Hey guys! So, I am officially on my last day of school tomorrow and then Friday I am off to the beach! So, I am taking my computer with me but internet access might be….limited. I don't know whether I'll be able to connect up. I'm sorry guys but it's my first time going anywhere on spring break. Hopefully you can stay entertained with my other stories if I'm absent lol. Shout outs: Maximum Ride is awesome98, flaming-mercedes, MEleeSmasher, koreanprincess, AnikaandAj, Lauren

Chapter 23 Touchy

Three days, that's how long we scoped out the remains of the Gen. 77 school before the 'charging off' part of me got fed up. Originally I'd thought Fang had a point. All of those mutants and whitecoats couldn't have gotten far. They'd come back and see what had happened to their precious school. Then we'd show back up and kick some butt and take some names. Unfortunately that hadn't happened and all that had changed was that I was gaining one hellacious tan. Iggy wasn't so lucky though….

"I. Am. Burnt!" Iggy complained, scratching feverishly at his irritated skin. It had gone from a pale white to a light pink and now to a deep, ugly red. Little blisters had come up on his nose and tips of his ears and every time he moved he winced. Then, when the cool, night air hit him, I swear I saw some moisture in his eyes.

I glanced at Fang who was sitting by last night's fire. His face was deeply tanned and stood out sharply against his black clothing. He looked like a surfer. Scratch that, I thought, looking up as Dylan walked in between us on his way to his pack. Dylan's already perfectly tanned skin was now a deep, honey brown. His blonde hair had been bleached and his sea green eyes glowed against his white teeth. I shook my head, they were total opposites.

"What I don't get is why I can't get any service out here!" Nudge cried, clearly frustrated. I walked over to her with Fang following close behind and Iggy limped over but couldn't sit still, he was all jittery.

We watched as Nudge's fingers tapped across the keyboard and page after page of incrypted code popped up. After a few moments she hit enter and a browser window popped up. It said 'service unavailable' and suggested ways to fix it. I shot a look at Nudge and swore smoke was coming out her ears. "I've tried everything I can think of! I don't get it! Everywhere else we go that obviously doesn't have internet service we somehow manage to connect up but no, not here. Not when I need it the most!"

"Why do you need it now?" Gazzy asked, peering around Iggy who was shaking with a wild look in his eyes.

Nudge glanced up at Gazzy and her face softened. "I was hoping to run the paper Max found through. I think it's a code but I can't crack it unless I have help." I patted Nudge's back wishing I'd thought of that earlier. "Good idea." Nudge smiled at me but it was forced. She flipped the laptop shut and slipped it back in Fang's pack. "I think we should head for town. Maybe it'll work in civilization."

"I vote for that!" Iggy yelled, hopping on one foot as he scratched his cherry red ankles.

"Did I hear civilization?" Star asked, running over and leaving Kate looking after her in surprise. "I so think we should go. I really need some food." I'd forgotten how much more than us Fang said Star ate. I'd even flat out refused to believe the skinny dirty blonde could eat that much until I'd seen it first hand. Let me tell you, she could put Fang and Iggy to shame, and that's saying something.

"I think we should head back too," Dylan said, walking up behind me. I turned and looked up at him before glancing over his shoulder only to see Maya standing there. "I could use a good cheeseburger." Ratchet added, flicking his foot from his spot on the ground a few yards away. Holden appeared beside Gazzy and nodded along with Kate who now stood beside Star. Total barked in approval.

That left one Flock member unaccounted for….

I turned to Fang and saw that he was looking over the cliff at the school. His narrowed eyes and stiff jaw told me that he wasn't satisfied. But when he turned to look at me I saw his dark eyes were willing. He'd do what was best for the Flock.

"Grab your packs, we're heading back." The Flock let out cheers and ran to grab their stuff. Iggy threw his arms around me and I winced at the blisters that coated his skin. "Thank you!"

"Anytime, Ig.," I said, and gently pushed him away. He hopped and skidded over his pack before throwing it onto his back and spreading his wings eagerly.

"We've got to get him something." Fang muttered, shaking his head at Iggy. His short bangs danced above his eyes and he smirked at me. "He looks like he has some incurable disease."

"You're right," I said and Fang half smiled at me. "Not often I hear those words."

"That's because you're not usually right," I told him, grabbing my pack and spreading my wings. Fang chuckled and shouldered his pack as well. The rest of the Flock was waiting on us.

"Where do you wanna go?" Nudge asked, dusting her palms on her pants leg. She glanced at Fang but her eyes fell on me. I'd been thinking about that very question ever since I'd watched the school burn. Where did we go now?

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the bright orange flyer we'd found. "It says the bonfire is set for November 20th," I glanced at my watch, "-and today is the 14. We have one week until this bonfire happens." I looked around at the others. "I really think we need to go." The Flock's serious faces told me they understood. This was our only lead, our only chance. I had a flash back of my first vision, the one of the future. The desert sand had looked familiar, now I knew why.

"One week. So I guess we should head towards California." Dylan suggested, rubbing the back of his head. I nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah, we'll make for Death Valley but be careful about it. Remember we might still be being hunted."

"Awe you can just Fast and Furious us out of it, right?" Ratchet teased. I rolled my eyes and said, "Let's go then. We'll make for the border but take it slow. We need to keep up our strength."

(Fang Pov.)

Fang's wings tilted as he coasted on the warm breeze that lifted his feathers. Beneath him, Ratchet hung with a slightly green expression on his face. So far he hadn't gotten used to the sky, Fang felt more at home here than on the ground.

A wing tip brushed against his and Fang turned to see Nudge looking at him. He threw her a half smile but she didn't return it. Instead she jerked her head back and together they slowed down so that they were flying near the back of the Flock. "What?" Fang asked, keeping his voice calm. Nudge glanced down at Ratchet but he appeared to have fallen into an uneasy sleep. Glancing back up at Fang, Nudge said, "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, I know that you changed your password back."

Fang's eyes widened slightly but otherwise he hid his surprise. Of course Nudge would know about his password, she'd been on his computer and she was the resident IBM future progeny. It was only natural she'd find out sooner or later. Fang had just been hoping to avoid this.

"Uh-huh," Fang said, looking straight ahead. Nudge shifted so that she flew right beside him, impossible to miss. Fang glanced at her and sighed at her prying look. "Okay, I changed it back. So what?"

"So what? Are you kidding me? You had Max's name as your password for years and then all of a sudden you leave and change it to another girl's? And not only that but Max's clone? And now you change it back? That's not 'so what', that's major!"

Fang tilted his right wing down so that he moved away from Nudge's animated face. She followed him though and flew in front of him, stopping him in mid air. "Fang, listen, I may be young but even I know that's not right. You must know it too."

"I haven't done anything wrong." Fang protested calmly, trying to move around Nudge but she wouldn't budge. "Fang, why did you change your password back?"

Fang stared at Nudge then looked ahead once more. For a moment he didn't speak. Then he said, "I changed it because she changed me."

"Max?" Fang shook his head. "Maya." Nudge's mouth dropped. "But-," Fang cut her off with a hard stare. "What I mean is that Maya changed how I felt after I left. Nudge, I missed her so much. You have no idea how hard I had to fight coming back to you guys. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done, leaving. But you know why I did."

"And I know what happened afterwards. What you weren't there to see." Nudge argued, her eyes sad.

"Max wouldn't want me to tell you this, Fang, but when you left, that whole 24 hours afterwards, she was a wreck. She didn't cry when she read your letter, not that I saw, but when she folded it up and went to her room I heard it. She cried, and cried and cried. It scared me, it scared everybody. Doctor Martinez was called and eventually she just ended up sitting beside her on the bed rubbing her back. Even her mom couldn't comfort her."

"But she got over it." Fang said, a hint of bitterness entering his voice. He looked past Nudge at where Dylan flew near the back of the Flock. Already they were far away.

"Not really," Nudge said, a defensive tone in her voice. "All they ever did was argue."

"That's not what I saw."

"You're blind. You saw what your ego wanted you too, and Max isn't much better." she pointed out, plowing on before Fang could interrupt. He glared at her but she held her ground.

"Dylan was there for her, Fang, like Maya was for you. You changed your password because it reflected who was there for you. Max, changed her right wing man because you weren't there and he was."

"So what now?" Fang asked, jerking his head towards the Flock. "I'm back, he's still here, and so is Maya. I'm not going to ask her to go, and Max wouldn't ask Dylan either."

Nudge didn't say anything, Fang moved so that he was able to fly around her. She flapped her wings and coasted beside Fang as they headed after the others. Just before they reached them Nudge turned to him and said, "Max does love you."

So, guys, hopefully I'll be able to update Friday! I'll be in sunny Florida , I hear it's gonna rain though but who cares? I'm going to get tanned! R&R