IMPORTANT

I know that I have been absent from the site for about a month now, and that I promised more updates during summer. It looks like that isn't going to happen, because I spend most of my summer at my dad's house and I don't get internet there.

But what I want to talk about today is this chapter. I want to warn you ahead of time that it's probably the worst writing so far. That's because I didn't put my heart and soul into this piece of writing like I do with all my others. That's because something happened to me today that will probably keep from from doing another update for a while.

This morning, my grandfather had a heart attack. He lost conciousness in his home, and by the time he arrived at the hospital after ERT care his heart rate was only 40 beats per minute, 2/3 of what it should've been.

All day, my heart hasn't been in anything I've done, and I can't seem to focus on anything. That's because every part of me is hoping that my Grandpap will be okay. Tomorrow he's going into surgery and getting a pacemaker to regulate his heart again. And my father and I are going there, at the hospital, to support him and my grandmother.

So, please, if you don't like this chapter, don't flame me. I'm going through a difficult time as it is, and I don't need to be disappointed by the readers' remarks. If you don't like the writing, keep it to yourself.

Thank you, my friends. May you like at least a little of what you read.


We took our good old time getting back to Boston. Not feeling like going into warp speed, Fang and I cruised on the warm drafts, wings flapping only when necessary. It was a great way to get your mind off things, but it was even better for contemplating stuff. In this case, I was contemplating.

Vermont was a huge expanse of dead trees, snow, and mountains packed with skiers. As we soared above a skiing lodge, high enough that we would just look like large birds to the tourists below, I thought about how a month ago we'd probably be down there as tourists ourselves, testing out the mountainside and having fun in the snow. Who knew if we'd ever the chance to do those kinds of things again?

The trip that took only half an hour at warp speed took almost two and a half hours at normal speed. It was close to afternoon when we landed on the roof of the hotel in Boston; I almost ran over the side because I had so much momentum, and I lost most of the distance for a proper landing because I landed in the middle of the roof instead of toward the side. Fang grabbed the back of my shirt before I could fall off, yanking me back and almost making me fall on my butt instead.

Okay, so I'm a total klutz sometimes.

"Thanks," I muttered, dusting off my pants embarrassedly. Unfortunately for me, there wasn't really any dirt to dust off, so I probably looked like an idiot.

Fang obviously thought so, because he smirked. "Don't mention it."

"So… Do you think the others noticed that we left?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Either they think we slept in really late, or Jeb told them."

"Or they figured it out on their own."

"Good point."

We found the door to the staircase and slipped through. Luckily, there wasn't anyone else on the stairs, so we were able to fly down them like the freakishly fast little mutants we are.

When we got to our floor, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, and Iggy weren't in their rooms Naturally, I started to worry right away.

"Where did they go?" I wondered aloud as I shut the door to Iggy and Gazzy's room.

"I don't know," Fang said, shaking his bangs out of his eyes. "They have to be somewhere in the hotel."

"What if they got kidnapped?"

He snorted. "Come on, Max. The hotel would be in a frenzy if a pack of wolf-men stormed the place and kidnapped four innocent kids."

I couldn't argue with that. "So where do you think they are?"

The corner of Fang's lips twitched into a smile. "Where do you think the food is?"

-----

It only took us five minutes to get from our floor down to the lobby, and when we got there it wasn't hard to find the rest of the Flock. There was almost no activity, and four tall bird kids aren't hard to spot even in a crowded room.

They saw us about two milliseconds after we saw them. Nudge practically jumped out of her chair, and she almost tripped coming over to us. Ig, Gazzy, and Angel weren't in such a rush.

"Where were you guys?" Nudge demanded. "We've been waiting here for hours!"

"Sorry," I said. "We went to talk to Jeb, then we got a little sidetracked."

Her eyebrow rose. "Oh?"

It took me a couple seconds until I got the meaning behind the word, and I almost gagged. "Eew, Nudge, not like that! We just went for a fly."

"For over three hours?"

"Yeah."

She looked ready to argue, but after throwing her "the bird" she shut up. Nudge is a nice kid and all, but sometimes I just want to strangle her. And when did her mind get so nasty?

"So, you two weren't being naughty?" Iggy asked. Fang scowled at him, and after remembering that the look was lost he punched him in the kidney. He must've done it hard too, 'cause Iggy let out a small oof and said, "What was that for?"

"That was for having a perverted mind," Fang said, crossing his arms.

"Okay, drop the subject guys," I said. "There are children present."

"Like you aren't a kid," Gazzy muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

"I thought so." I looked around the lobby, scanning for any threats. "So, what do you think we should do today?"

"I don't know. Maybe visit Ella?" Iggy said hopefully.

Do I really need to say where we stayed for the rest of the day?

-----

When we got back from the hospital, it was raining. A thick layer of drizzle coated Boston, and the lights from storefronts and house windows shone yellow through the rain. Statues of Paul Revere and other Revolutionary heroes were turned darker from the water reacting with the paint, and small puddles formed on the concrete sidewalks.

"I hate rain," Nudge said, shaking moisture out of her thick hair. "It's way too wet."

"That's why it's rain," Gazzy pointed out. "Rain is water, and water is obviously wet."

"I wish it weren't," she pouted. "When it's winter, like now, the rain freezes and makes ice. I hate ice even more than I hate water."

"So that's why you hate wet things?" Angel asked.

"Pretty much."

"Just think, Nudge," I said. "If it weren't for rain, you wouldn't be alive. You need water to live, remember?"

"I still don't like the rain. Why can't we just get the water we need from fruit and stuff?"

"How do you think the fruit gets the water?" Fang asked.

"From rain," I answered for Nudge.

She sighed in a "whatever" kind of way. "Let's drop the subject," she said.

I smirked and looked at Fang. "We win," I mouthed. He smiled a little and gave a small nod. We both loved it when we won in an argument with Nudge – after all, if she lost, she would shut up. And we all know how rare that is.

-----

The lobby was bustling when we got back. "What's going on here?" Gazzy asked, looking around at all the people.

I looked around. "Looks like the hotel's hosting some kind of business party or something," I said, pointing to a little sign above the check-in desk that said 'All Party Guests Report Here'.

Nudge's eyes glowed. "Wow, a party," she said. Then she looked at me, and I adverted my eyes.

"No, Nudge, we're not going to crash a party we weren't invited to," I said, making sure I couldn't see the Bambi eyes. "Besides, I don't think anyone under twenty-one would be invited. There's almost definitely alcohol."

"We never get to do anything fun," she muttered.

"You think a business party is fun? Trust me, half the people probably don't even want to be here." I motioned to the faces of the guests with my hand; most of them looked ready to just up and leave without even signing in.

"Whatever," Nudge said. She walked off, hands in her pockets. "I'm going to my room."

Angel took one look at me and then ran after her. I sighed and tapped Iggy on the hand. "I guess we all might as well go to our rooms," I said. Iggy nodded and gently wrapped his finger around Gazzy's belt loop as his partner in crime walked toward the elevator. I followed with Fang beside me, and as we walked I slipped my hand down to his. He gently held it, and I squeezed a little.

The room was clean when we got back, fresh rolls of toilet paper and towels in the bathroom and the sheets changed on the bed, even though they hadn't been used. I looked into the tub, where fresh miniature bottles of shampoo and conditioner were on the soap shelf.

"Looks like the cleaning ladies paid a visit," Fang said, poking the new pillows that had been delivered. I nodded and dug in my pocket, finding a five-dollar bill I'd borrowed from Mom earlier for snacks that I'd forgotten to get. I laid it on the nightstand and wrote a little "thank you" to put beside it. I figured that that was the least they deserved.

"So, what are we going to do for the rest of the night?" I asked, sitting on the couch and stretching my stiff arms. "It's a little late to go touring the city."

Fang went over to the window and opened it, sticking his head out and staring down at the city. "We could always go swimming," he suggested.

"What, in the ocean? It's a little cold for that, because in case you haven't noticed, it's winter."

"Come on, I'm not totally stupid," he said. "I meant in the hotel pool. You know, the indoor one."

"We don't have swimsuits."

"There's a T.J. Max right across the street," he said, pointing. "We could get some there."

I rolled my eyes. "You're a persistent thing, aren't you?" I asked sarcastically.

He chuckled and walked over to me, kissing me softly. "I would've thought you'd learned that in the fifteen years we've known each other," he whispered against my lips. I smiled and kissed him back.

"I guess I've finally learned," I whispered back, then pulled away. "But before we go swimming, let's go for another quick fly."

I walked to the open window and drove through, wings unfurling as soon as they had enough room to do so. I went into a straightly vertical ascent on a down stroke, my hair blowing back from my face. When I was about five hundred feet above the ground, I leveled out. Behind me, Fang jumped out of the hotel room and spiraled up to meet me.

"So where are we going?" he asked above the wind.

"Does it really matter?" I asked back.

"I guess not."

"Good, because I have no idea," I said, turning south.


Abrupt ending, I know. I couldn't think of a good one for this chapter. As I said in the AN above, my mind has a hard time focusing on these kinds of things. So don't flame me if you didn't like the chapter. Keep nasty comments to yourself. The only reviews welcomed right now are positive ones or ones with words of encouragement.