A building. On fire.
There are people running around, screaming, the alarms are blaring and everyone is frantic. Every man for him self.
I could have paid attention to anyone there. They'd all have been interesting. But I walked around calmly, just looking. Looking for someone. Someone specific that I hadn't found yet.
I stop at the scene of a boy, no older than ten, with red-brown hair and dark eyes searching through the building, pushing in the opposite direction as everyone else. He ignores it when people give him strange looks for going back in the burning place and doesn't say anything when someone yells at him to get out.
After that, people don't even notice me trailing behind him. No one pays any attention to any one else. No one offers help.
Every man for him self, all right.
He keeps going, tripping over his own feet and fallen walls and really anything that could be in the way. I quickly look into one of the rooms and see that it had been evacuated. All that is left is the blazing rubbish and…cages.
The boy curses every time he trips. There's a scream and he speeds up in the direction it had come from. "Rosaline? ROSALINE, HOLD ON, I'M COMING!" There's another scream in reply and he runs as fast as it looks like he can go. He's coughing and hacking up ash and smoke by the time he steers into the room we heard the screams coming from. A girl, who looks to be a little bit younger than him, is on her knees, on the floor. I wonder why she doesn't get up and run, since she's inhaling the smoke and ash.
"Rosie!" he says in relief, rushing over to her side and bending down next to her.
She's about to say something in reply but once she opens her mouth, she starts hacking up her lungs. He looks around for a moment and I see that her feet have chains on them, which are caught on something.
He quickly undoes that and helps her to her feet. She stumbles for a second and leans on him for support. "It's my leg," she replies to his questioning look and then starts coughing again.
He nods and they hobble along as fast as they can, Rosaline leaning heavily on him. He's sweating and coughing almost just as bad as she is by the time they make it to the front of the building.
Finally once they are out of the building and as far away as they can get, they both collapse on the ground, passing out from exhaustion.
I wake up from my dream, sweating and…crying?
I rub my eyes with my knuckles and sit up, leaning on my elbow. I get a gut feeling right away that something isn't right.
My gut feelings are usually pretty accurate.
Everything feels hazy and distant like…well, I don't know actually. It just…does. My head hurts, but like a normal headache. Not like the pains I keep getting.
I glance at the digital clock on my bedside table. It blares at me in bright red: 3:49 AM.
Yawning, I get out of bed and go downstairs for a glass of water. Stereotypical, I know, but it usually helps me, okay?
The floorboards are cold against my bare feet and I wince every time that they squeak when I take a step. I'd rather not wake Dad and Mary up. (I'm not that inconsiderate.)
After getting my glass of water, I see a flash of black, gray, and white outside the kitchen window. Curious, I push back the curtains and lean in to get a better look, but whatever it was is gone by the time I do that.
Two days later, Fang is back at school (which I am very thankful for) and Lise is acting all…jittery. I don't understand why, but I don't question it either.
At lunch, we still aren't back to our normal seating, but instead of it just being Ella and me; it's Nudge, Fang, Ella and me. I suppose Ella told Nudge about what happened and Nudge wanted to come be with her. She isn't giving Iggy the cold shoulder like you think she would have, she just thinks that Ella needs her more right now than he does. There's still a tense atmosphere going on, but Nudge and I attempt to get rid of that by starting conversations.
Key word here: attempt.
No one really joins in on them, our statements followed by awkward silence. Ella isn't in to it, but a couple of times even Fang—yes, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Silent—started trying to fill up that uncomfortable air. We're all grateful for his efforts, but they're still failing, just like Nudge and I's.
I still have to figure out what to say to Iggy. We've never been really close like I am with Ella or Fang, even though we're friends, and I just feel like this isn't something I should really be involved with, you know? Like it isn't my business and they should be the ones to clean up the mess.
Max, you got yourself into it too by offering to help, the Voice reminds me. I roll my eyes when no one is looking.
Yeah, I know. I just wish I hadn't.
The day flies by fairly quickly and I have to explain to Fang what we learned during class while he was gone. I don't mind it since, you know, we're best friends, remember? But it does give me more chances to make a completely idiot of myself because of our proximity, which I am not thankful for. I could go without being so close to him that I'm sure he can hear my quickening heart beat, and can tell that it's way too fast to be normal. (That's partially because of the avian DNA, and partially because of…well, you now.) A nagging feeling in the back of my head, telling me something bad is going to happen, has started growing but I've taken to ignoring it during the day and thinking about it when I actually have the time.
So, what I'm really getting at is that I never really think about it.
It's last period and Iggy's right there, at his locker (which I have to pass on my way to my class, obviously) and I know I should probably just go over there and talk to him, that now is the chance for me to knock some freaking sense into that thick head of his. To make him freaking get back together with Ella so that they can grow up and get married and have kids and live happily ever after, and they can both stop moping and tearing our group of friends apart. But I just…I just can't. Ella needs to do this. She needs to be the one to apologize and knock sense into that boy, not me. I know Iggy's hurting too and that he really does love her, but he might not forgive her that easily, and I don't think it would help if I did the matchmaking. Maybe I should just turn around and head back to class and…
No, the melodic voice pounds through my head. Walk towards Iggy, and tell him the story of what really happened with Ella. Now. I have the burning need to please that voice and I do what it says almost robotically. On the outside, I look normal, but on the inside, I can't control a thing I'm doing.
Which is exactly how I spilled everything about Ella's side of the breakup to him and he just stood there, shocked, waiting for…I don't really know. He's waiting for me to say, "Gotchya! Oh, you should've seen the look on your face!" or "Just kidding, she doesn't actually love you"? I don't know. But I do know that the bell rings once and I have to rush off to my last class before I got in trouble for being late. (Mr. Bonne is really strict.)
On the bus, it's just Fang and I again, while Lise is probably riding with Dylan like she has been doing for the past week. They're not officially a couple yet, but I'm pretty sure they will be soon, if they keep up like this.
Anyways, we're on the bus and I remembered to charge my ipod the night before, so we spend most of the time in comfortable silence, listening to the music. The only problem (for me) is that we have to share the headset (obviously) and that makes the second time today that I've been too near him for my liking. I would love being that close if not for the fact that it makes me act like a complete fool and that he doesn't like me back. But other than that? I'm all for it, why not.
We're listening to Ice by LIGHTS when he all of the sudden takes the ipod from my hand, not even asking, and starts scrolling through the music. He's apparently found the song that he wants to listen to, because he presses the "start" button and hands the device back to me. I give him a skeptical look, like "what did you do?" but he doesn't say anything, nor replies with a look.
I can't really recognize the song so I unlock it and go to "now playing" and see that we're listening to Glycerine by Bush. I haven't listened to that song in so long that I guess I forgot what it sounds like, but I remember that I used to listen to it 24/7. It's a pretty good song, honestly, and I'm not that surprised that he listens to Bush. You'd think that he listens to things that are really dark and hardcore and stuff, but really, he doesn't. He and I have a very similar taste in music, which is good.
Sooner or later, we get tired of just listening to music so we yank out the headphones and I stuff my ipod back into my school bag. "So," I start, turning in my seat so that I'm sitting cross-legged and my back is to the window. "How's you're day been?"
He shrugs, as per usual. I nod once and breathe in, letting it out as slowly as possible. "Yours?" he says suddenly and I shrug too. "Meh. Fine, I guess. I dug myself in deep and had to find a way out of that pit, the hard way." I sigh.
"Really? How?" he asks. I breathe in deeply again and speak after a moment, running my fingers through my hair.
"I kind of told Ella that I would find some way to help Iggy and her to make up and…yeah, I'm not sure what got me to do that, but I did, so…too late now…" I end lamely, not looking at him, but rather a couple inches to the right of his face.
He nods. "Oh. Well…have you done anything about it yet or are you just gonna wait it out?"
I hook a piece of hair behind my ear and look at him, my shoulders slumped. "Nah," I lied. "I don't really know what to do. I mean, I've been in one relationship, a year ago, and I didn't even like him that much. He turned out to be a butt and I broke up with him. What do people do in these situations?" Yes, you heard correctly. I can kick Eraser butt any day, but I don't know what to do during a break up.
I'm just your average teenage mutant-freak.
…
Ha, yeah, no, even by mutant standards, I'm a freak.
Strange, huh?
Of topic, sorry.
Our conversation ends a little bit after that and then Fang has to get off. I'm not especially glad that he has to, since now I'm let here alone with no one to talk to.
I would start on my homework, except for the fact that my stop is only a couple ways down and I don't want to have to put all of my stuff back.
When I get off the bus, I take my time to walk up the driveway, kicking pebbles between my feet. It's warm outside, but not hot. Beginning of October, it had cooled down a bit. I'm glad to be off the bus where it's hot and sticky, considering there are so many kids on and the air conditioner isn't working well. My shoes, just Converse, are worn out, falling apart, and covered in dirt. My jeans are ripped up at the knees and have grass stains on them, but I don't care. The same goes for my hair: messed up, tangled, and in a ponytail that is slowly coming undone. I know that Ella and Nudge wouldn't be very please with my appearance but again, why should I really care that much? I'm the girl that sits in the back of the class either reading for talking to my friends. If you stay quiet, no one notices you and no one finds anything out. That was one of my many sayings. One of the ways to not be noticed is to not be fashionable. People will care if you look good, so don't look extravagant like all those girls I see do. You don't have to look bad like I am at the moment, but wear something that's going to attract a lot of attention.
So really what I'm getting at is: don't dress like Lady Gaga.
…Or Lissa for that matter.
I hear birds twittering back and forth with each other and I kind of wish I knew what they were saying even though I know that will probably never happen. It would be kind of ironic too, since I have wings and crap, and then I can speak in chirps.
Once to my front door, I dig my keys out of my backpack and unlock the door, coming in and setting my stuff down next to the door. I toss the keys in a pile next to my backpack. The first thing I see is Mary, sitting on the couch, stroking Astara while watching Kate Plus Eight.
Hearing the door open and close she turns her head to look at me, and smiles. Her green eyes light up and sort of sparkle. I smile back at her. "Hey, Max, how was school?" she asks casually turning to look back at the TV while I make my way to the couch. "Good, I guess. Kind of…you know, average." I shrug as if it's no big deal, which it isn't, really.
And then suddenly there's this excruciating pain splitting from my lower back all the way to the tips of my wings. The Voice and I cry out at the same time and my knees buckle, making me fall back on the floor next to the couch.
"Max!" Mary yells frantically, jumping up from the couch and crouching next to me. The pain worsens and I squint my eyes, rocking back and forth, as if that would actually help get rid of it.
I can hear the Voice screaming in agony right on with me, except mine are more of groans rather than screaming, while his are full out screaming.
It lessens and I can think something comprehendible through my haze of dizziness and the left over tinge of pain that's still shooting up my back. Calm down, the Voice manages to grind out. Relax your muscles, Max, go with the flow.
I listen to him because his urgent tone is scaring me and I know that if I don't listen, then he'll just make me do it anyways.
I open my eyes a little bit to see Mary still crouching there, looking terrified. "JEB!" She yells, running away from my side for a second to scream up the stairs at my dad to get down here saying something else that I can't tell.
The pain comes back and I'm back to full out screaming, screaming anything I can think, which is mainly, "AHH!" but sometimes I'll yell profanities, which I'm sure both Mary and Dad aren't very pleased with.
And then it's stopping again, slowly but surely, and I can think over my haze again. My senses start working again from having just shut down.
I hear Dad saying, "Max, honey, I need you to open your eyes."
I do so, just because I know that while he's using that tone, it's something very important. I can't see very well and my vision is blurry but gradually clearing up.
"Good, sweetheart, good. Are you alright?" he asks me, voice laced with concern. I nod my head even though I know that I'm actually not. I feel like crap.
"Do you know what was happening?" he questions again. I nod my head once more, remembering what the Voice had mentioned a while back.
"Growing pains," I mutter.
Mary frowns. "What?"
"Growing pains," I repeat, this time in a louder voice. "My wings are growing. Which is a problem, considering I'm having a bit of a hard time concealing them as it is." I put my head back in my hands; wanting to just go to sleep, let the darkness engulf me. Sleep is my friend. So is Darkness.
But mainly Sleep. Especially right now. Oh how great it would be, to get some rest and curl up with a blanket in my nice, warm bed, not to be disturbed for a long time, not by the School, not by normal high school life, not by anyone.
Except for the fact that the School disturbs me even when I'm in the dream world. But nonetheless…
"Why would growing pains hurt so badly?" Mary asks. Even though I've lived with them for a while, she doesn't really know a lot about genetic engineering and why I am like the way that I am.
Though this has nothing to do with it. Shot, I don't even know why it's doing that!
Dad starts to explain. "For her, her wings' growing is a whole lot worst than normal growing pains. It has something to do with the bone structure and the genetic engineering. I'm not completely sure actually…" he trails off, staring at the ceiling, thinking.
"Do you need anything to drink, dear?" Mary asks. I nod my head. "Yes, please, water would be nice."
Yes, I can be polite, believe it or not.
She gets up from her position crouching down next to me and goes into the kitchen. Dad stands up and holds a hand out to me. I take it gratefully, but I'm still sort of dizzy so I stumble a bit while walking towards the couch.
Mary comes back a moment later with a glass of water and sets it on the coffee table in front of our leather couch. "Thanks," I mutter, lifting the glass to my lips. My hands a shake a bit, but I manage not to spill it, thank goodness.
"Rest now, Max. That probably took a lot of energy out of you," Mary instructs me. I don't protest, yawning and setting down my glass of water on the table. I lay down on the couch, my head resting against one of those throw pillow thingies and my legs curled up to my chest. Dad takes a blanket and covers me up. My eyelids are getting heavy and I really need to sleep. Somewhere, in the back of my head, the Voice is reminding me that I still have homework to do, but I ignore him. Rest would really be good…
Max! The Voice yells frantically at me in my head. My eyebrows furrow in annoyance I try to just ignore him, but it's hard. You can sleep, but I need to let you know that you have a deadline before your wings grow to their fullest width…He goes on about something else, but I'm already half-asleep.
The next day at school, things are just normal. The guys are joking around with each other, the girls are gossiping or doing their makeup or something cliché like that, as per usual. Everyone is having a swell time.
Except for me, of course.
Calm down, Max, the Voice tells me. I shake my head even though I know how strange it looks to everyone else in the halls. I can't, Voice! I'm freaking out here!
You still have a few more months…he reminds me, probably at an attempt to cheer me up.
Yeah, I think bitterly, a few more months. My wings are growing at a rapid pace. During the few months that I have left before they become too big to conceal, I'll be in major pain for 2/3 of that time.
…How many months, Voice? I ask him.
After a pause, he answers, two.
Two months.
TWO MONTHS.
WHAT? I all but scream.
I have two months before I have to leave everyone. And right when I'd started making friends, too!
Well…crap.
Everyone in the hall snaps his or her head over to look at me. So apparently, I said that aloud too…Awkward.
I shrink back, blushing furiously, and hurry off with my head down to my next class. Which just so happens to be History class with Mrs. Mercedes. And with Fang.
Oh, God, Fang.
What am I going to do? I mean, I guess I could tell them why it is that I have to drop out of school in the middle of sophomore year. They'd understand then, wouldn't they?
But what if they don't? Suppose that they don't believe me and think that I'm insane. Suppose they freak out and call the police or something ridiculous. What if they don't want to be friends with a freak like me?
I'm having this internal battle with myself all through role call. Mrs. Mercedes has to call my name three times before I answer with a quiet, "Here."
Fang bursts in the door a second before she's about to call his name. "Sorry that I'm late, Mrs. Mercedes. Locker jam." He sets a slip of paper on her desk and she smiles at him. "It's okay, Nick, just go and take a seat." He nods gratefully at her and slides into the chair next to mine. I don't look at him.
"Hey," he whispers over to me, pulling out the stuff we need. I don't look at him but nod in greeting.
I'm well aware that I haven't known that I like him for very long, but my heart still does the complete, insanely over-rated thing: it breaks. I have to leave them. The Walkers. Nudge. Iggy. Ella. And I can't be with Fang even if he actually does like me back. (Very unlikely, by the way.)
Well crap.
Again.
They'll understand, the Voice reassures me.
How do you know that? I feel kind of bad about ignoring Mrs. Mercedes while she's teaching, but I'm too out of it today to care all that much.
That's just the kind of people they are, he answers. I don't reply back. They might be that way now, but what about after they find out what I am? Sometimes people change. But they always have a reason to. Theirs might be my secret.
And anyways, I don't want to drag them into something so dangerous as my old life. If the School is after me, and they find out that I'm close with them? They'll attack them to get to me.
From beside me, Fang nudges my shoulder and I look at him. He points at the board and I reluctantly start on the assignment that's due at the end of the class.
Forty-five minutes later and then bell rings, dismissing us to our next class. Fang and I are hurrying out along with the crowd to try and get to our next class on time for once, when Mrs. Mercedes calls me back. "I need to speak with you," she says.
I nod and give Fang a look, telling him to go on. He obliges, but not before shooting me a look that says, "Tell me later."
"Max," Mrs. Mercedes starts. "I noticed that you've been far more distant lately. Not participating in class, your work is getting sloppier and you never talk anymore. Not even to Fang." She sets her glasses down on the table and stares me straight in the eyes; looking the most serious I've ever seen her look. "Is everything okay?"
I nod quickly, reassuring her that everything is just peachy. "Are you sure?" she asks again.
I say, "I'm positive, Mrs. M."
Liar.
Lunch is fairly average. Still with that awkward atmosphere that no one appreciates, but it's died down slightly, Nudge back to her chattering, chipper self. I glance at Iggy for a moment and he is talking with his friends, laughing along with them about something someone said. He is faking it. I can tell because that's the exact same thing I used to have to do.
I guess I kind of have to start using that again, huh?
I frown down at my tray full of school food, thinking. Fang must've noticed this, because he nudges my foot. I look up at him, one eyebrow raised in question. "You okay?" he asks, concern in his voice (something that caught me off guard.)
I nod my head, feeling like our roles are switched around. "I'm fine, Fang. I'm just tired is all."
And that's not a complete lie. I'm still worn out from yesterday.
Fang doesn't look convinced, but he drops the subject anyway and we munch down on our food, not really talking but every now and then when we'd exchange short comments.
The next couple of days are okay. No intense pain, though my wings hurt like Hades squished against my back. Lise and Fang notice my sudden change in mood, while I know Ella's still upset and Iggy's still not talking to her. Nudge is the same old chatter box, but even she's been affected by everyone else's mood. Dylan sits with us just about every other day so that Lise can be with him and us too, and I'm pretty sure everyone thought was very nice of him, and she makes everything a little bit better.
A week passes by, then two, then three, and then a month, and I make sure that I spend just about every minute of it with my friends. If I have to leave, then I might as well spend my remaining time with them.
I feel like I'm going to, like, die instead of just having to leave, but it's basically the same thing, since I can't give them an explanation and I'll have to move. The School, it seems, is after me. I saw another Eraser on the way to the grocery store the other day and I figured that was enough proof. Dad believed me this time, something I'm thankful for. They've probably be waiting for me to grow out my wings so they can take me back to the School and do tests on me and crap. I don't have any idea as to how they'd know when my wings have fully grown, but they'll find a way.
Don't you just love my life?
Iggy and Ella made up. He finally talked to her and told her that I had told him about everything and that he was sorry, and Ella apologized for not trusting him. Everyone's mood changes along with theirs, just like last time, and we're all back in a little family again.
Lise's birthday is coming up. This weekend actually. Iggy, Ella, Fang, Angel, Gazzy, and I are all going out shopping for her present, while Nudge is keeping her preoccupied. We plan on having a surprise birthday party for her, since Fang told us that she's never had one before. It was Nudge's idea to, actually, and the reason she's staying behind is because she's making Lise's present and therefore doesn't need to go shopping with us, even if I know she really wants to.
The mall is especially crowded on Friday afternoons, and we see a couple of people we know, but no one that we actually have a problem with, (thank God.) I was anticipating having to see Lissa or Brigid or something, but thank my lucky stars that we didn't run into any one that obnoxious.
First stop: Forever 21.
It was Ella's idea, actually. Don't tell anyone I said this…but I kind of like that store. Some of the stuff at least. The other stuff is too…girly for my taste. Though I'm sure that Lise is going to love a lot of the stuff here.
I know, I know, Max likes Forever 21. Quick! Get out your cameras!
Anyways, it doesn't take us long to find something that she would love. The only problem was finding something in her size. Lise is really small, actually, and a lot of stuff there isn't in her size, but we found stuff that she would like and that would fit her. I don't know what I would have done if Ella had made us go to a billion other stores.
After going to about three other stores, we were running out of money to use for her, all of us being broke high school students. (Basically.) We agreed to go to the food court and have lunch.
"So…" Iggy starts while we're waiting in line at McDonalds. "Any one seen the new episode of Doctor Who?"
"OH YES!" Ella screams suddenly, slapping him a high-five. "IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME!"
"Ella!" I fake gasp, putting a hand to my heart and bending down next to Angel and Gazzy. I cover Angel's ears and give Ella a look of fake disgust. "Watch your language around the children!"
She sticks her tongue out at me and continues to discuss Doctor Who with Iggy. I roll my eyes at them and stand back up. Fang half-smiles/half-smirks at me, and my cheeks heat up like they have been for the past…like, three months.
Angel tugs on my shirt to get my attention a moment later and when I look at her, she gestures for me to bend down closer. I do and she gives me a look of pure confusion and asks in a whisper, "What are they talking about?
I laugh lightly at her and shrug. "I don't know, Angie."
"I think they're just being weird," the Gasman announces from beside Angel. I smile and ruffle his scruffy blonde hair, so much like Iggy's, while he grins back at me. "I think I agree with you, Gazzy."
After we've all gotten our food, we take our seats in a back corner of the cafeteria.
"Ha, just like school," Iggy says randomly and I nod in agreement.
I really wish I had been able to add more into this. But, now that I have that slightly filler-ish chapter out of the way, WE CAN NOW GET ON TO WHAT I HAVE PLANNED SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING. WHOO.
Yeah. I also wish I had made the chapter longer, since it's only 7 pages on Word (roughly 5,000 words)...
Review please!
*.*.*Flitting Wishes*.*.*
