I have said this for countless number of times, but thank you so, so much for the reviews, story alerts and favourites. They mean a lot to me – it's great to know that there are people actually reading this story. I had several long reviews which made me happy, and I hope this chapter will be unexpected for you.
As for this chapter: Hate it, love it, just tell me. Lose some, gain some, I won't know. But I hope that, especially at the end, you felt what I felt while writing - my heart was beating so, so quickly, I could imagine the whole thing happening. But I don't know how effective my transfer of thoughts to words is. Either way..
Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any other characters associated with the story.
Nick landed gracefully behind a few trees by the mini-playground and tucked his wings comfortably behind his back. He shook his head, trying to fix his hair from its wind-blown look. It was in an utter state of mess, and he did not want people to wonder about what he had been doing.
Ah, the sweet glory of flight. It made him forget his worries; it made him feel free. Free, not like in the orphanage with Jebs and Aris and things that reminded him of Max.
Nick's face darkened – he shouldn't have let his thoughts stray that far. He tucked those firmly into the back of his mind and made himself remember what the flight with the hawks had been like. He put his hand into his pocket, looked down at the floor and strode out of the trees, pondering over how to do a particular maneuver that those said birds had been so good at.
In fact, Nick had been so deep in thought he did not realize that he had walked past someone until someone called out to him.
"Hey!"
He jolted out of his thoughts and immediately turned around to face the source of the voice. He was astonished to see someone jogging towards him from the direction of the sandbox. Someone he hadn't seen before, in fact.
He was so surprised, he let his guard down.
"Who are you?" he addressed the bespectacled person suspiciously. He had dark brown hair and was rather tanned. He was dressed simply in dark jeans and a shirt, and his somehow squarish face seemed friendly.
Nick started to be wary again. Friendly people were not good.
"Hey, the name's Tim." The boy thrust his hand out and Nick stared at it. Tim held it out awkwardly for a few seconds and finally let it drop back to his side when he realized that Nick was not going shake it. He shifted his body weight from one feet to another.
"What are you doing here?" Nick stared at him, his jaws hard. What was this? Some trick that Batchelder was playing?
"I came with my friends…?" A look of confusion spread across Tim's face.
"For?" Nick demanded. Tim's confused expression cleared and he did not shy away from Nick's stare, but instead, looked defiantly back at him.
"Look, what's it to you?" Tim crossed his arms. "I just came here to say hi, because you're someone who's actually not screaming at the sight of visitors like the others back there - " He jerked his head towards the orphanage. "And then you demand information from me. What the hell, dude."
Nick gritted his jaws for a moment, and Tim just stared back at him angrily, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. The wind picked up again, causing the leaves to rustle and the swings to creak.
Yes, it would be stupid to continue arguing and demanding information from this fellow. Nick decided that the best way to find out what in the world he was doing in the orphanage was to pretend to befriend him and casually ask about it.
Then again, he could just return to the orphanage and just ask anyone. But they would probably die of shock from him talking anyway, so he decided to stick to his original idea.
"Nick," he said gruffly, and nodded at Tim, who had already held out his hand once more. Nick grasped it lightly and let go. They both slowly made their way towards the orphanage.
"Aww man, can we not go back there?" Tim moaned, and a pained expression crossed his face. "There were hoards of them. They all just came screaming down and all, and Mr. Batchelder had to threaten them to keep them back."
Nick's ears pricked and he mentally noted that down.
"What did he say?" Nick asked warily. It was uncommon for Batchelder to threaten. In fact, all he usually did was nothing.
"Something about some Ari thing," Tim uttered, furrowing his eyebrows. Nick's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a chill run down his spine. Before he could say anything else though, Tim answered his unasked question. "They all backed down after that, and didn't make so much noise. They still stayed around to look though. Terry's enjoying the attention a whole lot, especially from the girls." Tim snorted.
Nick wondered if he should be worried, but he decided that Batchelder wouldn't try anything in front of visitors. He nodded, and changed his course towards another copse of trees located at the other side of the orphanage. The trees around the orphanage attracted him, somehow. They were old, silent and tall, and sometimes Nick would wonder what they would be thinking about if they could think. It fascinated him.
Tim nodded appreciatively and followed Nick. They slowly strolled, and enjoyed the breeze and the sight of leaves falling.
"So, what were you doing out here? Everyone else was back inside," Tim shot Nick a sideway glance. Nick stiffened at the personal question, and he quickly racked his brains for an answer.
"Enjoying nature," Nick responded. That was partly true, after all. Tim nodded appreciatively.
"Yeah, I get you man. It's so peaceful out here too."
Oh, he had no idea.
"So, how many of you are there?" Nick asked casually, trying not to look too interested. Tim frowned a little as he did a mental count.
"Six, if you count Zephyr," he replied. Nick halted in his tracks.
"Zephyr?" He looked baffled.
"Yeah." Tim nodded. "You probably don't know him." Tim doubted that someone like Nick would bother himself with little children like Zephyr.
Nick, however, took it as it was another Zephyr that didn't belong to the orphanage. He still held some suspicion, though. After all, why would Tim say 'if you count Zephyr'? He pushed that aside and went on to more pressing questions.
"So, why did you come here?" he questioned. Tim, to Nick's relief, did not seem suspicious or surprised about the number of questions he was being asked.
"Accompanied a friend," he said vaguely. Very helpful… "Why do you ask?"
Nick looked at him seriously and they stopped under a tree near the thicket.
"Nobody ever enters or leaves the orphanage," he said. Tim looked at him curiously before starting to laugh.
"Right," he snorted. Nick felt disgruntled that this person thought he was kidding, but he did not push it.
They both lapsed into silence again, Nick entertaining thoughts and possibilities of the visitors' appearance, and Tim just enjoying the nature and wondering about Nick.
Suddenly, a disturbance broke both boys from their trains of thoughts. Nick was faster to comprehend – it was the sound of something tumbling down and falling by the trees and hitting branches on the way. And it seemed heavy and large.
Tim looked around his surroundings curiously. Nick picked up a distinct groan, which he was sure Tim had not heard.
It was the sound of a human being.
Was it possible that someone had fallen down from a tree?
There was a chance. Nick quickly moved towards the source of the disturbance – North-West, if he was not wrong. He left Tim at the back, shouting for him and asking where he was headed to but Nick ignored him.
The trees were thick in this area, but there was a clearing about a metre in front of him. Nick headed towards it, his heart sinking with every running step he took.
He ran out and his eyes met a horrendous sight. He was so stunned he stared in shock, his jaws hanging wide open.
Max was scrawled on the floor, bloodied and moaning in pain.
Several of Max's bones looked twisted and unnaturally out of shape.
Two wings were sprouting out of Max's back.
She looked as if she was going to die.
"Hey, Nick! What's going – " Tim ran out from behind and paused when he saw Nick stock-still, staring at something on the ground which was blocked from his sight. He began to feel deadly dread spread slowly through his body, and he slowly and cautiously edged around Nick.
"Holy f---ing shit," Tim said out loud, and fainted.
Nudge was worried. Dreadfully worried. Many hours had passed and Zephyr was still nowhere to be found. She thought that she had seen him with those visitors, but she couldn't be sure. Either way, there was no chance – what would he be doing with visitors, especially since they hadn't had any ever since Mr. Batchelder came?
Angel was beside her, holding her hand. They both were back in Nudge's room, and were lying under her bed. It was past the danger time, but you could never be too sure. Who knew when Ari would change his mind?
Nudge stared at the frame of her bed above her. She always felt safe there. The bed was by the wall and behind a closet, so there was only one part exposed. There, she would always hang her blanket to cover it so that she and Angel would be totally concealed from whoever went into the room. She would make the blanket look as if it hadn't been placed like that in purpose, and she would always leave a little space at the bottom for air.
Every single day, Angel and she would hide there. The place was stocked – there was a candle and matches, Angel's blanket and a book or two. The girls would light the candle with a match and place it right at the end of the bed away from their heads, but they preferred the darkness.
They would sometimes just lie down and talk, and Nudge would occasionally read to Angel by the light of the candle. They did that all lying down, of course. They never felt that the place was too stuffy; it was their haven. They felt safe from Ari there.
Sometimes, Zephyr would join them, but not often. He found it uncomfortable.
"Who are they, Nudge?" Angel asked. They had quietly crept up to the room after getting a glimpse of those mysterious visitors. Many other children were still hanging around, even after Mr. Batchelder threatened to let Ari loose. The both of them had immediately taken cover after that threat.
"I don't know," Nudge replied. "It's weird though. I mean, no one ever comes or goes." They lapsed into silence as Nudge began to think again.
"Are you thinking about Max now?" Angel asked again, and turned her head to face Nudge. Nudge met her eyes and smiled sadly.
"You're doing it again, you know," she chuckled half-heartedly.
"Sorry," Angel apologised quickly.
"It's okay."
The light flickered momentarily, and Nudge looked at the frame above her again. She began to mindlessly trace the shadows, and Angel kept quiet, knowing that Nudge was going to talk soon.
"You know, Max was the last person to leave the orphanage," she said, once again looking at something that wasn't there. Her hand paused in mid-air at a spot on the wooden frame and she closed her eyes, remembering the old times. The better times.
Angel made a non-committal sound, and Nudge shook her head.
"I don't blame her for leaving, though," Nudge said, almost to herself.
"Why? She left you here. She left Nick, and everyone else. I hate her," Angel retorted, and clenched her fist. Nudge sighed.
"Have you ever heard of Ms. Walker?" Nudge started explaining. She opened her eyes and looked over at Angel, who had a sort of constipated look on her face. She nodded.
"She was the manager before Mr. Batchelder, right?"
"Uhuh," Nudge confirmed. "Well, I didn't really see it for myself, but there were rumours." Nudge paused, as if adding on to the suspense.
"Rumours about what?" Angel asked, seemingly interested. "Was she a vampire or something?"
"Silly girl, I've been reading too many fantasy books to you," Nudge laughed, before turning serious again. "Well, there were rumours that she got drunk and threw a bottle at Max."
Angel scrunched her nose up.
"She threw a water bottle at Max?" she scoffed. "Big deal. She hasn't gone through what we have. We have so much more reason to leave than her."
"Indeed you do," a loud, horrifyingly familiar voice boomed, and the blanket flew away. In a split second, both girls realised what was happening and a rough hand clawed hand grabbed Nudge by the ankle and started pulling her out. Angel screamed and moved back against the wall, pulling Nudge's arm. Nudge started screaming, and Ari laughed.
Nudge thrashed around, trying to get Ari to loosen her grip on her. Angel hung on to her hand as tightly as she could, but it was to no avail. Nudge was slowly being pulled out, and Angel along with her.
Then, Angel felt hot, white searing pain on her leg and she let out a piercing, blood-curdling scream.
Nudge's eyes widened as she suddenly began to realise that the temperature in the room was steadily going up. Ari's grip on her suddenly loosened and her ankle dropped onto the floor with a loud thud. Angel was thrashing around and screaming bloody murder, her eyes screwed shut.
In her thrashing, Angel had knocked the candle over onto her leg and onto the floor.
The old, wooden floor with the wooden bed frame above it.
The bed and the floor beneath it was on fire, and it was spreading unnaturally quickly.
Angel's legs were still under the bed.
Nudge screamed and started tugging Angel out, but the frame had collapsed all in the matter of seconds and Angel was literally burning. The fire was spreading - up the curtains, the flooring around them. Nudge shrieked shrilly and started pulling with all her might. Angel was trying to kick her legs, but they were stuck under the frame. She spasmed and was screaming in pure agony.
Somewhere, at the back of her mind, Nudge registered Ari running out of the room. Not to get help, she was sure. She knew he didn't want to get caught bullying red-handed, even if someone's life was at stake.
"MAKE IT STOP!!!!" Angel shrieked hysterically, and tears started pouring uncontrollably out of Nudge's eyes. She looked around for something, water, anything, to try to stop the fire - but there was nothing available. The toilet was right at the end of the hallway, which was very, very far.
Nudge did the only thing that she could think of. Angel's legs were on fire - Angel did not deserve it. She was so young, and innocent. Ari deserved it. That sick bastard did.
Nudge braced herself and plunged her hands into the fire. She bit back a scream, her eyes started watering, but she did not let go. She started hauling the part of the bed frame that had fallen on Angel up.
"Angel, get out!!" Nudge shouted, almost in hysterics, but there was no response. Her hands were searing in pain. Agony. Pain. Kill me.. Kill me now..
She then realised that Angel had stopped screaming. In fact, she had stopped screaming while Nudge was in the middle of pulling the frame up. No, you can't be dead. No, don't die. Angel. Angel, don't die.
And then, her vision blurred. The pain in her hands subdued ever so slightly, and Nudge dropped the frame. She stumbled around and dropped onto the burning floor. Somehow, she heard frantic voices around her, and two shaky arms whipped her above the ground and carried her out of the room, running. Nudge was confused - had Ari gone to get help, or was she just hallucinating? Her vision suddenly got more blurred and Nudge just gave up. Her hands were on fire. She didn't want the pain anymore, and she embraced the welcoming arms of darkness.
Angel... don't.. die.