Ok, as promised, here's chapter 14, and it turned out OK in my opinion. The next chapter I am struggling with, so it might be awhile before that one is up because it is important to me to get it right. As always, read, review, love.
--x--
Fang was exhausted. If ever it were possible to fall asleep in mid-air, Fang was about to do it. His eyes were already closing, but he knew he couldn't stop flying. He had to catch up to his family before he lost them again. Max was sure to be more careful about their doings after they had landed themselves in the news. Then again, maybe they didn't even know.
He had flown hard all night, and here he was, looking down at the place where the Flyboy battle had taken place. He wondered vaguely how far away they were now. Considering it was close to 2 AM, he guessed they were probably asleep somewhere.
But where? Which direction would they have gone from here? Definitely not back the way they had come, and definitely a ways away from where he was now. He figured they were probably seeking the warm weather, and thus, the beach, their all time favorite hang out place. He wasn't completely sure, though.
How long would it be until he heard more news of them? It could be a long time, especially because Max knew they were not only hiding from Flyboys and Erasers and the School, but now Fang was looking for them too. They would probably be extra careful for awhile.
He swooped lower, checking out the battle field. Somehow, he felt a little better, just being somewhere where they had been recently. He closed his eyes and tried to focus. If I were Max, and hiding from Fang, where would I go? If I were Max, and hiding from Fang, where would I go? Definitely not Dr. Martinez's house, because that would, normally, be one of the first places Fang would check. If he didn't know Max so well as to know she wouldn't go there. He frowned to himself. He had no idea.
--x--
Nudge lay sleeping in the bed, deeply and completely asleep. She was having a wonderful dream in which she was a host of a TV talk show, and she was paid to talk as much as she wanted about whatever she wanted. She smiled in her sleep. She was interviewing Oprah, and Oprah congratulated her on her massive success and asked for pointers….
A harsh sound woke her up. She unwillingly opened her eyes, struggling against the draws of sleep. At first she thought it was a dying cat, or a squirrel on helium, but when she finally dragged her eyes open, she saw it was Total. He had made the agonized noise, and as irritated as Nudge was, she was also curious. Iggy and Gazzy, also appearing to be just waking up, had expressions on their faces similar to what Nudge imagined her face to look like.
"Total, what the heck is going on?" Iggy demanded, sitting up in the recliner.
"She's gone, gone, kidnapped, drugged-"
"What are you talking about?" Nudge said, her voice sounding still half asleep and strange, even to herself.
"Max is gone!" That certainly acted like a strong coffee. Nudge suddenly didn't feel tired at all. She sat bolt up in bed, sending the sheets around her flying.
"What?!" Gazzy exclaimed. "How the hell could they have broken in here without us knowing?" Total lay on the foot of the bed, still crying and whining.
"I don't think the School got in," Nudge said as calmly as she could, though she felt like breaking down, and her voice shook.
"What do you mean?" Iggy asked her. Nudge merely held up a piece of paper in response. Gazzy ran over and jumped on the bed, attempting to snatch the paper from Nudge's hand.
"Let me read it!" Gazzy cried.
"Read what? What is it?" Iggy asked, looking confused.
"Max left a note. She left," Nudge replied, her voice cracking, and not believing the words even as she said them. Total howled even louder.
"Well, what does it say?" Iggy asked, sounding both irritated at not being able to read it himself and sad. He also sounded a little awed. Iggy, now the oldest, was the new leader, even though he was blind. He held the flock's future in his hands and his hands alone.
"Dear Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and Total," Nudge read, her voice cracking again as she fought to keep her emotions under control. First Angel, then Fang, now Max! What on earth was going to happen to the flock?
--x--
Dear Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and Total,
Please understand that even as I write these words it is tearing me apart. You know that I didn't want to leave you guys. Firstly, I love you all more than you know. You're my life, my family, and my very best friends. At times, when I thought I wasn't strong enough or I couldn't make it, it was the thoughts of you guys that kept me going.
That's why I have to do this. I'm leaving to take down the school, once and for all. It couldn't be all of us. I couldn't risk putting you guys in danger to help me complete my mission. When I'm done, even if I die, you guys will be done running. I swear to you, you'll be safe.
Please don't come after me or try to help. This is something I've got to do alone.
Iggy, you're in charge. Take care of them. If I live, I will find you, and we'll be together again. Stay out of harm, stay safe, and stay together. I love you all.
Max
--x--
"What are we going to do?" Nudge cried from the bed. Iggy sat next to her, trying to calm her, and Total still lay collapsed on the bed, whining. Gazzy sat apart from the others, confused. Did Max not think they were strong enough to help her defeat the white coats? Did she think they were too little? Too weak? All Gazzy wanted to do was help Max, and she had abandoned them with only a note and a feeble excuse. He supposed he understood why she had gone alone, but she would have had such a better chance of making it if only she'd let them help.
"We'll figure something out. We'll be okay," Iggy soothed. Gazzy wasn't so sure. He had no idea how they would be able to stay together without Max or Fang. When Max wasn't there, Fang was the leader. But then they had to leave Fang because his loyalty had been questioned, which now left Iggy in charge.
But Iggy was blind, so he wasn't probably capable of making the best leadership decisions. After Iggy came Nudge then Gazzy, and he knew that they couldn't lead if their lives depended on it. There was always Total, he thought. Gazzy laughed a little to himself at the thought of Total leading the remains of their flock, but then he pushed the thought quickly away. He would have to help lead now.
"We're doomed!" Total whined pathetically. Gazzy decided to take charge. Think like Max, the 8, almost 9 near old told himself. First thing's first. They had to get out of this hotel, for one thing. Then they needed a plan.
"We need to get out of this hotel room. We've been here too long." Gazzy said. Nudge wiped her eyes and looked at him, and Iggy's sightless eyes also stared in his direction. He felt proud of himself. "Then we need to find somewhere safer, and stay there until we have a better plan," Gazzy said.
"You're right," Iggy said. "Let's pack up our stuff and get going. The sooner, the better," he said, taking on a stern, leader-y voice. Nudge and Gazzy wordlessly obeyed, gathering all of their things, though Nudge still cried and Total still wailed. We'll be all right, Gazzy thought. Won't we?
--x--
Fang ate, hiding in the small cave he had found. He decided that he needed to rest, then he'd be right back out again, searching for Max and the others. Over the small embers left from the fire, he rubbed his chilly hands and wondered where they possibly could be.
As soon as he was done eating, he took off. Fang didn't want them to get any further away. He was passing over the small town not far from his cave when he saw three dots in the distance. He squinted, trying to see, and shifted his course towards them. They couldn't be birds, for they were too big. Not planes, for they were much too low and small and slow. Could it be…?
"No," he said to himself. "It couldn't be," but he allowed himself to hope. Could, by complete coincidence, he have found his family again? He was excited, but still somewhat cautions. How would he be received? And what if it wasn't really them? What a horrible let down that would be. He flew as fast as his tired wings would carry him, still hoping for the best, crying out joyfully when he realized that he did recognize them. Iggy! Nudge! Gazzy! Even Total! Where was Max? She was probably in their cave or hotel room or getting food, Fang concluded, but he was too overjoyed at the sight of them.
"Iggy!" Fang yelled as loud as he could. "Nudge! Gazzy!" The three AWOL members of his family turn around hesitantly at the sound of his voice. He saw them debating on whether to stay where they were, hovered in the sky, or to run. Fly, rather. Apparently, they decided to stay, because Fang reached them in no time.
He could feel the smile so wide on his face that it hurt. It felt so good to see them again, even though they had only been apart for awhile. Fang had been with them every day his whole life, so even a few days apart had him aching to see them. He would have hugged them if he could, but being in the air, hugging was kind of difficult.
"How'd you find us?" Iggy asked sternly, using a voice Max taught them. Gazzy and Nudge fell behind him slightly, looking bashful, though they all looked secretly relieved to see him.
"You were on the news," he said. "Flyboy fight. Where's Max?" Nudge and Gazzy exchanged nervous glances.
"Fang, she's gone," Nudge said finally. Total whimpered from her bag.
"What?" he said. Fang had thought, finally, they were whole again, but now… They weren't.
"We'll explain later. Let's land," Iggy said.
"Follow me, I found a cave nearby." Fang said, disheartened slightly, then turned and flew the short way back to where he had just come. His heart felt heavy in his chest. They landed, and Gazzy automatically bent down to relight the fire Fang had extinguished minutes before. Nudge launched herself into Fang's arms and gave him a fierce hug. Even Total licked his hand.
"First thing's first," Iggy said, pulling Nudge away from him as soon as he landed. Fang numbly had collapsed onto the ground. "Did you or did you not make a deal with Jeb?" Iggy demanded.
"What?" Fang cried, stunned. "Well, no. Kind of." Iggy crossed his arms, and Gazzy and Nudge looked skeptical. "It wasn't like that," Fang explained. Then he launched into the tale of what had happened that day. He told them everything, from when they arrived at the mall until just recently, when he had woken up and found them gone. He didn't care if he was breaking his deal with Jeb. They had to know the truth. "And then, well, I ran into you guys, and that's it," Fang concluded his story.
Nudge was crying, and Total was sitting in her lap, whining. He wondered what their story was.
"Fang," Iggy began. "Max saw you. In the alley. She was flying around and she saw you with Omega and Jeb, and she assumed that you were working for them, or made a deal with them or something. She watched you like a hawk for any sign you were. She didn't say anything, though, even to us, until you hit her that one day. We thought you might have had something to do with…. With Angel. So we left."
To Fang, all the pieces were falling into place. He understood now why they left, what they thought, why Max was mad at him, and what they must have assumed. He felt horrible: this was his fault. Everything that had gone wrong all came back to him. Man, maybe karma really did exist.
"But we totally understand now, Fang," Nudge said, hugging him again. "We know that it wasn't your fault or anything. We totally forgive you."
"We have a problem, though," Gazzy said, digging into his backpack and handing Fang a tiny piece of paper. "We found this an hour ago." He said. Fang looked at the piece of paper in his hands. It was yellow, and had an advertisement for a hotel on the top, and smelled horribly old. But the thing that was most important to Fang was the familiar handwriting on it. He scanned it quickly then looked up, shocked.
Nudge rubbed her red and puffy eyes, and even Gazzy worked to keep his emotions under control. Max was gone. She was going to the School by herself, and she was going to try to take it down. And she was going to die. All Fang knew was he had to help her. He had to get there in time, and he had to fight with her.
"Ok," Fang said, thinking quickly. "Here's the plan. You guys are going to stay here, and camp out. You'll be safe here. I'm going after Max. Iggy, you're in charge. When I get Max, I'll bring her back here. If the Flyboys show up, beat the crap out of them then fly back home. If somehow they find you there, Dr. M's. Got it?" He said. The others nodded. He held out a fist, and they stacked their hands on top of his. He tapped their hands, and then he took a running leap off the cliff edge.
He took nothing with him. He wouldn't need it. He just had to get to Max before she got herself killed. At the very least, he had to explain that he wasn't a traitor, and he didn't make a deal with Jeb and Omega. As long as she knew his story, even if she didn't believe him yet, he'd be alright. And maybe, if he was lucky, he could talk her out of attacking the School alone. He knew that her mission was a kamikaze one, and he needed to stop her.
--x--
Review, pretty please, and let me know what you think! I know its summer (where I am anyway) so I should be writing a ton, but ironically, I'm extremly busy now and I'm having trouble writing. So I will write as quickly as possible and try to get the next chapter out asap. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Keep it up! :)
Sari