Equinox

Chapter Ten

Fang leaned casually against the wall opposite of me, and I could feel his penetrating stare on my back; red hot. Trying to shake the feeling of being watched so closely, I gently shut the door leading into the room where Iggy, Nudge and Angel had just settled themselves for the night. Fang would be joining them soon, but we had a few things to discuss first.

"Follow me," I ordered, gesturing in accordance. Fang shoved off the wall, falling into step beside me. His tread was light, barely audible in the echoing hall. His eyes flickered at every angle, always on the look-out for danger.

He would make a great hunter.

We turned a corner, and I ran headlong into a rushing figure. My feet slipped from beneath me, and I tripped back, beginning to tilt to the ground. Fang's arm shot out, cradling my waist. The pressure of his touch made my face flare, burning an undesirable pink. I righted myself as quickly as possible, attempting to take a discreet step away from him. At the same time, I unleashed my glare on the unfortunate fellow that had caused the incident in the first place.

"Max!" Dylan shouted breathlessly, an immense wave of relief rushing over his features. A sigh shuddered through his body, and his shoulders lowered from their previously tense position. "You're okay."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm good. Why so concerned?"

His turquoise gaze flickered to Fang, something akin to irritation replacing the worry in his eyes. He turned back to me a moment later, visibly calming. A blatant sternness had now encompassed his entire expression. I could see the rant building in his system. Great.

"You leave, without even warning me. On top of that, you didn't tell anyone where you were going. Anne hadn't issued you an assignment, so she couldn't even guess where you could be. The first few hours, it was fine. You've gone out enough on your own. No big deal. Then, night begins to fall- you still conveniently nowhere to be found. I was worried sick, Max. Any number of paranormals could have killed you, and I- we'd have no way of knowing," he exploded, spewing words left and right. His entire demeanor had shifted, heating with rage. Not at me specifically, but at how independent I was regardless of our partnership in most cases.

"Dylan," I stated, grabbing his attention. "I'm fine. I'll explain everything to you later. Right now, I'm a little busy."

"What's he doing back here, anyway?" he spat, not even endeavoring to mask the hostility in his tone. I was more than slightly taken aback, unable to make a retort. Judging from Fang's smirk, he didn't seem all that hurt by Dylan's remark. Then again, I could barely discern any emotion from the guy as it was.

"He and his friends are staying here for awhile, so get used to it," I snapped back, scowling.

"Does Anne know about this?" Dylan demanded, a smug smile blossoming from his lips.

No. Anne didn't know. But she would find out, and soon. I could hide the presence of one fugitive, but I couldn't disguise four all at once. She would eventually catch word that unidentified beings were walking amongst the CSM personnel. Once that bit of information was out, it all depended on what kind of mood she was in that day: malicious or compassionate.

From my sudden silence, Dylan derived his answer.

"You know she's going to be furious," he warned, as if Anne's wrath meant anything to me in the slightest. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Well, we'll leap that hurdle when it comes. As for now, I trust you'll do everything in your power to prevent it from happening in the nearest future." My voice was commanding, though I formed my words as a mere 'suggestion'. He got the point, sneering bitterly.

Regardless of his feelings, he'd do what I said. He always had.

"I should probably let Anne know you're back," he muttered sullenly, twisting the hem of his shirt between his fingers. He refused to meet my eyes, glaring only at Fang. Fang returned the gesture, obsidian eyes reflecting nothing but the ineffectiveness of Dylan's venom.

Well then.

"I'll see you in the morning. We'll talk then," I promised, trying to smile through the tightness in my jaw.

He shrugged, shouldering past. I didn't miss the way he bumped into Fang, causing him to shuffle a step to the side. From the sudden flash in his eyes, Fang didn't seem to miss the purpose behind the action either.

"I don't know what his problem is," I said once he was out of earshot, thoroughly disgruntled.

Fang snorted, but didn't add his thoughts. However, he didn't appear shocked by Dylan's behavior in the slightest.

I shook the sentiment off, continuing down the corridor as we were before being so rudely interrupted. Seconds later, we arrived at the lounge room. No sounds were blaring from inside of it, which meant that Gazzy was either sleeping or amusing himself elsewhere. If he wasn't taking his lessons or training, he was most likely holed up with his assortment of game consoles. At the moment, we would be blissfully alone.

I motioned Fang to enter, slipping the door shut softly behind me. He stood in the middle of the room, observing the array of couches and the general litter of trash and half-eaten food. Dylan and Gazzy had been making a day of it, apparently.

Settling into my usual chair, I tilted my face up to Fang's, looking at him expectantly. He sighed, loping over to a couch opposite mine. His arms folded over his knees, as he leaned forward. I waited for him to speak, tugging my bottom lip anxiously between my teeth. I wasn't really sure what to expect.

"More than once, you've referred to us as paranormals," he started, the area around his eyes and mouth tightening perceptively. "We're not one of your mythical creatures, though. We're . . . man-made."

He paused, not elaborating any further. I spoke up, saying: "I'm not sure I follow."

"Each of us - meaning Iggy, Nudge, Angel and I- were created in a lab. We call it the School. It's some freaky group of scientists that think it's fun to mesh DNA between humans and animals. All of us are ninety eight percent human . . . and two percent bird," he explained, almost casually. There were some emotions he couldn't mask though, and I could see the verge of panic in his eyes. I had a feeling he was reflecting upon memories that were less than welcome.

"So . . . that's where the wings come in?" I asked, trying to process his claim.

He nodded.

"What else . . . what else is . . . bird-like?" I inquired, my gaze turning scrutinizing. Aside from what I had seen of his raven wings, he looked like a perfectly normal human. I had no idea what he could be concealing, though.

"Our wings are the extremity. Aside from that, there's nothing that affects our appearance too much. Our bones are more porous, like a birds. And we have a better lung capacity, for when we're flying at greater heights."

"Then you really can fly?" This feat was what I was mostly curious about. I had been a little out of it when Fang had swooped in to rescue me from the poltergeist, so I wasn't sure if I had imagined it all or not.

Another nod.

"How did you end up here? I mean, what happened with the School?" Questions were beginning to build up endlessly within me, and I wasn't sure if Fang had the tolerance to answer them all at once.

"We escaped," he stated monotonously. "That's all you need to know for now."

I opened my mouth to speak, but clamped it shut automatically. I had pressed him for enough information that night.

Sensing this, he came to his feet. I sat and watched as he turned away, heading for the door. Just as his fingers brushed the knob, he paused. Without twisting to face me, he began speaking once more.

"Don't think us coming here, or me telling you all of this, means that I trust you. Angel says we can, though . . . and I trust her."

He left immediately following that statement, leaving me to struggle in my own perplexity. While his words hadn't at all come as a surprise to me, I still wanted to overcome the powerful guard he had thrown up.

Regardless, there was something about he and his friends' existence that just didn't make sense to me; a missing piece of the puzzle that hadn't yet clicked. In addition, I was still unaware of their full story. Until then, I would just have to keep my eye on them.

The emotion in Fang's eyes - what little his brick wall had allowed to be transmitted - revealed a horrific past. I had yet to learn all the details, and I didn't know if he'd ever trust me enough to share. I'd get as far as I could, though. My instincts told me to help them, no matter the secrets they may be harboring.

And I never doubted my instincts.