The voice didn't contact me again in the two days we spent at the hotel resting. We needed a game plan so; since we still didn't know if Ari had been lying when he had told us that our home had been burned down, we decided to check for ourselves. The thought that our home, the place we'd been happy for four years, was gone hurt but we needed to know.

We found ourselves near Lake Mead one late afternoon so we decided to camp in the cave Fang and Nudge had found what seemed like years ago. The cave was so well hidden we were finally all able to sleep without the fear of Erasers finding us. I woke up before the rest of the flock early in the morning and watched the sun rise gracefully out of a bank of thick clouds which were tinged pinky-orange in the morning light.

The flock had been quieter than usual while we had flown closer to home but all decided they wanted to see it with their own eyes even if it would cause them pain. I sighed wearily. We all needed something to lighten the heavy atmosphere that grew darker with every mile we came closer.

We need to have some fun. I grinned suddenly. I knew exactly what we needed. Some authentic homemade cookies.

And I knew just the place to get them.

As the sun steadily climbed higher into the sky I gently kicked the flock awake. After a quick breakfast of energy bars and juice packs we were finally ready to set off.

"We're gonna make a slight detour today folks." I informed them still grinning.

"Huh? Where're we going?" asked a still slightly drowsy Nudge. She never was an early riser and I doubted she would ever be.

"You'll see" I said tapping my nose lightly and gave her a that's-for-me-to-know-and-you-to-find-out look "Just follow me" I launched myself off the edge of the cave and soared out over the landscape below, the sun warming my wings.

I saw the house and area long before either Nudge or Fang recognized the area where I'd split up from them all those weeks ago before we'd rescued Angel. I felt Fang's eyes on me and I knew he must be wondering what the hell I was about to do. I flashed him a quick smile then stared to descend on the out skirts of the town below. We wandered down various streets till I found the house I was searching for; the house I had felt normal in for the first time. I turned facing the flock who all stared at me; clearly thinking I'd finally gone round the bend.

"Here we are!" I said cheerfully. I turned and knocked on the door lightly hoping somebody was at home. The flock tensed behind me.

"I'm coming!" a muffled voice yelled out, and then we heard footsteps running down what sounded like stairs. The door was pulled open and I had a moment to grin before Ella Martinez screamed and threw herself at me hugging me so hard it was difficult to breathe. I laughed and hugged her back warmly.

"MAX! OMG!! Is that really you!? How are you?" She squealed releasing me slightly and speaking almost as fast as Nudge. Before I had the chance to reply she had turned back to the house and yelled "MOM! YOU MIGHT WANNA COME OUT HERE!"

Dr Martinez's voice floated out calmly barely heard over Ella's excited rambling.

"Ella you really have to try not to destroy our guest's eardrums before they come inside the house. Now what is it?" She walked towards the door while wiping her hands on a dishcloth she was carrying. She still hadn't noticed us and didn't seem to be paying much attention to Ella's squeals.

"Mom, look!" She let go of me and stepped to one side to give her mother a better view of me. Dr Martinez looked up and her eye's widened, before she had also rushed over to me and was hugging me.

"Max! Oh it's great to see you! How are you? Are you fully healed?" She pulled back and I saw tears in her eyes before she hugged me again tightly" We were so worried about you!"

"I'm great, Dr Martinez. Yup I'm completely healed no problem." I answered smiling.

She turned noticing the rest of the flock for the first time. She turned back to me questioningly.

"Who's this?"

I turned to face the flock who all looked on edge expecting to jump straight back into the sky at any second. I grinned again (wow I'm surprised my jaw wasn't hurting, I just couldn't seem to stop smiling).

"This," I started "would be my flock." Dr Martinez's and Ella's eyes widened and Ella gasped excitedly.

"So they're like you?" She asked breathlessly. I felt the flock flinch as I nodded. I turned to address them directly.

"Guys, this is Dr Martinez and her daughter Ella." I gestured at the pair who were now staring at the flock with awe. "They took care of me when I was injured, and they know about us. I trust them, so don't be so nervous."

Angel was the first to step forward. She took my hand and smiled, well, angelically at them.

"Nice to meet you. My name's Angel and this is Total." She said holding out Total to them. Ella took one look at her then flung her arms round her, hugging her tightly.

"Soooooo cute!" She put her down and smiled at her before asking her how old she was. This display seemed to encourage Nudge and Gazzy who both stepped forward and introduced themselves. Ella seemed to go on overdrive and kept hugging them all. She asked Nudge something and then they were both off discussing something so fast it was difficult to keep up with. Dr Martinez looked up from Angel (who had now taken her hand instead) and Gazzy to me then glanced at the boys who had stayed where they were before and were watching us nervously.

"Do you want to come in? We've just made cookies if you want some." She asked grinning at me. I nodded enthusiastically and she led Gazzy and Angel back into the house, Ella and Nudge still deep in conversation following them absently. I turned back to the boys my smile faltering by the cold stare Fang was giving me.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked, eyes glancing at the door that had been left open for us.

"I was trying to relieve the black cloud that's been following us around for the past couple of days." I retorted sharply.

"By taking us to a normal human's house? What if they're connected to the school?"

I gasped angering instantly.

"They're not like that! Dr Martinez would never do anything to hurt us!"

"How do you know that?"

"Because she's already helped me once! If she was with the school she would have told them where I was before! But she didn't, she helped me and accepted me wings and all!" By now I was practically shouting at Fang. Iggy had stayed silent but now he spoke up, lowering his voice so those inside the house couldn't hear us.

"Look Max, do you trust her completely? You're absolutely sure she's not linked in any way to the school?" I nodded fiercely, crossing my arms and glaring at Fang.

"Right, well Angel didn't seem to sense anything from her so I think we should be alright here" I smiled at him even though he couldn't see me and grabbed his wrist before leading him into the house. I heard Fang hesitate before following us into the house.

Several hours later and many batches of cookies later we were all seated in the Martinez's living room talking and laughing. Everyone (even Fang) had relaxed around the pair and I felt content and normal. I had missed feeling so secure and happy. I wished we could stay like this forever; in a warm loving home, with warm loving people, and most importantly no Erasers.

"Max, where are you planning on staying tonight?" Dr Martinez asked me softly.

"Uh…well…" I

"If you don't have any where you're meant to be you could always stay here, if you wanted." She had said this softly so as not to alert the rest of the flock and Ella but it seemed that one chatterbox had overheard.

"Max! Please could we stay here?" Nudge's voice was soon joined by Angel's and Ella until it was impossible to actually hear what was being said over the three different voices.

"You HAVE to stay here!! Definitely! You can't go just yet!" Ella said while Angel and Nudge stared at me with big eyes. I glanced at Fang who merely shrugged. I sighed and caved in gracefully.

"We'd love to." I said to the grinning Dr Martinez. Nudge, Angel and Ella jumped up and danced wildly round the room, laughing.

"Well then," She said clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention "I think we'd better see about some dinner." Cheer's erupted from all around "But, knowing how much Max eats, I guess you'll all eat about the same which means we'll have to go get more to actually feed you all." There was even more cheering at this.

Dr Martinez sent all of us out to go shopping while she set up space for us to stay. We'd gotten about half the way there before Ella realised in her excitement she'd left the money her mom had left out for us, so she sent us ahead while she ran back home. We offered to back with her but she insisted, saying she knew a shortcut.

Half an hour later we'd found almost everything Dr Martinez had noted down in her shopping list but Ella still hadn't returned. I paid for it all with my Maximum Ride card and we left. I was started to worry about Ella; fearing that she'd run into another group of idiots like when I had first met her. We walked back as fast as possible, racing the setting sun. We were a couple of streets away from their home when we saw the sky was lit up in a reddish orange glow.

"Didn't the sun set behind us?" Gazzy asked quietly. Dread filled me as I slowly realised it was coming from the street Ella's house was on. I dropped the bags I had been carrying and set off sprinting as fast as I could towards the menacing glow. I heard the flock's startled voices yelling after me but I was moving to fast to hear what they had said.

My thoughts screamed at me and I prayed to the one I wasn't sure existed, as I ran panic filling me.

Please let them be alright, Please let them be safe, Please, Please, Please

I turned into the street the house was on and stopped abruptly as a horrifying sight filled my vision. The house we had left only a short while ago was ablaze, deadly flames licking the walls as fire fighter's tried to get close enough to put out the blaze. A window exploded in one of the downstairs rooms and everyone ducked for cover. I stumbled forwards in shock until I heard a fire fighter order his men to put the fire out as quickly as possible.

"There are still people in there!"

The words cut through me like a knife and I started running towards the blazing building. It couldn't be true. Ella and Dr. Martinez couldn't still be in there….and be alive. I was so close, I could feel the heat radiating off of the house. I could feel my skin dry as I got closer, I was almost there…

Then strong arms wrapped around my waist and dragged me backwards, away from the flames.

"LET ME GO!" I struggled violently trying desperately to reach the house and save the two people who had shown us so much kindness and who had accepted us for who we were.

"Max! Calm down!" Fang's voice.

"Let me go! I have to help them!" I screamed at him though my eyes were fixed on the building in front of me.

"You can't. It's too late!" He hissed at me.

"LET ME GO!!" I screamed struggled harder twisting backwards and forwards, clawing at his arms but he wouldn't let me go.

"LET ME GO, FANG!"

"No!" He whispered angrily in my ear, then started trying to pull me back. I had never come so close to hating Fang as I did in that moment.

"ELLA!" I screamed desperately. "DR MARTINEZ!!" No reply. I felt tears slip down my face but paid them no attention. "ELLA! PLEASE!"

One of the fire-fighters had obviously seen us and was now approaching us his eyes pained.

"You knew the people who lived here?" He asked me gently.

"Live! I know the people who LIVE here! They're not dead!" I yelled at him.

"Miss, I'm sorry but there is very little chance they are still alive." I shook my head feeling my self on the verge of hysteria.

"They have to be!" I whispered my voice hoarse from screaming. I was gripping Fang's arms tightly, digging my nails in as panic took over.

"We couldn't get into the house miss, the fire's too strong. There is no way they could have survived."

I shook my head again. My body was shaking; my eye's burning from the smoke.

"No." I repeated over and over again. My voice got quieter and quieter with every word until I was just mouthing it over and over again. The fire-fighter looked at me sadly, then turned to Fang.

"Did you know the residents well?"

"We were friends with them." He answered shortly. "I'm sorry, but we have to go." I felt myself being dragged back my legs working mechanically but it didn't register fully in my brain; I was numb. I watched the house, horrified but transfixed by the dancing flames as they grew smaller. Just before we passed round the corner of the street I saw four model type guys walking towards us casually, grinning menacingly as the fire painted the houses behind them red.


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