Ch.7: Go On, or Die

Rebel's P.O.V.

Demi stood in the yard of Storm's house, watching as the flames licked up at the sky. She was trying hard not to cry. Sapphire observed the fire with the same interest, bending the flames every once in a while in her boredom. Cole sat far away from the light of the destruction while I paced, pulling at my hair and cursing. The wind picked up and whipped away my words, causing poor Demi to cringe at my colorful language. This scene, when looked at far back, seemed calm, but at the moment it was anything but.

I moved myself from the danger. The grass started catching fire and we were forced to the woods. That's when it all started, I suppose. A loud noise came from behind us, and we turned to listen. It wasn't the crackling and popping sound of the burning house, it was more. As I raked my mind for what this new noise could be it hit me. Feet, pounding feet stepped over branches and stomped through the forest. Before I had time to tell the others to move a body hurdled into mine. I went into a stance of defense.

"Rebel!" A voice cried, and before I knew it I was being hugged.

"Eva? Really?" I grumbled as I shoved her off.

"You were right, we should have gone with you," Ava said solemnly, turning to watch the fire.

"I'm always right," I sniped, crossing my arms. "Who did you get ahold of?"

Ava shook her head. "No one. Blane heard the chopper and we booked it into the forest."

"You scared me to death. I thought you were dead."

"Nope, still kickin'!" Blane smiled. That kid amazes me at his ability to overcome things, like this depressing moment of confusion.

"We have to move on, check the other houses." Ava looked up to me and I picked her up. That was my answer for yes.

We took off and traveled from house to house. Surprisingly, everyone was fine, but the adults were all taken. Krystal, Nudge's daughter, happened to get to Baby Bethany in time to pull the child from her tiny pink bed and get her out of the house before the bomb hit. We found them in a tool shed. Peter, Ryan's son, built a rock barricade around himself. He sat outside his house, not saying a word. Lani was hysterical, laying barely out of the reach of the flames at her house, calling for Iggy and Ella.

We needed to find Angel and Lucy Dee. Maybe they held some sanctuary? I knew they were up north, but I didn't know exactly where. At least we were flying now. I gripped to Ava; she held baby Bethany to her chest, keeping the child from the chilly wind.

"How much longer?" Holly whined.

I didn't answer, and no one else did either. We didn't know.

"They're in New York." Cole looked up at me with cool, expressionless eyes, like he was looking for conformation. He swooped up from underneath, soaring above me now.

"New York! That'll take forever to reach!" Demi snapped.

"We'll make it," I sighed.

"You don't know that." Ava laid her head against my chest, trying to hide from the cold and warm Beth.

"No, but we make it or we die. Plain and simple." She had no reply to my response, because we both knew that this group wasn't made to survive.

•••

We flew for as long as we could, as far as we could, before landing and making a camp. Wait, scratch that. We laid down in a ditch, huddled together for warmth because A) we had no supplies, and B) we had no money to get a room.

Sapphire was the warmest. Don't ask me why. I think is has to do with her ability to contort fire. Nichole, Demi, Holly, and Sapphire laid in a little bundle of tangled limbs, their wings wrapped around them and each scooting closer to Sapphire in their sleep.

Lani and Krystal laid practically the same way, but they were both tucked under one of Peter's arms. Eva slept near the outskirts of the ditch, holding Cole close. Cole was abnormally cold all the time. I had a feeling that had to do with his power also. I knew Eva just wanted the boy to be warm, but I could see her shivering. She'd never admit it, though.

Winter had arrived here; it was close to Christmas. I tried to forget about the fact that it was supposed to snow later tonight. I tried to forget almost everything. I was silent as I stared up at the sky. It wasn't a clear night, at all. The moon wasn't even out to give its soft light. That's why I didn't see Ava come over.

"Reb?"

"What?" I sat up.

"Bethany is going to catch a cold if we don't get her warmed up," Ava whispered.

"Do you know how hard it is for a birdkid to catch a cold?" I said back, just as quietly to not wake anyone.

"But she's not full birdkid." Ava was right. Bethany was awake, I could tell by the fact that she was still asking for "Mommy".

"Here," I grumbled, taking the girl by the back of her shirt and holding her at an arm's length away. Beth was extremely small for her age. Dr. M always said it was some defect with the DNA. I set her in my lap, laying back on the cold ground. I bent my arm and held it close to my side, adjusting Bethany so she would lay in the nook of my arm. Bethany giggled something, squirming, and then fell asleep. Her light blue hair was up in pigtails and she had on a multi-colored polka dot dress. That's how you knew she was Jes's daughter, by her hair. Sure, the maroon eyes were sorta off, but the hair looked like she was just thrown out of the Smurf village.

Ava laid down a couple of feet away, acting all isolated like. I knew that by the end of the night she would scoot closer, though, so I didn't let it bother me. Ava's attitude is kinda like Fang's, just less severe. She wouldn't blabber for long periods of time like Eva, and hated the fact that I had to carry her.

"I forgot how hostile you were," I snarked.

"And I forgot how much of a pr*ck you are."

"Touché."

Ava nodded, crossing her arms to try and keep her warmth as the wind blew by.

"Why don't you huddle with the rest of the group?" I questioned, feeling chilly myself.

"Too many people. I'd feel trapped."

"Scoot closer Ava," I said nonchalantly. She shook her head.

"No."

"Fine."

"I know you're cold."

"I'm not."

"Liar."

"Moron."

"Coward," Ava hissed, turning her back to me.

I shook my head. Why did she always know what would get me the most? I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, knowing I had a long flight ahead of me. Before I could doze off a cold dab of water landed on the tip of my nose, and when I looked up I saw snowflakes falling down at me. This was the definition of "things can always get worse!". I sat up yet again, pulling myself up and quickly passing Bethany to Ava.

"Everyone up!" I shouted. If we stayed out here we'd die of frostbite. I couldn't risk that; I didn't want to freeze.

Eva got up, Cole coming with her. The boy looked around, marveling the snow. Peter, Lani, and Krystal were to their feet next. Sapphire had to be physically shook to be woke, yet Nichole, Blane, Holly, and Demi were already shooting off questions.

"Where are we gonna go?"

"What now?"

"Will it let up?"

"What's happening?"

"I'm cold!"

I was in full panic mode. This forest was not dense, and there wasn't a cave for us to hide in. A fire was out of the question before in the fear of getting caught, but now the idea was a wash considering how everything was getting wet. Taking shelter in the trees couldn't work, either, because the leaves had already fallen off long ago. The ditch, our only way to somewhat dodge the wind and keep in heat, would soon be filed with snow. Flying in these conditions didn't seem wise, but it was the only option we had. The true storm hadn't hit yet, and if we could get ourselves up and get moving in time we may be able to narrowly miss it.

"Get up, guys! Move it!" I barked, using the same tone my combat instructor used with me. They moaned and groaned, pleading for us to stay, yet I urged them on.

"Go on, or die. Your pick," I said sternly, picking up Ava. Eva picked up Nichole, following me. The others did too, eventually.

The temperature was lower the higher we went, so we stayed as far down in the sky as we could. I scanned the area below, looking for anything. Then, there it was, our sanctuary: a little church nestled into the heart of the forest.

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NEXT UPDATE: 12/23/13

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