Make Some Noise

I couldn't believe it. Iggy had found his family, and now I was all alone. I hadn't even told him how I felt, and now I never would get to. Soon we would be moving on, leaving everything and everyone behind yet again. But his time, Iggy would not be with us. I love him. Yes, I said it, I love Iggy. I love his big blue eyes, sightless though they are. I love his hair, so soft and smooth. But most of all I love his hugs, warm and comforting. I will miss those; heck, I already do. As sad as I am to see him go, I am happy for him. At least he knows now who his parents are. I, on the other hand, am alone. Max might say that she is there for me, but she isn't. She is way too caught up with Fang to even see how depressed I am. Angel's too young to understand, and if you think I'd tell Gazzy you are obviously crazed.

So here I was, sitting on my perfect bed in Anne's house, silently bawling my eyes out. Yes, I said silently. I know it is shocking, but I, Nudge, was quiet. I talk when I am happy, but then I felt as if I'd never talk again. Ugh, the quiet was killing me. I needed to fly, and I needed music. I grabbed the walkman that Anne got me, popped in the soundtrack to Hannah Montana, and opened my balcony door. I should have worn a coat, but I didn't care. I could freeze and not care at that moment. I stood on the railing, silently savoring bitterly cold night air. With a jump and a whoosh, I was airborne. My fawn colored wings flapped, and then I was coasting, riding on the wind. I skipped to my favorite track on the CD, then pressed play.

It's easy to feel like you're all alone,

To feel like nobody knows,

The great that you are, the good that's inside you,

That's tryin' so hard to break through,

Maybe it's your time to lift off and fly,

You won't know if you never try,

I will be there with you all of the way,

You'll be fine,

Don't

Let,

Anyone tell you that you're not strong enough,

Don't give up,

There's nothing wrong with just being yourself,

That's more than enough,

So, Come on and raise your voice,

Speak up and make some noise,

And sing,

Hey, yeah,

Hey yeah,

Hey yeah, make some noise,

You want to be known,

You want to be heard,

And know you are beautiful,

You've got so much to give,

Some change you wanna live,

So shout it out and let it show,

Maybe it's your time to lift off and fly,

You won't know if you never try,

I will be there with you all of the way,

You'll be fine,

Don't,

Let,

Anyone tell you that you're not strong enough,

Don't give up,

There's nothing wrong with just being yourself,

That's more than enough,

So come on and raise your voice,

Speak up and make some noise,

And sing,

Hey, yeah,

Hey, yeah,

Hey, yeah,

Make some noise!

The song ended with a chorus of "Hey, yeahs," but I was to broken up to finish. Iggy was the only one who made me feel like I was beautiful. No wonder, he can't see me! If only he could look at my frizzy black hair, my too long limbs, and my crooked nose, then he would know why nobody else in the flock pays attention to me. To Max and Fang I am just a little kid, like Gazzy and Angel. To them, I am like a big kid. I just don't fit in anywhere, without Ig here.

I had landed, and was kneeling on some muddy ground about a mile away from Anne's house. The tears that had rolled down my cheeks were drying, and I saw a hint of pink on the horizon. I needed to get back. The last thing I needed was Max biting my head off and telling me I could have gotten captured by Erasers. I wouldn't have cared, though. For all I cared, Ari could have brought me back to the School and I would be fine. I was numb. Numb to everything but pain.

I ran as fast as I could, which is pretty dang fast, considering my bird kid speed. With a final leap, I was in the air and almost back. I needed to take a shower. A long, hot shower was exactly what I needed. I know you are probably thinking, Hey, isn't that Max's thing?

Well, newsflash, people, Max stole it from me. Oh, well. I slipped back into my room, glad that nobody else was up yet. My bedroom mad a bathroom attached to it, complete with a hot tub like tub and a showerhead that massaged. The steaming water ran down my body, washing away mud, grime, tears, and most of all, guilt. I shouldn't be crying when Iggy found his family, but I am. He is the first boy I ever loved, and the only one so far. He actually talks to me, and really listens to my babble. I missed him so much.

A few days passed, and no one but me knew about my little midnight expedition but me, myself, and I, and we all wanted to keep it that way.

Well, that day at school some of the teachers turned out to be Erasers. Oh, Joy. Note the sarcasm. We pulled a U and A out of that joint, and fast. Unfortunately, we had to return to Anne's house for Total. It turns out that Anne was working or the School. Big surprise there. Jeb was there, and Ari. Angel dived and caught Total, and we were about to leave when, lo and behold, Iggy shows up.

Now, you might think that I would go confess my love to him at that very moment, and that we would be together forever. I've got a piece of info for ya; that only happens in romance novels and sometimes romantic comedies, or, ever more rarely, teen action and sci-fi. It's not like we're in a book, or anything, right? So I gave him a big hug, and left it at that. I smiled as we flew off into the sky, because I felt like I could save the world. Who knows? Maybe it will my my turn someday. Until then, I will remain the ever talkative, fashionable, and totally in love,

Nudge.