Chap. 30

I gaped at him, and my vision tinted red. What does he mean? My baby is gone? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I suddenly shrieked, the unknown noise ripping itself out of my throat. I couldn't take it anymore. No. All this stress was wearing down on me, suffocating me, like...something I could never get rid of. It's freaking annoying!

Fang II was unfazed by my reaction. Quite the contrary, he seemed to be amused, motioning for me to continue. I shot daggers at him with my eyes, trying to warn him that if he truly valued his life, he'd back off. He spoke, making his voice low and menacing.

"That's right, Max. Your baby is gone. The mutant dog that had been inside of you is gone. Doesn't mean he's dead, though." I shot my head back up at him, hope suddenly blossoming in my chest. My baby was alive? And he was a boy?

"Yes...Max. He's alive. He's in a tube at this moment, being analyzed by the best scientists in the world." I was stunned. How did he know what I was think-

"Did you not notice the helmet on your head Max? That helmet reads your mind, and shows me what your thinking on that monitor in the corner."

Good. That means I won't have to talk to that bastard. And I can cuss him out all I want, even all of the words I would usually never dare to say out loud. I started thinking, and his face wrinkled up at the disgusting words I threw at him. He pulled his hand back, and before I knew it, my left cheek was stinging, and I had tears in my eyes.

I stared back up at him, suddenly feeling like a weakling. Which was one of my biggest fears. Damn, how was I going to get out of this one? I had no idea, and I had a feeling that I wasn't going to find out of this one either. How depressing.

He turned back, and walked away, not leaving one backward glance in my direction. The door behind him hissed shut, and now that I was alone, a solitary tear rolled down my cheek. What was I going to do? I'm the main girl, the girl who's supposed to save the world. But no. I've been pregnant twice, and my other baby is in a tube. My Flock has fallen apart, and I've been birdnapped...again.

I had to face the facts. Now, that I was alone again, I let out a cry of fury. Damn! Why me? What have I done wrong? Why hate on the teenage mutant bird kid that doesn't know how to deal with life? Why...?

(Fang POV)

What was the point in living, if everything you ever loved keeps being ripped away from your arms? I sat in an armchair in the living room, after trying to chase after Max and the...other me. I had been hot on his tail, until he had flown down into a nest of trees. Of course I had followed him, but he was nowhere to be found. Same with Max. What the hell was going on?

"Daddy? Are you okay?" A small voice met my ears, and I lifted my head out of my hands, and gazed at my daughter. Her clothes were rumpled up, her tiny dress wrinkly. She had a small frown on her face, and she was looking pointedly at me. Damn, she had her mother's attitude all right.

"I'm fine, honey. Why do you ask?" I said, and lifted her into my arms. Then I lifted her high into the air. She giggled happily, and when I brought her back down, she snuggled against me, her head at my chest.

"When Daddy's mad, he puts his head right in there," She said, and gripped my hands with here tiny ones. "Then Daddy looks at the floor, and no talking." I inwardly smiled at her grammar, and I pulled her back up to me, eye to eye.

"Daddy's okay. He...no talking right now." Why the heck was I speaking in third person to her? I don't know, maybe a parenting thing?

"See? Daddy is sad. Why? Go find Mommy and her will make it better." I chuckled at her words, then the meaning hit me. Did she know Max was gone? ...How?

"Mommy is upstairs, honey." I said, looking away. A white lie wouldn't kill her. I needed to keep her from the truth just a little longer. Just a little bit longer.

She was right. I needed to find Max...again. Same story. Whoever was writing my story seriously needed to tone down all the depressing things that have been happening to me. Why me? I didn't do that many bad things...did I?

"Okay. Daddy's going to go get Mom now." Damn, there was that third person thing again. Gotta get over that. I gently picked Rose up and set her on my hip. It felt good, it felt right. I took her to Nudge's room, and set her on the bed. Nudge was snoring loudly at her desk, her head uncomfortably resting against...a comic book? Never mind. I got to one knee and got eye to eye with Rose again.

"I'm going to get Mommy. If the rest of the Flock asks where I am, tell them that I'm getting her. Okay? I..love you." I kissed the top of her head, my hand lingering in her hair. She smelled of strawberries. Max's favorite shampoo. Did I smell a hint of peanut butter? What?

I stepped out of the room, and stood in the doorway, partially closing the door. I watched Rose as she stood up, and crawled over to the desk. She jumped on and sat down crissed crossed next to Nudge's head. Rose must think I had left. What was she going to do?

"Nudge...Nudge..." Rose spoke. And poked Nudge's head with her index finger repeatedly. I stifled a laugh. Rose's expression had a mix of determination and and a hint of impatience...like me.

"What! Agh! What, zombies? Aliens?World War III? What the-" Nudge squealed when Rose bopped her on the head.

"Be quiet." She said, pulling a finger to her lips. She had an eyebrow quirked up, and she slightly wiggled in her spot. "Daddy is going to find Max."

Nudge looked incredulous at first, an then her face relaxed into a smile. "Dad, huh? Interesting. Wait, where's Max? I thought she-"

Rose poked Nudge's head again, wanting her attention. "Nudge? Can I have that stuff? Yummy pink stuff?"

My eyes widened. What was Nudge feeding my child? I leaned in closer, intent on hearing her answer. My breathing quieted, and I noticed myself becoming invisible slowly. Cool. I had forgotten about that 'power.'

Nudge laughed. "Oh! That stuff? You always want that. By the way, it's brown, not pink. It'd be really cool if it was pink though. Oh my gosh! What if I invented that? Then I'd be a billionaire. Everyone would buy it. Because everyone would love it! And-"

Rose got the message, and slapped a tiny hand to Nudge's mouth. I thanked her mentally for shutting her up. What was that substance she was describing?

"What is it called?" Rose asked, releasing Nudge's mouth.

"Oh. Why didn't you ask earlier? Then we wouldn't had to have had go through all the trouble. Speaking of trouble, The Bachelor last night was amazing! I can't believe he picked her. Now that there is some serious trouble. I bet that relationship won't last two weeks. Because after the couple is tired of having-"

Rose smacked her hand on that annoying mouth again, thankfully cutting Nudge off of what she was about to say next. "What. Is. It. Called?"

"Oh yeah. Peanut butter. Duh. I wonder who came up with that name. I mean, butter is like from cows, and peanuts are like fruit or something. Why butter? Why not yogurt? Peanut yogurt. Eew. That doesn't sound appetizing at all. In fact, peanut butter really doesn't either. You know what else is wierd? Oreos. Who came up with that name? It's such a wierd word. O-R-E-O. That's just plain stupid. Another one, Nerds. Does Willy Wonka have something against geeks with poor skin? What brought that on? I mean-"

I walked away, wanting to die rather than listen to her blab on. Jeez, Nudge, don't you have any idea when to take the hint whenever someone wants you to shut the hell up? Of course, I felt bad for leaving Rose there like that, but what other choice did I have? I knew that Nudge would watch over her carefully.

Speaking of Nudge, where was the rest of the Flock? I stepped into Gazzy's room, and noticed the piece of paper on his bed. Dammit! Where did he go now? I almost crumpled up the paper, but thought better of it. Quickly, on the back, I wrote: "Gaz. Next time I see you, we're gonna have to talk. Big time. -Fang" Damn. Being leader of the Flock was so draining. All I wanted to do was go curl up in a corner and sleep forever.

I walked out to the front door next, getting ready for my big "adventure". Before my hand reached the handle, the door slammed open on it's own accord, almost hitting me in the process. Lucklily I had ninja reflexes. Hah. I laughed inwardly at my selfish personality.

Iggy practically fell in the doorway. He was giggling, and his clothes were extremely disheveled. Not to mention he was shirtless. His wings automatically tucked in behind him, and he stumbled to the couch, and fell face down. Was he seriously giggling? What was going on?

He was chuckling now. Murmuring to himself and laughing quietly. I sighed, puzzled with his behaviour. His eyes rolled back into his head, and I knew he had passed out. What was up with everybody today?

I couldn't leave him like this. My curiosity would kill me if I didn't find out what he did to himself. Of course, Max was waiting, but would a few hours make a difference? She needed me, and I...definitely needed her. Plus, if I was going to find Max, I might need Ig to pick a few locks for me.

I settled into a solitary chair next to the window and got comfortable. This was going to be a long, painful wait.