Love, Pain, and Wings-Chapter 4
By MyNameIsCAB
I called my mom's cell, Jeb, and even Ella's cell, but none of them answered. The numbers no longer existed according to that stupid recorded voice in that monotone. I couldn't believe it. We had to get back to Arizona and find what had happened to my family. The flock's family too. As usual, the voice was of no help.
"Something's wrong," I told the rest of the flock, explaining our situation.
Fang looked at me wearily. "So we're going home to Arizona?"
"Yes," I answered, watching Fang close his eyes as his hand went to his chest. There was no way he could fly like this.
"I hope Akila is okay," Total said.
I sighed. I guess we would have to find an airport. We would be too slow to get to Arizona without a plane. But everyone would recognize us. We would be front page news. Celebrities again. None of us wanted the attention. Then I had an idea.
"Gazzy, do you still have that tabloid from the hotel?" I asked.
"Yea…Why?" he dug around in one of the backpacks and handed it to me. I flipped to the page that had contact info for interesting stories. There was a phone number. "I'll make a deal with them. We'll talk to them if they fly us to Arizona."
"Max, are you sure about that?" Fang asked weakly.
"If we fly to Arizona, it will be too late," I answered. "And you can't fly anyway."
He looked defeated again and his eyes closed and his breathing was unsteady. It hurt me more to see him in pain than Fang actually hurt from his wounds. Slowly I dialed the number and talked to what I guessed was a secretary. She put me through to a reporter. I made my deal. They took it. We would meet at the private airport near by. That meant we had to make it through the night. Luckily, the reporter booked us a room in the hotel next to the airport.
"Fang," I went over to him. "We gotta go somewhere to sleep. There's a hotel near the airport. Iggy and I will carry you."
He nodded slightly and I told Iggy to grab Fang's arm. We were off again in the sky, flying till we saw the small airstrip for the private airport. Landing in the parking lot, we were unnoticed. Fang stumbled forward and managed to make it to the lobby where he sat on the couch.
"Stay here," I told the others as I went up to the check in counter. We got our room without question, everything would be paid for by the news reporter whose name was Michele Chandler.
Iggy and I had to support Fang into the elevator. He needed rest. As we waited to get to the top floor, Angel entered my mind with her telepathy power. Max, don't worry. Fang will be okay. I smiled at her and thought back, I know. That was my little Angel, always so positive.
Entering the suite, it had enough beds for all of us. We just had to share. It was more like a penthouse than anything, but we weren't paying for it, so I didn't care. The only thing I cared about was that Fang and my missing family would be okay.
Sitting on the couch, Fang emptied a whole bottle of water and then lay down. It looked like there was more color in his face now that he had the water. Since the tabloid was paying for everything, I ordered some food. Actually, it was a lot of food for all of us, but I guess money is money so we weren't questioned.
Fang ate slowly. He picked at his burger, had a few fries, and eventually got it all down after everyone else had finished. I sat at the table, waiting for him though. Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel had run off to bed already. Iggy was lying on the couch, his eyes on the ceiling, but I knew he couldn't see the cracked crème paint.
"How do you feel?" I asked Fang.
He put down the fork. "Tired."
His eyes flickered up at me, but his face was still hard without expression. After a moment, our gaze broke and I helped him into bed where he fell asleep instantly. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I did too.
The reporter met us just outside the airport and led us to the private jet used by the tabloid company. Fang moved slowly, a cap pulled over to shade the dark rings around his eyes. We entered the plane and took seats. It was very much like the plane we had flown to Washington, DC just months before with Jeb.
For the rest of the flight, Michele asked questions. I made it clear I would be the only one answering and she accepted that surprisingly. Most of the questions were about what we were doing and our plans for the future. I made all the answer undecided, but she seemed very excited just to have us in her presence.
We touched down in Arizona some hours later. Michele gave me her business card to contact her and I decided to take it just in case we ever needed to deal with her again. I hated reporters, but she seemed okay. She waved goodbye to us as we took off after getting off the plane. Mom's house was only a few miles away.
Fang managed until we were out of Michele's sight. Iggy and I supported him until we landed in the front yard of my mom's house. I checked the perimeter and sensed nothing. Cautiously, I opened the door and turned the lights on. Fang stumbled to a kitchen chair and sat down. The rest of us went through the house. As I entered Ella's room, I heard a sound.
"Hello?" I called.
There was a cry for help in the kitchen. It was Nudge. Angel's telepathy reached me and told me there was a man in the kitchen. I ran there and found Fang defending Nudge, his legs shaking as he stood.
"Stay away from HER!" Fang threw a punch. "You'll go through ME FIRST!"
The man was dressed in black. He cowered to the corner and raised his hands. "I carry message from captors. If you want to see family again, must go to California at abandoned building on Wilshire Boulevard. In three days."
I couldn't place the accent, but the man now stood up straight and looked at Fang. Raising a fist, Fang was about to lash at the man, but he elbowed Fang in the chest and scurried out the door. I shook my head at Gazzy who was about to go after him. It wasn't worth it.
Fang dropped to his knees, a hand gripping his chest as he coughed a little. I kneeled down next to him, but he pushed me away. "I'm fine, Max."
That hurt me a little. I didn't want to get pushed away. Then he lowered his voice. "I'm sorry."
He sat down and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Nudge came over. "Thank you, Fang."
"No problem," he muttered, his hand still planted on his chest. It worried me, but there was nothing I could do right now.
"So are we going to California or what?" Total blurted out. "I want Akila!"
"I guess so," I decided. In some sense, Total was right. We had to save the humans who were our family. Even Jeb. Without them, I knew we wouldn't last long. I knew Fang could read my expression as he nodded just after I asked myself if we should go. He stood up and then we were out the door and in the sky again. Again, Iggy and I supporting him as we made our way towards Hollywood. Maybe we would see Brad Pitt!
Yeah, right…We have other things to worry about.
I want to thank all of you who have read the chapters for Love, Pain, and Wings. Your comments have been encouraging and helpful. I know this chapter seemed a bit slow, so you don't have to tell me, and could have used a little more action, but it is needed for the story's transition into advancing how Max and the flock are going to start having a trail on where to find Dr. Martinez, Jeb, and Ella. I promise action and Max and Fang's relationship will also come back in the next chapters. This is just the beginning anyway. Don't worry, I'm already working on Chapter 5, but I didn't want to make this chapter too long and I wanted to put what I had finished already on line. So enjoy, and Chapter 5, as I promise, will be here soon! In other words, more action and FAX!