Escape to Eden by Rachel McClellan

we’re several blocks away. He lands onto a roof of a smaller building, not near as high as the last one, for which I’m grateful. I expect the landing to be rough, but it is surprisingly gentle. He sets me down and steps away as his wings fold against his bare back.
    I stare at him, completely fascinated. The muscles in his chest and stomach just above his jean line are as well defined as the twin arches of his hipbones. I walk behind him to get a closer look at his back. He doesn’t move. The skin of his wings looks like leather, but shinier and so thin they would barely be noticeable under a shirt. I reach up and lightly touch the bones that border his wings. They are hard, more like wire than bone.
    “Are you done ogling me?” Colt asks and turns around to face me.
    “I’m not ogling,” I say, my face turning red. “I’m just curious. My father didn’t teach me about Nocs.”
    “That’s because we’re not supposed to exist. The government, or I should say the Institute, outlawed any kind of flying pDNA injections over thirty years ago. They saw it as a security threat.”
    “Then how are you here?”
    I suddenly become painfully aware of my legs, which are shaky and weak. The adrenaline from falling from the roof must be wearing off. I lower to the ground and sit down, my legs stretched in front of me.
    “I don’t know. My mom was considered a Noc but didn’t have these.” He points to his back. “She had the ability to sense vibrations in the earth. She always knew when someone was coming ahead of time.”
    “That’s how you knew about the attack at the apartment.”
    He nods. “And I have good hearing.”
    “What about your father?”
    “He was a Rhine, like that girl Spit at the club, but he died when I was two.”
    “I’m sorry,” I say, and wonder if he has inherited a Rhine’s ability to never tire or weaken. Their endurance is something I wish I had. “And I’m sorry about not being able to run back there. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
    “You’re exhausted. And out of shape. Staying at the Institute for weeks will do that to a person.” He turns away from me, but at the last second I notice his face tighten in pain like he’s stepped on a sharp pebble. He probably feels guilty, but I can’t bring myself to say anything to ease his pain. Not yet anyway.
    “Thank you,” I say instead. “For saving me.”
    I slide my foot back and forth along the metal rooftop. With darkness receding, I’m able to get a better view of the area. All around us are buildings just like this one, but farther apart from each other, not like when we were in the heart of the city. There are more trees dotting the sides of the street here, and, if I squinthard, I can see the edge of a massive forest just beyond the last row of buildings a few blocks over.
    Forests are everywhere, I remember, which is why they are so easy to hide in if you’re an Original. With the world’s population at such a decline, people slowly moved closer and closer to the cities, leaving nature to take over.
    “What are we doing up here?” I ask.
    Colt looks back at me like he wants to say something, but after a few seconds his gaze goes beyond me. “I live just below here. Anthony said if we ever get separated to come here. No one, not even Jenna, knows about it.”
    “So we wait,” I say.
    Colt comes and sits next to me, but not too close. “He’ll be here soon.”
    “Are you cold?” I ask.
    He stares straight ahead. “Nope.”
    I stare too and shiver when a cool breeze blows across my skin. The sun rises slowly, covering the city in a fiery haze. Sunlight twinkles on the shiny metal of the buildings, reminding me of the ocean. A longing deep inside my chest makes me sigh.
    I risk a glance at Colt. He’s deep in thought, his eyes focused on the bleeding horizon. I think of his life and what it might’ve been like living in the city. No parents and having to hide who you truly are. Maybe I’m being too