Chapter 28- The Raven Reveals

So this is the last day of school for me before exams and I really should be reviewing but I feel okay to just wing it. Aha, I just got the pun! Get it? Wing it? Maximum Ride? Avian kids?

Okay, Allace, too much sugar today.

But other than that little outburst, it's been a pretty depressing day because I realize that I'm probably not going to see most of my friends this summer because a) they think I hate them b) they aren't talking to me because they think I hate them and c) I'm going to have ten million guests over and extended family that we don't have room for because we already have 7 people in our house.

So yeah. Good luck on exams and enjoy the story. It's going to be a long one.

Oh, on another note. The only person who got the last POV was Silvergrotto. *Gives Cookies even if you can't see them which makes them invisible cookies (good luck eating them)*.

If you didn't get that Kate was a Tiger, please re-read the story or go to Chapter 18- Chapter 17. Because everything's set back one chapter because of the Prologue.

Now, enjoy the story.

Oh, wait…

Kidding, go on.

Max

I scan a finger across the page, Harold Lewis.

"Someone jot this down," I turn to them briefly, "200 Winter Ave. Harold Lewis."

"876 Magnolia Lane. Brigid Dwyer."

"757 Barrow St. Dr. Ivan Terrance."

There's also a bunch of numbers there but I'm not sure what they mean. Each of them are listed in 10 numbers, grouped in 3-3-4s. I'll figure it out somehow.

"Okay, here's the plan, we'll split up and find a lead," I turn to them.

"Max, we're not going to split up again," Fang protests.

"What? Why not?"

"This is the leaders of Itex. Itex created you. Who knows what else they can do to you? We're not splitting up. There's power in numbers," he insisted.

I looked around the circle.

"Fine," I relent.

200 Winter Avenue is a small townhouse squished in between to larger buildings. It has an older look to it that didn't really fit with the ultra-technological, ultra-sleek, and ultra-artificial look of the rest of the city. The entire road was like this. Harold Lewis's house was a cream-colored three story building with small columns between the first and second floor and embellished by a flowery, elegant carving between each floor. The front door was elevated atop a small flight of stairs. The windows that surrounded the house revealed a hall going into the house lit by 3 consecutive and expensive-looking chandeliers. A long black car was parked in front of the building. Swanky.

The ten of us were crowded behind a large hedge, our heads poking out of the gaps that we made with our hands.

"Who wants to ring the doorbell?" I ask in a mock-whisper.

There's a long silence as we all stared at each other. I laugh, "Right. I'll do it. Cover me."

I cross the street pretty gracefully, receiving only 3 honks, 5 death stares, and 2 rude gestures. I'm getting better at this.

I smooth down my already worn shirt and ring the bell.

No one answers.

I frown and press the doorbell again. My impatience kicks in and I knock the door hard. The door slams shut and I pull the door handle. I stare at it quizzically. I turn back at the pack and give them a "I'm going in" look or what I hope was one before entering the house.

It's eerily quiet in here. I can hear the soft thud of my sneakers against the immaculately polished floor. Whatever Itex is, it brings in a lot of money. My arm brushes against a large vase of flowers that weren't withered at all by the wall. The hall split into two, one into a stainless steel kitchen where there was nothing in the refrigerator. Damn. If you're going to leave a house open, you might as well leave food in the kitchen. The pantries are empty too. Does anyone actually live here?

The other room was an all white furnished living room and the only color in there was these abstract art pieces. There was a curving staircase leading up.

"Hello," I whisper stupidly. I don't know why. I think it's because it's so quiet in here that I feel like it would be weird to disturb the peace or something. I climb up the spiral staircase.

"Hello," I repeat a little louder.

There were four doors on the second floor and more on the third I think.

The first door led to a little girl's bedroom. It's pink and had dolls and teddy bears in it, a small twin bed with a princess canopy hanging over it was in the center of it all. There wasn't anybody in that room.

The second door was a master bedroom; the walls were covered in blue patterned wallpaper. There was a desk and a king sized bed and a couple pictures, a bathroom and a closet. There wasn't anything in the closet and there weren't any toiletries.

The third was another bathroom, probably for the little girl, but there wasn't anything in there either.

The fourth was another bedroom. It was probably a guest bedroom because there wasn't any kind of personalization in there. Just a generic, cozy-looking room.

I think most people would have just gotten the hell out of there but I was curious.

There was a staircase going into the wall leading to the last floor of the house. This one was dimly lit unlike the golden, shiny, polished image of the rest of the house. It led up to a door that had a sign that said, "Keep out."

And then underneath that "P.S. Love you honey but don't go through that door."

I don't know which one would terrify me more if I was married or the daughter of this guy. I tried the knob. It was locked. I inhaled deeply. "Here we go," I sang under my breath and threw myself at the door.

With a giant crash, the door fell in and I felt a piece of wood jab into my arm and break skin. I smooth myself and look up. It was probably the scariest sight I've ever seen.

Harold Lewis sat in front of me in an armchair, eyes wide, covered in blood, dead.

I lift a hand to my mouth, "Oh my god."

A piece of wood breaks behind me and I whirl around. There's a man in black, his face covered, standing behind me with a machete in his hand.

"Who are you?" he asks gruffly, raising his hand so the tip of the blade is at my throat. I back up slowly.

"Don't make any sudden movements, girl," the killer says. I trip over the handle of the armchair and yelp, jumping up. I just touched a dead body!

I scanned the room. There was a book shelf and a desk with a computer and an armchair. This was Harold Lewis' study. There was a window to the right and behind me.

"Who are you?" he asks a bit louder.

"I'm his wife," I lie.

"Liar, I know his wife."

Then he considers this for a little bit, "Are you his mistress?"

"His what?"

"Or are you an 'escort'?"

"What?" I continue to back up.

"Not very bright are you?"

"Who are you?" I ignore the last comment, finding the glass of the window behind my back.

"No one," then he notices where I am, "Jump, I dare you. It'll save me the trouble of killing you."

I close my eyes and fly out, my wings morphing out in my back. I feel the killer's confused gaze on me.

"Run, run, run!" I yell to the pack and sprint away.

"What happened to you?" Fang asks concerned.

"Harold Lewis- is dead."

"What?!" everyone exclaimed.

"Did you-?" Iggy asks.

"No! I didn't kill him, but I ran into his killer."

Fang grabs my arm and points to the wound, "Did he do that?" he asks darkly.

"No, that happened when I broke down the door."

"So, what next?"

Fang

"Hi, I'm Nick Sanders, interviewer from the Aquinas High School Newspaper here to interview Miss Dwyer," I spoke into the intercom at Brigid Dwyer's house slightly outside of Manhattan. I saw Aquinas High School in an advertisement or something.

"Miss Dwyer isn't in at the moment, did you have an appointment?" the voice crackled over the line.

"Not exactly," I mutter, channeling sheepish, "I just had this great idea to interview one of the greatest scientists of the modern era."

"Well, you're in luck," the too chipper voice said, "Miss Dwyer will be back in 10 minutes from her meeting, would you like to come in?"

"Yes, please."

The gate snapped open and I jogged out to the front of the house.

"Hello," the woman at the desk waved me over. I recognized her voice as the one who rang me in. She had short brown hair and too perfect makeup and clothes, like she was artificial, "Why don't you wait there and I'll call Miss Dwyer ahead so she expects you."

"Thank you."

The lady dials in the number. "Hello?...Yes, Miss Dwyer…Yes, I have a young man from the Aquinas High School Newspaper…Yes, Aquinas…Okay…I'll let him know."

"She's agreed to meet with you," the lady calls.

"Thank you," I murmur.

I look around. This place is overly decorated like Dr. Dwyer paid ten designers to furnish one room. I shift uncomfortably into the chair that was currently swallowing me whole.

"Ms. Dwyer!" the woman stood suddenly, rushing up to take Dr. Dwyer's coat. Dr. Dwyer was a pretty woman with blond hair down to her shoulders and green eyes. She didn't give off a very science-y vibe by the way she stood like a model for jeans on the billboard. She dressed smartly in a grey business suit dress and high heels.

"Hello, where's my interviewer for Aquinas?" she asks, scanning the room until she saw me. Her painted red lips curled into a smile and she sauntered over, her hand held out. I stood and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Dwyer," I retrieve my hand back.

"Please, just Brigid," she murmurs softly and gestures to a door at the end of a long hallway, "Shall we?"

Her office was very minimalist and sleek. She put away a briefcase and put a packet of papers on a neat pile on her desk and motioned for me to sit.

"Shall we begin?" Brigid asks.

"Right, okay, what-uh-got you interested in science?" I asked.

"Aren't you going to get out your notepad?" she smiles slowly, her eyes half-lidded, almost predatorily. I shudder inwardly.

"Um, excuse me," I cough in embarrassment, "I didn't bring one with me."

"You didn't?" she says in surprise, except it wasn't really surprise, she almost looked like she expected it. She dug out a notepad and a pen for me to write on.

"I was interested in science when I was four years old and my parents were both geneticists, but you knew that already," but her eyes told me she knew that I didn't know, "And when I was in the seventh grade, I won the science fair for successfully creating recombinant DNA from a glowing firefly to a fish. The entire fish lit up and I studied biology and biochemistry all through high school and got into genetic engineering in college. I actually switched majors. And then I interned at Itex and quickly moved up from there."

"What are some things you hope to create in the future?" I ask, stuttering a little. Give me credit! I didn't have time to actually think this interview up.

"Things?" she asks, mocking me, "I don't create things. But I do create drugs and chemicals that help people. My labs are currently working on a chemical that quickens nuero-signals to help speed up the thinking process. We are also working on many other things. What did you say the name of your newspaper was?"

"The Aquinas… Times."

"Right. The Aquinas Times. What's your name?" Brigid leans back in her chair, lazily, grinning at me, her too white teeth sparkling behind blood red lips.

"Nicholas Sanders."

"Nicholas Sanders," she tried the name out on her tongue, "Are you aware that Aquinas is an all girls Catholic school?"

I froze. What?

She chuckles, "I know exactly who you are Fang Janssen. Your mother's looking for you."

I shift in my chair, ready to get the hell out of here at a moment's notice. Brigid leans forwards and brings her hand up to my chin. She trails up the base of my chin with a red-painted fingernail, "Don't worry, Fang, I won't go running to your mama. In fact, you intrigue me."

I swallow. She smiles wickedly at me, "You may go now, and tell the editor-in-chief of the Aquinas Times that I know who she is too."

My eyes widen.

Max. She's talking about Max.

Max

"She said what?" I repeated menacingly.

"Look, just drop it Max, we'll just have to be more careful," Fang ran a hand through his hair.

"She was obviously flirting with you!"

"I wasn't flirting back! I'm not interested in her! Okay? I like you Max," he says the last part softly, as if he's afraid that someone else will hear.

I hold his gaze steadily, both of us too stubborn to back down until Iggy interrupted.

"Hey, sorry to break up your lover's spat but we're here." He pointed to a small house compared to the other two. It was as gaudy as Brigid or Harold's but it was more subdued. The houses surrounding it were smaller than it was.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Kate asks.

"We'll knock on the door like the other two times," I suggest.

"Look what good that did us," Fang scowls, "You got cut and threatened by a murderer and I got threatened by a scientist that probably helped create you."

"Okay, do you have any other ideas?"

"Wait, you guys, look," Gazzy pointed to a tall, skeletal-looking, brown-haired woman.

Fang almost jumped at the sight of her, "I think that's my mom."

"The Queen?" Ratchet sneers in disgust.

Fang swallows, "I'm almost positive that's her."

I start following her. She goes into the CEO's house. There's no more doubt that Itex has everything to do with what we are.

"Max, I'm coming with you," Fang catches up to me.

I look at him and then nod, turning to the group, "Stay here and look for a signal if we need backup."

Marian Janssen goes in the house through a small entrance in the side of the house that led downwards rather than into the house. Fang and I hid behind a bush.

We rushed to the door before it closed and waited about ten seconds before going in with them.

"So this is where she goes," Fang muses quietly.

"What?"

"She used to disappear for days, maybe weeks, and ordered everything in the city to just stop until she got back. I never knew where she went but now I do."

"Oh."

We walked through a thin dark tunnel, so thin that we had to walk single file, me first, feeling along the wall to navigate. Thank goodness it was straight instead of having twists and turns. It opened up to a dimly lit warehouse looking thing. And then I started hearing the screeches. It was animals, tons of them, screaming in cages to be let out. There's monkeys and birds and fish in tanks. There's lizards and mice, insects swarming around in glass boxes. It's like a zoo.

"What do you think you're doing in here?" a voice growled behind me.

Fang and I whirl around. Marian and another man- probably Ivan- stood behind us. I froze and then softly whispered to Fang without moving my lips, low enough so only we could hear, "We can take them. I'll take your mother and you get Ivan."

He nodded almost unperceptively.

Then about ten armed men flooded into the room.

"Restrain them," Ivan commands.

They start towards us and I half-shift, flying at one of them, kicking him so he's on the ground. I land quickly and fold in my wings, picking up his ankles and swinging him into two others beside him. A guy comes up behind me and grabs me below my arms and I shift into a snake, surprising him and slide out of his grasp before shifting back and kicking his temple. He fell downwards. Two of the came towards me and grabbed both of my arms and I flew up, knocking them off balance. Fang over there was holding his own; he's obviously had more sparring training than I had with my few days with Jeb. He fended off about three of them at a time and then there was a guy that came up behind him, holding a black object with blue light crackling off of it.

"Fang! Watch out!" I cried but it was too late, the object met his skin and his spasmed to the floor. But as he did, I swore I caught a flurry of black feathers and wings, an inhuman almost bird-like squawk and the clawing of talons on the floor. Then it was gone.

"Move and we'll kill him," the Director commanded. Two of the armed men threw me into a cage, like the rest of the animals. It reminded me uncomfortably of when I was back in the Realm.

"Take him back to the Realm," Marian commanded and I spit at her but it only reached her feet. She curled her lip in disgust at me and kicked at my cage before leaving with Fang's limp unconscious body.

I cried out and shouted but Fang wouldn't wake up.

The Director kicked my cage repeatedly until I stopped yelling. He brought his face inches from mine and snarled, "Try to get out and we will kill him."