Keystones: Altered Destinies by Alexander McKinney Page A

people that he’d saved since he got his wings Deklan was the only one to have given him a business card.
    To call Deklan he needed his Uplink, and to get his Uplink he’d need to go inside his apartment. That meant facing his biggest fear since acquiring his wings—claustrophobia.
    Sebastian landed on his balcony and slid the unlocked door open. He looked into his apartment; it was the same battle each time. He could do this, he knew, but that didn’t stop his stomach from doing jumping jacks or trickles of sweat from forming on his face as he anticipated what was next. Tucking his wings onto his back, he ran through the door and over to his desk. There he grabbed his Uplink and bolted back out the door.
    This time hadn’t been so bad. He stood on his balcony with his wings wrapped around him and used voice activation on his Uplink, a tablet model, to enter Deklan’s contact information. Tightness grew in his chest like a vice as he completed the process and waited for an answer.

Packing

    Deklan left Susan downstairs sipping her drink while he harangued his mother about the need to pack. She was full of the usual complaints. There wasn’t enough time; he was being unreasonable; she didn’t know what to pack. None of these objections stopped her from gliding in and out of her closet in a complex ballet that added clothes to her suitcase while removing other items and returning them to the shelves from whence they came. It was like watching sand amass at a beach.
    His father was another matter. The first four shirts in his drawer were packed along with one pair of shorts, one pair of pants, enough boxers for the week, a pair of sneakers, a pair of unfashionable sandals, and a pair of swim trunks just in case. Done with the process, Brice Tobin returned to his vigil over the Twix bars.
    As Deklan was despairing of his mother’s ever closing her suitcase, his Uplink alerted him to an incoming connection. “Deklan, is that you?” With his wrist held up to his face, the small screen display showed Sebastian standing in a well-lit space. A shy nervousness was apparent in his features. He didn’t face the camera head-on and kept looking over his shoulder.
    Deklan was surprised but not displeased. “Sebastian?” he said. “What can I do for you?”
    Relief washed over Sebastian’s face. “Oh, good, you remember me.”
    “Of course I do. Given the interesting times that we live in, you are, in fact, the only person with a ten-meter wingspan who’s carried me to a hospital recently.” Deklan’s mother’s head jerked up at the comment. He waved at her in a vague “Not now” motion while exiting the room.
    “Yeah, I guess so.”
    “Besides, you’re the only person I’ve ever been on TV with.”
    “You saw that then?”
    “I’ve been busy since I saw you last, but, yes, I saw that video. The Internet and news stations seem to have a lot of footage of you helping people. How do you feel about the name Michael?” An expression flitted over Sebastian’s face and was gone before Deklan could interpret it.
    “It’s okay. At least it’s not ‘Birdman’ or something equally silly.”
    “I also see that you’ve upgraded to tights.”
    “Yeah, they make a lot of sense when you’re flying. Pants just aren’t made for it; they catch and pull. Tights are a lot more comfortable.”
    “Not to mention they make you look more like a superhero.”
    Sebastian chuckled and scratched the back of his head. “Our culture is a bit weird that way. I think I need to find some pockets that I can strap on for practical purposes. Not as cool, but, oh well.”
    “So, Sebastian, what can I do for you?”
    “Not much, not much. How’s the leg?”
    “It healed up perfectly. I still appreciate the lift, though it turns out I didn’t need it.” Sebastian visibly shrank at this news.
    “I didn’t want to bother you. I mean, I just wanted to check ‭. . . .‬ ”
    Deklan was amused. The man had flown him to a hospital