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of hill. “We will use this incline to
assist in your speed.”
    “ Assist in me rolling down
the hill—isn’t that what you mean?”
    Ben smiled. “Sense of humor…all the
better.”
    “ This time you won’t be
running like a human, but like a monster. The strength is in your
mark and the more you use it, the more it will become a part of
you.”
    Ben had me stare at my mark until I
had its pattern memorized. Then with my eyes closed, I pictured my
mark in my head. I always thought of it as ugly, until now. It was
really a beautiful thing with its pencil-thin lines swirling on my
skin. My hexmark, I felt, was a permanent reminder of my traumatic
childhood. Now, I thought different.
    The black color contrasted with my
pale skin. Swirling lines curled and intersected around one another
like an artist had designed them. I felt those markings reaching
into me. I suddenly realized I had a direction, a path, a course
that had opened like a giant iron gate squeaking at the hinges as
it did. With so many possibilities rushing through my mind, I felt
my head was a churning sea of memories, dreams, and fears that
collided between my past and future.
    Rain stung my face, and my hair flew
behind me as I ran down the hill, through the pasture ground, over
a fence until I came to a rock bottom creek. I heard Ben calling
for me, but I didn’t want to stop. Instead, I jig-jogged through
the creek strategically placing my feet on protruding rocks so I
wouldn’t get my feet wet. I ran as fast as Ben had gone through the
forest when he found me, and it felt wonderful.
    I didn’t feel tired or exhausted or
even freaked out. It felt natural—a natural that I never thought I
could feel.
    Trees, fences, rocks, didn’t flash by
in blurs, but were highly detailed. I could see them as if I was on
a slow stroll admiring every nook and cranny of nature. I smiled at
myself feeling I was on top of the world when I thought I would
impress Ben, who was still yelling at me to stop. I propelled
myself up the steep bank of the creek, and then slowed. It would
have been perfect if it wasn’t for the unexpected large oak tree
waiting for me at the top.
    “ April!” Ben
yelled.
    I couldn’t stop in time, and knew I
was going to hit it when I thought—why not climb it. With hands
outstretched, and one giant leap, I reached out for a low limb and
swung around like an athlete swinging on the uneven bars. I twirled
around and landed with my feet firmly planted on the crooked limb.
I stood overlooking the pasture ground in the distance as my head
and heart slowed its pace. My skin burned from the rain and cold,
but I didn’t care how much my body hurt, because I was
alive.
    “ April Snow,” said a
wide-eyed Ben. “You could have killed yourself!”
    Still feeling the rush I had felt, I
smiled at him.
    “ Yeah, but I didn’t.” I
bent my legs at the knees and jumped from the limb to the ground
below. “That was amazing!”
    He shook his head. “Just because you
have the ability doesn’t mean you are immune to getting hurt. One
wrong move could have been disastrous.” He grabbed me by the
shoulders, and gazed at me with his brown eyes that erupted with
flecks of green that matched the green grass that still clung to
life before winter set in. “Do you understand me, fledging?” His
voice was stern, and my arrogant smile faded.
    His eyes searched mine for an answer,
and at that moment I realized something. Ben cared for me, and I
mean truly cared for me. We barely knew each other, but the amount
of time that was required to know and care for each other, was
replaced by who we were. We were both monsters, and that was the
only tie we needed.
    “ Why do you call me that?
Fledging—what is it?” Ben had called me that a few times
before.
    “ Because that’s what you
are—a young bird that has just left the nest and still needs
guidance so they don’t get decapitated when running ahead of their
guardian who was trying to catch up to