WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
--CK wipes her tears and glomps all of her readers--
IT'S THE END GUYS!!!!
--sniff sniff--
Thank you so much to all of you for reading this!
Hugs and kisses to you all. Thanks again!
And I really hope you all enjoyed this fic as much as I did.
Deep love from, CK
Chapter 26 : The End
By the time I finished ranting over everything that had happened (with the bloodlust, Lissa, Ari, Jeb, Fang, myself, my Voice, the School, yada yada yada), it was already dark out and the sky had turned a dark, rich purple as the sun finished setting.
There were stars peeking out from the darkness as the last bits of light faded from the sky, leaving nothing but the stars and the lights of the towns and cities far, far below us.
….and my Flock all had their jaws on the floor.
(Not literally, of course. I don't want my Flock to be disassembled.)
"WHAT!? You meant that you and Fang have been in this bloodlust stuff for a long time and YOU NEVER TOLD US!?" Gazzy yelled, slamming his hands down on the cave's floor in disbelief.
I shifted guilty in my seat. Gazzy did seem sincerely upset that I hadn't told him.
"I'm sorry" I said (for the forty-second time that day -- not that I've kept count or anything…).
"But I didn't want to drag you guys into it… --"
"So you kept it a secret?" Nudge asked, her brown eyes wide in disbelief.
I shifted awkwardly again under their stares.
"No! Not like a secret…" I quickly said. "I just, well –"
"You just didn't want us to worry or get hurt because of you and Fang. You love us too much and were afraid to get us involved" Angel said from her spot on the floor, and I let go of a tension I never realised that I'd been holding.
"Yeah…" I said, smiling at her. She smiled back at me sweetly and giggled.
Sometimes having a mind-reader in the Flock really came in handy.
I turned to Fang hoping to find some support from him, but saw that he was gulping down the last of the water we'd brought him. He seemed to have been improving over the last few hours (what can I say? We heal fast) but he was still bruised all over and paler than usual.
Fang caught me looking at him and shrugged in a way that said 'I'm fine. You can continue talking'
I nodded in response before picking up where I'd left off.
"Again, I'm so sorry guys. I really am…if I had the chance to tell you before now I would have. But everything was just so messed up in my head, and with trying to keep us all safe from Ari…I'm sorry…I'm really sorry…I'm—"
"It's alright, Max" Nudge cooed reassuringly, before I could apologize again. "We just want to make sure you and Fang are alright now. And…oh my gosh! That must've been so scary for you guys, not knowing when you'd go into bloodlust? Cre-epy. You're so brave...I wish I could be that brave…"
"You already are" I heard Fang say (surprisingly) from behind me. I froze in surprise and strained to listen. "You've seen things no other 11 year old on the planet has…yet everyday you're always smiling and excited…trust me, Nudge, you're braver and stronger than you think…"
Nudge practically beamed at the compliment and flushed a light red with embarrassment and flattery.
Angel turned her head adorably to one side and looked at me.
"Do you want help?" she asked sweetly. I grinned but faltered a little in confusion.
Help with what? I wondered. It was then that I realised that she wasn't looking at me; she was looking past me—behind me, actually.
I turned in confusion to see Fang wincing slightly as he pushed himself onto his feet to try and stand.
"Fang! Careful!" I shouted on instinct and jumped up to catch him if he fell.
But Fang climbed to his feet with seeming ease, and the younger guys cheered in relief. Fang smirked at this before leaning comfortably against the wall.
I smiled at the little guys in relief too, but turned to give a stern look to Fang a moment later when they weren't looking
Fang, you idiot! I silently pleaded to him. Don't hurt yourself even more! Stop trying to make it seem like you're fine and just rest!
He ignored my gaze (even though I knew he could plainly see me) and continued to lean against the wall uncaringly.
I mentally growled when Fang refused to meet my gaze.
Argh! Fang! You're…you're….you're just too dang stubborn sometimes!
It seemed like Fang was completely fine, but years of reading Fang had paid off. I could see that his jaw was set firmly and that his legs were shaking with the effort to stand.
It was obvious that it was from pain and weakness.
It had taken a lot of Fang's strength to haul him to his feet, but I knew that he'd never admit it in front of the younger guys. It was just an unspoken rule between us older kids—keep the young guys safe, fed, warm, and free from our worries (which could wait until later.) The younger guys didn't need to know if we were hurt or scared or depressed…that was our problems and we agreed to keep it tucked away for their sake.
However, over the years, Fang and I had gotten almost too good at that – hence why I ended up having my charming breakdown in Florida…
I broke off from my train of thought and shuddered as the memory of that day on the beach came back to me. Boy, had I been stupid...
And why Fang always ends up getting bandaged last…or once his scars had already formed… I told myself. He refuses to admit he's hurt, because he thinks he holds us back by worrying about him …
I shook my head and finally tore my gaze away from Fang.
He was so stubborn it drove Iggy and me crazy, but he was caring more than anything else.
That's what made Fang…well, Fang.
Fang managed to stand without any problem, and after I made sure the younger guys weren't looking I (as casually as possible) drifted over to him and made sure to catch his eye. I gave him our hand signal for 'are you okay?' and he seemed to stare at me in confusion. I was beginning to feel like an idiot when he suddenly raised up a finger in the universal sign of 'give me a minute'.
I nodded at him in relief and drifted away again.
"So uhh…Max?" Gazzy piped up from the floor, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. That was unlike Gazzy, so I started to worry just a little bit.
"What is it?" I asked him curiously. He looked up at me through bashful blue eyes.
"Umm….does that mean you're Fang's…umm…." he swallowed awkwardly before finishing.
"…you know… girlfriend?" Gazzy said timidly, as if he'd just said a swear word.
My eyes widened in complete surprise and I heard Nudge and Angel gasp like they'd just heard the gossip of the century (which in a way, for us, it was.)
I hadn't expected that.
I opened my mouth to quickly reply but was cut off by the one-and-only Nudge Channel.
""What!? Oh my gosh! Ma-ax! That is so sweet!...wait! Oh my gosh!" Nudge suddenly shouted, bouncing in her seat with excitement. "Max! If Fang is your boyfriend now—by the way congratulations! I so knew that you two would end up together one day. Or at least, I always kinda hoped you would…it's like all of us officially have a mom and a dad now, you know? Except you guys are way younger and a lot cooler than any parents. And I love you guys so much, but anyways—If Fang is your boyfriend, does that mean he kissed you!?"
I blushed at this and stumbled for an answer.
How was I supposed to explain that without permanently scarring all my Flock?...hmm…
(Err….one thing I forgot to mention—When I explained all about the bloodlust to my Flock, I'd G-rated the whole story. Of course I could never have lied to my Flock or hid anything from them…but I was not about to tell Angel and Nudge that I'd jumped all over Fang after seeing him step out of the shower without a shirt on. No way...I'm not that horrible of a leader…)
I continued to think of an answer--I couldn't say flat out 'yes' because then Nudge would insist that I tell her everything…not to mention Iggy would never let me live it down…
Oops. Too late. Iggy immediately caught when I hesitated.
"I've been scarred for life" was the immediate response I got from him. I shot him a look that he couldn't see, but it made me feel better anyways.
"Very funny" I shot back at Iggy, trying to stop myself from blushing.
"Eww…" Gazzy said.
"Awww!" Nudge and Angel both squealed.
A need a nice, pretty rock to smack my head against….a very big, nice, pretty rock… I thought to myself.
I opened my mouth to defend myself but was cut off (yet again.)
"So me kissing Max is wrong?" Fang asked emotionlessly from the wall.
"No, but it's awkward" Iggy answered after a pause. "And kinda weird, and it gives me the shivers to even think about it...eww…. just…don't do while I'm around."
"You can't see it" Fang said plainly.
"Yeah, but I have a horrible feeling I'll be able to hear you both making kissing noises" Iggy said before trailing off and shuddering.
Fang smirked.
"Really?"
"Yeah…man, that would be just…" Iggy shuddered again. Fang made noise of understanding in his throat and shrugged.
"Care to test that theory?" Fang asked in a bored tone.
"What?" I said in surprise, completely losing track of the conversation. "Fang, what do you—mph!"
I was suddenly turned around and met with a pair of lips as Fang seemed to appear at my side instantly and he swooped down and kissed me.
And I almost collapsed in mortification.
We were in front of the Flock!!! In front of the little ones! The naïve, innocent little-ones! Young children on the premises! Let's keep this G-rated!...I thought in desperate kind of humour.
However, all my thoughts trailed away after a moment of Fang kissing me. (Hey, I couldn't help it that Fang's lips felt so warm and tasted so good…)
I heard coos of adoration and shock from behind me.
Fang pulled away after a brief few moments and smirked at my expression (which I was guessing resembled Ari trying to solve a math problem…a.k.a brainless) and he laughed lightly before uttering something quietly so only I could hear.
"What? I'm feeling better. I promise…. And you can stop starring at me now...you look dazed…I'm not that good a kisser, am I?..."
"They just kissed right in front of us didn't they?" Iggy said solemnly, interrupting Fang's dazzling gaze and snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Eww! Yeah!" Gazzy said, his face twisted in a look of disgust and surprise all at once. Iggy sighed in defeat.
"I'm going to go gag in the corner" he said shaking his head as if ashamed of us.
That earned him a playful shove from Fang as he rolled his eyes. Iggy shoved him back, and then Fang shoved him back too, before it eventually turned into a friendly fight between the two guys.
I would've laughed… if I could've found my voice.
Fang kissing me out of the blue like that (and in front of the Flock!) had my heart thudding in my ears and had momentarily stunned me.
Err….for quite a while actually…
Snap out of it! I finally managed to tell myself through the hazy feel of Fang's warm lips still being on my own. Stop going gaga over him and wake up!...just don't think about Fang…don't think about Fang…don't think about Fang….kissing you…or smiling at you…or his face…with his hair flopping in front of his eyes…or him---oh forget this! It's isn't working!!!
"Max!!!"
I was brought out of my thoughts by a loud cry for help and I tensed, looking around quickly for any sign of danger.
Shoot! Why did I have to get distracted so often!?
I relaxed my stance when I finally saw where it was coming from.
Fang was standing calmly at the other end of the cave with his arm around a flailing Iggy's neck in a sort-of headlock.
"Max!" Iggy called out again. "Get your boyfriend off of me!"
I smirked and walked a little closer, waging my finger and making a disapproving noise.
"Well, that was fast Fang, you're obviously feeling much better…or Iggy's just a weakling..."
'Max!" Iggy yelled out again,. I grinned at him.
"What's the magic word, Iggy?" I asked.
"Please!" Iggy said, still flailing uselessly in Fang's grip.
I pretended to sigh in annoyance.
"Alright…" I said, agreeing to help. I crouched down slightly. "Fang! Fa-ang! Come here boy! Come here!"
I whistled for effect and patted one of my knees like an owner would to call their dog. Fang (on the other hand) was frowning deeply at my teasing.
I whistled again, a little louder.
"Come here, boy! Come here! Who's a good boy? Come here, Fang! Come on!"
"Max…" Fang muttered through clenched teeth and his jaw set firmly. I looked up at him and realised that he looked annoyed, (not to mention a lot stronger and healthier than when he had been leaning against the wall in pain.) But although Fang's jaw seemed tense with annoyance, his eyes were bright with something that looked…well, bad for me.
"Run" was the only response I got from him.
My smile dropped and I whipped around, just in time to see Fang let go of Iggy and run straight for me.
Oh snap!
I took off running as fast as I could to try and suppress the laughter that was building up inside me. The cave was small – meaning no place to run or hide—but hey, I can try can't I?
Before I could even look for a hiding place however, hard, wiry arms wrapped themselves around my waist and I was (literally) picked up off the ground and thrown over Fang's shoulder.
I frowned in annoyance as my hands collided with his back, Fang still gripping my waist and holding my ankles to stop me from kicking.
…Smarty-pants.
"That's not fair— I didn't have enough time to run!" I defended.
"Cry me a river, build me a bridge, and get over it" was Fang's reply.
I tried to think of a response to that, but couldn't. So I settled with the old fashioned line…
"Meanie" I shot at him coolly.
Fang turned to look over his shoulder and give me a disbelieving look. One that (in Fang-speak) translated into why-in-the-world-are-you-calling-me-a-meanie? No-one-says-that-except-kids-in-the-third-grade look.
"Can you put me down now!?" I retorted.
"Nope"
"But you…you're weak!"
Fang shot me an angry, offended look.
Okay, lesson learned…never insult the guy who's holding you up…
I quickly continued from where I'd left off.
"You just recovered from dehydration like—what? Four hours ago!? And I'm as heavy as a ton of bricks! Remember? You said that, so you can out me down now…if you want…okay, just put me down now!"
"That was in the air while trying to fly. Here, you weigh too little…" Fang responded.
"Too little!? So you want me to get gain weight?..."
"Pretty much"
"Why?"
"Because if you turn into one of those anorexic type girls I'm gonna have to force feed you…"
"Fang, I'm not turning anorexic! We've been on the run for years, we just escaped the School, and I've been eating about seven hot dogs a day!"
"…That's it?"
"What do you mean that's it!? Find me a human girl that eats seven hot dogs a day and then talk to her about being anorexic!"
Fang's only response was to smirk and chuckle at me.
I expected a smart reply from Fang, so I was a little surprised when he simply put me down. Fang walked off calmly and leaned against the wall again—awaiting my instructions to The Flock.
I cleared my throat to grab my Flock's attention before taking a moment to think over what I was saying.
"Well…were all finally back together again. Thank gods…" I added to myself as an afterthought.
I heard everyone laugh lightly at that and I couldn't help but relax.
"Umm…first off," I continued. "I'm so sorry that I got you all stuck back in the School…and that I never told you about the bloodlust Fang and I were going through…and secondly, I'm really sorry that all we've been eating for the last few days has been hot dogs…or in your case Fang, some type of wild animal that you hunted down like -- well, like a hawk..."
I heard more laughter after that comment and I grinned to myself.
"And I'm so thankful and so happy…I don't think I'll ever be able to describe it…how happy I am that we're all together and safe again. You guys mean the world to me…and I'm so glad you're all still here…even after all the times I've screwed up as a leader and a mom…and yelled at you for teasing me about my cooking…"
(To my horror) I felt tears of relief and pure joy prick my eyes. I quickly blinked them back but my Flock were all giving me sympathetic, knowing, loving looks—and that just made the tears come even faster.
I quickly wiped them away with the back of my sweatshirt.
"So yeah…and as relieved and excited as I am that were all back together as our undefeatable Flock of six, we have to get back to business unfortunately…see, the bad news is that…well, we gotta fly south for the winter."
"Max…it's only October" Gazzy told me slowly, as if I were stupid. I burst out grinning at him and nodded in acknowledgement.
"Yeah…but we need to get as far away from the School as we can before winter hits. Meaning, we need to leave this cave…tonight…as in now..." I trailed off when I saw looks of disappointment and disbelief cross over my Flock's faces.
"But Ma-ax!" The all protested.
"Hey, hey…" I began, cutting in gently. "I don't blame you guys for not wanting to fly—it's dark, and it might be creepy to fly at night. But we need to find another hideout. We've stayed here for too long…."
I saw my Flock exchange glances between one another before Angel turned to me innocently, her blue eyes curious and reluctant to move.
"Will we sleep in another hotel?" she asked.
Uhhh….are you paying? I felt like asking, but stopped myself.
"Sorry, but its back to the good old outdoors!" I told them, rising to my feet and trying to grin enthusiastically. "The outdoors with the fresh air and the sea and the flowers…" I trailed off.
"And the spiders and the bugs and the dirt..." Fang muttered, smirking when I shot him a disapproving look.
As predicted, the response from Nudge was an—
"EWW!!! Gross!" Nudge said, closing her eyes and sticking out her tongue.
"Ha-ha! Nudge! You look like a cat when you do that!" Gazzy laughed out, pointing at Nudge's face as she returned it to normal.
Nudge's disgust faded in an instant to be replaced with flattery.
"Really?...Aww, thank you Gazzy! I've always wanted a cat—did you know that, Max?" she said, turning to me excitedly.
Uh-oh… I thought, smiling to myself just a little.
And now ladies and gentlemen, live from your local studio -- it's time for your daily Nudge-channel update.
"I've always wanted to have like a little baby kitten of my own to raise! Like one of those soft, fluffy grey ones...or maybe white, but they're so cute! And their so tiny but warm and soft and they're totally obedient too...well, sort-of…but they're just so sweet, aren't they? Well, except for those cats that actually eat birds...but if I had one, I'd make sure she never ate birds! I'm part-bird and my kitten would be so smart she'd know not to eat birds because that's bad! And even though she's a cat she could be like, the protector of all the birds or something! Oh my gosh! Could you imagine how adorable that would be!?...Oh my gosh! Sometimes, I wish I were part cat instead of part bird…imagine how cool that would be? You would be all graceful and pretty and maybe have sharp claws..."
"I like you as a part-bird though, Nudge!" Iggy quickly chimed in.
….and back to you in the news room, Iggy, I thought to myself.
"As a bird you can fly, and you're still graceful and pretty Nudge, not to mention as a bird you can travel so much faster and do so many things cats couldn't ever do…"
I raised an eyebrow. Impressive -- Iggy knows how to stop Nudge's rants from getting too out of control. Very impressive.
Nudge smiled at the intended compliment and cocked her head, as if thinking over what he'd just said. Finally she smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I guess you're right! Thanks Iggy! I don't want to be part-cat anymore! I love being part-bird! I don't even know why I said I wanted to change in the first place… I love my wings too; I couldn't ever get rid of them. And they're such a pretty colour, don't you guys think? I've always thought my wings looked like that colour of coffee…uhh, mocha, is it? Anyways they're—"
"-- Absolutely beautiful, Nudge" I cut in, smiling at her. And I meant it.
"And since you love your wings so much, how about we all try using them again? … We can fly through the air and have some fun! It seems like it's been forever since we last flew… And imagine how amazing it'll be to fly tonight! With stars above our heads…the wind in our hair and our feathers…"
"…Max and Fang making out in the dark" Iggy interrupted (yet again), an amused and cheeky grin plastered to his face.
That comment earned Iggy a smack over the head from Fang.
Angel turned to me with her nose scrunched up in confusion.
"Max…what does 'making out' mean?" she asked curiously. I quickly blocked my thoughts from her and grinned in reassurance.
"Nothing important…just a thing…you know, that you say sometimes… as a joke when you're uhh...older…"
"Oh!... Okay…" Angel replied, seeming satisfied with my answer.
I almost laughed in relief but stopped myself. It was hard to believe with Angel being able to read minds, control people with her mind, and all that jazz, that she was still only 6 …or 7…I almost forgot that her birthday was coming up soon…
"What!?" Iggy said jokingly, raising his hands in front of him in defence as he heard Fang growling at him. "You know you want to…"
That earned him smack number two.
"Oww! It's not my fault that you like her!" Iggy protested, laughing gleefully.
That earned him smack number three…and smack number four from me. (What? I was feeling left out...)
The younger ones laughed at this, and I smiled before returning to my task—trying to convince the younger ones that we needed to find a new hideout.
"I know you don't want to go anywhere right now—but we have to unless we want to wake-up to a group of Erasers telling us 'good morning'. And think of how much fun it would be! We've never taken a night-flight before!" I said, knowing that would get the younger guys to fly.
"I thought we had…" Angel said in confusion.
I opened my mouth to reply but was cut off by Fang.
"We've flown at dusk and sometimes as the stars come out…but never an entire flight while the sun was down" Fang added smoothly. "We usually use that time to sleep, but it would be pretty cool to fly tonight. There'd be no rules…you can all do whatever you want as far as I care, cause no-one can see you or your wings through the dark..."
I saw an ecstatic look pass over Nudge's face and I saw Angel and Gazzy jump to their feet and unfurl their wings, now incredibly excited to fly again.
I didn't blame them – I was craving a good flight right now. We'd been stuck in this cave for days…. I was anxious to unfurl my wings and it was about time we had some fun! (Preferably the kind of 'fun' that didn't involve beating up Erasers that were trying to rip us to pieces…but that was always fun too.)
I grinned in thanks at Fang and he nodded silently in response.
"That sounds so awesome!" Gazzy said.
"Yeah…and it'd be so pretty to fly under the stars. Can we, Max? Please?" Angel piped in. Both my younger ones were starring at me with their big, blue eyes wide and hopeful and their little faces looking so angelic and happy…
…could I say anything but 'yes' to them?
They all cheered at this.
"Awesome!" Gazzy yelled again, pumping his fist into the air.
"I gotta admit, it sounds great. But..." Iggy said trailing of, his trademark grin on his face.
"I'm even blinder in the dark than I am during the day. Gasman? Do you mind helping me?..."
"Are you kidding!?" Gazzy yelled, looking almost outraged. "I'll hold your hand the entire way, Iggy! I swear I won't let go! It's okay, you'll be safe with me!" he said proudly. I stifled a laugh.
"Thanks buddy. I always knew you I could count on you …" Iggy said grinning. Gazzy's face practically lit up with joy.
Iggy held out his pale hand which Gazzy immediately took and dragged him to the lip of the cave. Angel suddenly ran over to Nudge, feeling neglected.
""Nudge..." Angel began, in that wanting yet adorable voice she has. "Will you fly with me? I don't wanna go alone..." Angel said in disappointment.
Nudge beamed at this, taking Angel's hand and twirling her around, the two girls laughing as they continued to spin.
"Oh my gosh! It'll be awesome, Angel!" Nudge exclaimed, stopping to put Angel down on the floor. Angel continued to laugh and nod in encouragement.
"We can fly out together while Ig and Gazzy do their thing and we can look at the stars! Oh my gosh! Imagine how pretty they must look! I bet you we could even try to touch them if we got close enough?" Nudge said.
"Can you really touch stars!?" Angel said, her naive blue eyes wide with hope. Nudge nodded and Angel gasped excitedly.
"I'm pretty sure you can!" Nudge said. "Back when we were staying with Anne…my homeroom teacher at that normal school told us something about believing in your dreams and you can actually touch the stars!...at least, I think that's what she said…but if we want to we can definitely touch them…I mean, we have wings! That's gotta help us even more than the human kids right? And if they can do it, so can we!"
My heart practically melted into a mushy puddle of adoration right then and there. Technically, it was impossible to touch the stars…but I wouldn't have told them that even to save the world.
Forget my destiny, I just wanted this.
Their expressions were just too precious… Iggy and Gazzy grinning…Nudge and Angel smiling…I caught Fang looking adoringly at them just like I was (but from the corner of his eye, of course. He had a reputation of being cool to uphold)… and I wished more than anything I could've frozen the moment…
Angel's eyes lit up at Nudge's words.
"Let's go! Let's go!" Angel chorused in pure excitement, pulling on Nudge's hand and the two girls dashed past me and the guys before jumping out of the cliff.
I opened my mouth to yell out a warning but I stopped as a warm hand placed itself on my shoulder.
"Don't" Fang said calmly in my ear.
A second later I saw Nudge and Angel swoop up gracefully to look in on us all, waiting patiently for us to do the same.
"Come on, Max! Let's go!" my little Angel called out to me, Nudge's hand gripping hers tightly yet gently.
"Slowpokes!" Nudge teased, which got Gazzy and Iggy into the air and I turned to Fang as he passed me to join the others.
Fang smirked. "I told you…don't worry… the kids know what they're doing and they won't get themselves hurt…just trust them…Mom…" Fang added with an afterthought, and I felt myself relax at the words.
"Are you sure you're strong enough to fly?" I asked him casually, and I hoped my voice wasn't betraying how worried I was. (Yes, I am a sucker when it comes to my Flock.)
Fang didn't respond, just unfurled his dark wings and leapt into the night sky, practically blending in with his midnight-black wings and dark clothes.
"A cold-slice of pizza and a warm Coke say that I beat you there" Fang said, but I could see amusement hidden in his eyes.
Okay, now it's on!
I was stunned but happy at Fang's words. Apparently he was all better.
"Where did you get pizza and pop!?" I asked him. He shrugged.
"Bought it..."
"Where?"
"In town…"
"With what?" I asked, but I already knew the answer. Fang's dark eyes gleamed at me with amusement.
"Your credit card…"
"You nicked my credit card!?"
"Before we escaped the School. But remember, Iggy did it first…"
"Fang!"
"He started it…"
"Did not!" Iggy defended quickly.
"Fa-ang!" I yelled and ran after him.
I leapt out of the cave and saw Fang pull away from me just a second before we touched, giving me a tiny smile that made my heart race.
3-2-1! I told myself and unfurled my wings, feeling the wonderfully familiar tug of air underneath me and the wind through my hair. I stopped for a moment, deciding on instinct to close my eyes and just hover in mid-air to let it all sink in.
This is freedom… I thought happily.
When I finally opened my eyes again, Fang was hovering closer to me, still smiling, and my Flock was practically dancing around me with uncontained enthusiasm.
No…this is… happiness…pure happiness… I finally decided.
And with that… (and a slice of cold pizza and warm pop on the line)….
….we all took flight.
END. LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!!! And the SEQUEL will be out soon!
:-D