Ch.4:Bedtime Stories

Rebel's P.O.V.

The day ended with us all sharing a meal, that Iggy and his and Ella's daughter Lani prepared, telling stories, and then going our separate ways. Gwen, Kale, and I stayed at Max's house as the others flew home. Granted, I knew that most of them only lived in a two hour distance from here, but that was quiet a distance. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I care. Actually, I could care less if I never saw another one of them again, but Gwen and Kale would die without their family. This isn't my family. I haven't paid my due, or earned a place in this group. I haven't thrown my life on the line for them, or fought along beside them. To them I am nothing but a charity case; someone they have to take care of because I have no one else.

"Guess who's spending the night!" Eva shook my shoulders, waking me up from my nap on the couch. Instinct switched on as I bolted to my feet, elbowed her in the stomach, and threw her to the floor. I even went so far as to pin her to the ground.

"Well someone doesn't like being woken from their beauty sleep," she grumbled. I recoiled and sunk back into the couch. She stood up and brushed herself off.

"Sorry. Don't wake me up like that again." I stared at my combat boots like they were the best things in the world.

"I won't. I do not plan on getting the crap beat out of me." She gave a small laugh and stared at my boots, too.

"Guess who's bunking with me!" Blane came bounding into the room. His grin made his face brighten. He was wearing flannel pajamas and had a football tucked under his arm. I sat there unamused, and, to his diasapointed, didn't bother to guess.

"Rebel!" Eva answered for him, sounding optimistic and playful. Her smile faded when she looked at me and noticed that I wasn't smiling along with them. Blane frowned, but regained himself.

"Come on! It'll be fun!" Blane tried. I sighed and stood. We walked in silence to his room. When he opened his door I was bombarded by super hero posters. My mouth fell agape. My nerd alert alarm blared in the back of my brain as I glanced around. Everything was comic books or super hero decor.

"Oh, sorry. It's a little messy." He scooted dirty clothes out of the way with his foot. "You can take the bed. I have a sleeping bag."

"Sure," I mumbled and came to a hurried seat on his small bed. The comforter was of the Superman symbol, but I didn't really realize that until later on; I was to busy staring at everything else. "I'm guessing you like..."

"Comic books," he answered before I could finish, "TV, Saturday morning cartoons, and action figures. Yes, yes I do."

"Weird," I breathed under my breath, but he didn't hear me. He was busy unpacking his sleeping bag. I slowly eased down to sit on his bed and laid back to see superhero posters tacked to the ceiling. "Ok! I'm going to go get a drink! You stay here and...do whatever geeks-I mean people like you do." I was now carefully stepping over plastic men with capes and piles of comic books. I made my way to the hallway, not bothering to listen for his response. By the time I had reached the kitchen my thoughts were swirling.

"Hello! Earth to Rebel!" Ava interrupted me.

"Hmm?" I mused as I blinked myself out of my shocked dazed.

"How did you like Blane's hoard?" She gave a smirk; hence, she knew the answer.

"Does he get picked on a lot?"

Ava gave me a curt snort.

"No. Why?" She asked.

"Eva, he's the kind of kid that I would tie to the flagpole." I frowned and gulped down my glass of water.

"That's only because you're a jerk! He's sweet and nice: innocent."

"Have you seen any of his friends?"

"Well...no."

"My point exactly."

"You know Rebel," Ava had her teeth bared, "ever since you've turned into a hot-shot I've noticed something." I raised an eyebrow. "You are an a**!"

I gave an amused laugh and said, "I think you're just jealous."

"Of what? You're stupidity, or all the comments thrown at you about your malice?" Ava was snarling now, and my fists curled.

I remembered one occasion when an older man came out of a crowd of people and called me an "unbaptized limb of Lucifer". I had made a snide comeback and asked if I was an arm or a leg. That was the first time that I had been called evil by someone outside the labs. The hatred has followed me ever since. To hear Ava say that I was evil doused my bones in ice water and then sent sparks through my veins.

"You don't know anything! You've never been where I have! You don't walk in my shoes, or think the way I do. You don't know anything!"

"I'm ignorant! I get it, but maybe I feel what you feel Rebel. I can detect your feelings. I have wings and powers too, remember?"

We stopped and calmed down for a minuet.

"What happened, Reb?" She asked quietly.

"Life." With that I sighed and turned, heading back to Blane's room. I found him waiting, smiling with an innocence that I used to have.

"Tell me the story," he begged. I inwardly groaned and sat down on the bed.

"Not tonight." I waved him off and laid back.

"But we might only have tonight," he said thoughtfully, "You might go home tomorrow."

"Fine!" I snapped, "I'll tell the dumb story!"

"Yes!" He cheered. Nichole knocked on the door. Blane let her in and they sat on his sleeping bag, staring up at me expectantly.

"Ok, there was once five beings..." I began.

"Courage, Friendship, Hope, Love, and Peace," Blane interrupted.

I nodded and continued. "But one day Courage grew to much pride and caused Friendship to stray away. Friendship contorted into Enemy, and Courage lost its bravery to stand up for itself. Courage became Coward. Love turned sour too, leaving Hope lost. Love twisted into Hate, and Hope became Fear. Peace couldn't keep itself up with the lack of just and turned into Chaos."

"This is my favorite part!" Blane whispered to Nichole. Lame.

"And just when it seemed that all was lost one last element came into play: Goodness. With it came justice to restore Peace, and happiness for Love. It gave the bravery back to Courage. Friendship was refilled with amity, and Hope with auspiciousness. Life was restored, and balance reached. Remeber that all is worthless if..." I paused for a second to see if Blane remembered. He did.

"Goodness isn't with your actions."

"Right." I nodded. "Now go to bed."

"Tell it again!" Nichole cheered.

"No," I said sternly.

"PLEASE!" Must...resist...BAMBI EYES!

"No." I tried to be more stern.

"Pooey! No fun!" Nichole crossed her arms. I pulled her up on the bed and ticked her sides, sending her into a fit of giggles.

"No, you're mom is going to be the one who is no fun if she finds out I had you up this late," I stated.

"Oh, I forgot about that," she whispered, cuddling in beside me. I chuckled and glanced over at Blane. He had his headphones on and was starting to doze off. I laid still and pulled the covers up over Nichole. By the time she had slipped into a deep sleep, I was laying awake and staring at the poster covered ceiling. Ever so carefully I unhooked her hands from my shirt and laid her in the middle of the bed. I stood and tiptoed over Blane to the door, hurrying out to the hall. I closed the door behind me and sighed. I had made it.

"We can't tell the kids." That came from the living room, which was precisely a couple of steps and a right turn from where I was.

"The others know too, right?" This time I could make out the voice as Gwen's.

"Yes, but you all have to stay here. Ox almost caught up with you." Max, defiantly Max's voice.

"What do they want? Why are they only coming after us?" Kale seemed stressed as he spoke.

"I have a feeling that Ava and Eva aren't what they expected for them to be," Max explained.

"So you're saying...?" Gwen began, but I heard footsteps shifting over the carpet and I immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

"Fang? Where are you going?" Max questioned.

"Just to check and make sure Nichole is sleeping," he answered.

Oh gosh! I thought, He's coming this way! Move! Hide!

I ran as smoothly as I could to Nichole's room, laying on the bed and pulling the poofy, pink comforter over my head. Fang opened the door almost thirty seconds after I had curled into a ball. He must have seen nothing out of the ordinary because the door closed back. That was way too close.

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