The way it all started ...

 Book One - Dying

1. Dream

“Jan! Over here!” the brown-haired boy called frantically. I turned to look at him and closed my eyes briefly in sympathy. His situation was far worse than mine. He was carrying the older girl on his shoulders and the younger one in his arms, clinging to his chest, eyes closed in terror. Neither screamed nor made any other sound; we all knew better than that. He was stable in the air, but still I shuddered at the thought of them falling.

I shifted my own burden on my back. He was my own age and weighed every ounce as much as I would have anticipated. Once I had him settled, I turned back to the guy.

He beat his wings as quickly as he could in an attempt to fly straight up and escape that way, but it did no good; the airplanes were quicker and more annoying than mosquitoes. However, instead of an itchy sting, they packed seven feather-light and deadly missiles per plane – short of those carrying malaria or West Nile, these were the world’s most lethal mosquitoes.

“Jan!” he cried again. I looked his way, feeling my panic taking over my face. Not good. If the enemy saw that we were scared, they’d shoot, and that would be it for us.  We were completely surrounded and not at all sure why weren’t dead. I was exhausted; my wings ached with the effort of keeping myself and this big guy safely in the air. I would be stiff tomorrow. If I made it to tomorrow.

“It’s the only way,” the guy clinging to my shoulders told me quietly. I looked desperately around me and realised he was right: there was no escape. “I’ll be right here with you,” he whispered into my ear. “Just like always.” I looked back to other guy, who nodded gravely to me once. All of our eyes met; theirs held regret, and I was sure mine were terrified. For one split second, the world held still, tranquil, as the five of us locked eyes in acceptance of our fate. As we watched, our wings folded in a synchronised motion, and I could feel myself and the guy dropping exactly as the three others fell. Our eyes never broke their stare.

For an instant, there was nothing but peace.

Then the air exploded.