Because I'm cheating, this chapter is posted for Project PULL… a day late.

The theme song for this chapter is "Dear God" by FM Static.

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Indescribable

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Rated T for language and violence.

They were together, again, and they didn't have any plans to be separated any time soon. She was back to hearing voices. He started to mimic once again. She found her voice, and she wasn't afraid to use it. In remembering how to see, he gained a voice of his own. She got her Voice back, and wasn't afraid to take charge. His voice kept her steady, and he reminded her to listen to those she looked after.

Those who had torn them apart—the ones who'd scorned them—are in for a brutal surprise. Their experiments are back, and ready to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. But, in the test of faith and endurance, can the rebels weather the storm?

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Chapter Six: Once Upon A Prayer

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"Are they always like this?" I heard Wren ask somewhere to my right.

Total chuckled in reply. "You, my friend, haven't seen anything yet."

Friday, November 26th, 2010

We all sat around the campfire, talking and laughing and just being with each other. It was fantastic.

The stars glittered above my head, happy with us that we were out here again. I was glad to be here, too.

Iggy nudged my shoulder with his elbow, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Max?"

"Hmm?" I reclined a bit, leaning back onto my palms and stretching my legs closer to the fire.

"People are starting to fall asleep, so can I do something, first?"

"Will it explode?"

"Nope."

"Sure." I sat up, a little startled when Iggy grabbed onto my hand. I noticed he did the same with Gazzy, who was on his other side. My hand found Ella's on instinct, helping to close up the circle we made around the fire.

"So, while I was in Dallas," Iggy explained quietly, and I squeezed his hand for support, "the Wallace's were really religious. We went to church all the time and said grace before dinner and stuff like that. So, um, I'd like to… pray."

I shot a glance at my second in command. He was strung tight, it was obvious, but his face was also calm. He really wanted this. "Sure," I murmured, giving his fingers another squeeze.

Ig's face gave a glimmer of a grin, and he bent his head forward, his eyes fluttering closed. Everyone did the same, even Total, whose paws were in Angel's and Wren's hands respectively. I looked up, out at the sky, and the blinking stars above us. If there really is a God, he or she is out there, in amongst all that brilliance. My eyes fluttered closed as my second started to speak.

"Our Heavenly Father," Iggy began softly, his words mixing with the crackling of the fire. Other than that, it was silent. "I thank you for bringing me back to my family, and giving me my memory back. I didn't even know I missed them so much until they found me again. Thank you for not leaving me in the dark all this time. I'm glad I got to be normal for a little while, too, I think I needed that. I wish I could have said good-bye to the Wallace's. They're good people, and I ask you to protect them from everyone that is after us, Itex and the School. They don't need to become apart of this mess. Thank you, oh Lord, Amen."

"God," Angel's voice filtered in through the silence that followed, sounding innocent and hopeful, "please keep our fake momma safe, too. She was nice, I guess; she really did care about us, she just had a lot on her plate. Make sure she doesn't worry too much. And thank you for letting me be normal for a little while. I really liked school, and I loved learning everything we did. I'll miss my friends a lot. I wish I could have said goodbye. Thank you, Amen."

Nudge spoke up, too, and she sounded close to tears. "Dear God, thank you for letting me make normal friends. I know I never would have been able to otherwise. I'm going to miss Dani and Mrs. Hyatt a lot, and I hope they don't worry too much. Please make sure that Dad doesn't get mad at them—it wasn't their fault. I'm so glad I could find everyone again, and I really want to save Max's mom. Amen."

"Thanks for bringing the flock together again, God," Gazzy murmured, almost too softly for me to hear, "and thanks for letting me remember again, but I really just want my wings back. Amen."

"God, please help us find Ella's momma and Lettie, and let Max keep us. Thank you for letting me see Fang again. Amen."

My eyes flashed open, looking at Jay across the fire. He was looking up at the stars, too, with an expression of awe on his face. Who was Lettie?

"Dear God," Wren whispered, cutting my thoughts short, "Please protect my brother and me, and the flock, too, as we go save Max and Ella's mom. Thank you for giving me this chance to get out of the Institute and make things right. Amen."

"God, thank you for bringing Maximum Ride back to the world," Total murmured, "and for letting us get out of the Institute. Please help us to get Dr. M out of there. Amen."

Ella spoke next, squeezing my hand as she did so. "God, thank you for bringing my sister back to me, and please help the memories come back. I trust that Max is my sister, but I'd like to actually remember her. Please help us save Mom, and help her get back to normal, too. Thank you so, so much for helping us get out of the Institute. Amen."

I had absolutely nothing to say to this. My flock, the only people who mattered in my life, had just poured their hearts out, to a man—the Man? or was God a woman?—who I wasn't sure I believed in. Did they, really?

It was obvious, in the silence that followed, that either Fang or I should speak. Yet… I couldn't seem to form the words in my head. Sure, I was thankful for things—my flock, my memories—and I was scared, too—about mom, and I desperately needed to find a way to get my wings back—but did I really need to worry everyone like that? I was the leader, I wasn't supposed to scare them. Damn, this is so hard…

Fang didn't give me much time to think, since he spoke up next. "God? Thanks, Amen."

Iggy laughed a little next to me, and I had to admit that it was funny. Then I realized that he'd probably said a boatload in his head… leaving me to fill in his silence. Thanks, Fang.

I closed my eyes tight, not wanting to have to speak up. I mean… I'd just remembered everything—just found out about Mom, just found Ella and the flock—I'd just stepped back into my leader role. Like wearing a new pair of shoes for the first time, I didn't feel comfortable in my skin yet.

So, I decided to pull a Fang, and do my largely-personal rant inside my not-so-private head.

Dear God, if you really are out there, thanks, I guess. I mean, I'm thrilled to be back here with Ella and my flock, and Wren and Jay don't seem too bad. And, I guess, it's nice that Fang's back, too. I might have missed him a whole lot, maybe. Possibly. But I am glad to be out here, free, and with my memory again. You and I both know, though, that I'll do anything to get us our wings back, and find my mother. If there's anything I have to ask of you, it's that you help us. Please. We really need it. Love, or, er, sincerely, Max. Amen.

"Thank you," I murmured, just so everyone would know I contributed. Leave it to somebody to jump on me for not sharing my feelings. Angel, of course, heard all of that. "Amen."

After that, everyone agreed that it was time for bed. We left the fire going, just stopped stoking it, and widened our little circle, spreading out and trying to get comfortable on the ground. I practically demanded that I take first watch, and Iggy just laughed and lay down next to my sister, who seemed to inch closer to him. Great, now I have to keep and eye on those two.

"Max?" I crawled over to Angel, Nudge, and the Gasman, who had all been talking in low voices. Nudge was the one who spoke up now.

"Yeah, sweetie?"

Nudge bit her lip, looking to the two siblings for support. They nodded, and she admitted sheepishly, "I want to call my family. I want them to know I'm okay."

"We do, too," Angel added, elbowing an irritated Gazzy in the arm. "Can we call them in the morning?" Her eyes widened the slightest bit, watering enough to make them shine. When I looked to Nudge, her eyes were the same, all big and brown and sad…

Damn those Bambi eyes. "All right," I sighed. She was right, though. We didn't need our pictures over the news—which they probably were. If we could get our 'families' to calm down, then maybe we could get my mom out of the School's clutches sooner, and I'd do anything for that.

"Thank you!" Nudge wrapped her arms around my shoulders, quickly followed by Angel. The Gasman just sat there, frowning at the dirt.

I hugged my two girls back quickly, before reaching over and patting Gazzy's shoulder. "You don't have to talk to your family if you don't want to," I tell him.

He relaxed slightly at that and looked up and met my gaze. "Thanks, Max."

I decided, right there, that I'd find out why he was being so distant. He was my little trooper, and he'd never been this moody before. Maybe I could get Fang to… No. This was my job. Plus, Fang wasn't even on my good side yet. "No problem," I replied, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze, then bade the three of them goodnight. As I made my way around the circle back to my spot, Jay reached up and grabbed my hand.

"Hey, Jay," I said with a smile, crouching beside him. Next to me, Fang stiffened a little. I could feel his body heat, he was that close, but I tried to ignore the way the hairs on the back of my neck rose. He's right there, Max…

"Max, can you tell me a bedtime story?" Jay smiled at me.

Wren's gaze was hard, and practically stabbing, on my other side, but I sat down anyway and pulled the seven-year-old into my lap. "What kind of story would you like to hear?"

"Tell me about your old house. Total said you lived in an E. What was it like? Were there any other letters? I once saw a book about animals that lived in letters, was it like that?"

I smiled, wrapping my arms around this little kid who actually acted like a little kid. Angel had grown up pretty fast, like I had, and so we never had much of her acting like this.

Everyone seemed to perk up around me, as if waiting for what I'd say next. Even Wren seemed interested, though I still could sense her stiff gaze.

"Well…" I had to pause and pull out memories out from under the mental rugs where they'd resided for two years. Slowly, I began to explain our story. "Once upon a time, there were six kids. These kids were special, however, because they had real-live, workings wings." I stroked Jay's feathers absent-mindedly, feeling grit come off between my fingers. As I talked, I straightened and began to groom his wings, getting out the caked-in gunk and dirt.

"There was Ariel, who was our baby. She was the littlest and the sweetest of us, and she was only six. She was pretty special, since she could read thoughts. She had a brother, whose name was…" I smiled at a sudden memory, one from an interview nearly three years ago. "Captain Terror. Despite his name, he wasn't all that scary. Wait, I take that back. Even though he was eight, he was pretty scary. He could make things explode like nobody's business, and he had a pretty messed-up bowel system. On top of that, he was great at mimicking voices. He caused a lot of fights with that little talent, the little sneak."

Laughter shook through our circle, and I felt my heart lift when Gazzy grinned at me over the dancing flames.

"Next was Tiffany-Krystal, who talked enough for two people, so she got two names. She was the only one of us who really cared about what she wore, yet this girl was awesome with a computer. If the flock had let her, she probably could have broken into the Pentagon, easy. She was eleven." Nudge beamed at this, too, her eyes shining with tears. I smiled at her and continued, "There was Jeff, who was fourteen. He couldn't see, but that just made the flock love him more. He could make things explode like Captain Terror could—they were partners in crime—and he was the only one of them who could cook. Their leader most-definitely couldn't cook to save her life."

"God, can she even cook now, Max?"

"Hey," I glared at Iggy, but my voice was light, "don't interrupt, Jeff." Jay laughed, all light and happy and bubbly, his wings shaking beneath my fingers. "I'm not about to answer that question," I retorted, giving Iggy the answer anyway.

"Anyway, if it weren't for Jeff, the flock would have starved. Now, the flock's leader was special. She was an awesome fighter, the best mom, and—"

"Way to be modest," Nudge joked.

"Seriously, if you want to listen, you'd better shut up!" I lifted an eyebrow, daring anyone to cut me off again. Nudge looked sheepish, but she was still smiling at her feet. "Now, where was I? Right, their leader was a great mom, and she loved her flock very much. They were her whole world, and she'd do anything to protect them. Her name was… Becca," I blurted, the name of my fake-sister-cousin being the first one that came to mind, "and she was pretty special, too. Or crazy. She had a Voice that talked to her, telling her to save the world."

I rubbed my dirty fingers on my jeans, not knowing how to continue. It was obvious which flock member was left, since he was the only one I had yet to mention. But… how was I supposed to talk about him? "The last flock member was named Nick, and he was special, too, but for different reasons. He didn't have special powers, or, not until later, at least, and he didn't talk much, though he was the flock's strongest and best fighter, next to Becca, of course. Well," I leaned forward, whispering into Jay's ear, "he might have beaten her one or two times." He giggled again, shying away.

"He was definitely really smart, too. Nick was the one who figured out how to use the computer when the flock was first on their own, and if it weren't for him they wouldn't have known anything about the real world at all. He was Jeff's other best friend, and the closest thing to a father that Ariel, Tiffany-Krystal, or Captain Terror had. But…" I closed my eyes, losing myself in the memories, "what really made him special was that he was Becca's best friend. She knew that, if she was ever worried or scared, or she thought being the leader was too hard, she could always go to Nick and talk to him, and he'd make her feel better. Nick and Becca always had each other's backs, and they could tell each other anything. They were inseperable." My eyes flew open when I felt Fang's hand graze mine, briefly covering my dry, dirty knuckles with his own callused hand before moving it away again.

"The flock lived in a secret house, way up in the mountains. They called in the E-shaped house, because it looked just like a capital E from the air. The bars of it hung over a cliff, supported by stilts, so in the living room, some of the bedrooms, and the study, you could almost pretend that you were floating. If any one of the flock hung their head out a window, they'd never get scared, because they knew that, if they fell, they could always just fly back up again. That's where they lived for four years, protecting themselves and looking out for each other, until…"

I trailed off, shifting the now-sleeping seven-year-old into my arms. "Until they realized that, sometimes, the world needs protecting more than they do," I murmured, sweeping his hair off of his face and setting him down next to Wren, who'd fallen asleep, too. Instinctively, she reached out and wrapped an arm around her brother, pulling him against her chest, where he was safe from harm.

"You can trust her," said a voice behind me. I turned and met Fang's gaze.

"Yeah, I think so. The question is," I wondered aloud, half to myself, half directed at him, as I made my way around the circle, "can I trust you?"

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Because I liked where this ended, I'm stopping here. Not a whole lot to say, since I did a major rant in the Angel A/N that functions as the previous chapter. I've had some trouble writing recently, trying to find the right words, but I think I'm working through it. This story should be coming easier. (It helps that I'm in a post-Angel high, and I'm in Max-speak-mode.) I'll try to get another chapter up by Tuesday, does anyone have a problem with that?

Review Song Theme: Let's see… what are songs that, when you hear them on the radio, you'll bust out and sing to, but you don't actually have on your iPod/MP3 player?

For me, it's anything by Maroon 5, because I just love their music, but I haven't gotten around to getting any of it on my iPod. My favorite song by them (at the moment) is… "Harder to Breathe". I just like the catchy-ness of this song, and how easy it is to sing along with. Really, the only lyrics I know in it are, "Is there anyone out there?/'Cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe." But that's most of the song, so it's all good. :)

"Forget You" by Cee Lo Green. Now, normally I'm okay with songs with swears in them, but if they're repeated often it jars me and makes me uncomfortable (especially when I don't see it coming). That's why I like the clean version of this, too. Why? Because it's a fun, catchy song, all about self-empowerment, and honestly, I find it amusing when swears are implied, but not actually stated. Lots of Shh-ing in this song, which makes me laugh.

So, has anyone read Angel yet? If you haven't, GO GET IT! If you have, what did you think? Try to be covert, if you review. I don't want anyone getting the book spoiled for them. Why don't you just state "Angel Spoilers" at the top, if you're about to rant about the book?

Thanks so much for all of your continued support guys. If it weren't for readers as awesome as you, I wouldn't even be writing in the first place. :)

Your faithful author,

Lea