Ch 1
Max POV
"Max! Max! Wake up!"
I groaned loudly and turned over to smother my head in my pillow, desperate for 5 more minutes of beauty sleep.
"Maaaax! You promised!" I opened my eyes just wide enough to see Nudge leaning over me, already dressed, and jumping up and down. Nudge is part of my Flock, one of five, and the loudest. I looked over at the Flock to see Fang smirking at me in my bead head state. I threw a pillow in his general direction but he ducked easily. The rest were all lounging around near the couches waiting to go: Angel, who's a sweet little 11 year old; Gasman, who everyone calls Gazzy, is 14; Iggy, who's blind but don't let that fool you, he can manage to get to the kitchen when dessert is ready in 4 seconds flat, and Fang, my silent hero, are both 17 just like me. Fang must have gotten them all up while I was still enjoying the benefits of a safehouse.
Our hotel here in California wasn't exactly the safest place (which probably would have been a metal vault) but no Erasers had tried to attack us...yet
I managed to pick my self up and go into the bathroom to change into a pair of cute new jeans Nudge had bought me and a form-fitting shirt from Abercrombie. Popping out of the bathroom I grabbed my stuff.
"Let's get going if we have to. The beach might start to get crowded after lunch." I relented.
This announcement was greeted with cheers from all around. Even Fang, who normally is stoic and unemotional, looked excited at this chance to be a normal kid for once. California was the first safe place we had been in a very long time and all of us were eager to enjoy a few minutes of tranquility and not having to worry about the evil Erasers chasing us.
When we finally arrived at the beach, I changed into my two-piece swimsuit and waltzed out onto the beach. I wandered over to Fang who was looking mighty fine in his swim trunks that were black with a silver strip down the side. He seemed to be checking me out as I walked over….but no that was probably my imagination…I laid down next to him on the towel and stretched out, eager to soak up as much sun as possible. "This place was a perfect choice," Fang said looking over at me. "I'm just happy that those dang Erasers seem to have lost us, though do you really think that they have gone away? It seems a little too quiet," I murmured, voicing the fears that had been festering within me for the last two eraserless days. Fang just gave me a look that said "can't you just relax for once?" I sighed and decided that I might as well enjoy what time we had for now.
We sat contentedly in the sun for along time just enjoying the feeling of relaxation. I looked around and counted up my baby chicks who were all starting to grow up now. Iggy and Gazzy were engaging in a water fight while Nudge was busy trying to attract the attention of a cute guy playing volleyball. Angel was in the ocean probably talking to fish. For the first time in a while, I finally felt truly content. We had been here a week, hiding out in the hotel room we had rented, making sure that the Erasers weren't following us but I still had this weird nagging sensation that it was too perfect. I decided not to worry the flock and re-voice my fears.
The feeling intensified exponentially. Alarmed, I turned to alert Fang but just as I started to speak, Fang pointed to a cloud of Erasers flying towards the beach at a swift rate.
"Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy! Get over here now! Our buddies are back!" I yelled. Almost immediatly they were all by my side ready to fight.
"Let's kick some Eraser butts!"