Shallow Flame

Max

I moved my overlong bangs from my face, shifting my feet to carry my bag more effectively. Kids walked from cabin to cabin, socializing and talking. None noticed me or Fang, though a few girls noticed him and started giggling. I snorted in disgust. Jeb had dropped us off at a "surprise visit," which turned out to be Camp Ravenbreak in the mountains of Georgia . Jeb had packed our bags ahead of time, so we were on our own for now, AKA a week. A bulky lady walked up to me, her nametag reading Mrs. McFuller.

"Well, hi there! What's your name?" she asked nicely.

"Maximum." I said, mumbling. Depsite my efforts, she recognized my words.

"Maximum. Ah, yes." she said, looking over her clipboard, "you'll be in the Windflower cabin. Over that way, honey." she said, her words like oily syrup.

I followed her directions and opened the door of a log cabin with pink roses growing out front. The door creaked as I opened it, and I faced fourteen foundation-and-blush covered faces.

Shoosh no.

Fang

I looked around, and then at my registry papers given to me by Jeb.

My cabin? The Dagger cabin. Ha-ha, Jeb. The guys all looked like high school rejects, with braces and Harry Potter style glasses. One kid looked up at me.

"Name?" he asked nervously. He was tall and pale, with red hair that was in corkscrews naturally.

"Fang." I said, and they all laughed. The laughter gradually died down as they realized that I wasn't kidding. The kid, whose nametag read Geep, pointed towards the only available bed, the top bunk in the corner. I walked silently towards it, and noticed that another person was lying on the bottom bunk.

"Taylor." he said, reaching his hand out. For kicks, I shook it. My wings felt cramped and hot. I rotated my shoulders, and Taylor blinked, his eyes changing from the deep brown that they were to an icy blue. Wait, what?

Max

A girl bounded (yes, bounded) over to me. She was the kind of girl that I hated. She had blonde hair with reddish highlights, and frosty gray eyes. She wore makeup that made me notice her eyes more, the envious color that they were making me green with envy.

"I'm Delilah." she said brightly, "Welcome to the Windflower cabin!" Another girl in the middle of the room ran forward to meet me. She was a wannabe look-alike with blond curly hair and blurry blue eyes.

"You can bunk with me, if you like!" she said. I nodded my consent, but just barely. She led me over to a bunk with pink sheets and gestured towards the bottom bunk, which would be mine. I had my very own cubbie for my makeup (Oh, goody! As if.) and a mirror. As I unpacked my new clothes that Jeb had bought for me, the girl (Hayleigh, her nametag read) pouted, her bottom lip shining with gloss.

"Do you even have any makeup?" she asked sympathetically. I shook my head, seeing how shallow that she was for the first time. Silly me. She took out a large black box from under my bed and opened it. The girl had to have the whole mall makeup department in there. She grabbed several things from each category and handed them to me in a smudged bag.

"Here; hold this while I give you a makeover before dinner. Oh, the boys are going to love you!" she squealed.

Fang

I stepped back, staring at his newly colored eyes. He looked at me in a creepy way, and I returned his gaze.

You from the School?

I looked around, wondering who said that to me. Was I discovered? Would M-Geeks rush out of the closets, bent on blood? No. Guess not. Two minutes passed, and I shook my head yes. Taylor slung a backpack over his shoulder and pushed me out the door, and our whole cabin walked to the dining hall.

Boy, I had some stuff to tell Max.

Max

I looked at my reflection, looking like a Barbie-wannabe. Gold shimmering eyeshadow made my eyes look browner that brown, but in a pretty way. Eyeliner in black and gold lines them, and Hayleigh managed to find an outfit that made me look "hot" (her words, not mine) without drawing attention to my tightly-folded wings. I wondered silently what Fang was doing when Delilah's voice spoke loudly.

"So, girls, I've got reports of a new guy. A hot guy." She said, and the other girls erupted in a chorus of giggles.

"Geep says that his name is Fang. I've got dibs!" she shouted, and my eyes widened. NotFangnotFangnotFang, whispered my nagging heart. I swallowed, and Hayleigh frowned.

"Are you okay, Maximum? You look pale." She said, adjusting my jean skort.

"Do not call me Maximum. Max is fine." I said, struggling to control my temper. She nodded politely, then grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door and turned towards the dining hall.

Fang

I searched the room, looking for Max. Most of the guys had already saved seats on their sides for "hotties" from the Windflower cabin. Taylor's eyes had changed yet again, this time to a dark, mottled, green; still nobody but he and I noticed. Laughs and conversation became louder as the Windflower cabin entered in a flurry of skinny jeans, cheap perfume, and petite cheerleaders. Then, at the back, I caught a glimpse of Max.

Oh, boy.

There she stood, oblivious to how good she looked. Her usually matted hair was straight and laying across her shoulders. She wore makeup, but not too much, just enough so that her chocolate brown eyes stood out. As far as clothes, she looked amazing, too. A not-too-short jean skort (why do I even know that word?) and vest with a tank top underneath. She spotted me, and ran over to our table. Taylor nodded, looking dazed.

"I call her." He said, breathless. I turned to him, eyes flashing, and he leaned back in response.

"Hey, hey, whoa, didn't know that you wanted her. Yeesh." He said defensively. I shook my head that I didn't want her, but then she walked over. I smelled a light cinnamon scent, and looked over at her. She laughed.

"I look terrible, right? Blame it on my annoying cabin mates."

Can you say clueless?

Max

Fang still stared at me, and then he grabbed my hand gently.

"Come with me." He said quietly, and I followed his lead out of the doors and into the fading day. He pulled his pocketknife from his pocket and touched my shoulder lightly, and then he cut identical slits for my wings. They unfolded slowly, their whitish color making a contrast with the black night. Fang inhaled deeply, staring at every single feather on them, as if he had just seen them for the first time. Then he stopped, and clenched his jaw. I quickly cut gashes in his shirt for his own dark wings. They snapped out sharply, and I studied them with a sudden realization. They were strong, powerful, and dark. Just like Fang himself. He ran forward with remarkable speed and took off towards the full moon. I followed suit and we flew for a few minutes. The cool night air sashayed past my cheeks and rustled my hair. Fang leaned over close to me, so close that I could feel his warm breath on my face, and whispered two words that struck fear into my heart.

"Someone knows."

I jerked back from his embrace.

"What?" I asked.

"He's from the School, too, Maximum." Fang answered. A mutant? Here, at Camp Wannabe?

"His….mutation?" I asked, my voice trembling. Fang shrugged.

"I don't know. His eyes can change color, though." He said. I blinked, and nodded.

"We've got to get back….." I trailed off, already at the door of the dining hall walking back in. Hand in hand. With Fang. Well, let's just say that Delilah wasn't too happy to see that. Her hands were placed frozen on her hips, and she pursed her lipsticked lips at me, then promptly caught on fire.

Lovely.