C h a p t e r T h i r t y - F i v e

"Strange words," the Boss Man said, looking oddly perplexed. But he shrugged off his minor confusion and pulled out a gun, his followers doing the same.

"Now Mr. Boss Man," I began, shaking a finger at him. "Is that any way to treat your guests?" I placed my hands on my hips before looking him in the eye. "Now what would your mother think?"

Boss Man looked peaved off for a moment, but replied with a smirk, "I killed my mother."

"Gasp!" I said (and yes, I actually said the word gasp, not just gasped, if that made any sense) and raised a hand to my mouth.

Boss Man and his holmies (quite a band name, right?) all cocked their guns and aimed them at Fang and I.

I tried my best to look mockingly apologetic, and said in a dangerously calm and even tone, "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but my friend and I won't be staying long enough to be killed tonight. On the count of three," I added, turning to Fang. "One-"

And then Fang and I kicked their butts.

A few gunshots went off the moment I said "one", but since Fang and I had already jumped them, the bullets merely pierced through the roof of the very fancy office.

"Hey Fang," I asked calmly, as though having a friendly cup of tea instead of fighting for our lives. He turned to me with a look that said "Really? Now?"

"Do you think that maybe when we get out of this joint that I could get an office like this?"

Fang's face lit up for a moment, probably relieved that I wasn't angry with him, but as suddenly as it came, the smile left. I think the sun must've come out then hid behind some clouds or something, because the office seemed to get darker…

In no time, after kicking and punching and snatching away the guns (which I refused to let Fang take with us…so I put them in my jacket instead), all of the men lay unconscious on the ground, with some bloodshed splattered on their very fancy white suits. Oh well. I was never one with manners.

I started to turn toward the door to leave, but Fang's strong hand wrapped around my own and he pulled me over to one of the floor to ceiling windows.

I thought I heard him mutter something like, "I've always wanted to do this."

Before I knew what was happening, Fang looked at me with a defiant look in his eye and tightened his grip on my hand.

And then jumped into the window.

It shattered into billions of pieces; each shard dancing to the ground looking like crystalline snowflakes. The sun glinted off of each one, and somehow Fang and I remained unhurt as we hurdled to the ground.

Seconds before we would have hit the grass below, Fang pulled himself below me and landed, hard, on his side. He rolled onto his back, his arms outstretched.

"Fang! No!" I freaked, trying to pull my wings out, but it was very much too late. I landed right on top of him.

"Oof."

"Fang! I-I'm so sorry! I was going to try to stop, but my wings wouldn't open and-"

Fang clasped a hand over my mouth and looked at me with his unyielding dark eyes. "You talk too much."

I rolled off of him, and offered a hand to help him up, but Fang refused it and got up on his own. I lowered my arm awkwardly.

"Hold still," he said softly, and turned his back on me. I stood confused, but did as I was told, unsure of where this was going.

I was about to think that he was going to just walk out on me, but instead, he whirled around on his heel, his fist colliding with my mouth.

I screamed a cry of pain, one with more emotional depth than physical. He knew I wasn't the traitor, so what the (insert your choice of words here) was he doing?

But before I could give any more protest, Fang's fist came at me again, catching me off-guard for the second time. My hand flew to my mouth as blood trickled into it, and it wasn't long before my shirt was a different color.

I turned away from the guy I thought I had made up with, but a hand caught my shoulder, and turned me around. I didn't even have a chance to open my eyes as another blow was offered at my mouth.

Over and over Fang gave these blows, catching me at moments he and I both knew I wouldn't be able to defend myself as quickly in. My mouth felt as though on fire.

After six more blows like the first three, a tooth in the back of my bloody mouth popped loose. I lowered my head and spat it out into my hand, but before I could look at it, Fang had snatched it into his own.

I was now coughing, choking on my own blood, losing oxygen fast, but the kid next to me was studying my tooth.

"This is it," he muttered under his breath, looking relieved.

I took off into the sky before I could hear another word, dropping bits of blood as I did so. Tears were now flowing freely down my face, but I wiped them away as quickly as they came; sure I looked a mess.

That was not how I pictured that little encounter to go.