Yowch. It's been almost a month. =_=

I mean, that's faster than most stories, and my chapters are long, but I'm disappointing myself, I guess. :/

Also! I've added a few pages to the tumblr (mrboaf), and in case any of you guys were confused ('cause I was when I looked at it), the links to the other pages, including the ask and submit, are at the very bottom of the page. And I'm about to also add this story to wattpad, which you can thank my friend for - she's always on it on her phone. |3

And! I'll have my Kingdom Hearts story up soon, and after that I'll go back to finishing the first chapter of my Generator Rex one. Both (like all of my fanfictions) are OC-insert, and since you're reading this I figure you guys'll like it. (Which I can already tell from how half of you author-alerted me once I mentioned my other stories!)

Zaphara98: D'aww~ I didn't realize how fluffy that ending actually was until, well, WAY later. But either way, that was the intended mood, so, point 1 for me! XD

Undistiguished Closet Writer: Oh! I remember seeing you on the watch list! And yeeeeeee~ I'm so happy someone's finally decided to mention the internal struggles - with how noticeable I try and make it, I'm never sure if the readers REALLY notice it or not. And tons of thanks! No one's really complimented the PARTS of what I write and not just "You write well," plus I find it really amazing I've gotten you to read and ENJOY something that you're a Fish Out of Water to. :)


The next day, I wasn't sure whether to be surprised or not that what had happened wasn't mentioned. Of course, it's not like I'd know since I doubt any one of them would talk about it publicly, but even then I could just feel that no one had went to Iggy about it.

I mean, I had tried to, but it had wound up going one-eighty with him comforting me. Talk about turning the tables.

But then, I'd be lying if I said I was upset about it.

Both of us had insecurities that we were sick of bottling up, so I couldn't blame him for letting it out like he had. He was… well, I wasn't sure exactly how sensitive he was about his blindness beyond the fact he wished he could see.

If his easily ignoring the fact I'd clearly gone to help him in favor of offering me emotional support was any clue, I figured it was safe to say that his problems were more about how he held his true feelings back. Since he'd vented like he had, it wasn't much of a problem anymore.

And mine?

…Not so much.

No one had treated me with any sort of sympathy or kindness until I was four, but even then I rarely saw her and she'd been transferred to a different project after the flock had escaped. I hadn't seen Ari after that, either – his whitecoat dad had probably stopped bringing him since he was starting to get old enough to remember what was going on at the School.

So of course, the idea that someone would treat me like anything close to a human being because they wanted to, let alone to be my "friend" had me resisting the urge to burst out laughing whenever I heard it.

At least, it had.

The longer I spent with the flock, the less I thought of what was likely and what wasn't. At first I'd thought they'd ditch me or I'd have to ditch them. But then the voice in the back of my head suggesting I got to join them had gone from being tiny and rare to loud and far-too-frequent.

I hadn't really understood why – it could've been because my chances were getting better, or it could've been simply because the more it was brought up in my head, the more I thought about it.

But, I hadn't really understood why that was until last night, when my lack of sleep left me going over what had happened with Iggy over and over again.

I wasn't so desperate to join the flock because I wanted companionship – it was because I needed it.

Because in all honesty, I'd be lying if I said the reason I was so jealous of the flock was because they'd gotten out.

I'd only been so jealous of them because they'd always had someone with them. Someone to metaphorically hold their hand and give them hope that, no matter how bad things were, they could be better.

She and Ari hadn't done that, not really. I mean, I saw them and they both helped me out and tried to comfort me, but they didn't know what it was like – to ache constantly from wounds, from experiments, and be unable to do anything about it except cower in your cage.

To have the chance to know people who really knew what it felt like, to be close to them, would be like suddenly breathing for the first time in your life.

That was what it actually felt like, kind of.

Even if they didn't appreciate it like I did.

Though, in a way, I was glad they didn't. If they did, then there wouldn't be anything that I could gain from being alone for so long – there wouldn't have been a point to it.

And that was almost as horrifying as the idea being alone again.

There was a careful poke on my arm, and I turned to see Angel grinning encouragingly. I smirked back awkwardly, embarrassed and grateful how she'd make sure to give me a little silent reinforcement whenever I thought a little too deep, a little too dark.

And everyone says having a six-year-old mind reader around would be a bad thing.

"What is this?" Max blurted out, and I pressed my lips together, stifling laughter. "I mean – looks good. Smells good." She sat down at her usual seat at the table and held out her plate. "Is that broccoli? Yum."

Anne scooped a spoonful of the almost casserole-like food onto her plate. There were peas and maybe a carrot, as well as browned chunk of meat.

Max picked up her fork and put a smile on her face. "Thanks for making dinner, Anne," she said, taking her first bite.

"Uh-huh," Anne said, looking at her wryly. "At least I made a lot of it. I'm learning."

"It's fine," she said with her still-full mouth, waving her fork in the air. "'S great."

Anne rolled her eyes and served us our food after we got our plates. We all cleaned our plates twice, and I nearly laughed at the almost comical look of pride on Anne's face after we all finished.

She got up and left the table, bringing out an apple pie.

"I love apple pie!" Nudge said excitedly.

"Do you have two of them?" Gazzy's eyes flicked around anxiously, and I could practically see the gears turn in his head as he mentally divided it.

Anne walked away again and brought over a second one. "I told you, I'm learning."

The eight-year-old punched the air. "Yes!"

"I'd like to talk to you guys," Anne said, cutting a pie into individual slices. "Sort of a family meeting."

I held back a grimace, wondering if she felt as if she was actually a part of the "family" or not.

"You've all done beautifully here," she said, getting back in her chair. "You've adjusted better than I thought possible. And I find I'm enjoying it more than I ever imagined."

I swallowed and gripped my hands into fists, a sinking feeling in my stomach. Compliments like that were either followed by a "but" or some happy announcement. An announcement that I could already tell would only be happy on one side.

"I think we're ready to take the next step," she went on, looking around at us.

I could hear my heart thud in my ears, like a drum roll before the long-awaited reveal. The long-dreaded reveal.

"So I've enrolled you in school."

I chocked on air, a hand going to my throat as I felt my heart skip a beat. What the hell was she thinking?

Fang burst out laughing. "Whoa, you had us going there for a minute," he said.

"I'm not kidding, Nick," Anne said quietly. "There's an excellent school nearby. It would be perfectly safe. You could meet other people your age, interact with them. And – let's face it: Your education has been spotty at best."

I swallowed and looked away from the woman, thinking of all the lessons with her. Reading, writing, mathematics, science…

Anything and everything she'd told me I'd need when I got older, and I'd start to learn more complex concepts and ideas.

As if she'd already known that I'd get out.

"School?" Nudge chocked out. "You mean, like, at a school?"

"Going to a real school, with other people?" Angel said, frowning in concern.

"Holy frijoles," I heard Total mutter under the table.

"You'll start on Monday," Anne said briskly, avoiding our eyes as she gathered the empty plates. "I'll pick up your uniforms tomorrow."

Silently, Max shoved her chair away from the table and stormed over to the back door. The slam of the door resounded in the quiet room, and the younger kids exchanged disbelieving glances.

A second later I found myself standing up, my chair nearly tipping backwards as I felt my arms shaking.

"Sarah—" Anne started, looking almost hurt.

"I'm going to bed," I snapped, pushing past her harshly and stomping my feet with every step up the stairs.

I liked Anne, and I considered her a friend just as much as I did the members of the flock.

But she really needed to learn her boundaries.


There were plenty of things I didn't get.

Like how no one ever thought of making the rich only kind-of-rich and not swimming-in-money-rich and balancing out the wealth of the country. Or putting all of the surplus money in a savings account, letting the interest build it up impossibly high, and use it to pay off the nation's debt. Or stopping poverty, starvation, and/or homelessness.

But, most outrageous of all, how someone could possibly be even a little excited for their first day of school.

When I trudged down the stairs in my uniform –a white blouse with, believe it or not, a fricking plaid skirt– I had half a mind to just go "To hell with it," and ditch Anne's house earlier than expected.

"Can we play hooky?" I heard Iggy mutter as I walked into the kitchen, seeing him scramble eggs.

"Somehow I suspect they're picky about that," Max said, dropping more bread into the toaster. "I bet they'd call Anne."

"Pfff," I said tiredly, sliding into a stool before folding my arms on the counter and using them as a pillow. "That sucks."

"No kidding," the flock leader grumbled back.

"I look like prep school Barbie," Nudge complained, coming into the room. There was a short pause before she continued. "Actually, you look like prep school Barbie. I'm just Barbie's friend."

She was being positively cheeky, but didn't sound even close to guilty.

I burst out laughing, burying my head farther in my arms as my side started to ache. I felt eyes burning into the back of my thankfully-not-blonde head, but it only made me laugh harder.

Someone else walked in after that, but I was too lazy to check who with my still-sore side. There was the clatter of a plate, and after a few moments there was a series of faint clacks off to my side.

"Woof!" Total mocked, before chuckling to himself. I snorted, thinking of how much the two images clashed – a dog barking as he ate leftover food, and a dog talking as he sat on a stool.

"Hey, Ange," I said groggily, words muffled by my arms. I heard her giggle as something slid on the counter before bumping into my arm, the warm surface nearly scalding me through the fabric of my shirt.

I sat up, slouching as I stared drowsily at the countertop, swaying from side to side a bit. It was funny, really, how the one time I slept like a rock was the one time I actually had to get up.

"Angel?" Max said, bringing her a cup of coffee. She lowered her voice, and I zoned her out after that.

I blinked blearily a few times, yawning loudly before I reached for the cup of coffee. I tipped my head back and finished it in one swig, shuddering as the caffeine made its way into my system.

Fortunately, though, it got rid of my sleepiness – even if the temperature had killed a good portion of my taste buds. And when I ran my tongue over my teeth, testing how many of the nerve endings had been fried, I realized the skin on the roof of my mouth was starting to peel off in strips.

My lip curled, and I bit back a groan.

I was so not looking forward to scraping that off.

Max stood up, and I looked over at her in sync with the others. "That goes for all of us," she said quietly, eyes flicking between everyone. "Try to blend, people. Don't give anyone ammo to use against us."

I sighed and nodded my head, giving her a thumbs up while the flock gave their own "Okay,"-s with various amounts of enthusiasm. Or lack thereof.

"Goodness – you're all up," Anne said, making her way into the kitchen. Ironic, considering how you'd think she'd be up and about before any of us.

She looked around at us –either eating the food we'd made or putting it away– and smiled ruefully. "This beats frozen waffles. Thanks, Jeff. Oh, and Jeff – I meant to tell you. You and Nick will be in the same class. It'll help you get your bearings."

Iggy's face flushed, and while I'd meant to frown, having to bite back a giggle made it hard to keep a straight face.

"Can Total come?" Angel asked.

Angel walked over and straightened Angel's collar. "Nope," she said bluntly, before walking over to the cabinet and taking out a mug.

"I'll be fine. Chase some ducks or something," Total whispered, and Angel patted his head.

"This uniform is so uncool," said Nudge, sighing as she crossed her arms pointedly.

"I know. Fortunately you'll be surrounded by a whole bunch of other uncool uniforms," Anne said, almost teasingly, before she frowned. "Ariel, are you drinking coffee?"

"Uh-huh," Angel said, taking a long sip as if saying, Just try and get me to stop. I dare you. "Get jump started for first grade."

Max sighed suddenly, before getting a bowl and filling it with coffee before adding milk and two cubes of sugar. She set it in front of Total, and he lapped it up happily.

I twitched and tried to pass the apparently non-toxicity of the drink for the dog as the work of the whitecoats. I mean, just him being able to produce the wide range of vocal noises needed to speak said something big had been done to him.

…I wonder if he realized he could choke yet?

Snickering at the thought, I carefully pet the Scottie on his furry head. He paused to give me a deadpan look –which wasn't so successful with coffee dripping off of his chin– before he went back to enjoying his drink.

"Okay," Anne said, putting her mug in the sink. "I'll bring the car around front. Wear jackets – it's chilly this morning."

I sighed and stood, only to stiffen and almost let out a stream of curses when I realized something.

Anne was driving us to school.

Oh, hell.


While the ride to the school was silent, it was short. Which I couldn't be more thankful for – the last thing I needed was to have to go to school shaking like a leaf and on the border of having a panic attack everyday.

Of course, sitting in the more-open front seat next to Anne with my gaze glued to the window definitely helped.

When we got to the building, I realized we'd seen it before. It was hard to tell compared to an aerial view, but it was still obvious.

It looked like a large private house made out of cream-colored stone, and there was ivy growing up one wall. The rest of the greenery on the grounds was trimmed perfectly, and I couldn't help but wonder how long it had taken to get it done.

All in all, it looked like one those places kids would be breaking into at night because they thought it was haunted.

The car slid into the drop-off line, and my stomach clenched to the point I thought I might barf.

"Okay, kids," Anne said. "They're expecting you. All the paperwork is done." She looked back at the flock, who was just as tense as I was in the back seats.

"I know it seems scary," she said gently, eyes flicking to me as she smiled softly. "But it'll really be okay. Please just give it a chance. And I'll have a treat waiting for you at home this afternoon. We clear on how you'll get home?"

I managed a nod, but even that had me feeling so lightheaded I just might've passed out in my car seat.

"It's about a ten-minute walk," Anne confirmed for us. "And here we are." She pulled up to the curb, and I rushed out of the car ahead of the others. I swallowed hard, seeing all the kids –all the people– filing in through the double doors, and I felt my legs shake as I wobbled a bit.

"Here we go," Max muttered, taking Nudge and Angel's hands in her own as we started to walk towards the school.

'This is gonna suck,' I called out mentally to the others, throat too tight for me to speak as I almost instinctively made sure to link them all together.

Almost everyone immediately jumped or stiffened, but they quickly relaxed once they realized what was going on.

'Yuh-huh,' Gazzy sighed, shoulders slumping. I let out a nervous, way-too-high laugh before reaching over to ruffle his hair.

He ducked out of the way, looking over to stick his tongue out at me.

'This is weird,' Iggy said, his brow furrowed. 'I mean— it sounds like we're all talking, but it's all…'

'Echo-y?' I provided, forcing my knees to keep from buckling as we passed through the large doorway.

The walls were, luckily, off-white, while the carpet was a dark color that looked like it couldn't decide whether it was a blue-gray or a really worn out black.

'Yeah,' he said, cracking a smile. 'Echo-y.'

I narrowed my eyes at him, nearly bolting when one of the teachers walked up to us. 'Are you mocking me?' I said, raising an eyebrow as I usually did, even though my hands started to shake and I felt myself break out in a nervous sweat.

How Anne could think I'd be okay doing something that required me to do practically nothing but sit down, shut up, and listen to teachers talk for eight hours every weekday in a building filled with hundreds of kids was beyond me.

'Of course not,' Iggy responded, turning to give me a surprisingly good combination of a smile-scowl, and I probably would've burst out laughing if I wasn't so tense.

Well, either that or I'd have given him a thwack upside the head.

"Zephyr, is it?" A woman dressed in tweed smiled at us uncertainly. She introduced herself as Ms. Cvelbar, and I quickly cut off the mental links.

"Yeah?" Gazzy said, hiding his cautiousness. "That's me."

The teacher's smile widened. "Zephyr, you're with me," she said, holding out a hand. "Come along, dear."

He walked away with her, and I felt faintly nauseous. I clamped my eyes shut and silently timed my breaths, trying to calm down.

Honestly, the whole going-to-normal-school thing wouldn't have been so bad if we didn't have to split up. But being separated from some of the only people who I could relax around really wasn't helping.

"Nick? And Jeff? I'm Mrs. Cheatham. Welcome to our school. Come with me and I'll show you your classroom," I heard another teacher chirp pleasantly.

I swallowed, feeling my heart thud rapidly as they went down the hall, a pain steadily blooming behind my eyes.

"Sarah?" I blinked repeatedly and looked up at the wiry teacher, trying to will the headache away as she smiled at me. "I'm Mrs. Thompson. Now, if you'll follow me,"

She turned on her heel and started down the hall, and I made my way after her. Her strides were long and rapid, almost excited, but I had no problem keeping up with her.

"How are you?" she asked suddenly, looking over to grin at me. "Well, besides nervous."

"Fine," I said, frowning at her charismatic behavior. It was welcoming, practically mischievous, and I couldn't help but wonder how she could keep it up when she taught teenagers for a living.

"Good," her smile only widened.


The final bell rang, and I waited for the other kids to rush out first so I wouldn't get trapped in the crowd or bumped into every second. Having serious claustrophobia and a no-touching issue was going to be a huge problem in a place packed with so many people.

The second I saw a break in the crowds, I slid in between way-too-slow bodies and started hugging the walls. Everyone seemed to stay away from them, so I had both a clear path and a person-free zone.

Once I got out of the horrid building, I all but ran for a more open area that was still visible from the main entrance. No matter how great our visions could be, we still couldn't see something that wasn't in our line of sight.

Angel skipped up to me almost immediately, the other kids "coincidentally" not blocking her path. Her squawking-in-panic brother managed to duck through the crowds in only a couple dozen seconds. I heard Nudge's loud "Excuse me!"-s before I saw her.

"That was fast," I commented, raising an eyebrow as I only barely saw Iggy, Max, and Fang in the very back of the herd.

Angel beamed, as if she'd just told me a secret that she knew I'd keep. 'You did,' I said blankly, knowing there was no point to be sarcastic or ask her if she hadn't.

She was six years old –too young for her moral compass to have developed– on top of being a mind reader. Asking her to not use something to her advantage was like asking a cheetah to hunt without using its speed.

Even if said advantage was cheating via other people's minds.

I sighed and looked towards the other blond, who grinned excitedly like he didn't have a care in the world.

Oh, no.

My eyebrow rose higher, and the muscles in the side of my face started to ache. "What did you do?" while most people might've expected a test cheated on, or a teacher lied to, I knew better.

His face fell, blue eyes widening as he practically squirmed in his own skin.

None of us would've done anything so superficial, not without a subtle flare, or some kind of bang.

And, in Gazzy's –and Iggy's– case, that was quite literal in most scenarios. Which, despite Max's orders and all of our knowing better, no doubt included whatever had happened today.

"Well?" I said sternly, narrowing my eyes as I scowled at him. The boy blushed and looked down as he tried to inch behind Nudge, only for her to give him an I don't think so, look and step away.

He acted as if he hadn't heard me.

I looked up, exasperated, and saw that the rest of the flock was only a couple moments away from arriving. Except, of course, for the one who was walking purposely slow and kept his head turned to the side, face faintly pink.

I stifled laughter and couldn't keep my face straight when I realized that Iggy had been listening in. And, even funnier, was the fact that they weren't feeling guilty because of whatever the hell they'd done.

They were feeling embarrassed because was I scolding them instead of cheering them on.

While I knew I was better friends with them than the others due to how much more time I spent with them –which, initially, had been due to Gazzy's resemblance to Ari–, I hadn't really realized that I'd made myself an unofficial third member to their little bomb-building duo. Even if I knew practically nothing about making explosives beyond the fact that it was just violent chemical reactions.

So, by extension, that meant I was supposed to besupportive of their possibly extremely dangerous antics. And, y'know, not all logical and Max-like-responsible.

I coughed and hacked into my hand until I felt acid rise in my throat, shoulders shaking as I kept myself from laughing. Somehow.

Because honestly I had no idea how I was able to – they were acting like little kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. It was simultaneously one of the funniest things I'd ever seen, and one of the cutest.

I could feel all of them staring at me like I was crazy, and I quickly straightened and cleared my throat, though giggles kept escaping me and both corners of my mouth refused to stay down at the same town.

"What?" I asked, pointedly looking away from the two bomb-builders and clearing my throat again as I chocked on held-back laughter.

No one said anything, so I spun on my heel and started to walk back home as the others made their way after me.


"So," I said a few minutes later, when I was able to look at the troublemakers without having the urge to burst out laughing. "What did you guys do?"

The two in question faltered slightly, while Max glared at the air in front of her.

"A stink bomb," she said briskly, and her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "They got sent to the principal's office, and I had to go with them."

"Wow," I said, letting out a low whistle and raising my eyebrows. "Just a stink bomb?" I sent the two a quizzical look before continuing. "I mean, I get the whole 'no property damage' thing, but why not use—"

"Hush," Max glowered at me in warning and irritation, while I could only look back at her sheepishly.

"He's such a jerk," the Gasman huffed. "The principal."

"Oh, he can't be that bad," I tried to reason, only for the three who'd met him to turn to stare at me. "…He is, isn't he?"

Gazzy nodded, scowling. "Yuh-huh," he said. "He just hates kids an—"

Suddenly there was an all-too-familiar wicked gleam in his eye, and he grinned widely before scrunching his face up and puffing out his cheeks.

"You ignorant little sah-vages," he sneered, in the voice of the would-be principal. It was deep, with an undertone of grating arrogance that made me glad I hadn't seen him.

Decking an authority figure in the face would probably lead to way more trouble than just a silly stink bomb.

I coughed on the air for a second before I burst out laughing, Nudge and Angel quickly joining in.

"You malignant little fiends," he went on, and even the frustrated Max started laughing.

"But, sir," Gazzy continued in her voice, and I was all but screeching at the overly-innocent tone to it. "Our parents are missionaries. Lying is the Tenth Commandment. They're innocent of all wrongdoing. What's a stink bomb?"

I was hunched over, arms around my waist as I gasped for air. The second I'd get enough to breathe, I'd just laugh more and it'd start all over again.

Hell, even Fang was laughing!

Angel had to tug me along after them like a stubborn dog on a leash, but I didn't really care.

"Is lying really the Tenth Commandment?" Iggy asked.

"No idea," Max said, and without Gazzy going on anymore I could catch my breath and stand. Well, sort of. "Let's cut into the woods. This road's making me nervous."

We veered off the main road and headed into the woods at an angle, knowing we'd wind up at one of Anne's orchards soon enough.

"So who really did set off the stink bomb?" Nudge asked, and I couldn't help but snort.

Max rolled her eyes. "They did, of course." She glared at Gazzy, annoyed. "I don't know how, I don't know why. I just know they did."

"Well, yes," Gazzy finally admitted, if a bit timid. "This kid was a total jerk to me on the playground, and someone stuck a Kick Me sign on the back of Iggy's shirt."

I scowled, and in the back of my mind decided punching the principal wasn't the most troublesome thing that could happen. Getting in a fight and most likely suspended? Definitely.

"I told you I'd take care of that," Fang said to Iggy.

Max heaved a sigh. "Guys, you're going to meet jerks in every situation. For the rest of your lives. But you can't be doing stuff like stink bombs – not right now. We're trying to blend, remember? We're trying to not make waves, to not stick out. So making a stink bomb, setting it off, and getting caught was not the right way to go."

"Sorry, Max," Gazzy said, trying to be sincere but not quite meaning it.

"Listen, you two," she said sternly as we crested a ridge, the border of Anne's property only a little ways off. "You put us all at risk. From now on you're going to toe the line at the stupid school or you're going to answer to me. Got it?"

"Got it," Gazzy mumbled.

"Yeah, got it," said Iggy reluctantly. "We'll be more stupid and idiotic in the future. We'll blend."

"Good."

The problem settled, the rest of the walk was quiet besides the crunching of leaves or snapping of twigs under our feet.

"I got a phone call," Anne said, before we could even finish hanging up our jackets in the hall. "I guess you're all adjusting. Well, anyway. Come into the kitchen. There's hot chocolate and cookies."

My stomach growled in agreement with the idea, and my legs practically moved themselves towards the kitchen, whether the others would come with me or not.

"Let me just say that I'm very disappointed in your behavior," Anne said as she started to pour mugs of hot chocolate. When she passed me mine I took a deep gulp, no doubt frying any of my taste buds that had survived the earlier ordeal. Either way it was delicious, and I licked the frothy, marshmallow foam from my upper lip.

She opened a package of chocolate-chip cookies and put it on a plate on the table. The pre-made baked goods were sweet even if they were hard, the sugar giving it a very fine and smooth grainy texture. The chocolate chips kept the cookies from being too dry, and were so small they melted the second you bit into them.

It was probably the best thing I'd ever had.

"I could show you how to make cookies from scratch," Max said, and I choked on the piece of cookie in my mouth. I coughed it out of my windpipe before downing it with more hot chocolate, the sweet sliding back down the right way.

"There's a recipe on the back of the chip package," she mumbled defensively at our stares, taking another cookie.

"I'd like that, Max. Thanks," said Anne, her voice softer. She gave the girl a smile before going to the sink.

"Stink bomb," Total chortled, when his jaw wasn't working to crunch up bites of cookie. "That must've been great."

I smirked and jabbed him with my elbow. He only jumped back before twisting around, lying down over the crook in my arm like a giant, furry bracelet.

A smug, comfortable, cookie-chomping bracelet.