"Alright, Seán," the lead scientist said as he lead Jack outside. Jack rolled his eyes- he always hated his real name, mainly because only the scientists called him that. He preferred the name "Jack", a name given to him by the only other person he could ever call a friend in this place. "You're going to fly around for us today so we can evaluate you and your wings. No higher than five feet off the ground. Alright?" Jack nodded, then started to fly off the ground. The three scientists looked at him, poking his wings and asking him questions.

Jack was tired of it. He's gone through this for 26 years. 26 years of pain, medications, and overall torture. He was ready to put it all behind him. He was ready to escape.

"Seán?" The scientist exclaimed, pulling him out of his thoughts. "We're ready to bring you back inside." Jack didn't acknowledge him. "Seán. Listen to me."

Jack stared at him, then took off into the sky, flying away from the laboratory and above the city of Los Angeles.
———
Mark closed the sliding door behind him, breathing in the fresh Los Angeles air. He watched his Golden Retriever, Chica, run through the grass for a while before he made his way over to his pool, sticking his feet into the cool water. He looked out towards the city and sighed.

"Mark?" Ryan called out from the house. He opened the sliding door. "There you are! Matt and I are going into town- do you need anything?"

Mark shook his head. "No, I'm good. Thanks anyway. You and Matt go have fun."

Ryan smiled at him. "Alright. We won't take long." He disappeared back into the house.

Chica made her way up to Mark, sitting down by his side. Mark put his arm around her, petting her soft fur. He let out a quiet sigh, letting the peacefulness drag on for a few minutes.

"Watch out below!" Mark heard someone scream. He looked around, not seeing anyone, then believed he was just hearing things.

Then, he was soaked with water. He wiped the droplets from his eyes as he stood up on the patio, staring at the green-haired man coming up to the surface and smiling at him.

"I told you to watch out." The man said to him in an Irish accent.

Mark moved to help him out of the pool. "Are you okay? How did you get in the sky? And why did y out fall?"

The man gestured to his wings. "Well, I don't get a lot of time to practice flying, so my wings aren't strong."

Mark stared at the white feathers, carefully reaching out to touch them. "Are they... real?"

The man rolled his eyes. "If they weren't, you wouldn't be able to touch them." He smiled at Mark again. "I'm Jack. What's your name?"

Mark gave a smile back. "Mark. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too."