Strange Encounter

I was walking home from school. I couldn't play football with the guys anymore. I tried yesterday but Sam kept insisting that I stop tackling Fang. I was really pissed off and I would've seriously injured anyone else. So, I eventually quit the game.

Our home is only a few blocks away and the path is quiet so I was taking in all the annoying thoughts that seemed to be bothering me the most at the moment. My hands were in my pocket and my tote bag whacked against my legs.

Thoughts that had bothered me:

Sam was being a little possessive

Brigid and her group of friends

The constant headache growing worse (as well as my nightmares)

Fang

Fang

Guess who? Fang

I kicked a stone as I passed by the park I went for a run in. There was a play area with monkey bars and slides. Two children were going extremely high on the swings. The chairs on the metal made a swishing sound and they weren't laughing or doing anything. I just saw serious faces as they talked in hushed whispers.

I stared at them.

They seemed familiar.

I leaned against the fence that separated the sidewalk from the park. Why were the children alone? The boy seemed only ten and the young girl about eight, definitely brother and sister. I watched as the girl took a large jump, one that to me looked as if she should break her leg when she hit the ground. Panicking I lifted myself over the fence and chased towards the swings knowing it would be too late to catch her. In front of my eyes, she drifted down as if she had a parachute on. Her brother kept swinging.

"Are you all right?" I asked in astonishment. The girl beamed up at me with bright white teeth, her wide blue eyes glinting with amusement. Her blonde curls were frizzed as if she hadn't combed her hair in days.

"Ignore her," the boy said, "You know how she is." Then he blushed in embarrassment when he realized I didn't know him. I peaked up at him, he had stopped swinging and remained sitting while looking at me. "My sister likes to grab attention. Angel, get to the point."

My head began throbbing with pain. Great, another headache while I was still freaking over the fact that the girl didn't even stumble when she hit the ground. She was so graceful like a ballerina or an angel just like her name. "Headache?" The girl asked innocently with a voice as delicate as a flower. "I bet you've had those for a long time. They probably ruined your memory. Do you have a scar?"

I stepped away from her. I was about to point at her screaming alien or monster. She was grinning up at me like she was from the Children of the Corn movie but the part of me that felt as if I had met Fang before I had was yearning to reach out, hold her, and cry. The boy too seemed like someone who I would do anything to protect.

From the appearance of their clothes they had been living on the streets. I watched as the boy rolled his eyes, "Act normal for once Angel, geez." He lifted his eyes to me now, "I'm sorry, she's just good at reading people. It's a freaky gift." He gave me a wide mischievous grin. Ten-year-olds, I wish I knew what it was like to be one. I can't believe that I didn't know though.

"Gazzy," the Angel girl hissed. "She won't understand. What's your name?" I sucked in a deep breath while watching the two exchanged a glance. They seemed to be saying an entire conversation in that one look.

"Max," I answer to get back their attention. "My name is Max Ride." Just from their conversations I already knew their names were Gazzy and Angel. I wondered why the boy's name was Gazzy, didn't it seem like the wrong kind of name for a parent to give their kid?

"Can you fly Max?" Angel held her arms behind her back and swayed innocently. It was the kind of simple question you would expect a young girl to ask but the way her eyes glinted said she was a lot smarter than most of her. For Angel, she appeared to be asking a serious question.

"Sorry," I replied and turned my back, "No wings, see? And I can't do the Superman thing either." I gave a smile but Angel didn't seem happy with my response in fact she gave me this look that can only be described as 'Bambi eyes'.

"Are you sure?" I was about to ask how could someone like me possibly be able to fly. "Let's go," then Gazzy and her were running off towards the forest with the trail by the park where I had run into Sam. Most people don't have an eyesight like mine that allowed me to watch them run farther towards the end of the park. I instantly watched as something opened up from their backs like a paraglide as they ran. They took the corner before I could determine what it was.

Strange…I hoped to see them again.

Fang pushed a hand through his hair. He hadn't even bothered to show up to football- the game didn't sound as fun when he heard that Max wouldn't be there. He threw a stress ball against his bedroom wall. At least alone in his room he could think and not be disturbed.

Unfortunately, Max was all he thought about.

How could they have come so close? He was about to tell her how he felt and then she started going out with that wiener Sam. Fang didn't care that they were friends- Sam didn't deserve someone as amazing as Max. Fang didn't think he was worthy of her either.

Outside the window the sun was setting, the way the window looked seemed to call out to him. He felt as if he had once opened the window and flown out of it into the sunset. In an old dream, he recalled Max flying beside him and she had wings a tawny brown that was similar to some of the highlights in her hair.

"Fang?" His mother's voice called out to him. Before he could respond, she opened the door. He was just lying on the bed staring up at the ceiling still tossing the stress ball up and down. "Brigid's parents are having a party. Do you want to go to the party or do you want Brigid over?"

"Neither," he replied. He felt his mother raise her eyebrow. He ignored her and squeezed the ball. "Broke up."

"Oh, honey why?" His mother sat down at the edge of the bed and patted his knee. "I didn't even expect that. You two seemed so happy a few weeks ago when you went to the beach." Fang rolled his eyes, when Brigid and he went to the beach it had been hell.

Fang didn't answer her question.

He wasn't going to admit to his mother that he was in love with Max.

What did it matter if Max didn't feel the same about him?