Wow. Um. Okay, really long chapter, took forever to write, don't blame me if it takes a while to get the next part up. It's not my fault! I hope you like, and I need comments and criticism on this, seriously, way more than any of my other stories. I'm going to put them all on a temporary hiatus (if that means what I think it means. (and hope!)) so I can get going on this one. It takes a while to get the good stuff, and gives a lot of background on Aly and Jace, but trust me, it's good!
-xxxAbbeyDawn
A.K.A. Me (in case you didn't know)
Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride and other characters, I just twisted it around and shoved it in his face.
New York Surprise
Part One
I stared ahead dully as I wandered the almost-empty streets of Queens. The bag of groceries hanging from my wrist swung forward and back, keeping time with my steps. The dark road glistened with rain, the streets brightly lit.
Psh, I thought to myself. Rich people! They always needed everything just so, their dogs bathing in one hundred percent pure Evian water, their clothes nothing but the latest.
I didn't even know what I was doing in here. I was going to have to fly all the way back to Manhattan, and even though it's not really that far, you try to fly above New York. It's incredibly hard, because at any moment anyone can glance out their window and see you.
Yep. That's what I said. Fly. My wings were almost thirteen feet wide, dark purple flecked with black. Odd, I know, but they were doing experiments with combining human, feline, and avian DNA, and somehow I got the dull part of the peacock spectrum. My brother, though, got the bright end.
His wings were about two feet wider than mine, and just as powerful. That was where I should be, with my brother, but I was stubborn, insisting on strolling through the richest end of Queens before heading back to our tiny apartment.
After the School had, on some crazy whim, let us loose on the world with tracker collars, we had headed to the nearest blacksmith's and gotten them peeled off. 'Course, we had had to do it ourselves, but that didn't stop us.
We had ambled around aimlessly, learning everything about the world outside human DNA experimentation, and somehow ended up at probably the biggest city in the nation.
I think.
Maybe it wasn't. But it was hard to imagine anything bigger than a dog cage, especially when you were raised for the first ten years of your life in one.
Yep. You heard me. They kept us in dog cages, testing us again and again until we were empty of blood, empty of the energy to do it any longer.
And maybe, just maybe, that was the insane reason they had chosen to let us go with detonating tracker collars on.
Anyway, at least they had done something right. It had been hard, though, making the transition from dog cage to real world.
One's a few feet by a few feet, the other's a couple thousand miles by a couple million miles. Yeah. What a tiny change there.
The wind sped up, ruffling my hair around me. My sweatshirt threatened to peel itself open and I huddled it closer to me with a groan. I sped up my slow walk, finding the nearest fire escape.
I climbed it lazily and slowly, still hunched against the cold. Once I was at the top and the metallic clang of my footsteps had faded from my ears, I strode quietly to the middle of the roof.
The clouds above me trembled angrily, and drops of cold rain hit me. I groaned again. Flying in the rain? Not my kind of fun. Especially because it takes forever for my feathers to dry out.
I slid my sweatshirt off, tying it around my waist, yanking on the sleeves viciously. A few weeks ago, my brother and I had been flying to New Jersey to see a concert that we had missed up here, and I was over the ocean when, oh! My favorite sweatshirt had fallen down, lost in the waters.
Poor, poor me. Oh well. It had been flimsy, just for looking cute anyway. I didn't know why I bought it in the first place. Sure, it was on red tag clearance, five whole freaking dollars, if you could believe it!(In New York, a great achievement for the economy) And I had instantly loved it.
I hadn't felt that much of an urge to dive down in the ocean, soaking my feathers, and risk missing the concert, so I had just flown on, telling my brother about it later.
The concert had been worth it, too. The Taylor Twins had been on tour, and we had missed them at the park because Jace and I had taken a pretty nasty fall in the sewer. Rescuing guys that had fallen in the sewer mains? No problemo, Aly and Jace, mutant supreme, to the rescue!
I unfurled my wings, sighing in relief as they slid through the holes torn in my shirt. They spread wide, all of the soreness in my wings muscles disappearing until I felt totally and completely free of the world.
I ran a few steps, tightening my hold on the plastic bag in my hand, and leaped into the air, slapping the air with my wings.
I soared up, high above Queens. I floated over the river, circling as I lowered down to land on the bridge into Manhattan. I let my wings fall back into their notches and pulled on my sweatshirt.
I jogged the rest of the way to our apartment, very conveniently close to the bridge, but far enough away that the rent wasn't sky high.
The key jiggled in the doorknob until it clicked open, and our cat, Kiki slipped in the crack of a door. I slipped the key back onto my necklace, dropping it down my shirt again and pushing the door open with my shoulder.
"Hey, bro," I called out, and Jace let out a semi greeting, a hand fluttering in the air manly-y. The TV was off, the remote lying carelessly in his hand. I picked it up as I walked past him to the kitchen table, turning on the news.
I dropped the bag on the table and turned back around, turning the volume up and dropping the remote back into it's place in his hand. I tugged my sweatshirt off, walking to my room and tossing it onto the mattress lying on the floor, picking up a lacy black tank top.
I changed into it quickly, yanking off my damp pants and yanking on black shorts. I picked up a gray sweatshirt just in case, because hey, I actually do care that our landlord doesn't know about our current mutant status!
The door swung shut behind me, the empty door knob hole gaping at me. I snarled at it. "You know, we really do need to get this place fixed up," I reminded Jace. He turned his face to me as I plopped down next to him.
"Why?" He asked, lazily. "It's fine the way it is, isn't it, Aly?"
I shook my head. "I still don't have a doorknob, it's just a big hole," I reminded him. His frown grew wider.
"And what, you think I'm, the blindest person you know, including your twin, going to feel the irresistible urge to just walk up and stare at you?" He turned his head back away, his fingers curling into fists.
"No," I said, sad that he had taken it that way. He had been itchier about his blindness lately, probably because of his raging male hormones and his lack of the ability to see whatever girl it was he was making out with tonight.
"I just mean, girls tend to like privacy like that. Like not seeing their twin half-naked, lying on the couch at frickin' nine p.m.!" I sighed, turning away from him. I stood walking to the stack of library books I had checked out, and yanked Pride and Prejudice out of the middle of the pile.
Good book. I suggest you read. Over the past four or so years, I had read it two or three times a month, or as often as I could get a hold on a copy. I used to own my own, but I had lost it somewhere in Arkansas when Jace and I had had to fly away from the truancy cops. Little buggers.
Jace let out a tight sigh as I settled onto the floor, a foot or so away from the TV. "You shouldn't sit that close to the screen," he told me, for the eighteenth time since last Monday.
"Shh!" I said, glaring at him. "Desperate Housewives is starting!"
Funny, but I had evolved into the whole fourteen-year-old girl thing pretty well. Obsessed with Hugh Laurie, though, which probably wasn't too normal. Forty-year-old geezer, fourteen-year-old human mutant. Which is weirder?
After about half an hour of Drama!, I guess my brother was getting pretty tired of shrilly voices and he went back to the kitchen, sticking everything in the fridge and cabinets, and pouring himself a bowl of cereal.
I heard a slap on the counter; he had hit something. I raced into the kitchen, my feet skidding. I picked up the Raid and stared around wildly for the offensive bug.
"Where? Where is it?" I asked frantically, wanting to hurry before I missed it. Jace smiled grimly, holding up his hand to show me the squashed cockroach on his palm. He grimaced, wiping it off into the trash can with an "Ugh!"
"Aww, come on, bro!" I whined. "You know I've been tracking that guy for months now!' I dropped the Raid back onto the floor dejectedly and trudged away.
Jace laughed. "I know, I know, but he was getting away. You'll find another one soon enough."
"No, I won't! Because You! Keep on killing them all!" I humphed, falling back down onto the floor. Kiki climbed up into my lap, purring reassuringly, her kitty ears twitching. I grinned, and tweaked them, feeling my own tremble underneath my black knitted hat.
I pulled it off, rubbing the short fur on them softly. That's right. cat ears, and wings. I mean, how much weirder can you get? Jace had them too, which was a reassurance. At least I wasn't the only one in this whole world with a pair of wings and fuzzy cat ears.
Kiki let out a mrrowl of laughter, batting my ear lightly. I laughed, tugging on her tail. She licked my arm and seemed to smile, settling down on my crossed legs, her fur warm and prickly. I petted her until she slipped off into sleep, still purring lightly.
I heard a snore from behind me and realized that forever had passed, and my brother was asleep on the couch. I muted the volume on the TV, slipping our cat from my lap. She slid off, giving me a mad glare before stalking away to the kitchen. I heard the sounds of her cat food scratching around the bowl, and her sharp teeth snapping the bits apart, chewing and swallowing.
I left the light in the kitchen on, turning the ones in the doorway and main room off. Jace looked comfortable in all of his half-naked glory, lounging on the couch. I smirked, turning the heater down.
Serves him right, I thought to myself. I walked to the bathroom and turned the water on, picking up my toothbrush. Kiki jumped up on the table, her black-silver fur reflecting the bare light bulb's glow dully. I pushed her off, ignoring her winding around my feet, and brushed my teeth.
Switching the light off, I checked Jace's room. It was a mess, as always, the heater still on. I opened his door, hoping the heat would float into my room, in which the heater did not work, and swung open the door to my room.
The moon's glow seeped through the windows, tinted with that papery tinting crud you can buy at the store, for secrecy purposes. The long curtains hung pinned to each side, framing the prison bars on my window, to keep people out.
All of the houses in New York had bars and padlocks, but there were people I knew that could find their way around them. Including me.
I used my power for good though, not anything like robbing people.
More like, borrowing money. Only when we really needed it, like when we couldn't get jobs.
Me and Jace usually did odd jobs, I had a part-time at a supermarket. Still bagger status. Jace had a harder time finding jobs, because of his blindness. People thought that he could barely find a doorknob, which was his fault, from trying not to show how well he moved around without sight.
I stepped in, almost stepping on Kiki as she snuck in. She jumped up onto the stick-thin windowsill, settling herself down and balancing precariously with her tail.
The bed was covered with old clothes, blankets, books, and everything else a fourteen-year old mutant could want in her life. Including books on birds and genetic experimentation. Just because, you know, I like to learn about science.
I sighed, shoving them apart to make a small hole, covered with blankets. I yanked them up around me, sticking a pillow behind me and fell asleep sitting up, my wings stretched out to cover me.
The alarm's harsh blare woke me out of the soundest sleep I had in a long time. I slapped it quiet with the hell of my hand, groaning and pulling my wings back in. I sat there a few minutes, Kiki on my lap and purring like crazy, and my eyes started to drift closed again, wishing I could return to my heaven, which consisted of cookies and ice cream.
"Aly! Wakey, wakey!" Jace called out loudly, standing up. I could hear the creak of him pushing the bed part of the pullout bed back in. He must have woken sometime during the night and not bothered to head to his own room.
I groaned again, knowing he wouldn't give up until I was in the kitchen, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. I shoved Kiki off my lap rudely, earning a glare from her for interrupting her sleep. I stuck my tongue out at her and she wriggled back over to where I had been sitting, getting that warmth from the blankets.
I wiggled my shoulders, getting the feathers to fall back into their places around my spine. The scent of fresh coffee drifted over to my nose, making me twitch it in anticipation. It was accompanied by the smell of toast, slightly burnt.
Practically jumping out of my room, I dashed to the kitchen. Jace was grinning, holding a plateful of toast and eggs, piled high until the point of collapse. I grinned at my brother, pouring myself a cup of coffee.
"Thanks, Jace," I said, sipping the hot, black coffee. He nodded, eating his own breakfast. I plopped a chunk of toast in my mouth, swallowing almost before it hit my tongue. I was starving, seeing as how I hadn't eaten in a day and a half. I chugged the coffee, waking up instantly from the caffeine and heat.
I glanced at the clock above the stove, checking the time. I dropped my plate with a gasp when I saw the time.
"Jace!" I yelled, dropping the plate. "Why didn't you wake me earlier??" I rushed to my room, changing into a pair of light jeans and pulling a pink tank top over my black one. I threw a sweatshirt on and dug my keys out of yesterday's pants, picking up my wallet on the floor. After searching around for a few seconds I found my backpack, hidden under blankets.
Slinging it over my shoulder, I yanked a necklace and a bracelet out, along with my notebook, shoving them deep into the pockets. I yanked my black hat over my ears, glancing in a mirror to make sure they were sufficiently hidden. I raced out the door, trying not to fall over Kiki, and headed out the door.
"Get to work!" I called out to Jace, tossing one of our subway train fare cards at him. He caught it, a smile on his face, and stuffed it in his pocket, waving goodbye.
I closed the door behind me, waiting until I heard the lock fall into place and Jace walk away. I ran down the stairs, trying not to slip on the wet wood, dodging piles of crumbled concrete and cats and dogs, lying on the stairs.
I glanced at my watch, cursing under my breath. I was going to be late for work, and it was my last chance. I pulled my cell phone out of a pocket on my backpack and dialed without looking.
"Hey, Bobby," I said, happy. "I need a ride," I told him. His sleepy voice asked when and where. "Um, as soon as you can get there, the AM PM down the street." Bobby agreed, and I could hear the bed shifting and a dog growl, the door slipping open. "Thanks, dude."
I walked quickly, getting to the gas station just as Bobby was pulling up in his old, dull red Honda. I jumped in the front seat, dropping my backpack by my feet. The air vents were pumping out semi-warm air and I pulled my sleeves back, putting my hands in the direct air stream.
The heat tickled my fingers as it rushed out, moving in swift currents around and past my hand. Bobby glanced at me, a critical eyebrow raised.
"Cold," I told him, glancing back at his chocolate eyes. He nodded, turning his head to look out the windshield. He started tapping his fingers in time to the Slipknot floating out of his cd player, hooked up to a speaker. The music crackled over every bump in the road.
"Late?" He asked, leaning forward to look up at the bright blue sky. "Again?" He added, raising his eyebrow again. I stared at him, offended.
"Hey! I'm not late that often!" I objected, crossing my legs on the fake leather seats. He growled low under his breath and I stuck my tongue out at him. Bobby sighed, rubbing the stubble on his chin. I could hear his fingers rasp over it.
I was thrown forward unexpectedly as Bobby hit the brakes, and threw my hands out to catch myself on the dash. "Dumb sh-" he began to say, cutting himself off halfway through to look at me.
"You alright?" He asked, staring at the seat belt that was most obviously not around me. "You really should start buckling up."
I shook my head. Seat belts made me feel compressed, like when my dog cage had been slammed into the corner of a table, and I was almost crushed by the weight as the plastic bent in, transferring all of the energy and weight from things falling on top of it to me. Nobody had found me until hours later, and I felt like screaming when something was pushed against my chest.
"Nah, I'm fine," I told him, shaking my hands. The bones had jammed against each other from the impact. "You don't wear one," I said, staring at his missing seat belt. Bobby shrugged, his dark green shirt wrinkling with the movement.
"I'm older than you. I can handle it." The cars in front of us started jerking forward and Bobby tapped the gas again. I straightened myself out, sitting up straight in the seat again.
I glanced at my watch nervously, only a few minutes left to get to my job. Bobby caught my fidgeting and swerved, entering the next lane. Cars honked as he barged in their way, and quieted down when he went right out the other side onto a narrow alley.
"You sure you want to go this way?" I asked, my fingers clenching unconsciously.
"Shortcut," Bobby said bluntly, stepping on the gas. He turned the wheels in tiny increments to avoid the trash bags in our way, and zoomed out the other end. He sailed through traffic, right onto the parking lot of my work place.
I grinned, laughing. "Great shortcut," I said, and Bobby grinned at me. I swung my door open, jerking my backpack out by the handle. "Thanks." Bobby's eyes twinkled with laughter and he waved goodbye, watching me go in.
The automatic doors slid shut behind me and I turned to see him still sitting there, staring out after me. I waved bye again and turned, walking to my usual station, checkout number twelve. I stashed my backpack in a shelf underneath it, pulling out my pin and sticking it on my chest.
Jane, the person who had the shift before mine, smiled and stashed her pin away, giving me a light hug before leaving. I stared after her, feeling sad for her. Her six-year old had just died last week and she had been trying harder than ever to earn extra money. She was walking off this job onto another, and working all night.
I made small talk with Louis at the register, whom I had nicknamed Huggles because he hugged everyone. He gave me a tight hug, lifting me off my feet and dropping me back down. I brushed my hair back out of my face, tying it up quickly in a ponytail.
"Slow day?" I asked, gesturing at the register. Louis nodded, sitting on the bagging counter behind him.
"Yep. I thought for sure the sale on soda and meat would really get people coming," he said, sadly. He hung hid head and shook it, his long hair shifting back and forth. I reached forward, shoving him off the counter. He grinned. "On time, today, eh?"
"Yessir! I am not losing this job!'
Louis shook his head sadly again. "You know, one chance left," he reminded me. I nodded. "That's what they get for hiring a fourteen year-old," he muttered under his breath, making sure I heard. I cupped a hand to my ear, leaning toward him.
"What? What was that? I didn't quite catch that," I said, trying hard not to laugh. He grinned, watching a cute couple come up to the register.
And so the day went, until five hours later, I was getting ready to leave. Louis gave me another hug, leaving a few minutes before me. At this 'fine establishment', baggers worked five hours, workers on the cash register eight. This made for a confusing shift schedule, constantly changing, because they were open twenty-four/seven. Nice job, huh?
I walked to the door, stalking out as the automatic doors opened to release me. The parking lot was half full, beat up cars sitting in the parking spots. Some people had parked in the handicapped spots illegally, and I patted them as I walked by.
I reached in my backpack as I walked down the street to a bus station, yanking out my notebook and flipping it open. It took me a while to find the page, but I found this week's, the 'Friday' section lying blank. I smiled, shutting it and sticking it back in my backpack.
I had given myself a day off. I watched as the number fifty bus rolled up, people slipping their ways in and out. I dropped a few coins in, hoping it was enough.
I guess it was, because I plopped down in a seat close to the back, relatively clear of people. I flicked out my phone, and relished the fact that nobody looked at me strangely on a bus or train.
I dialed my brother, listening to the phone ring and ring. He never picked up, and I was turned over to his voicemail. 'Hey, this is Jace's phone. Sorry I can't take your call at the moment. You know what to do at the beep. Beep!' I waited for the fuzziness to stop, and for the real beep to sound.
"Jace. Aly here. Meet me at Rob's deli, k?" I shut my phone, the key chain tied to it jiggling as I tossed it up in the air, caught it, and shoved it deep in pocket again.
A semi-goth sitting across from me caught my eye. He was wearing dark jeans and a black shirt, his shoes were crudely colored with sharpie. He kept swiveling his head this way and that, cautious and ever aware. His gaze kept drifting back to a few kids sitting up front, his eagle eyes catching everything.
I shivered lightly. Chimo, I thought, as he started tapping his fingers impatiently and his leg started jiggling.
He turned his head to focus his dark eyes on me, his mouth in a grim line. I blushed, turning away a second too late, and in the corner of my eye saw a smile drift across his face. He turned away slowly, his eyes lingering.
I felt my fingers twitch as my heart froze, waiting for him to forget me. The bus stopped outside the deli and I jumped off as fast as I could, trying to stay calm at the same time. I ran inside, shoving the door open ahead of me. It swung shut loudly, and Jace called to me from the back of the empty store.
I walked towards his voice, dropping backpack on the way. I shrugged off my sweatshirt, dropping it by my backpack. He was sitting on a couch with Derek, one of our best friends that had found out about our wings a year or so ago, playing on the Xbox.
I watched as a tank incinerated, burning slowly. Derek and Jace laughed in delight, watching it blow up. Well, Jace was listening.
Bobby walked in, two sodas in hand. He tossed one to me, and popped the top of his own.
I sat down on the floor to the side of the couch, a foot or so behind Bobby. He had shaved, showered, and changed his clothes since he had picked me up, and I could smell the Axe on him.
I glanced up at Jace, seeing him without his hat. "Did you come here without your hat?" I asked, talking loudly so he could hear me over the roar of the game. He shook his head, tossing his hat to me. It was light green, with two dark blue stripes around it near the bottom.
It was his favorite, worn so much that the thread was thinning, getting looser. I made sure to buy a new one every once in a while, but Jace never knew what he looked like. I tossed the hat back up to him.
I peeled my own hat off, my ears twitching as they were met fully with the blare of the tv. I winced, turning them backwards. I tilted my head down, staring at the tips of my hair. The dark gray streaks were disappearing, done at home weeks ago, out of my blonde hair. The dark red tips were fine, because I still needed a trim.
I would give myself one later tonight, I told myself, popping my soda open. It hissed, spraying Pepsi.
"Hey, have your wings gotten any bigger?" Derek asked absently, still staring at the television screen. He always wanted to see them, as often as possible, and I hated it. Jace was fine with it, though, and if he was okay with it, then I was.
I shook my head. "I don't think so," I told him. He sighed disappointedly and Bobby entered the conversation, picking up a controller.
"Whose wings are bigger?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at me.
I stood warily, knowing that nobody would talk about anything else besides wings and feathers until Jace and I had shown them.
Ah, the price of friendship. Oh well. They never told anyone, and for most of the part they didn't remember we even had wings and cat ears. They were used to it by now.
I hiked the back of my tank top up, and unfurled my wings. They spread, the tips almost brushing the walls. "C'mon, Jace," I said, tapping his shoulder. He sighed, standing obediently and peeling his shirt off. He turned so he was facing away from me and unfurled his own wings, the bright colors spreading out.
Derek grinned, laughing as I noticed that Jace's feather tips were bending back on themselves, too big for the room. I growled under my breath. "What?" Jace asked, confused.
"Your wings are bigger than Aly's now," Ira interjected, uncurling from the tiny armchair she was in. She stretched, yawning widely.
For all her straight-up human blood, she acted more like a cat than us. She straightened her legs out, the black mini dress hitching up slightly. Her rainbow striped socks peeked over the top edge of her combat boots, the lace wrapped around bright, multi-colored string in the laces ruffling. She would have to change the lace soon, it was coming undone at the edges.
Derek smiled as Ira stood, walking over to him, and plopped down on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek lightly. She stole his controller and decided to blow up Bobby. He objected, throwing his controller at her.
Jace chuckled, his wings folding back in. He pulled his shirt back on, pulling it straight. I looked at Ira, frowning. "So what if his wings got just a little bit bigger than mine?" I asked, mad.
Derek pointed at the tiny window, his eyes and mouth wide. "Um…I think we've got company," he said, as a small face peeked into the corner, disappearing as it saw our eyes. Another face poked up slowly, saw us, and flashed back down.
I gasped, my wings falling back into place. I cursed under my mouth, more than a sailor would, and dropped my tank tops back down. Ira jumped off of Derek's lap, dragging him to his feet. Bobby sprang up, forgetting the game. He looked at me, his eyes wide. Jace was staring around, scared because he didn't know what was happening.
Derek calmed him down, telling him about it. Everybody raced for the door, hoping we could catch them.
I was outside first, running around the building. I heard a muffled shriek and picked up the pace, coming to a halt in the back.
There, in front of me, was Goth Guy. He had a brown- and blonde- haired girl off to his side, and three kids ranged around them. Another guy, tall and lanky, stood, almost invisible, a few feet behind him.
I was immediately on the defensive, charging the girl. Ira tackled Goth Guy, kicking him with her boots. Derek and Bobby each grabbed a kid by the collar, hoisting them up in the air. Bobby held another up in his other hand, keeping her at arm's length.
Jace stood off to the side, awkward.
I hunched my shoulder as I crashed into the girl, hearing her breath wheeze out of her. She grasped wildly for me, her hands locking onto the sides of my head. She bashed her forehead into mine and I hissed at the sharp pain.
She grabbed an ear, twisting it cruelly. I bent my head, biting back tears of pain and punching her.
"Oh no you don't," she said under her breath, kicking me in the gut. I doubled over and groaned, then sprang back up and kicked her in the gut, too.
I punched her jaw hard, at the point where it met up with the rest of her skull. She hissed in pain, grabbing her head, and melted to the ground.
Ira had Goth Boy tackled on the wet ground, making sure he couldn't move with an elbow pressed into his neck. His face was starting to turn red and she gave me a helpless look.
I stood, spitting out blood, and walked over to them. I glared down at his dark eyes and felt my determination crumble, and then strengthen when I remembered what they had seen.
I slammed my hand into the side of his head, watching it loll off to the side and his whole body relax. Ira stood gratefully, wiping her hands off on her dress.
The sleeve was torn by the shoulder, a chunk of it missing from the hem. I turned around to see Bobby and Derek holding three unconscious kids, the invisible one under Jace's feet. He seemed not to know that the Invisi-boy was also unconscious, and was staring at him wildly.
"Let's haul 'em inside," Derek suggested, tipping his head back to look up at the sky. It looked like one huge bruise, and I felt a drop fall on my face as I gazed up. I nodded, helping Ira drag Goth Guy inside. Jace immediately went to work with his guy.
Derek and Bobby soon had all of their 'kills' inside, and the only one left was the girl I had knocked out.
I dragged her slowly, making sure to get her hair, back, and face all over in the mud. I had her inside when she twitched her head and spat out, snarling weakly at me.
I grinned, watching as she tried to move weakly, and gave up. The chairs and couch had been pushed out of the way, everybody lined up one by one, tied to the chairs they were seated in.
I tied her roughly to Goth Guy's chair, wrapping the rope around her hands and the leg.
Derek tossed everybody more sodas, and we settled down to watch them wake up.
Blondie was first to talk. She snarled at me. I smiled back at her.
"What'd you do that for?" She asked, her voice harsh and mean.
"Oh, I don't know, for being, maybe, peeping toms?" Derek suggested, spreading his hands wide. She shook her head.
"We weren't peeping!" She objected, shaking her head and glancing around at the other kids. Goth Guy woke with her voice, swiveling his head around, assessing the situation. Blondie started to talk again and he nudged her.
"Shut up, Max!" He hissed under his breath, his eyes catching me. His eyes narrowed. And he tipped his head back in acknowledgement. "The heck's wrong with you?" He asked, looking at my head. My hands flew to my ears, laid back flat against my head.
"Obviously, Fang, those two have freaking cat ears, and wings!" Blondie/Max said, her voice loud and sarcastic. Jace's ears flicked forward.
"Shut up, Max," he said again, getting her to shut up. Again. He kept staring at me, his eyes hard, but soft around the edges. I turned abruptly, avoiding his eyes. I walked back into the front of the deli, opening the door to their fridge, pulling out water bottles.
I walked back into the room to find the rest of them awake. I popped the tops of the bottles up and tossed one to each of them. They hastily tipped their heads forward, grabbing the bottles by the tip, and tipping their heads back, guzzling the water.
Max left hers lying on the ground, staring at me disgustedly. I stared back at her, listening to Ira, Derek, and Bobby whisper together.
"Why?" Goth Guy asked simply, looking down at his arms pointedly. He glanced back up at me, his eyes piercing.
"Because," I explained roughly, avoiding his gaze. "You saw us, now we need to figure how to either get rid of you, or shut you up."
He closed his mouth tightly, and looked away from me. One of the kids, a black girl who looked around twelve, opened her mouth.
"Fang brought us here, he wanted to see something, and he saw your wings, and he showed us, and we just want to talk to you, because we know what happened, and because Angel told me he lik-" She said, her voice fast and panicky. Goth Guy/Fang turned his head to glare at her.
"Nudge!" He said loudly, covering up the last of her sentence. She clammed up, closing her mouth tightly, and Jace walked up to them.
"What-" I asked Jace, and he waved a hand at me. He touched the talkative girl, Nudge, on the back, his nimble fingers drifting across her back. She shivered, her shoulders twitching the same way mine do when I unfurl my wings.
His blind eyes widened and he looked up at me. "Aly!" He whispered urgently, and waved me closer. I came, going around spit-girl in a wide arc. She glared at me as I went around.
"Feel her back," he said, moving aside so I could touch her. I felt my own eyes widened as I felt the bumps, one on either side of her spine.
"Yeah, I have wings! We all do! You got a problem with that?" Nudge said, twisting around to stare at us. My hand drifted over to the little girl next to her, across her wings, and on to the other little boy. He shivered and laughed as I ran my fingers over him.
I sat on the floor in front of the six, shocked. My mouth gaped like a fish, not knowing what to say.
Finally, the words floated out of my mouth.
"You're the other ones, aren't you?"