Chapter 62

SIX MONTHS LATER

"Maaaax," the Gasman whined. He was laying upside down on the beat-up couch in our living room, which made his blonde hair stick up. "I'm bored. Let's do something fun. We never get to do anything fun around here."

Nudge nodded. "Jeb never lets us do anything!" She sat up and crossed her arms over her chest. "There's nothing good on TV, I think I've played all our board games like a billion times, and if I have to sit in this house one second longer I think I'll die."

I sighed, standing up to glance out the window. "Well, good luck convincing Jeb. He freaks out if we even set a single foot off the property. You know how he is."

"I just can't believe it!" Nudge complained. "We have a whole forest as our backyard and he won't even let us go exploring! Like, what, does he think we're going to run into a rabid bear or something?"

"I bet I could fight a bear," Gazzy offered.

"Bet you couldn't," Nudge retorted back.

"Bet I could!"

"Okay, okay!" I held my hands up, trying to stop the arguing. "If I ask Jeb if we can go out for a little bit, can you guys quit it with the whining?"

"Yes!" Nudge leapt off the couch, grinning. "You're the best, Max! I'll go get my jacket!"

"Me too!" Gazzy jumped up and raced after her down the hall. "Angel! Hey, Angel!" He peeked into the room his sister and Nudge shared. "Angel, we're gonna go for a flight!"

"We are?"

I jumped as I heard Fang's voice. "Why do you always have to sneak up on me like that?" I asked, whirling to face him and crossing my arms over my chest.

He smirked. "It's a habit."

I rolled my eyes at him as I walked into the kitchen. "Whatever." Gazzy was digging around in the fridge, and I watched as he pulled out half of a cake and cut two slices. "Really, Gazzy? Cake for breakfast?"

"Yeah!" Gazzy grinned, handing one slice to Iggy and grabbing a couple forks from the dishwasher. He hopped up onto a stool and began shoveling bites of cake into his mouth.

"I mean, someone has to help you finish your birthday cake," Iggy added. He was sitting at the kitchen island, and he grabbed the fork that Gazzy pushed towards him and stabbed it into the cake. "And we're more than happy to help!"

"Angel's gonna come with us too!" Nudge announced, walking into the kitchen with Angel in tow. Her eyes lit up. "We can help her practice flying!"

"I want cake!" Angel insisted as Nudge lifted her up and put her on the stool next to Gazzy. I was about to tell her no, but when I saw the big smile on her face, I gave in.

"Alright. I guess we're having cake for breakfast today."

"I know Max's birthday was a few days ago, but I can't wait until my birthday!" Nudge was saying. "I want a giant pink cake with lots of frosting and sprinkles and…." Her voice faded out as I wandered down the hallway in search of Jeb. As I did, I peered out the huge windows.

Our house was shaped like an E laying on its side, on the edge of a cliff in the middle of a huge forest, and we were the only people for miles around. I paused, taking in the view. Thousands of trees stretched out below us, and in the distance, mountains rose high into the sky, their peaks reaching up into the clouds. This was the house that we'd lived in for two years, ever since Jeb had rescued us from the terrible School and taken us here to start a new life.

At least, that was what Jeb told me. I had vivid memories of leaving the School, but an entire year after that was a blur. It was the same for the rest of the flock. Jeb insisted it was because of the trauma we'd gone through – that my memory was spotty because of the horrors I'd endured in the School.

"Jeb?" I knocked on his office door, waiting for a response. When he didn't reply, I twisted the doorknob and peeked in. "Jeb? Is it okay if we go out for a little bit?" I didn't know why I bothered to ask. Jeb never let us go too far from the E-house – it was like he was worried the School might find us if we ventured too far away from him.

Jeb was hunched over his computer, typing quickly. "What was that, Max?"

"I was just wondering if we could go fly around for a little bit. We'll come right back." I crossed my fingers behind my back, even though I was pretty sure it wouldn't make a difference.

"Yes, yes, that's fine," Jeb replied without looking up. "Just be careful, Max. Look out for the rest of the flock."

"Huh?" I gaped. I hadn't been expecting that. But then, before he could change his mind, I added, "Okay, then, bye!" and raced down the hall, back to the kitchen.

"Jeb said we could go."

"Yes!" Angel cheered. "Let's go!"

"You know, I'm shocked you didn't just try to sneak out," Iggy said. "Asking for permission doesn't seem very Max-like to me."

Gazzy snickered. "The last time she snuck out, Jeb grounded her from watching TV for a month."

"Like you didn't get grounded for several months for trying to make a bomb in your room?" I countered, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Come on, let's just go already!" Nudge started pushing us towards the door. "I am dying to get out of this house!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Gazzy replied, taking Angel's hand. His four-year-old sister smiled up at him.

Fang flashed us a rare grin as he pulled open the front door. "Let's fly."

Several minutes later, we were soaring high above the treetops. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment as the cool wind blew my hair around my face and the sun warmed my wings.

Suddenly, something whacked me on the leg, making my wings falter for a moment. My eyes snapped open, and I whirled to see the Gasman hovering behind me, a devious smile on his face.

"Tag!" he called. "You're it!" Then he took off, zipping away from me as fast as his wings could take him.

"You are so dead!" I yelled back, but I couldn't help but smile. The Gasman cackled wildly as he dove downwards, dipping just below the tree line. I followed him, banking sharply to avoid one particularly tall pine tree.

"I wanna play too!" I heard Nudge call from behind me. "You'll never catch me, Max!"

"Oh, yeah? Wanna bet?" I whirled in midair, turning to face her. Nudge had been flying right behind me, and now she tried to backpedal, but I was too fast. I gently whacked her with the tip of my wing, grinning triumphantly. "Got you, Nudge!"

"Hey!" she cried, but there was a smile on her face. "Alright, Fang! Watch out! I'm gonna get you!"

"Who said I was playing?" Fang asked, but when Nudge soared upwards, trying to tag him, he quickly dove away from her. Angel was still in his arms, and she shrieked in joy as Nudge tried to chase them both down.

Iggy made his way towards me, his head tipped slightly, showing that he was listening for the sound of my wings flapping. "They could never catch me," he said. "I'd hear them coming from a million miles away."

I grinned. "I bet you would."

"Guys!" the Gasman's voice echoed from behind us. "You gotta come see this!"

"Is something wrong?" I spun quickly in midair to face him, but the Gasman had a huge grin on his face, so I relaxed a little.

"See what?" Angel yelled from her place nestled in Fang's arms. "I want to see!"

"It's a secret!" Gazzy waved his arm, gesturing for us to follow him. "You gotta come look!" He swooped downwards, so close to the trees that the pine needles almost touched his messy blonde hair. The rest of us followed him.

"I wonder what he found!" Nudge pondered as she glided next to me. Then her eyes lit up. "What if he found a McDonalds? I'm so hungry and I always see their commercials on TV and it looks so good but Jeb never lets us go! Do you think he-"

"I really don't think he found a McDonalds all the way out here in the middle of the woods," Iggy pointed out.

"And you ate cake for breakfast an hour ago," Fang added. "You're hungry already?"

"Yeah!" Nudge nodded. "And, I've always wanted to try those apple pie things they have at McDonalds. I bet they taste amazing! I'd get like twelve of them and then-"

"We're here!" the Gasman announced, halting in midair. I nearly ran into him, stopping just in time. Iggy wasn't so lucky – he plowed right into me and his wings faltered for a moment, having been caught off guard.

"Jeez!" he said. "A warning would be nice next time!"

"Sorry about that," Gazzy replied sheepishly, scratching his head. "But now I can show you guys what I found!" He made his way down to the ground, tucking his wings in and motioning for us to follow. I landed and pulled my wings in, then untied my windbreaker from around my waist and put it on.

"Over here, Ig," Fang called, and Iggy landed near him.

"Where are we?"

"I don't see a McDonalds," Nudge murmured, looking around. We were standing in a small clearing. The huge trees above us reached so far up that I could only see tiny bits and pieces of the sky through the branches.

"Nudge, for the last time, no one would just randomly build a McDonalds in the middle of the woods!" Iggy told her.

I put my hand on Nudge's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. Maybe we can go later."

Nudge's face lit up. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. "Let's go see what Gazzy found!"

Fang passed Angel to me. "Your turn," he said simply, then headed off behind Nudge. Iggy followed behind him closely, his fingertips brushing Fang's shoulder.

Angel grinned up at me. "Let's go, Max!"

I laughed. "You might still be learning how to fly, but I know you can walk by yourself."

"I don't want to," she pouted, and I gave in.

"Alright, alright." I smiled, swinging her up and putting her on my shoulders. Angel laughed in delight, clinging onto me. "Let's go see what this is all about."

"Isn't it cool?" I heard the Gasman exclaim in the distance. When we caught up to him, I found him and the rest of the flock standing in front of a dilapidated wood cabin. The door was knocked off its hinges, and pieces of the roof had caved in. Moss was growing on the sides of the cabin. Gazzy was describing it all to Iggy, who nodded as he listened.

"Wow!" Angel yelled.

"Whoa," Fang said. "No one has been here in a while."

"We could make it our clubhouse!" Gazzy grinned. "It looks like no one ever comes here. It could be our own secret place!"

Nudge peered through the doorway. "This is pretty cool!" she called. "Well, as long as there are no rats."

I followed her, peeking into the rotting cabin. "This place is definitely deserted," I observed. A couple busted plastic chairs lay on the floor, and sunlight streamed in through the holes in the ceiling. Cloudy, dirty windows lined the wall, and there were a few small puddles of water in various places on the floor.

"It's perfect!" Gazzy exclaimed, ducking past me. "Our own secret flock clubhouse."

"Is it as messed up on the inside as it is on the outside?" Iggy asked.

Fang nodded. "Yeah."

Iggy smiled. "Perfect."

I set Angel down on the floor so she could explore with her brother. The two of them ran off, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the wooden floor.

"Hey!" I heard the Gasman's voice call. "They have a toilet!"

"There's no way it still works," Iggy said to me, and I laughed.

Nudge picked her way across the dirty floor, grabbing one of the plastic chairs and standing it upright. "It's looking better already!" she said with a giggle.

"Looks like an old logging cabin," Fang murmured, surveying the tiny building. "Probably abandoned a long time ago."

"Well, as long as they're not using it anymore, it's all ours!" Nudge exclaimed. "This is so cool. Our own secret base!"

"We can have super-secret flock meetings!" Gazzy burst back into the room, Angel in tow. "About super-secret stuff!"

"You find anything else?" I asked him.

"Yeah!" the Gasman nodded. "The toilet!"

"We already know about the toilet!" Iggy told him. I burst out laughing – and so did the rest of the flock.

"So… we're not going to tell Jeb about this, right?" Nudge asked, hopping from foot to foot.

"No way." I sat down in one of the cracked plastic chairs, glancing out the dirty window. "Like Gazzy said, it'll be our flock secret base." Gazzy grinned at me as I said it.

"I bet we could fix this place up all nice," Nudge said. "Like, we could bring some board games and toys and books and some snacks too, but snacks that wouldn't go bad of course because there's no fridge here! And maybe we can get some new chairs and a rug and…" her voice faded out as she disappeared into another tiny room. Angel ran behind her, and I heard her mention something about bringing her teddy bears.

"I think it's perfect just the way it is," Iggy decided, sinking down into the other plastic chair.

Fang nodded in agreement. "This is cool," he said simply.

"Really cool!" the Gasman cheered. Then his stomach rumbled. I burst out laughing.

"Okay, we should probably head back soon and make some lunch," I told him, ruffling his hair.

His eyes lit up. "Can I have more cake?"

I narrowed my eyes, about to insist he eat something besides sugar. "Please, Max?" he begged.

"Alright, alright. Fine."

"Nudge, Ange, we're heading out," Fang called. He headed into the other room to round up the younger kids. Iggy nudged me with his elbow and smiled.

"This was fun," he said. "Let's come back tomorrow."

"Definitely," I replied with a grin. As we made our way down the busted front steps, I glanced back at the ramshackle little cabin. It was pretty cool to have our own little flock hideout.

"I'm sooooo hungry!" I heard Nudge saying. "Fang, can we go to McDonalds? Max said we could go to McDonalds! Didn't you, Max?"

"Yeah, but only if Fang is buying," I quipped, shooting a smirk at Fang. He shot me an irritated look.

"I don't have any money on me."

"I guess we'll have to go tomorrow," Nudge said, looking disappointed.

"I want a Happy Meal!" Angel insisted.

"I want twenty Happy Meals!" Gazzy cut in, grabbing my arm.

"I definitely don't have money for twenty Happy Meals," I heard Fang groan.

Iggy snickered. "Guess we'll have to dumpster dive."

"Or, we can ask Jeb for money like normal people!" Nudge offered, throwing her hands up. "I'm just saying."

"Who knows," I replied. "He let us go out today. I guess anything's possible. But let's get back before he freaks out, okay?" I yanked off my windbreaker and tied it around my waist. Angel ran to me, and I picked her up. She giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"You ready?" I asked, and she nodded. I turned to the rest of the flock, snapping my wings out. "Then let's fly."

As we took to the sky, I noticed dark grey clouds forming in the distance, in the direction our house was. Good thing we left when we did, I thought to myself. Flying in the rain was never fun.

"It's okay!" Angel said out loud, and I looked down at her in surprise. I had almost forgotten about her ability to read minds. She smiled up at me. "You can fly super fast!"

I nodded, glancing behind me at the rest of the flock. Nudge was shivering, her hood pulled up tightly around her head. Fang flew behind her, silent as usual, as Gazzy described the dark storm clouds up ahead.

"I don't like this weather," Nudge called out. "It was so sunny earlier! What happened?"

"I hear thunder in the distance." Iggy frowned, tipping his head to listen as he glided along next to the Gasman. "Not close yet, but getting closer."

I furrowed my eyebrows as I stared down at the clifftops below, my sharp eyesight picking out every detail. Finally, I saw an E-shape in the distance – our house.

"We're almost there, guys!" I called – just as a drop of rain landed on my head.

"It's raining! It's raining!" Angel shrieked, reaching one hand out to feel the rain drops.

"Ugh!" Nudge cried, pulling the strings on her hoodie tighter. "Let's get out of this rain!" We swooped down, landing on the back porch next to the kitchen. Fang yanked the door open, and we stumbled inside, a mess of bird-kid limbs and wings.

"I'm soaked," Nudge groaned. "I need to change, like, immediately." She stretched out her wings to dry them off, leaving puddles on the floor where she was standing.

A flash of lightning streaked through the sky outside, lighting up the whole kitchen that had gone dark in the gloomy weather. A loud boom of thunder followed it, echoing off the canyon walls and making me jump.

"I'll start making some hot chocolate," Gazzy offered. He climbed up onto a stool and proceeded to make a loud ruckus, pushing bowls and cups aside in an attempt to find the mugs.

Iggy laughed. "You sound like you need some help," he said, opening another cabinet and pulling out a box of hot chocolate mix.

"Here, Angel." Fang grabbed two towels and held one out to Angel, who was dripping water all over the kitchen floor.

She wrapped herself in it, smiling up at Fang. "Thanks!"

"I'll go let Jeb know we're home," I offered, pulling my wet shoes off and depositing them next to the door. I threw my windbreaker onto the back of a chair and set off down the hallway to Jeb's office. Outside, the sky had gone dark, and rain was pouring down. Definitely not great flying weather.

Jeb's office door was open, but the room was dark. I peeked in. "Jeb?" I called out. "Are you there?"

No answer. Sure enough, I didn't find him in the room – only his computer, still lit up in the darkness. His papers were scattered around the room, all over the desk and the floor. I picked one up, scanning it quickly, but most of it was full of terms I didn't understand.

"Jeb?" I called again, walking to the next room over – his room. But as the door creaked open, I found it deserted too. A flash of lightning lit up the whole room for a brief second, making me flinch. I called Jeb's name again and my voice echoed down the hallway, but there was still no response.

"Weird," I muttered. It wasn't like Jeb to go out without any warning – whenever he drove to the small town about an hour away, he always told us. Then realization dawned upon me. His car. If he'd gone out, it wouldn't be here.

I dashed down the hall, running past the kitchen. The smell of hot chocolate wafted out into the hallway, and the Gasman peeked his head out. "Max, hot chocolate's ready!" He stared at me as I ran by. "What's wrong, Max?"

I skidded to a stop in front of the front door, flinging it open. Another crack of lightning illuminated his parking spot. Thunder echoed, nearly deafening, as I stared at the spot where his car was parked. His car still was here – but he was nowhere to be found.

"Max?" Nudge sounded anxious. She joined me in the doorway, peering up at me with a concerned expression on her face. Her brown eyes looked huge and scared. "What is it?"

I stumbled out into the rain, feeling numb. Fang, and Iggy crowded into the doorway and Angel ducked under them, running to me and hugging my leg as if she knew what was going on. Which, of course from reading my mind, she did. "Where's Jeb?" she murmured.

Slowly, I turned to face the rest of the flock, not believing the words that were about to come out of my mouth. Rain dripped off my hair and my clothes, but I barely noticed the cold. "He's disappeared," I whispered. "Jeb's gone."