I awoke in the back of the carriage, my wings folded back into place, and my head on Maria's lap. I didn't jerk away, like I thought I would have. My wings were hurting again. I groaned in pain and rolled over onto my side, keeping my eyes closed.

I felt Maria stroke my hair, as if to comfort me. It made me think of Mom, and for a moment I tried to imagine it was her that I was lying on instead of Maria. But of course every time I thought of my mother, the only thing that stuck with me was her words the last time we spoke. She told me that I was no longer her angel, and that was probably what hurt me the most.

Maria rested her hand on my head, probably staring out the window. I wanted to sit up and talk to my dad, but he probably wouldn't want to hear it right now. Plus, Maria's hand, in a strange was, was comforting. It made me feel less alone, and I needed that.

I shifted until I was as comfortable as I could get, then let myself drift back to sleep.

*

This time when I woke up, the carriage was no longer moving, and Maria was gently shaking me awake.

I opened my eyes and looked up at her. "We're at the docks," she said softly.

I nodded and sat up. Dad came around and opened the carriage door on my side and helped me out. He kept an arm around me as he held the door open for Maria, who climbed out and closed it behind her.

We slowly made our way through the throngs of people, where I was scared to death something horrible would happen, but luckily didn't, and over to the ship. Dad led us to our room, which looked like he had pulled some of his charm to get us three beds in one room.

They insisted I take the bed in the middle, so that if something happened to me they could grab me from both sides. I told them it was safer for me to stay the farthest from the door, so they had more time to grab me if necessary. Neither of them argued, but Dad told Maria to take the bed closest to the door, so that if something happened, he would see me first and tell her if she could look at me. Dad had told me that true forms were beyond human comprehension, so I was guessing that was his reasoning.

I lay down on my assigned bed just as another pain shot through my used-to-be angel wing. I groaned in pain quietly, then spread my wings and looked at them, horrified.

Both wings were now shaped like a bird's, and my angel wing was a slightly darker gray. I looked to my dad, on the verge of tears.

He didn't know what to do, I could see it in his eyes. He sincerely felt sorry for me, but didn't know of any way he could comfort me. I buried my face in my pillow and cried. I was dying, and there was nothing that any of us could do to stop that process.

*

When the ship left the docks, Maria went to find some food, but I didn't think any of us were actually hungry. I knew I wasn't, anyway.

I folded my wings and stood. I told Dad I wanted to go get some fresh air and take a look at the ocean. He let me go, but of course stayed right beside me the whole time.

When we reached the deck of the ship. I almost gaped at how beautiful the ocean was. The sea was a deep blue and sparkled in the sunlight. I wanted nothing more than to fly just above its surface with my hand cutting into the water. I knew it was impossible, in my condition, but it would have been amazing.

I sighed, and Dad must've heard it.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Just enjoying the beauty of the world while I still can," I replied, gazing out at the waves.

My father turned me around to face him, holding me by my arms. His expression was serious, and I didn't know if I should be scared of him and trying to break free or holding his gaze. I did neither, and simply lowered my gaze to the wooden deck of the ship.

"Selena, listen to me," he said quietly so none of the other passengers could overhear. "I want you to stop thinking that you're dying. You said your mother told you your angel side is withering. She hasn't been around to help nurture and develop it, so it's fading. You aren't dying, Selena. You are just becoming a demon."

My eyes welled with tears, and I didn't know if it was because I was happy he was telling me I would live, or because I was scared of becoming a heartless creature that feasted off souls of the living.

But Dad wasn't heartless. He cared about me, Mom, maybe even Maria, who I think had finally gained his trust. Maybe being a demon like him wouldn't be so bad. I was positive that if I started to become someone I wasn't, Dad would help me get back to being me.

Dad wiped a tear away from my cheek with his gloved hand and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back and cried. I was starting to get stares from other passengers, so I pulled away and told Dad we should go back to our quarters.

When we got there, Maria was back, and she had a large array of items laid out on her bed. She had stuffed animals, candy, and sandwiches, to name a few.

"I wasn't sure what you would be in the mood for," she explained, "so I got plenty!" She smiled brightly at me.

I gave her a weak smile in return and looked down at the items littering her bed. I picked up a brown fuzzy teddy bear that was about the size of my head, a small sandwich, and a candy bar.

"A sign the angel in you is still living strong," my father whispered in my ear, "is that you picked up that stuffed bear. A demon would have either completely ignored it or ripped its head off."

I smiled at him, because I knew he was right. The demon in me was rejecting the little bear, but I still wanted it. I was still going to be part angel for a little while longer.

I sat on my bed and started to nibble on my sandwich, which I wasn't in the mood for (I just wanted to make Maria happy), and stared out the little circle window in our room. The sky was clear and blue, and I could see pelicans flying around seagulls, like they were playing. I smiled at them.

I was half expecting to see one of them dive for their dinner, or a pelican devour a seagull. Maybe that was why they appeared to be playing, because the seagulls were trying not to become an afternoon snack.

What I wasn't expecting to see was the window creak open, fall from its hinges, and shatter on the ground. Nor was I expecting to see a figure in the window.

I screamed, but by the time Dad had turned and looked to see what had happened, the figure had vanished.

The the boat started to lean drastically to the left, and we all heard someone scream:

"ABANDON SHIP!!"

The boat was sinking.