After everyone had eaten their fill of pancakes, Ella left for school, Mom left for work, and we left to tour the dumps.
We took pictures at the first three dumps, and were soaring high over the clouds on our way to the North-end dump – the last job of the day.
"So, is Ella gonna meet us there?" Gazzy asked as he soared next to me.
"If she doesn't have too much homework, I'm pretty sure that's the plan." I called over, coasting on a warm updraft. But I couldn't let myself be fooled by the wonderful feeling of flying. I was still over the dumps and lingering in the air was a putrid stench of rotting trash. And looking down, we could see the immense, hulking mounds of waste. What ruffled my feathers the most was that practically all of it was in good, if not perfect condition.
Okay. I, being a mutant freak, hadn't spent much time living with shopping trips and actually paying for things, but honestly! Over half of the so-called garbage wasn't garbage at all. It was almost brand new, thank you very much.
But then again, maybe it was just so far out of style, that people absolutely had to throw it out. I wouldn't know. You do tend to miss out on some of the latest trends while being locked in a dog crate for the first half of your life.
I became so lost in my thoughts that the next thing I knew we were at the dump.
Nudge took the camera first, eagerly turning it on and flicking through the settings with wide eyes.
Meanwhile, Angel decided we should play tag. And I, being an attentive leader, didn't notice until after everyone else shouted "Not it!
"Wha?" I turned towards them.
"You're it Max!" Iggy informed me, a smirk on his face. "Come catch us!"
I turned suddenly and dived towards Angel, who shrieked and flew off. Eventually, I tagged Iggy, who tagged Dylan, who tagged Nudge…
Bird-kid fun was had by all and we even got some good pictures, though my heart just about stopped every time someone would toss the camera through the air.
Maximum? Aren't you forgetting something? The voice asked.
Oh. You mean you don't have a voice inside your head? Wow, and they all call me a freak.
Max, it's 3:30.
"Ella!" I exclaimed. "She's probably here by now."
I led the flock over to the public entrance, and we landed just outside the gate.
"Well, I don't see her here," Iggy declared.
"I'm rolling my eyes, Ig," I answered as I did so.
But now that he mentioned it, where was she? I didn't see her either and, unlike Iggy, I could see everything else.
Except for the creepy robot things that had crept up silently behind us.
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