Chapter 12: What You Know


Max PoV


I didn't make a noise; I couldn't give him the satisfaction.

A growl came from low in his throat and he hit me in the back. Where my wings used to be. Before he… ripped them out.

They were still lying on the other side of the room. Blood covering them. My beautiful wings. I would never be able to fly again. To soar through the roads in the sky, find pathways through the clouds. To feel the sun on my feathers as they work effortlessly to keep me airborne.

I would never be able to learn tricks from the hawks we made friends with. The joy of finding that something as simple as tilting a feather can have the biggest effect.

I felt tears come into my eyes. At least before I had gone through everything for a reason; to fly. Now I had missed a normal life, been through pain and humiliation and for what? To die hear, today? Without a fight?

"No."

The whisper was horse in my throat. He looked at my face, surprised. He saw the cold determination in my eyes. He backed away slightly.

"No!"

It was closer to a shout this time. I got slowly to my feet. My eyes fixed on his face.

I ran across the room, gaining momentum with every step.

He was frozen to the spot.

At the last minute I jumped, kicking his head. It snapped to the side and I heard a crack.

Before he could recover I launched into an advanced Tae Kwon Do routine I had mapped out with Fang.

A quick front snap kick, followed immediately by a lead hand jab to his throat and a rear hand reverse punch to his stomach. Finally I did an inward, downward kick, bringing my foot over him and smashing my heel down into his skull. As fast as mutantly possible.

He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Maybe dead.

Suddenly the door burst open and a girl ran in.

Her eyes widened when she saw the bloody mess that was my opponent. She rushed over to him and grabbed his wrist, feeling his pulse. Then she went pale.

When the girl turned to me tears were pouring down her face.

"You killed him," Her voice was clear through her tears.

I stared at the girl.

"He was going to kill me! He pulled out my wings!"

"You wanted to be normal, he tried to help you. He was just a kid! You killed him in cold blood! He was my brother and you killed him."

The girl's words hit me like a ton of bricks.

He was her brother. I killed him.

I turned and ran through the door that she had left open. I ran through the halls, smashing through the exit doors.

I was on a cliff top. Without thinking I threw myself off, opening my wings.

Except, I didn't have wings anymore.

I sat up, gasping for breath. I was in a black room. Fang's room.

I franticly felt my back, relaxing when I felt the feathery softness of my wings.

I needed to fly. To feel the wind whip my through hair.

I leapt up glancing down at my attire. I was still in my school clothes. I ran silently across to my room, changing as fast as I could, then opened my window and threw myself out.

I let myself fall, snapping my wings out at the last minute. The wind caught me, making me rise up above the house. I flapped, going higher and higher, until I was above the clouds that hung in the night sky.

I poured on the speed, leaving my worries and fears behind me, losing myself in the pure pleasure of flying. At almost three hundred miles an hour, I might add. I had been practicing.

I flew for about two or three hours, before landing on Frank Island, Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming. Finally, I let myself think.

I had killed him. I still had no idea who he was, but I had still killed him.

Focus on what you do know instead of dwelling on what you don't.

Okay. I know that he is a guy. Um, he had a sister? He's in my dreams. He hurt me.

Good. Now what else do you know?

Um. I thought back to previous dreams, Oh! He has really bad breath. And claws.

Good. Now you should head back. The Flock will wake soon.

I didn't answer it. I just took off, the thoughts swirling round my head disappearing as I went into warp drive.

Just for fun, I tried to see how fast I could go. I think I reached three ten.

I barely noticed the time passing and almost missed Forks. I braked, but too late. I skidded along the grass in the back garden on my face, getting mud in my mouth.

The back door was flung open as I sat up, coughing and spitting out the mud. I saw Fang and Angel come out. Fang's face was very dark. He was livid.

"Max, where were you?" Angel's blue eyes bored into mine. I threw up mind blocks, but it was too late. Her jaw dropped. "Max! That's horrible! It wasn't your fault. He was going to kill you first!"

"What?" Fang was suddenly next to me, his eyes flashing.

"The nightmare. I killed him," I looked down. It was then I noticed the fact that my whole front was green form the grass, with some brown streaks here and there.

"Where were you?" Angel brought us back to her original question.

"Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming."

"What were you doing?" Fang's eyes were as sharp as his voice.

"Thinking, talking to the Voice."

Before Fang could question me any further, Nudge and Gazzy walked through the door.

"What are you guys doin' out here? What happened to the grass? Max! What happened to you? Did you get attacked or something?" Nudge asked.

"No sweetie, I wasn't attacked. I was just going to fast on my landing," I laughed at her scrutiny of my clothing.

"That top's ruined! We'll have to get you a new one. Oh, yay! That means shopping! Can we go Max? Please? You need a new top and jeans. Me and Angel need pyjamas. Actually come to think of it we all need pyjamas. We all sleep in old clothes. I see them when people come down to breakfast. Breakfast! I wonder what Ig's making? Iggy?" She ran inside, Gazzy and Angel following her.

I sighed in relief; she had gotten distracted from the shopping trip idea. Now just to deal with Fang.

I turned to him, slightly nervous. He opened his mouth to speak just as Iggy called us in for breakfast.

"We'll talk about this later," Fang sounded like me when I was telling one of the kids off. He walked inside after giving me one more hard look.

Sighing again, this time from annoyance, I followed him.