I don't... I just don't even...
I will say this : I was not - NOT - on drugs when I wrote this. Originally, this was intended to be a two-shot where Iggy got his sight back, but because I am this kind of person, my imagination just took off... so... enjoy? ._.
Disclaim: I don't own these psychos...
Claim: Except Candy and Kiva, I do own those psychos.
Candy: Hey, I'm not certifiably crazy!
Me: No, but your town is.
Candy: True dat.
Once upon a time, the Flock was walking through the streets of a bizarre town. Ella had joined them for an inexplicable reason.
Iggy, lately, had been very down about his sightlessness, and was acting more emo than Fang, which really worried everyone. I mean, that's pretty darned emo!
Iggy let out a heavy sigh, his fifteenth that day.
Max's eye twitched and she did her best not to wheel around and smack him, because all that got her was another diary entry. How was he keeping a diary? I don't want to know.
The whole group was just having a horrible day, and as if the gods of bird kids found humor in their pain, a rainstorm struck.
So they walked, heads down, through the driving rain.
Suddenly, a street vendor walked up to them.
"Hallo! Would oo like un umbrulla?" He asked them, holding out and umbrella.
Max and Fang exchanged a glance. The Flock checked their pockets for money, but all they got was seven and a half cents. On the way over, Nudge had managed to split a penny in half, but then proceeded to drop half of it from five thousand feet up.
The vendor scowled at them, but then a girl ran up, a tortoise shell cat with intelligent, sarcastic eyes with her. At the girls command, the cat viciously attacked the vendor, causing him to drop all of his merchandise.
Seeing their pleading faces, the girl offered them some umbrellas, "You guys look… quenched."
They accepted the gift, and the girl started to make conversation, "So, you guys new here?"
Max nodded, "We're just passing through. You a local?"
She nodded sadly, "Yeah, but this town is… insane," then she smiled, "But your never bored. So what are your names?"
Max introduced them as Nick, Tiffany-Crystal, Ariel, Jeff, Zephyr, Ella, and, "I'm Max."
"You're also a liar!" The girl told her with an innocent smile, much to Max's displeased surprise, "I'm Candy."
Max frowned at the girl, already thinking fight or flight, "How do you know I'm a liar?"
Candy shrugged, "I'm just that good."
Reaching frightening levels of pissed-ness, Max snapped back, "Okay, what are our real names?"
Candy raised an eyebrow, "You don't even know your real names. How could I?"
Total stepped forward and sniffed at the cat experimentally, then recoiled with a disgusted look, "Ugh, feline."
The cat gave him a steady look, "Predisposed rat-dog," she snarled.
"Kiva!" Candy chided, "Be nice!"
Now the Flock really didn't know what to think.
"But anyway," Candy started again, turning back to the Flock, "The names you go by are Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, Ella, and your dog is Total."
"Up and away, guys! We're outa this crazy town!" Max commanded, trying to disguise how freaked out she was.
Candy watched, unentertained, and the Flock unfurled their spectacular wings and shot off into the sky.
Ella waved her arms from where she stood, "Guys? GUYS! HEY, I'M STILL HERE! GUYS!"
But her yells were in vain, for the Flock was nearly out of sight. Ella's arms fell to her sides as she watched her friends fly off and leave her for dead.
Candy laughed pityingly, "Well, that sufficiently sucks."
Ella jumped at her voice, forgetting she was there, "Oh, uh… I have to, ah, go." She turned on her heel and only made it a few steps until she realized: the rain was gone, and she was perfectly dry. What the?
Candy laughed at her shock, "Told ya' the town was crazy. Just wait till you meet the people."
Ella shivered, finding the whole situation a bit too hopeless for her tastes.
Candy sighed, coming to stand next to her, "How about you let me give you a hand? You're too pitiful to last long on your own."
Ella gazed at her suspiciously, and Kiva chimed in, "You only survive here in a group. If you're by yourself, you're done for. Especially if you're pitiful."
Ella stared at the cat, wondering if she should be afraid. Were these people trust worthy? And what about this town?
Ella sighed, "Fine, just until they realize they left me."
Ella walked with Candy through the strange town that looks something you'd see in a story book. Like Christmas town in the spring, with a Tim Burton twist in it.
After a good twenty minutes of walking, they stopped in front of a Victorian style apartment building, towering up to four stories. The color scheme was all shades of gray, except one window sill that house a small garden of bright purple flowers.
Candy smiled, following her gaze, "That's my widow. I promise, it isn't nearly as intimidating as it seems."
She opened the front door, and Kiva trotted in ahead of them.
Ella followed tentatively, bracing herself for whatever came.
When she saw the lobby, Ella gasped, "It's… it's…"
It took us about ten minutes to realize something was missing.
"Hey, Max? Where's Ella?" Gazzy asked.
For a sickening moment I forgot to flap, and flailed awkwardly in midair until I got over my surprise and regained my balance.
"You forgot Ella!" Iggy asked in exasperation.
"One-eighty, guys! We're heading back to crazy-ville," I said quickly, not even thinking about it. If we returned home without Ella… I didn't even want to think about it.
Immediately, all of the worst case scenarios popped into my head: the town was a set up by the white coats and now they're going to dissect her and graft her with the DNA of who-knows-what; she broke her leg and is dying on the curb; she's been kidnapped; an evil circus clown has tempted her into the life of a carnie, and now she's walking a tight rope and there is no net.
I shook my head in a vain attempted to clear it. Fang swopped next to me and shot me a questioning glance.
"Don't give me that look," I told him, "I have a plan, like always."
He flashed a quick smile and then sped up to the front of the Flock.
I sighed, studying the ground. God, don't I wish that was the truth. After some thought, I decided that as soon as we got back to Funky Town, I would simply wing it.
I don't know if that will work this time, Max.
I sighed again, in annoyance this time, Angel, what have I told you –
No, Max, you don't understand! There's something really spooky about that town…
The tone of her thoughts caught my attention and I turned to see her face.
Her blue eyes were wide in alarm, and she clutched Celeste closer than usual.
What is it, Angel? What did you get from the people there?
I… I couldn't understand a lot of it. The vendor guy's thoughts were in Russian, and all the other people's thoughts were very cini- sines- si—
Sinister? Like, white coat sinister?
Angel squirmed uncomfortably and nodded, "I don't like it, Max. We need to get Ella out of there ASAP."
Spooky, right?
You like? Don't like?
Ah, heck, review anyway.