A/N: 21!! The age of my third cousin last weekend, my father went to the party and left me at home… ANYWAY!!!!......Exams are over and I think that I passed, maybe….I have a dance piece due today and I don't know the last part and we (my group) still haven't choreographed the last 10 seconds, but who cares its sport……
I sat on the couch waiting for Fang to come downstairs so that I could ambush him and demand that he take me along with him but according to Keez they left early this morning to go to People Magazine, which I thought was a stupid idea as no one would believe them. By the time they got back it was after lunch. Sometimes I found Keez almost frightening, he was sitting on a chair sharpening a massive knife on a spinning wheel when Fang came back, I thought that I should be doing something too, so I lengthened my nails and started to file them down again.
"No go, eh?" asked Keez,
"Nope." – Fang
"You shoulda whooshed out those wings, man. I saw you guys on the news once. You got them wicked wings, right? That woulda done it for sure."
"Why? And be locked up for being a freak? Sometimes Keez, I don't think you have brains at all." I stared at him till he looked down and started sharpening his knife again.
Fang just looked at us and said, "Uh, I didn't want to resort to cheap tricks."
Sitting on a mangy table and chairs on El Prado the next day, the mini-flock, Keez and I ate hotdogs.
"The plan is hotdogs?" Gazzy asked Fang as he scoffed down his second dog, "I like this plan." Watching Fang I noticed how he automatically searched for a threat before sitting down himself, feeling conscious of my actions, I looked around too.
"The plan is not hotdogs," he replied, "We're just killing time till the real plan falls into place." Looking into Fangs face it didn't really seem like there was a plan.
"All right, my man." Keez said to the vendor, I had also noticed on my many exploits with The Ghosts that Keez had guaranteed the safety of a few, so we got free food as a benefit.
Iggy was halfway through his fourth hotdog when he froze mid-chew. Fang stiffened and watched his face alertly, I did also.
"What?" He asked.
"Crud." Iggy replied throwing down his hotdog, "Flyboys."
Fang span around to face me, "You guys scatter! We've got trouble, but they're only after us."
"How do they keep finding us?" Gazzy wailed, shoving the rest of the hotdog in his mouth. He looked so cute…except when he spoke with his mouthful and pieces of hotdog came out….
"We'll stay." Keez said pulling out his cell phone.
"No, you don't under-."
"Yeah, if there's a fight I want in too." Fang looked at me as if assessing if I'd be any help at all. All of a sudden there was this loud buzzing noise that filled the air.
"What the heck is that?" Keez asked looking around him.
"Robots, you guys should split." Fang unfolded his wings. Many around him gasped, and Jones exclaimed, "Holy mother."
"We're staying." I decided.
"Fan out." Keez cried waving his arms and his switchblade.
"Eighty Flyboys – coming from ten o'clock." Fang cried, Gazzy and Iggy snapped out their wings causing more intakes of breath, "On the ground, the Ghosts can help. We'll do what we can from the air."
I pushed a crowbar into Iggy's hands and he grinned in my general direction and took off skyward.
"They're metal based," Fang said quickly, "Covered with skin. Knives wont do squat. Pipes and baseball bats would be better."
"Bats we got." Keez replied, handing Fang one, "And we got something else too." At that three of the by standing Ghosts ran off and brought back a bazooka that I had bought off an arms dealer last month. Fang looked at the bazooka, shook his head and took a running start into the air. Now was my chance. I slipped my jacket off my shoulders and dropped it by my feet, I shivered in the cool afternoon air and realized that I should have worn more than a singlet. This was my moment to shine…I think I got that off a movie….My wings unfurled and Keez staggered backwards exclaiming loudly, I took two steps and rose into the air.
"We will destroy you, you have no escape." The Flyboys droned.
Fang was a few meters away and I heard him mutter, "Talk about lame." I giggled.
Typical Keez taking every thing within his stride, called out as if nothing had changed, "Raven, want a bat?"
I looked at him and nodded. Testing the weight of the aluminum bat in my hands I swung it at the nearest Flyboy, a crunching noise was the reward. A sudden whining, whistling sound made me turn. Sixty feet away, a ground-to-air missile flew directly into a pack of Flyboys. The aim was a bit off and it exploded a bit late, but it still had the affect wanted, blowing about fifteen metal heads off…talk about ick.
Then I went into fight mode, where I saw everything coming towards me slowly, but I was moving fast. I spotted Fang racing among the Flyboys swinging wildly but then it appeared that that he had come up with a solution to the problem. Following his lead, I hit a passing Flyboy on the shoulder where the clavicle met the humerus and the arm popped fully out of the joint. Ducking from a kick coming from my right I got a glimpse of a falling headless body, the dangling wires from the neck gave off sparks.
I hardly noticed what everyone else was doing until out of nowhere Fang dropped in front of me and in no time at all he whooshed off again upwards, swinging his bat like a maniac, dropping two Flyboys almost instantaneously. It seemed that as soon as it had begun, it was over. The remaining 15 or so Flyboys got into formation, spun around and flew off. When I landed, I realised that the ground was littered with broken bits of Flyboys. Finding Keez with the flock, I prepared my speech, it started like this: Hi, ummm, I'm Raven and I was wondering if I could, like, join your flock or something?
Okay, fine, I admit I'm not the best at speeches but I was freaking out, okay?
Fang turned when he heard me approaching; I admit I nearly broke out into a sweat. Quickly I folded in my wings.
"Police coming," Fang said, "We gotta go."
"All right, man." said Keez, holding out his bloodied and swollen hand. "Whew! That was some action! This kid is dangerous!"
The Gasman puffed out his chest.
"Thanks," Fang replied, "Thanks for everything." Almost a moment too late I realised that they were about to fly away.
"Can I come too?" My face must have appeared pleading, and I thought, even if they do leave me I'll just follow them and find Max, she'd let me stay.
But Fang just looked at me, and I stared back.
It was Gazzy who spoke, "Please Fang?" I looked at him in shock, why did he want me to come along?
Fang pondered this, but Keez cut in, "Don't I have a say?" I turned to look at him, "I knew that something was up with you Ray, but I didn't know what. I guess if you want to go you can but I'd greatly appreciate it if you stayed, I mean, the guys have never been stronger and they respect you, Ray. I know that if we put it to a vote we'd all want you to stay…well maybe bar one." I shook my head.
"I'm sorry, I can tell you how long I've been waiting for this. I can't stay here; I believe that I've stayed too long already. If I don't go with them then I'll end up leaving later. I am sorry." As an instinctive reaction my hair grew longer to cover my shame filled face. Obviously noticing my hair lengthening, Keez gasped and took a step back.
"I'm a freak." I whispered, turning my back on him. I brushed the hair out of my eyes, "Please, please take me with you. I can fight, I've trained with the best, I can hunt and if it helps at all I can do handstands." Fang just stared at me and after what seemed like hours, with the police sirens blaring in my ears, Fang nodded, just the slightest of nods and I was filled with ecstasy.
"Fine." Keez said angrily, throwing me my jacket. Folding out my wings, I tied up my hair and flew off into the midday sun. I watched as the Ghosts scattered off into alleys and buildings and those who were in cars screeched off, all due to a wave of Keez's hand. And by the time the police got there, all that was left was a scattering of completely inexplicable chunks or metal.
A/N: WOOP!! Holidays!! My report was (in my opinion) AWESOME!!!! Anyway….I hope you liked it, even though it took ages to write…I don't know why…Hopefully I can get some rest now and play some video games or read a book or something…Chapter 22 will come soon, again…I can only hope. So if you could please review that would be ace…ideas are most welcome. – Raven (the real one)
Editor's Note: Daina, of course your report was awesome! I would expect nothing less from one of your intelligence. I was going to write a long note, but I can't be bothered. So, as always, hope you liked it and reviews are appreciated. *smiles*