Today is the last day of school. I run out of there like a squirrel with it's tail on fire. I dive into the car, absolutely stoked for tomorrow and the next three months. Mom laughs at how vigorously I buckle myself in and jump repeatedly in my seat.

"I take it that you're ready?" Mom laughed.

"I was born ready!" I grin. Mom laughs again and pulls out of the school parking lot. We drive home and I fly- not literally- out of the car. I take the makeup off my face, preen my feathers, then pack a suitcase and carry-on full of t-shirts and loose tank-tops. I'm wearing my jacket tomorrow since we'll make pit-stops, and mom is packing the makeup tomorrow after she applies it to my face. She checks to make sure that I have everything, then we eat dinner. After that, I go back outside and sit in the yard again.

It's barely there because of the house and fences blocking the way, but the wind feels great on my feathers. I can only imagine how great it'll feel when I'm riding it, staying above the hotter winds in the sky. The colder wind down here breezes around my wings and ruffles my feathers in comfortable positions. I move over to my hammock and lay in it, letting my wings sprawl out, barely brushing the floor from either side.

The wind rocks my hammock and I can feel my eyes lid. Unfortunately, I can't sleep out here tonight. Mom made me promise to sleep in my bed to make it easier to leave in the morning. It'll take about three hours to get there, so there won't be too many pit-stops. I reluctantly climb out of my hammock and pack it up. I'm gonna set it up in my room in the cabin. I walk inside and put it with my stuff.

"Leftovers are ready." Mom says. I walk into the kitchen and grab a plate full. Tonight we're eating the last bit of food mom cooked. We emptied the fridge of stuff that'll go bad so there won't be anything to clean when we come back. I put the food in the microwave and heat it up. After that, I sit at the table and eat it quickly. The sooner I go to bed, the sooner it feels like we leave. I give mom a kiss goodnight, then go to my room and lay in bed. I fold my wings and curl up in bed to go to sleep.

---

"Ace, it's time to wake up. We need to pack the car." Mom says.

"M'kay." I stretch my arms.

"Go get a quick breakfast. I'll do your makeup after you get dressed. Then we can pack the car and head out." Mom runs my head then leaves my room. I sit up, jump out of bed, then grab a bowl of cereal. Mom got me corn flakes as a joke, but turns out that I really like them, so it works out.

I eat it quickly and down the milk. I wipe my face with my arm and walk over to mom so she can do my makeup. Once she gets done with that, I put on my harness, tank-top, then my regular outfit and start helping mom pack the car. The trunk is so full of suitcases and bags that it almost covers the rearview window. I hop into the passenger seat while mom gets into the driver's.

"Ready?" She asks.

"Ready." I assure her. She starts the car and pulls out of the driveway. I watch out the window as we pass the cars and people I've known for as long as I can remember. Before too much longer, we're out of town. For the first time, I'm going to be farther than five miles from Parker, in a place I've never been before with people I've never seen. It's been twelve, going on thirteen years in waiting, but it's worth it.

The town turned into a city, the city into open country. I watched in amazement as we passed broad, open fields of just crops, then full-out farms. Red barns and all. Mom turned another road and started to slow down. She got gas really quick, then she got enough groceries to last two weeks. They rattled in the backseat with me as she kept driving.

About an hour later, she finally turned down a dirt road and slowed to a stop infront of a little cabin on a hill by a river that's about half a mile away. I get out of the car and follow mom to the door. She gets the key out from under the mat and unlocks the door.

What we find is a quaint hunting lodge-esque cabin. The entire first floor is open-concept with a dining table immediately to the left of the front door and a kitchen complete with a fridge, oven, stovetop, cabinets, and island to the right.

A little farther from the dining table is an area sectioned off by two couches that serves as the livingroom with a fireplace and taxidermied deer heads. There's a staircase at the far wall that leads down to the right. I guess that's where the bedrooms are.

I run down the stairs to find two bedrooms. One of which has the back porch with a sliding glass door, and it's across from the bathroom. The other room is the master bedroom with an ensuite and a little walk-in closet.

I help mom bring in the groceries and suitcases, then we put the stuff away. I open up mine, take off my jacket, t-shirt, tank-top, and harness. I change into one of the loose-fitting tank-tops and slide my wings through the enlarged arm holes. Holy crap that feels better!

I set up my hammock on the back porch and put my toiletries in the bathroom. I go back upstairs to find mom with peanut butter, jelly, and a loaf of bread.

"Hungry?" She asks.

"Definitely." I reply.