~*~ Max's POV ~*~

I kept an eye on Ray, the FBI agent. She might seem like she's a nice 'mutant' and all, but I couldn't go around trusting everyone I met.

She was just standing in the corner, thumbing through something. I couldn't read the title of the book she was holding, but she must not be very smart, since she was reading it backwards.

As the rest of the flock woke up, Ray marked the book and sat it aside. She put a hand over her mouth to cover her yawn. I almost wondered if she slept at all.

"You never introduced me to her."

Fang's voice behind me woke me up. When did he wake up?

"When did you care about a government agent?" I countered. "She's probably a spy, sent by the school."

"Never been to school." Ray rubbed her eyes, probably from that yawn that could have swallowed Texas with it. "Why do you think I'm a spy? Name's Ray, by the way."

Fang smirked, sitting up. "F-" I elbowed him, stopping his reply. "His name's Nick." I cut him off so he wouldn't reveal his name.

Ray nodded, stepping closer and extending a hand. "Nice to meet you. Well, all of you, actually." She smiled, which set my blood boiling.

If she thought she could get my Flock to trust her, she's in for a hard time.

Thankfully the Doctor came in and interrupted her to check on Fang.

I watched Ray slip outside, which puzzled me for a second. Then Anne walked in, and I watched her movements carefully.

As the doctor looked at Fang's scars, he was very puzzled. "I don't believe it ..."

Fang, with all his Fang-ness, replied, "I guess I'm good to go."

Anne crossed her arms, addressing Fang. "Nick, Until your full recovery, I've offered for all of you, Ms. Fletcher included, to stay at my house. I already spoke with Max, but would that be okay with you?"

Fang smirked. "Whatever Max says. She's in charge."

It was nice to hear Fang side with me, even adding that he saw me as the leader. He knew how to get on my good side.

The trip to Anne's place made me nervous, though. Even though Ray claimed she had driven a car before, she wasn't the best driver. Once we were out on the road with few cars, I could finally relax.

At least Anne looked worse than me, in the front passenger's seat. I could swear she had a gray hair or two.

Once we were stopped at Anne's house, I scrambled out of the van. I had never gotten motion sickness, but Ray wasn't the right person to be in the vehicle she's driving.

"You still have a ways to go, but at least you got a good hour in."

Ray smirked. "Is that a gray hair I see? I must have been great to give you that."

I watched the heated argument between the two. Maybe Ray could be someone we could trust.

~*~ Ray's POV ~*~

I sat out in the sun, the manga I was reading in my hands. Metal Alloy Alchemist, buy Hiroshi Akuma*. It was about two siblings who lost their mom, one lost an arm and leg as payment (Must have been expensive), and the other became a suit of armor. I kinda liked it, because there was a lot of science things that the Labs didn't give a damn about, and there was a lot of fighting. Every chapter, there'd be an argument or a hand-to-hand fight.

I reached back to feel my hair, checking to see if it was still damp. Since it wasn't, I went back inside the house to brush it. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, making my way to the kitchen.

Anne was already there, trying to make something.

"Need some help?" I grinned.

"No, I think I've got it." Anne looked back at the sheet of paper. "How many sticks of butter are in a cup?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "You call yourself a cook without knowing that? Two sticks, since a stick is a half cup."

Anne gave me a grateful glance. "One last question. How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?"

I chuckled. "You're hopeless. You know that? I'm sure you're great at work, but you probably couldn't cook to save your life."

"I usually have a protein bar for breakfast." Anne chuckled. We worked in silence, Anne trying her best to make something edible, me setting the table, at least. Because she probably hadn't done any cooking in her life, or maybe was horrible at it ...

What she made was burnt beyond recognition. I wouldn't even touch it, because I hate the taste of burnt food. It tastes harsh and bitter, the taste stays in the back of your throat.

After her failed attempt to cook, Jeff and Max offered to make breakfast. I hovered near the doorway, wondering if I could offer any help. My phone started ringing, and I answered it after a groan. "Do you have any idea how early it is? I- ... Oh. Right. I'll be there, but you'd better have something edible and not burnt." I pocketed my phone, walked to the door, and paused. "See you later. Duty calls."

That night, I got home with an uneasy feeling. This killer wasn't anything like any of the BAU team had encountered before. And they were targeting missing children.

I flopped down on my bed, trying to keep the last of what little I had been able to eat inside my stomach. I had known one of those 'missing' children. The truth was, that was someone from the labs. The BAU didn't need to know that, and I saw no reason to drag them deeper into this miserable reality.

A knock at my door made me roll over. "Unless it's important, go away." I moaned, trying to focus on anything else but my stomach.

"The School's coming for us, aren't they?" a younger voice than I was expecting asked.

I rolled over, right onto the ground. At least I succesfully pinned my arm to the ground in surprise. "Oh, that's right ... reading minds again, Ariel? You know, you don't want to read mine unless I give you the okay. The things I've seen and done aren't meant for innocent girls."

"The Flock has been through worse, Ray. Let us in and we'll make a plan." Oh, great. Max was there ... and judging from mass of life out there, so was everyone else.

"I doubt you want to come in. I feel like something that's been hit by a semi, had the contents of my stomach violently discharged orally, and turned into a mess of feathered pudding." I pushed myself upright against my bed. "But if you really want to, come right in and make yourselves comfortable."

Once they were settled, Max started her questioning. "Who's going after them? How do we know we can trust you? Why didn't you tell us that you work with the FBI?"

I sighed, somehow adding a yawn. "We're trying to find that out, first off." I glanced at the younger bird kids. I was technically the oldest one, since I knew I was almost eighteen. "I was just offically made a member of the FBI's BAU unit less than a week ago."

Ariel and Max shared a look. The oldest repeated, "How can I know you can be trusted?"

I shrugged, indifferent. "That's up to you. I'll try to keep you updated, at the very le-" My phone cut me off, alerting me to a new text. It was from the head honcho of the unit, demanding I somehow get over to Death Valley. "Man ... That's on the other side of the country ..." I groaned.

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked.

I stood with a sigh. "Called to my execution. Hopefully I'll come back with my wings and life attached."

"What- oh. Does Anne know?" Krystal asked. "I bet she wants to know where you're going, and I'd like to know why and-"

"She knows I can up and leave for a case in two seconds flat. See you later." I opened my window and flew out, heading to Death Valley.