CHAPTER 2- The gift
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"Zen, dinner's ready!" My mom calls from the dining room.

"Mmmm, is that chicken tortilla soup?" I asked, walking into the dining room.
"Yep." My mom said, setting down two glasses of water at the table.
I sit down and start eating.

"Hey, Mom, are you scared that the Implanters will find us?" I said, getting a bad feeling deep down inside, because It's like I can feel thier presence... right as I ask Mom.
"Honey, don't worry about it. If we are in danger, we have our storm cellar. They can't find us there."
"But Mom, they can break in with high-tech devices!" I protested.
"Honey, I think you should get some rest. Go to bed and feel better, okay?" She said.
"Okay, Mom. Good night." I said, taking one last bite of my food then giving her a hug. I walked to my room, got ready for bed, and jumped into bed really fast.
Instead of sleeping, I lay awake hearing noises. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice comes into my head.
"Zennia, I've been searching for you for a long time. Close your eyes, and tomorrow you will be given a gift. I have chosen you. I’m counting on you....”
Am I hallucinating?
Whatever. I'll just ignore it, I’m sure I was just hearing things. And with that, I closed my eyes, and very quickly, fell asleep.
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The next day


This morning... when I stretched, something very, very, strange happened.

I felt something on my back. When I pulled my fingers away, they came back red. Blood..? I screamed and ran to my bathroom, flipped the switch, and pulled my shirt up and looked at my back in the mirror. When I saw what happened, I was shocked. Wings had sprouted out of my back, and my skin had been torn apart by the growth of them. Is this the gift the voice was talking about?
I stretched them out across 10 feet and admired them. They were a sunset color. I turned the light off in the bathroom and walked out. Then I looked at my window. It was very big, so someone could even jump out of it.

Let's try this, I thought. I open my window, stand on the ledge, and jump.
The next thing I knew, I was gliding out into the fresh morning air.