Featherlight by Laura Fields

just about to open it when I heard a
sharp noise and a whimper from Rene.
    I wheeled around, fists clenched. “Hey!” I yelled.
    That sound was no stranger to me. That sound had escaped my mouth more
times than I could count. I was no longer the helpless child from my past, and
I would not idly stand by while another woman was harmed.
    Rene was bent over and holding a hand to her face. Beside her, the man's
arm was raised. He was ready to strike again. Slowly, he looked over at me. The
door at my back opened, and I was yanked inside by a pair of arms as the
Marshal ran outside, slamming the door behind him. Although I couldn’t be sure,
I thought I saw Peter’s dark form landing behind the man. Not having time to
think about that, I leapt up, trying to keep my balance and see what was going
on around me.
     I was inside a very large room, at least twice as big as our school's
gym, and twice as tall.  Actually, this place could rival the size of a
football field. There were white foam walls and a padded floor with a black
circular track marking the perimeter. I noticed Samantha standing beside me,
waiting to see what I would do. We were the only two in the gym.
    “Rene-” I started, but Samantha said, “Marshal will take care of it.”
    It was odd that I was so trusting of them, because for some reason I
believed her. Marshal had exited the building angrily, and it had all been directed
at the man who had hit Rene.
    “Well,” Samantha began, “As you can see, we are inside the Grounds
Gym. This is where the kids learn to fly and the Sentinels prefect their
skills.” She looked at me, and continued, “We will be working on the basics
today, if that’s fine.”
    I nodded at her, although what I really wanted was knowledge. I wanted
to know what was going on with this society and with my instincts. Rene and
Marshal entered the gym through the door behind me, taking me by surprise.
    “Now, I know you discovered how to unfold your wings, but we need to
make sure you have that part down. It won't be long before men discover who you
are, and you need to be ready to make a quick getaway.” Sam exchanged a long
glance with Marshal.
    I couldn’t help it. While she was looking away, I rolled my eyes.
Childish, I know. But honestly? Who cares if men ‘discover’ me? That just
sounded wrong… Oh, this was going to be a long day.
    “We had a discussion, and we decided that it would be for the best if
you had a choice regarding your mate. We figured it would be unfair to force someone
on you, even if that someone was the best choice.” She gave Marshal another
long look.
    I had a feeling she didn’t say that last sentence for my benefit. And
these people were also in for a long day if they thought for even a second that
they could force me to do anything.
    “Anyways, we will be starting out with a few basic exercises, to find
out exactly where you are. We've never had anything like you. All of our
children are trained to fly young, so all are proficient flyers by your age.
But you've had no training, and your wings are new, so this will be an
interesting experience for both of us. I would figure, since you've just gained
your wings, that you would be on the same level as a child, but we will see.” Somehow,
she didn’t make that last statement sound condescending. She was simply
truthful. “Let's test out your strength.”
    Marshal easily carried a set of large weights to the center of the
floor. I walked towards them, not knowing what to expect. Marshal beckoned to
the weights, and I bent down to lift them. They seemed huge, but I grabbed them
with ease and held them at waist level. If the gravity hadn’t been so weak, I
wouldn't have been able to lift them at all. After a few seconds, I dropped the
weights. Apparently Earth’s gravity had made my strength above average on Auro.
I stared at the weights while I figured this out. Rene assumed that I was
embarrassed at my abnormal strength.
    “No worries!” She