A/N: Hello! Chances are pretty close to 100% that I have never met you before. Considering that I just joined FanFiction (two days ago, that is). So. I just wanted to say hi, and that I wouldn't mind you stopping by and saying hi too. Especially if it's a review! lol.
Anyways, I look forward to meeting you all.
Rain
Disclaimer: I hate these. And you already know what's supposed to go here so why should I? Fine. I don't own MR. Happy?
Chapter 1:
Click
Click.
I sighed, long and frustrated.
Click.
"Angel." I threatened.
"What?" She asked me in my head, not bothering to remove the disposable camera from its perch over her blue eye.
"Angel, you do know – "
Click.
"You do know how much I hate to have my picture taken, don't you?" I suppressed a sarcastic tone.
"Sorry Max, but I have to get a picture of your wings." She said very a-matter-of-factly. "We can't have a scrapbook if we don't have a picture of your wings in it Max!"
"If you want a picture of my wings, you shouldn't sneak up on me when I'm undressing. Can you please wait… like…. until we are flying?" I searched for a sleeve in the purple-ish, red-ish turtleneck I was putting on. (Iggy claims that it's actually a color called "Maroon". Whatever the heck that is.)
"But you said that we aren't going to be leaving for a few more days." Angel protested, pointing outside. Not that you could see a lot outside to begin with. Snow was plastered to the edges of the window, and the remainder of the window was fogged up with a flurry of the annoying white stuff.
I sighed.
"Well. You're just going to have to wait a few more days then."
"But –"
"And be sure you do something with those pictures when we get them developed." I said as I kicked my backpack into a more suitable corner. "The last thing I need is a picture of me in my bra in the Flock's scrapbook."
She looked down-trodden for a moment, but then her angelic expression returned and she bounced over to hug me. She snagged a belt loop on my jeans and hugged my waist, which was a little lower than shoulder level for her.
"Okay Max." She said.
I placed a kiss on the top of her head among her bouncy blonde curls.
And sure enough, a moment later she was skipping out the door, disposable camera in hand.
Click.
"Angel." I threatened again, but she was already gone.
I waited until I heard a door slam, declaring that Angel had arrived in the boy's room, before I headed back over to the window.
The blizzard outside had been a constant problem for about four days now. And still counting. (I know four days doesn't sound like a lot… But let's stick you in a hotel for four days in the middle of a blizzard and see how you like it.) We were lucky to find this hotel before the storm actually hit, but the Gasman, Nudge, and Angel were all pretty disappointed to find out that it actually had an outdoor pool. And outdoor isn't really an option right now.
So – in other words – boredom was pretty quick to take over.
But on the subject of Angel: You may be wondering why Angel has a camera, where she got it, and what she is doing with it.
Well.
Just a few days ago, (when we were in a warmer climate – why we ever left there I will never know) Angel discovered that she couldn't remember Ari before he went Eraser. Not that I blame her, she was really young back then. But that was all Angel needed to convince her that she needed to compile a huge scrap book. The Flock's Scrapbook. That way, she would never forget anything, ever again. (Although… I can't even imagine why she would want to remember being chased by evil wolf-creatures and robots… hiding in a hotel in a blizzard… running from who-knows-what-now…)
I heard muffled complaints coming from the other room. Apparently I'm not the only one here that doesn't like to have my picture taken. I smiled to myself.
Outside, the wind roared with an especially powerful blast, pelting snow into the already freezing window.
We're sitting ducks. Out here in the middle of Colorado (a.k.a. Nowhere) in a hotel during a blizzard that I can't even imagine flying through. If anything was to come and attack us now we –
Something rasped on the door.
I leapt up, heart racing, and accidentally hit my face on the window. Falling back, I grabbed for support. But simply ended up plopping onto my lumpy backpack. Lumpy backpack. Not soft.
It rasped on the door again.
"Housekeeping!"
I just sat there. Feeling too stunned and too embarrassed to actually answer the door.
"Wow." I said out loud, laughing at my own stupidity. I really needed to quit dwelling on things like being attacked. Otherwise things like this become more and more likely to happen. And I'm pretty jumpy as it is!
A moment later, I heard keys rattling at the door, and a surprisingly young brunette walked in.
"Oh!" She noticed me by the wall. "I'm so sorry! I thought I heard something, but I didn't think anyone was here."
"It's okay. I was just about to leave anyway." I lied.
"Oh." She pulled her bulky cart into my room. "Okay then."
In the hallway I could hear the muffled sounds of Angel's tyranny coming from the boy's room, so I decided to head over in that direction.
Click.
"Angel! Stop it already! You're giving me a headache!" Iggy declared from a chair in the far corner of the room. "I've seen enough white flashes to last a life-time!"
"Oh stop it!" Angel was practically purring. "It's not that bad."
Click.
"Ugghhh!" Iggy hid his face in a pillow.
"Okay Angel. I think that's enough now." I announced in the doorway.
"Hi Max! Can we order some room service? I'm really, really, really hungry. Although you probably already knew that. That's why I asked –"
Click.
" – for some room service food. I wonder what I should get this time! Their chicken nuggets are good, but I kinda feel like a cheeseburger with –"
Click.
" – fries. I wonder if the fries can come with ketchup and –"
"Okay. I think that's enough." I said, rubbing my creased forehead. "Just order something. I don't care."
"Okay!" Nudge skipped over to the phone.
Click.
"And didn't I already say that was enough with the camera?" I held my hand out for the device.
Angel sighed, but surrendered her weapon of torture.
"Thanks Angel. I promise to give it back later." I placed yet another kiss on her head. "I think that everyone just needs a little break right now. Okay?"
She looked indecisive for a moment, but made up her mind pretty quickly. "Okay! Can I order some food too, Max?"
"Sure. Whatever you want."
And with that she was gone, running over to join Nudge in adding to the already horribly long list of foods.
"Is she done?" Iggy asked, still huddling under a pillow.
"Yup. Where's the Gasman and Fang?" I said looking around. "I haven't seen them in a while."
"Gazzy's taking a shower, and I'm not sure where Fnick is. He's vanished."
"Oh! Max! Do you think the steak would taste any good if I put ketchup on it? I mean, who eats steak with ketchup on it? Everybody has steak sauce with their steak. That's why they call it steak sauce, duh. I wonder if I should try it. With ketchup, I mean. What do you think, Max?" Nudge interrupted.
My brain paused for a moment, trying it's best to register what she had just said.
"Umm. You can try it if you want." I finally said.
"I think you should!" Angel announced.
I turned back to Iggy.
"I think I'm going to try to find Fang." I said.
"Good luck with that." He reached out and touched the corner of my shirt. "Oh. And I like your maroon sweater."
I rolled my eyes. (A habit. Even though I knew he couldn't see that.
Stumbling out the door of the guy's room, I figured out that the maid was still working on my room. I guess that rules out one room.
I closed my eyes, and simply listened. A ragged breathing was coming from somewhere to my left. I turned on my foot and snapped a picture in that direction. I hope I got the right direction. I stopped, listening to double-check.
Yup. He's over there all right.
"So… If I develop this film, you will show up in it, right?" I said as I rolled the counter on the bottom of the camera.
"Not funny Max." Fang's silhouette-like form suddenly appeared against the tacky off-white walls of the hotel.
"Wow. The hallway. I thought you were a little more creative than that." I said as I took a seat beside him to lean against the wall.
"Yeah. I guess. But it's better than on top of a backpack." He agreed.
I almost blushed.
"How did you know about that?" I asked, slightly flustered at his omnipresent-ness.
He simply shrugged.
Figures. He won't tell me.
It became really quiet then. As it usually does when you have a conversation with Fang.
"Don't worry though." Fang finally said. "I feel like a sitting duck, too."
I sent him a confirming look. The kind that said "I totally agree with you."… except… maybe without the "totally".
I heard the door to the boy's room creak open, and Angel darted out of the room.
"Oh, there you are!" Angel squealed. "I was looking all over for you Fang! Max, can I have my camera back now?"
"No." Fang said rather bluntly.
"Sure honey." I gave it back to her with a smirk. "Have fun."
Fang shot me a look – not that I saw it – but I could feel it burn on the back of my neck. And it wasn't the "I totally agree with you either look" either.
"Thanks Max! I'll be good. I promise."
I couldn't halt a confused look on my face.
"I know you'll be good, honey."
Click.
"Um. Okay then." I started walking away.
And that was when I heard it. The infamous sound of a loading gun.
Click.
Crap.
I ducked just in time to dodge the first bullet, and barely enough to miss the second.
Angel screamed, and I heard her drop something.
I already knew this was going to happen. It always does. Why shouldn't it happen now?
I looked over to see Fang shielding my baby, guiding her back into the room she came from.
Suddenly, Erasers poured into the hallway. They growled and snapped at each other, firing guns every which way.
Yup. They were Erasers all right. But weren't all of the Erasers dead?
Another bullet whizzed by me, this time missing me by inches.
No. I'll have to worry about that later. There is no time now, and there are much more important matters to fret about.
For example:
We were under attack.
And, to top that off:
We were trapped.