Iggy woke with a start, for a brief moment he couldn't remember where he was. The bed felt different and a tree rustled outside the window, neither the window nor the tree had been there before. Then he remembered, they had arrived last night. Another long flight on a plane, another new house, once again on the opposite side of the continent from last time.
Iggy reached out for Fang, he wasn't there. A brief flutter of panic beat in Iggy's chest.
"Fang?" he sat up, rubbed his eyes. No answer, he listened hard, there was no one in the room with him.
He forced himself to be calm. Fang had probably gone to the bathroom or something. He reached out a hand and felt around the bedside table, a lamp, an ordinary alarm clock, of no use to him, then what he was searching for, his own wrist watch. He flicked the cover open and felt the hands, eight o' clock, he had slept much longer than he would have supposed. He clambered out of bed then had to stop and think, he barely remembered the bedroom. He had pretty much crashed last night on arrival.
"Okay" he lectured himself "When in doubt go back to basics." He had a tried and tested method for finding his way round strange rooms.
He took a few steps back along the bed towards the headboard until he felt the wall, then turning at a right angle to it he did a lap of the room following the walls with his fingertips. On the way round he found the door, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a chair, then the big window, no en suite bathroom much to his disappointment.
Now he had worked out the bedroom he ventured out of the door, left or right? Last night was mostly a blank to him, him and Fang crawling up the stairs and falling into bed they were so tired. He stood undecided for a moment and footsteps approached him;
"Hey Dr Roberts"
"Iggy" the scientist smiled, Iggy could hear it in his voice.
"Which way is the bathroom doc?" Iggy asked
"Oh er- just along the corridor, last door on the right."
"I kind of need more to work with" said Iggy
"Oh er – yes" the scientist was flustered
"If you could just point me left or right, tell me how far along?" Iggy suggested. It was unusual for him too, the flock were completely attuned to his blindness he never had to explain what he needed.
"Ah- Okay" Dr Roberts took a breath "turn left about erm- twenty foot along the passage then last door on the right."
"How many doors?" queried Iggy
"Two doors before the bathroom"
"Okay thanks" Iggy set off aware that Dr Roberts was watching him. Hovering he guessed in case he got lost or something.
"I'm good" he reassured him "I won't get lost"
"Ah – well yes…" Dr Roberts left his footsteps receding down the stairs, which usefully told Iggy where the stairs were too.
Iggy finished with the bathroom and returned to the corridor. Should he just go back to the bedroom or try to look for Fang? Somewhere below he could hear voices, very faint and muffled, he decided to go downstairs he was craving a strong cup of coffee. Carefully he felt his way towards the stairs wishing he had thought to bring his cane with him, it was chucked with his clothes and bags in an untidy heap in the bedroom. He would manage with just an outstretched hand. Another door opened near him.
"Hey Iggy" Angel yawned "Where are you going?"
"I think I'm going to the stairs" he said "am I?"
"Not so much" she replied "They're way along the passage"
"Ah, I think I'm a bit disorientated" he admitted
"I'll take you" Angel moved in front of him he placed a hand on her small shoulder she was too little for him to take her arm.
"Stairs down" she said at exactly the right moment "Where to now?" when they were safely at the bottom.
"The kitchen and coffee" he said.
To his relief Fang was in the kitchen along with Max and Dylan.
"Hey" Fang walked to his side "I thought you were still sleeping"
"Just woke up" Iggy held out a hand Fang took it and pecked him on the cheek.
"Want a coffee?" he asked
"Yeah, I need a something, I'm not really awake"
Fang took Iggy to the table,
"Chair in front of you" he said, and waited while Iggy felt for the chair and sat down.
"If I'd thought you were up I'd have come back upstairs" he said, he felt bad about it knowing how difficult it would have been for Iggy to wake alone in a strange place. Iggy wouldn't complain but Fang knew anyway.
Iggy shook his head,
"It was fine, I found the bathroom and then Angel found me"
Fang kissed the top of his head and handed him his coffee.
"After breakfast I'll take you round the place, get your bearings Okay?"
"Sure" Iggy took a swig of his coffee he looked relaxed enough but Fang saw the slight tilt of his head as he listened intently to everything around him. He was not as relaxed as all that.
Fang thought it was all the more amazing that Iggy had planned the whole rescue of him and Max, though Iggy would disagree of course.
"I only did what you or Max would do for me" he had said
Which was true but neither he nor Max would have had to plan the whole thing and do it successfully without any sight at all.
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Dr Roberts was driving Dylan, Fang Iggy and Nudge to the mall. Max, Gazzy and Angel were going to follow his station wagon in the Toyota economy car. Max was driving, she looked just about old enough to have a license. As long as no one wanted to actually see it.
The old clapboard house they were staying in belonged to Dr Roberts cousin, who was staying in Paris or something. It was on the edge of town set in a large garden next to a farm. Cows wandered past the end of the garden, and chickens pecked round the lawn. Nudge in particular was in heaven. Angel missed the dogs who would have had such a great time here.
Dylan was in the passenger seat, Dr Roberts, whose name was Steve, was explaining the basics of driving to him, Dylan hadn't learnt yet. Dr Roberts was going to give him lessons. Fang already knew how to drive, and he had taught Nudge as soon as she was tall enough. Dylan, only just part of the flock in the last year or so, hadn't picked it up yet.
Fang wished though, that Dr Roberts had chosen another time to show Dylan. He didn't want Iggy to feel left out, to bring home to him yet again something he could never do.
But Iggy, if he cared, wasn't showing it. He had wound down the window and let the breeze blow into his face.
"It smells like countryside" he said.
"It looks like countryside" Fang told him "There are fields and woods."
"And animals" added Nudge. "Some horses in a paddock on the left, a field of corn or something on the right."
The flock were really city kids, their knowledge of agriculture was pretty much zero.
They drove through the suburbs of the little town, Fang couldn't remember its name, they had been to so many like this one that they all blurred into one respectable, small town America.
"The houses are nice" Nudge said. She craved a normal life more than any of them.
Fang looked out at the New England style clapboard houses set well back from the road behind immaculate lawns. Some had sprinklers going in the hot weather. Small children actually cycled up and down the sidewalks.
"It's like an ad for fifties suburbia" muttered Fang. "We're not going to blend"
Iggy took his hand and smiled somewhere past his shoulder
"We never blend do we? I thought you'd know that by now."
They arrived at the town centre. It had a proper Main Street with shops, a post office, everything. At the end was a little mall, Dr Roberts pulled into the parking lot, Max parked up beside him.
"Remember" she instructed them "We stick together for now."
They trooped into the mall looking pretty obvious, seven tall skinny kids and Dr Roberts. Before they were even properly inside Fang noticed people glancing at them.
"They probably get like two strangers a year in this place" he observed quietly to Iggy.
Iggy just smiled at him
"It's just a place Fang, we're not even staying too long, just somewhere to crash for a bit. It's not like we're setting up home or anything"
He reached out his free hand to Fang, his cane was back in the other.
"It's so noisy" he said by way of explanation "I can't find my way through it."
Fang took his hand, placed it on his arm.
"Thanks" Iggy squeezed it affectionately.
"Can you hear anything Ig?" asked Max
Iggy gave her one of his smile scowls.
"I can hear everything Max. But if you mean do I hear weird invisible assassins following us, then no, not yet."
Iggy tilted his head to one side
"There's too many footsteps to tell them apart. Let's go somewhere quieter, and I might be able to pick something up."
They wandered round a few shops, sticking together made it hard. Nudge spent ages looking at clothes that bored everyone but her. Gazzy and Iggy argued happily in the computer game store while the rest of them hung around impatiently by the door.
"Let's get a burger" Max sounded defeated.
On the way Dr Roberts was accosted by a tall well spoken woman
"Steve, it's great to see you!" I didn't know you were in town." She had a loud preppy confident voice that made Iggy flinch.
"Ah yes!" he responded too quickly, sounding guilty. "I'm over at Lances place for the summer."
"And these lovely young people are?" She smiled nosily at the flock.
"Dr –er uncle Steve's nieces and nephews" Max jumped in "Here for a vacation."
The woman raised an eyebrow at the seven assorted kids ranging from teen- god Dylan to cute little Angel. African American Nudge and dark haired Fang stood out as the least related looking of them all.
"Lance never mentioned he had such a large family" she said unconvinced.
"Oh sure Betty, there are loads of us" lied Dr Roberts.
Betty smiled at them all, showing her teeth in a slightly horsy way.
"Well you kids be sure to have a good time, we've some nice beaches not far from here"
"Yeah, thanks" muttered Fang, was she never going to leave?
Betty suddenly saw Iggy who had been mostly obscured by Fang. She took in his white cane, his wide unfocussed gaze. Her horsy grin got wider,
"Oh you're blind" she said to him as if it were a revelation
"Um yeah" Iggy admitted, it wasn't something he could like lie about.
"I'm fund raising for Seeing Eye dogs right now, I'm doing a little thing on Saturday." Betty said enthusiastically
"Um that's nice, dogs are nice" Iggy wasn't sure what he was supposed to say "Ah yes- I guess Seeing Eye dogs are even nicer."
"You must come" Betty said to them all her horsy teeth taking them all in, in a broad grin."Must! It's just a little fete in my paddock, you know the one Steve?"
"I –er-yes" he said resigned. Betty didn't seem like the type to take no for an answer.
"Wonderful!" she trilled "I'll see you there at eleven."
"Iggy!" complained Max "You were too nice to her. Now we have to go to her fete!"
"I was not!" Iggy shot back. "It's not my fault she was overly thrilled to meet an actual blind person."
"Betty is always fund raising for something" said Dr Roberts wearily "It's her thing"
"Why couldn't she be fund raising for homeless cats or something" moaned Max
Dr Roberts shook his head,
"We'll have to go. Betty's kind of important around here. It'll be a big snub if we don't go, and then Lance will get a hard time. I've already got to tell him I invented extra family for us"
"Well I sort of did it" admitted Max. She felt a bit sorry for Dr Roberts who was a nice gut and only trying to help.
Dr Roberts flickered a smile at them,
"The crazy thing is, we're a really small family. My dad and Lance's dad were brothers and there's only me and Lance, and my mom left now. He'll have to invent an aunt or something."
"I'm hungry" complained Gazzy, which reminded them all about the burgers.
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On Saturday they all walked to Betty's place which wasn't that far from Lance's house. It was a huge house, set well back in it's own woods and fields. To one side was a paddock. If there were usually any horses in it they had been banished to make way for small white tents and tombola stalls.
"Betty must be loaded" observed Max
"God" muttered Fang, taking in the scene "It really is the fifties."
"Stop complaining" Iggy grinned annoyingly "We can blend with the locals, isn't that what we're supposed to do?"
"Don't think so" Fang said
Practically everyone in the small field had turned to look at them.
Betty came surging across the grass, her fluffy blonde hair bobbing about.
"Ah my special guests!" she called out as she came nearer. The descending on Iggy, took his arm and began to hustle him away towards the tents.
Fang debated for an instant whether to fell her on the spot.
Iggy guessed what he was thinking and called back over his shoulder
"I'm OK Fang, go and look round for a bit"
He wasn't that OK actually, Betty was propelling him in front of her which was pretty unnerving when you couldn't see where you were going. He much preferred to follow whoever he was with but didn't feel confident asking Betty to let him take her arm instead. So he just held his cane out at an angle figuring that he could feel it if she was going to run him into something. He was pitched to a halt suddenly with no explanation.
"This is my daughter Cindy" Betty boomed at him
"Er – hi" Iggy held out his hand. He had no idea how old Cindy might be, he may be offering to shake hands with a five year old.
"Hi" a bored sounding teenage voice said. She barley touched his hand before dropping it quickly like he was contagious or something.
"This is er…" Betty trailed off realising that she didn't know his name.
"Jeff" lied Iggy
"Ah yes, Jeff" Betty boomed some more "He's here with his er- relatives. Staying with Steve Roberts."
Then in a loud whisper to Cindy which Iggy could totally hear, "He's blind!"
"Uh huh" Cindy could not have been less interested in anything she had heard in the past few seconds. The suddenly she perked up.
"Oh, whose that?" she asked
Iggy had a pretty good idea of who she meant.
"Does he have blonde hair, a tan, about fifteen years old?" he guessed.
"Uh huh! Is he a relative of yours?" She was interested now alright.
"That's Dylan, my er- cousin" he said.
Iggy smiled to himself as Cindy hurried away with the barest goodbye to him. Good luck beating her off of Dylan Max he thought.
"Ah yes.." Betty said flustered by her daughter's Lack of charm or even manners. "Do come and meet my very good friend Ruth"
She wasn't letting Iggy go anytime soon. She had managed to get an actual blind person at her Seeing Eye dog fete, it was a personal triumph for her and she was making the most of it.
Iggy spent the next half hour lying to Ruth about how he would like a Seeing Eye dog one day. He had experienced flying with Akila in his arms and wasn't about to add a Labrador retriever to the experience. Total had been heavy enough before he fortunately grew wings and could fly himself.
At least Iggy now had a coke and a large slice of yummy chocolate cake that Ruth had baked. He could hear the rest of the flock at various points around the field. Max was laughing britterly with Cindy making it clear she was with Dylan. Cindy was ignoring her for the most part and offering to take Dylan to see all the local sights. Iggy could practically hear Max seething. It made him smile.
Nudge was discussing cake baking with someone nearby. It was kind of sad how hard Nudge tried with normal stuff. She didn't even bake cakes, he did.
He listened for Fang, it was a constant disadvantage to him that Fang was mostly so silent. He couldn't often hear him, not like he could the others.
"Hey Ig. Er-I mean Jeff" Gazzy bounded up. He seemed to be having a good time at any rate.
"This is great isn't it?" Gazzy said
"Erm –yeah" Iggy lied
"There's loads of awesome cake and me and Angel are going on the pony rides!"
"Great Gazzy" Iggy chided himself. Gazzy was just a kid, and for once he was getting to do kid stuff.
"Can you see Fang?" he asked him
"Uh sure he's across the field talking to a girl." Gazzy considered this description "No, it's more the girl is talking to him Fang is just mooching and listening"
"A girl?" Iggy frowned at this "What kind of girl?"
"I dunno" said Gazzy honestly, he was only eight "Just a girl"
"How old?" asked Iggy
"I guess like your age" Said Gazzy.
Iggy wasn't happy at this news at all. It wasn't that he didn't trust Fang it was just….
"Could you tell Fang that I want to talk to him?" he said to Gazzy
"Uh huh" Gazzy dashed of to deliver the message ion the way to the ponies.
Fang's footsteps approached.
"Hey Jeff"
"Hey back Nick" Iggy could stay in character too.
A second set of footsteps paced alongside Fang's.
"This is Stacey, Jeff" Fang sounded exasperated which pleased Iggy.
"Hi" he stuck out his hand Stacey shook it vigorously
"Hi Jeff it's so great to meet you!" she gushed.
Was she like on drugs or something? Iggy frowned but he was secretly quite pleased. If Fang had a girl type, it wasn't Stacey.
"I've been saying to Nick that me and Cindy would love to show you around town" Stacey went on. "We could take in a movie, there's one at the mall right now, oh..ah…" she flustered to a halt.
"I do movies" said Iggy. He could hear alright.
"Oh sure, that's so great!" Stacey said brightly like Iggy had won a prize or something.
"We don't do movies" Fang said firmly "Just not our thing"
"Oh well…there's a great beach" Stacey tried again "We could get my mom to give us a ride"
"Yeah sure, soon" Iggy said quickly before Fang could say what he was probably going to say. The guy could not blend if his life depended on it. Well not with people, he did alright with trees and landscapes.
"But we're busy the next few days so maybe Nick could call you…." Fang kicked him under the table
"Ow!"
"What?" said Stacey
"Nothing"
"Well OK Nick this is my number" said Stacey
"Make sure to put it in your phone" added Iggy he couldn't hear the little beeps of the phone.
"Sure" Fang said through grinding teeth.
Stacey chirped goodbye and dashed off to update her friend Cindy.
"Be nice Nick" cautioned Iggy
"We have to get out of here Jeff" Fag reached across and picked up Iggy's cake.
"Hey did you just take my cake?" queried Iggy
"Yeah Jeff, I did" said Fang.
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On the plus side I haven't heard a single weird footstep" said Iggy "Not one since we got here"
The older kids were slumped in the comfortable sitting room, the younger kids were in bed.
"I think Cindy and Stacey are planning to join forces and make a move on Dylan and Fang" moaned Max
"I'm not sure even you can defeat them" said Iggy "Not combined". He grinned at no one in particular.
"Uh Max, it's not like I encouraged her or anything" said Dylan worriedly
"I know you didn't" she reassured him.
"I can't help that I look this way" Dylan continued earnestly "They made me to be really good looking."
"The bastards" said Fang cynically
"No really Fang" Dylan turned his sea blue eyes on Fang and frowned. "I don't really like it, all the girls always after me" he dipped his head Iggy could hear tears in his voice.
"I just want to be part of the flock" he muttered.
"You are part of the flock" Iggy said
"Don't forget Dyl, it was you who helped me rescue Fang and Max"
"Uh huh, Ig's right" Fang felt bad about teasing Dylan, he really was too sweet. Angel was tougher. And he was right, he hadn't chosen to be this way, none of then had.
"Thanks Iggy" Dylan gave him a mega watt smile.
"Can't we just leave?" complained Fang. Of all of them he was finding it hardest staying in Fifitiesville. He much preferred the anonymity of a city, or living in the wilds.
"Like Iggy said, there are no invisible assassins so what are we hiding from?"
"You just gave us a good argument to stay Fang" Max pointed out.
"But not being in imminent danger isn't a reason to die of boredom here" argued Fang.
"I know what you're saying Fang , I don't like it either but we just need a bit more time." Said Max
"Time for what?" Fang pressed
"Dr Roberts is doing research for us, and mom is too, lets see what they turn up about our invisible friends then we'll know what to do next" Max scowled at him "You know this Fang, what's your problem?"
"Stacey and Cindy of course" observed Iggy
"Shut up Iggy!" said Fang and Dylan in unison.
Iggy tried to distract Fang by taking him out round the area over the next few days. He was careful to hide this from Nudge who would demand that he take her back to the mall if she found out. Generally all the flock were going crazy being around the house and garden all the time. Only Iggy got to go out when he wanted.
He walked with Fang along the lane that led up past the farm.
"Footsteps" Iggy was on alert at once then frowned "It sounds like just one person, nothing weird either." They turned a corner past a hedge and came face to face with Cindy.
"Oh hi" she threw Fang a white wide smile, he noticed that she had expensive looking braces on her teeth. "I've been meaning to call, Stacey said you guys were up for coming to the beach with us?"
Had she actually been lying in wait for them? Iggy couldn't be sure but Fang said this lane led nowhere but the farm, was she just visiting the farm then?
"We thought we might go tomorrow?" Cindy pressed "That's if you and Dylan can make it?"
She obviously didn't care if no one else could. Iggy tried and failed to bite back a comment, he was standing right there after all.
"I'm not deaf as well you know" he snapped, he had had enough of her rudeness
"Yeah I get that" she sniped back, "Thing is Jeff, it's kind of a sightseeing thing. I didn't think It'd be your thing."
Iggy stood open mouthed, he had rarely if ever met someone so spoilt and so horrible. Before he could even think of a reply Fang did it for him.
"Thing is Cindy, I have absolutely no interest in you or Stacey, nor does Dylan. He's all for Max you know, you're wasting your time. As for me you're way off beam I'm with Jeff."
Now it was Cindy's turn to gape.
"Jeff's your boyfriend?"
"Yeah, diversity has come to small town America big time" Fang frowned at her " Gayness and blindness all in one go. You'd better tell Stacey."
"You bet I will!" she flashed angrily at them "Just wait and see who I don't tell you losers! She stormed off.
"Uh oh!" said Iggy "this is bad Fang"
"I know" admitted Fang "I just got so mad"
"Not as mad as Max when she finds out what you've done" said Iggy
"We won't tell her" suggested Fang hopefully
"I don't think we will have to" Iggy said "I'm guessing it will be all round town soon enough."
He pulled Fang back the way they had come.
"let's get back, we need to plan where we're going next."
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"We're going nowhere!" stated Max firmly glaring round at the flock, daring them to disagree.
"Yeah" said Dylan surprisingly bold for once. "It's like proper homophobia and I don't think we should give in."
"Besides" added Nudge "We can totally kick the butt of anyone who starts on us."
It had taken less than a day for Betty to come round to Lance's house in her big four by four for a "word" with Dr Roberts.
Iggy had pressed his ear against the outside of the study door and heard every word of her polite homophobic rant.
"It's not that I mind that sort of thing" she had reassured Dr Roberts. "We live in modern age I know. But I don't think this is the right place for it. Cindy saw them Steve, there she was just walking along minding her own business in her own town I might add, and there they were. Jeff and Nick doing things. Kissing and such Cindy said, the poor girl did not know where to look. She was so upset Steve, shaking and crying, I mean it's just not what we're used to. I don't think that it's right that the children of this town should be subject to knowing about that sort of thing."
She paused to take a good swig of the coffee that Dr Roberts had gotten her.
"I must say, that I never would have thought it of Jeff, he did seem a nice boy."
"He is a nice boy still" Dr Roberts felt compelled to try to defend them. "I take your point Betty, but I think the real problem here is that Cindy fancied her chances with F-Nick or Dylan. I think she was angry more than embarrassed really I do. Look at what these kids watch on TV these days. You're not telling me that two boys kissing threw a teenage girl into a blue fit?"
"Steve that's out of order and you know it. Cindy is just fourteen, all she cares about is her studies right now, how dare you suggest that she's wanting that sort of thing!" Betty stood up and swept out of the study.
Iggy just had time to make a dash for it and hide in the kitchen.
"Well Steve, I've said what I came here to say. I hope your family enjoy their vacation , really I do. But I would appreciate if you kept them away from Cindy and her friends."
She was gone in a screech of tyres.
"Crap" said Dr Roberts at her retreating back.
"It's really sweet of you all to be so well-supportive" said Iggy as they all sat in the kitchen later and debated what to do next. He smiled round to where he assumed everyone might be.
"But this makes it impossible to lie low for a few weeks like we were going to."
"I don't agree" Max responded, "So, we might have blown the party invites and hanging out with our new small minded pals but we only need each other anyway don't we?"
"Yeah" agreed Gazzy "An I miss just us hanging out all together, an having flying competitions, an doing stuff."
"We haven't played computer games for like ever" admitted Iggy beginning to waver
Fang just scowled.
"You don't agree?" Max challenged him noticing the scowl.
"Like Iggy said, how can we hide here Max? We never could anyway and now…"
"We'll go to a city soon, but for now we stay." Max said in that voice she used when she didn't want any disagreements.
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"You can't stay" Dr Roberts said apologetically. He had woken up the older kids in the middle of the night to break the news to them.
"I just got a text from Lance. He's on his way here."
"What he's coming back from Paris?" queried Max
"No he's coming back from the airport. He's going to be here in an hour or so" Dr Roberts shook his head "You know who put him up to this of course."
"Begins with B and ends with big old homophobe?" suggested Iggy. He was the only one not yawning his head off. It was two in the morning but Iggy's grip of day and night was a bit vague anyway his internal body clock kind of messed up, he had slept he felt fine.
"We have to pack, like now." Max rubbed at her sleep filled eyes. She was most definitely not really awake and felt sick.
They woke the younger kids and began to gather their things.
"Where will we go?" Nudge asked sleepily, Angel just sat on the edge of her bed and looked beat.
"Tonight we'll just go up the coast a bit and then tomorrow we'll have a good plan" said Max with more conviction than she felt.
Iggy trotted up the stairs to the girls room.
"Max?" he asked, and when she responded "I can hear a car coming" he said
"Oh crap" Max listened but it was another minute or two before she too heard the tyres sweeping along the silent road.
"Too late, Lance is here" she said as the car swept into the drive.
Lance was like a more handsome version of his cousin. Blonder where Dr Roberts was sandy haired, and taller, more square jawed. Dr Roberts was kind of skinny and a bit well – like a nerdy scientist. Lance was a scientist too, but a dashing one, out to save the whole world or something, not just whales.
He had obviously been well prepared by Betty to find his house full of strangers. He sat in his own kitchen drinking the coffee that Dr Roberts, the other Dr Roberts, had made him
"You sure know how to surprise a guy Steve" he said to him
"I would have told you Lance but…but, I didn't" he finished lamely
"Where'd you get all these kids?" said Lance looking round at them all. Max didn't like the way he fixed each of them with a glittering stare. It was his house and all, but it made her feel uncomfortable.
"They were with us on the whale expedition" explained Steve "Dr Martinez….."
"Ah and how is she?" Lance queried
"Ah-yes, fine" Steve was actually blushing a little. Max suddenly realised why he was helping them. He had a thing for her mom, how had she not noticed before?
Although it was weird, she thought that actually he wasn't so bad. If her mom felt the same way- well, why not?
"Look Dr Roberts, er Lance, there were too many Dr Roberts in this house. We're sorry for crashing your house and all. Sorry about that" Max said
"And we're sorry for being too diverse for Betty" added Fang
"And I'm too blind and all" added Iggy
"But we'll be gone in the morning" finished Max scowling at them both. Iggy was looking past her head but Fang scowled back for both of them.
"You kids stay if you want" Lance said "Really it's not a problem"
"Really?" Max said
"Yeah sure" Lance held up a hand "I admit I was bit well- surprised when Betty called me. I gave her my number in case anything happened. Well something sure did. But I can sleep in the study on the pull out. There's room for everyone."
"Thanks" Max was surprised "Well just for a few more days til will get sorted would be good"
"A deal" Lance grinned at her.
"Thanks a bunch" Steve literally mopped his brow. "You're a great cousin"
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So why did Max not feel OK about this? She couldn't go back to sleep, no chance. Dylan was snoring softly in the bed again. The other kids had retreated back to their rooms. It was now four in the morning. Max got up again and went to get a drink of water. In the kitchen she nearly died of fright on the spot at the shadowy figure sitting quietly in the dark.
"God Iggy!" she took a breath her heart was racing "What the hell are you doing?"
"Nothing." He was puzzled. "I couldn't sleep is all"
He didn't know he was sitting in the dark of course, so why would he turn a light on? Max berated herself for her stupidity. She didn't turn the light on either. For some reason she couldn't fathom herself, she wanted them to be unnoticed. Actually she was glad Iggy was here with her, in the past few weeks he was no longer annoying Iggy who made bombs with Gazzy and played childish pranks on them all. He was different, more serious, more considered. Fang's influence? She didn't know, but she was glad of it.
"What do you think to Dr Roberts, the new one?" she asked him.
"Well since you ask" Iggy paused " I think he's like too smooth. I mean, if you came home and found your house full of kids wouldn't you like have more questions? He didn't ask us anything. Where we're from, where we're going. None of the usual grown up stuff about do our mom's and dads know what we're up to?"
"You're right" Max nodded thoughtfully " That's what's odd about him, not nosey enough"
"Or" Iggy said quietly "He already knows all he needs to"
"We have to go" Max said
"Right now" agreed Iggy
They crept back upstairs and began to wake the flock again silently. Fortunately all of them were used to sudden unexplained moves, no one asked anything but just picked up their pre-packed bags. They gathered in what had been until five minutes ago Max and Dylan's room. They were going to use the window, no need for doors when you had wings.
The bedroom door opened just as Angel had climbed onto the window sill and spread her snowy wings wide.
"I think you should get down missy" Lance was in the doorway pointing a gun at her. Angel climbed back down, folded her wings in neatly to her back.
"This isn't what you think" said Max quickly "We're just getting out of here before someone makes a mistake, someone like you." She added
"This is exactly what I think it is" Lance smiled without humour "Let me guess a bunch of genetically enhanced kids, maybe escaped from a lab? Maybe from a lab that's really wanting them back."
"Ah then it is what you think" said Fang shrugging
"How'd you find us?" queried Max, it was hard to think that Dr Roberts, their Dr Roberts had betrayed them
"Well it's weird." Lance waved the gun around a bit. All of them flinched except Iggy who didn't know. "Don't suppose Steve told you what I do. I'm in genetics myself, nothing big time like this though I admit. And I heard things, things about some successful experiments with bird DNA, about kids better than any other kids could be. I thought it was what do you call it? An urban legend – that's it, but how wrong I was. Then to get that call from Betty. All these kids in my house, like Olympic athletes, that's how she described you. Well" he glance round at them "That was the nice bit she said some other stuff. Then I remembered what Steve said about Dr Martinez – never shuts up about her, how great she is, how committed to the whales and all. And then I remember where I'd heard about her before, back in that day before her whole green agenda. She was something to do with genetics too wasn't she?"
Lance looked around sorrowfully " I'm sorry I truly am, but as much as I'd like to check you out, you know find out more about you, I knew time would run out on me. So your pals from the lab will be here in a bit."
"Lance put the gun down" Steve came into the room behind him, Max was guessing he had heard most of it.
"No can do, little cousin" Lance replied. "You won't believe what they're paying me Steve for bringing these kids in." He glanced round and gave his cousin a genuine smile. "Steve, we'll be made after this. You didn't think I would keep it all myself did you? You can get your mom that nice retirement bungalow you talked about."
"I don't want the retirement bungalow for her, not like this" Steve said with conviction. Max was glad he turned out to be OK after all, she really had liked him.
"Let us go Lance" she tried again he was going to get hurt.
She could see how Iggy was edging nearer to him. The others were pretty much in his sights but not Iggy. Lance, stupidly thought that Iggy was no threat to him because he couldn't see. Iggy would be the first to remind anyone that he didn't need to see to fight. He was going to show Lance the hard way. The next few seconds were sudden chaos. Iggy managed to get behind Lance and kicked him hard from behind the knees and the guy crumpled at once, before Dylan who was next nearest could jump on him the gun fired off towards the ceiling. Angel and Gazzy flung themselves out of the way as it ricocheted past their heads. Dylan was on Lance holding him down with his weight. Lance kind of gurgled and fought ineffectually, Dylan was a superb fighter Lance didn't have a hope.
But something was wrong, Steve slumped forward into Iggy's arms and Iggy's t shirt had a great red stain spreading across it. He lowered Steve to the floor, for a heartbeat Max thought Iggy was shot but then realised the blood wasn't his. Iggy was feeling across Steve's chest .
"He's been hit" Iggy said urgently
"How?" Fang pushed to his side through Gazzy and Angel who stood staring at all the blood.
Not because they couldn't deal with blood but because it was pumping out of Dr Roberts.
"The bullet went up there" Iggy pointed to the ceiling "But it hit something metal and bounced back, it didn't go into the ceiling."
Fang looked to where he was pointing . A large metal light fitting, huge ugly and modern, had a big dint in it. Iggy tried to sit Dr Roberts up, blood was pumping from his mouth as well as his chest. He was not going to make it. Under Dylan, Lance managed a strangled scream. Dylan released his hold, Lance no longer had the gun, Nudge had picked it up and stood with it in her hand. She was holding it through her sweatshirt though, so no finger prints on it except Lance's.
"Steve!" Lance staggered to his cousin and flung down next to him "Steve, my god! My God!"
He was sobbing and looked round wildly "Help him!" he shouted "Do something!"
Iggy laid Steve down on the floor, shook his head. "He's gone" he said sadly
Lance wailed like a wounded beast "Oh god! Oh god!" he had just shot his only family. Max had to assume that Steve's mom wasn't going to be OK with her nephew after this.
"We're going" she said to his crumpled figure. Already blue lights were flashing along the road and sirens wailed. Someone had heard the gunfire.
"lets split!" she was on the window sill in an instant. Dylan and the younger kids right behind her. Fang took Iggy's hand and led him to the window.
"Jump" he said "you're about twenty feet up"
Iggy spread his wings and jumped. Fang followed him.
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