Chapter 12

8 years into the future:

Crying woke me up in the early morning. Sighing, I sat up and began to roll out of bed. Another nightmare, I had seen it myself in my dreams. A.J.'s power to read minds was getting extremely out of hand, it was too powerful for him. Why he could only hear the family's thoughts though also brought up questions.

I stepped into the twin's room, decorated in a faint yellow paint with pictures hanging up on the wall of the flock from three years ago…before I left them to keep them safe. A.J.'s bed rested underneath a photograph of Nudge and Iggy holding him, they were his godparents (although we didn't do the whole dunking the baby in water- it was just kind of determined). Angel and Gazzy were Mela's godparents of course. Geez, how old had they been when the kid's were born. Iggy had been twenty-one like Fang and I. Nudge was nineteen. Gazzy was sixteen and Angel was fourteen.

A.J. instantly wrapped his small arms around my neck. I held him as Mela woke up as well from her brother's cries. She walked across from her bed and hugged me as well. "A.J., buddy, it's all right. We're safe, nothing will happen to us, I promise."

When he quieted down, A.J., Mela, and I fell asleep on the bed.

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I woke up alone meaning Fang, when he realized I didn't come back to bed was with the kids, had decided to take the twins to the kitchen and make them breakfast. I had to admit, although he was no Iggy, Fang was pretty good at cooking compared to me. I stretched out every limb in my body, including my wings. At least inside, I didn't have to force them against my back.

Outside we can hear the city traffic blaring. When we left the flock we had traveled to New York and had gotten a small enough apartment for the four of us. We were on the high levels so encase we had to fly off, we had a good distance of air to just jump into. Fang and I still made sure we were safe…with Brigid alive and all.

I stepped into the kitchen to see the kids digging down on their own stacks of toaster-heated waffles. Fang was busy with eggs and toast to almost not notice me. But, as soon as I was in the room, I was all his eyes could focus on.

"Morning," he replied with a smile. I walked over to him and kissed him on the lips. I laughed lightly when I felt the prickles of his five o'clock shadow. "Sorry," he murmured, "Forgot to shave." Then again, he looked dangerous with it, like he was out to do some serious butt kicking with the dark stubs on his chin and cheeks. But he always seemed that way to me.

"Mom, Dad made breakfast for you." Mela pointed to the plate in front of my chair at the counter. I smiled and nodded my head. Mela's words had improved since she was one, in comparison to A.J. She was a bit more grown up, like Angel had been, and spoke more than some kids twice her age. I missed her calling me "Mommy" though but, at least A.J. still did.

"Thank you," I whispered, kissing Fang on the cheek. Just as I was about to dig in, the phone rang. "What time is it?" I asked Fang and he gave me the answer just by that one look. We knew perfectly well who it was and we didn't even need caller id for it. I stepped up and grabbed the phone. I leaned against the doorframe that connected the kitchen to the living room. "Hello?"

"Max?" Geez, I missed hearing my baby's voice. She sounded so grown up…she would be seventeen now. What an oldie…I smiled as she began talking. "Max, this is ridiculous, it's been three years. We all miss you. I met someone and I want you to meet him. Gazzy's engaged. Max you're missing it all and what for? Just because of some stupid power that might never happen? For all you know, distance might not even stop it."

"Still," I replied, "I would rather separate you and give you the chance to live before knowing for sure, if the worst was to happen, that you would all die." I ran a hand through my hair while staring at Fang. "Gazzy's engaged? Good for him, I knew that girl he met when he was sixteen would be good for him. You met someone Angel? Glad to here it, I hope he is a gentleman."

"Yeah, he's great." Angel didn't seem happy though. "Fang still with you? You guys still married and all. I still can't believe you did that Max. It was unlike you in the long run back then, but I guess you're different when you're in love right?"

"Of course," I replied, staring at the ring, twirling it around. "Mela and A.J. are good too. They turned three a few days ago." Marking the anniversary in which I left the flock behind. Fang, the only one who refused to absolutely leave, stayed with me. The kids I had no fear of hurting because they weren't programmed into my power to die like the rest of the flock.

"I know," Angel replied. "Tell them happy birthday." That was another rule I had, I kept the kids away from the flock. They were too young to understand that we couldn't see each other…not while I was still a monster.

"Iggy and Nudge?" I asked lightly checking the time. Ella would be over soon with her husband George.

"Expecting," Angel answered. I almost dropped the phone. Nudge was probably twenty-two and Iggy would be twenty-four like me so they were older than Fang and I. For some reason, I never considered them serious as a couple. One day, they decided to give dating a replied and I figured, they stayed together to just be with someone. "Don't worry Max, they planned it. They don't want marriage at all. Iggy would be mad to not be able to see Nudge walk down the aisle in the dress so they're skipping out on that." I nodded my head, realizing Angel couldn't see that while talking to me on a phone.

"I understand," I replied. "Tell them congrats or will they still not speak to me." Angel's silence told me that I was still getting the cold shoulder from the two older members of the flock I had left behind. Iggy's sight, as I recalled from what Angel told me every day, had gone two years ago during the Fourth of July. Iggy thought he was staring at the night sky and when he heard the fireworks but couldn't see them, he knew. "I hope the house is still in well condition."

They all lived in the safety house together as a family but Angel and Gazzy both went out into the town to go to the local college. Iggy and Nudge, for the most part, stayed on the island. We had lived there for five years before I left them. It really was a perfect place, Jeb had built it for us to live there forever, I'm assuming. Then the doorbell rang.

"I have to go," I whispered just as Fang went to the door. "Ella's here." Mela and A.J. too left their plates on the table and went to go greet their aunt, uncle, and cousin.

"Max, I love you and I know you love me too. I wish I could see you, it feels like being away from my mother." I felt the same, as if I was away from my baby because before Mela and A.J., I had sort of been a mother too with the flock. I missed them all deeply. "Goodbye Max," Angel whispered.

"Bye," I whispered back as if it was some secret. Then, I hung up and went to visit my sister. Ella sat on the couch already while the children began playing. Mela and A.J. had already hidden their wings so George or Ella's child could see. "Hey," I replied, "Happy anniversary."

"We were married in August Max. This is January," Ella said looking up at me. I shrugged it off and watched for a moment as the kids played with some action figures.

"I meant when you really started dating, back when we were all sixteen and I had moved away." And you broke up with Iggy over the phone, I thought in my head. Ella nodded her head and blushed as if she heard what I was thinking. Not that I was still holding a grudge, once Ella broke it off with Iggy, he started dating Nudge and now they were expecting a child even though they were ignoring me completely for something I had to do to keep them safe.

For the next few hours, the kids played games and we, the adults (it still feels weird to say) talked. My wings itched to be opened up and fly. Fang, reading my thoughts as usual, placed a hand on my back the entire time on the spot right between my wings. Today was an especially calm Sunday. We said goodbye around five.

At eight, Brigid attacked…