Chapter One

Max's POV

11:00 PM

I slam the phone back in its cradle. What is her problem? Okay, yes, I love my mom. But now she's completely lost it. She keeps trying to push me into this.

"I can't make you believe, it's your choice," she had said. If it was my choice, then why is she being so persistent? I know you didn't ask, but this is what happened.

I was in a perfectly good mood. Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge were all sound asleep in their rooms. Dylan was crashed on the couch (THANKFULLY), and Iggy was watching TV in his room. After checking on everybody, I hopped in the shower. When I got out, the phone started ringing. I picked it up, and to my surprise, it was my mom! We had been having our "talks" about things, and they have all ended the same way.

"Hey, Mom," I said casually.

"Hi Honey," she replied.

"What's up?" I asked, afraid to even ask, because I knew what she was going to say.

"I'm sorry for what happened the other day," Mom said.

"Forget about it," I responded.

"I just wanted to tell you that if something happens, soon," she began, "I love you. I wish I could come see you, but all of the flights are full, and—"

"So wait," I interrupted , as much as I hate doing that to her, "You're calling me to tell me that you love me, because you think the world is going to end soon, and you've lost hope that I'm going to come with you?"

"I didn't say that—"

"You did say that! You've been saying that for a month now! Just forget it! I'm supposed to save the world, not watch it die! Religion has nothing to do with it!" I stopped, realizing how far I'd gone, how someone might hear… I take a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Mom," I said through gritted teeth. "I love you too. I'm glad this religion thing is working out for you, but it's… It's not for me. Please just leave me out of it."

"I'm not trying to force you into anything," Mom said. "I can't make the decision for you. But the feeling is getting stronger every day. The signs are everywhere. Something is going to happen soon."

"And you've called to tell me good-bye. That makes so much sense." I sighed. I hate to be so rude to her, but what she's trying to tell me about is just crazy. Well, that's what I try to get myself to think. I think I know, deep inside, that it's true, I just don't want to believe it. I can't believe it. I have too many other things to worry about. Leading the flock, saving the world, Fang, Dylan, all that good stuff. I don't have time for this kind of thing.

"Max…" Mom breathes.

"Mom, I gotta go. Bye."

Before she could answer, I slammed the phone down, and that's where I am now. I sit on my bed, debating whether I should pick up that bat and beat the wall with it and wake everybody up or try to swallow it all down and control my rage. Controlling my rage usually isn't part of the deal.

Instead, I find myself opening the window and flying out into the night air. The wind blows across my face, through my hair and feathers, and I'll admit, it feels good. While it lasts.

"Hello, Beautiful," Dylan says from above me, getting way too close to my back, our wings touching each other while they flap.

I drop down about a foot and turn almost upside down, while my foot flies and hits Dylan in the mouth. He doesn't even wince or act hurt. Quickly, Dylan drops down in front of me and I would have crash into him if it weren't for my fast reflexes.

"Dylan, go away," I say sternly.

He laughs. "Why? You need some alone time?"

"You got a problem with that?"

"No, no," he says, chuckling.

"Good. Then go die in a hole."

"Hey now, no need to get feisty." He grins.

I raise my brows at him. "What!" Then I decide, before he can answer, that I'm gonna smash his face in. So I fly toward him and throw a punch, but he deflects it immediately. I'm pretty sure I taught him that. We continue fighting, but he doesn't stop once.

I kick him out into the night sky, then begin to fly backwards, watching him, but getting farther away at the same time. But Dylan doesn't come back up this time. He continues to fall, and for once I'm surprised that he doesn't get up. Did I really kick him that hard? Before I can think of an answer, he comes back up and charges toward me. Fast. Before he gets near close to me though, he slows down, but he doesn't stop. When he reaches me, he puts two hands out and holds my face while he… kisses me.

For a minute I'm so surprised that I don't do anything, even though I should be ripping his face off right about now. Dylan lets go and flies off, laughing, while I fall. Come on, Max, get ahold of yourself! I think. I flip out my wings and catch myself, reality hitting me. He just KISSED ME! Now I'm mad. Where the hell did he go? I'm gonna kill him!

I look around, but Dylan is nowhere in sight. Trying to control my anger, I turn around and fly as fast as I can, past all of the other birds, cooling off, back to the house. I pass over a few houses, and hear car crashes and sirens. Hmm… I wonder what that is… Eh, probably some drunk kids. I breath, in, out, then before I know it, I'm back. I grab hold of the house to help me up, then I hop through the open window and slam it shut so Dylan can't get in through here. I bet he heard the whole conversation between me and my mom. That [bad Max]!

Slowly, I climb into bed and slow my breathing. It takes forever, but I finally manage to get to sleep.

When I wake up, it is still dark outside. I look at my clock, trying to remember where I've been this time. It is four o'clock in the morning. Hmm… I slightly recall there being a bird I was flying with. It was black, and a second one was white. I don't remember anything else. I lie back prostrate and try to go back to sleep, but it doesn't work. I am fully awake. Sighing, I sit up.

I walk down the hall to the kitchen, and look for something to eat. After scanning some options over in my head, I take out a cereal bar and start taking the wrapping off of it. I sit at the counter for a few hours, thinking, waiting. Every minute seems like an hour. At seven, Iggy finally comes in. Huh. That's weird… Usually Angel is the second one up. "Morning, Iggy," I say.

"Hey Max," he replies, pulling out some cereal from the cabinet, pouring it into a bowl, then milk on top of it, not spilling a drop. He puts the milk in the exact place it was in the refrigerator. How he does that, for a blind guy, I do not know. He picks up his bowl and begins taking it to the table, when he freezes. He looks at me. "Where's Angel?"

"I don't know, I was just wondering that myself," I reply. "Maybe we should go check on her."

"Nah, let her sleep," Iggy says. "I'm sure she'll wake up in a few minutes."

I nod, then remember Iggy can't see me nod. "Right," I say. So we wait.

Next in line comes Dylan. I purposely ignore him, but that can only last so long…

"You look tired," Dylan says, sitting way too close to me.

I push him out of his chair. "Shut up" is all I can think of to retort.

We wait some more. An hour later, I decide I can't take it anymore. I stand up and walk to Nudge and Angel's room. Nudge is under her covers, snoring away, and Angel is… not there? Her bed is unmade, which is unusual, but nothing is under it. I sit on her bed, and feel around. Something is under the covers, but it doesn't feel like her. Carefully, I take the sheets and whip them back, revealing… Angel's nightgown.

I stare at it, confused, bewildered. The dress is in a position that looks like it's sleeping. As if Angel just… disappeared out of her clothes… I slowly turn to Nudge. She's still here, obviously. The sheets rise and fall as she snores. I walk toward her bed and whip back the sheets, divulging Nudge, slowly reaching consciousness. "Max…?"

I ignore her, my eyes wide, and walk down the hallway to Gazzy and Iggy's room. I pull back Gazzy's sheets and find his pajamas under them, also in a position that looks like he was sleeping and disappeared out of his clothes. Right under his pillow lies his necklace, with little beads on a leather strip.

Down the hall, Nudge screams. I turn around quickly, starting for her room. Nudge stands by Angel's bed, Angel's nightgown in her hands. "Max, what's going on?"

I shake my head. "I don't know."

"Max!" comes Dylan's voice from downstairs. "Get in here, girl, this is crazy!"

If I'm not in so much in shock as I am I would've cussed him out for saying just that, but I don't have the strength to say anything right now. I walk downstairs, and slip on the second to last step, but I stand and walk on. Dylan has the remote in his hand, standing in front of the TV, watching the news.

"…Evidence of the mass disappearances that occurred in every country at approximately midnight, Eastern Standard Time . . ." A wave of dizziness hits me. Disappearances? In every country? "Here again," the newsman said, "is one of the strangest images we have received from this phenomenon no one can explain. This was shot by the uncle of a soccer game at a missionary boarding school in Indonesia. Watch as the players race down the field. In slow motion now, watch all but one player disappears. Their uniforms float to the ground as the ball bounds away and the sole remaining player stops and stares in horror. Watch as the cameraman keeps the video rolling and turns from side to side, showing he is one of the few adults remaining, the rest have all disappeared right out of their clothes," he says all as a video is shown of exactly what he said.

Oh. My. God.

So this is what happened to Angel and Gazzy? They disappeared?

Mom!

I quickly run to the phone and dial her number. It doesn't even ring before a voice comes on, saying the lines are full, and asking if it's important. I answer a quick YES and demand to talk. Iggy raises a brow and I wave him off. It doesn't ring. I dial again and again, breaking one of the buttons in while doing so, and finally it rings. Once. Twice. Three times. "Come on!" I yell at the phone. Finally, someone picks up the phone.

"Max?"

I almost shout Mom's name in joy, but my voice catches in my throat as I take in the voice. That doesn't sound like my mom…

"Who is this?" I demand.

"It's Jeb."

"Jeb! What are you doing at my mom's house? Actually, don't answer that. Is she there? Is she okay? Is Ella still there?"

Jeb takes a breath. "No, Max. I'm sorry. All of the children under the age of 12 have all disappeared, and thousands of adults and teenagers have disappeared everywhere. Your mother and sister have disappeared. There are wrecks everywhere, from where people have disappeared out of their cars, houses burnt to the ground because they had something burning and no one was there to turn it off. Turn on the news—"

The phone drops out of my hands. I can't breathe.

"Max?" Nudge asks from the stairs.

I want to tell her I'm fine, but I'm not.

"Max?" Jeb's voice comes from the phone on the floor. I don't dare pick it up. But Nudge does.

"Hello?" she says through it, turning it on speaker mode, so we can all hear.

"Max, are you there?" Jeb asks.

"Here," I groan.

"Do you need me to come over there? I figure Angel and The Gasman are gone, right? And Nudge?"

"No," Nudge says, "I'm here."

"Right, you're thirteen," Jeb says, thinking aloud. "So do you need anything? All of the lines are busy, so I'd guess this is the last time we'll talk for a while. Should I come to your house?"

"No!" I shout, finally coming to my senses. "Don't come! We're fine! "

"It's really dangerous out there, Max," he replies. "Just watch your back."

"What about your speech about me saving the world? You're not going to forget that, are you?"

"I haven't forgotten. I just… don't know how you're supposed to help it right now," Jeb admits.

"Okay…" I reply, not expecting him to say that at all. Kinda makes me a little lost for words. "Is that all?"

"Look for your friends. Try to find out what's going on. I will do that also."

"Great. You do that. But I already have an idea of what's going on. And I think I'm right."