The screams of my parents over the roar of the flames made me sit up straight out of a dead sleep. My thick blond hair was matted and stuck to my face, the sweat practically pouring of my face. The tee I wore to bed was coated in sweat too; the cool air from the open window was refreshing— wait I didn't open the window. Quickly I jumped out of bed and turned the light on. My eye's adjusted just before settling on the lump snoring away on the other side of the room. Angel, thank god I thought we were being followed again, I need to ease up a bit ever since we, meaning Angel and I, escaped the Academy for the gifted a year ago my guard has never gone down. We haven't been found yet, let's hope it stays that way. Angel turns toward the light and opens her eyes staring at me in confusion.
"Max, what are you doing?" Angel looked at the clock on our nightstand "its 2:30 in the morning, I just got to sleep." She rubbed her eyes waiting for my answer.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. Go back to sleep we have to get up early for our school clothing." I watched as Angel turned back over and pulled her pillow over her head. "Hey, wait where have you been anyway?"
Angel pulled her pillow off her head getting agitated "I was out with Iggy remember, we had a date. If you would have stayed up I could have told you about it." With that she tugged the pillow over her head forcing herself to block out anything else I had to say.
I turned the light out and walked over to my bed thinking about the dream with mom and dad, I wish I could remember what started the fire. I can't remember the fire department found me and Angel outside the house as the fires burned brightly. They said that our parents were in the house and that neither of them survived. After that Angel and I were put in a foster care system until one day this nice looking couple, Jeb and Marian Batchelder, came in looking to adopt two children, siblings if possible they said. Of course we had to line up and share our names they observed us for a few days after that. Looking at each set of children and whispering to one another. After about a week the Ms. Fade, the child services lady, told us to pack our things because Jeb and Marian wanted to adopt us. We weren't really thrilled about all this because our parents had just died not even two months ago. They led us to their car and we got in, Angel never let go of my hand. After the Hello's were said and they got their questions and concerns in; they showed us to our room. The next few weeks were wonderful they had a huge yard with a pool and seeing as it was the middle of school we were welcomed to swim anytime we wanted to. Those days however came to an end when the social worker stopped coming to the house to check if everything was in order. The morning after the last session with the social worker they told us we were going to camp, we didn't know what to expect until we came up to these huge walls made of brick and atop that brick was barbed wire with a sign that side 'Warning Electric Wiring'. Angel and I looked at one another with looks of concern and worry on our faces.
"Get out of the car." Jeb said in a strong daring voice more like "try to escape if you can".
No, I won't relive those terrible memories, they're too much. All the terrible things they did to us, pricking needles into us ever chance they got, the pain they put us through. I can still hear Angels pleading cries as they electrocuted her filling her with terror. I lay back in bed trying to sleep. Nope, I wasn't going to sleep an ounce.
The next morning I wake up from the sound of our alarm clock going off telling us it's eight o' clock. I turn it off and get up stretching my tightly knotted muscles. Oh, today it going to be a kill, I only slept for two hours. This was not good. Angel moved around to let me know she was awake but she wasn't getting up until I showered. I groaned as I got up and grabbed the towel. Heading to the bathroom I hear Angel fall out of her bed with a loud 'BANG'.
"Ouch! Where'd the rest of my bed go!?" She exclaimed. I chuckled to myself just before closing the bathroom door.
I patted to our shared bedroom, only because we were both afraid to be separated ever since the Academy so we try and stay close, I toss the towel on my bed and search the closet (we also shared) looking for something trendy but nothing that'll attract attention. I didn't have much because when we escaped the Academy we didn't seem the need to grab a lot of stuff. We did however grab some cash out of the officer's wallet as he slept (on the job I might add) which is how we escaped. Angel and I didn't understand why someone would carry over a thousand dollars in their pocket; it was stupid but helped us in the long run.
I searched around until I found a white button down and black vest. I went to the dresser grabbed some dark jeans and got dressed only brushing out the knots in my hair. I walked into the kitchen to find Angel sitting at the small table eating some cereal. "What on earth took you so long? I thought you drowned in there." She said as she stuffed a spoon full of corn flakes into her mouth.
"Just hurry up and go shower, we're going to leave soon."
"Did you use all the hot water" Angel asked finishing her milk.
"No, now go!" I demanded. Angel stuck her tongue out and put her bowl in the sink very dramatic like. I was about to throw my own spoon at her when she throw her arms in the air in defeat.
"Alright, alright already grumpy pants I'm going." She raced passed me and into the bathroom.
We didn't have a mom and being the oldest well I was damned to let anyone else be motherly figures toward us after the whole Jeb and Marian thing happened.
Almost forty-five minutes later we are finally leaving the apartment we started renting almost eight months ago. I found a job at Starbucks and Angel got a job at this diner as a waitress. Which is how we're able to pay for everything those thousand dollars didn't last very long. As we walked along the street heading to the bus stop Angel asks "What do you think this new school will be like?" I squeezed her hand trying to reassure her. She smiled and continued to walk until we got to the bus stop she put her butt on the bench as I stood there observing the area. "You can calm down, no one around here is going to try and attack us" I look down at her to see if she was uncertain of this but she wasn't so I sat down and waited. Oh yeah did I tell you, Angel has powers. It's pretty awesome actually. I guess that's why we were being experimented on. Angel can hear what people are thinking and she can sense if there is any harm around us. It comes in handy a lot. I don't have powers, not that I know of anyway. Our parents always told us we were special and that someday we'll grow into our powers, well they were right because Angel grew into hers when she was fifteen when we were still in the Academy. She would warn me when they were coming and also help break us out. No one knew we left until after we got out of the gates Angel grinned and had told me they know. It was nothing but running after that. I'm eighteen and still haven't developed my powers if I will at all is beyond me.
"Max!" I heard Angel yell as if trying to get my attention. I come back to reality to find Angel already halfway on the bus.
"Oh! Sorry about that" I give the drive our change and find a seat on the busy bus. When we couldn't find one we just stood in the middle holding each other's hands as the bus made its normal stops. Twenty minutes later Angel and I are racing toward the entrance of the mall, "I'm going to win!" I yell from in front of her.
"No you wo— Max look out!" Before I could turn my head, my body collided with someone else's hard one making me practically bounce back onto my butt.
"Ouch, oh geez I'm so sorry" I look down at the figure I'd ran into no doubtingly knocking him over too, only to see his feet. I trace his body as I look up to meet his eyes. His body thin and muscular you can tell under the tight tee shirt he was wearing with dark black jeans. His face chiseled and his eye almost as black as coal. He was gorgeous! He continued to stare at me until I realized that my mouth was slightly open and my legs were dangling on the sides of his feet.
"Are you okay? That was some nasty fall you took there" his friend said giving me his hand.
I was brushing myself off when Angel comes walking up to me almost crying with laughter. "That was so freaking hilarious" she said through each breath.
I glared at her as I brushed myself off. "Thanks Ang, I'm okay thanks for asking."
"I'm Iggy, and this" he pointed to the tall handsome guy I was just drooling over "is Fang, are you new here? I've never seen you around before". That time the kid – Fang – snickered "Seeing as I can't see to begin with." I stared at Iggy now not realizing that he was wearing sunglasses on a cloudy day.
"Yeah, we're new. We just moved here from Montana." Angel butted in looking at Iggy with admiration. That girl needs to learn self-control when it comes to boys. Not like I can say much but still.
"So why'd you move all the way out here, there isn't much to look at in Pennsylvania. Are you going to be enrolling in St. Lehigh high school?" Iggy looked at us questionally waiting for us to answer.
"We were -" I began until Fang interrupted.
"How about you leave them alone, we have to go." Fang looked at Iggy then his eye landed on me, he eyes so dark and mysterious pulled away all too soon.
"You're right; well I hope to see you young ladies at school! See Ya." Iggy waved and Fang just walked away in front of him heading down the road.
"Well they were both very cute, especially Iggy; his sandy blond-red hair was so sexy."
"Angel, learn to contain yourself around guys please we're trying to keep a low profile remember" Angel just smiled and walked forward.
The next four hours was a total nightmare Angel had just go through every single one of the stores even the electronic stores which we didn't need to go in! We ate and came home with about ten bags each of clothing, I wasn't too much for dressing to impress but Angel was and she hated when I wouldn't dress like a girl. She squealed and continued talking about Iggy for the rest of the night. I wanted to kill her. She noticed the threatening thoughts in my head and just kept talking about him. Finally it was ten at night and she passed out on the couch after watching the last of 'Pretty Women'. I picked her up and cared her heavy but to her bed. I tucked her in and got ready for bed myself. I was just about ready to turn the light off when I saw something moving outside my second story window. I stiffed and swiftly move to the window to get a better look, I made out a tall figure on the opposite side of the street, and I tried looking closer trying to make out their features only to have my blood rush out of my face. It was Ari; he was smiling at me devilishly. I pulled on a pair of shorts and ran down the stairs pushing the door open with all my might. He was still across the street ready to call in my ware bouts when I kicked him in the side hearing a few hips cracking under the impacted. He tried to turn around to grab at me but I was too fast, I jumped on his back and started to claw his face apart. He made a loud grunting sound as he got up and slammed me into the tree a few feet from where he was standing. I cried out loud enough to wake someone but whom I didn't expect to come to my rescue was Iggy and Fang. As I punched Ari in the mouth after getting back on my feet Iggy came from behind me and punched Ari in the face as well.
"It's not nice to be beating up on innocent girls you know" Iggy making a joke in this situation was not the time. At. All. Fang grabbed me and pulled me away but I was ready to fight, I forced him to let go and I ran at Ari giving him an uppercut in the throat. His breath caught gasping for air as he fell on the ground. "Whoa!" Was all Iggy said as I forced all my energy into a side kick to the temple. Ari crashed against the concrete unconscious. I grabbed his wrist and yanked that watch off putting it my pocket for now.
"Wait here with him please" I said as I ran up into our apartment and grabbed the 'Forget me not' liquid that somehow ended up in our backs after we left the foster home. Rushing down stairs again before Ari could wake up I jogged over and slipped him some of the liquid.
"What the?" Was all Iggy said while Fang just watched me.
"Do you guys have a car?" I said as I began to lift Ari up "I need to borrow it for an hour" Iggy ran back to where ever they lived and came up twenty minutes later with a Honda civic. They helped me out Ari in the back of the car and Fang went with me while Iggy stayed with Angel. Angel would most diffidently like that.
"What was that all about?" Fang asked after we dumped Ari's body about seventy-five miles away from our apartment.
My knuckles white as I grip the steering wheel, not sure if I should tell him. "It's fine it you don't want to tell me, but that was so bizarre that I figured you could give me something."
He was right of course that was highly strange. I had to tell him something. "That was my foster father's private eye; he's been trying to track us down for almost a year now. We don't want to go back we ran away for a reason, this was the first time he's ever gotten that close before."
"What was that stuff you gave him? So kind of memory loss drug?" He eyed me from the passenger seat waiting for my response.
"Yes, we were given it from someone, we're not sure who but it sure does come in handy." Fang took this in and said nothing for the reason of the ride. Every now and then I would sneak glances to see what he's thinking but his facial expressions revealed nothing.
When we got back to our apartment Angel had been away and very upset that I didn't wake her up, or more so that she didn't wake up until she heard loud banging coming from the kitchen. Iggy got hungry waiting for us so he decided to raid our fridge. Angel said she was so shocked that she just stood there until he noticed someone else was in the kitchen with him. He told Angel what had happened and she had gotten very worried. I left the boys in the small living room and pushed Angel into our bedroom and explain to them what she told Fang so she can know what was going on. Angel agreed asking "Do we have to move again?" in such a childlike voice it was almost heart breaking.
"No, I slipped him some of that liquid stuff we found; he's seventy-five miles away. He won't remember a thing don't worry." I gave her a heartwarming smile.
"Does that mean we get to invite Iggy and Fang over more often!" Angel started to jump up and down in glee until I told her we had school on Monday so they couldn't stay tonight much less did I want them to Iggy was going to eat everything we had. "Awe! Then maybe some other time right!" I nodded as she jumped around and skipped out the door leaving me in her dust.