Hailey, timidly, steps out onto the porch, taking very soft steps to make it to the edge, "Why didn't you tell me?" She wasn't accusing him but confused.
Felix seems to be at a loss for words.
His daughter had heard the rough version of the story and he didn't seem to know how to deal with it. His jaw shifts back and forth as he stammers for any sort of answer. The breaths he takes make his chest bounce in rapid bursts. I stand, concerned that he was going into a sort of shock, "Felix?"
His eyes roll in the back of his head and we both rush forward to catch him as he collapses.
"Dad!"
Hailey starts to whimper in worry, her words just blending together and I have to shake my head, "Hailey, calm down. He's fine, he just fainted. Help me get him onto the porch."
She bites her lower lip, nodding her head. We work together and manage to drag Felix over to the porch, where we lay him down. I bend his legs at the knee and rest his feet firmly on the porch.
"What do we do!" Hailey asks.
"He should wake in a minute, but just to be safe, you should get Amy." I reply.
"Is he going to be okay??" She mumbles.
"People are usually fine after fainting but just in case, we should get Amy to check him over." I reiterate.
"Okay, okay." She nods, she glances at her dad with worry before she takes off to find Amy. I take a seat next to Felix and stretch out my leg. I wouldn't have expected him to pass out.
I hear a groan and glance over to see Felix open his eyes. He blinks a few times, looking puzzled. I lean over, "Don't sit up yet. You fainted."
"I fainted?" He asks.
"Yeah, just stay there. I sent Hailey to get Amy in case you faint again." I say.
He just stays on his back, staring up at the ceiling. We sit in silence for a few minutes until Hailey returns with Amy in tow.
"Dad!" Hailey speeds up a little bit when she spots that Felix is conscious. By the time they got to us, Felix was sitting next to me. He had his head lowered to his knees and taking slow, deep breaths. Amy makes her way over and looks at me as she wraps the blood pressure cuff on Felix's upper arm, "What happened?"
"Well we were having a pretty serious conversation and Hailey came out to join us. And the next thing we know, Felix fainted." I keep it short. I'm sure Amy knew a lot about Felix but he still has a right to his privacy.
"Is this the first time today?" Amy asks, turning her attention to Felix.
"Today?" Hailey asks. Amy glances at her but doesn't say anything.
"Yes, first time." Felix replies gruffly.
"...Dad...? Do you have a history of fainting spells?" Hailey asks timidly.
He's quiet and I barely see Amy nudge him out of the corner of my eye.
He grunts but stays quiet. She nudges him again, only slightly harder.
"Okay, fine," He grumbles, "Yes, I have fainting spells when I get seriously stressed."
"I thought we had this under control by now Felix." Amy speaks.
"We did..." He sighs loudly.
"Then why did you faint? You haven't fainted in years." Amy asks. I'm assuming it's medically necessary for her to question him about it. He smooths his hair down on the back of his head, clearly avoiding the question.
"Felix, I need you to answer me." Amy states.
"We were talking about Mom." Hailey answers, "I asked Ethan to see if he could get Dad to talk about her because he never spoke to me about her. No one would help me, except Ethan."
"You what?" Felix lifts his head, looking at her.
"I didn't know what else to do! You wouldn't tell me anything, no one would tell me!" She defends herself, "Ethan was the only one who offered to talk to you about Mom. I just want to know about her, is that so wrong??"
"No. It's not." He's quieter, "You have full right to know about her. I'm just not ready to talk about it. I don't think I ever will."
Hailey walks over and takes his hand, "We can work on it together. You don't have to tell me everything at once, you can just tell me about her in small ways."
Felix looks at her, he seems to be thinking about her suggestion. She bends down on her knees and pulls her father into a hug, "Please Daddy, I don't want you to keep suffering alone. It breaks my heart."
Felix hugs her back, he buries his face in the crook of her neck and begins to cry.
I stand and move away from them. Amy joined me after the cuff had finished reading his blood pressure, "Did you really ask him about her?"
I looked at her, "Yeah, I did."
She gives me a look, it seems to be a mix of judgement and astonishment, "No one has ever got a peep out of him about her. Usually he would get in your face."
"I think he just couldn't fight any longer. You can only deny it for so long." I shrug.
"Yeah, well maybe you should be careful about running around fixing people." Amy warns, "Not everyone wants it."
"I know, I just want to help." I shrug again.
"Felix, you should take it easy today. Hailey, if he faints again come and get me immediately." Amy instructs them.
"Yes ma'am." Hailey nods. She stands up and then comes over to me, giving me a hug, "Thank you for your help."
I give her a hug back, "You're welcome."
She pulls away to go back to their house, probably to get her Dad something to drink.
"Ethan."
"Yeah?" I hope Felix wasn't mad at me for going behind his back like that.
"As much as I want to be angry with you about going behind my back, I also feel I have to thank you. Maybe now I can properly form a bond with Hailey." He rakes his hair back out of his face.
"You're welcome," I smiled softly, "I am glad to help. Everyone needs a bond with their family."
"But don't do it again, next time I might clock you in the face." His signature glare has returned to his face. I chuckled dryly, "No problem."

"So did you decide?"
Wade looks up from his concentration, the rocks he was levitating lowers back to the ground, "Decide?"
I take a seat, resting my crutch down on the ground next to me, "Well everyone had made a decision to either stay with their family or stay here, and a while back, we had discussed where you weren't sure what you would do."
He stands to stretch his tired limbs, "...they decided that they didn't want me to return." He shakes his shoulders to loosen any tense muscles.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." I reply.
"It's not that big of a deal. I understand why they made that decision. I have been missing for over a decade now and technically I have been buried." He fills me in on the reaction his family gave him during their meeting, "It's a really difficult mental gymnastics, especially after learning that the stress eventually took my father's life. My niece said that my mom did miss me, but she was afraid that my presence might send her into shock and end her life as well. So out of respect for the remainder of my family, I decided to stay here. Besides, I feel more at home with the people I've bonded with. With my own family that I have created here."
"I'm sorry to hear about your father and that must've been a difficult decision to make." I could understand the torn feeling between the two families.
He sighs a bit but then shrugs, "It's alright. There is nothing I can do about it now." He turns back to me, "Have you been able to figure out the mess behind your tears??"
"Not yet, but it's starting to become strange to wake up to an empty room. Tyler has been gone a lot lately." I shift my arms back behind me to rest on them and stare up at the cloudless blue sky.
"There isn't really danger around us here so he has taken it upon himself to be the head of the scouting teams. He is trying to make himself more useful. A peaceful life sort of negates his whole purpose and he has to find a way to help." He explains. It sounded kind of depressing to hear that due to our peace, Tyler was losing himself.
"Is there something we can do to help him or make him feel useful?" I ask.
"I'm not sure, but we can probably brainstorm something." He replies.
"Hey, speaking of family, how did you meet your wife? Were you married before the hospital??" I ask.
"Oh, actually we grew up as next door neighbors. We sort of became high school sweethearts." He explains with a warm smile at the thought of these memories.
"That sounds lovely." I comment.
"Oh yeah, and we have been friends with Bob, Mark, and Jack for a long time. I'm pretty sure that Bob had informed you that we were originally here for the couple's wedding." He continues.
"I recall." I nod and then lay down on my back, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot." He sits down nearby and studies the sky with me, taking in the beauty of the open sky. No ceiling above us. No walls that crowd us. Complete freedom.
"How are you and Bob scarless? Everyone else has scars and I'm sure Bob usually stays back as his ability is more for information than fighting but what about you? You have a fighting ability." I ask him.
"Hm, that is an interesting question." He sits up, crossing his legs in a criss cross position. "It was more of a group decision. I may have a fighting ability but it's not made for people with more magical abilities. Bob and I were set as a safeguard against them if Mark, Jack, and Felix ever died in battle. An extra layer of protection. I know I don't seem like much but you haven't seen me in action. I sit pretty high on the totem pole."
"We have a totem pole?" I sit up as well.
"I mean kind of," He rubs his neck, "Maybe that wasn't the best way to describe who sits where depending on their abilities. How do you think it goes?"
"I'd assume Felix would be the strongest, he has a time ability. Mark and Jack come in after him, followed by Tyler, you, Bob, uh..." I have to think about the group, "Amy? Man, we have so many to keep track of."
He chuckles lightly, "It's a pretty huge group, but actually you are wrong. Felix doesn't sit at the top, despite his time ability, he actually sits above Jack and below Mark. Amy doesn't fit into this totem, there's a whole different one for those with only one ability, that includes Bob."
"So Mark is the strongest?" I ask.
"No, he's not." He shakes his head.
"He's not?" I frown, confused, "How could he not be the strongest and how does he sit above Felix, who literally can manipulate time itself???"
"Well it's more of a technicality because Felix doesn't use his secondary ability. The only reason he sits above Jack is because he is physically stronger than him." He answers.
"Wait? So a technicality is keeping Felix from being the strongest?? What." It felt like this conversation was only asking more questions.
"Sort of. Felix doesn't use his ability due to very personal reasons. Reasons I don't think he would disclose even on his deathbed." Wade starts to make some stones dance around as we talk.
"Do you know the reasons?"
"I don't." He shakes his head, "But yes, a technicality keeps him from the top of the totem. Mark isn't the strongest just due to the fact that Tyler holds the title."
"Tyler does? But wasn't the fight between him and Mark a draw?" I was trying to remember who told me about the incident and how the fight had ended.
"Well it was a draw but that's not why he sits at the top." He sends the stones to dance around my head and I watch with curiosity.
"Tyler sits at the top because of his stone body. He can actually mold himself with the stone around us." He begins to explain, "And due to there being a lot of stone, it sort of makes him infinite."
"But that's a strange reason for him to be the strongest. Tyler has been getting hurt a lot recently and I think Amy might have narrowed it down to the Songbird Lullaby." I reply.
"I don't think it's the Lullaby, I think maybe Tyler is stopping himself. I think he is afraid to become what he used to be. He wasn't always so kind and helpful. Back before he became a part of us, he was a force to be reckoned with. I know only because as he lay there dying, the fight was all that was playing in his mind, like a broken record. It was sickening. And nothing I had ever seen again. He really turned 180 after we saved his life." He stands, offering me his hand. I take it and he helps me to my foot and crutch.
"I don't just base it on what I call him to be infinite, but the knowledge I have of him."
"So the totem goes: Tyler, Mark, Felix, Jack, me? You, Rose...and so on??" I question as we make our way back to the village.
"As far as I know Rose has one ability so he doesn't belong in this totem either. You know if it helps I could always make you a list." Wade leads the way, carefully moving rocks and roots out of my path as I hobble along.
"No, that's okay, I think I can figure it out eventually. But you really sit so low? You have telekinesis. Isn't that more powerful than Tyler or Mark?? Couldn't you stop either one of them in a fight by forcing them to the ground or something???"
"I could, but there Tyler could mold himself into nearby stone and leave that grasp and Mark could simply portal himself out of the way. Telekinesis works more on singular abilities and just normal humans that couldn't just escape." He turns around to answer my question, "Telekinesis is quite powerful but only on the right group of people."
"Come to think of it, I don't think I have a secondary ability." I slowed my pace as I was getting a little tired. "All I recall ever using was abilities that belong to the Songbird. Like the beams we can shoot."
"Maybe you just haven't unlocked it." He suggests, "All the others have a secondary ability, it would be strange that you didn't have one. But it is also a possibility that you don't have one just because each Songbird is different."
"Would Hailey ever break??" I ask.
"I don't think so. Her wings were stunted during her growth, and losing those to become the black wings wouldn't give her any advantage as she cannot fly to begin with. And taking into account all the extra experiments that Andrew did on her. That probably messed up her DNA enough to cause the transformation to never come into play." He gives me his honest opinion as he turns back around and just barely ducks a tree branch that was right at height level, "Woo, almost forgot we were outside."
I laugh a bit, easily able to avoid the branch as I am shorter than Wade.
"What do you know about Travis?" The name makes my stomach turn and my nerves burn. Wade looks back at me before he turns back to look in front of him, "I don't know much of Travis, he was a part of Andrew's group. I think Amy only asked for his help as we lost dear May and he has medical knowledge as a past nurse and a healer."
"A former nurse? I didn't know that." I move across the path so as not to roll my ankle in a little hole.
"Yeah, Bob couldn't get much information out of him, but he seems pretty clean." He shrugs.
"Do you trust him?"
"Mm, trust is a strong word." He discloses to me, "He was from Andrew's group and I know there are others also from that group but he just seems..." He trails off, "...I don't know. Maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt, Andrew isn't around anymore to cause problems."
"Yeah."
I wonder if I should see how Asher is? It's been a while since my last visit. Usually I try to go with Tyler so we can both bond with the baby, but I think he's out on another scouting mission.
I felt the chill of loneliness slowly grip my arm and I tried to brush it off. I shouldn't let it get to me. We aren't dating. Tyler is his own person. He isn't committed to me. He can go out and do whatever he wishes. I kind of wish he would give me an answer though. It's a little heartbreaking to share a place- hell a literal bed, with him, only to be stuck in a one sided whatever it is that we are. But I can't force him to answer me. Maybe he isn't sure how he feels? He did explain that he never got a chance to feel actual love of any kind until after the incident. Maybe I should try to do something nice for him or maybe casually bring it up in conversation? I still have a right to know. I mean the crush on him literally turned me into the demon form of the Songbird. It's not bringing it up too much, last we actually spoke about feelings is when I confessed to him at the mountain. Was it too soon? Was my timing wrong? He wasn't in the best mental state when I brought it up to him. Yeah, that was definitely not the best time. Ah, I'm so stupid! I smack the heel of my palm to my forehead.
Maybe I could make it up to him in some way.
"Hey, Wade, do you know what Tyler's favorite meal is?"
"Oh yeah, I know everyone's as I make the majority of the food around here." Wade turns back to me as we finally make it back to the village. It had been a very long walk and I was starting to get exhausted.
"Do the scouts return tonight?" I ask.
"Yeah, they've been gone for several weeks so it should be time for them to return with the new supplies." He smiles, "Do you need help with anything?"
I had a feeling he knew what I was planning. I know he wasn't in my brain as he has enough self respect to stay out unless invited.
"Well seeing as I am a hobbling mess, I think I will definitely need an extra pair of hands."

"That should be everything." Wade wipes his forehead and looks around at the counter.
"Too bad we didn't have any chicken." I sigh as I look at the stew that we had spent the last few hours making.
"That's okay, this is a pretty good substitute." Wade pats my shoulder, "I'll let you know when he heads your way after he finishes dropping off the supplies. Good luck." He smiles and then he excuses himself to head out.
As Wade left my nerves began to build into a knot in my stomach. I shivered slightly as I tried to ignore it.
It's not a date, you aren't together...yet...
Just calm down. It'll be alright.
I hopped back to the counter and looked at the stew again before grabbing a couple of bowls and sitting them down next to the pot. I grabbed some spoons and placed them in the bowls before turning to look at the table. Everything looks okay. The house is clean, not that it was too dirty to begin with. Maybe I should change to nicer clothes? Well he just got back from scouting, he's probably in some dirty clothes and possibly exhausted. A shower would be a great thing before dinner! I grab my crutch and hobble into the bedroom and dig through the clothes that we had gotten over the past few weeks. Maybe just casual wear, nothing too fancy. Yeah, this'll work! I took the fresh clothes to the bathroom and pulled out the fluffiest towel, "That should do it."
"He is on his way Ethan, good luck. Hope you accomplish whatever it is you're doing." Wade informs me and the nerves return at full force. Ah, thank you Wade. I made my way back into the main living room just as Tyler was making his way through the front door. He had left his shoes out on the porch and removed the coat that had been given to him by Hailey. It was part of a disguise and probably was extremely uncomfortable in this summer heat.
"Hey, Ty, welcome back." I lean against a chair for support. His head bobbles a little as he turns to look at me, a gentle smile plastered on his face, "Hey Eth," His gaze slowly makes its way around the room, "What smells so good??"
"Oh, well I thought you'd be hungry, so I made you some stew for dinner." I smile nervously.
"You made me dinner?" He asks as he makes his way over to the counter where the pot sat.
"Yeah, I figured it was time for me to do something for you because you do so much for me." I reply.
"You didn't have to." He turns back to me, "But thank you."
"It's ready to eat, but I thought you would enjoy a hot shower first so I made sure the fluffy towel was clean." I smiled again, his eye contact just made my stomach turn in such strange twists. I was starting to sweat from how nervous I was becoming.
"Oh, thanks, a shower would be amazing right now." He makes his way towards the bathroom, careful to not leave a trail of dirt that probably would fall off his very dirty clothes. What does he do exactly while he is on scouting missions to end up so dirty? It looks like he was mud wrestling with a pig.
I decided to just nervously check around the living room and kitchen for anything that needed to be fixed while I waited for him to finish his shower; constantly reminding myself that it wasn't a date and my nerves needed to chill out.
"Hey Eth?"
"Yeah?" I called as I fluffed the little pillow on the couch.
"Is it alright if I just wear pants?" He said and I turned to see Tyler standing shirtless behind me, wearing only the jeans that I had pulled out of the wardrobe. The reminding water makes his body glisten in the yellow lighting. His curly hair had loosened from the water and it hung down a little further than normal.
"This summer humidity is killer." He finishes his sentence.
"Uh," I clear my throat, forcing my eyes to look anywhere but him, "Yeah, no problem. It is pretty humid tonight." Jesus Christ...this man is so hot!
I shake my head slightly, Get it together Ethan!
Tyler makes his way over to the counter to serve himself, "Mm, it smells so good." He turns from the counter and brings both full bowls over to the table, setting them down.
"I did have to get some help, trying to cook while hobbling around the kitchen isn't the easiest thing." I admit as I make my way over to my seat across from his.
"I bet it'll be delicious." He smiles as he takes the spoon and dips it into the stew, bringing it up to his mouth and carefully blowing on the hot food so as to not burn his mouth. I stirred my stew as I waited for his reaction. Please let it be good. He takes the bite and I clench my teeth in worry.
"Mm, it is delicious." He nods his head in approval. I feel a bit more relaxed and start to eat my stew as well, "So how did the scouting mission go?"
He looks up from his bowl and then stirs the stew, "...it was alright. We managed to get more supplies. Not much really happened. Nothing major."
'Our peace kind of negates his purpose.' Wade's voice echoes in my head from our earlier conversation. I can feel the bubble of worry start in my chest again. I caused this. I set us free but at what cost? We're mostly alive, some have new family but he has nothing to do now.
"Ty?"
"Hm?" He takes a few more bites and then looks up at me.
"...d-do you think our freedom makes your job impossible??" I question.
His gaze slowly seems to lose focus. He's still.
"Tyler...?"
He blinks and then leans back in his seat. He lets out a slow breath and then rakes his fingers through his semi damp hair, "Maybe,"
The guilt begins to naw at my brain. My heart squeezes and my stomach twists uncomfortably.
"But that's alright!" He's quick to add onto his sentence, "Honestly, freedom is better for everyone else. I can always find other things to do. You don't always need a Guardian." His voice sounds strained through his teeth. I can see him squirm slightly under my gaze. It clearly bothers him.
"But-?"
"No, no, it's okay Ethan." He waves his hand to interrupt me, "I have already thought about this. This here is better than being trapped in the hospital or sold as government dogs. I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world. To see everyone in peace, to see everyone live their life without constant fear of bloodshed. To see them heal." His voice softens and leans forward to rest both his arms on the table, "I may not have a purpose anymore but that is a price I am willing to pay."
"Is it truly fair?" I mumble.
"Don't doubt your decision for my sake Ethan." He states, "You risked a lot for the sake of people you've only known for a few months. Not even a year yet, months."
"Well yeah, but I-..." I wasn't sure what to say. My brain was beginning to muddle the thoughts. Of course I don't regret what I did. I would do it again if I had to, but at this kind of cost? What?? What am I even saying? People have died! That kind of cost can't be exchanged for someone's purpose.
I feel a warm hand grasp mine, "Don't fret."
I open my eyes to see Tyler looking at me. His gaze was tender and his smile was gentle. My eyes slowly move to see his hand upon mine. Great, I can't even do a nice thank you dinner without making it about myself. Stupid, stupid! I grit my teeth a bit and curl my fingers a bit in annoyance, "I'm sorry." I pull away from him and lean back into my seat.
"Sorry?" He questions.
"This dinner is supposed to be for you and here I am, making it about myself." I sigh and rub my eyes.
"You're not making it about yourself." He replies.
"How am I not though? Here you are, comforting me again!" I snap. His feet shuffle against the floor, "Is it wrong to comfort you?" His voice comes out in a soft whisper.
"What?" My head jerks up and I stare across the table, "No, of course not! I just...this dinner was supposed to be a thank you for all that you've done for me. And maybe we could connect a bit more."
"And I thank you for the lovely dinner." His smile returns to his face, "But why are you suddenly upset?"
"I dunno, just the way I was thinking I guess." I shrug. "Obviously I don't regret helping everyone escape but now you have no purpose as a Guardian, the literal reason you were made."
"And I accept it." Tyler stands and then makes his way to my side of the table. He bends down to be eye level with me, "Is that really what's bothering you?"
I can feel the heat rush to my face as I think back to the original idea behind the dinner. I wanted to talk to you about our relationship. Am I being a fool for hanging onto this hope? Do you see me as a partner or merely a friend?
Tyler is quiet but I can feel his gaze study my face. He takes my hand, "You want an answer, don't you?"
"W-what?" I stammer. Am I that easy to read?
"An answer to your feelings. I haven't forgotten that you confessed." He continues in a very gentle voice. "I have thought about it long and hard, I don't have any experience in this situation to be completely honest with you."
I was afraid that if I interrupted him, he could change his mind about the conversation.
"At first I wasn't sure how I felt about you, you seemed like all my other friends, but as things progressed and we hung out more and more I began to feel different. I began to feel excited to see you, to hang out with you. A warm fuzzy feeling in my chest, but in your absence I felt sad? It was sort of confusing. I asked Mark about it and he seemed to be able to identify it immediately as I caught feelings for you?" Clearly the words were foreign to him as he makes a bit of a face with his description. "I later told Mark about what you told me on the mountain. He asked me why I didn't say anything and I think it's because I'm scared. It's all so new to me."
It felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest. I felt breathless. He shares the same feelings that I do?
"...I would like to try to further our relationship, if that is alright with you?" He glances up at me.
Did he just ask me out in the sweetest way possible!? I try to get out words but all that escapes me is an excited squeak. I can feel my entire face turn red as I stare at him in utter shock. Did I really just squeak?? As to not leave him without an answer, I begin to shake my head yes rapidly. Yes yes! I will absolutely date you!
He lets out a genuine laugh at my reaction and I feel so light, so high on this sudden happiness.
Is this what they mean when they say cloud nine?