Chapter 14

In front of me was the flock, you know, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, and Total all of them just staring at me. Then, out of no where, I see...um...me. I would've been freaking out if I didn't know already what was going on. Sometimes, it's good to be on the in. It saves time that way. I realized, as someone blinked, that I was looking through someone else's eyes and now I realized it was Fang.

The room was lit by a large, flourescent kind of light that buzzed and hummed like those purple bug killing kinds. Gazzy and Angel, who looked so alike with their big blue eyes and blonde hair, were doing different things. Angel was explaining my plan to the group and he was hunched over an odd little machine. I noticed Coca Cola in white written across the curve of a red can. Another bomb most likely but it wasn't like I could interject now.

Iggy had his arms crossed, an eyebrow lifted, with the simpliest bored expression but there was still a hint of seriousness in the way his mouth formed a thin line. Nudge petted Total, the two of them oddly quiet for themselves. Fang...well, I couldn't really tell what he was doing. So this is what it felt like to be the Voice, to be Ari. Not her, she still needs me. For a moment, I almost thought it was Ari in the way the sound seemed to surround me and come from inside my mind at the same time. But it was Fang's voice, so now I could hear his thoughts.

I felt Ari's presence though suddenly as he whispered, "See, he misses you a whole lot. He won't give up." Of course my brother met Fang as we listened in on his thoughts. I blushed and tried to push it aside. There was more time for that later after all the whole saving the world was over with.

Angel whipped her blonde hair away from her shoulder with a small hand as she stared at everyone. There was no messing with a mind-controlling little girl like her. "Max said we should come in one week, so that woudl be five days now. No more, no less. So we have to devise a plan and find where they are holding her captive. Brigid betrayed us and now she's going to find out what it means to mess with our flock." I smiled wide as if I was in the room and she could see me. That's my girl.

"Never trust red-heads. Could've told you guys that," Iggy said with a smirk, his wings fluttering out a bit with mockery. His blonde hair was wet and spiked up randomly. A few streands were begining to droop down pathetically. "They always have guns in their purses at weddings." Clearly someone had filled him in on what had happened.

Gazzy lifted his head, the only time he listened was whenever Iggy or I spoke. Curiousity spiked, he asked, "How did you know Brigid had red hair?" Then, before Iggy even answered, he was bent down over the machine trying to fix whatever had caused it to start beeping extremly loud. Max II was frowning and smirking at the same time. She was frowning because she knew this was what she had to deal with. Smirking because she knew that was what I had to deal with all the time. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

When Gazzy stopped the noise Iggy smiled. "I've been known to touch her hair a few times." There was some bragging air in his tone and I laughed. Nudge and Angel were giggling. I heard Fang supress a laugh. "What?" Iggy asked, lifting his fingers, wiggling them about, "I've got magic fingers, remember?" That did it for them. Everyone was laughing at him as he smiled wide. Happiest I've seen them since Max- stop it. Fang's thoughts began to rush in front of my eyes now instead of everyone else.

Angel and I hugging and smiling. We were in front of the television on a carpeted floor at Dr. Martinez's house. Her blonde hair was catching sunlight as I rested my chin on top of her head. Her wings were up against my chest. The feathers were soft and tickling me. We were laughing, our eyes shut for a moment. Just being real. Gazzy and Iggy now chasing me with waterballons. The view was as if someone was looking up, the image rocking as if on a boat. Of course, I thought, this was from our last trip to save my mother. I was being pelted by balloons. "That's it," I yelled with a laugh in the memory, "MY TURN!" Nudge now, flying over the ocean towards Fang and I, everything still from his point of view. From what he saw, he watched me fly towards her with a smile I had never see on me. As if I had just found a piece of myself all over again, and I had. Then, Nudge and I were there flying as if we had never been split apart.

"Fang?" I watched as the memories faded and the room was back. Nudge had been the one speaking. She seemed a bit nervous. "Are you all right?" Everyone else seemed just as concerned. What had happened? Was he hurt? I couldn't hide my annoynace of wondering what image he would've saved for just the two of us. He had to think of us because he was more open about it than I even was and all I had been doing was thinking about us together agian.

"He's not injured, only missing you. I'm too weak to contact him and keep you here." Ari stared up at me and I gave him a smile. I was proud to call him my brother. "I'm proud to call you my sister, Max." Then, his eyes turned back at the events reeling out in front of us. Everyone was still waiting for Fang's reply. I could feel his anger, his silence building up. Fang never was one to say much at all except for when it mattered.

I heard him let out a sigh before responding, "Headache, the Voice. I'm going to lie down." Angel narrowed her eyes and I could sense that she knew he was lying. Can't be in the same room as her. His eyes darted towards Max II for a moment who was startled as if he had said it out loud. Angel smiled weakly and nodded her head. Then, Fang stood up and went to walk out the door. He entered a hallway with cracked gray walls and dimmer lighting.

"Fang!" I recognized my voice and Fang instantly turned around, as if hoping that it was me and not Max II. She ran up to stand in front of him with the same brown eyes as me. Upclose I could see her nose was a bit smaller than mine in a cuter kind of way. Her hair actually looked decent whereas mine was hacked whenever the strands got too long. Her lips curved in a smile and crossed her arms, "So, what happened between you two?"

Light caught her skin, it was tan from the sun but still on the paler side like me. There were flecks of blonde in her hair like mine but she was more blonde than me. "Nothing that involves you." His tone was harsh, cold, monotone just like all the times when he was angry with me except there wasn't even a hint of gentleness in it. She didn't stagger back or seemed scared. In fact, she probably expected it having studying me for however long she had.

"If you want the plan to work I need to know all I can about Max, plain and simple. I'm right." She had that stubborn lift of her shin and the glare that I gave down to a pact. I swear it was like looking into a mirror. As much as part of me hated her for working with once evil Eraser Ari and trying to replace me, I had to respect her for helping me out now and fighting beside me in Germany. Water under the bridge or even better, Max over the water under the bride...that was forgetting the bad things to an extreme. "Are you two together?" I didn't want to see that interest in her eyes or the curiousty in her voice but if Fang chose her could I help it? Yes, I could, when I escaped I could punch him around a few times and yell at him.

Max II took a step forward so they were a few inches apart. Her wings were tan like beach sand, just like mine. She wore a blue tank top and a mini skirt. That was what I would look life if I was the least bit girly. I saw no fighting advantages to the appearal so they were obviously no good to me. Max II twirled a piece of hair around her finger as she stared up at Fang, appreciating his good looks in a observant way... I hoped. But, guess what, I've been known to be wrong.

Her hands suddenly went to Fang's face and pulled him in. His eyes remained opened as Max II forced her lips against his. Her eyes were shut and there was a deep red on her cheeks from blushing. Then, all of a sudden she was pushed back away from him. A good space was between them. Her face was filled with rejection, her mouth open in shock and her eyes narrowing in on him. She crossed her arms and began to frown in a pouting kind of way. Fury rose through me that she would do that but maybe being attracted to Fang was in our DNA or something and she couldn't help it. Also, happiness was there that Fang had stopped the kiss, not like when we were together.

"Max and I," I heard his voice, patient and silent as if nothing had ever happened, "Is everything to me. You wouldn't understand even if Angel explained it by reading my mind." Fang turned on his heels, ignoring Max II's hurt expression, and went down towards the hallway. He entered a room with a small bed and laid down on it. Then, when he closed his eyes I saw me the way he had always seen me.

When she was Max, just Max, my best friend, he whispered to himself.

There I was, holding my chest as if I had a heart attack, standing by the fridge in the old house as I yelled, "Will you quit doing that?"

Then he responded calmly as if he hadn't done anything at all, "Quit what? Breathing?"

When I fell for her

"Don't die Fang, please don't die." My face leaned over his with a different cut to my hair that had seemed years, decades ago but only a few short months. Then, I started the exchanges of kisses that would be the only ones I ever needed. I leaned down and enclosed the space between us in one quick moment. When I was sitting back up, looking at the rest of the flock in horror, his eyes remained on me the entire time focusing on the way my cheek was cut and my hair had pebbles and dirt from falling in the sand. Everything in me he had seen. All around I felt exhiliration, a joy, a realization.

When I almost lost her

The top of my head, hair falling down lightly over my shoulder, as I sat on the beach. I could hear the ocean all over again. His eyes on the bloody arm and wrist. Holding it firmly, not trusting me to not hurt myself. I could feel his pain then, how scared he was just like I had been when he had almost died.

When she made me jealous

He was looking through a window down at me. There was I, arms wrapped around the possible traitor Sam. The hand holding back the curtain tightened and there was twinge of anger. Same's arms went up to my back as if looking for my wings. We kept kissing and all Fang did was stare, hurt and possible betrayed.

When I kissed her first

I was bent over, my head resting on my arms, and my hair splayed on my back. My wings were pulled tightly against my back as if I was trying to take them off. His hand soft on my back soothing the spot between my wings."What are you doing?" I asked suddenly, as I shifted my head to look at him. I was annoyed then. My eyes filled with confusion to what exactly he was doing. The hand not on my back went to my chin.

"Changing your mind," he whispered. Pulling me into the kiss that seemed so unreal and terrific and scary at the same time.

When we were us

The stars were bright and dark. His chest moving up and down. Then, he shifted his eyes on me. I had my brown eyes focused on the stars lost to the moment that had just happened. His gaze followed the slight smile that curved in my lips, my eyes that were partially closed in amazement, and my hair that was tucked underneath his arm. I could hear our breath and almost smell the earth as if we were there again the desert.

When we are free

There we stood, hand in hand, staring at a sunrise that hadn't happened yet. The flock out at the ocean as we stood on a wooden porch to a home behind us. Fang staring at me. We felt older, happier, and different. "We have to go," Ari whispered. I nodded reluctantly staring at the future I could have. So Fang thought about it too, like the rest of us. Just as the image began to fade, Fang was pulling me towards him in a kiss. I love you Max.