A/N: Chapter Nineteen will be a little late since I am a bit on writers block, if any of you have ideas I'm free for e-mails!
Chapter Eighteen
Iggy's wing muscles were sore from all the flying. He was long gone from the hotel, probably farther than Max's speed-of-light-flying could take her without her being terribly tired.
Truth be told he wasn't tired, well... maybe a bit, but other than that he would gladly swap his energy with his wing muscles so he would know that he'd make it to this place before the next night.
"Augh..." he groaned, rubbing his hand with his face as his tired wings beat slowly "I'm never going to get there anytime soon" he said allowed, looking down to the far away ground from him. By now it was long into the night, and early in the morning. It was late July and the desert land scape below told him that it'd be a hot day, especially in flight.
He winced slightly when the first morning ray of sunshine struck his eyes, at least the one he could see through that seemed somewhat mechanical to him when he looked in a mirror, but it still felt the same as it had before, it still felt like his previous eye just he could see through it now.
He closed his eyes and spread his arms like his wings. He breathed in the scent of the desert below, only to be surprised by a fresh mountain scent. He opened his eyes, only to close them in an instant as he ran into a hulking ponderosa pine tree. His wings snapped in and heyelped as he fell down through the tree.
He didn't feel like snapping open his wings, since they still felt like lead and his mind was slowly drifting off into a dream world, till he heard the slight whir of something else.
He opened his eyes to see he had fallen out of the tree and was reaching the ground soon, but he was alarmed to see a gravel road below him in the middle of nowhere, and to see a bicycle speeding down the path, and unfortunately for him, it carried a person who was intent on the path.
He yelped, spread his wings, but was much to late, and the bicyclist was pushing the bike faster and faster. He fell onto the bike, causing it to collapse under the impact. The person yelped and fell with the bike, skidding on the gravel that scored his skin as same with Iggy's. The bike eventually came to a stop, and the person and Iggy were panting, their hearts beating at a rapid pace.
Iggy had his eyes closed, and he was clenching his chest, feeling his heart beat as the rate slowly climbed down the chart. He opened his eyes when he heard the person gasp loudly. The person was a boy, maybe as old as Iggy and yet, maybe a few years older. He had short blond hair under the helmet he wore as with large brown eyes that were filled with awe. He wore a gray sleeveless shirt and black shorts as with black tennis shoes. He had no other protection gear besides the helmet and many small wounds decorated his bare arms and legs.
Behind him were pine trees, to the side was pine tree, to the other side was (you guessed it!) pine trees. Iggy was overjoyed that he had found the place he was searching for, but then his joy faded by the boy's words.
"You-you've got wings!" He pointed at me, and stood up quickly, making me look up at him.
I flinched and tucked my wings in, hard, against my back "Uh... well" he hesitated, before sighing and letting it out "You're not going to call the cops are you?"
He was surprised when he heard the boy laugh "Heck no!"
Iggy lifted a brow at the boy's accent, he was definitely native Arizonan, probably from this place as well.
"Animal control?"
"No"
"Channel two news?"
"No"
"The rest of the press?"
"No"
"Then what?"
"First of all let this sink in and" the boy grinned "ask what the heck are you?"
"I'm... uh-not sure I can trust you" Iggy said uneasily, before he saw the boy crouch down to be eye level with him.
"Come on, man. I ain't gonna call the cops, or the press or the humane society, ya know not all of us are like those power hungry thieves" he chuckled and said faintly under his breath "at least I don't think"before looking at Iggy with a raised brow.
He reached out his hand, Iggy looked at it warily, before grabbing it and the boy helped him up "Names Isaac, you are..."
"Iggy" Iggy said tersely as he brushed himself off and looking at Isaac.
"Where am I"
"Ghost trails"
"Where?"
"You're on the ghost trails. There is probably loads of em' in this forest, I just haven't gotten the chance to bike them all" Iggy noticed the accent, and was instantly reminded of Fail, for her accent was similar to Isaac's.
"What state?"
"Arizona"
"city?"
"Flagstaff"
"So that's what its called" Iggy muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Isaac asked, cocking his head to the side and lifting his hand to put it behind his ear in the gesture that he hadn't heard what Iggy had said.
"Oh, nothing" Iggy lied, before scowling at the boy "What are you going to do to me?" He asked, though, to him, it sounded like a question to be asked by the victim of a criminal holding them hostage.
But this sent Isaac bursting with laughter "Heh, sounds like your thinking I'm gonna take ya outback and shoot ya square in the eye, but first of all, I'd like to get some answers but-" he said, grabbing his bike and lifting it up off the ground "first of all, I think I'd like to give ya a tour of the place since ya obviously haven't been here and then-" he lifted a brow "get my answers to my questions, now" he swung a leg over his bike to mount it "Think you could follow me without lagging behind?" he bolted off.
Iggy grinned, he had to admit, he was already considering this guy a friend, and he felt compelled to follow, so he did, spreading his wings in the process to fly after the boy.
He also had to admit, that he had a good time, following the bicyclist, until he halted at the edge of the forest that broke off into a dry, weed covered field.
"Now here is the sunflower graveyard"he said gesturing tothe large and vast plain of weeds, sunflowers, long dead, and prickly at that. Correction, sunflower covered field.
"You're going to have to follow by foot from now on, since it clears up, less you want to ride" Isaac said, getting off the bike to offer it to Iggy.
"Uh...well, no thank you" he said, landing softly on the gravel.
"Aw, come on! I bet you haven't even ridden one!" He was telling the truth, Iggy hadn't ever ridden a bike in his life, and he thought he might as well give it a shot, since it was obvious that Isaac would have no problem catching up.
Iggy shrugged and got onto the bike, put a foot on one pedal unsteadily, then the other quickly and pushed down, only to gaina push off from Isaac. For a moment he wobbled down the gravel path, till he picked up speed and bolted down it. He grinned widely as the wind rushed past him, and he heard Isaac running to catch up. He laughed, grinning widely.
"Woohoo!" He shouted into the wind, but then looked forward and his smile was wiped clean from his face. He yelped as the bike slid from under him as he tried to halt quickly but the gravel ground wouldn't allow that. He fell over into the brush of the sunflower graveyard, bolting back up when he felt the small pricks dig into his skin and feathers.
Isaac, meanwhile, was laughing his head off, almost doubling over when Iggy winced as he pushed off from the ground only to get several other pricks in his skin.
"That's why we've got a path, in sunflower graveyard, when all of em' are dead, ya definitely don't wanna fall in, like small thorns on the stems"
"Yeah I noticed" Iggy snapped, brushing himself off only to stop and wince from the small sunflower thorns embedded in his clothing.
"Now how far is this place, because-" he looked around "I only see the graveyard"
"Oh just be patient" Isaac said, picking up the bike and offering it once again to Iggy who gladly took it "it's not to far"
So Iggy got back on the bike and started off again, at first very wobbly, then picking up speed to bolt off, with Isaac running behind.
He slowed when he saw a park up ahead, with a few large grass fields, one with a net-less soccer goal, two others who were baseball fields, and one that was just pure empty. To one part there was a picnic area and just between the skateboard rink was a play ground for younger kids complete with swing set.
He sped down the sidewalk, slowing down to let Isaac catch up, and to watch other kids and adults around the park. A birthday party was being held at the picnic area and only a few skateboarders performed various tricks around the place. A few bikers passed on the sidewalk, most of them speeding at speed Iggy would never fulfill if he was to live a life on the run.
There was also a small basketball court, and across from that was the background of a school that had printed on the sign in the front 'Knoles' and across the street from that school was a fire station along with a much large high school with 'Sinagua' printed on the front as with a horse logo.
"Turn!" Isaac shouted from behind Iggy, and Iggy obeyed, turning to head up the hill towards the front of the school Knoles. Eventually a brick wall came into sight, and the sign on the front also said Sinagua on it but inside the brick wall was many neighborhoods and houses.
"Turn and go into the second street!" Isaac shouted as he slowed to a jog behind Iggy as he turned into the second street asinstructed.
"There we have it" Isaac said, standing in front one of the house that had a porch and two stories. Iggy skidded to a halt on the bike and let Isaac take it.
The garage door was open and he walked in the empty place towards the door in the back "No parents are home, and I've got no siblings so you'll be fine, now come on in" he gestured to Iggy before opening the door.
Iggy looked up at the house, took in a deep breath, and sighed "Wonder how the flock is" he said "and Fail" he followed Isaac into the house, to enter a hallway and lower level of all tile. The first room seemed to be a living room, with a couch, two chairs, coffee table, and rather large T.V. Isaac was in the other room, the kitchen, that over looked the den and had a bar.
"Ya thirsty?" He asked, his voice bouncing off the wall "Or hungry?"
Iggy nodded "Starved and parched" he replied, walking into the kitchen to see granite counter tops, a coffee maker, microwave, stove and oven, sink and fridge all of which seemed to match the granite rather well.
"So whaddya want?"
"Uh... water I guess and..." Iggy paused as he watched Isaac take out a plastic cup to get what Iggy ordered "I guess whatever you'll have"
Isaac looked at him with a grin "Sure thing, then once you're rested and I get some answers I'll give ya a tour of the town." He said, handing Iggy the glass of clear liquid who gratefully gulped it down.
Next thing he knew he was sitting on a couch enjoying a rather large plate of eggs, toast, and bacon, complete with yet another glass of water. Isaac sat on the opposite side of the room on a smaller chair, watching Iggy.
"Do you always eat so much?" He finally asked when Iggy was almost done with the plate. He looked up, and grinned sheepishly "Well, yeah I guess, flying sort of works up and appetite" he replied.
"So you can fly... high I mean?"
"Yes"
"Can I see your wings?"
"Uh... yeah, sure" Iggy said slowly, as he unfolded one of his wings to spread it to the side. Isaac was instantly on his feet and inspecting the wing of owl color and feathers. Iggy watched him inspect the feathers, with wide eyes the whole time, till he cleared his throat.
Isaac looked at him, and smirked shyly "Sorry" he said, before backing away to sit back down and lean forward to rest his elbow on his knee and head in his hand.
"So..." he began "can I ask some questions with some answers now?"
Iggy thought it over as he looked around the room and Isaac. He sighed, before nodding "Shoot" he said, making Isaac grin widely.
"Okay, first of all what are you?"
"98 percent human, and 2percent Avian" Iggy replied.
"That's all it takes for wings?" Isaac asked rhetorically, Iggy nodded anyway "How many are there?"
"Six in my flock including me"
"Where is your flock"
"Somewhere in the east"
"Why aren't you with them? How did you get wings? Why are you here alone, without your flock?"
Iggy sighed, it was the million dollar question, and he had to answer it with a story. He leaned back against the couch, folding in his wing against his back "It's a long story-"
"I've got the rest of the day to hear it" Isaac interrupted. Iggy nodded "Okay then." So he began his life story, starting withthe scientists from School whomhad taken him from his parents, tested him, caused him to be blind. How he had met the rest of the flock in School, how he and they had escaped with Jeb, the erasers, Itex, his parents, Max number two, Fail, almost everything, except some details he did not wish to include.
By the time he had finished there was a fiery glow from the setting sun outside as its rays weaved through the trees. Isaac was gaping at Iggy as he finished his story with him running away from the flock to find Fail.
"-and thats how I got here" Iggy said, sighing contentedly.
Isaac shook his head "I thought all that stuff was supposed to refrain to sci-fi movies." he said, making Iggy grin, but his grin faltered when Isaac looked up with a wide smile of his own and a twinkle in his eye.
"So you like this Fail girl?" He said matter-of-factly.
"What?" Iggy bolted up right "I never said that!" He said, trying to make his face look something like bewildered.
Isaac laughed "You're blushing" he pointed out. Iggy noticed the heat on his face, and looked away, to cross his arms over his chest and lean back against the couch.
"So that's why you left the flock to find her on your own" Isaac said, Iggy nodded, but barely.
"But the thing is, I don't even know where to look for her" Iggy muttered "I only know that she is somewhere in Flagstaff or on the Ghost trails, just somewhere in the forest within view of the peaks."
"Gee, that sucks" Isaac said "You could see the peaks almost anywhere here" Iggy sighed at this, then bolted to his feet when the creak of a door open from the hall way.
"Isaac!" A man's booming voice echoed in the hall.
"Over here!" Isaac called from his chair. The sound of someone walking down the hall bounced off the walls till a tall man walked into the room Isaac and Iggy were in.
He had many streaks of grease decorating his skin and clothing. He had short brown hair unlike Isaac and brown eyes similar to Isaac's. He gave Iggy a wary look when he saw him with his muscles tensed and eyes wide as if he was preparing to make a run for it.
"Dad this is Iggy" Isaac said "Found him on the ghost trails over by Fox glen park" Isaac's father nodded "What were ya doin' out there with a blind eye?"
"Uh... well-" Iggy began suddenly taking heed of the odd look he received when the man saw his metal-looking eye.
"This guys got wings" Isaac said standing up with a grin. Iggy looked at Isaac, his eyes wide, but Isaac merely laughed.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with us" He said putting an arm around Iggy's shoulders. Iggy just looked from Isaac to his father, and back again.
"Oh really" the man said, raising a brow "and what kind of wings?"
"Owl" Isaac replied "theres others like him al-" he was broken off by Iggy's glare.
"How do I know I can trust you two fully?" He asked sourly. Isaac's father grinned before gesturing for Iggy and Isaac to follow "Come on and I'll show you."
Iggy was reluctant at first, but Isaac refused to leave him alone and steered the avian teen towards wherever Isaac's father was leading them to.
He lead them up the stairs and down a wooden floor hallway to unlock a door and slowly open it to allow entrance to the two teenagers.
Iggy immediately gawked at the room he saw, if he were a cartoon, his jaw would'be dropped to the floor, literally, which caused both humans to laugh.
"Now I think you can trust us" both said in unison.