the sky with me?

The flock. Other bird kids.

But what was going on on the ground?

Aww no, my head's hurting again.

But what happened next? What were those bangs? Why does my head hurt?

Green grass. I landed. And then-

Red.

On the ground. On my hands.

Why's it so red? What happened?

Blood.

Blood?

Blood!

I have to do something!

But I don't know what!

What happened?

Why can't I think straight?

It's still red.

All red.

Everything's red!

My head hurts.

My back hurts.

My body hurts.

There's a bright light. It's red, too! No, wait, it's white. My eye lids are red. The light just looks red because I'm seeing it through my eyelids. My eyes are closed. If I open my eyes, the light'll be white.

I don't want to see red anymore!

My eyes opened.

I hear people whispering. They start talking louder, more excited. I can't understand them. My head still hurts.

What happen-

And all of the lost memories came rushing back to me.

"Sky's awake!"

Someone keeps saying that. I can make out the words now.

I can hear people rushing around. Footsteps.

And I can see more than just the bright, white light now.

But the light isn't really white. It's dull yellow. A light bulb in a lamp.

I can also see caramel colored walls. Wooden furniture. A house. Dr. Martinez's?

I'm in a bed. Oh, it's so soft. I haven't slept in a real bed since... ever.

Maya's face fills my line of vision.

"Sky!" she shouted.

I flinched. Too loud. Still had a headache.

"Max?" I managed to croak.

"She's fine." Maya said. "Perfectly. Not even a scar to show."

I smiled. Then flinched again.

"My head hurts." I moaned, hating the whiny tone in my voice. "How come my head hurts so much?"

"You have a minor concussion." Maya said.

"...why?"

"Because Koro dropped you on your head when he was bringing you back to the house."

"Seriously?"

"Naw." Maya smiled. "Dr. M says it has to do with overusing your powers. Speaking of Dr. M, I'll go get her and tell her your awake."

"I don't wanna be mean, but it's just so... strange." Yori whispered.

"I know what you mean." Koro said. "But someone should really say something."

"You'd really think she'd notice the frame around the mirror." Total added. Akila barked in agreement.

"I just feel so bad for her." Yori muttered.

"Can't she tell the difference?" Total asked, flabbergasted.

"Well, Mi 'n Ki are identical twins." Koro pointed out.

Just then, Maya burst into the room. "Sky's awake!" She shouted. Then something caught her eye.

"What's with her?" She asked, pointing.

Koro shrugged. "I'm not really sure."

"Huh." Maya shook her head in disbelief. "Think she's faking?"

"No." Yori said. "A few minutes ago she tried to give it her cookie."

"Wow." Maya said. "But anyway, you guys seen Dr. M?"

"Kitchen."

"'Kay, thanks."

She ran toward the kitchen.

Koro stared again at the sight ahead of them. "It's times like this you really have to wonder what's going on in that girl's head."

"What do you think's gonna happen when Kiki gets here?"

The four shrugged and stared at each other in silence.

Koro and Yori got back to my room before Maya. I smiled at them.

"Hey," I said quietly.

Koro smiled back. "Glad to see you're finally awake."

"'Finally?'" I asked. "How long was I out?"

"Only a day or two," Yori said.

"'Only?'"

Jaws walked in with Max. "Hey there, Sleeping Beauty!"

"Who?"

"I don't know, but Dr. M called Max that after she slept in until, like, three in the afternoon."

I turned my attention to Max. "You're okay?"

"Yeah, fine." She said, staring at the bed strangely. I tried to look over my shoulder to where her eyes were focused, but didn't see anything. I was just propped up on the bed with a bunch of pillows.

Maya jumped back into the room. "I found Dr. M. And she made cookies!" She held up a steaming batch. Jaws snatched up several.

"Mmmm..." He moaned happily, stuffing the cookies in his face. "I will never get tired of these!"

I smiled and reached out to grab one. I noticed how crowded the room was getting when Ella and Dr. Martinez walked in.

"How do you feel?" Dr. M asked.

I smiled again. "Well, my headache's going away."

"That's good," Dr. M said, shining a light into my eyes, careful not to make it too doctor-ly. She knew that I had a thing about hospitals. And doctors. And, well, you read the books. You know what I mean.

"You seem to be making a very good recovery." She added, stepping away.

Maya squealed and hugged me. "I was so worried!"

The rest of the pack squeezed around the bed. I smiled. Then I noticed that someone was missing.

"Where are the twins?" I asked.

They all gave each other weird looks.

"In the living room." Maya finally said.

"Okay... so what's up with the looks?" I asked.

Mimi was in the living room, standing in front of a mirror, talking to her reflection.

"I hear that Sky's feeling better, Kiki!" She told the reflection.

Yes, Mimi thought that her reflection was her twin sister.

"Wow." I said. "That's a little crazy, even for Mimi."

Everyone nodded.

"So, when am I gonna be back up and flyin' again?" I asked cheerfully.

Silence.

My eyes slid over the group. Ella, who wouldn't meat my eyes, even though we had begun to become great friends. Maya, who looked at me with pity. Max, who-

was wearing a jacket.

That didn't make any sense. All of the kids here let out their tails, wings, and ears. There was no one around to see. And it couldn't be that something had happened. Maya's ears were exposed. So why was Max covering her wings?

I became painfully aware of bandages across my chest, under the giant t-shirt I was wearing.

And over my back.

Max had been looking at me strangely before.

And now she was covering her wings.

In all the excitement, I hadn't really noticed how much my back was hurting, right above the shoulder blades, where my wings-

Oh no.

Dr. M saw my expression and shook her head sadly.

"They were dead," she said quietly. "I had to amputate."

I buried my head in my covers.

It wasn't true. It couldn't be true! But, I couldn't feel them.

"But I can heal!" I shouted. They couldn't be gone!

Maya carefully took my hand and held it palm-up. I stared at it. At first, I didn't comprehend what I was seeing. I had a scratch on my hand, probably from when I had fallen after healing Max. Koro had caught me, but my arm had flown out and hit a stick or rock or something. But it didn't hurt or anything. Just a little scratch. Then it hit me.

I have a scratch.

And it wasn't healing.

Destiny's words rang in my head...

"It'll cost you, and you won't like it."

I could heal. I couldn't bring my wings back!

Dr. M shook her head apologetically.

I felt Maya sit down on the bed next to me and put her arms around me. I leaned into her, tears forming in my eyes.

I had saved Max, but it had cost me.

No more open skies.

No more freedom.

No more wings.

What is a bird-girl with no wings?

"Stop copying me already!" Mimi shouted at her reflection.

Gazzy passed through the room.

"Gazzy!" Mimi called out. "Tell Kiki to stop copying me!"

"Uhh..." He looked back at the girl. Then at the mirror. He took off running in the other direction.

Mimi pouted and turned back to her reflection.

"-not that, I just really think you should talk to her." Gazzy' voice floated in from the doorway. A few seconds later, he stepped back into the room with the real Kiki in tow.

"Mimi?" Kiki said. "What are you doing?"

Mimi spun around. "Kiki? But how are you-"

She looked at the mirror, where her reflection was still visible, and then back at Kiki, who was off to the side.

"OMG! We are triplets!" She shouted.

Gazzy palmfaced and slowly backed out of the room.

"Triplets? Let me see!" Kiki ran over to Mimi and stood in front of the mirror. Both twins' reflections showed.

"Quadruplets!" They both shouted at the same time.

It was days before I finally got out of bed, and it was the allure of a hot shower that finally did it.

Max and the flock keep their wings hidden around me. I guess it helps a little, but not really. There are other things that remind me. I hear a bird call at night, and it hurts. I see a feather poking out of someone's jacket, and it hurts. I see the pity in everyone's eyes, and it hurts.

I don't feel my wings, and it hurts.

The warm feathers on my back used to be so reassuring.

Now I have nothing.

Angel's been avoiding me. She can read minds, so she knows my pain. Feels it. And escapes the only way she can.

The way I can't.

Taking to the skies.

My namesake.

Once so close, but now further than I could imagine.

My back stopped hurting after a few days. Now it only does if I twist weird. But the pain I felt was more mental than physical. Sometimes I wondered if it would fade with time.

And sometimes I tried to fool myself into thinking the answer was 'yes.'

Everyone here kept trying to make me feel better. I've played every board game in Ella's closet at least once. I eat plenty of ice cream and chocolate and chocolate ice cream. I watch funny TV and try to laugh at every bad joke someone comes up with. But it doesn't help.

And I've never felt so alone.

Maya and the others are getting ready to leave Dr. M's. Maya said we were finally going to make it to Mexico. Yori's excited about the tacos.

I just mostly want to be left alone.

Dr. M says that I might be depressed. She says I should try to be more active. But I don't feel like doing anything.

I feel like there's half of me missing.

And sometimes I wonder if I can stand to live like this.

"We're leaving tomorrow, so make sure we have everything." Maya told Koro and Jaws. Yori was with Sky at the moment. No one thought it was a good idea to leave her alone for too long.

Mimi and Kiki bounced out of the house.

"Gigi and Fifi can come too, right?" They chirped.

Maya frowned. "Who and who?"

"Gigi and Fifi!" Mimi exclaimed.

"Our other twins!" Kiki added.

"We're quadruplets!" They bounced up and down happily.

"Wow." Jaws said in awe. "They still think that... wow."

Maya turned to Koro. "No one told them?"

"I don't think anyone knew what to say." He said. "Plus, no one wanted to hurt their feelings, and they all just looked so happy..."

Maya sighed. "I'm gonna go see Sky. You tell them."

"Why me?"

"'Cause Jaws left while we weren't paying attention and I have to go get Sky."

And Maya turned and ran.

Mimi and Kiki stared, happy and ready, at Koro, waiting for him to answer their question.

Koro sighed. "I need to tell you two something."

"'Kay!" They answered excitedly.

Koro sighed again. Why did he always get stuck with the jobs no one else wanted?

Sky hadn't brushed her hair in days. So, to say the least, it was messy.

Maya had decided to get Sky to clean up a bit. And Ella was running out of hats.

So now, Sky sat in the grass with Maya sitting behind her. Maya was currently trying to yank a hair brush through her sister's long, tangled hair.

Maya had always loved Sky's hair. It was pale blonde and soft and went all the way down almost to her waist.

In the background, she could hear Mimi and Kiki pouting about the loss of their imaginary sisters, Gigi and Fifi. It still boggled her mind to think that they had actually thought that their reflections were real people. But who knows what goes on in their minds.

Maya was finally able to get the brush through her sister's hair with ease. So she switched to a comb to get out any other knots.

She ran the brush down Sky's hair and felt a bump by her shoulder blades.

"Ow." Sky murmured. "Watch it. I'm still sore."

But Maya frowned. There shouldn't be anything raised still left besides the scar. And the bump had been too bid to be a scar. Was it getting infected?

Worried, she pulled Sky's oversized t-shirt's neck down to get a look at her back.

And gasped.

Out of the scars still marking her sister's back, grew tiny new limbs. The feathers attached to them resembled the soft down of a newly-hatched chick.

Wings.

Tiny, but growing.

But how? The scar was still visible, so Sky still couldn't heal.

Maybe some things were just meant to be.

"Maya?" Sky's quiet voice brought Maya back to reality. "I did what I was supposed to. I saved Max. And I know it was the right thing to do. But now... I just feel so empty. I don't know what I should to do anymore. What am I supposed to do?"

Maya reached out and cupped a tiny brown feather in her hand.

"Reach for the sky," She said quietly. "Because anything's possible."

I would like to take this time to thank everyone who cared enough to read my humble story. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I really hope you enjoyed reading it. So thank you for devoting a portion of your life to my story. Please let me know what you thought of it. Constructive criticism is always welcome. I am always working to improve my writing abilities. And feel free to tell me about a story you read or wrote that you think I'd enjoy.

Oh, and if you do decide to review, you get a free talking, mind-controlling hot dog. I have a ton of them. *points to ketchup-hot tub full of talking hot dogs*

So, as a last thought at the end of my final chapter, I would like to say that this is the longest story I have written so far, and am very, very grateful that you took the time to read it and review it.

Have a good life, and never be afraid to reach for the sky. Because anything really is possible.