"Zoe." Rita croaked, her throat dry.

They all nodded. Rita almost didn't believe that Zoe was dead, she had hardly wrapped her mind around the fact that Amber had died.

Amber

Her throat closed up and tears sprang to her eyes, the scientists had taken yet another life.

"Where are they?" She demanded, rushing up to the table, they looked up dully.

"Who?" Nico asked groggily, his eyes raw from crying.

"Don't even pretend that you don't know who I'm talking about!" Rita screeched in response.

"Calm down." Seth said halfheartedly, not sounding like he really cared whether or not she continued to scream. His head was in his hands.

"Don't tell me to calm down! They killed her!"

Everyone looked up in confusion, then their faces filled with recognition.

"Oh." They all chorused.

"What?" Rita demanded, resisting the urge to dash up the stairs and see for herself.

"She wasn't killed."

"Did she die in her sleep?" Rita asked, horrified.

Omigosh I bet she did! I'll bet we all have short lifespans we are all gonna die-

"So there you have it... the entire story." Nico said flatly.

"What?" Rita asked. Only just realizing that she had zoned out.

"Well," Nico began again with a sigh, only to be cut off by Seth.

"She killed herself." He snapped.

His face fell, and in a softer, more broken voice he continued talking.

"She killed herself, and she didn't even say goodbye. Didn't even tell me that she was upset. I could've helped."

Rita's gaze softened, she murmured a goodbye and trudged up the stairs. Rita dragged her feet, through the hall, she was only a door down from her room when she passed Zoe's room. Rita stopped, she looked at the door handle. It was all too easy to imagine Zoe walking out, laughing with earbuds in. But she never would, not ever.

Rita looked both ways, somehow, opening the door felt wrong. But she pushed it open, the room was too dark, the door too heavy. But she stepped in, the air was thick and dusty. She could see it, the body, on the floor. All of the limbs twisted in strange angles, it looked like a painting. It didn't look real at all. Not at all real.

Rita walked over to Zoe, or, what used to be her at least. Rita looked around the room, it looked as if Zoe had simply fallen out of her bed. She must've knocked over a glass of water in her fall because there were shards of glass and water.

Doesn't look like she killed herself...

Rita looked at the nightstand, several belongings littered it. A magazine with bookmarked and dog-eared pages. A single opened, almost full sleeping pill container. And a book with a Beatles bookmark sticking out. Rita looked at the sleeping pills, surely Zoe hadn't taken too many. Rita checked the bottle and counted, only three were missing.

Rita walked to Zoe and bent down, her dead friend's eyes stared into space, dull and lifeless. Rita shivered and looked away from them. She stood up and walked out of the room. She might as well tell Sandy that there was a dead girl in the house.

Rita took several steps to Sandy's room but paused. Perhaps she could practice flying. Rita smiled as she leapt down the stairs, then she stopped ginning as she remembered that someone had died. Rita forced herself to slow down and drag her feet. She reached the screen door and immediately shivered. Rita was reminded that her- no, Sandy's shirt had been torn by her wings. Rita walked to the center of the yard and flexed her wings, she took a deep breath and flapped them.

Once

Twice

Three times

But there was still nothing.

Perhaps a running start.

Rita grinned

That'll do the trick.

She backed up several paces, her eyes glued to the roof. Then she sprang forwards, the wind whipping through her hair, knotting it up and tousling it. Rita spread her wings slightly and felt her feet loose contact with the ground for several strides. She glided only to fall once more. Rita took a moment to concentrate and then summoned the instinct that had been fighting to take over since she had been experimented on.

Rita's wings whipped open and caught the air, she jumped, sailing through the sky, And then angling herself away front the house, narrowly missing a collision. Rita flapped her wings repeatedly, working her way upwards until she was inches from the roof. Rita's toes skimmed it and then she stood, heaving chest and knotted hair. Rita smiled triumphantly and scanned the roof for Sandy, the highest point blocked her from seeing the other side so Rita trekked up to the top.

Rita could see two figured sitting beside each other. Sandy and Cole.

Cole was talking to Sandy, speaking in a voice too soft for even Rita to hear.

What're they talking about?

Rita wondered, feeling a tinge of jealousy, which she quickly hid.

You had your chance with Cole

She reminded herself

It's too late now

Rita straightened up and strode across the roof. The two jumped apart at the sound of her footsteps.

"What." Sandy snapped, sounding thoroughly annoyed.

"Zoe died." Rita said immediately, not wanting to waste any time.

"What?!" Cole gasped, bolting upright.

"Yeah." Rita agreed.

~ ~ ~

"Yup." Sandy said several minutes later, "She sure is dead."

"Yeah." Cole agreed in disbelief.

Everyone eyes the body's awkward limbs, sticking out in uncomfortable directions. Sandy had opened the curtains, casting afternoon light onto her limp body.

"I miss her." Seth moped.

"Can't bring her back though. It's a shame. Her body will be buried where worms and maggots will-"

"No." Seth said forcefully.

Nico had his head buried into Sandy's side, he was eying the body fearfully.

"What do we do next?" Rita asked.