VII. One More Thing.

The day of departure came.

Ron and I were packed and ready to leave. The Heffleys were all in an uproar, and poor Hopi, stuck again in his despised cat carrier, was not enjoying it.

When I walked by, he looked up at me and his piteous wailing broke my heart. So I threw on my winter gear and took him outside in the carrier. Neither of us had fully adjusted to the bitter Northern cold, but it was quiet outside, and some quiet would surely make Hopi (who's about nine-hundred-fifty in cat years) feel a little better.

Lugging the cat carrier, I walked to the base of the tree the winged being had alighted in last night. I looked up, seeing no sign of anything, but the branches were several storeys above me and—

"We meet again," said someone behind me. I turned around to face a shower of snow, which settled to reveal a handsome goth teenager, his wings concealed.

"Hello," I grunted.

"Do you have the…thing I gave you?" he asked earnestly, in a very low voice.

"Yes, of course," I returned in a whisper. "I've kept it secret and safe. It's in my suitcase right now."

"You're leaving today?"

"Yup."

"Where to?"

"New York, New York."

"There's an Institute in New York." Something in the way he said institute told me the place must be evil, or at least he thought it was.

"Well, yeah," I stammered. "I would think there would several institutes in New York. It's a very large city, after all."

Suddenly Fang gripped my shoulders and stared down my eyes. "Listen closely. This is important. The Institute I'm talking about is a giant lab where they—the evil scientists—imprisoned mutant freaks like me. Me and my Flock broke in and set the others free a year ago, but as far as I'm aware the place is still operating. You might find some info on your parents there."

"That reminds me," I cut in. "What exactly is the name of this organization?'

Fang hung his head, and I saw embarrassment, maybe even shame, in his black eyes.

"Um…uh…well, I don't know," he mumbled, letting go of my shoulders and sticking his hands in his pockets. "I do know there's a corporation called Itex that was trying to take over the world awhile back, and they were involved in all this somehow, but I'm not sure that the scientists were part of them or working for them. The Flock and I called the scientists, and the lab in Death Valley where they made us, the 'School'. But I don't know their real name. I'm sorry."

"Thank you, it's ok," I said. Some cowardly part of me was relieved, but mostly I was frustrated. What could I accomplish if I didn't know the name?

Fang glanced cautiously at the driveway, where Uncle George and some Heffley guys were loading a car. He always spoke in a low voice, but now he whispered even softer, to cover every slim chance of our being overheard. "I wouldn't recommend going to this Institute unless you're incredibly brave and have some kind of weapon with you. It could be dangerous."

"If it needs to be done, I'll do it," I said, not knowing how closely those words would bind me.

"Be careful, Sarah. Evil as those scientists are, there's plenty other things, some worse, lurking on the streets of Manhattan. Don't tell anyone what I've told you here except maybe your brother if you think he can handle it. Try to contact Chiron when you decide to…investigate stuff."

In Greek mythology, Chiron was a centaur and the wisest of all teachers, who trained famous warriors such as Jason and Achilles. I wondered why someone today would go by that name; they must be aware of its meaning. "Who's this Chiron?"

"He's this old dude who runs a summer camp for…special kids who aren't mutants. I've met him. He seems like a good guy—though appearances can deceive—but he knows, like, everything. He also has a pretty sweet selection of weapons."

I nodded, figuring it was now or never to ask him. "Fang, why should I trust you?"

He took a long time to answer; he didn't look at me. "Um…do you have any reason not to trust me?"

Good point. He might be a goth; he might be going under a scary-sounding alias like "Fang"; he might insist on talking with me secretly; he might not even be fully human. But he hadn't done anything to hurt me.

I shrugged. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

Marissa poked her head out of the doorway, hollering, "Sarah, we're leaving in five minutes! Hope you're all packed!" If she saw my new mutant acquaintance, she didn't give any sign.

"I'd better get going myself," he muttered. "And if you ever need extra help, go to my website: .com." He turned to leave, but I put my hand on his arm.

As I reached, I noticed my hand was curiously heavy, because I was still holding Hopi's carrier in that hand. He mewled with indignation.

Fang jumped. "What's that?"

I had to chuckle. "That's just my cat, Hopi. Don't be scared." Honestly, the boy fights the forces of evil on a daily basis, but he's scared of a kitty?

He bent to peer into the pet carrier. "Wow. A cat. A real live, normal, non-mutant cat."

Hopi stuck his nose between the bars in the door to sniff Fang's fingers. His yellow eyes widened; his grey ears went straight back.

Fang withdrew his hand, looking alarmed. "Is he mad? Is he gonna kill me?"

"No. He probably smells bird on you, that's all. You've never had a cat?"

"Closest thing I knew to a cat was Angel's mutant, flying, talking dog."

I choked on a laugh and he grinned at me. For just a second we were normal teens making small talk about our pets. Not about evil conspiracies. Not about saving the world.

"I really should be going," he repeated, but again I laid my hand on his arm to detain him. This time I made sure it was my free hand.

"There's one more thing I need to know."

"Yeah?"

It hit me now that if Fang was right, the world outside our little plot of land in Arizona was a lot more perilous than I'd ever suspected. Being orphaned is hard enough, but knowing that there are people out there who might want to kill you makes it even worse.

"These people who murdered my parents…are they after Ron and me?"

Fang turned sympathetic eyes on me.

"I wish I knew," he murmured.

And just like that, he was gone.