Now we're on to the next phase. Nudge will never be the same.
Nudge POV
She felt… weird. Her body, the thing she had inhabited for over twelve years, wasn't right. If only she could explain, but every time she tried, the words just wouldn't come. It wasn't '98%-human-2%-avian-weird'. That was actually pretty normal most of the time (although she wished desperately it wasn't).
It wasn't 'the-scientists-have-screwed-with-her-biology' weird either- or, at least, she was pretty sure it wasn't. The weird thudding in her chest (as if her heart was beating double time) felt natural. The odd ringing in her ears (almost like singing) wasn't nearly as bad as it seemed.
If she really thought about it, she felt like she'd been allowed outside of her cage for the first time. Somehow, everything inside her had been stored away for years and years, and now these new pieces were beginning to stretch out and remember their functions (even though she didn't get how something that had never been inside of her could remember how to function).
Wouldn't that be learning to function instead?
Regardless, whatever it was completely screwed up her brain chemistry along with her physical body. Mentally, she felt downright wonky. Like, she was in Disneyworld for crying out loud! The other Nudge would be jumping around, trying to talk to the characters, squee-ing in pure delight when she saw Peter Pan, TTinkerbell, and Wendy (because in the stories they could fly, too and at least there were some people who could be a little like her). But all she managed was a halfway attempt at a grin and wave at the actress with the cute cotton-ball slippers.
Nudge knew that if this kept up Max was going to explode from worry. Their fearless leader was practically vibrating with the emotion, a bitter tang of sweat and bile. All of the Flock was, really, although maybe their smells were a little different- but not necessarily in a good way.
The universal manifestation of the Flock's worry was silence. None of them spoke a word, instead startling every time Nudge acted as if she were about to speak. It was obvious that they missed the other Nudge. Shoot, she missed the other Nudge. It was so much harder to go about her day with nervousness zinging through her arms and legs and stomach. Her tongue felt fuzzy in her mouth. She knew she'd never be able to formulate a sentence without stumbling over every word.
And darn it. This wasn't her… Right?
Nudge wasn't sure which was worse, the truth or the lie. She was trying to pretend to be other Nudge, but…
It physically hurt. When Nudge tried to channel her inner Nudge-ness and screamed happily at the sight of Princess Tiana in her glittering, jaded splendor, Nudge's skull nearly broke in half. Yelling = bad. She'd only just woken up from a coma after all. Maybe this was just remnants of that sickness?
But Nudge felt at a loss staring at the beautiful princess. No matter how badly her head hurt, the other Nudge would have run up to the cos-player and talked her head off until Max finally hauled them all away.
She tried to convince herself that she should try and chatterbox her way into the princess' heart. The fluttery churning in her gut wouldn't let her approach the girl. She'd probably be sick and ruin the glittering skirts. They were so beautiful.
Even though she didn't want to necessarily approach Tiana, Nudge couldn't look away from the infinitely complex designs of the jade dress. The hints of avocado, olive, and tiny bits of obsidian made the angles and light dance so prettily. Suddenly, the wind wafted their way and Nudge practically ran to escape the princess. Combined, the colors and fabric tasted a little too much like acid and chlorine. It was all she could do not to hurl then and there.
That was the problem with her body. It noticed too much, felt too much. Her senses were amplified a billion times over and she didn't know how to turn. them. off. Maybe the other her could have, but this Nudge honestly couldn't enjoy anything like this. Not even Disneyworld.
Disneyworld.
She had thought it would be better here somehow, spread out from the Flock in a larger space. When she'd woken up, she hadn't been able to think for all the sounds, sights, and smells emanating from her family. On top of that was the mind-shattering telepathy that Angel had taken to using so Nudge wouldn't know they were all talking about her.
In short, she needed to escape, if only for a while.
So, when Max said they were in Florida, close to Orlando, Nudge immediately said Disneyworld. It wasn't a surprise. It had been on her bucket list ever since they'd escaped the School with Jeb. Everyone rolled their eyes because of course Nudge wanted to go to Disney after being in a coma for three days.
They wouldn't have said yes if they'd known her new, post-coma motivations for going to the amusement park. They definitely wouldn't have said yes if they'd known how strange Nudge would act when they got there.
But, she had hoped, prayed that the park would be big enough to get away from her family (only for a few hours), get her senses under control, and then return to the way things used to be. Because that was all she wanted. She just wanted to go back to her usual, bubbly two percent avian self. Well, maybe minus the two percent avian. But she would take what she could get. Anything resembling normalcy was better than whatever was going on inside her currently.
Except, she hadn't considered that Disneyworld would be chock full of other people. If her six family members were bad, this was altogether off the charts.
I asked for this. She tried to form a more genuine smile, although maybe there was just a little too much cheer to be natural. Max's concern was even more evident as she chewed her lip and stared at Nudge with her soft chocolate eyes. Thankfully, if there was one thing Nudge knew about Max, it was that she was too scared to push. All of her thoughts were jumbled, uncertain. She didn't have the capacity to snark, as strange and out-of-character as that was.
Is she okay? Max's thought- sent as forcefully as it was- rattled in Nudge's head like a box of keys, each one bouncing off her all-too-tender brain. She wondered if her grey, squishy matter was bleeding yet. Did grey squishy matter bleed? Was it red? Grey? A clear soup of thoughts and emotions? Or-
I don't know. It's like she's still on a completely different frequency; we're AM and she's FM or something. All I hear is static and glass breaking and screaming all at once. I don't know. I'm scared.
It was Angel's reply that made Nudge snap. The force the little girl used to broadcast the thought to Max was like a freaking rhinoceros in a china shop, sending Nudge tilting completely off balance. She laughed, high pitched and sharp, when Iggy caught her elbow just in time.
"I'm fine. I'm just a little clumsy, like always," she waved off their concern. Although she was pushing her believability. Nudge being clumsy? That was like saying Fang loved talking. She corrected her mistake with a breathy giggle, pointing at the first actress she saw- was it that new Disney character from the ice movie?- and her swaying skirts. "Can I go sit down for a little bit? I want to watch her dance. She's like so gorgeous. I wish I could be up there with her!"
An air-headed, bald-faced lie, but somehow it held. They didn't so much as flinch at her request. Maybe because it was the most Nudge thing she'd said all day.
"Sure, let's go over there," Max began to lead the way. Nudge almost screamed from frustration. She just wanted to be alone, away from everything, but especially the mind chatter that they were unknowingly pushing around. At least 100% non-avian people couldn't psychically talk among themselves. She'd come back in ten minutes, but the Flock really needed to give her space before she mentally combusted and went into a forever coma.
"I know that you all wanted to see Disneyworld. Go on and explore without me. I'll be fine," Nudge tried to play her cards right, but she knew the deck was stacked against her. They were all too worried to enjoy themselves, and her telling them not to worry wouldn't help matters any.
Max shook her head, but then seemed to reconsider when Angel batted her big, blue eyes. Nudge hoped Angel had figured out that she needed to be alone. Just for a moment. That was all- only a moment.
Max exhaled sharply, gesturing to Fang. "Go ahead and take them around the park. I'll stay with Nudge."
"I want to stay too." Iggy suddenly spoke up. Nudge wasn't surprised, though she wished he hadn't said anything. "I hate crowds," he muttered as he put a hand on her shoulder to make sure he didn't lose them in the crowd.
Nudge nearly cursed. Now would be the time that Max and Iggy would both try to back her into a corner. She wouldn't be able to handle it, not with her fragile mentality. She would have to execute a guilt trip then sneak off. That's all there was to it.
Gazzy asked, "Are you sure you want us to leave you all? Is it safe? I don't want to be left behind again!"
Nudge breathed through her nose, but Max jumped in to remedy the situation. "Nudge doesn't feel good. Stop trying to be a chauvinistic pig. We will meet back up; no one is leaving anyone. We won't leave this park without everyone in the Flock. Angel will be able to find us, won't you sweetie?"
The girl in question bit her lip, but nodded earnestly.
When the rest of the Flock left, Nudge turned to Max. Her Bambi eyes rounded with child-like cuteness as she asked in her sweetest, gentlest voice, "Will you get me some water? I'm feeling a little dizzy after all."
Their fearless leader frowned, "Iggy, you make sure she's okay. I'll grab some water." And Max was gone. Nudge almost felt guilty because she didn't suspect her, not at all.
But she needed this.
As soon as Max had gone, she slipped Iggy's hand from her shoulder and took off like a shot. She didn't know where she was going, just far away from the Max, Iggy, and the ice princess.
Iggy didn't have time to grab her. He called out frantically for Nudge to come back.
She didn't. She only stopped when she was sure she'd put enough distance between herself and the Flock. Nudge kept going until she found a space in the park that was more or less empty. That came about in an area that was set a part from the attractions. There was a restroom sign and a few game stalls- nothing to attract the hordes.
In her own blessed bubble of relative silence, Nudge sank down on a bench, closed her eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Not ten seconds later, an annoying buzzing noise broke the peace.
Nudge cracked an eye open, glaring at a man with floppy hair and a toy wand. "Excuse me, I'm trying to relax," she grumbled before nuzzling her head into her palms. If she didn't look, maybe he'd disappear.
The buzzing continued, followed by a murmured curse. She opened her eyes fully and felt the immediate assault of information to her senses.
"Where'd your parents pop off to?" he asked distractedly and then, as an afterthought, when he finally looked at her instead of his toy wand, "Headache?"
Nudge glared at him, finding herself incapable of much more. His presence made her senses go a hundred different directions.
He tasted like aged rust; the sea's tears, autumn fires, and spring's gentle hope. It was like he was a three hundred year old embryo bursting at the seams, excited to finally arrive, unaware that he was about to be delivered into a cold, heartless world. But he didn't smell like an embryo, one just about to be born. He smelt like a corpse, lifeless. He was death mixed with salt and bananas and maybe a touch of roses.
"I get those sometimes. A good cuppa does wonders. You should get one, if they sell that here. I think I landed in one of the Americas, maybe Florida? Very touchy, my machine. Didn't want to go anywhere near this spot. By the way, have you seen anything odd about?"
Her headache intensified as alarm bells rang in the back of her head. Was he with the School or the Institute? Was it possible that he… knew?
"I don't feel well. I should find my mom," she moved to stand. She had to get away from him- now.
A hand like steel clapped down on her shoulder, but it was his voice that immobilized her, taking her back to places she never ever wanted to go again. Stern, patronizing, the promise of punishment if disobeyed, but the words, the words weren't exactly what she expected.
"Don't move a muscle."
Nudge was ready to flip him on his backside and take off for the sky, but the overpowering taste of iron brought her up short. It was enough to make her gag, nearly spewing the meager breakfast she'd had all over the sidewalk.
Ignoring his warning (because when did anyone from the Flock ever listen to authority?), Nudge slowly looked up at the monstrosity standing before them. It was almost like a three-year-old's drawing come to life: three hooved legs; a long, distorted purple body; five arms shaded several different colors with various amounts of fingers; two and a half eyes of various shapes; patches of patterned fur in random places; and a very crooked pig's snout. The snout opened to let out a huge bellow, revealing a conglomeration of teeth, some far too wickedly sharp for my comfort.
"Ah, I told you not to move," the man growled.
The beast pawed the ground, as if preparing to charge. Everyone in the crowd turned to it. Like the idiots they were, they began taking pictures, selfies, and videos. Was it an attraction? Was she being hoaxed?
When the man pushed her out of the way right before the beast charged, she realized that was not the case. The wind its heavy, clumsy body produced was far too strong to be anything but real.
"I'd suggest we RUN!" the man shouted.
She agreed with his suggestion, but had a moment's hesitation. She could either choose to run after the mad man in the long brown coat, (and how tempting that sounded. His mind was already spinning a thousand different directions, directing plans on how to stop the beast. Nudge didn't know how, but she could feel the energy all of his ideas were creating) or she could do an up and away, find her family, and leave this entire mess behind.
If it had been Max, the answer would have been simple. The creature was obviously a part of the School, a creation gone horribly wrong. She should just find the Flock and get the heck out of Dodge. It was Max's job to keep them safe. The world would be fine; they had been before six bird kids and a flying dog and they would be fine long after those same kids and their flying dog.
But what about the people, crowding through the park like cattle for the slaughter? She could see it, follow strange lines to the horrendous deaths that would coincide with her flight. How many casualties were acceptable?
She wasn't Max, couldn't ever be Max. So she made her choice and her life would never be the same thereafter.
Dun dun dun. Here comes the beginning of a new world. Is Nudge ready to face it? We'll have to wait and see.
