I blinked. The sun's rays pushed through the smoke and as that clouded the sky like a black fog. I looked down. Self examination time. Fingers? I wiggled each, one by one. Check. Legs? Check. Hair? My hand flew to the top of my head. A sigh of relief escaped my mouth as strands of dark blond hair wrapped themselves around my hand. Check.
Flock?
"REPORT!" I screamed, but a harsh cough followed from inhaling the unbreathable air. I saw and heard movement to my left and saw a bleach blond head emerge from the debris. "Gasman!" I jumped up with all the energy I had and limped over to him. The boy had a scratch along his left cheek that was oozing blood left and right. "Oh, Gazzy! You okay?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he replied. Gazzy pushed the garbage of his legs and I lifted a large piece of concrete off of his right arm, which was already swollen, purple and hanging at a weird angle. "Where's Angel?"
"Right here." Angel, my baby. She was alive, and looked untouched. "You know, it's easier to not be hurt if you fly away?" She spun a circle in the air, then landed gracefully on the ground next to her brother. I looked amazed at the little seven year old. She had grown a lot in this past year, but still looked young and naive. But we all knew better. Angel smirked at my thoughts.
Nudge trudged over to us, a grumpy and unsatisfied look on her face. Her dark hair was a complete mess and she was picking pieces of wood and rock out of it. "Well the room service here? SUCKS," She growled. The rest of us laughed. Nudge had been whining about the hotel all morning and night since we had arrived in Texas. Nothing could reach her standards. I reached out and wrapped her in a hug. "Oh, Max," She cried as her arms moved around my waist. "I don't know if this saving the world thing is working for me,"
"Good thing it's over," I replied, rubbing her back between her wings.
"It is?" I turned around in time to see Iggy struggling over to where we were crowded. I released Nudge, who walked over to Angel for a hug, and walked over to Iggy. I grabbed his arm just below the wrist, but he shook it away. "I can do it, Max." His blind, blue eyes looked in my general direction, a stern look over coming his face. "I'm not dumb or clumsey. Just blind." I sighed and stepped back. Ig expertly manuvered his way over the rock piles and sat right next to Gasman, who had started a fire.
"Um, Max?" Nudge looked at me. "Where's Fang?" I searched what I could see, which wasn't much.
"I don't know." I felt my heart break. Please let him be okay.
"FANG!?" I called his name over and over again, but no reply. I looked at the flock, who were sitting around the fire, each one with their eyes on me. Even Ig. "I have to go find him, guys." I said. They all nodded. Angel stood up and walked up to me, her sad eyes full of comprehension.
"You'll find him, Max," She smiled sweetly, taking hold of my hand. "He's alive."
"I know. I can feel it." I whispered. I kissed her forehead and pushed her back to the fire. "Ig is in charge. Stay here." They nodded again and I took off.
My wings flipped open and I looked down at the ground. I couldn't see it. The explosion had made so much smoke that there was no ground when you were 30 feet in the air.
"FANG?!"
