Me: Hey, peps who be readin' my story.
Dylan: She doesn't own any of us! No matter what she says!
Me: *Punches him in the arm* Shut up! I have been given the temporary rights to Ciara! (cee-air-a)
Ciara: True, I told her she could
Dylan: Shut up, Ciara
Ciara (Mimicking Dylan): Shut up, Ciara
Me: This one is for you, Ciara!
Ciara: Aww, thanks! Now do the story!
I flew until I nearly fell out of the sky. I was in the middle of the desert, approximately an hour from our old house in the mountains. I landed, and began walking. After about fifteen minutes, I came up to a small gas station.
"How far to the nearest town?" I asked the girl behind the counter.
"Well, there is a small town about half an hour away, but it's really small. There's a town ten miles from that though, there is where you should go," she replied.
"Thanks," I said, flashing her a smile. She smiled weakly back, and I turned and walked out. I ran back to the spot where couldn't see the town, and sat under the burning sun. I needed to rest before I started to fly again. I closed my eyes, and drifted off into a fitful sleep...
I heard a sharp crack, and bolted upright. The sun, which had been in the center of the sky when I had fallen asleep, was sitting on the horizon. I looked around, and slowly got to my feet.
"Whose there?" I demanded once I was standing. I heard a breath sucked in, like someone was going to talk, then a smack, and the breath coming out in a sharp huff.
Two people, I decided. It sounded like they were right to the side of me. I whipped my head in the direction of the noises, and saw to girls, both completely filthy, standing in the small, scattered bushes.
"Hello!" the smaller of the two squeaked. She looked like she might be Gazzy's age, with a wild riot of orange curls on her head. The older one, the one with brown hair to her shoulders, just looked me up and down, as if trying to decide whether or not she could take me.
"Hi," I replied, turning my gaze to the smaller girl. I dropped my defensive stance and kneeled to look the little girl in the eyes. "What's your name?" I asked.
"Mary," she replied, beaming brightly at me. She reminded me of Nudge, and I just knew if I brought up the right thing, I could get her to babble for hours. I looked up at the other girl, who had remained wary.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Dylan," I calmly replied. Her face brightened up. "What?" I asked, now wary.
"You mean like the bird kid? You're one of the 'flock' aren't you? From Fang's blog?" she asked, really hyper.
"Um, not anymore," I glumly replied.
"Why not?" Mary asked, concerned.
"Fang and I... Have a little bit of trouble staying in the same room together for too long," I confessed. The older girl nodded.
"Come with us. You look like you could use some food," she said, turning and walking away, with Mary right behind her. I cautiously followed, on guard the whole way. At one point, Mary skipped ahead, then disappeared.
"Where'd she go?" I asked.
"Probably to chase a mouse or a rabbit. She's weird that way," the older girl replied over her shoulder.
"What's your name?" I asked again.
"Ciara. Mary and I live up there in a cave with two others," she replied, pointing to a bunch of caves, and a trail leading up to them. "We can only live here in the summer and winter. That way, it's either too hot or too cold for anyone to come hiking up here and stumble across our little camp."
"Who are the other two that you live with?" I asked.
"Kary and Matt. Me and my merry band of mutants," she said, laughing to herself.
"You're all mutants?" I asked.
"Yup. I'm part fox, Kary and Mary are part cat, and Matt is...well, we're not quite sure what he is," she said cheerfully. "We all fought our way out during an outdoor experiment." (I swear, their names don't rhyme on purpose!)
"Who's the leader?"
"Me, I guess, but Kary and Matt are older than me. I'm only twelve, but I can keep the peace in the group the best. Besides, Kary and Matt are kinda off in their own world, so I take care of Mary," she said. "Ugh, I don't want to walk up there," she said when we reached the bottom of the cliff where all of the caves were.
"Which one is it?" I asked. She pointed to a specific cave, and I picked her up bridal-style. She looked shocked, and didn't struggle as I took off towards the cave. I landed, and put her down again. She sucked in a deep, shaky breath. I smiled down at her.
"Ciara? Is that you?" a voice called from the back of the cave.
"Yeah, Matt. Mary and I- Mary! We left Mary out there!" Ciara said, freaking out.
"Calm down," I said. "I'll go get her." I ran to the mouth of the cave and jumped, free falling for just a moment, and then whipping out my wings. My eyes scanned the desert, searching for a wild riot of orange curls. I spotted it, darting from one spot to another, chasing a white rabbit. I landed behind her.
"Mary. Come on. We gotta go back," I said.
"Okay," she replied skipping up to me. She walked past me, towards the cave.
"Where are you going? It's easier to fly," I said, holding out my arms for her to jump into. Her face lit up, and she ran back, launching herself into my arms. We flew to the cave, and I threw a quick glance back to the north. Back to Max. I looked back ahead, refusing to let myself go back. I needed a new life.
Sorry if it's a little scattered. I tried, but please review! No flames please!
~Isabelle~
