Adam walked aimlessly around the hallway for what could have been an hour.

  He wasn't sure why he didn't just return to his room and call it a day. Maybe because he wanted to avoid thinking about what he kept under his bed. Or maybe because he was scared he couldn't stop himself from indulging further. This was almost like some... curse. Or even disease. Wanting what you know you aren't supposed to want. That was the main thing, wasn't it?

  In a way, Adam was just selfish, if anything. It was obvious Sully couldn’t help with these feelings, at the end of the day. They were different. Sully was actually a good person, helpful, he aspired to be something greater.

  Not like him.

  Adam ultimately decided he may as well visit the library. If he wanted to dey the inevitable, he may as well do it with a good book.

  As he approached the door, he noted the cross next to it.

  Help thy neighbour, give to the poor. Dying for the sins of others. That was what all the teachings were about, weren’t they? Greed was a sin. The virtuous way to spend life would be to help others, dedicate it to making people happy. Like the big guy up on the cross himself.

  And here Adam was fixating on some… desires. It really was a curse. Because the moment he got words to describe how he felt, it was like an incantation had been cast. Was this what they meant about sins and demons possessing you? Was that what it was, somehow?

  Whatever the case, all the more reason to find some book to read. Something to take his mind off his life, if only for a moment.

  Strangely, as Adam opened the door, he realized the librarian wasn’t there. Not at her desk, nor was there any remote sound to be heard. It was surprising, but also disappointing. Did that mean it was closed?

  Maybe he should leave, but… the door was still open. It wouldn’t hurt to take a little peak, worst case he’d figure out how to scan something on his own.

  Browsing this pce could be mystifying. Adam was certain other private schools probably had bigger libraries, but there were still so many books in here already. He wasn’t sure how one would ever even keep track of it all.

  They only had so many books back at home, none of them thicker than the Bible. But this was different.

  What was the name of that series that Flynn had been reading tely? Frank Cruise? Adam figured he may as well find the first book in that series, since his friend was a fan. Hopefully they were sorting by name and not author though…

  But just then, he noticed a book sticking out. It was one of the thicker ones, with a red little fabric bookmark poking out from one of the middle pages.

  Curiously, Adam pulled a bit more of it out, and read the cover.

  ‘Daughters of the Air: a Short Story Collection.’

  His eyes scanned the bookcases nearby. It was strange, all of the others had been pushed in properly. Only this one had been jutting out, you’d think the librarian kept better care of things like this.

  Adam looked back at the book. Short stories? Was there anything interesting in there? What did the title even mean?

  He flipped to a table of contents, on one of the early pages. There were more than a dozen or so, none of which whose titles were recognized.

  Curiously, he then flipped on to the first story, ‘The Curious Child,’ where he was greeted with rge beautiful illustrations, accompanied by a couple of short paragraphs spread about.

  Once upon a time, a girl lived with her mother. She was well known in their little vilge, for a child’s curiosity was like sunshine in their simple lives.

  One day, she asked the baker, “what is it that you do?”The baker replied, “I make bread so that no one goes hungry.”The girl found this interesting, and said she wanted to ask more people.Before she left however, the baker added, “Whatever you do, do not approach and ask the woodcutter on top of the hill, in the old cabin surrounded by stumps and dead trees.”

  The next day, the girl asked the smith, “what is it that you do?”The smith replied, “I build things so as to keep my family safe.”The girl found this interesting, and reaffirmed her desire to learn more about the world.But before she left, the smith added, “Whatever you do, do not approach and ask the woodcutter on top of the hill, in the old cabin surrounded by stumps and dead trees.”

  The following morning, the girl encountered the hunter and asked, “what is it that you do?”The hunter replied, “I kill beasts, so they don’t provide any danger to our livelihood.”The girl thanked the hunter for his answer, and for protecting the vilge.As she is about to leave, the hunted added, “Whatever you do, do not approach and ask the woodcutter on top of the hill, in the old cabin surrounded by stumps and dead trees.”

  Ever curious, the girl then decided to approach the cat and ask, “what is it that you do?”The cat replied, “I catch mice, to keep our homes clean and free of rodents.”The girl thanked the cat, and proceeded to pet him for all his efforts.As the cat purred, he made sure to tell the girl, “Whatever you do, do not approach and ask the woodcutter on top of the hill, in the old cabin surrounded by stumps and dead trees.”

  But the girl was not satisfied. She yearned to know more about the great world she lived in.And so while her mother went to the baker, she journeyed to the hill, spotting the old cabin amidst the stumps and dead trees.

  Yet when she got near, she felt her feet grow stiff. Then her legs, then her torso, then her heads, and eventually, her head.

  Where once was a girl, now stood a tree stump.

  The door of the old cabin opened, and out came the woodcutter to do his daily job.In a hum, he decred, “I am the woodcutter, and I cut down trees and stumps to clear our nd, make it safer, and provide my family with wood.”

  But the girl could not hear his answer and learn from it, for her ears were wood.

  …Despite the innocent enough illustrations, this might have been one of the most disturbing stories Adam had ever read. The tone and the repetition reminded me of a fairy tale, though he’d never heard of this one.

  Even so, it gave him chills to think about. Sure, he’d heard of ‘curiosity killed the cat,’ but this was a cruel story to get that message across. She was just a child.

  But then again, the lesson here was probably to listen to your elders. They did warn her, after all.

  Adam flipped back to the table of contents. Were the other stories here simir? Scanning them all over again, one title caught his eyes. ‘Daughter of the Air.’ It was the title of the book itself. Probably the story that the collection was named after.

  It was all the way in the back, the very st story, so he had to flip through a lot of pages to find it.

  There once was a gifted young woman.

  Intelligent, yet isoted from her peers, she would often find herself gazing up into the sky, and ponder its mysteries. None understood her interest, her questions. Restrained by her small town, she travelled to a city, hoping to learn more about the world.But it was there that she met a kind woman, whose eyes glistened under the sun.She fell in love.

  While she wanted to continue pursuing her passions, she no longer wanted to imagine such a life without her by her side. But there was one problem.The woman she met could only fall in love with a man.Confronted by the impossibility of her goal, the woman used her quick wit to engineer a solution.She would pretend to be a man.

  The solution worked. As a man, he was able to charm her.And as they got to know each other more, he only fell deeper and deeper in love.With her support, his dreams of the sky and its mysteries were even more in reach.It only came at the cost of his own identity.

  A pain seared inside when he thought of it. How hollow it felt to lie every day.But it had to be so. In exchange for this part of himself, he could have love and happiness.Both could not co-exist.

  But it was too much. He could withstand living in falsehood,Yet it was lying to his beloved, hiding himself from her, that he could no longer bear.And so he told her the truth.

  Some part of him hoped she would understand. That she would still see the man she fell in love with within the woman she actually was.But it was not meant to be.

  No longer a man, the woman found herself alone yet again, just like back in her small town.Just like then, she looked to the sky, her sole companion.But even the sky was now clouded by rainclouds.All had abandoned her.

  “Why?! Why must my life be so?!” She cried.“Is it a crime to want?! Even if I can’t cim it?!”“If there is a God in the sky, answer me!”

  But it was only then, for the first time in her life, where her prayers were answered.“I hear you, dreamer.”

  Before her very eyes, God had appeared.

  For her pain, and her prayers, he offered her a choice.She could join him up in his pace in heaven, as one of his servants, then eventually become an angel.

  The woman pondered the offer. Who would refuse it? A promise of immortality, and a life in God’s holy kingdom. It would be unreasonable to decline.But God added that she may not bring anyone with her. This was an offer for her and her alone.“It does not matter,” She replied. “For I know now, that there is no one who would long to be with me. I am not meant for a companion.”

  The deal was accepted, and so she rose up to God’s kingdom. Slowly, she ascended.

  But as she was lifted up, she did not look down at the world she left behind.

  Instead, her gaze remained fixed upwards. Towards her destination, towards her dream.

  ‘Finally,’ she thought with a smile. ‘I can live in the sky.’

  Adam was caught off guard as he was suddenly met with the back of the book, when he tried to flip to the next page.

  That was it? That was the end? Just like that? Some part of him thought there’d be more, but it fit in some way as a conclusion. She kinda got what she wanted, though it was hard to tell what the story was going for.

  In a way, it felt sad more than anything. Having to leave behind someone she loved, even if she didn’t love her back.

  But maybe it was lucky. God smiled on her, and offered her a new life. That was the kind of blessing Adam could only dream of. Would He do that for him? Recognize his pain? Give him a way out?

  It would never happen, but it was nice to hope for-

  Suddenly Adam heard footsteps outside, several. A lot.

  He couldn’t help but worry this might be the librarian coming back. Putting the book back in its pce, he went to check through the doorway, only to see a couple of guys running past. They had a mix of excitement and curiosity on their faces.

  “H-Hey, what’s going on?” Adam asked.

  One turned to look at him as the others went on. “They’re saying the head supervisor at Marie’s showed up! They're at the dorms talking about something serious. We were all gonna see what was up.”

  Wait, the head supervisor of a different school? Of Marie’s? At their dorms?

  Adam felt a chill up his spine, it couldn’t be…

  Adam pushed his way past a small crowd of students. He knew which hallway they were in. It was difficult not to assume the worst in his panic, his heartbeat was going like crazy.

  “This room? Are you certain? My apologies, Ms. Musker, but you hadn’t even inspected any of the others, surely out of all of them it’s not-” It was the Headmaster’s voice. Adam’s grandfather.

  “It’s this one, or so I’ve been told. Let me in.” A woman’s voice interrupted him, Ms. Musker presumably.

  Finally catching a glimpse of them, Adam’s fears were confirmed. The ageing grandfather sighed, asking the janitor Mr. Coral standing right next to him to grab a spare key.

  The woman waited impatiently with her arms crossed as he went off. Her bck hair was wrapped in a neat bun, and her rimmed gsses framed a stern angur face. Her gaze scanned over the crowd of boys Adam was standing in, and he could swear he felt one of them next to him shiver. Her movements were cold, almost robotic. Definitely the type of teacher that made you scared of them.

  “Is my presence here bothering you, Mr. Andersen?” She asked the headmaster.

  “No, it’s just…” He paused, evidently unsure about the circumstances. “I’m fairly certain that my grandson occupies this one. He’s not the type to do anything wrong, much less-”

  “Got it.” The janitor returned, handing Ms. Musker the key.

  Oh no, this was bad. Did she actually know somehow?!

  Adam was paralyzed in fear as she put the key in and turned. What could he even do?!

  Yet instead of walking in, she stopped.

  “H-Hold on there!” It was Flynn’s voice. Adam felt a surge of relief that momentarily trounced his fear. He was inside!

  “How long have you been inside there? Did you not hear our knocking earlier?” Ms. Musker asked him coldly.

  “I was busy reading a book, I-I have a hard time hearing when- ow! Hey!” She pushed him aside before he could finish.

  Panic fully settling in, Adam’s legs found the strength to run forwards.

  The Headmaster’s face turned to see him come up, greeting him with a shocked expression. “Adam? What are you-?” He sighed, “This will be hard to expin, we received a report that-”

  But Adam didn’t want to listen, couldn’t listen, he ran straight past his grandfather to his dorm room’s doorway. But it was too te.

  Flynn stood there in terror, meeting Adam’s eyes with a knowing look before fixing his gaze back on Ms. Musker…

  …Reaching under Adam’s bed.

  She pulled out the ‘trunk’, and opened it.

  “There we have it.” She decred. “Just as suspected.”

  She must have gone straight for it, Adam thought. How?! No, nevermind that, his life had to be over! Unless he could make some excuse, or throw it all out before grandpa could see, but no, he was-

  Pushing it forward, its contents were clear to see for both Adam and the Headmaster standing in the doorway

  Adam was in a cold sweat. He could feel the individual sweat drops forming. Somehow he never thought this day would come, in all his foolishness.

  “As you can see, one of your students has indeed been stealing from our lost and found, Headmaster Andersen.”

  …Adam couldn’t even turn back to look, how would he even respond?

  Suddenly he called out, “M-Mr. Fischer, expin this-!”

  “I believe the bed belongs to the other boy.” Ms. Musker interrupted again.

  Adam could hear him draw a slow, deep breath behind him. He was terrified. Adam could tell by Flynn’s gaze, still frozen stiff in the middle of the room, that he was just as terrified for his friend.

  “Mr. Andersen.” The Headmaster spoke, in a gruff, blunt tone.

  Adam’s breathing got heavier, his heart raced even faster. Nothing would have prepared him for this moment.

  “I ask you now as a student, not as a grandson, what is the meaning of this?” He asked.

  Adam didn’t look up, not even move. Some part of him still wanted to keep his grandfather from entering the room, but he had already seen enough.

  Everyone could see. Grandpa, Flynn, the supervisor, even those watching that couldn’t peek through the door, they knew something was going on. They could all see Adam and his shame right now. They all knew.

  This sin. This curse. That something was wrong with him.

  “Mr. Andersen,” The Headmaster repeated. “Ta-” He stopped himself, “Talk to me…” He’d lowered his voice back, from his gruffer tone to the kind one Adam usually recognized from him. The softness a grandfather should normally use to talk to his grandchild.

  “I… I-I…” But Adam couldn’t get the words out. They were stuck, choking in his throat. What was it even good for? Words were useless right now, nothing would excuse this, especially not the truth.

  In a quick moment, he leapt his feet past his grandfather, and ran.

  Adam pushed past the students watching, none of whom tried to stop him.

  “Adam!” He heard the Headmaster call out for him. But he didn’t stop. He needed to run away from this!

  He got outside, finding himself in the school courtyard. It was raining. Of course it was raining. He was tired, but knowing someone could still go look for him, he kept going.

  Some quiet spot where he could be alone. Where he didn’t have to think about the world, his life, his misery!

  It was finally at the edge of campus where Adam stopped, and sat down on the grass to rest. It was wet, and water had started dripping down his hair, but he didn’t care.

  …It’s funny, he just wanted to be alone, somewhere quiet, but the noise from the rain wouldn’t stop. It was impossible.

  “Even that…” Adam muttered. He could almost ugh, he really couldn’t have anything. His grades were starting to suck, everyone knew he was a freak now, and even the rain couldn’t let him have some peace and quiet.

  “Why?” He found myself asking out loud. He gazed wistfully at the grass below, drops sliding down the individual bdes. It was practically like they were being trampled, pushed down by the rain. By the world around them. Same as him.

  “Why is the world like this?” Adam asked. “Why did God have to make it so cruel?” He id a hand on his forehead. “Why did he make someone like me have to live in it?!” He cried out.

  Yet as he allowed the rain a few seconds to respond, two voices came out instead.

  “Hello, Adam.”

  Adam finally looked up. Two figures who he recognized well, towering over him with their bushy bck hair covering an eye each. They both carried matching soft grins on their faces.

  They both looked right at him as Jett spoke, “Perhaps we could,”