I wasn't trying to be mean to Alex when I said those things to her. I stared out the window as I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I tried to hold back my tears. I sunk to the floor as I clutched my chest and took deep breaths.

A memory flashed into my head.

Noah had been chasing me around the crystal clear lake in our hideout. He finally caught me as I tripped and fell while laughing. He collapsed on the grassy ground beside me breathless.

"Noah?" I asked.

He turned his head to me. "What's up?"

"If one of you did something wrong, would it be right for me to watch from the sidelines since it was your mistake?"

He sat up and replied without missing a beat. "No." He pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. "You wouldn't be acting like a true friend if you do that. And if you were to ever find yourself in such a situation, ask yourself how it would feel to be sold out."

His words rang in my mind. Ask yourself how it would feel to be sold out.

Even if I didn't agree with what Alex was doing, I couldn't sell her out. She was my best friend and the last friend I would have if I let her go. I opened my window and jumped out, flapping my wings.

I flew until I found Alex at the place we shared. She was on her phone and seemed anxious. I landed beside her. I put a supportive hand on her shoulder with a small smile on my face.

Alex shut her eyes and confidently said to her mother, "Mom, I'll be back later tonight. I promise I'll be careful, and I'll be back."

She put her phone off and put it in her back pocket. I put my hand up to stop her from saying anything. "Alex, I can't say I like what you're doing, but I can only influence your decisions so far can't I? I'll stay by your side regardless of what you do and I'll pull you out of trouble. I love you Alex and I don't want to lose you."

She parted her mouth slightly, before a huge grin appeared on her face and pulled me into a tight hug. I hugged her back. When she let go, she entwined her fingers with mine. "If that's the case then I should probably tell you a secret that I've been holding in for years now. The first person I told was Noah and then the others when we met up."

I felt a shred of jealousy in my heart knowing that Alex felt like she couldn't trust me at the time. Then again, I couldn't blame her. I hadn't exactly proved myself to be the most trustworthy person.

"What's the secret?" I asked.

She took a deep breath. "Promise not to freak out?"

"I'll try."

"I'm gender-fluid and...bisexual." She stared into my eyes as I quickly looked away, immediately regretting my action.

I looked back at her noticing how nervous she acted. She trembled slightly. I reached out and gently held her hand. "I'll try to be understanding, but I can't promise that I won't mess up from time to time. So, what are your pronouns?"

I saw the tears gathering in Alex's eyes and wondered if Alex expected a different reaction from me. I wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case. "He/him. Thank you so much Sara."

I smiled at her...him. "Of course." I stood up. "Are we still going to meet up with the others tonight?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm going, but you don't have to if you don't want to."

I shook my head. "No. I'm coming. I need to learn to be more supportive of you."

He gave me a kind smile and flapped his wings, taking off.

I sat beside Alex fidgeting nervously. I had left before I had gotten a chance to know any of these people. Alex had already filled me in on what had happened lately. Apparently, Catherine had secretly been part of the rebels the entire time. Alistair had hesitantly joined the wagon of being a rebel. Mark had agreed as well. Lila hadn't been part of the previous conversations which was weird seeing how she now sat next to her brother looking down nervously.

"You're Sara right?" Mark asked me. Even though it was a simple question, because of my long absence, I felt as though I didn't belong.

I nodded and forced a smile. "Yeah." I noticed how he stared at me intently before glancing at his sister. "I know I haven't been here the past few nights, so if anyone's comfortable...can they please tell me their pronouns?"

Lila raised her hand a bit. "Same here."

"I'm pansexual and my pronouns are he/him." Alistair said. That especially shocked me. The Alistair Zhao was against the law? Then again, everyone had something to hide.

"I'm gay and I'm he/him." Mark said sharply, giving his sister a knowing look as she looked away.

I turned to face Alex and noticed how the moonlight coming from the cracks in the ceiling brought attention to the red streak in his hair. The way his brown eyes seemed to shine brighter than ever with a sense of purpose and determination. Alex elbowed me and whispered in my ear, "You were staring."

I felt my cheeks heat up as Lila spoke up. "Sorry, but wasn't there supposed to be an actual conversation instead of whispering and awkward silence?"

"Really Lila?" Mark asked her sharply as she seemed to deflate.

"Well...it seems I'll lead the conversation. Alistair, have you been in contact with Catherine recently? I want to ask her if I could join," Alex said

A blond, wavy-haired female suddenly flew up out of the portal. "You might as well since what you're currently doing is illegal."

Alistair stared at her genuinely surprised, shock painting his soft angelic features. "It is?"

She stared at him with neutrality. "Of course it is. This is something a rule-abiding citizen would report to the government instead of hiding it and"

Alex whispered, "She's Catherine Albalya. A powerful and rich family. She's part of the rebellion. Doesn't that sound amazing?!"

"I thought a person had to have multicolored wings or be part of LGBT+ to be in the rebellion. Unless you are...?" I asked with uncertainty. I felt so awkward.

She crossed her arms and stuck a hip out. A sassy and intimidating pose. "A person doesn't need to have either to join the rebellion. They simply need to recognize the inequality and unfairness in our world. Then, they need to rise up and want to do something about it. I'm an ally and I see these things. No, I'm not part of LGBT, but I certainly support them. I assume you do or otherwise you wouldn't be here. Now that that's settled. All of you get up. There's someone I want to introduce you to. I ran into him while I was flying here."

Catherine turned her attention toward Mark and Lila. "No offense, but I think it'd be best if you went home. It'd be difficult to explain where you came from."

Mark nodded. "Yeah, I get it."

Lila got up as she and Mark climbed down.

Catherine turned back to us. "Well, are you ready?"

'Author's Note'

Who thinks that Sara and Lila are genuinely trying to become better people?

What do you guys think of Catherine? 

Comment your thoughts about the chapter in general!

I love you all, I want you to be loved, and I hope you are loved! 💕

-DiTrix