O.M.F.G.

Guess what?

This is the chapter that shall actually kick start this plot. This is THE chapter in which you find out…… where Taiwan is located.

Uh, wait. That was a typo.

This is the chapter in which you find out……..where Max is.

What are you doing still reading THIS?! Go, go!

Mack's POV

They are so cute, aren't they Nudge?" Angel was whispering.

Cute? Who was cute?

"You and Iggy, Mack!" Angel squealed. I could feel myself turn red.

"Oh, you're awake Mack? Cool! So, I was looking through your bag for a hairbrush I could borrow, and I found this." Nudge told me.

Ugh. It was too early for Nudge. I frowned, made a little noise, and burrowed my face into Iggy's chest. Wait.

What had she found?!

I cracked one eye open and saw me Blackberry dangling from her fingertips.

"You really shouldn't have this, but you're normal, so we won't tell Fang." Angel said sweetly.

I rolled my eyes. Whatever. As long as they didn't read my text messages, I didn't care.

"We can play with it? Really?!" Angel gasped, leaning so far over the seat her blonde curls brushed my face.

"Mmmhhhmmm." I managed, still worn out, and shut the one eye that was open. The two girls disappeared, giggling and whispering.

"What time is it? Where's Fang and Gasman? Why'd we stop?" Iggy asked suddenly in a quiet voice. I jumped in his arms. I hadn't realized he was awake.

"It's seven oh four, Iggy. Gasman and Fang are inside a station paying for gas." Angel called. Iggy relaxed noticeable again.

I groaned. Seven oh four. Much, much too early.

Time lapse! Mack has fallen asleep again……..silly Mack. It's still her POV though! So here we go again….

They took my pillow. And my blanket. How come? I thought, noticing dimly I was alone in an empty seat.

I heard Angel giggle. Oh, right. Mind reader.

"You're really groggy when you get up, Mack." Angel said.

I yawned. "I know."

"And no one took your pillow. Iggy just got up is all." She added.

Oh.

I knew that.

Suddenly I heard vibrating. Uh oh.

I glanced at Fang. He said nothing as Nudge dug my phone out from somewhere.

"Here you go! It's some girl named Rebecca, according to your Caller I.D." Nudge handed me the phone as I sat bolt upright.

"Gimme!" I squealed. God, if it hadn't been for Rebecca, I'd have gone insane over the past year. She was my best friend from my true hometown….

She'd called me and kept me updated. I was never left out on anything.

"Becky?" I asked, excited, as soon as I hit the little green button.

"OMG, where were you? I've been calling you for, like, days!" She said accusingly.

"Sorry, sorry. What time is it now?" I looked around the van, disoriented. The stupid clock on the dashboard didn't work, which is why I'd had to use my ipod the night before…where was Iggy?

"Like, ten. You will never believe who hooked up last night!" She gushed.

Ah, the glory of gossip. Fang rolled his eyes in the rearview mirror.

I glanced now at Angel and Nudge, who were both staring at me eagerly and enviously. Poor kids….they'd probably never had friends outside the flock….

I ran a hand through my messy hair. "Who?"

"Austin and Cara." She said.

"What?!" I yelped. Austin, our Austin, with that whore?!

"That's not a very nice thing to call someone, Mack." Angel frowned at me disapprovingly. I heard boys' snickers from the back, so I assumed that's where Iggy and Gasman were.

"I know, right? I mean, she's such a skank. Aussie can do way better than her." Becky was rolling her eyes on the other end, I could tell.

"Of course he could." I said in the same tone.

"So, what's up with you? Your dad been giving you hell as usual?" She asked casually. I slammed down mind blocks; Angel couldn't know.

I was shocked, though. Becky never cussed!

"Rebecca!" I gasped and she giggled.

"I've decided its really no big deal. I mean, it's just another word. Right?"

I shook my head to clear it. "Yeah. I mean, uh, yeah."

"Yeah to my statement, or yeah, your dad's got a stick up his arse?" She clarified. I heard her slurping on something now.

"Uh, the first one." I managed, still scatter brained.

Angel was pouting at me, obviously trying to get into my head. I winked at her. Then I turned my attention back to my conversation.

"What? Where are you, then? You sound…different. More like your old self." She sounded worried, and I supposed she had reason to be.

I said the first thing that came to mind as Fang took one hand off the wheel to draw a finger across his throat in warning.

"Summer camp," I blurted.

"No, Gasman! don't put that wire there!" I heard Iggy shout in alarm. I got up on my knees to stare over the rows of seats and see Iggy and Gassy hunched over a bomb.

"Who was that?" Rebecca yelped.

"It's a co-ed camp, Becky." I said in a duh tone.

Fang was smirking at me. I stuck my tongue out at him. Stupid Goth Boy. Didn't he ever stop driving? He had circled under his eyes……and what if we'd already passed Max?

"Co-ed? OMG, are there hot guys?" Becky asked.

Iggy glanced up, winked my way, then turned back to his work.

Um.

What was my name again?

Angel and Nudge were giggling. So they had seen it too. It wasn't just my imagination.

"Um, yeah. The lifeguard at the pool is gorgeous." I said, making it up as I went along.

Gasman cracked up laughing. "Pool! Good one! As if we could swim with these." He ruffled his wings a little.

"Oh, really? How old is he?" Rebecca was asking.

"Twenty. So I'd be jailbait." I sighed sadly. Nudge and Angel shushed Gassy, very interested in my conversation.

How did the kids even hear Rebecca? They were spread out all over the van. Eh, oh well.

"Like that's ever stopped you before." Becky snickered. Okay, she had me there.

"So how's your brothers and sister?" She asked, changing the subject.

Guilt washed through me. "Good, I guess," I said half heartedly. I had no clue how they were doing….

"Mack…there's something you're not telling me." Becky said knowingly.

I was silent as the flock froze. What? Were they scared I'd crack just like that?

"It's a guy, isn't it?" Rebecca asked quietly.

The flock visibly relaxed as she came to her own conclusions.

"Yeah." I giggled. Thank God for my acting skills…..

Once again, Becky changed the subject. I swear the girl has ADD. "So…. Cara is having this huge party Saturday at her house. And since I'm Aussie's best friend, I get the privilege of being invited."

I bit my thumb nail, worried about her. Cara and her Clique were vicious.

"Are you going?" I asked.

"I don't know," she sighed, "Austin's tongue will be stuck down her throat the whole night. I don't have anyone else to hang with…" She trailed off.

I pictured sweet, nerdy Austin making out with the Clique leader.

Ew.

Why had he agreed to go with her?

"Now, if you were here with me, I'd definitely go, just to tick her off." Rebecca laughed.

"Yeah," I sighed wistfully. "Remember how the security guards would flirt with everything there in a short enough skirt?"

Yes, I said security. Cara bathed in gold. And her parties were always top notch.

"Which brings us right back to jail bait….." Becky teased.

Wait…that pricked a memory….

I'd told Becky about my being randomly arrested. She'd mentioned similar mobs on the news back in my hometown….one was at the abandoned Health Clinic….

Suddenly everything clicked in my mind.

"OH MY GOD!" I screamed.

"What?" Angel and Nudge yelped. Iggy and Gasman dropped their bomb.

Fang swore loudly and pulled the van to a screeching halt in the emergency lane.

Holy hell.

They'd taken Max back to my hometown.

"What? What happened?! Did a guy walk in on you changing?" Becky's panicked voice came from the other end.

"Rebecca, I will be at that party Saturday." I told her.

"What? How? You're at camp." She protested.

"Yeah, but it's real close to home. Like, within walking distance. I'll bring a few camp friends, and we'll crash it." I said quickly.

The flock was looking at me like I'd suddenly announced I wanted to play Russian Roulette with machetes, blind folded, while clog dancing.

"Trust me," I said, not only to Becky, but to the flock too.

Even Fang The Rock Johnson looked appalled.

"Oh, thanks Mack! You're the best. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Becky cooed.

"Yeah, sure." I said as coolly as possible.

I was going home!

"Love ya, bye." She shrieked.

"Love you too, Becks." I smiled and hung up.

Fang smirked at me. "You are so a lesbian."

I ignored him, getting rid of my mind blocks and allowing Angel to see the conclusion I'd come to.

She relayed it to the others.

"But there was a mob there. What makes you think it's still open?" Fang pointed out.

I scowled at him. This was where Max was. I could feel it. "I've got friends that live there, you know, even though I moved away. They go out at night, and see lights on in a supposedly abandoned, mobbed Health Clinic, they call me the next morning claiming it's haunted or something. And this is the closest branch of Itex or the School or whatever we've found while going North."

Honestly. Why couldn't Fang just trust me?

After a few moments hesitation, he nodded.

"Ooh! A party! This means we need good party clothes. We need to go shopping." Nudge squealed.

I sighed.

Here we go.

So, there's a twist I bet none of you saw coming. A branch of Itex in Mack's hometown. Eeeeee! I love it when I get to the plot in a story. It took me awhile with this one, but I think it was well worth the wait……

Reviews??