She began looking around, to find herself lying on a bed surrounded by furniture. She was in a room, which somehow gave her a home-like feeling, rather comfortable and blissful than she could imagine. But… something was amiss. Arron. He wasn’t beside here. Where could he have gone? Hebe began to feel anxious. The last she could remember, she felt herself being pressurized she was dropping down the sky with Arron. Then, suddenly blank. She didn’t know what went on. Why, is she still alive? She wondered, paranoia taking over here. Why was she in this heaven-like place, when she was merely facing death a few moments ago? And what happened to Arron? Could it be that he’s…

 

“Hebe!” She heard a familiar voice coming from the door. She looked up with wide eyes, and rapidly felt a tight embrace of a warm pair of hands around her. “Hebe, are you okay? I’m so sorry… I don’t know what went wrong with me just now… I shouldn’t have let you do… I’m so… sorry…” Arron apologized, slightly panting.

 

“Arron…” She whispered. “Oh, Arron! Where have you been? I was so scared!” Tears began streaming down her cheeks, as she started sobbing. Despite the fact that Arron was alright, she couldn’t help to hide her fear. She was worried. Worried to death for him.

 

“It’s okay, I’m alright now. Relax alright?…” Arron whispered, patting her back softly. Hebe took a deep breath to calm herself down.

 

“Hebe, how’s your leg?” Arron asked in a concerned tone, his eyes staring intensely at her.

 

“It’s fine. I feel much better than before. The pain is gone.”

 

“That’s weird… You were motionless just now. How is that possible?”

 

“I don’t know. Somebody must have treated it.”

 

“Oh…” Arron went speechless, thinking hard.

 

“Arron, where are we now?” Hebe asked.

 

“I… have no idea. The last thing I remembered was, I was flinging down the sky, with you in my hands… The next thing I know, I woke up in a room akin to this. But wherever we’re now, we need to get out of here. It’s no doubt that this place might be similar to The Institution.”

 

“But… the feeling here is… different, Arron. I feel… at home.”

 

Arron led out a sigh. “I couldn’t help but to agree with you. But, we cannot stick around here for long. They may find us.”

 

“No, they won’t.”

 

“Huh?” Arron and Hebe turned around to look at the doorway. A man in his late 20s was standing tall with a big smile on his face.

 

“Who are you?” Arron asked harshly, not letting his guards down.

 

The man grinned, leading his hands into his pockets. “I’m Dr. Calvin. Calvin Chen. Nice to meet you.” He held out one of his hands for a handshake. Arron ignored the gesture and continued staring at Dr. Chen fiercely. “I don’t care. What do you want from us?”

 

“Hmm… I know who you are, Arron Yan. And I can help you.”

 

“Help me? How is that?”

 

“Follow me. Your friends are waiting downstairs.”

 

“What? Jiro and Selina?”

 

Dr. Chen just smiled and made his way down the stairs, without uttering a word. Arron stood there speechless, thinking hard. Who was this Dr. Chen and what did he want from them? Everything remained in question mark.

 

“Arron, I think we should go.”

 

“Fine.” Arron grabbed Hebe’s hands, and lead the way down the stairs, expecting to see the other two.

 

-

 

“Arron!” Jiro exclaimed, once he and Selina saw Arron and Hebe climbing down the stairs.

 

“Jiro, you’re alright?” A smile formed on Arron’s face.

 

“Yeah. So, you’ve met Dr. Calvin, right?”

 

“Yes, I have. And I don’t have a good impression towards him.”

 

“But, Arron, he can help us.” Jiro said confidently, knowing Arron who’s over-protective towards others.

 

“What do you mean?” Arron was puzzled.

 

“Sit down and eat first. I’ll explain to you.” Dr. Chen quickly uttered.

 

“I’m Dr.Chen and I used to work in The Institution. I worked for The Institution before.”

 

“So you’re one of them? I doubt that. I don’t think you have anything else to explain. We’re out of here.”

 

“Wait wait. I WAS one of them. You see, I’m not like them. I was totally against the plan of experimenting towards humans. You four were grafted with avian DNA when you were young. I kept hold on to your records and found out more about you. Along the way, I planned on creating an antidote to restore you four back to your human selves, but the authorities at The Institution discovered my plan. They planned on eliminating me, but I managed to escape. A few years till now, I’ve been tracking for you four to help you. But The Institution never let you off their side. But now I’ve got the time.”

 

“How sure are you? I bet the men are probably tracking us down right now.” Arron asked sternly.

 

“No, they aren’t. They COULDN’T.” Dr. Chen protested. Arron and the others were thoroughly confused. “Doesn’t this look familiar?” He held up a small black piece of chip to show the rest.

 

“That’s… I found that in Hebe’s wound.” Jiro muttered. His eyes widened.

 

‘Could it be… the tracking chip the men were talking about?’ Arron wondered.

 

“Yes. It’s a tracking chip. As long as this chip is planted underneath your skin, they’re able to track you anywhere you are.” Dr. Chen continued explaning, amusement filling his eyes.

 

“Woah. So, that means all this while, they were tracking us down using that chip?”

 

“Yes. You’re right.”

 

“Dr.Chen. About you helping us to recover our human selves… Can we trust you on that?” Arron asked, looking worried.

 

“Of course. I’m willing to help you.”

 

“But, why?”

 

“I’ll tell you when the time comes.”

 

“But…”

 

“No buts. Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it all under control. For now, you guys should be doing what normal teenagers do.”

 

“Huh?”