This has got to be the longest chapter I've written so far. It's all thanks to your reviews, I must say. Reviews help. A lot.

Anway, enjoy!

Angelica Total

"He gave you SpagBol?" Total scoffed. "That was really romantic of him. Boy, Angel, you sure did land a good one."

"Shut up," I said with a grin. "He's really cool, actually."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

I gave him a playful slap. "Hey, watch it! I really like this guy, 'kay?"

Total faked a mortally-wounded face. "You like him better than me?" he whispered. "How can it be?"

"Get rid of the puppy dog eyes, Total," I said. "They really aren't working."

Well, he thought. Angel, since I AM a dog, I don't think it's that big a crime…

Shut up, I repeated. Louis is awesome.

Awesome, huh? But can he really be as awesome as moi? The great Total the mutant terrier?

Uh, let me think, I answered. Yes.

Really and truly?

Well, he could be beaten in the whole personal fragrance thing, you know? That gross, stinky dog odour you have about you? Yeah, he doesn't quite have that.

Ha ha, he chuckled drily. That's so funny. You just crack me up, Angel.

What an achievement.

Ouch, Total replied. You got me where it hurt, didn't you?

Bull's-eye, I said with a smirk.

Touché.

He perked up again a second later, this time speaking out loud.

"So you really think Nudge is pregnant?" he asked.

"I know she is," I replied. "And she wants to keep the baby, apparently."

"Keep it?" he said. "Why?"

"Um, because it's her baby?" I said. "Because it's the fruit of her womb?"

He gave me a look. "Where did you learn that word from?"

"Total, I'm sixteen," I retorted.

"Gawd, I'm sorry," he said, rolling his eyes.

"All I want to know is," I began, completely ignoring him, "who the hell is the father?"

"An eagle?" he commented.

I shot him a glare.

"It's probably just some human kid," I said finally.

"Yeah, 'cause Nudge just goes around sleeping with humans while on the run?" he said sarcastically. "Uh-huh. So possible."

"Are you actually suggesting that she slept with a bird?" I asked. "Like, while in mid-air?"

"Can you even do that?" Total wanted to know.

"I don't know," I said drily. "I've never tried."

"But really, how would you do that?" Total asked, in awe. "She must be really flexible."

I covered my ears, but, of course, I could still hear his thoughts.

Man, NUDGE of all people? In the air? Like some kind of-

"Total!" I burst out. "Please keep your thoughts under control; it's kinda gross."

He cocked his head. "How?"

"You're thinking about a girl who is practically my older sister having sex in the air," I said. "And that is not gross how?"

"I see your point," he eventually said. "But how-"

"I really don't want to know how," I interrupted. "D'you think it could've been Gazzy or someone?"

"No," we both said together.

"Iggy?" Total suggested.

I shook my head.

"That's way too gross to think about," I said.

Total smirked. "Threesome?"

"Total, shut up!" I yelled. "Your mind is just so-"

"True?"

"Can we just focus on flying?" I said. "Or I'm gonna hurl."

"Sure, sure," he said, suddenly anxious. "Just don't do it over me, okay?"

"I will if you carry on talking," I warned.

He changed the subject quickly.

"Hey, Angel, can we land? My wings can't cope with five hours straight flying."

"Of course," I said. "We'll rest for a while, then we can carry on."

"We'll rest for a night," he corrected.

"Fine," I answered. "One night only, though."

"One night only," he repeated. "Fine."


"Can I have a room?" I asked the concierge at the desk.

"Which room would you like, miss?" he asked in a bored voice. "We have a suite, a family roo-"

"A suite," I said. "Is that the best? 'Cause, you know, I want the best you've got."

He raised his eyebrows at me, and slowly typed something into a computer.

"We have a suite available. How many nights, may I ask, are you staying?" he eventually said.

"Just one," I replied.

His eyes finally settled on Total beside me.

Dogs are allowed, I thought fiercely.

"And your dog," he slurred, "is allowed also. Would you please sign your name down below? Your first name here; surname in this column, and lastly your room number."

I scribbled down a fake name: Angelica Total.

Thanks, Total thought drily, for letting me be your surname.

My pleasure, I replied.

"What's my room number?" I asked the guy.

"Your room is number 69, floor 9," he replied. "How will you be paying, miss?"

I planted three words in his brain: she's already paid.

"I see, you have already paid," he said. "Alright then, follow me to your room."

He went over to the elevator, and pressed the call lift button.

Strange…the girl doesn't have any baggage, he was thinking. Is she running away from home? I'd better call the police.

"I'm not running away from home, just so you know," I told him, looking him square in the eye. "And I don't need any baggage."

He looked positively terrified now, and when the lift arrived, he squeaked at us to get in.

Nice one, Angel, Total thought with a snigger. You really creeped this one out.

I smirked back at him, and listened to the concierge's thoughts once more.

Who did this girl say she was again, and where the hell did she come from?

"Angelica Total," I said, biting my lip to keep myself from laughing. "From…Florida."

Shit…she did it again. That freaky mind-reading thing. Is she a psychic?

"No," I replied. "I'm not a psychic."

Holy crap! Is this some sort of joke? His eyes narrowed. How old is she anyway? She looks about…nineteen.

He thinks I'm nineteen, I thought at Total.

NINETEEN? Total thought. Whatever. You could pass for twenty-one. Easily.

Really? I thought.

"I'm twenty-one, actually," I said out loud. "I was nineteen two years ago."

Liar, Total told me with a small grin.

The guy's eyes widened.

"What about you…" I glanced down at his nametag. "…Sampson?"

I'm thirty-four, he thought. Birthday's June the 25th.

"I'm turning twenty-eight in three weeks," he said.

I widened my eyes. "Oh, it's just that you look like you're turning thirty-five on the 25th of June."

That was when the lift stopped at floor nine.

"This is your floor," he muttered as we got out. "Here is your card-key- don't lose it- and your room is on the first right, down the corridor."

Bloody psychics, he thought as the lift door began to shut. They're all liars.

"I'm not!" I yelled at him. "I'm not a liar!"'

And then Total and I burst out laughing.

"I'm not a liar," Total said in a ridiculously high-pitched voice. "Hilarious, Angelica. Hilarious."

"Was that supposed to be an imitation of me?" I answered, putting a hand on my hip.

"What, didn't it sound like you?"

"Only Gazzy can do imitations, Total," I said.

He looked shocked for a moment, before nodding.

"I miss them," he whispered.

"So do I, Total," I said.

"I miss them all: Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, Akila…"

"But we'll see them soon," I said positively.

"Maybe we should check it out on the computer," Total suggested. "You know, on that website you were talking about. Fang's Blog."

"D'you think the concierge will have a computer?" I asked, a smile tugging at my lips.

"Yeah, probably. But let's go check out our room first- I want to see if there's a good view," Total replied.

"Why?"

"I like good views," Total replied defensively. "Don't you?"

"I only like good views if they come with big windows," I said. "So that we can jump out if necessary."

"That's true, I guess," he said.

We walked over to room number 69, and the door clicked open as I swiped the card-key through the lock. We went inside. It was a really, really nice room- a suite. The bathroom was huge, with a great big marble shower; the living room was equipped with a 32-inch flat-screen TV and a fireplace; the bedroom had one king-sized bed and another smaller TV; and the window basically stretched out over the walls of the entire room.

"The view…" Total breathed. "It's magnificent."

"I don't care if it's freaking magnificent," I said angrily. "We can't open the window."

"We can…break through it?" Total proposed.

"Fine," I said sourly. "We'll have to break through it. Later, though."

"Shall we go check out the computer now, then?" Total asked, tearing his gaze from the view.

"Let's go," I agreed.


Oh, bloody hell, it's HER.

I almost smiled at the concierge's terror, but instead, kept my face straight- a clean, emotionless poker face.

"Do you have a computer we can borrow?" I asked sweetly.

No, he thought.

"Yes," he said. "But it's not for guests. Although, if you have a laptop, we have Wi-Fi."

Lend her your computer, I thought. Give it to her.

"Alright, then," he sighed. "Just this once."

Leave them in privacy.

"I'll just go out for a while," he said. "There's a really good McDonald's down the road."

"Hey, Sampson!" the other concierge shouted, looking horrified, as Sampson walked out of the hotel. "What the hell are you doing?"

Follow him, I thought. Leave with him.

"Uh, wait, Sampson! I'm coming!" he yelled after him, and started to sprint after his colleague.

We're alone now, Total thought happily. Good going there, Angel.

They were really starting to bug me, I thought back.

Then, remembering what I had done in Louis' house, I pressed the little blue 'e', clicked on Google, and typed Fang's Blog into the search bar. I clicked the first result.


Yo,

Thanks for everyone's awesome replies. You guys really should have, like, a shrine dedicated to you or something. You rock.

So, back to the point: the pregnant Nudge. And you guys out there are right; how the hell does a mutant kid on the run get knocked up? Got an answer? Tell us. Right now, the kid's having a pretty hard time anyway, 'cause everyone's kind of ganging up against her. Except Iggy, which is weird. Especially Max. Gazzy and me are kind of like 'whatever' all the time, but we still want to figure out how to get rid of the thing. We're all for saving life and crap, but seriously? You think we want a crying, screaming, pissing, starving little thing to look after? Not a chance.

-Fang


We scrolled down to the comments.


mansions-r-only-cool-if-they-come-with-cars writes:

What's Max doing about the whole thing? Can't your leader just sort it out?

mansions-r-only-cool-if-they-come-with-cars,

We're having a pretty hard time holding Max back right now. She's trying to, and I quote, 'rip apart the freaking idiot who f***ed my sister. Then I'll come back and scream a whole lot more at Nudge.' So Max is kind of- what's the phrase?- blinded by rage at the mo. So she's no help right now.

-Fang

NNNNNNNa writes:

Can I adopt the kid then? Nudge gets her way, and you get yours. I'll call the kid Princess Dolly. Cute, right?

NNNNNNNa,

The kid is not- and I repeat- NOT going to be called Princess anything. And anyway, Nudge isn't having the kid. You think we want a nine-stone-heavier mutant kid around? How the HELL do you think she's going to be able to fly carrying all that weight? And what if the kid comes out while we're flying? What are we gonna do? Find a doctor? Yeah, we're SO going to do that, since there are so many doctors in the sky.

Here's a tip: think before you post. I'll appreciate it.

-Fang

HelloKittyWannaB writes:

Go to a vet.

HelloKittyWannaB,

I hate you. We aren't animals.

-Fang

PEtErTheCoolReIndEeR writes:

Who's the dad?

PEtErTheCoolReIndEeR,

We don't know. Nudge isn't saying. Wait a sec---are YOU the dad? Are YOU the knocker-upper? Hey, a word of warning. Max is probably gonna burst into your house at any moment and, uh, rip you apart. So, you know, watch out. Or not. I wouldn't mind her ripping apart the guy I hate the most right now. (unless HelloKittyWannaB is a guy. Then u come second).

-Fang


And, finally:


McFlyisAWESOM writes:

Are you in Kentucky? Like, where in Kentucky? We'll come drop the donation cash off for you there.

McFlyisAWESOM,

We all love you, apparently. And we're in this place called Lexington. Just drop off the cash in Southend park? We'll be the kids with wings.

-Fang