I stood in the middle of the living room, staring at Iggy and Gazzy in the doorway of my house. I was both shocked and…not shocked, at the same time. Trouble always found us, one way or another, but we hadn't had trouble with whitecoats or Erasers for the past ten years.
Fang, Iggy, and I were all 24. Nudge was 21, Gazzy was 18, and Angel was 16. Fang and I had been married for six years, and in that time we'd had two beautiful children—Hope and Onyx.
We lived in a house close by to the rest of the Flock, so it wasn't uncommon for Angel and Gazzy to spend the day at our house during the week. And that day, Iggy and Gazzy had gone out with Fang for a while. Why wasn't Fang with them?
Iggy looked disappointed, and Gazzy looked…scared. He looked like a scared 18-year-old.
"What the heck happened?" was all I could say. I continued staring at them, while Angel slipped past them and into our house, her fingers pressed to her temple as if she was mind-controlling someone.
"Max," Gazzy whispered hoarsely. "Fang—he's—he's been captured."
"By who?"
"Itex."
Iggy's unseeing eyes held more sorrow than I'd ever seen before.
"Mommy?" Hope ran into the room and grinned when she saw Gazzy and Iggy. "Is Daddy here?"
I swallowed, unable to speak.
"No, sweetie," Angel bent down to tickle Hope's chin.
Onyx, who had followed his sister into the room, leaned over the side of the couch. "Then when's Daddy coming home?"
He called her on the road from a lonely cold hotel room
Just to hear her say, "I love you" one more time.
But when he heard the sound
Of the kids laughin' in the background
He had to wipe away a tear from his eye.
A little voice came on the phone,
Said, "Daddy, when you comin' home?"
He said the first thing that came to his mind.
I pointed down the hallway to the bathroom, barely managing to choke out, "You can go wash up in the bathroom, guys." Iggy and Gazzy quietly shuffled down the hall, leaving Angel and I alone with Onyx and Hope.
Angel pressed her fingers to her temples again, and she smiled. "This is what Daddy told me to tell you," she told the disappointed 3-year-old. Hope turned at the mention of a message from her daddy, and I couldn't help the tears that formed in my eyes as Angel began to sing:
"I'm already there.
Take a look around,
I'm the sunshine in your hair.
I'm the shadow on the ground.
I'm the whisper in the wind.
I'm your imaginary friend.
And I know I'm in your prayers.
Oh, I'm already there."
Hope looked at Angel quizzically. Pathetically enough, tears were running down my face as I heard Onyx whisper, "Daddy can be my imaginary friend?"
Angel nodded. "If you want him to be."
"Cool!" Onyx shouted, grabbing Hope's hand. "Come on, Hope, let's go play with Daddy!"
When the kids had left the room, I dried my eyes on my sleeve and addressed Angel. "Where is he?"
"He's been captured, like Iggy and Gazzy said. His physical strength is failing, but he really wanted to make sure that Hope and Onyx knew he was okay."
I nodded and squeezed my eyes shut, feeling discouraged and angry. I should never have assumed that the threat of Itex was gone forever. The whitecoats had been biding their time, waiting for the opportunity to hurt us again.
Iggy and Gazzy came out of the bathroom several moments later, and Gazzy's eyes met mine. "We've got Hope and Onyx covered, Max." He nodded at the door, knowing that I wanted nothing more than to run out that door, sprint down the driveway, and take off in the air.
Hope ran into the living room and wrapped her arms around my legs. "Mommy's going to get Daddy now, okay?" I said quietly, adrenaline already rushing through my body.
"Okay, Mommy," she replied, smiling brightly. She ran to take her brother's hand, and the two of them left the room.
Angel and I ran outside, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and launched ourselves into the air.
"Angel!" I shouted above the roar of the wind a few minutes later. "Which Itex headquarters is it?"
She bit her lip. "It's…hard to understand. Fang's not strong enough to keep sending me messages, but I'm getting that it's somewhere in North America."
"Well, THAT narrows it down," I snapped, unable to stop the flow of anger and bitterness that went through me.
We flew toward California, since Angel seemed to think he was somewhere in that general area. Two hours turned into twelve, and both of us stopped in a small cave for the night.
"Max? Fang is gonna be fine," Angel assured me, patting my arm as I flopped down on my stomach on the cold, hard floor of the cave.
"I know that," I snapped, burying my face in my arms.
She got back on the phone,
Said, "I really miss you darlin'.
Don't worry about the kids, they'll be alright.
Wish I was in your arms, lyin' right there beside you
But I know that I'll be in your dreams tonight.
And I'll gently kiss your lips,
Touch you with my fingertips,
So turn out the light and close your eyes."
I turned onto my side, hearing Angel lay down next to me. What horrors was Fang being subjected to? He was strong, my husband was, at times, even stronger than I was. He would be able to deal with it—but I didn't want him to have to deal with it. I missed him so much, and the worst part was, if something happened to him, Onyx and Hope and I would be alone. Nothing would ever be the same again, for any of us. Nothing would ever be the same again for my unborn child.
I'd never had the chance to tell Fang. I was five weeks pregnant. If my baby had to grow up in this world without a father…
I didn't even register the tears falling down my cheeks until they hit the cave floor. I felt Angel's hand rubbing my back, and suddenly Fang's voice echoed in my mind, singing. Angel was projecting his voice into my mind (don't ask me how she did it, I still don't know). I'd only heard him sing once before—he'd been rocking Hope when she was only a few weeks old. Now, Fang was singing that song Angel was talking about earlier.
"I'm already there.
Don't make a sound.
I'm the beat in your heart,
I'm the moonlight shinin' down.
I'm the whisper in the wind,
And I'll be there 'til the end.
Can you feel the love that we share?
Oh, I'm already there."
Hearing Fang's voice again brought fresh tears to my eyes, but they were good tears. Stupid emotions.
We may be a thousand miles apart,
But I'll be with you wherever you are.
The very next morning, before it was even light outside, I got up and sat on the edge of the cliff, watching the sun slowly come up over the hill. Max!
I spun around. "What?"
Angel blinked. "I didn't say anything."
Max!
Voice. Long time no hear.
Fang's already there.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked aloud, not in the mood for another riddle.
My eyes widened in realization. You mean—?
Yes, Max.
I turned to grin at Angel. "Fang's home!" I shouted, and her face split into an identical grin.
I grabbed Angel's hand, and we jumped off the cliff, shooting towards the house. We were twelve hours away, but I figured I could cut that time in half if I went ahead of Angel.
"Do you mind?" I asked.
"Max, go ahead! I'll meet you there tonight." And I was off. I wasn't even aware of the hours as they passed and I saw the house.
Landing neatly in the driveway, I ran to the side door and burst in, stopping abruptly at the sight before me.
Fang was asleep on the couch, his long hair covering one eye, with Hope and Onyx both asleep on top of him. Everything else in the house was quiet, except for the sound of Nudge and Iggy's footsteps as they came down the hallway, holding hands.
I watched Hope and Onyx go up and down with the rise and fall of Fang's chest. I smiled and tried to close the door as quietly as I could, but all three of them woke up.
"Mommy!" Hope shouted, poking Fang's chest. "Daddy's home!"
"Cookies in the kitchen!" Nudge called, winking at me as Hope and Onyx jumped over the back of the couch and snapped out their wings to get to the kitchen faster.
Fang stood up, his eyes gazing into mine. A half-smile quirked his mouth, and in two strides he had reached me. Before I knew it, his arms were around me, and he was holding me so tightly that I couldn't breathe, but I didn't care. He stepped back and kissed my neck, his shaggy hair tickling my chin.
"I missed you," he murmured into my hair, wrapping me in his arms again. When he stepped back again, I took his face in my hands and kissed him, enjoying the feeling of having him close again. When we broke apart, his eyes searched my face, as if I was the one who'd been abducted.
We stared at each other for several minutes, and I was reluctant to end the silence. But I carefully took his hand and pressed it to my stomach, my eyes giving away everything.
He raised his eyebrows, and something lit in his black eyes. He pulled me into another hug and then kissed me again, and I knew everything would be alright, because we were all together.
I'm already there
Take a look around.
I'm the sunshine in your hair,
I'm the shadow on the ground.
I'm the whisper in the wind,
And I'll be there 'til the end.
Can you feel the love that we share?
Oh I'm already there,
Oh I'm already there.