Angel shot upright in her bed, gasping for breathe. Something wasn't right, but what? Glancing at the clock, she saw it was two in the morning. Wondering if Iggy and Nudge had crashed at her brother's house like the usually do, Angel got up and ran downstairs and to the living room. Relieved, Angel saw Gazzy sprawled out on the floor, Iggy hanging half off the couch, and Nudge on the other couch, face first in a pillow and snoring. Any other time she would've laughed at the scene but at the moment, she had a dreadful feeling something awful had happened.

"Guys wake up!" she shouted, walking over to her brother to try shaking him. "Gazzy come on wake up!"

Gazzy grunted and his eyes fluttered for a moment. Angel practically burst into laughter when she heard him mumble, "But Momma I want to wear the pink shirt not the purple one. Pink is more manly." Angel snorted, then kicked her brother's leg, repeatedly.

"Gazzy! Gasman you pink loving weirdo wake up!" she yelled.

Gazzy's eyes opened wide as he sat upright on the floor. He glared at her and held on to his leg.

"Ow! Damn it Angel that hurt what the hell!"

"You wouldn't wake up," she stated simply, walking to the still sleeping Iggy. She poked his face, hoping that would work. He merely swatted at her hand. Sighing in frustration, Angel decided on just yelling.

"Iggy! Wake up! Bacon!" At that, Iggy shot upright.

"Bacon? Where? I want bacon!" Angel rolled her eyes and walked to the sleeping Nudge.

"Ok, you two, come here."

"Why?" they whined in protest.

"Because Nudge is a brick and can sleep through a goddamn attack. Now get you asses over here and help me wake her up!"

Touchy, touchy, Angel heard Iggy think. She turned and glared at him.

"Hey Nudge wake up!" Iggy yelled and started shaking the dead weight that is Nudge. After few minutes of yelling and shaking the girl, she was still not awake.

"Are we sure she isn't dead?" Gazzy asked.

"Enough of this!" Angel grabbed Nudge by the legs and shoulders and flipped her onto the ground. Sitting up and clutching her head, Nudge was now finally awake.

"What the hell just happened?" she asked, standing up.

"Good you're all awake, now, we need to go somewhere," Angel said, walking straight to the front door.

"Hey, hold on a sec! I was told there was bacon!" Iggy shouted and ran after her.

"I said that to wake you up. Now come on! Something bad happened, and I have a feeling I know where we need to go," Angel said walking outside.

"Shit really?" Iggy asked, now serious. Angel nodded, opening her pure white wings to prepare to take off, but Gazzy stopped her.

"What the hell are you going? We can't fly someone can see us! I'll go start the car and-" Angel cut him off.

"Gaz, it is two freakin in the morning, no one is awake in this neighborhood to see us! And the car is too slow, we need to get to this place fast." Iggy and Nudge nodded in agreement, also opening their wings.

Gazzy groaned and opened his pale wings too, signaling defeat.

"Lead the way."

Angel landed an hour later in what looked like a quiet field surrounded by trees. She heard Iggy, Gazzy, and Nudge land behind her. Walking forward, Angel was hit with an overwhelming sense of danger and oddly enough, familiarity. Pausing, she looked around then closed her eyes and opened her mind to anything that might be around her. Shocked, Angel jumped.

"Ange? Sweetie what is it?" Nudge said as she came to stand next to her.

"I can't believe it," she mumbled walking forward.

"Can't believe what?" Iggy called after her. Angel ignored him as she approached a few trees.

"Fang? I know you're there, no use hiding," she said to the shadows. She heard Nudge gasp as Fang moved and revealed himself, glaring at the people in front of him.

"How the hell could you know that was me?" he asked angrily.

"I'll tell you," Angel said, looking straight into his dark eyes, "but first, show me your wings."

Fang stared at her wide eyed. "How…"

"Show me Fang," Angel demanded. She saw him swallow hard as he looked down, and slowly opened his midnight wings.

Good. Angel sent the thought to Fang, and saw him jump.

What the hell!? Angel heard him think as he looked around him, trying to find the source of the mysterious voice in his head.

Fang calm down. Its me, Angel. I can read minds, that's how I knew you were there.

"What do you mean you can read minds?" he asked out loud.

"I can talk in your head can't I? And look, I have wings too," Angel replied, opening you her wings wider for him to see. Fang's eyes widened as he stared at her.

They have wings too, but I doubt they'd be as willing as I am to show you, she said in his head, gesturing to her friends and brother behind her. They walked up behind her, Gazzy putting his hands on her shoulders.

"So, why are you here?" Iggy asked. Fang turned is attention to him.

"I really don't know. I had this feeling that told me to come here. I think it has something to do with Max, I think she's in trouble," he said. Angel stared at him with wide eyes.

"Max? But I thought you hated her!" Nudge exclaimed. Fang turned to her.

"I really don't. She hates me. I gave up getting her to try and see I'm not as bad as she think I am. That plan obviously didn't work, so now I just play along with her."

Angel opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by an ear splitting scream. Without checking to see if the others would follow, she jumped into the air and took off.


"Who the hell are you and what do you want with me!?" Max said, not for the first time. She was tied up, had a broken nose, a black eye, bruised ribs, a twisted ankle, and was on the floor of a grassy/muddy field that was surrounded by trees with her hands tied behind her back and her feet bound so tightly it felt like her ankle would snap off at any given second. Max wanted answers damn it! She was tired of being a victim. Maximum Ride does not play victim, she wasn't going to start today.

The guy still didn't speak. Though she couldn't see him in the dark, Max knew he was there. Her hearing was crazy good; she could her each silent step he took, every intake of shaky breath. She knew he was there. He was just playing cat and mouse. Well, this mouse was going to put up one hell of a fight damn it!

Max opened her mouth to shout something insulting, but her shout turned into a scream of agony as she was kicked hard in the head, then her ribs causing them to snap, and her ankle stomped on, also causing the bone to shatter.

Max curled up whimpering, not even caring how pathetic and weak she may have looked and sounded. She heard the guy run away, but didn't even care. Two blows to the head in one day, she felt like she could die right there. And maybe she would.

Black spots clouded her vision. Max heard faint sounds of wings beating, but dismissed it as her imagination.

"MAX!"

Weird, that almost sounded like Fang, Max thought as she drifted into darkness.