The Girl From Above [Ground: Zero, Book 1]

6: The Girl With Rabies

"Tough. I'm not helping you hide your pet, Dev." Carson spat, his face still flat against the floor.

Devany closed one of her eyes and stuck her tongue out. "You always say that, but then you end up doing it in the end. Remember that one time we were running from those cultists and you had to crossdress." She giggled. "You kept it on far longer than you had to!"

"For the record, I couldn't get the dumb dress off." Carson groaned.

Ryan silently pictured a giant owl in an evening gown and stilettos socializing at a cocktail party. All things considered, he wouldn't be too out of place. After all, snakes in ties and dresses made themselves at home in those settings.

Devany puckered her lips, "I could always grab Dominic instead, I'm sure he'd help me if I gave him some photos." She pulled a stack of photos from her flannel pocket, waving them around in Carson's face.

"No!" He yelped, grabbing at the photos with his wing. "Please don't show Dominic." He whined.

Devany gave a look that could only be worn by two types of people: smug twits and mother figures. A look that said "oh, so now you're interested?"

Ryan stifled a laugh, she had seen her fair share of arrogant jerks groveling and begging for mercy, but that didn't make this instance any less satisfying. She thought about asking Devany to see the photos later, but decided against it. She was pressing her luck already.

Carson huffed. In an instant, he transformed from an owl back into a boy. His feathers receded, folding back into his skin as if they had never been there in the first place. His feathery hair formed into little horn-shaped tufts, stretching their points in all directions but straight.

Ryan did a once over of Carson's humanoid form. He was a head shorter than Devany, but considering Devany was at least her height and a half, that still made him a giant in Ryan's eyes. His many earth-toned clothes stacked over his lean frame gave him the appearance of both a stoner and a hiking buff.

Devany scoffed and pulled Carson back to his feet. With Devany's casual flannel getup, they looked like a pair of regular teens about to go on a backpacking trip for the weekend.

She then licked her finger and wiped the dirt off of his cheek with her thumb, "You're an idiot." She muttered. They exchanged a brief smile and she ruffled his hair.

"Whatever." He grumbled and snatched his beanie off the ground, He pulled the beanie down to his mouth and let go and the beanie was back in position with a snap. He tucked in the stray feathers, but a few managed to poke through the cracks in the fabric.

"Alright." He said, rolling his eyes back at Ryan. "What's the plan?"

...

Ryan wasn't sure what she imagined riding on the back of a giant owl to be like, or if she had even considered it before, but she definitely didn't imagine this.

Carson's feathers were so thick that she nearly suffocated sitting in them. It was like she was sinking into a faulty memory foam mattress. Feathers were everywhere, full of dust and dead rat smell. They poked her eyes and tickled her nose. She imagined if she were to lie in a bed of decade-old feather dusters it would feel similar.

When Devany had told Carson the plan he had immediately shut her down.

"No." He had said. "I'm not letting the mundane in my feathers, she probably has rabies or something."

Yet here she was, slowly drowning in the sea of his grey plumage. She rocked around as he stalked forward through the stone halls. They were the same purple stone she had seen when she first fell into the valley. She groaned and grabbed her stomach, if Carson kept rocking her back and forth the walls would end up with a new paint job, courtesy of the girl with rabies.

Devany followed behind Carson. Her ears stood at attention, swiveling like a cat's might. Ryan kept her gaze locked onto Devany. Devany fiddled with a gold necklace of some kind, her thumb running mindlessly along the chain.

"Dev, I have a question." Carson said, breaking the silence.

"Shoot." She replied, tucking the necklace back under her shirt. It caught a stream of sunlight, briefly sending an explosion of small lights through the air.

Carson's talons clicked against the stone floors and his neck perked up. His head revolved on his neck 180° so he faced Devany. His feathers ruffled, sending a wave of dead rodent smell into Ryan's senses.

"What is your plan for this kid after we get her to your room?" He said, turning his head back so he was facing forward. "It's not like you can hide her for long, and keeping her around will get you into trouble!"

Ryan gulped. If her welcome to the valley had been any indication, Carson wasn't lying.

Trouble. The word hung in the wind and scratched itself into the back of her psyche. No matter what she did, those around her were always plagued by that word. All her life she carried it like a disease infested mosquito. Somehow it had never claimed her, but it spread to those around her like a curse.

Ryan shivered and grabbed at her bracelet. She ran the silver chain through her fingers and pushed the thought aside. No, everything would be alright this time, just as Devany said.

Devany kicked at the ground. "I'll figure it out, Car. I don't want to talk about it right now. It's not the time." Her tone cut a gash in the air and her words bled over Ryan's hands.

"Oh, no worries!" Carson said, his voice a scathing whisper. "I'll make sure to bring it up at the allotted round-ear discussion time! Oh wait, there is none!"

The group rounded the corner and Ryan caught her breath.

The hall in front of them exploded with the same faded purple brick as the rest of the school. Lining the walls were multiple broadwood doors, furnished with gold like the rest of the buildings. The red of the valley flooded in through orange and yellow stained glass windows. From a faraway angle, it looked like the building caught fire.

Devany reached into her pocket and pulled out a run-down gold key. Without another word, she turned to the door nearest to them and slid the key into the lock.

"Don't take me for an idiot, Carson." She muttered under her breath, her fingers still on the doorknob. "I've noticed how hungry they are too, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up."

She turned the key and pushed open the door. Carson followed, grumbling curses under his breath.

Carson stopped dead in his tracks. "What the—how did you get in here?" He exclaimed.

Ryan peeked over his feathers. Greeting them in the center of the room sat a boy as thin and tall as bone. His long yellow-green hair framed his face and his round glasses shone in the light. Occasionally he picked at a leather-bound journal in his arms.

The newcomer uncrossed his legs and stood. "Good evening, my friends."

Devany sighed. "Hello, Liam."