Six watched as the thin, dirty boy carefully made his way down the ladder. She wasn't sure what she was thinking, saving him like that. It was dangerous. Stupid even. Something she normally wouldn't do. Something that wouldn't normally be done for her.

Maybe that was why? In the vain hope that by helping someone, she would be helped in her own time of need. It was doubtful, people here weren't that kind. Not since…

Six shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. That was in the past, no use dredging up old wounds for no reason.

She was surprised to find the mansion had an attic. No kid had ever mentioned it before. Probably because no kid has ever found it before. If the only entrance was locked from the inside, it would be nearly impossible to do so. Not to mention that if no one knew it existed, no one would be looking for it in the first place.

But of course, it was also dangerous, with its own monster lurking about. Just like everywhere else in this place. Nowhere was safe. At least, not for long.

The boy reached the bottom of the ladder, and turned to face Six. He was indeed thin. Thinner even than Six. With clothes far too big for him, they looked as if they'd fall off at any moment. Either that, or swallow him whole. Six had never seen someone get eaten by clothes, but she wouldn't dismiss the possibility.

He also had messy black hair, much like her own, and the greenest eyes she had ever seen. So bright and vibrant, refusing to dull in the face of the world. And like most kids, he wasn't wearing any shoes.

They stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments, neither one being particularly social. Harry, from having his cousin threaten to beat up anybody who got even remotely close to him, and Six, from having experienced the cruelty of the world they were in.

It left them with no idea of what to do.

Harry eventually cleared his throat, fidgeting as he tried to form words with his mouth, "Uh, thanks for, you know, um saving me. I thought I was a goner for sure."

It was almost painful to watch, and caused Six to form the teeniest tiniest of smiles. So small you would need a magnifying glass to see it. But it was still there.

"I... You're welcome. Here, I think this belongs to you," she said, holding out a flashlight, cursing herself for her slight stammer. This is why she didn't interact with people. It was awkward! But the boy in front of her either didn't care or didn't notice. Probably the former, considering his own stutter.

"Oh, uh, thanks. Glad you found it," he said, once more in the possession of a flashlight. It wasn't much, but the fact that he had a light source on hand made him feel better.

"Hard to miss when it nearly hits you in the head," she said dryly. It was to her great surprise that when she tried to climb a ladder that appeared out of nowhere, she had to dodge a flashlight that nearly made her an invalid.

"Oh, um… Sorry?"

"You're not sure?"

"What no! I mean yes, I mean, my bad."

Six quirked an eyebrow, amused as the boy panicked. It was cute, in its own way. And likely to get them both killed. But for now, she would just enjoy the show.

An angry hiss halted Harry's stammering. The two of them looked back up to the entrance to the attic. There, in the shadows, barely visible, was the moth monster. Staring at them balefully. It was a look Harry was used to seeing from the thing.

"I think it's time to go," stated Six, eyes never leaving the threat. Harry couldn't agree more. He looked around for an exit. Thankfully, the hallway was well lit by a light fixture on the ceiling, and for the first time, he was able to find some of them, one on the end and one on the left.

"Which way," he asked, turning toward the girl with the ruby red eyes. She turned to give the hallway a look of her own. "The one on the left. The other way is blocked" she told him.

"How do you know that?" he asked. It wasn't that he doubted her, he was just curious about the confidence in which she said it. Though judging from the look she was giving him, she took his questioning as doubt.

"Because that's the way I came," she said, pointing to a hole above the door. "The other side is filled with trash, I used it to climb up. We'd never be able to move the door."

"Left it is," Harry said, making his way toward said door, with Six huffing behind him, her arms crossed. He got the feeling he already screwed up with his new… friend? Acquaintance? Fellow survival enthusiast?

He'll figure it out later.

The door itself was made out of old, warped wood. The edges weren't aligned right, and the whole thing seemed to be tilted slightly. It had a lever style door handle made of brass, twisted and warped like the rest of the door.

But the strangest thing about it was the eye. A large, single eye stared down at them, carved out of the wood, watching their every move. Harry was suddenly regretting his desire for doors. The less he saw of that thing, the better.

But there was another problem. The handle was too high up for him to grab. He'd never be able to reach it on his own. But luckily for him, he wasn't alone. He turned to Six, who was also staring at the handle.

"Want me to give you a boost?" he asked. She raised her eyebrow at him, staring at his rail thin arms dubiously. "Sure you can handle it?"

Harry frowned in response, "I'm stronger than I look. Trust me."

Trust… That wasn't something that came easy to Six. Not anymore. But maybe, she could have a little faith in this instance. Even if he failed, they were just trying to open a door. Worst comes to worst, she boosts him instead.

Or they have to find a way to reach the hole in the other door, which would likely include climbing into the attic and tossing things down until they could climb. That would be extremely arduous, and Six sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Six nodded her head, and Harry gave her a smile in response. Honestly, he didn't need to look so happy about her agreeing, he was just boosting her up to a door handle.

Harry bent down and interlocked his fingers, giving Six a perch to step on. As she approached, suddenly a bit uncomfortable knowing she would be in contact with another person, something she hadn't done in a long time, Harry halted her when she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm Harry by the way," he said. Six gave him a look. Hairy? Looking at his mop of unruly hair, she supposed it suited him. "Six," she stated, indicating herself.

"It's nice to meet you Six," he said with another smile. Sure, it was a bit of a weird thing to name someone, but he wouldn't judge her for it. Honestly, he felt it suited her for some reason.

"You too Hairy," she gave one of her tiny smiles back, the ones that you had to struggle to see. But even if Harry couldn't see her smile, he could feel it. That was good enough for him.

Introductions out of the way, Six placed her foot in his hands, balancing with her hands on his shoulders, and Harry threw her up, allowing her to jump off his feet and grab onto the door handle.

It was a bit harder than Harry thought it would be, and he was grateful that he didn't break what little trust she placed in him. She was heavier than the key from earlier, though not by much. He got the idea he shouldn't tell her that.

Six dangled from the handle for a second as it clicked open. The door began to swing out, before it collapsed entirely, bringing her down with it. It hit the ground with a loud crash, Six grunting from the impact.

"Six!" Harry shouted as he ran up to her. She was already picking herself up, and Harry held out a hand to help her the rest of the way. To both of their mild surprise, she grabbed his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

Six was surprised because she didn't normally like being touched or touching others. Harry was surprised because most people didn't want to touch the freak.

Were hands always so warm. It was a thought that crossed the minds of two lonely children who forgot what human contact felt like. Well, human contact that wasn't trying to hurt them.

"You ok?" Harry asked, still holding her hand. It was surprisingly soft. Or were hands always this soft. He's never held one before, at least, not that he can remember. It was nice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Six responded. The fall didn't hurt exactly, she was more surprised by it than anything. Much like the fact that she was holding hands with someone. When was the last time she had done this? She couldn't remember. It was nice.

The two of them realized they were still holding hands and slowly, almost reluctantly, let go. They stood there in awkward silence once more, not knowing exactly how to proceed.

They started looking around them, anywhere but at the other person in the room. It was another long room, tall and narrow. Along the walls were bird houses, warped and rotten, with pieces missing.

They were standing on a platform of some kind, surrounded by what looked like water heaters. Six ignored them and walked toward the edge and carefully gazed down, letting out a "hmm" sound as she did so.

Curious, Harry followed suit. Below them was a walkway, one that zigzagged in weird places, that rose and fell in others, with parts that were extremely narrow, and others that were extremely wide. It looked like a carpenter's worst nightmare.

Underneath the walkway was a black abyss. Neither Harry nor Six could see the bottom. They had no way of knowing if it would be a short fall or a long one, but neither wanted to find out.

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And above it were more birdcages. These ones made of metal and dangling from chains connected to the ceiling. A ceiling that was falling apart, leaving gaping holes in the roof. At least it provided them some light, so that was a plus.

Thankfully, there seemed to be a way down. The raised platform connected to one beneath it with planks of wood, forming a makeshift ladder. It wasn't an actual one, but it would function as one all the same.

"Have you ever been here before?" asked Harry as he stepped away from the edge. Six shook her head as she did the same. "No, but I don't see another way."

Harry didn't either, and they both decided to move forward. Six went first, carefully lowering herself onto the makeshift ladder. The boards were rough and worn, and spaced unevenly and crookedly. If they weren't careful, it would be all too easy for one of them to make a mistake and fall.

Harry watched as Six made her way down. Once she was a few steps down, Harry then started his own descent. He didn't want to stand on the same board at the same time, in fear they wouldn't be able to hold their weight.

The two slowly and carefully continued their downward climb. Every groan from the wood had them begging for it to hold up. They were about halfway down when something went wrong.

Six's foot went to land on another board, just like the ones before it. But as she did, a loud screech startled her, causing her foot to hit the wood with more force than she intended.

The result was the board breaking, and Six slipping. She didn't fall far, thankfully, having managed to grab another piece of wood directly below it. One that remarkably held her weight.

"Six," Harry whispered in worry. Six pulled herself up and held onto the plank of wood, willing her heart rate to slow down. That was almost a disaster.

"I'm fine," she whispered back. Harry gave a relieved nod in return. But their problems were only just starting. What was the noise, and where did it come from? That was a question on both of their minds.

They heard a rustling sound coming from above them. One of the larger birdhouses began to shake, and from it emerged the beak of a massive avian creature. It was easily 4 or 5 times bigger than them, and made the moth from earlier look small by comparison.

It slowly lumbered its way outside of its home, yawning as it did so. Where a normal bird's beak only opened up and down, this one opened left and right as well. Its beak separated into four parts, each lined with crocodile-like teeth, and a snake-like tongue flickered outward.

Both of them could only stare at it, having never seen something like it before. But instincts kicked in, ones born from being the smallest and the weakest thing around. Harry with his relatives, and Six with the monsters of the world.

They needed to hide before it turned its gaze their way. But where? They were on a ladder. But there had to be somewhere. Then Six looked… right in front of her. Oh, right… her foot just kicked off a board and made an opening just big enough for them to climb through.

She felt a bit stupid for not thinking of it immediately.

"Psst," she whispered to Harry, who gave her a look. She motioned where they could hide, and Harry nodded back. It was their only option at this point. Six climbed through easy enough, and Harry made his way down, with a bit less care than he should.

One of the boards splintered, not enough to break it entirely, but more than enough to make noise. A loud crack echoed through the room. There was no hope that the bird monster didn't hear that. Another loud screech seemed to confirm it.

Throwing caution to the wind, Harry rapidly descended the last few steps, and climbed through. They both watched with bated breath as the creature flew over. It landed on the platform below and inspected the pieces of wood that Six broke.

Then it looked up, and its neck began to extend and elongate, raising up to see what caused the mess. The two of them shuffled to either side of the structure, trying to hide themselves in the shadows it provided and keeping as still as possible.

And it seemed to work. The bird monster moved its head to either side, tongue flicking out of its maw, but it didn't spot them. It withdrew its neck after a few moments, having seemingly lost interest. Six was immensely glad creatures of this world lacked intelligence, even the ones that looked human.

The bird flapped its wings and flew higher, heading for the spot they entered from. Even though it was gone, the two of them remained completely still and silent for several long moments. When nothing seemed to happen, and they could no longer hear any noise coming from the monster, they let out a sigh of relief.

They looked at each other and Harry made a gesture, asking if they should leave. Six nodded and the two climbed out from behind the ladder, with Six going ahead of Harry.

This time luck seemed to be on their side, as they made it down without incident. Harry rolled his shoulders, getting the kinks out of it, as Six kept her gaze laser focused behind her, where the bird vanished to.

The small platform they were on was barren save for a couple of empty boxes. There was nothing there and their only path forward was the walkway. Now that they were closer, Harry could see that the planks of wood used to make it were all different sizes. Different lengths, different widths, and different thicknesses.

It was truly a hodgepodge structure. Harry wondered who made it, and why. Why would someone make something like this? It didn't make sense.

Well it didn't matter who made it, all that mattered was they had to cross it. Harry made a sweeping motion toward it, with a whispered, "Ladies first."

Six rolled her eyes, but complied nonetheless. The first thing she noticed was the sheer unevenness of it. Sure she could see it with her eye, but to feel it with her bare feet was another matter.

The second thing was that it wasn't secured nearly as well as it should be. Her first step made it sway to the right, forcing her to keep her balance. A hand on her back, placed there by Harry, kept her steady. She gave him a look and nodded her head in thanks, which he returned.

Now knowing what to expect, it was far easier to keep her balance. But when Harry stepped onto it, things became a little more difficult. And by a little, she meant it was like trying to balance on a seesaw that was resting on the point of a needle.

It was proving to be nearly impossible. But they had to figure out a way. After some trial and error, they made a plan. They faced toward each other, using their weight to counterbalance the other. Then, in unison, they took a step toward the exit, Harry using his right foot, and Six using her left.

As they made their way further into the room, Harry was also able to get a look inside the hanging bird cages. Most of them were empty, save for a bit of dust, but then there were some… Well, it was clear they weren't used to house birds.

Not something Harry wanted to contemplate. So instead, he focused all his intention on making his way across the room with Six. It was dreadfully slow, but it was working. The walkway still swayed, but it was manageable. Step by step, they made their way across.

But of course, it's when everything is going right, that everything goes wrong.

A loud, familiar screech caught their attention, and a flapping sound grew closer. The bird was back, and they had nowhere to hide. But that was only the beginning of their problems.

As the avian reentered the room, it just so happened to knock into one of the water heaters from the top of the platform. An action that sent it plummeting down onto the walkway they were standing on.

As it struck down, the walkway shook violently, causing Six and Harry to fall to the ground. It felt like an earthquake. It was all they could do not to tumble over the edge, clinging to the rough, splintery wood in desperation.

But that wouldn't save them from the thing rolling toward them. Harry wasn't sure if it was magic or something else, but everytime it looked like the water heater would go sailing over the edge, some power kept in on. It would hit a bump and correct course, or the walkway would sway at just the right time and just the right angle. Whatever the reason, it wasn't natural.

They needed to run, but the shaking of the platform made that nearly impossible. Six made it up on unsteady feet, trying to keep her balance even as the swaying grew worse as their death approached. She lasted about a second before falling once more.

But that second allowed Six to come up with a plan. She could see the path ahead of them opened up into a wide section. If they could make it there, they had a chance to avoid being crushed. But that was a big if. Neither one was able to stay on their feet very long.

"Over there!" she yelled, pointing to the section ahead. Harry looked to see what she was talking about and nodded his head in understanding. Six nodded back and began making her way over.

The two of them crawled as fast as they could, grasping the floor to keep themselves on. The coarse wood shaved at their skin, causing parts to peel off. Numerous splinters stabbed into them as well, making the trip unpleasant to say the least.

But the sound of the ever approaching heater rolling towards them spurned them on to move faster, regardless of the pain.

What felt like forever was seconds at most. They reached the section and rolled to the side, just in time for the water heater to barrel past them. It continued on to the end, where it smacked into the wall, splitting it open, before falling off the edge.

They never heard it hit the bottom.

Breathing deeply, thankful to be alive, and miserable due to the pain in their hands and feet, they gave each other a look of relief. The whole affair may have nearly killed them, but it also opened the way forward.

At the end of the walkway was a small platform, much like the other end. Only this one was connected to a wall and nothing else. One that now had a small crack in it, just big enough for kids like them to squeeze through. A crack that only appeared due the water heater bashing into it.

If that hadn't happened, they would have been stuck there, and forced to backtrack. But they were fortunately misfortunate. Just a little further, and they would be free and clear.

"Skraw!"

Both of them turned to look behind them at the bird on top of the scaffolding. Its small, beady eyes were trained squarely on them.

They glanced at each other again before scrambling to their feet. The walkway shifted and swayed like before, but it somehow seemed a bit more manageable. Six scurried off ahead with Harry in hot pursuit.

They moved as fast as they could, and moved faster still, as they heard the giant bird take off. They were going faster than before, but it was still rather slow in comparison to their normal sprint. The way they stumbled across the room made them appear intoxicated.

The path narrowed out again, and traveled downward at a slight angle. Six looked back to see their stalker hot on their heels, bridging the gap with every second that passed. Staring at the predator as she was, she failed to watch where she was going. Her foot snagged on an uneven spot and she fell to the floor, stubbed toe throbbing in pain.

But that was the least of her problems. The main concern was the bird, swooping toward them ever closer, screeching in hunger, demanding them satiate its primal need.

Thankfully, she wasn't alone. When Harry reached her, he grabbed her by the waist and hauled her to her feet, adrenaline giving him just enough strength to make it seem easy. He held onto her as they hobbled toward the exit.

They were so close! But Harry knew they wouldn't make it. His instincts flared at him, telling him if he didn't do something, he was going to die. But there was nothing he could do. The bird was too fast. It was only a matter of time until it caught them.

But it didn't have to catch both of them. If he timed his power just right, he could hurl her across the remaining distance to safety. That was the only option he could think of. He refused to abandon Six or use her as bait. That's something the Dursleys would do.

And Harry was no Dursley.

He gathered the power into his left hand, the one holding onto Six, and held it there until the last moment. He only had one shot at this, he needed to make it count.

Six winced everytime her foot hit the ground, as pain shot up through her leg and up her whole right side. How could she have been so stupid? She should have been watching where she was going, but let her curiosity get the best of her. It was a rookie mistake, and now she would pay the price for it.

And it wasn't just her that would have to pay it. Her new… friend? Acquaintance? Fellow bird watcher? He would have to pay the rest of her tab. It wasn't exactly fair, but then again, when was anything fair.

The worst part was how close they made it. Just another 10 or 15 feet and they could escape through the crack. But they would never make it. She could feel the wind produced by the creature's wingbeats ruffle her hair. Any second now, they would be that thing's dinner.

Or at least, that's what she thought. Just as she was falling to the depths of despair, the feeling of the bird monster's hot breath on her neck, she found herself hurling through the air. She landed with a rough grunt and tumbled into the wall. She had just enough time to look back at Harry disappearing into its maw.

"Hairy!"

Her shout drew the creature's attention and it made to go for her again. Realizing this, and that there was nothing she could do for him, she crawled through the hole in the wall. She was safe, at least for now.

But Harry…

Six curled herself into a ball, resting her head between her knees, with her back against the wall. One thought swirling in her head. One question stuck on repeat. Why? Why had he sacrificed himself?

For her?

She didn't care that he seemed to have some strange power. Considering the things she's seen in this world, that didn't seem all that outlandish. But why had he used that power to save her and not himself?

She didn't understand it. Maybe she never would. All she knew was that she was alone again, in a house that had never seemed so big.