VALERIA.

The weight of my mother and Stefano in my arms is getting more and more painful the farther I go up, but I hold on still, trying to get them as far away from the sinking School. The wind is roaring in my ears. The gravity of the hole below is like a vacuum, pulling me down and fighting against the power of the bat-like wings on my back.

However, I just flap them as hard as I can, trying to remain balanced as I swerve farther away. I look down, watching the darkness ...