This is basically just a stupid little idea that I will get serious about if you review!! Love ya.

We were roasting hot dogs when they appeared.

Gazzy was scarfing his down a raw one, while everyone else held theirs over the weary and pathetic little bonfire, waiting for a little bit of change in the colour or texture. I watched the nine year old with digust, thinking of how much of that hot dog would come out the other end.

Fang sort of smiled as I shuddered, and I noted that he must be in a good mood to even show emotion.

I looked out over the treetops, feeling extremely grateflul for the roomy cave that we'd found just as the younger kids were beginning to fall asleep while flying.

Suddenly a voice echoed out of the back of the cave. We all froze, and I stiffened as another whisper followed, soudned unfamiliar, but definitely human. For several minutes we didn't move, then Nudge let out a terrified squeak.

"Max!"

I whipped my head around to find that my hot dog was flaming wildly, totally engulfed in the fire. I dropped it with a jump, but stayed as silent as possible, holding a finger infront of my lips as I rose slowly into a crouch, creeping silently towards the sounds which were quieting gradually. My raptor vision helped me make out two firgures in the dark, one shorter than the other.

I stopped and squinted as Fang slid in behind me, trying to figure out how we could've missed these occupants. I was sure that I'd checked every nook and cranny of the space before signalling for the flock to move in.

The people were moving now, coming towards us unknowingly. I heard an accented male voice whispering a single word that I couldn't place. Gem? Gamma?

The man looked quite big, and I began to question confronting them. If they could sneak past us so easily, or avoid detection, no doubt they could overpower us. I stubbornly pushed these thoughts away. There was no other way. We couldn't run now, and we were all too tired anyway.

I made a snap decision in the best interests of the flock, and swung my leg around to deliver a kick to the male's jaw, a strike that never hit home.

A hand suddenly grabbed my ankle, flipping me around and onto the ground.

"Oof!"

I felt and heard my breath leave me with an embarrassing sound. A second later Fang dropped beside me, looking dazed. He must have been hit before I even reached the ground! I tried to scramble to me feet, but a foot landed on my back, pressing me down again. Fang must have been subdued too, because he wasn't snapping back up to fight either.

I could hear voices above us, first a female with an English accent. She sounded confused.

"They're just kids, Kartik..."

A man answered, sounding quite a bit older than her.

"Yes. But they aren't all children." I got the feeling that he was talking about Fang, Iggy and I, seeing as we were tall enough to be adults. That also meant that they had seen or sensed Angel, Nudge, Gazzy and possibly Total sitting further out of the cave. I wriggled uncomfortably, suddenly angry at myself for confronting them even though the odds had been against us. Now that they had Fang and I, the younger kids would most likely do whatever they wanted.

Of course, Angel's little gift would turn the tables dramatically. Laying still, I tried to relax.

Soon, Angel would have these two wrapped around her baby finger.

Fang's POV

I followed Max anxiously, knowing that the two people in the cave wouldn't be any match for six super engineered avian-hybrids.

She lashed out sharply with her foot, but unexpectedly, the man didn't drop like a sack. He somehow caught her ankle, twisting her body around in an effective take-down. I made the mistake of glancing at her instead of shooting into action, and in a split second I was on the ground, my knees taken out with a sweeping kick. A sharp blow to the back of my neck immobilized me long enough for someone to put their foot in the middle of my back, pressing my body down into the rocky surface of the cave.

A pair of small, pale feet walked into view, and I struggled to lift my gaze, earning a hard push into the earth. I faced downwards, listening as the footsteps became softer and then louder as she came back.

Nudge's voice came from somewhere near the campfire.

"Who are you?"

Nobody answered her, and I wondered at their identities. I hadn't seen anything of the man yet, and the girl's feet weren't much help.

Were our captors whitcoats, or just servants of the School? But if they were an organized team sent to find us, why were they in bare feet? All these questions were silenced as she spoke.

"We shant hurt anyone... answer our questions and we will go in peace."

I blinked as I recognized a heavy English accent. Max's scornful voice shot out from beside me.

"What're you, from the 1800s? This is the 21st century- get with the times!"

Silence reigned for several seconds before the woman whispered fearfully, "Tw- twenty-first century?"

I could nearly see Max rolling her eyes.

"Duh. It's 2009, not 1909."

Suddenly the weight on my back lifted, and I sprang up at the same time as Max, just in time to see the girl fall from her standing position in a dead faint. Instinctively I rushed towards her, managing to stop her fall before her head hit the ground.

A presence behind me reminded us all of the man, who was approaching unhesitantly. I swallowed.

"What's wrong with her? D-does she, er- do this a lot?"

He knelt on the other side of her motionless form.

"No....... but she's quite experienced at faking it...." he trailed off, looking worriedly at her still face.

The whole flock had gathered around us four, and I turned and nodded at them. Max's face was set with determination, and she immediately launched into action. After issuing orders to pack up, she turned to the silent man.

"We'd better get her down to the lake."

I didn't exactly get her reasoning, but then realized that we must have made a fair amount of noise. The cave was no longer safe.

Max's POV

We touched down at the shore, our worn shoes disturbing the damp pebbles slightly. I glanced at Fang, who was carrying the still unconsious girl in his arms. He hadn't shown any objection when I'd given him the duty of flying her down with us, though the Indian man was reluctant to let her go.

"I'll be there soon after," he said. "Don't try anything."

I'd smiled grimly and flown out last, glancing back only a few seconds into our flight to see that he was already finding a way down the steep incline. What was with these people?

Fang laid her down on a patch of soft sand, nearer to the waves. We all crowded around her, and I thought of without meaning to, the movie Sleeping Beauty. We were the mourning dwarves, watching over a gorgeous sleeping form until her Prince Charming arrived. Turns out, he didn't rally need to for her to wake up.

She blinked her large green eyes open curiously, looking dazed and then alarmed. Jumping up and into a sloppy defensive crouch, she asked sharply, "Where is Kartik?"

I guessed that this was the Indian man who was with her, at the same time mentally listing off ten ways to knock her out if need be.

"He's coming."

She looked at us suspiciously, and as she stood fully the rising sun illuminated her features properly. She was very beautiful, with a nice nose and small, rich lips, big innocent eyes and pale skin. She had a gorgeous mane of red curls, streaking with gold in the light. Freckles dusted her cheeks nicely, and I noticed that they were sprinkled across a good amount of her body, which was embarrasingly visible under the thin, white gown that she wore. It came up past her knees and was practically tranparent in the sunlight, which was strengthening with every second that we stood, gaping at her, with the exception of Iggy.

Glancing over, I noticed my right hand man gawking pathetically at her, and the jealousy kicked in. Why did we always meet the pretty red-heads?

This one was definitely prettier than Lisa and the cheerleader, I noted. She saw Fang's greedy look and her features hardened, though I saw shame momentarily.

She stalked up to Fang and promptly slapped him.

I fought the grin that rose as she backed away looking, satisfied about the red mark on his cheek.

You go, girl.

We stood in silence, until Angel unexpectedly interrupted. "Your mind...." she started, sounding thoughtful. "It's different."

I snapped my head around to stare at her, but she was looking right at the girl. She looked surprised, and then she suddenly accepted Angel's gift, and I swear right then those two became brain buddies or something.

"You are not a witch," said the girl. "But you are not exactly... typical."

Angel nodded, then concentrated for a moment.

"Gemma," she mutterd thoughtfully. I realized that the man had been saying that very word, which was obviously his friend's name. I broke into their exclusive conversation.

"Well, Gemma, I'm Max."

She nodded in greeting, and the rest of our flock introduced themselves just as Kartik emerged from the treeline. He strode up to us, and I now took in his appearance as well. He had glowing chesnut skin and dark, deep eyes. A lock of curly black hair hung over one, making him seem more boyish. In fact, now that I looked at him, he couldn't have been older than eighteen, three years my senior.

He regarded us warily, joining Gemma and slipping an arm around her waist protectively. The two were more than friends, then. This theory was confirmed when I spotted a tear in the neckline of her gown, and bite marks around her neck, along with a few fading hickies. She saw me investigating and blushed furiously.

Man, were these two gonna have a story to tell.

Please review about anything at all, and check out my Gemma Doyle story, Why Me?