Sorry, guys. So much for trying to update everyday. But, in my defense, I had NO internet for a few days.

Chapter 11

Kai POV

"What?!" I exclaim, ready to slap some sense into this girl.

Max looks at me earnestly. "We must go back!"

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. Since when does Max say words like must?

"No, we mustn't." I say in the same, earnest tone. "And when did you start saying words like must? Old words are what I do. Not you. Now who are you and what have you done with the real Max?"

Confusion crosses her face. "I am the real Max." She says in an odd tone.

"No, I assure you, you aren't." I say.

"Max" rolls her eyes. "That's not the point. We need to go back to the School!"

"Why?!" I exclaim.

Max looks at me like it's obvious. "How can you not know? We need to go back because we need to figure out why they're doing all that they do."

"Maybe because they're, oh, I don't know, evil?" I answer her, getting mad.

"But what if they aren't?" She says, almost in a monotone, as if she was reciting this.

"No. I'm not going. We are not going." I say with conviction.

Anger flares in Max's eyes. "Fine then."

My brain has barely processed the words when Max throws her fist at me. I narrowly dodge it.

And that confirms my suspicions. This is not the real Max, or she's being mind-controlled, or something.

While defending myself, I attempt to think of a way to snap her out of it. I suppose cold water might work... maybe. But where would I get it?

I'm about ready to scream as I block one of Max's roundhouse kicks.

I just grab Max's wrist in mid-punch as the door that we had used just a few minutes ago opens. Jazmine walks out, Angel behind her.

*.*.*. Zlayde POV .*.*.*

I watch as Fang disappears up the stairs.

My little brother. He always prefers to stay away from people in general. He has major trust issues, but I suppose he has a valid excuse. I mean, he was taken from his home at the age of 2, then experimented on. It only made it worse that Arian got kidnapped, as well. I was five. I remember the day we were told that they went missing.

Flashback

I walk into the house, coming back from kindergarten. Dad walks in behind me.

"Calm down, son. I know your first day was fun, but lets wait until Mommy can hear all about your day, too."

"Okay, daddy!" I say, then run into the art studio where mom usually is.

"Mom!" I yell happily, getting ready to tell her about everything. I burst in through the door to see mom sitting in a chair, head in her hand, phone in the other hand. "Mommy?" I ask.

"I don't know what happened, that's the thing!" she yells into the phone, then starts crying.

"Mommy?" I ask, slowly approaching her.

She looks up at me, tears glistening in her eyes. "Mommy, don't cry. It's okay, everything will be okay." I repeat what I recall her telling me whenever I'm sad, even though I don't even know what is wrong.

I hear dad walk in behind me, boots thudding on the wooden floors. "Cecila?" My fathers' voice rumbles behind me. "Zlayde, can you go to your room for a few minutes?"

I turn to look at dad. "Yeah, okay." I say, heading back out of the art room and to the room that my little brother and I share. Sure, we've always been different, because he had wings and I don't, but I still love him.

"Brother, I'm back from school!" I say loudly, rushing to his bed. To find him not there. "Fang?" I ask. I turn around and head to the art studio.

I hear mom talking from the room. "I don't know what happened, Callin. Mariangela was sleeping in her rocker, Fang was running around with the paint, painting the walls, then I just... blacked out. When I woke up, they were gone." her voice sounds hollow, but it suddenly gains a deep, almost pleading tinge to it. "they were taken from us! We were supposed to protect them. But I didn't!"

"Honey, calm down. We'll get them back."

"How? They're in the School! The School finally found them. They got them back. I was supposed to protect them. Keep them from becoming nothing but experiments, Callin."

I walk into the room. "Mommy? I think school is fun. I didn't think they'd do that."

She looks at me and shakes her head. "No, baby. Not that school."

End Flashback

I'm pulled out of my memories by Father walking back into the room. He sets down some boxes. "Here you go- where's Fang?"

I shrug. "Probably being the antisocial twerp that we love."

*.*.*. Max POV .*.*.*

I wake suddenly to Kai holding my wrist back and me in mid-swing.

"Ahh!" I exclaim, stopping myself from punching Kai. "What is going on?!"

Kai stops short. "What do you mean, what's going on? I was about to ask you the same thing!"

Then I realize where we were. "How did I get here?" I'm starting to seriously freak out.

So let's go over the events of the past hour or so? First, I'm in drama, la di da. Then I black out for what only feels like a second. Then, BAM! I'm trying to kill Kai while at the back of the Arts building. Call e crazy, but I think you'd be freaked out too, right?

I can tell something clicked in Kai's head. Kai sighs. "Okay. You seem normal now."

"NORMAL?! I just blacked out for a second in the middle of drama, then I suddenly appear here? How is that normal?!" I yell.

Jazmine, whom I didn't even realize was there, speaks up. "For a second? You and Kai were gone for about 8 minutes."

None of this adds up. At all. H-how...?

Angel gasps. "Why would Max try to convince you to go back to the School?"

"The School?!"

Kai looks calmly at me. "I think- I think that, when she blacked out, the School somehow controlled her..."

It makes sense. In a weird, twisted kind of way.

"Okay. After practice, Flock meeting." I decide.

Ooh, what's going to happen now, hmmm? Now, as the Flocks pasts are slowly being revealed, you can only guess what factors will be thrown in next.

[Insert evil laughter here]

Anyway, thanks for reading. And again, I must apologize for not updating.

May you keep a strong heart and a steady mind,

-KaiAmazonKnightley