Chapter five
I silently cried myself to sleep. But then I woke with a start, feeling something pressed into my abdomen.
I groaned in my head and reached into my hoodie pocket, only to pull out a… little black box?
It was the one Fang had dropped when he was searching in his pack for food. Wow. It was still here?
Yes, Maximum, said a voice. The Voice. The one I hadn't heard since the battle, The Whitecoats didn't get it. Open it and see what in there.
Okay…long time, no think. What gives?
No answer. Typical Voice.
Slowly and carefully, I opened it. Inside, there was a note, and a necklace. The necklace had a pair of golden wings attached by a string of rubies starting out big and growing smaller and smaller. On the left wing, there was a cursive F, while on the right wing, there was a cursive M.
I smiled, as sweet and sour tears fell from my face. I picked up the note and read it:
Dear Max,
Read this note alone, or with me if you want to:
I hope you like this necklace. The rubies in the middle stand for the flock, the blood that we have spilled. The smallest at the bottom symbolizes Angel, the next one up, Gazzy. Then Nudge, and Iggy, and me, then you with the biggest. The wings on either side of the rubies stand for you and me, because when you went to Germany, I felt as if flying without you was like flying without one of my wings.
My stomach clenched at that sentence. I had felt the exact same way. I just didn't know why at the time.
Then, when you came back, I was whole again. I love you, Max. Now, I can only hope that you love me, too.
Fang
He loved me? I never got to tell him that I feel the same. That I just needed time to sort out my brain. Tears were running down my face now. I, once again, fell into a deep slumber filled with nightmares. It was the only kind of sleep that you could have at the School.
The last thought that I had was: I will get out. And when I do, I will make it my duty to destroy the Schools. Every last one. They will pay for what they've done.