~Emma P.O.V.~
"Here comes the school bus, open the tunnel." Leo cooed as he tried to shove chopsticks full of teriyaki chicken into my mouth. I glared up at him, keeping my mouth shut, letting him crash the food into my tightened lips. "Well, congratulations. Children just died in a fiery car crash because of your negligence. Good going, Emma." He said sarcastically.
"I can feed myself." I snapped, snatching the Chinese take-out container from him.
"Okay, sorry." He sighed and backed off.
"How the hell do you even use these things?" I grumbled, playing claw machine with the sticks trying to feed myself.
"Pinch it, like this." He tried to show me.
"Screw that!" I growled and stabbed through the chicken, bringing it to my mouth and chomping down harshly on it.
"Geez, Em. Slow down. I don't want to have to clean up throw up." He reasoned as shoveled the food down my throat.
"I'm going to take a shower." I said, swallowing hard and pushing off of the bed, leaving him sighing and alone in the room. I slammed the bathroom door behind me, the sound echoing off the walls as I started the shower. I looked in the mirror, admiring the gashes on my forehead, and the healing bruises along my jaw line. I sighed, pulling my clothes off and stepping into the tub. I let the heated water run down my body, allowing myself to think. This morning, I could barely stand, falling over when I tried to stand. But now, not even twenty-four hours later, I was fine, standing tall on my own. This body was clearly designed for this.
The question is: why?
Why would this happen? Why would someone do this to someone else? Why was I able to take down someone twice my size? Hell, what did I do to deserve this kind of life: being kidnapped twice, having beyond realistic, crazy dreams explaining my messed up infanthood, not to mention being stuck here with the one dude that couldn't be worse while my brother, that was an expecting father, was stuck out there?
Why?
"Emma, are you okay?" Leo knocked at the door.
"Fine." I replied, shutting off the water and grabbing a towel from the towel rack. I dabbed off my face with the plush fabric, wrapping it around my torso before stepping out of the tub and onto the bathmat.
"I have some extra clothes for you, if you want them. I got bored while you were sleeping and went to Wal-mart." He hummed. I went to the door, opening it just a crack and sticking my arm out. I pulled it back when I felt a stack of clothing weighing it down.
"Geez, how many layers do you think I wear?" I asked when I saw two pair of black jeans, three black V-necks, and three white camis.
"I didn't know your size." I heard the shrug in his voice.
"Thanks." I smiled to myself.
"A-Anytime." He replied. From his tone, I could tell he was grinning his usual toothy grin behind the door. "Okay, so, just, uh, get dressed and come out when you're done." He instructed.
"Will do." I giggled and then went through the pile, finding my size and throwing it on. When I was fully clothed, I nodded at myself in the mirror and walked out of the bathroom.
"Hey, so I-" He stopped suddenly as he whirled around to face me. "You look amazing." He smiled.
"Thanks?" I chuckled.
"No, seriously." He walked forward and wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Leo, boyfriend." I reminded him.
"I'm just hugging you." He snickered, pulling me into a hug. He pulled back a few seconds later.
"Really?" I asked, looking at his outfit that was nearly matching mine.
"Hey, I thought we would need some sort of stealth when we charge into the place where everyone wants nothing more then to end your life." He chuckled, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.
"Good thinking." I replied.
"I got you shoes." He shrugged and gestured toward the shoebox by the door. "I thought flip-flops might not be the best idea for storming a base."
"How did you afford these?" I asked.
"Daddy made the mistake of having an un-traceable, international bank account." He smiled.
"Whoops." I smiled back. Call me crazy, but seeing his smiling face brought back so many great memories, stirring up old, dormant feelings coming alive again. "We should get going." I looked away before I could blush.
"Right." He nodded, moving away from the wall. I went back into the bathroom, bending over and picking up my clothing I had shed. When I got to the sweatpants, something fell from the pocket, landing on the ground in front of me. It was the clip from the gun Ari held, the one I took when I disarmed D'Angelo Sr. I picked it up, examining it in my palm. "Emma, you good?" Leo popped his head in, pulling me from my trance.
"Yeah, I'm good." I smiled reassuringly, slipping the clip into my back pocket and walking out.
"Ready, Bonnie?" He winked at me.
"You know it, Clyde." I smirked, and after lacing up our sneakers, we were gone, dumping our old clothing into a dumpster in an ally.
I hoped these assholes were ready because they really messed with the wrong family this time.
~Max P.O.V.~
"I think they're keeping him right over here." The man said, leading all of us down a hallway. At first, we had him lead us to the control room, where Nudge had disarmed all the cameras within the place so we weren't watched.
"You think?" Fang snapped, his voice hostile.
"I-I haven't seen him since the other two escaped." He whimpered, clearly scared of Fang.
"Whatever. Just get us there." He snapped. We continued creeping down the long, sterile hallway until we came to a closed door.
"Open it." I growled. He quickly fumbled with his keys and unlocked the room with shaky hands. He opened the door and stepped in followed by all of us. "Someone watch him." I said as Fang and I walked toward the hospital bed. "Hey, Lucas." I smiled gently at him when I saw his eyes were open.
"Hey, Mrs. Ride." He muttered in a fragile voice.
"Hang in there, we're getting you out of here. Are you okay?" I asked.
"Everything hurts." He groaned. I saw the dark bruises and deep gashes that peppered his skin.
"Can you sit up?" I asked. He nodded, and then Fang and I helped him sit forward. He whimpered a few times, but didn't ever give up; he was tough.
"Emma escaped. Do you know where she is? Is she with you?" He asked quietly, not even bothering to worry about himself.
"No. She's not. We're not sure where she is." I sighed sadly. "Do you have any idea where her and Leo would go?" I asked. He shook his head.
"The doctors here asked me that same question." He frowned.
"I'm sure she's fine." Fang replied.
"He's right." I smiled reassuringly at Lucas. "Do you think you can stand?" He nodded again, and Fang and I helped him up. Iggy was at my side in the next second, helping us get Lucas to his feet. He leaned heavily against Fang for support. "Alright, guys. Knock him out, let's go." I instructed. The man whimpered as Iggy and Nudge walked threateningly over to him. I stepped in front of Lucas; he didn't need to see this. We heard the unforgiving sound of skin hitting skin and then a thump. I looked behind me, seeing the man on the ground with Nudge, not Iggy, standing over him, fist extended.
"Nice job, Babe. He's out cold." Iggy smiled proudly, nudging the man with his shoe and wrapping his arm around Nudge's waist, pressing his lips against her head.
"Get a room, you two." Gazzy mumbled.
"We have a room. It's just too far away." Iggy replied. Gazzy shuddered.
"Let's go." I snickered, and then picked up a chair to break out the large window.
"Ah, Max. You guys are early." The most unforgiving, calm voice said. My fists clenched, causing the leg of the chair I was holding to snap in half, crashing loudly to the floor below. "We weren't expecting you for at least another two hours." He taunted. "And you knocked out Phil, good going. He's really annoying." I picked the char back up and chucked it at the window, shattering the glass into a million pieces. "Nice throw. Too bad I can't let you leave." He hissed.
"You really don't have a choice here, Jeb." I spat, whirling around to glare at him. "I knew you were lying on the phone, but thanks for telling me where you were." I hissed.
"Where are your children?" He looked from me, to Nudge, and then back to me. "I was really looking forward to meeting my grandson and the other two hatchlings." He grinned wickedly.
"I hope Devin never has to see at your messed up face." I growled, right as Nudge shouted: "Don't even think about my kids."
"And I was really looking forward to seeing Emma again." He chuckled sadistically. "But sadly, she was gone before I got to see her." He pouted.
"I'm glad." I spat, backing everyone up toward the broken window.
"That hurts, Max." He replied, clutching his heart through his chest. "That hurts so bad I might just have to-oh, wait. I already did." He grinned as Erasers flooded the room.
Well, looks like it's back to what we do best…
"Get Lucas out of here!" I barked as the creatures charged. "Out the window! Let's go!" I shrieked. Iggy helped Fang get Lucas into his arms. Then Fang took off out the window. "Nudge, Angel, go!" I screamed, delivering a fatal blow to someone's head and clapping my hands over another's ears, popping his eardrums. Iggy flashed to my right side, knocking one off step that almost got to me. "Thanks." I murmured, glancing behind me to see if Nudge and Angel were gone yet. They were.
"Don't thank me yet." He replied, following me as I backed toward the window.
"Gazzy, go!" I screamed. "You follow him." I shot to Iggy as the two of us were engaged by three more abominations.
"Not without you, Max." He shot right back.
"Get your ass out of here!" I snapped.
"There's too many for just you! We're going out at the same time so I know you're okay!" He replied, breaking someone's nose with his bare fist as I broke another's ribcage with my foot. I glanced over my shoulder, Gazzy was clear.
"Fine. Together." I hissed as I punched the third in the face just as Iggy landed a kick to his gut.
"Since when do you run, Max?" Jeb shot as Iggy and I took off together out the broken window, snapping our wings out and catching the chilly, night air.
"Where are they?" Iggy asked.
"I don't know, I can't see them!" I replied, searching franticly for my flock and my hurt fletching.
"Max, we're over here!" Nudge screamed.
"C'mon!" I grabbed Iggy's hand and followed Nudge's voice until I saw them, huddled in some bushes just outside the fenced area.
"Hey, are you okay?" Iggy instantly asked Nudge, cupping her face and pressing his lips against her forehead.
"I'm fine," She murmured, her voice disappearing as I focused on Fang. I dashed over to him, Gazzy, and Angel, who were sitting over Lucas. When Fang's eyes fell on me, he ran to me, instantly crushing his lips against mine.
"Hey." He whispered, and then locked our lips together again. "Are you okay?" He inspected me.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." I assured him. "We need to go. They're probably right on us." I said quickly.
"We can't fly. Lucas is too heavy to carry." He whispered for only me to hear.
"We'll manage. Let's go." I said, but it was too late.
"Aw, how cute: big sissy and her hubby." Ari's gargled, nasally voice taunted. I whirled around, seeing his swollen cheeks, his crooked nose, and his black eyes, almost making me gag at the sight.
"What the hell happened to your face?" I hissed, assuming a fighting stance.
"Your freaking daughter happened to my face." He growled. I beamed proudly at the though. "I can't wait to return the favor." He smiled wickedly.
"Over my dead body." Fang and I said in unison.
"That can gladly be arranged." His smile grew.
No one is ever going to think about touching Emma.
~Emma P.O.V.~
"We could steal a car." Leo suggested, as we walked through the woods. Eight miles ago, my feet didn't kill; I was around a warm bed, in comfy clothes, and sleeping. Now, I thought my feet were going to break right off my body; I was sweaty, exhausted, and starving, and to top it all off: it was pitch black out here.
"Why do all of your ideas involve felonies?" I asked, bringing up that he suggested stealing a bus, a truck, a train, a bike that we saw an eight year-old girl riding, suggesting I could ride on the handlebars.
"I live life on the edge." He chuckled.
"Aright," I sighed. "I need to stop." I panted, halting and leaning my weight against the base of a tree.
"Race you to that tree." He gestured across the woods at a small pine tree.
"Leo," I scolded.
"What?" He asked, turning his gaze onto me.
"No." I replied and sunk to the ground.
"Why not?" He asked.
"Because, we can't have the endurance of a freaking Kenyan." I snapped.
"Meow." He replied, slumping against a stump sticking out of the Earth.
"Shut up." I mumbled, hugging my knees to my chest and resting my forehead on them.
"Remember that time we decided to start jogging because we both thought we were getting chunky?" Leo asked, breaking the silence that fell over us a few minutes later.
"Oh, yeah." I snickered, looking up at him. That ended up being the worse decision of our entire relationship." I giggled.
"Hell yeah it was. Plus we decided to jog through the frozen, Alaskan wilderness. Mistake number one." He chuckled.
"Remember when we took karate?" I asked.
"Yeah! You kicked my ass, so I quit." He snickered.
"To be fair, you could probably kick my ass now anyway." I replied.
"I doubt that." He laughed.
"Please." I laughed with him. "Leo?" I asked, staring into my lap.
"Yeah?" I felt his eyes on me.
"If I had waited to show you my wings, do you think we'd still be together?" I asked, twiddling my thumbs in my lap.
"I'm not sure in that one." He replied sadly. "But one thing's for sure," He said and shuffled to my side, lifting my chin and making me look at him. "I was so stupid, Emma. I should never have acted like that. I don't care if you have wings, I love you for you." He explained.
"You love me?" I choked out.
"Yes, I do." He mumbled, picking up my hand and squeezing it gently. "I always have. Right after you walked out I thought about running after you, but figured it was too pathetic to run after my ex. Then I just got mad and came up with some crazy story about you sleeping with me just to have something to spread around. I just thought if you got fed up, you'd come crawling back to my sorry ass." He told me, his eyes full of love. "Say something. Please." He pleaded.
"I'm not sure what to say here." I muttered, looking away from his face. "You made my life hell, so bad that I almost killed myself." He winced. "Where were you when I almost stabbed myself to death that night? Leo, you were the first guy I ever dated. I loved you. I loved you enough to open up to you and showed you who I really was." I snapped, my voice rising with every word. My wings fluttered angrily behind me. "Do you know how I felt when you called me a freak? You, the guy I loved. I took everything you told me a million times more serious than what anyone in the world told me!" I said, yelling by now. "Like, if Lucas told me I looked chunky, I'd laugh it off, but if you told me the same thing, I'd flip out and go on a diet and jog for six hours! Did you know that-" And then, I was silenced by his lips crushing up against mine. Nothing else mattered when his arms wrapped around my waist and up my back, brushing against that spot in between my wings that made me melt every time. He tilted his head, allowing the kiss to get deeper. He pulled my body gently against his, pressing myself against him. This made everything else disappear, every bad memory: made up for, every good memory: made better. The butterflies in the pit of my stomach I got every time James looked at me hit like a truck. I heard myself moan once, just from the sheer feeling of being loved to this extent. Leo Tristan D'Angelo loved me. There were no ifs, ands, of buts about it.
"Do you get it now?" He asked, pulling away and kissing my forehead. "Emma Caitlin Larson, I love you: every part of you, every hair, every feather… all of you…" He smiled sweetly at me. "I just wanted you to know." He finished and stood up. "We should get going." He told me, extending his hand and helping me up. I rubbed my bare arms, slowly growing goosebumps. "Are you okay? You look cold." He said, already shedding his sweatshirt and holding it out to me.
"Won't you get cold?" I asked.
"I'm fine." He said, smirking. He held it for me while I slid my arms into it, being careful to tuck my wings in.
"Thanks." I smiled as he even zipped it for me.
"You're welcome." He smiled and we were walking again within the next second. Closer and closer toward Lucas…
Hang in there, Bro. We're almost there.
~Devin P.O.V.~
"What time is it?" Monique asked, her head resting against my shoulder.
"Adventure time." James replied from across the room. Monique and I were on the couch while James was stuck in a lonely armchair. James was getting stir crazy, it was clear. He was jittery: his knee hadn't stopped shaking since we first got here, and his anxiety level was higher: he snapped at everything and everyone, even yelling at a plant because he stubbed his toe.
"No, seriously, what time is it?" She looked up.
"A little after 12:30. Why? You got a hot date?" James replied quickly.
"Yeah, right." She replied sarcastically, leaning back against me. "What's up with you? You seem more, jumpy, then usual."
"Nothing. I'm fine." He hissed, crossing his arms angrily.
"It was just a question, no need to get nasty." Monique snapped back.
"I'm not getting nasty I just hate it when people think something's wrong with me." He growled.
"I don't think anything's wrong with you; I just think you're scared or something. James, we're all scared and nervous about what's going to happen, when Mom and Dad are going to be back-
"If they're going to be back…" I mumbled sadly.
"If they're going to be back…" Monique choked out. "I had a dream last night that whoever took Emma and Lucas came back for us. You didn't even notice I woke up crying."
"I did. I thought you just missed Lucas or something." James shrugged.
"Our entire family is out there and you think I'm crying over my boyfriend of like two weeks?" Monique grumbled. James just shrugged.
"Wow. Bunk with Devin tonight. I'm going to bed." Monique got up. "Night, Dev." She smiled at me and then stomped out of the room with a final glare at James.
"Night." I replied just as she reached the hallway.
"Am I an asshole?" James asked, sighing and running his fingers through his hair.
"Yes. But Monique didn't mean anything of that. Like she said, everyone's scared and nervous and she's just freaked out." I explained.
"Are you?" He asked, looking at me.
"Hell yeah. What if Emma gets hurt? Or Lucas? Or what about our parents? Or Uncle Gazzy and Aunt Angel? And what if the guys that took Emma and Lucas do come back for us?" I said.
"Then I guess we fight." He replied.
"Who says we can fight them off on our own?" I asked.
"Who knows if we can? But, we got to try, we can't just give up." James told me.
"You're right." I sighed.
"Course I am." He smirked. "Now, I'm going to bed. You coming?" He asked.
"Nah, I'm going to hang out here for a while longer." I replied.
"Suite yourself. Night." He said getting up and heading toward our room.
"Night." I replied, and then he was out of the room. I sighed, turning on a movie. You know, sometimes I wish my life were just some sick twisted movie because the good guys usually always win. But since it's not, the wings aren't just a prop, I don't know if my family's going to make it back alive, if Emma and Lucas are going to be okay, if we're going to be okay, or even if anything's ever going to be the same ever again.
And since we weren't just in a movie, everything's a hell of a lot scarier since we don't know the plot.
Hey, you cutie face, you! Sorry for not updating sooner, I had a crazy busy week. Like, I was helping my grandma with stuff and I went to Ceder Point yesterday. That's a fun place. :P Okay, so how was this chapter? I feel like not much happened.. but you know... Anything you want to see happen? Tell me. Anything you want to discuss? PM me. Any thoughts or concerns? Review... if you feel in in your heart! I love feedback! :3 Okay, well, thanks for reading! Loves you! :D