Let Him Fly From the day he was born, from his first little quack, I watched as he grew, never turning my back. He stuck by my side, whilst I kept a close eye Repeating ‘I love you’ never having to lie Gradually over time I started to fear The inevitable day where he would disappear. Further and further he strayed from the nest, Putting my mothering skills to the test. The more my little duckling attempted to stray The tighter I had to hold. Every day, It became that much tougher Especially each time I had to watch him suffer I tried to keep him safe under my wing To prevent the pain that falling would bring. I couldn’t take the chance of letting him forge is own trail Because I doubt I could live with watching him fail But now I realise, I have to let him be free To take a step back and just let him be. From now on he has his own #life to live As long as he knows I’m always willing to give He’s no longer my duckling, vulnerable and small He is now my proud swan so handsome and tall!

Change The sun pounded off my back, my legs ached and I was out of breath, but I still didn’t stop. When I’d reached the other side of the park, I slowed to a walk. I figured the width of the park would be enough distance to get away from everybody, but there was no way I was going to stop. It definitely wasn’t enough distance to get away from Them. The bright sunny cloudless sky made it seem like today should be great; an omen for a happy day. I had thought that this morning but it had now turned into the complete opposite. I walked out of the park towards the busy high street. If I went somewhere with lots of people it would be a lot harder for Them to find me. I didn’t care if my friends shunned me or even if nobody ever talked to me again- there was no way I was going to join Their Society; Their way of #life. I was not going to be labelled with those freaks and Their ‘Gifts’. I liked the way everything was at the moment. I didn’t want anything to change. If I just ignored it, what was wrong with me, this thing would eventually go away… right? I turned round a corner and froze. She was standing a few feet away from me, with a friendly smile on her face. Three men appeared behind me, trapping me from both sides. I knew they were all Gifted because they each had the symbol imprinted on their right sleeves by their shoulders; a 5-pointed star inside a circle contained in a triangle. I could feel my anger burning as they edged towards me. Then suddenly, unable to hold it in anymore, a whirlwind of flames danced before my eyes…I couldn’t move. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t do anything but watch as she was engulfed in the flames. That’s when everyone started to look different.

Zero - part 8 [this is the last part, so I hope, if anyone actually read this, that you enjoyed] ‘Daddy! Wake up! Daddy!’ Lily sniffled as she clung to the body in front of her. I walked towards her the handgun by my side. She looked up and saw me tears running down her face. ‘The bad people must… have… come…’ I raised my gun to point it straight at Lily’s head. Her eyes widened in surprise but she couldn’t say anything. She was associated with the targets. I was confused. Did I have to kill her too? I couldn’t leave witnesses. But it was Lily. Did I have to kill the little girl in front of me? I held my hand stable but the rest of me was shaking. I didn’t understand why I felt so upset. No. I didn’t understand why Lily was so upset. Her dad must have done something bad, otherwise I wouldn’t have had to kill him… right? The General wouldn’t order the death of someone innocent. I moved my finger an inch. ‘Why…’ I whispered. Lily just looked at me with terrified eyes, unmoving. I didn’t know what to do. How would the General act in this situation? He’d kill her, no questions I knew that, and I knew should do the same… A tear trickled down my face. I quickly wiped it away with my free hand. What was happening to me? I closed my eyes for a second; I had to act. I looked straight into Lily’s eyes. ‘I’m sorry…’ My name is Zero and I am ten years old.

Zero - part 7 15:11pm I’d wasted a lot of time already, so I needed to execute this perfectly. I looked up at the target destination. I was standing at the end of a long driveway. There was grass on both sides yellowed by the sun with trees dotted about randomly. The house itself stood half collapsed, but I wasn’t fooled. The other half of the house stood perfectly intact, windows un-shattered and doors upright. The only fault visible was the slightly chipping paint on the walls. The biggest giveaway was the slight glint of the sun on the Land rover poking around the side of the house. Assessing the house, it seemed possible that if necessary I could break a window on the top floor and jump onto the roof below before climbing down the drain pipe. It was probably highly unnecessary. I shuffled next to a tree and dropped my bag, removing the light weight submachine gun inside. I circled the side of the house to the backdoor and quietly pushed it open. The gun was perfectly balanced in my hands as I silently rounded the house. I listened for a second and then sighed. As far as I could hear, all five targets were in the same room. It made my job a whole lot easier. I paused at the door to the room and clicked off the safety on the gun. With no hesitation, I pushed open the door and released a round of bullets. I was quick and efficient the targets in the room had no chance to react before I hit them. Five bullets, five people. Mission complete. The ring of the shots echoed in my ears as silence fell on the #lifeless room. No longer necessary, I slung my SM gun into the corner of the room. I went over to each body, inspecting their pulse to make sure they were dead, as the General had instructed. Whilst I was checking the last body, there was a gasp form the doorway and a pink blur flew into the room, and knelt next to the second body I’d checked. I shot to my feet and drew my handgun.

Zero - part 6 ‘I have to go. I have a mission to complete.’ I said prying my arm from her grip and moving a step away. ‘No, but you’ve got to come play with me first! I was going to go to the playground, and it’s more fun when there are more people.’ Lily said as she began to drag me with her down the street. Play? Soldiers don’t play. I was about to stop, but I was enjoying her company. The General wouldn’t mind. I was ahead of schedule anyway. Lily led the way until we got to the playground. She ran up to the slide and called me over, before sliding down. I slid down once just to satisfy her. It was my first time on a slide but I was just moving from the top to the bottom of the slide, and yet for some reason I wanted to do it again. I went down again and again. After my fourth time I couldn’t help but smile. I smiled at Lily, then frowned. What am I doing? I’m meant to be on a mission, I thought guiltily. Before I could explain that I had to go, Lily ran up and tagged me. I had to catch her to tell her I was leaving anyway. I chased after her. She wasn’t hard to catch she didn’t have my training and she seemed out of breath but she kept running. I couldn’t help but get caught in her enthusiasm for the pointless game, and I ran around trying to stay away or tagging her. It would hurt my pride as a man if I wasn’t last one to tag, so I couldn’t leave and she didn’t give up. A sound escaped my lips and I froze. I just laughed. Laughing was a privilege I had yet to receive. The General said I had to earn that right. My lip trembled at what I’d done, then I composed my face back to that of an emotionless soldier. ‘I have to go.’ I called without waiting for an answer before I sprinted off down the street and around the corner. I didn’t stop until I was three streets away. I reached down to my leg to retrieve the army knife strapped to my right ankle. I pulled back my sleeve to reveal several scars along my arm. I prided myself on the fact that I had the fewest out of everyone else. I made the least mistakes, until now. I’d made the General proud. I flicked out the knife and drew a line down my arm. Red slowly spread over it, but I didn’t wince or anything. I was useless if I couldn’t handle this much pain. I replaced my knife and bandaged my arm. I’d received my punishment and I was now completely focused on my mission. No more mishaps. The General doesn’t give second chances.