Page 10 of Birds of a Feather

Gabby thought about the puddle of water on the floor. She didn’t know much about scents or tracking, but didn’t water somehow wash it away? She sighed. She was all the help she could have been. And of course, the one thing she couldn’t do? Explain her theory that Dr. Grimm was behind this. He was probably searching for his former experiments to finish his evil agenda. Alas, as far as Agent Stone knew, Dr. Grimm didn’t exist, and Gabby couldn’t form the words to change that fact.

Gabby couldn’t stop thinking of the terrible things Dr. Grimm had whispered in her ear.You’re my favorite.A cold bead of sweat trickled down her spine. She grabbed Agent Stone’s shirtsleeve, trying to get it all out before he left. As capable as he was, what if he couldn’t put the pieces together and Dr. Grimm snatched her up again? She stuttered and stammered until Agent Stone offered her a gentle smile.

“Lynn is out of the office today, but I’ll come back tomorrow and maybe the three of us together can work on this some more. Would you like to change rooms? It may ease your mind while we’re working to find the intruder.” His suggestion soothed her raw nerves.

Gabby nodded. That could work. If the intruder recognized that as her room, moving would keep them guessing. She’d have to make sure to let Lyla know she moved. She couldn’t bear the thoughts of Lyla thinking she’d left without saying goodbye.

Agent Stone turned to one of the nurses at the station who was just signing off her computer to complete another set ofrounds. “How quickly can a new room be made available for Gabby?” Agent Stone asked, the worry clear in his voice.

“Let me see.” The nurse logged back onto the computer. Her brows wrinkled as she clicked the mouse. “We’re actually cleaning a room on the other side of the hall, room 118. It should be ready within the hour. I’ll make a note Gabby’s moving.”

“Thank you.” Agent Stone turned back to Gabby and Char. “Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious. Gabby, work on gathering your things. I’ll check in with security to see if they found anything on the tapes after I see if I can find a scent. I’m the best tracker there is, Gabby. If there’s a scent, I’ll be able to follow it.”

Gabby smiled to say thanks.

Char squeezed her shoulder. “If there’s anything to find, they’ll track it down.” And with that, they left for the kitchens.

Just as Agent Stone left for Gabby’s room, Lyla appeared. Lyla smiled when the FUC agent nodded in greeting and kept on moving. “What’s wrong?” Lyla sked, leaning against the edge of the counter of the nurses’ station like it was the tip of a branch. Her voice was as soft as the down of a baby bird. She must have been able to tell by the expression on Gabby’s face that she was stressed to the max.

She looked up to Lyla, her eyes wide. Patience and understanding filled Lyla’s heart-shaped face. A pale rose color filled her full lips. Gabby wondered how sweet Lyla would taste. Suddenly, she realized she was staring at her, and embarrassment flooded her.

She leaned forward, letting her long hair hide the blush blossoming on her cheeks. The heat from it snaked up her neck, pooling into her face.Where is my trusty pillow?The temptation to hide under it was strong, but she had to focus. She gulped down the cool air, concentrating on the words shewanted to say. One at a time, tasting them in her mouth before trying them out.

“Come. Please. Help.” Lyla blanched, so Gabby tried to explain, “Moving rooms.”

"Oh, okay.” Gabby appreciated Lyla’s patience and the fact that she didn’t push for more answers, only followed her down the hall.

They neared Gabby’s room as the security guards were just leaving. One of the guards was holding a pile of clothes, the other a pair of cowboy boots that Agent Stone had been wearing. “The room’s clear, ma’am,” the male guard said.

Agent Stone—in hound form—soon followed, his long, brown floppy ears swaying as he sauntered down the hall, nose nearly stuck to the ground.

After the trio were halfway down the hall, Lyla gently touched Gabby’s arm. “Did something happen?” Her eyes were wide with worry.

“A map. Found a map.” Gabby entered her room and pointed to the dried-up spot on the floor where the puddle from the window had soaked the floor earlier.

“A map of what? WANC?”

Gabby closed her eyes and focused. She nodded her head. “Think they outsider.”

Lyla’s hazel eyes widened, the afternoon sun illuminating the green flecks in the brown, emeralds strewn across a dark, sandy beach. “You mean an unwanted visitor dropped this after breaking into WANC? In your room?”

“Visiting family. Happened when.”

“You think it happened when you were visiting your family?” Her brows wrinkled in concern as her eyes widened.

Gabby looked to the window and the hole in the screen. Lyla followed the invisible trail her gaze left. She got up, crossing the room. After leaning forward to inspect the scene of the crime,she popped up. “There’s a tear in the screen,” Lyla observed, her voice slightly higher in pitch than normal. Gabby nodded to let her know she knew. “So Agent Stone saw this?’ Gabby continued to nod. It seemed the repetition was helping her to continue the gesture.

Lyla came back to the bed and sat down, running her fingers through her messy hair. Even with the feathers, her hair seemed more unkempt than yesterday. As if noticing Gabby’s gaze, Lyla explained, “I might have overdone it this morning.”

”Need time. To heal.” Gabby tried to remind her friend not to move so fast. She figured that, as a hummingbird shifter, Lyla would need all the reminders she could get.

“I know I know. I probably shouldn’t have.” Lyla tossed her hands up. “I just get so sick of being cooped up, you know? They say I have to rest and keep building up my energy, but I can’t keep sitting in my room. So after we had some shifting practice, I asked if I could go to the computer lab.” She hung her head.

Computers. She wore herself out playing on computers?Gabby raised an eyebrow.

Lyla glanced up, noting Gabby’s expression. “Don’t look at me like that,” Lyla joked with a lighthearted chuckle. “I love computers. But I was hoping to find something that would help me help you talk. I know that sounds stupid.” The words tumbled out of her mouth in an avalanche of syllables. “Like I thought I could fix something the doctors and nurses and therapists here couldn’t. But I just thought...” She leaned back and sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know what I thought. I just wanted to help.” She dropped her hands in her lap.

Gabby reached forward and put a hand on Lyla’s. Lyla didn’t pull away. She glanced up at her, smiling. That gave Gabby an idea. She pulled out the books her mom bought her. “This helps.”

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