He was going to kill him. Plain and simple. As soon as they landed, he was going to kill him. What the hell had Max been thinking? Ok, so Michael had pulled some shit in his youth, but nothing this big. Nothing that directly involved another gargoyle. How could he be so stupid? Was there one of those brain-sucking aliens hanging around their house or something? Whatever the reason, Max should not have endangered them like that. Michael was so going to kill him.
They had been gliding over the desert for the past 7 hours and, man, he was getting tired, but every time he tried to pull along side Max or force him to land, Max would veer off in another direction. As much as Michael loved silence, now was not the time. At least it looked like they were heading home now. Michael sighed. He was still pissed at Max, but the sensation of flight threatened to dissolve his mood. How could he live without this? The wind rushing under his feathered wings. He felt free. No worries. No cares. Just him and the currents of air. Oh, and Max! He could not forget about that. They neared their "clan's" house. As much as his wings ached, Michael really did not want to land, but he had to confront Max, sooner or later. He sighed again as his taloned feet hit the yard in front of their house. Spinning to face the landing Max, Michael blocked the path between the green gargoyle and the house.
"What the hell was that about!?" Michael exclaimed.
"Michael, she was going to die," Max replied calmly while trying to pass Michael.
"That's what doctors do! Goddamit Max! We're all in danger now! Fucking Valenti was there! You know how much that guy scares the shit out of Isabel. Did you even think of her while you were playing hero?"
"I don't have to listen to this."
Max tried to brush past him, but Michael placed his hand on Max's chest and pushed him back. Max might be more adept at their "gifts", but Michael was stronger by far. Michael glanced down and saw that Max's right hand clutched into a fist. For a second, Michael thought a nice fight would break out, but then realized that Max's hand had been closed since they left the Crashdown.
"Max? What's in your hand?"
"It's nothing."
"Nothing my ass! Open your hand."
Michael squeezed Max's wrist until he winced in pain and unfolded his fingers to revel a small bloodstained metal pellet.
"Shit, now I know that you are fucking insane! You brought the fucking bullet with you! Goddamit, now Valenti is definitely going to know something is fucked up. Did you even consider what he'll do when he doesn't find the damn bullet at the crime scene?"
"Being dragged out of a café by a crazed gargoyle doesn't really help coherent thinking. Now, let's go inside and get some…"
"No. We end this now. So, tell me, fearless leader, what the hell are you going to do when Liz or, better yet, Valenti comes knocking and asks what the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Michael, you know you really shouldn't swear."
"Don't tell me what to do Max! I'm not the one who put our lives on the line. So, tell me, what's the plan? What's the thing that will set everything right? Because I sure as hell can't see it."
"Michael, why don't we talk…"
"Oh no. I'm not going in until I get an answer."
Max glanced over his right shoulder and sighed.
"Do you really want to give the neighbors a magic show or are we going inside?"
Michael directed his gaze to where Max stared. A soft pinkish haze glowed over the houses and yards. Damn, dawn was coming already. A low growl emanated from the back of his throat as he spun to enter the house.
"Fine," Michael hissed. "But you're not getting off that easy."
Michael and Max entered the house and waited for the day to start. They could her Isabel rummaging in her closet. Max was definitely in for it. If Isabel was cleaning her closet, she must be majorly pissed. As the first light of morning entered the window, Michael felt a warm tingling sensation sweep over his body. Warm water seemed to pour over him, melting his skin from a brick red to a moderate tan. His back lightened from the loss of his wings and tail, and his brow became more flexible with the loss of the twin horns. He stumbled forward to regain his balance as his feet morphed into human form. Welcome to semi-normal human teenage living one-o-one. Groaning, Michael rubbed his unburdened shoulders as he turned to face Max again. He opened his mouth to continue his harassment, but Isabel stormed into the living room and beat him to it.
"Max! What did you do? I've been worried sick."
Max put on his best "who-me" face, which just made him look even guiltier.
"What makes you think it was me? It could have been Michael."
Michael shot Max an angry glare and growled. Ok, so some gargoyle habits came in handy even in human form. Isabel's ice blue eyes maintained their focused fury on Max.
"The last time Michael used that much energy was when he turned the wall to the girl's locker room invisible in middle school."
Michael blushed slightly and tried to force the smirk off of his face. Even though Max had thrown the book at him for that prank, it had been as fun as all hell. He had been careful, too, making sure he had a suitable hiding place where no one could see him. Ooo, the look on those girls' faces when the wall turned transparent. Now, that was priceless. Michael snapped himself out of past memories. They had more important problems right now.
"Well, Max, what did you do?"
"The saint healed a gargoyle in public. A gun shot wound, too."
"What?! God, Max, what were you thinking? And you let him do this? Why didn't you stop him?"
Michael held his hands up in mock surrender.
"Hey, don't look at me. I didn't heal the girl. I was tracking down the bad guys by orders of fearless leader."
"Look," Max sighed, "I'll take care of it. Tonight, I'll just tell her the truth. No problems."
"Earth to Maxwell! What makes you think she'll accept the truth? For all you know, she'll go find some mage or something and trap us in a glass orb. How do you know that she can be trusted?"
"Michael, I'll handle it. End of story."
"Max, he's right. How well do you now this gargoyle?"
"I said, I'll handle it! Now, let's get our two hours sleep before school, ok? We've all had a rough night and we don't want to wake mom. I'll see you two later."
With that, Max spun on his heel and stalked off to his room. That was the end of that. Michael growled again. End of story. Fearless leader had spoken and all must obey. Michael stormed off to his room and flopped onto his bed.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Maxwell."