…TIME PASSES….. ABOUT TEN MINUTES…
Lake Mead came into view. Max nodded her head at it. I nodded and flew faster, only to be hit by a blur of feathers, and 5 foot three inches of human.
"SNOW SNOW SNOW! AND MAX! MY GOD, WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"
I hugged Nudge back. "Why would you think we were dead?"
She looked breathless. "Ari said so. He said that all of you guys were dead except me and Fang."
"Who's Ari?" I asked in confusion, as Max hugged Nudge, who had basically jumped into Max's arms.
"He's a Super-Eraser of sorts, he used to be a human kid, they made him an Eraser," Max says with no emotion in her voice. Fang flies over and nods at us.
Then I fully digest what Nudge said. "Wait! Are Iggy and Gazzy okay!? This Ari guy said they were dead!"
"Does this answer your question?" I heard a familiar voice behind me. Iggy.
I turned and shoved him. "You suck!" I yelled, but I was laughing. "I was worried there for a second!"
"Hey what about me?" Gazzy.
"Why are you guys here? You were supposed to stay at home, where it's safe." Max interjected, crossing her arms and glaring at the boys.
"We couldn't stay home, it wasn't safe anymore!" Iggy protested.
"What do you mean it wasn't safe?" Max demanded.
"They found our house, there were Erasers everywhere," piped in Gazzy. Max kept her mouth shut. She looked surprised. Probably hadn't expected the Erasers to find our home.
"Well when did they start coming?" Asked Max. "Was it right after we left?"
"No….." Gazzy mumbled. "I think it was after the Oil Slick Hummer Crash?"
What the hell is an oil slick hummer crash?
Iggy nodded. "That definitely seemed to piss them off."
Max looked surprised and angry. "Why did you do that?!"
"It was self-defense! Max, they were already coming to get us!" Exclaimed Gazzy.
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'm glad you're safe then". And she hugged them both, then hugged Fang, and hugged Nudge again. I did the same. Nudge looked close to tears when I hugged her.
"Snow, I thought you guys had died," she whimpered.
I felt bad. While Max and I had been eating cookies, Nudge and Fang had been fighting for their lives.
"I'll tell you what happened later," I promise her. As we finish the hugging, Max signals everyone back to the cave, and we fly there and land on the smooth cool floor. Better than a dog crate, not as good as a bed. But not terrible. While Iggy and Gazzy make mini-bombs, and Fang and Max discuss strategy or something, I tell Nudge about what happened at Dr. M's house.
She stares at me in shock. "You went to school?"
I nod. She looks speechless. (for once.) "I always wanted to go to school."
"I hope we can go back there one day. I think that you and me and Ella would be great friends," I say enthusiastically.
She nods. "I hope so…. Now I'll tell you what happened to me."
And she tells me about trying to find her mom, beating up some Erasers, and learning to fly like the hawks. She promises to teach me how sometime. She is in the middle of describing the Christmassy sight of bloody Erasers with green hair, when Max interrupts everyone with a "Hey guys, let's get some shut-eye. Tomorrow we're off to go save Angel."
She puts out her fist, and Nudge places her fist on top. Then Iggy. Then Fang. Then I do. Then Gazzy does. We then unstack our fists and curl up in our separate corners to get some sleep.
Dream/Vision Thing:
Angel glares at the man standing before her. He's in his early forties, short dark hair, a few grey ones. He just looks like an ordinary scientist to me. But he must have some meaning to Angel, because she spits at him, and refuses to eat the pounds of food in front of her that he is clearly offering. I want to do something, punch a scientist, read this guy's mind, but it is only a vision, or a dream or something, and I can only watch. I can clearly make out Angel's next words. "I HATE YOU." The man looks unsurprised. He reaches toward her as she shrinks back. I try to reach out to help Angel, but I can't do anything, and the vision fades to black….