Morning Shadows

Dalio kicked a pebble down the mossy path, watching it bounce between the glowing mushroom lanterns. The morning air in Twistedroot Hollow smelled like damp earth and honey cakes from the baker's root-home.

"You're walking funny," his friend Pip called from behind. The small forest boy's pointed ears twitched as he hurried to catch up.

Dalio shrugged, keeping his feet firmly on the ground. Around them, other villagers fluttered between the twisted branches overhead, their wings catching the filtered sunlight.

"Why don't you just fly like everyone else?" Pip asked, hovering beside him. "It's faster."

"I like walking," Dalio muttered, pulling his sky-blue hoodie tighter.

The truth sat heavy in his chest. Flying felt dangerous. Different. Wrong, somehow. Better to keep his feet on solid ground where nobody would stare or ask questions.

A shadow moved between the trees ahead. Too large to be a villager. Too quiet.

Dalio stopped walking.

The Van

Three men in dark clothes stepped from behind the massive oak trunk. The biggest one had a metal object in his hand that made Dalio's stomach drop.

"Found him," the man said into a small device clipped to his collar. "The flying boy from the village reports."

Dalio stepped backward. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The man smiled, but it wasn't friendly. "We've been watching you pretend to walk everywhere. Smart kid. But not smart enough."

Before Dalio could run, rough hands grabbed his arms. The cold metal pressed against his head while the man's arm wrapped around his chest.

"Move and this gets much worse," the man whispered.

They dragged him toward a white van parked between the trees. The back doors hung open like a hungry mouth. Inside, five other children sat huddled together on metal benches. Their eyes were wide with fear.

A girl about his age looked up as they shoved him inside. "Are you the one who flies?" she asked quietly.

"No," Dalio said quickly. "I can't fly."

The doors slammed shut. The engine started. Everything went dark.