Equinox

Chapter Twenty One

Neither Fang nor Dylan seemed thrilled to be accompanying me. The animosity they had always harbored toward one another had not lessened. If anything- it had grown stronger. I wondered if I had missed some altercation between them, but it seemed more likely that they were determined to dislike one another, regardless of any true interaction.

Fortunately for our sleuthing purposes, we were approaching the science wing early in the afternoon, which meant that most everyone would be taking their lunch break. We passed Dr. Fisher and a lab assistant on their way to do just that, and though she was in her office, Dr. Martinez was reviewing a sheaf of papers and didn't notice as we carefully picked our way by.

We reached the juncture of hallways that either led to the science or containment wing. The first time I had toured the area with the flock, I had taken the right hand corridor to the cells that held living paranormals. This time, we veered left and entered the Science & Experimental Department.

I took note of Fang's instant discomfort. I understood why. This part of the building bore haunting resemblance to the School. For all I knew, the two could have been modeled after one another, given their relationship. The thought sent a pang through the pit of my stomach. The CSM -the Coalition to Stop the Madness- had always been a force for good in my mind, regardless of the more questionable aspects of their procedures. Now my organization -my home- was tied up with the worst kind of monsters there were …

People. Human beings torturing and manipulating other humans … and I had no idea how deeply that twisted companionship ran.

"We'll never make it into Marian's office. She'll kill us on sight," I concluded, regretfully passing the door with her name.

"Let's just go to the labs," Dylan suggested. "It's less suspicious if we're found there. We can just say we're looking around. That's not exactly forbidden. Besides, we might find something useful."

I nodded contemplatively.

Fang was walking stoically along, casting sparing glances to our surroundings. Mostly he stared straight ahead with teeth gritted. I wanted to ask if he was alright, but I didn't feel like addressing what would undeniably result in a quizzical look from Dylan, or a blank, unresponsive silence from Fang himself. He hadn't been the same since we returned from the School.

Rather, he had resorted to his old, armored behavior.

The first door we tried was locked. Each foundation and door in this area was lined with a combination of metals and materials- silver, iron, steel. Everything that could ensure that a paranormal on the loose couldn't pass. The lab junkies kept all creatures heavily sedated, but on the off chance that one broke free, it couldn't wreak havoc on the entire compound or escape. It would be confined to whatever room it was located in. That didn't mean any human present couldn't be ripped limb from limb, but everyone else was safe.

"That's not really that suspicious," Dylan explained to Fang, referring to our barred entrance. Then he seemed to realize who he had addressed and immediately clamped his mouth shut.

"Something will be open," I muttered, tugging at the hem of my gray t-shirt.

We gained access to the fifth lab. It was one of the bigger procedural rooms. Blinding white light shined from the ceiling and large lamps set around a series of gray operating tables. Shelves and cabinets littered with medical supplies lined the walls except for at each end, where windows had been installed for those wishing to view the proceedings from a comfortable distance.

My father had brought me to see a dual autopsy once, when I was very young. As if watching while surgeons in robes and masks pried open a werewolf in human form and a werewolf in animal form, side by side, wasn't enough to scar a child for life. But my tolerance for the morbid had been heightened since birth, and I only cringed a little as they peeled away the skin to reveal the organs beneath.

"What are you doing here?" a voice emitted sharply from behind.

I turned on my heel. Dylan was already scanning through a clipboard next to the door, and Fang was leaning on an operating table, looking sullen and bored. As I saw the figure hovering on the threshold, I felt a tick beginning to form above my left eye, and I had to strain my jaw into an incredibly forced smile.

"Brigid," I greeted her, cheeks burning with the effort it took to maintain a cheerful appearance.

"That's Dr. Brigid … Dwyer," she added, gazing curiously over my shoulder at Fang.

I glanced at him. He hadn't moved, and made no effort to do so now. He just stared meditatively back as a demure smile flickered over Brigid's face.

"Right," I said tightly. "Well, Dr. Stupendous, we were just showing Fang around, so-"

"Oh," she exclaimed brightly, cutting me off mid-sentence. "Are you interested in our work? The in depth study we do on paranormals is really quite fascinating."

She breezed past me, making a beeline for Fang. I gaped, then quickly snapped my jaw shut upon seeing the bemused expression on Dylan's face. At the sight of my glare, he ducked his head and continued perusing the sheet in front of me. His shoulders shook with silently suppressed laughter. I would deal with his insubordination later.

"Is there a specific creature you were interested in? Most everyone specializes, but I'm one of the few that has expertise in all areas," Brigid simpered, tossing her long ponytail onto her back. Her hair was a confusing shade of blonde and red, like she couldn't quite decide which she preferred.

Fang's lip twitched at the corner. Was he smiling? Why would he smile at her? She was an annoying know-it-all that loved making people feel intellectually inadequate. Besides, she was considerably older than him.

"Actually, I do have a few questions," Fang admitted, his voice low and rumbling.

She inched closer, the file and pen clasped in her hands held loftily against her chest. Oh my gosh, was she trying to prop up her boobs? She was definitely trying to prop up her boobs. If Fang noticed, then he definitely didn't mind. In fact, he bent his head closer, strands of black hair coiling around his temple. Their posture indicated intimacy, which made me want to hurl.

"Have you been running any tests on paranormals, since the- what is called? Solstice?" he posed the question expertly, like he was merely expressing a slight curiosity.

"The Winter Solstice, yes …" she hesitated, biting her lip. "I'm really not supposed to talk about it."

Fang put a hand on her elbow and something inside me crumbled. Get it together, Max.

"It'll be our secret," he murmured, tone deep and velvet smooth. Dr. Fantastic was practically melting at the knees by now. She had completely forgotten that Dylan and I were even there. She had eyes only for Fang.

"Well, like I said, we're not supposed to talk about it … but we've been running some trials on every paranormal that comes through, which isn't a lot. It's becoming harder for us to secure specimens. Hunters are barely surviving encounters with supernatural beings lately. Killing them is the only way to ensure their survival, so we haven't had many creatures to study."

"What about those that you do?" he asked.

"Their … abilities are heightened. Not always, and we haven't been able to discern a pattern, but sometimes their strengths are at the peak they reach on solstice nights, and other times they fall back to normal levels," she explained.

So the surge in power wasn't consistent. It faded and them came back with force.

"Have you made any other progress?" Fang inquired. He had removed his hand from Brigid's arm, and he was now leaning with his palm flat against the operating table, facing her. She was reveling in the attention.

"Not really," she admitted with a frown. "Everyone's getting kind of terrified, especially the more time that passes. We're nearing the next equinox."

I sucked in a harsh breath. How stupid was I? I hadn't even considered the potential repercussions of the paranormal community's abnormal behavior in conjunction with the approaching Vernal Equinox. Just like on a solstice, the night of an equinox paralleled a supernatural creature's influx of strength. What would happen to their power? Would it increase by double?

My sudden intake of oxygen seemed to snap Brigid's focus away from the depths of Fang's eyes and to reality. She looked to me, carefully constructing her features. Her mouth was opening, likely to spew some sort of misleading information, but I wasn't interested in hearing.

"Come on, let's go," I ordered, reaching over and grabbing Fang's forearm.

He, smirking devilishly, let me pull him away from Dr. Stupendous. When he was a safe distance from her, I turned, my left hand still on his forearm and my right on his opposite shoulder, herding him out the door.

"He's too young for you," I hissed, shooting her a glare.

The last thing I saw was her madly blushing face, as I followed Dylan and Fang's combined laughter down the hall.

"And you call me a heart breaker," I grumbled.

-o-o-o-

It was a Tuesday when we found ourselves grouped in the library. Iggy's gangly legs were sprawled across two chairs; Gazzy had risen to collect a number of books and was pulling them from the shelves left and right; Fang, Dylan, and I occupied plush seats of our own; and Nudge and Angel were sitting cross legged on the floor with their backs to me.

I saw it only a matter of seconds before it happened. I didn't even get the chance to call out a warning, though my mouth was shaping the phrase 'watch out' as Gazzy approached from behind, his pile of novels tottering dangerously.

Yet somehow, Angel shoved Nudge over and dove away herself just as the books clattered from Gazzy's arms and to the space they had both previously occupied.

"Oops." Gazzy smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He bent to straighten the fallen books, smoothing their crinkled pages and binding, but my attention was glued to Angel.

"How did you do that?" I demanded, brow furrowing.

Not for the first time, I noticed her strange inclination for reacting to things unheard or unseen. I had all but chalked it up to strong intuition, but there had to be more to it. There had to be a reason she moved before anyone warned her of danger, or answered questions not yet asked, or even why Fang had trusted her to navigate us through the School above himself.

Angel glanced uncertainly from me to Fang. My eyes narrowed as I assessed their wordless communication. After a moment, Fang gave a stiff nod, and Angel's entire posture relaxed and she let out a relieved sigh. Meanwhile, Iggy had propped himself up to attention, and Nudge, who was still half laying on the floor, gave me a wobbly, doubtful smile.

Gazzy sensed the change in atmosphere and straightened with his books piled high once more.

"Um, well … don't be mad, we all thought it was safer not to say anything," Angel began, wincing slightly.

Nudge rushed on with the explanation. "We didn't know if this was all legit, you know? I mean, it's kind of a big adjustment, accepting that paranormal creatures exist and that there's a whole network of people specifically trained to kill the supernatural. Even for genetically mutated bird kids that's a big leap. So we needed some sort of security … and well, Angel's the best security there is."

I waited patiently for further elaboration.

"We've got talents besides the whole wings and flying thing." Fang's contribution was so characteristically vague that I'm surprised he even felt the need to speak at all.

"… and those talents would be?" I asked dubiously, one eyebrow raised.

No one seemed to want to fess up first. Eventually, after combing nervously through her wildly curly brown locks, Nudge cleared her throat and began to speak. "So you know how I hacked into that computer at the School? It's not because I'm just super good with technology. Really I've had no exposure to technology at all. Growing up in a dog cage has that affect on someone. It's because I'm- what is it again? I always forget. Fang looked it up once at a free internet cafe … psych … psychometric. Yeah, that's it. Basically I can sense things about an object when I touch it. So that's how I know the passwords to things. I've also had some success attracting metal. I'm like a big magnet," she concluded with a shrug.

I wanted to say, 'oh, is that it?' but I didn't think my sarcasm would be appreciated at a moment when the flock was finally being open about themselves, no matter how nonchalantly they were now treating the subject.

Reeling, I glanced to Fang- or rather where Fang had previously been sitting with his legs propped on the coffee table, but he was nowhere to be seen. Just as I began to survey the rest of the room, wondering where he had disappeared to, Dylan swore beneath his breath.

I blinked and Fang materialized in exactly the same position as I remembered.

"You were … you can make yourself invisible?" Dylan's tone was accusing, as if Fang's invisibility had anything to do with him. I knew him better than that, though. He was trying to mask how impressed he was.

Fang nodded smugly.

I was practically buzzing with excitement (after I had swallowed down my initial horror at the thought of Fang, traipsing around the compound, totally invisible and without my knowledge … the things he could have seen). Scenarios revolved around my head. Imagine Nudge using her psychometry to track paranormals or employing her magnetism in an emergency to reach a weapon. Imagine Fang on recon, scouting out whole covens and packs, then easily slipping away unnoticed. The possibilities were endless.

"What about you?" Gazzy asked, his words directed at Angel, which reminded me of how this conversation had started in the first place.

All eyes were now on her.

She wriggled under our combined scrutiny. After a deep breath, she relinquished her secret. "I can read minds."

I stared blankly at her. She could … read minds? So that meant all the times she had given me secret smiles or responded to things unsaid … she was reading my mind. With a swelling sense of horror, I wondered what else she had heard.

"I don't do it all the time," she hurriedly claimed, baby blue eyes pleading. "I try to tune you guys out. The rest of the flock have built up mind blocks, but obviously you haven't been given the chance. Sometimes your thoughts are just … loud. Like when you were about to warn us that Gazzy was dropping his books. It comes in handy. That's how I led us through the School. I listened for anyone coming or if a room was occupied. It's how I knew you were telling the truth, Max, about all this. It's why we're even here in the first place. I knew we could trust you."

I leaned heavily back in my chair, feeling numb.

"Since we're being totally honest, I should also mention that I can control minds, too," Angel added, grinning in slight embarrassment.

This blonde-haired, blue-eyed cherubim of a little girl … could read and control minds. Of course.

"Iggy, you're being awfully quiet." I was pretty resigned at this point. What else could there possibly be? They might as well hit me with everything now, while I was willing to accept it all with little fuss.

"Oh, me?" He resumed his lounging position, shooting a mischievous smile in my direction. "I'm just devastatingly good looking. It's really the best quality to have."

Under normal circumstances I would have laughed, but after that particular string of conversation my nerves were frayed. I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a few deep breaths. Unable to calm my roiling thoughts, I shoved to a stand and announced that I needed some minutes to process. I left them murmuring to one another as I swiftly exited the library.

I immediately advanced to the gym. A whole group of mid-twenty something male hunters were gathered around the weight equipment, causing a ruckus and egging one another on. Trust them to have lifting contests in their spare time. I fumbled around with some of the weights myself, but I couldn't concentrate and kept losing track of my count. At one point I looked up and caught sight of Ari lurking in the doorway. I hadn't seen him much the past couple of months, so I nodded and smiled in greeting. He didn't react, but his brown eyes were trained on me.

I continued with my ruminations, but the itching sensation on the back of my neck caused by Ari's blatant staring was too much. I ceased my pull-ups and released the bar, dropping to the ground. After wiping my hands on my shorts, I traversed the length of the gym and came to a halt a few feet from Ari, whose expression -if anything- hardened the closer I got.

"Is there a reason you're spying on me?" I inquired, hands on hips.

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back on the wall. His leather jacket strained against the muscles circling his biceps. There was a hard edge to his words as he replied, "He asked me to keep an eye on you."

"Who?" I demanded, with more force than I had intended.

"Your father," he answered simply.

I twitched at the mention of him. As Ari had never before expressed such an assignment, it must have been a new development.

"You've talked to my father?" Agitation laced every enunciation I made.

Ari snorted, chuckling at some private joke. "Have I talked to him? Of course I've talked to him. He's my father, too. Max … I'm your brother."