After thanking her dad 50 times in a row for the ride, Reeda and I made our way to her room. The inside of which I haven’t been allowed to see before, mainly thanks to Trish. ‘Reeda doesn’t need you dirtying up her room.’ Or something like that. Honestly, I’m not sure what I was expecting all this time, but this wasn’t it. It’s a simple room with cream-colored walls like the rest of the house, with a brown carpet and tan curtains. There isn’t much actually in the room either, just a wooden dresser, a queen bed with white dressings, and a large mirror hanging on the door to the closet. The only interesting things in here are an electronic drum set in the corner of the room, with a pair of pink headphones hooked over the metal brace, and the blue bean-bag chair I’m currently sitting on. Reeda didn’t really strike me as the “spotless room” type, although now that I think about it, I bet she probably just threw anything dirty into the closet. As thunder cracks outside I let out a sigh, sitting up from the chair and moving over to the window, watching the wind push the falling raindrops around outside. I glance over at Reeda, who’s lying on her stomach as she studies the photos on her bed. She’s been there since her Dad went back to sleep. As I walk up to her she turns to me with a tired look. I frown and motion for her to scoot over, as she does I take a seat on the edge of her bed and grab one of the pictures from her. I didn’t get a great look at these in the office. …Actually, I don’t think I missed much, it’s just Reeda and me sleeping. I toss the picture aside and grab the next one, the hug. I glance over it for a second, trying to find anything important. It was taken from down the street, the picture looks a little grainy, like it was zoomed in. There’s also a bright blue object in the corner, the same color as Reeda's trash can. Other than that, I don’t see anything. Tapping Reeda on the shoulder I trade pictures with her once again and study the next picture, the garden bench one. This one was taken from the roof, the wire mesh of the fence visible in the corner of the picture. Still, I don’t really see anything of interest… wait a minute. “Reeda… look.” She quickly sits up, leaning over my shoulder to take a look at the picture. I point toward the bottom of the picture. A very blurry, but still very visible- “A feather…” She takes the picture from me and brings it closer to her face, staring at the newly discovered clue. “Do you think it’s… hers?” Reeda glances up at me for a second before handing back the picture. “It… could just be a coincidence… they coulda just left it… or… I dunno.” It would make sense though, if it is her. With the staring at music class, reaching out only to leave me hanging, and the note in my locker. “What note?” Reeda asks, looking at me again. “Oh, I guess I forgot about it until now, but I got this note in my locker.” I explain as I grab the note from my pocket, unfolding it and handing it over to her. She tenses up and looks over it, before raising an eyebrow and relaxing slightly. “‘fuck you skinnie’ huh? When did you get this?” I shrug, “Found it stuck in my locker door today, but who knows how long it’s been there.” She hands it back to me before sighing and staring out into the void. “I thought Trish might’ve left it.” I say, joining in on her void-watching. “That… Do you think it was her?” “Well, there’s only one person who calls me skinnie, and the feather thing, Trish would 100% be hanging out with Fang now.” Reeda nods, staring down at the pictures again. “I just don’t know why she’d do it. To get back at me? To hurt me?” Her voice is quiet, almost a whisper. The last bit of that sentence, mixed with the disappointment and sadness on Reeda's face, flips a switch in my head. “We should go find out. Pay the trigger a little visit.” “Anon… are you sure?” I stand up and turn towards her. “I don’t see why not, stalking us around, ruining graduation, and she threatened you.” “Yeah but.” She sighs, “Shouldn’t we just leave it?” …I stare off into the void again, the question bouncing around in my head. We could leave it… continue on with our lives. I go on to the Navy, leaving this all behind, just like I wanted from the very beginning. Living my life away from the drama and the heartache. But can Reeda do that? I glance back up at her, she looks at me with a tired, almost pleading expression. If I’m gone, her friends are gone, her Mom is… somewhere, and her Dad’s at work all the time. What will she have? The same emptiness and loneliness that I felt after the concert? “No… I want answers.” She nods, and I move towards her door. "Anon." I stop and turn around. "She's still at school, I don't wanna walk in the rain either." I pull out my phone and check the weeks weather, should be clear tomorrow morning. "Tomorrow then?" "Sure." — Hours later… — I check my phone again, anxiously waiting as the seconds tick by. 10 minutes, then I’ll leave. Just 10 minutes. I unzip my backpack again, looking over everything, making sure I have what I need. …The essentials are packed. Just have to wait a few more minutes. Mom and Dad will be asleep, Naser will be… Who cares, and I can get the fuck away from here. My stomach turns as I think this over again and again. There’s no going back after this, once I walk out that door it’s final. Dad made that very clear. Dad… and his empty threats… his constant screaming… …The look on his stupid fucking face when I told him I hate him. -RIP- I glance down at my hand, blood leaks through my fingers as I hold a clump of feathers. Sighing, I get up and walk over to my dresser, pulling out a random shirt and soaking up the blood from my wings. My phone buzzes on the bed as I toss the shirt aside, I turn off the alarm and grab my bag before looking around the room… Alright, fuck it let's go. I open my door slowly before looking down the hallway, no sign of anyone. I make my way down the stairs, boots in hand. I’ve learned my lesson about trying to sneak around with these on. As I step onto the landing I hear something, quickly glancing out into the kitchen reveals… Naser. Great. Still, I can’t let him know I’m leaving, little rat will wake Dad up again. I quietly walk over to the couch and set my stuff down before quickly sliding on my boots. …Alright, time to- “You’re leaving?” fuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK FUCK I look over to the kitchen and see him standing in the doorway, the light behind him drowning out his features. I don’t respond, opting instead to quickly grab my shit and leave before he can run to Dad. But before I can even reach the doorknob I feel a hand on my shoulder. I twist slightly and pull myself away from him. “Fuck. Off. Naser.” “Please… I just want to talk before you leave.” He says, his voice hitching slightly. I wordlessly open the door, but before I can step out I’m stopped when two arms surround me and pull me into a hug. “Let go.” I say, keeping my words short, trying not to show how much I want to cry right now. “please… just talk to me… for once.” He quietly pleads, obviously crying now. I try my hardest to hold in my emotions, clenching my teeth hard enough to give me a headache. But as I stand in the doorway to my childhood home, listening to my baby brother sobbing onto my shoulder… I can’t help but join him. “fine.”