Selena's POV:

I must have fallen asleep at some point, because the only thing I remembered after that was lying on the grass, and not remembering getting there. I was further away from the fire, and it was snowing.

The grass was dusted with snow that sparkled in the light of the fire and late afternoon sun. Finny was tending to the fire, keeping it at a steady size.

I decided to stay lying down, partly because I didn't want anyone to stop what they were doing to take care of me, and partly because I was scared of sitting up and bumping into something with my wings, which still hurt like crazy. I noticed the stack of supplies had more piles on, so I assumed Dad and Maria had stopped by and bought a few things.

Wait! Were they back? I quickly sat up. I was away from all trees, the blanket still over me, but I guess just the force of the wind on my wings when I sat up was enough to do damage. I held back a yelp, then removed the blanket from it's place on top of me, and stood.

I was still wobbling. I was used to my wings on my back being, ya know, NOT broken! Now my balance was all out of whack!

Finny looked up and saw me standing, and ran over, the fire forgotten. He grabbed my arm and tried to help balance me. I tried to pry his hand off, but it wouldn't budge. I sighed.

"Please, Finny. If I'm going to be stuck like this, then I need to learn how to walk on my own again."

He frowned, and reluctantly let go of me.

I searched the area for my father, and found him talking to Maria. So they were back. Then where was Mom?

I started walking toward him, Finny beside me, ready to catch me if I fall. I felt like a baby learning how to walk, but ignored that feeling for the time being. This would all be over soon, and I would go back home and live a normal life.

Dad wasn't facing me, and I wasn't making a sound, but he seemed to somehow sense I was awake and he turned to look at me. Maria seemed to notice something was happening, and she turned as well.

Everyone's eyes were on me, as usual. Also as usual, their stares we're unwanted. I stopped next to the fire- about halfway to my father- and sat, not wanting them all staring at me.

The fire seemed bigger than when I had woken up. Finny seemed to notice as well, because he sat next to me and started poking at the wood beneath the flames with a twig.

"Where is Alex?" I asked Finny over the crackling of the burning wood.

"He said something about buying some drinking water and some new things for Maria to clean your wings again."

Well there was the answer to one question. Number two: "Why didn't they bring my mom back with them?"

"Something about the lab being too heavily guarded. Now that they know that we know where your mom is, they're going to keep security pretty high."

"Why don't they just make it seem like less security is there? That would draw us in, and then they could capture us all."

"Well, just Sebastian and Maria. They are the only ones going on the rescue."

I glared at him. "I'm tired, so just shut up and let me ask questions."

I called over to my dad. "Dad, can I ask you something?"

He stood and walked over to us. "What is it you want to know?"

"What happened the other night? When Christopher and his men attacked?"

Dad seemed hesitant, but told me what I wanted to know. He told me what Christopher had done and said before pulling his gun, and after. He told me that Christopher had said he wanted the monster executed, along with all it's associates.

There was that word again. Monster. I wasn't a monster. I was different, special, unique. Alex and I were the only ones of our kind. We weren't monsters.

But Christopher had stooped so low he was calling me an it? I was almost positive I looked like a girl enough to not be called an it. Or maybe it was a thing he did out of disgust. I was no living being to him: just an "it."

I hugged my knees. "When will you go find Mom, Dad?" I asked, tears forming in my eyes. "I can't hold on for much longer."

I lay my head on my knees, trying to hide my crying. I could practically feel my life force slipping away. I wasn't turning into a demon anymore. Now I was dying.

Dad sat next to me with his hand on my shoulder. I didn't look at him. I just listened.

"We are planning on going tomorrow as soon as we think of a plan."

"Wouldn't tonight be better?" I asked, lifting my head only enough to make sure I was heard. "Won't there be less security at night?"

"I think that's what they're thinking we are going to do, because it makes perfect sense." Maria was speaking like she knew everything. I'd never wished more for someone to disappear. "Remember, Christopher is a genius. He knows practically everything about everything."

"Thanks, Maria," I said dully.

She sighed, and I heard her footsteps as she walked off.

"What we need to do is attack from the inside, but the only way in is to get captured." My father explained.

"But Selena is the only one they would really try to capture, and she's in no state to go anywhere." This from Maria, somewhere behind me.

"What about me?"

I looked up and spotted Alex, landing gracefully. He set boxes down near the pile of supplies and walked over to join our conversation.

"I can go in and find the location inside the lab, then bust out and get you guys inside. Easy."

"Alex, I don't think you should-" I started to say.

He looked at me, and his gaze cut me off. He looked like he really wanted to do this.

"I've done stuff like this before, Selena," he said. "Believe it or not, this isn't the first time I've dealt with scientists."

"We can discuss this more in the morning," My father said. He stood, then walked away somewhere. Finny left as well, only just to find more firewood.

Alex started walking away as well, but I stopped him.

"Alex?"

He turned around and looked at me. "Yeah?"

I looked away from him and into the fire. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," he said, then sat down beside me. "What's up?"

I thought for a moment about how I should word the question. I took a deep breath, then asked. "You don't think I'm a monster, do you?"

He was quiet for a moment. For a minute I thought he was hesitating, not wanting to tell me that he truly thought I was a horrible monster, but then he responded casually. "If I did, wouldn't that make me a monster as well?"

"I guess, but...." I let my sentence trail off.

"Humans only come up with names like that because they're scared of us. That's why Christopher and other scientists are always wanting to experiment and kill you. They believe that you and I might have more power than angels and demons combined."

"But I don't have any powers. The only thing I can do is fly."

"That's where you're wrong, Selena," Alex said with a smile. "You have more powers than you realize. I heard you had a vision from the past at a lake in London. That's an ability."

"I thought I only had that because my angel half started dying."

"No, I think you were in pain from the sudden change your body was going through, and your ability took control of you. Maybe you will one day be able to see the future, as well as the past."

I had no words. Alex was only a few months older than I was, so how did he know so much more than I did?

Oh yeah, he'd been at it a lot longer than I had.

His parents, he said, had died when he was nine, protecting him. He's been on his own and on the run for almost eight years. My mother might've died protecting me when I was five, but I'd always had my father. Sure he left me for two years, but he didn't die and leave me forever. I almost reached out and hugged Alex, but stopped myself.

"And what about talking to your mom?"

This pulled me out of my thoughts. Had he been talking the whole time?

"What about it?" I asked him.

"Well, she's, for lack of a better word, dead. And you can communicate with her in a whole other world."

"But she always calls on me. I can't go there on my own."

"But maybe with the right training, you'll be able to talk to other trapped souls, help them decide on whether they should pass on completely. Or maybe you can travel the world, flying high in the sky, searching for something that will help someone in need."

I was quiet, as usual, because I knew of nothing to say.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that no matter what the humans call you, or what they do to torture you, you need to keep living, and live happily. One day, you could prove to be one of the scientists' or other humans' one hope of survival, and then you save them and show them how nice, kind, generous, and not monstery you are. Then they'll see how wrong they were, and all the suffering will be worth it in the end."

"What about you?"

Alex looked over at me. "What about me?"

"Do you have any special abilities other angels or demons don't?"

He shook his head. "I haven't discovered any yet, but someday, we could be the most powerful crime fighting duo in the world."

I smiled to myself, "Yeah, we could."

My smile was suddenly interrupted by violent coughing. Alex pulled me to another side of the fire, farther away from the smoke, and Finny brought me some water. My father brought over the blanket and gently tucked it around me, then gently lay me down on the ground.

He brushed hair away from my face and told me to rest. It was getting late anyway. The sky was dark and the moon was high.

I fell asleep quickly, Alex's words from our long conversation putting me at ease.

(A/N: You guys have been awesome recently. That's one reason for this double update. The other reason and why you've been getting so many updates lately is because I'm going on a mission trip with my church. I won't be back until Saturday, July 12. Keep commenting and voting! And I can't wait read all your comments when I get back. Make me smile and comment like crazy. If I have at least 20 comments from different people on this chapter, then you might get a double update when I get home. Love you all and wish me luck!)