The following is a short story that takes place before the events of Our Only Hope. In the novel, Hope already has her wings. But how did she get them? How did she learn that this was a secret that must be kept? Read on to find out.

My brother was being completely unreasonable. All I wanted him to do was help cut off my deformations. But, no! He just kept refusing. We stood in his small, empty dining room, which was nothing more than an open area adjacent to the tiny kitchen. I toed a pealing strip of linoleum on the floor.