Friendship & Romance

Max POV

We flew over the house, a couple thousand feet in the sky. Below us, the house was a light, both houses, as the police and fire department inspected everything. I could only imagine what would happen. Luckily, I left a note within those four minutes to assure the police everything in our house was orderly. The note read,

"Dear neighbors,

Thank you for agreeing to water our plants and tend to other household necessities while the Martinez family and my family are on a camping vacation.

Sincerely,

Max

It was both brief and explained our absence. Both Flocks flew in tight formation, alternating who would carry Ella and Mom. We carried packs, filled with only what we would need, or so I instructed. Nudge and the younger kids always carried some extra baggage. Lugging two packs – one filled solely with extra food and the other filled with clothes, a first aid it, blankets, and so on - , I focused on my internal compass. At this rate, we would be there in two hours, which would make it a five hour flight to the School. Sighing, I decided to scout ahead to assure that the emergency camp wasn't in tatters or destroyed by both natural, man-made, and Eraser accidents.

"I'm and going to fly ahead and make sure the camp in okay." I shouted over the wind, not waiting for a response before I went into hyper-drive. My wings barely moved as I was propelled forward. Glancing down, I saw a rapid blur of patchwork cities and parks. They dissolved into a thick forest, trees so dense and large, it would nearly impossible to navigate through.

The tree canopy was impossible to look through, unless, of course, your eyesight was that of a raptor's. Erasers are burdened with the eyesight of a wolf, which is equivalent to that of a normal human's. Meaning that they could not detect the camp unless there is a blatant sign, like a enormous campfire during a pitch black night. Finally, I detected the section in which one tree was of another species not seen in the forest. That meant I had exactly three seconds, going this fast, flying northeast.

Coming to a halt about ten seconds later, I slowly descended to the forest, carefully rearranging the foliage to keep it from looking mangled and as if someone had gone through it. Scanning as I moved towards the ground, I found no one or any sign of life besides the background noise of local wild animals and insects. I had gone miles away from the camp, in case anyone was watching from an aerial view and had escaped my examination.

Using my super speed, I pointed myself in the correct direction and appeared at the camp in seven seconds. It looked the same as I had left it the last time it was used. The beds were in the branches of hollowed out branched of the mightiest trees in the area. Said branches were both thick enough to fit in comfortably, but long enough as well. When someone lies down in the branch, you couldn't tell that they were there. Pulling back the one way netting – laced with other branches, twigs, and leaves – that covered each bed, I saw that the makeshift array of pillows and thick blankets were in a suitable condition to sleep in. Of course, not that there were any high expectations, considering the fact that it was a camp in the middle of a forest and we had grown up in cages.

Hung high, the bag full of cans and other non-perishable items seamed unharmed, saved for a few small scratches obviously made by some type of desperate and hopeful squirrel or chipmunk. Rocks were at hand in case a fire needed to be made. Running water was near, but not close enough so that our camp would be considered on its banks. Surrounding the clearing was a dense, woven net that camouflaged disguised it.

I had spent weeks comparing it to the neighboring areas and adjusting the mistakes, until it was perfect. Finding this hideout would be impossible. Even if you were looking specifically for it, what with the tree cover so thick, the wraparound camouflaging protection engulfing the area, and the little means that any human or hybrid was here, it would be a vain effort. Other supplies were in the base of a tree naturally hollowed out.

I only saw one problem: There were only seven tree beds, but there were fourteen people. Groaning, I pulled out my cell phone and called Jason. I figured that by now Fang and he had switched with someone else to hold Mom. On the second ring, I heard his familiar, if not slightly worried, "Hello?"

"Hey, how is everything going up there?" I asked.

"Good. Fang and I just gave your Mom to Amber and Xavier. Then we will switch out with Maya and Iggy. Nudge will be rotating in when someone can't anymore. How is the camp?"

"Perfect, except for the fact that there are only seven beds. I am going to stay here and make more. Have someone call me every half hour. Watch the skies and-"

"Alright, Max. We have got this. See you in a bit. Be careful." He warned. I grinned.

"Thanks, Jace. See you in a bit. Bye." I finished with a flourish.

"Bye."

Hanging up, I glanced around, planning. Seven branches were already occupied in the huge tree. The next tree's branches weren't quite as big, but they would do. Moving over, I pulled matches from the pack, and a knife. The hilt's comforting and familiar leather let me relax as I began to hollow out more branches. It was a lengthy process, but it I did more than one at once, I should be able to finish by sun up. Some would either have to sacrifice or…sleep together.

Amber POV

Shifting Ella slightly, I stifled a yawn. We were only ten minutes from the camp, already surrounded in dense forest. My arms burned and ached as a result of assisting in carrying Max's sister. She was constantly apologizing, asking if she could do anything to make it easier for Xavier and me. Right as I was sure my arms would fall off, I saw my haven, my saving grace: the tree. Dropping towards the ground, I released Ella gently, nearly collapsing on the dirt-covered, dusty forest floor.

Relaxing on a log near the middle of the clearing, I saw Max finishing yet another tree bed. Yawning, I stretched, cracking my back. Stomach rumbling, I wished we could eat the lasagna Iggy was making. Instead, Max had wrapped it up and had it in her pack.

"There's food in the blue pack." She remarked, not losing her concentration as she closed her fist, effectively stopping the controlled fire in one branch. Pulling a pillow and blanket from my pack, I climbed into the bed marked for me, a barely recognizable "A" scratched into the side.

Dr. Martinez smiled gratefully at us all, looking ready to give a speech. "I just want to thank everyone for saving Ella and I. We wouldn't have made it out of there without you. I was hoping, after everyone is fully rested and has a content stomach, sometime tomorrow, we could continue our pleasant conversation and finish bonding."

Her eyes brimmed with happiness and hopefulness, to the point where nobody could even think to say no, despite how they felt towards it. Max stepped away from the branches, her face grim.

"I only have eleven beds finished, but in about an hour…" She trailed off, biting her lip. I shifted in my bed, sitting up from the nest of pillows and blankets. Sleep desperately tugged at my mind, pleading for me to embrace it. Escaping from its clutches, I offered to give up my bed for an hour.

"Absolutely not, you not only fought, you used your powers to their full extent. Go to sleep after you eat." Max ordered, tossing an apple, granola bar, and piece of wrapped-up lasagna. Inside was a fork.

Relief flooded me – I didn't think I could move from this spot. Seconds later, crumbs, a fork, a wrapper, and an apple core were the only remnants of the food. Finally accepting my drowsiness, I was pulled into a deep sleep.

Max POV

Increasing the heat and flame, I finished another bed, closely monitoring the one I just started. Surprisingly, the burning took a considerable time less than expected. Maya, Fang, and Jason all offered to stay up; ignoring the fact that one of us could go to sleep. Looking nervous, Maya moved forward.

"Is it okay if I help?" She muttered, trying not to wake anyone else. A small grin graced my lips.

"That would be amazing." I replied smiling. Hopefully, this was the beginning of a truce and possibly a friendship. Together, we finished quickly.

Wiping the moisture from my forehead, I leaned heavily on a tree, relying on it to keep me up. Bending down, I snagged a water bottle from my pack and emptied it, feeling my dry throat finally soothed. Crumpling the bottle, I stored it in my pack before glancing at the sun. It was peaking over the horizon, causing everything to be bathed in red light. The horizon looked purple, but continued to transform as the sun arced into the sky.

"I will take first watch." I muttered, slowly sliding down the bark until I was sitting down. They raised their hands or opened their mouths to protest, but I waved it away.

"Go to sleep. I will wake one of you up in two hours." Fang, Iggy, and Maya climbed up the branches, settling themselves into their newly made beds. I heard them shifting around, adjusting the pillows and blankets to their liking. Only Jason lingered, before he sat next to me. We must have both looked horrible, covered in blood and dirt with drop-dead tired expressions. Our movements were slow and cautious, the result of an endless battle and lack of sleep. We hadn't slept for over twenty-four hours, and it showed.

"Go to sleep." I told him, trying hard not to just slump against his warm form and pass out.

"Okay." He whispered. Even though I was running on the waning adrenaline from the fight, I still had enough life in me to raise my eyes and face him.

"Did you just agree to do something without arguing?" I asked, sporting a playful smile. His lips spread into a smile, his eyes alight with mischief. He suddenly feigned hurt, looking astonished. Stifling my laugher, I rolled my eyes at his melodramatic act.

"Maybe, but I just need to do something first, okay?" He asked. I was about to open my mouth to reply when he leaned down and kissed me. For a second, shock and surprise cluttered my mind, my lips in a stunned "O". Then I moved my lips in sync with his, wrapping my arms around his neck and tangling my fingers in his hair.

His hands moved to my waist as my heart raced. Every nerve seemed alive, burning intensely. Emotion surged through my mind, dismissing every other thought. All I could think about was the fact that Jason was kissing me, and I was kissing him.

Finally, we pulled apart, our breathing ragged. I held a finger to my lips, hearing Amber roll over in her sleep. He smirked, something I had found infuriating. In all honesty, it had grown on me, and now I noticed just how cute it looked.

This was our second kiss, but the first was strictly platonic. I had recently rescued my new family from the School and they were clumsy with their flying. Jason, excited about learning how to actually soar in the sky, had turned sharply and rammed into me, causing us to all to the ground. Luckily, we had just taken off and not gone very high up.

When we landed, he was on top of me, our limbs tangled, our lips smashed together. I had jumped out from under him, trying to ignore the blush creeping upwards in my cheeks. The red also painted his face red. We had quickly apologized, stuttering and fumbling before taking off and keeping a clear distance from each other.