Chapter Two: Hush

Iggy felt safe to me. His thoughts were sincere, and they matched what he said. He wasn't suspicious of me at all. That wasn't his nature. Max and Fang were both distrustful of me, and I didn't blame them. I could also tell that Max was a truly good person, and she was only looking out for the best interests of her flock. Fang was difficult to read, but he was also dedicated to the flock and to Max.

I didn't get too much from the others, just untapped, untamed power from the youngest one. Her powers were still developing, but she was already more powerful than her entire flock combined, and she'd be able to outmatch even the most highly trained Erasers in only a few years. She was loyal to the flock, but she had a strange tendency to doubt Max's ability to lead. She actually thought that she should be the leader. Yes, she was smart, but she was naïve. She didn't have half the life experience Max had. And even if she were older, she would be a little too ruthless to lead the flock.

The other two, the Gasman and Nudge, were both of average intelligence and power. There wasn't really anything special about them, but I was surprised to learn that the Gasman was the youngest girl's brother. He was so normal compared to her. He could imitate voices and create disgusting smells, but that was about it. Nudge, Fang, Iggy, and Max would all have powers develop later on, but right now they were ordinary.

I had always been able to sense things like that, just like how I could find people. It wasn't seeing the future, exactly, it was just noticing things normally kept in the back of a person's mind. I could see all of their potential, but I didn't know what their futures' held. That was for them to discover.

Iggy knew his way around the house easily, despite the fact that he couldn't see. I didn't want to dig around in his head too much, but I couldn't help but search for how he could do things like heal people and cook. I learned that his other senses were stronger, overcoming the loss of his sight. He had been eight when the white coats had taken it from him. He only remembered the flock members as little children. I suddenly got a blast of one of his memories, something that I hadn't meant to unearth.

They were in a large room, like a gym or something. They were all in cages against a wall. Iggy could see Max in the cage next to him, barely eight years old. She looked terrified, her face dirty and streaked with tears. Next to her was Fang, with short hair and bruises all over him. He looked scared, but also determined.

To Iggy's left, a five year old Nudge cowered in her cage. Her hair was messy, and there was a bloody scratch on the side of her arm. In her arms was a two year old Gazzy, with little blond curls on the top of his head. Looking down, Iggy could see his own dirty hands and ratty clothes. There was a needle mark on the crease of his right elbow from where the white coats had drawn blood earlier that day. He looked out into the rest of the gym, wondering what the white coats were planning now.

They had let the Erasers into the gym. They roamed over the fake grass on the floor of the room, their movements slow and sneaky. With peals of evil laughter, they approached the cages. One stuck his ugly head up to Nudge's cage, giving her a sadistic grin. "Hey there, little birdie! That little one looks like a mighty tasty snack," the Eraser said, smacking his lips. Iggy felt rage build up inside of him.

"Leave her alone," he snarled, knowing full well that the Erasers could tear him to shreds in a second. The Erasers moved over to his cage, their grins only growing wider. "I bet you got more meat on you anyway, boy. You'd make a delicious main course. We'll eat the chick and the baby for desert."

Before Iggy could respond, a white coat came over to them with a key to the cages. He unlocked Iggy's first, and he hesitantly climbed out, wary of the Erasers. But they moved out of his way, and he scooted over towards Nudge and the Gasman, intending to protect them from the psychotic Erasers. He wasn't fast enough.

The Eraser who had talked to them grabbed Nudge the second she escaped her cage. Another one tore Gazzy out of her arms. Nudge started screaming at the top of her lungs as the Eraser dragged her away. Iggy dashed after them, managing to jump onto the back of one of them. He started kicking, punching, and doing anything else he could to protect Nudge. He saw Max and Fang being grabbed by Erasers too, and he was soon captured as well.

Fighting was pointless. The Erasers dragged them to the middle of the gym and tossed them down. Iggy tried to move, and was kicked in the ribs by an Eraser. Gasping for breath, he saw Nudge's terrified brown eyes beside him, and Gazzy's innocent blue ones on the other side. He heard a whistle blow. And he knew that the game would soon begin. The final game. They'd run from the Erasers and be caught. But this time, they wouldn't be shoved back in their cages again. They'd be dead.

I fell out of Iggy's memories with a gasp. Iggy, not aware that anything had happened, spun around. His searching hands found my arms. "Hush? Are you okay? Did you trip?"

I quickly righted myself, moving away from Iggy. "Um, yeah, I tripped. My bad." I didn't want Iggy to know that I had gone into his memories, even if it was only an accident. There was a reason people didn't share their thoughts with others. There was a reason they were kept secret. My job, in the white coat's eyes, was to find out every possible secret from the person they were interrogating. I was capable of doing that. But I didn't want to be a monster. I didn't want to be a freak. So I tried only to speak, and to not communicate with my mind. I didn't want to scare the flock after they had helped me out.

Iggy gave me a look, but he continued down the hallway. There were many windows, I noticed, in the house. I could understand that. The flock liked to have contact with the outside world after being caged up for so long. I felt the same way, though I would've preferred to enjoy the outdoors without having to run for my life through a dense forest. I would definitely be enjoying it more now that I was safe. There wasn't any Eraser thoughts in the entire state of Colorado. They were several hundred miles from here, looking for me somewhere in Oregon, north of California. I didn't have to be cautious anymore. I could actually enjoy the outside. Right after a warm shower and a home cooked meal. Two things I had never had in my entire miserable life.

We finally reached our destination: another nondescript doorway along the long, narrow hallways branching off from the main section of the house. Iggy pushed the door open, and I again wondered how he found things without sight. He must've just been used to it by now.

"This is the bathroom that Fang and I share. You can use it all you want. Fang won't mind unless you don't clean up after himself. He's kinda nuts like that." Iggy's friendly, genuine smile surprised me. I also hadn't seen many of those in my life. I nodded, then quickly realized Iggy wouldn't see it.

"Okay. I'll keep everything clean."

He turned to leave.

"Iggy?"

"Yeah?" he asked, looking at me. I knew he wasn't really seeing me, but, if I didn't already know, I wouldn't have known the difference.

"Thanks. For my leg, and everything," I said, feeling uncomfortable.

He smiled again, and I returned it.

"No problem, Hush. Let me know if you need anything." He went back down the hall. I watched him go, and then shook my head at my own idiocy. He probably thought I was a moron.

I stared at the shower for a few minutes, trying to figure out how it worked. I eventually started moving the knob in the middle, finding that if I pulled on it, water came out of the tap at the top of the shower. I then twisted the knob to the red side, hoping that it was hot. I slid out of my filthy clothes and dumped them on the floor, making a mental note to clean up any dirt I may have dropped on the floor. No need to get on Fang's bad side.

I let the hot water gush over me for several minutes, at least until the water stopped running an icky brownish-red color down the drain. I then scrubbed my hair and my entire body with soap. It was the best thing I had ever felt. I rinsed all the soap out, and found some soft white towels in the closet next to the shower. I wrapped myself in one and picked my nasty clothes up off the floor. I would probably have to get rid of them. I had stolen them from a hiker's tent when I was trekking through the woods. They were too big and ugly to boot. I didn't want them, even if they weren't covered in filth.

I moved them out of my way and looked at the clothes Max had let me borrow. Black athletic shorts, a light green t-shirt, and sneakers. I pulled them on, hoping that they fit. Max was a few inches taller than me, but we were basically the same size. Everything fit me good, and they were soft and they smelled very clean. Not like antiseptic, but like laundry detergent. It was a very safe smell.

I looked at myself in the mirror above the sinks in the bathroom. My light brown hair was wet, making it appear dark. It was messy and I knew it would be frizzy when it dried. I found a comb in one of the drawers and yanked it through all the snarls in my hair. I finally got all the tangles out, and it actually didn't look to bad. It was close to my shoulders, which meant I would have to cut it soon. I just bothered me if it got too long.

I dumped my old clothes in the trashcan, and made sure everything was back in its original position. I then laced up Max's sneakers and found my way down to the kitchen. I could simply follow my nose and easily find it. I had never smelled anything like the scents that wafted to my nose from the kitchen, but they smelt amazing. I guessed it was Iggy's cooking that was making my mouth water. I walked a little faster, wanting to get to the food as soon as possible. I'd only had a little bit to eat in the few days I'd been wandering, and I ate a lot more than an average teenage girl.

Sure enough, Iggy was at the stove, cooking away. Fang was setting the table with plates and silverware, and Max was pouring juice and helping Iggy with a few things. Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel were already sitting, eagerly anticipating breakfast. I was hit with an overwhelming blast of power from Angel, even though she was just sitting there. That girl had no idea how powerful she was. I had never met anything like her, and I had seen a lot of mutants before.

I tried to ignore it as I entered the kitchen. Everyone had a smile for me when they saw me. I didn't really know why, but I liked it. It made me feel wanted. Liked, even. It was such a strange emotion, one I didn't think I'd ever get to experience. But I didn't mind it.

I sat down at the table, as far away from Angel as I could possibly get. She still scared me. If she could control her power, she could easily kill all of us in this room in a nanosecond. Now that was not something you wanted to worry about when you were trying to enjoy breakfast. Good thing the rest of Max's flock were oblivious to Angel's power. I didn't think she'd hurt them anyway.

To much applause and cheering, Iggy brought breakfast over to the table and set it down with a little bow. I was planning on waiting until everyone else had their food before I got mine, but Iggy motioned for me to go before him. "You're the guest," he said with a grin.

Iggy had made an enormous amount of food, so I ended up piling my plate high with sausages, bacon, eggs, and biscuits. I hadn't had any of those things before, but Iggy happily explained what everything was, and that eggs were his specialty.

Everything tasted like heaven. I ate until I couldn't cram anything else into my stomach. It was the best feeling in the world. Yet another feeling I had never felt. Today was turning out to be full of surprises.

First, I had stumbled upon six mutants who were just like me, then they had turned out to be nice and had offered me shelter, then I had eaten actual food, taken a hot shower, worn clean clothes, and been treated like an actual human being. Although, I was only 98 percent actual human.

"So, Hush…" Max began. "Fang said that you said that the Erasers were chasing you. Do you know where they are now?"

All silliness and small talk at the table ceased as everyone waited for my answer. "They're, uh, somewhere in Oregon. They think I went north. They won't bother you guys, I promise," I said quickly.

Max nodded. "Okay, good. I was a little worried about that, but they're a ways away, so they don't know where we are."

"I'll be gone by tomorrow anyway," I said. "I don't want to put you in more danger than I already have."

Both Max and Iggy gaped at me.

"You can't leave yet!" Iggy burst out. "You're still hurt. And you just said the Erasers were in Oregon. They're not anywhere near here. You don't have to go." Turning red, he quickly shut his mouth.

I really didn't want to peek into his thoughts, but I couldn't help myself.

I like having her here. She definitely makes things more interesting around here. She's still hurt. She's nuts if she thinks she can just run off with her leg all busted up. She probably doesn't even know how to fly. She'd just get captured.

I pulled out of Iggy's mind, not wanting him to know that I'd been in there. He was right, in most aspects. I was still hurt, I just didn't want them to know. And I actually didn't know how to fly. My wings were basically decoration at this point. I could easily escape the Erasers if I could take to the air. I wouldn't be endangering Max and Iggy and everyone else. I hoped I could convince them to teach me how to fly today. There were certainly many mountains to go diving off of. I was pretty sure that it was just second nature. It would probably just kick in once I tried it.

I helped the older kids clean up after breakfast, even after being told several times that I didn't have to help. I would've felt bad if I didn't. I didn't want them doing anything for me that I didn't pay them back for. I was a total stranger; it was a miracle they were even helping me at all.

I was washing dishes alongside Fang while Max hunted Gazzy down for making such a mess at the table. That kid doesn't eat food, he inhales it. And what doesn't make it to his mouth ends up splattered all over the place.

"Did the white coats ever teach you how to fly?" Fang asked me quietly. I handed him a clean plate, which he dutifully dried off and put away in the cabinet next to his head.

"No, they probably didn't want me to learn," I answered. "I could've escaped more easily."

He nodded. "They didn't teach us either. Jeb taught us, after he took us away from the School. It's not that hard to learn, though. We could teach you." His dark eyes met mine, and I felt myself momentarily hypnotized. I blinked rapidly, wondering what that was all about. I felt myself drifting into Fang's memories, and I couldn't get myself out fast enough.

He was running. It was dark out, and he could hear the vicious howling of Erasers behind him. He couldn't go much longer. His muscles were burning. They were catching up.

"Hurry, Fang!" Max hissed. She came in through the trees surrounding him on all sides and whipping into his path. She, too, was breathing heavily, soaked in sweat. She was also carrying two-year-old Angel in her arms. Angel was crying, having some sort of guess as to what was happening.

Fang could hear other footsteps. The lighter ones were Max's and Iggy's, who was somewhere in front of him and to his left. Iggy was holding Gazzy, and Jeb was with Nudge, who couldn't run very far on her own, but who was too big to be carried. He would make sure she was safe.

The clunky, heavy footsteps gaining on Fang belonged to the Erasers. They were snarling and howling and occasionally bellowing threats to the bird kids running from them. They crashed through the trees and bushes, not caring how much noise they made. They were the hunters who had sighted their prey. They didn't need to be quiet.

"There's a clearing ahead!" Max gasped. "Maybe we could…get up into the air."

Fang glanced doubtfully at her. None of them had flown before. They could fall and end up being captured again. Or just killed outright. Fang wasn't sure he wanted to die just yet.

But, as he soon learned, he wouldn't have a choice.

He and Max burst through the trees. There was about two feet of empty forest floor before the land plunged sharply down into a sheer cliff. Neither Fang nor Max had a chance to slow down before they rocketed off the cliff into nothing but thin air. Angel shrieked and Max held her tighter as they began to fall.

"Now!" Max screamed, suddenly unfurling her wings. Fang did the same, feeling pain rip through his shoulders with his sudden stop. He flapped frantically, praying that he would stay airborne.

"It worked!" Max yelped excitedly. "Fang, we're flying!"

Fang just nodded, and followed Max as she led him over the unforgiving blue water a hundred feet below. It was churning tumultuously with jagged rocks poking out, just waiting for a certain bird kid to fall into it. Fang shuddered and flew unsteadily after Max, who was working her way up to the top of the cliff on the other side of the river. Fang could still hear the Erasers, but their snarling had gone from triumphant to furious. They had lost their prey. There wouldn't be any flying mutants on the menu tonight.

I fell back into reality slowly, still caught up in Fang's vivid memory. I could still feel the icy air whipping past me, the adrenaline, the fear, and the relief.

Fang was looking at me funny, and I wondered if I had been standing there for several minutes, just staring at him blankly.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. Totally. Perfectly fine."

He looked at me doubtfully, but didn't press the matter. I busied myself in washing dishes, not even caring that I was scraping someone's food off their plate with my bare hands.

I had to stop getting into people's heads. I just didn't know how to keep it under control. Whenever I had a lapse in concentration, I found myself slipping off into a painful memory, or train of thought. It wasn't good. I shouldn't be able to know what had happened in the flock's past. It was none of my business. I had already found myself reliving Iggy and Fang's memories, and I certainly didn't want to delve into Max's. Who knew what kind of horrible stuff had happened to her? Fang and Iggy had it bad enough.

Angel skidded into the kitchen suddenly, and a wave of power nearly knocking me over. Fang caught me as I stumbled. "Are you okay?" he asked, standing me up again.

I nodded. "Yeah." I had managed not to drop the plate, and I quickly handed it to Fang. Angel was watching me curiously, and I wondered if she was digging around in my head.

Quit it, I snarled at her.

Her big eyes widened. You can read minds too?

Yeah. Stay out of mine.

She nodded fearfully, which Fang luckily didn't catch. Good. I hoped I had worried Angel, but not Fang. He didn't need to be worrying about me. In fact, I planned on learning how to fly and then getting out of here as soon as I could. There was no need to put the flock in danger. I could find somewhere to stay by myself, and if the Erasers came, I would fight, but I wouldn't have to worry about any of them dying for me. I wasn't worth that much.