Dylan

After Clarissa left, I tried to go through the rest of my day by setting an example for the others. Everyone was looking to me for direction. As the oldest, that made me the leader.

But… I didn't feel like one. Terry had been the leader, and then Clarissa had taken over. But she was gone and now it was left up to me. I was the third and last choice.

It was a hard morning for all of us. Especially Ben.

Once or twice, I tried to reach out to make conversation with him. Every time I did, I was met with sullen silence.

There was so much to do. Setting up the house, gathering supplies from the warehouse… Every time I suggested Ben help out, he glared at me and stomped off.

He clearly blamed me for his sister leaving.

I couldn't hold it against him. I blamed myself, too.

After a while, I gave it up as useless and went back to the tide pool.

It looked… regular. No hint of the magical blue light that had been there before. Then again, the moon wasn't out.

The cure had failed. Yes, we would probably be safe in this sanctuary. But eventually, one by one, the turning would come for us all.

This sanctuary was just a waiting room for us to hang out until we would grow feathers and would want nothing but murder.

The old Dylan — the one before the turning — would've said that it wasn't fair. He would've whined to someone stronger than him and then asked for guidance.

But I had no one. So I got up and forced myself to work through my self-pity.

I organized Lilly and Merlot to help me catch fish.

That evening, we were roasting our catches on a fire when the flame suddenly leapt up, bright and red. For a moment, they look like the same shade of feathers that had grown out of Clarissa's back.

"Wow," Ben said. It was the first thing that he had voluntarily said all day. "What was that?"

I knew. It was a sign from the new magic in the world. Clarissa had turned. My friend was gone forever.

I shook my head and said nothing. However, something, a rogue air current, stirred the fire and made it flare up again.

Then something large and red landed on the ground near us.

Merlot and Lilly screamed and backed away. But I stood rooted to the ground.

I knew that color red.

The griffin who had once been Clarissa turned and looked at us.

It didn't attack.

Then it — she — started changing. She thinned out, the feathers melting back to reveal new skin.

Ben ran up to it, a large stick in it in his hand that he meant to use as a weapon.

I caught his shoulder. "No," I said. "Look."

"Dylan—"

"Look."

By now, everyone had noticed the change.

I felt a grin split across my face. The fire flared one last time as if it were rejoicing along with me.

Then Clarissa stood before us, nude except for what looked like a robe of red feathers. She was very, very human.

Lilly grabbed a towel she had been using to sit on the ground and threw it at her.

Clarissa caught it with humanlike hands and the rest of the feathers fell free as she wrapped it around herself.

Then I was running forward, hugging her.

I didn't mean to kiss her, but my lips were touching hers. And we were both laughing through it. Crying, too.

"It worked," Clarissa said. "The cure worked… I still turned into a griffin, but I had my mind, and I flew… Oh, Dylan… the things I've seen.

I nodded and pulled her close.

This was only the beginning, but now something dangerous and wild was growing in my chest. I hadn't felt this emotion in a very long time.

It was hope.

The end.