2nd chapter in one day! Whoo woo!
Angel: Good job.
Me: Yep.
Stealing started with Stella. She could tuck in her wings and blend to grab 5 outfits of shirts, sweatpants, jackets and sneakers, and 2 hats.
From there, they only stole when they needed to.
Their early morning routine was simple enough. The kids with animal ears shoved hats on their heads, Stella popped in her contacts, and they all shrugged into their jackets.
Then they started walking. After about an hour, Ebony would go catch a rabbit or two, then stay away from the others for a while until she calmed down and the rabbit was cooked using any branches and the stolen lighter. Stella ate mostly fruit, which there wasn't any around, but she put up with the disgusting
Then they kept going.
They walked their way around the country, nowhere else to go.
Except for that day…that one particular day that changed everything.
The quadruplets minus 1 were 14. Luna was 10 and Leo was 7.
They were walking through Colorado, except Luna and Stella, who were taking the rare chance away from all society to stretch their wings.
Nathanial stopped, his ears perking up. "Helicopters, about a few miles off."
"Stella, Luna!" Ebony called. "Helicopters!"
But Stella was already hovering. Being part bat had made her ears stellar.
Stella quickly pulled Luna into a dive, black hair streaming.
Leo looked at Nathanial, amber eyes brimming with curiosity.
"It could be dangerous." Nathanial whispered.
Leo immediately sat down in the grass, ears flattened against his head, waiting. Luna ran to hide behind the wall of Nathanial and Stella. Ebony sat beside Leo, far enough away so she wouldn't have an urge to 'get him'.
The helicopters roared ahead. This wouldn't have worried them too much, except that Erasers hung out the doors, which was bad enough. But one looked down and locked eyes with Stella, who immediately launched into the sky, grabbing bulky Nathanial.
Nathanial went with her about 100 feet up and launched himself. He landed in front of the helicopter a ways, running like only a giant dog could.
He ran the direction the helicopter had been going until he saw a house. A house shaped like a tilted E in the mountains.
"A house!" Nathanial bellowed.
Stella, still in the sky, nodded even though he couldn't see it.
She ushered Luna up and Ebony and Leo forward. Leo didn't listen and instead motioned her down. Stella lowered slightly, and Leo jumped up into her arms.
Stella found it hard to flap with the adrenaline pumping through her, but she managed.
Once she was almost above Nathanial, who was banging on the door to the house, she dropped Leo. Leo, being part wild cat, landing lightly on his feet.
Stella looked down and back. Ebony was running faster than Stella thought possible, dodging bullets. Black fur began rippling over her face, and her body twisted in ways that allowed her to use both her hands and feet, running faster. It was an eerie look, but Ebony was too much panther, making it happen every few months or so.
Luna was hovering awkwardly right next to Stella now, brown wings beating furiously.
The door opened at the house below. Stella angled into a vertical dive, dragging Luna down with her.
Ebony was approaching as well.
A little blond girl peeked out the door, heard the bullets, saw the kids, and screamed.
"Angel!" yelled a girl from inside. The girl the yelled ran out, about 14 with blond hair and brown eyes, and almost screamed as well.
A boy that looked insanely like the young girl came out and did let out a yell, attracting a mocha-skinned girl about Luna's age who shrieked.
Then a tall red haired boy who seemed overly confused.
That's when Stella and Luna landed, when the helicopters got much too close.
One more person emerged. A tall, dark haired, dark eyed boy with angular features and a personality like stone and steel.
"Thomas?" Nathanial burst out.
"Nate?" Thomas exploded. "Nate, what's going on?"
"We have to fight them off!" Nathanial yelled.
Thomas looked shocked. He knew Nathanial, or 'Nate' hated fighting.
Ebony got there now. "They've got guns!" Then she saw. "Thomas?"
"Ebony?"
"Let's go!" Stella yelled. The helicopters landed. Several Erasers jumped out, about 7 or 8.
One stopped just outside the helicopter, looking straight at Leo.
Leo stared back, and ran towards him.
"Ari!" Leo screamed.
Ari stood in shock, remembering everything Leo had done with him, how he'd gotten him through tough times.
"Leo." Ari mouthed.
The 7 year old lion child did not slow down, only sped up while being chased by other Erasers.
"What did they do to you?" Leo screamed desperately.
Ari wondered how Leo had even seen the little kid in him through the Eraser, or how he himself had recognized Leo 3 years older.
Leo squeezed Ari tight, and the Eraser felt like a little kid again.
Other Erasers grabbed Leo, and Nathanial ran after them, but there were too many, and they were too strong.
Ari still looked shell-shocked, and he stared now at Stella, Luna, Ebony, Thomas, and Nathanial-who was passed out on the ground.
Luna panicked and flew up into the air. The kids from the house looked at her in shock, except for Thomas, who seemed a little overcome with emotion.
They watched as Leo was shoved into a sack and knocked unconscious.
Erasers came at them yelling. They started punching and grabbing trying to get another kid.
One got a hold of the little blond girl, the one the older girl had called Angel. Another emptied a syringe into her neck, rendering Angel unconscious.
The older girl screamed.
The Erasers stopped then, seeming satisfied.
They loaded into the helicopter again, Ari doing so rather slowly, like he was just waking up.
Nathanial and the tall red head were both passed out on the ground, but had not been taken.
Luna dove down and landed right next to Thomas.
"Thomas!" She yelled, throwing her skinny arms around his neck. Thomas leaned in and hugged her back. A tear ran down his cheek.
The other group of kids looked confused. "Fang, what's going on?" The older girl asked.
"Max…." Thomas trailed off.
"Thomas, who's Fang?" Stella asked slowly.
"I'm Fang." Thomas said reluctantly.
"What?" Ebony questioned.
"How can you treat Nate?" Thomas asked.
"Believe it or not, brother, a 14 year old has more control than a 10 year old." Ebony snarked back.
"Fang….." The little blond boy trailed off desperately.
"I'm sorry." Thomas/Fang said sincerely.
"Why did you leave?" Luna said through tears. "It made us need to escape, which brought us here, which means Leo's gone!"
Thomas looked sad now, sadder than the group had ever seen him.
"Oh Luna." He said, leaning into her, crouching down so her head could reach his shoulder.
"Luna," Thomas pulled away and gestured to his group. "This is Max, Iggy, Nudge, and Gasman. The one they…took was Angel."
"We have to go after her." Max said sharply.
"No." Stella said. "There is no way."
"So you don't want your little member back?" Max said snarkily.
"My brother, thank you very much." Stella said.
"That should make you want to more." Max pointed out.
"I've been there recently. I know how horrible it is." Stella chocked out.
"Me too," Ebony said sadly. "But I know how much we need Leo. And Thomas."
Thomas looked up hopefully.
"Yes, Thomas. We need you. For the 4 years we were without you it was like life was not complete. And for those half-months you were away, every time Leo or Luna came back after a really brutal test, we tried to comfort them with no avail. You were the only who could hold that job, and I hope you no that." Ebony monologued.
Luna looked at Ebony oddly. Their panther sister never said that much.
"But, there's the issue of me and Nathanial." Ebony added.
Thomas' eyes widened. "You guys can't fly…."
"No, we can't." Ebony responded shortly, and went right back to Nathanial.
There was the real problem.
It's amazing.
Angel: You don't own Maximum Ride.
Sampson: But she own Stella, Ebony, Nathanial, Luna, and Leo, and half Thomas.
FLying out.